"When it rains..."

[Sean Xiang 0]

Sean sat at the science station on the bridge. He watched as the lift door closed in front of Lieutenant Grey. He looked up at Commander Cole, who was sitting in the Command Chair. “And then there were two.” He commented dryly.

 

He turned back to his monitor and began typing again, monitoring the internal sensors for any signs of the radiation signature. He was starting to learn that ‘normal’ was a relative term on Challenger. Smiling, he mentally reminded himself that that was the nature of space exploration.

 

The scans were being run on each deck separately. Every 20 seconds the next deck’s scan was completed. To put it simply, each deck was scanned in turn, and new results were available every 20 seconds. B Deck……C Deck……D Deck.

Nothing. Sean tapped a few keys. E Decks scan came back. Still nothing. As he worked, junior officer’s and noncommissioned crewmen began filing in and filling the bridge positions.

 

Sean sighed. Most would have seen finding nothing as a good thing. But it made Sean nervous. Sensors being quiet were one thing. But this…this was just too quiet.

 

F deck…nothing. “Brig to the bridge.” Aaron broke into Sean’s thought. “Cole here, go ahead Aaron,” the Commander responded.

 

“Our guest is awake.” Aaron said. Cole looked up from what she was doing. “Why is she not sedated?” She questioned. “The sedatives seem to be inhibiting her abilities.” At that Cole perked up a bit, obviously pleased at the opportunity to question the female in the brig. “ I am on my way.”

 

With that, Cole stood and started towards the lift. “Shuttle Pod 2 to Challenger, requesting clearance to land.” Came Giovanni’s voice over the comm. Cole stepped into the lift and turned towards Sean. “Lieutenant Xiang, you have the bridge. And give that shuttle immediate clearance.” She said as the doors closed in front of her.

 

Sean stood. “Aye, I have the bridge.” He said as he stood and moved towards the center of the bridge. One of the junior science officers replaced him at science. Sean sat down, slowly in the Command Chair. He turned his head in all directions, taking in everything on the bridge. This was an interesting position…

 

As his eyes came to rest on the officer now at science, Sean became acutely aware that every gaze on the bridge was transfixed on him. “I have the bridge.” He said in a whisper, to low for anyone to hear. However, that sentence resounded in his mind, and sent shivers down his back.

 

He tuned back towards the viewscreen, his eyes setting into a confidence he did not completely feel. When he spoke, his tone matched his eyes perfectly. “Shuttle Pod 2, you are cleared to land. Bring the Captain home Sergio.”

 

After confirming the Captain’s condition, clearing Shuttle Pod one for landing, and a bit of brief banter with Lieutenant Giovanni, Sean clicked the comm off.

The silence was fleeting, however.

 

A light flashed on the arm of the chair. The brig had cut all communications. It was this moment that the young man at science spoke. “Sir, the radiation signature has returned.”

 

“Location?” Sean asked turning his head towards him.

 

“The brig.”

 

Sean cursed under his breath. He knew it was futile, but tried any ways. “Xiang to the brig.” Of course, there was no response. He sighed as he pressed a few buttons on the comm unit and spoke again. “Xiang to Giovanni.”

 

“Giovanni here, go ahead.” Came the response.

 

“Something has happened in the Brig, please report there immediately.” Sean said, filling his voice once again with a confidence he did not completely feel. “The Commander may be in danger.” He added.

 

“On my way.” Giovanni responded. And with that, the comm was again silent.

 

Standing, Sean made his way to the OPS station, coming to rest just behind the young woman that was now manning it. Her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, her exposed forehead was glistening with a thin line of sweat. She was afraid, Sean knew. Probably her first time on the bridge in an emergency, he thought. Must be a day for firsts….

 

“The brig is being filled with some form of gas, sir.” She said, her voice surprisingly calm. “Can we vent it?” Sean inquired. The woman typed frantically on the keyboard in front of her. “No use, it’s…it’s like I have been locked out of environmental control.”

 

Sean reviewed the data coming across the screen in front of them. His thoughts flickered for a moment to Grey and the security team down on G Deck. Something was wrong here…he just could not put his finger on it. They were all in danger, and the idea of his Chief on one of the lower decks chasing the same type of radiation signature that had nearly crippled the ship did not exactly put his mind at ease.

 

Then the report came, and Sean had problems of his own. “It appears that systems are being manipulated from Auxiliary Engineering.” Someone on the bridge said. Sean mind raced to think of what to do, who to send. Tapping the comm, Sean spoke. “Xiang to Vank, how far are you from Auxiliary Engineering?”

 

“Not far, but we seem to have our hands full.”

 

Matt quickly ran through their current situation, which was grim to say the least. “Understood.” Was the only thing Sean could think to say. His mind was racing for what to do, with Vank’s team tied up near Main Engineering, and Sergio ‘s team still trying to gain access to the brig, Sean was running out of security forces.

 

“I could go.” The MACO at Tactical spoke up. Sean looked at him. He had not seem him around the ship, and he could not seem to remember him. Must have come in on the last transport Sean figured. His features were young and fresh, and Sean hated to send someone that seemed to have just arrived into such a dangerous situation. Options, however, seemed to be a luxury at this point. His hands were tied.

 

Sean nodded. “Go.” He said, then turned back to OPS as the young man rushed into the turbo lift. It was then that the first bit of good news arrived on the bridge. Giovanni’s team had entered the brig and found Commander Cole, Lieutenant T’Parek, and Lieutenant Westler alive.

 

Relief filled Sean as Giovanni spoke. A relief that was short lived. Sean moved back to the Command Chair and clicked the comm switch. “Xiang to Auxiliary Engineering, what is your status?” The response was not exactly what Sean was hoping for. “Sir, I am detecting weapons fire in Auxiliary Engineering.” The young woman at OPS reported.

 

Sean turned and looked at her. A light flashed on her console. She looked down and struck a few keys. “That cannot be possible…” She said. “What?” Sean asked. “I am detecting a…a fire in Engineering.” She replied. “A fire?” Sean replied, his brow furrowing in confusion. He reached for the comm switch. “Xiang to Grey, what is going on down there?”

 

Grey quickly brought Sean up to date on their…”negotiations” with the being the crew had come to call the “Human torch”. Though this being seemed to be anything but human.

 

Sean’s mind whirled. He was inexperienced at things like this. He was a scientist, he studied things, experimented, then drew conclusions. Snap judgements and decisions just did not compute. He hesitated, and in that moment of hesitation, a course of action was decided not by him, but by the intruder.

 

“He has…vanished.” Grey reported. “Vanished?” Sean asked, the shock threatening to send him falling from the chair. A shock that was surely in his voice as well.

 

A light on the arm of the Command Chair flashed, and Sean opened a new channel on the comm. The young MACO he had sent to Auxiliary Engineering came over the comm and gave a quick report of what had happened. A report that included another alien intruder, a crewmen turning into a “zombie”, and the seeming non-effect of phaser fire on this new threat. “And then he just…just…vanished!” The MACO finished, a small portion of panic entering his voice. Intruders, Sean mentally corrected himself.

 

Sean sat there with both comm lines still open. His eyes staring at the viewscreen, which was dotted with the stars of distant systems. He turned once again and looked at the young woman at OPS. Her face was a mix of relief and utter confusion, as was his. The latter dominating his features. They just looked at each other for a moment, both of them not sure what to say.

 

Sean turned back to the viewscreen, his thoughts regaining the sharp edge of a scientist’s mind. “Standby.” He spoke into the comm, and after the acknowledgements came back, he switched it off.

 

He stared back at the viewscreen, his eyes returned to their usual focus, and his thoughts turned for a moment to an old saying: When it rains, it pours. Only, this time, it seemed the storm had passed as quickly as it had come.

 

He looked around the bridge once more, and into the eyes of each of the beings around him. Then his eye’s came to rest on the stars once more. “A very interesting position indeed…”