Absolute Darkness. Callie Sullivan
The inky blackness of space is silent and cold. A lone shape breaks up the uniform darkness. A ship. Its form long and sleek, with the swept back curves of predator. Inside it is dark, cold. A low hum, a gift from the engines fills the air. There is a stillness about this ship, it is a tense feeling. Its as though the ship is waiting for something or someone. With a soft hum that long stillness ends. Lights turn on with a reluctant flicker. Air hisses as long suffering machines rush to sort poison from breathable air.
In a large circular room there is a far more auspicious activity occurring. A 15ft ring begins to turn as it dials. The symbols emit a faint glow as the wormholes align and connect to a distant galaxy. With a harsh click and whoosh, the room bursts into action. An enormous vortex shoots out of the stargate. The room is illuminated in a weird and unnatural light. The vortex settles and becomes smooth.
Moments late a young soldier flies through the opening and lands in a rough tumble. The soldier wears the bars of a Lieutenant in the Air Force. Those bars rest on a set of combat fatigues complete with combat pack and helmet. A small patch with a a white feather and word Icarus decorates the left shoulder.
The young Lt. struggles breathes deeply and then rises with a lurch. Before the soldier can assume a combat stance another person tumbles through the gate. A woman dressed in civilian clothes. A metal box follows her in a rather murderous fashion as it nearly decapitates the young officer.
The Lt. reaches down and drags the woman with a groan, muttering all the while.
"Fucking stupid. I said wait 5, then take a three count."
Another person tumbles though the gate. Then another. A cart of supplies follows then a man who promptly breaks his nose as he comes though and slams into it.
Lt. "All right, get out of the way. Move, move, MOVE!"
The words are swallowed as a deluge of people and objects pour through the gate. There is pandemonium as each person flies into the darkness and often into other people, with messy results.
The Lt. raises a radio, "This is-
A newly arrived man in a lab coat barrels into the officer. They go down in a tangle of limbs and bruised bones.
"I say again," the officer groans, still on the floor. "Slow down the evac, we're coming in too hot."
The scientist, Volker judging by the weight was still resting on the Lt. That wouldn't do.
"Get. Off. ME!" A rough shove solved the problem. For her at least.
Either the message isn't received or people are in too much of a hurry to get through the Gate, but the rapid arrival of people continues, all of them flying through too fast and falling heavily to the floor. A stately but disheveled woman rushed out of the choas. Her fine, almost delicate features were marred with dirt and most likely blood. She trips and falls as another frightened soul bursts into her. I.O.A. representative Camile Wray scrambles back to her feet and grabs at the Lt.
"Where are we? Why didn't we come through to Earth?"
A terse command is the only response.
"Get these people away from the gate before someone gets killed. Lets go, NOW!"
They move together dragging man and material to the side with a speed only danger can provide. But their efforts only blunt the worst of the damage. The newly arrived people, confused and frightened by the darkness stand like sheep and every box and container is flipped or turned on its side by the transfer. More and more travelers enter the room, usually in a painful manner. Some who have came through first try to help, but most stand in stunned shock or gasp in pain.
A sharp cry cuts through the uproar. A marine is crouched over his buddy.
"I need a medic!"
"Over here."
A soldier with her soft blonde hair cut short weaves through the masses towards the cry. Her beauty belays her business like manner. She reaches the downed soldier and drops to a knee. She checks over he patient. Her movements are brisk and mechanical.
"Can you move your fingers?"
"No." His reply is weak with pain. "I think my arm's broken."
The medic moves her hand gently over his arm until the soldier winces. Next she shines a light in his eyes.
"Do you remember my name?" The medic inquires.
"You're uhh, um, I can't remember?"
"I'm Corporal Johansen, T.J., remember?"
The wounded soldier groans again.
TJ moves her arms over the soldier's head and finds a large ugly lump. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a syringe. She jabs it into the downed soldier's arm and looks him in the eye.
"I just gave you morphine for the pain. It's going to kick in in a sec, before it does can you move your feet for me?
The soldier moves his feet up and down, and then lets out gasp as the drugs begin to kick in. TJ grabs the man who called her over.
"He has a compound break in the arm and a concussion. I gave him 5 of morphine. I need you to watch him and come get me if he gets worse. OK?"
The soldiers gives her a blank stare and then a nod. "You aren't going to stay? He needs you."
"A lot of people need me." TJ replies.
A man stands up among the crowd. His hair is graying, his manner, like iron. He moves purposefully through the crowd. He stops at a nearby console. The readout and buttons are dark. A layer of dust coats their surface. He looks up and watches the mass of people with a detached interest.
A hefty young man runs out of the gate. He unlike so many keeps his footing and is not injured. His shirt reads 'you are here'. He spots the man by the console.
"Doctor Rush! Doctor!. Nicolas Rush! Hey! What is this place?" The young man shouts.
If the Doctor Rush gave any reply Eli would have to wait to here it, because just then a large briefcase flew through the gate and slammed into his head. Eli was instantly knocked out.
The Lt. and Camile grab his prone body and roll him off to the side before he is hurt again. Doctor Rush watches this and then turns back to the alien console.
A Sgt bends jumps through the gate and lands like an action hero. Pose and everything. His dark eyes quickly take in the situation. More importantly they find a officer to report too. He runs up the the Lt. and Camile.
"Awful mess here sir. What's the plan?"
"Greer, get some men, three man teams. Get these people moving. And post someone at the exits, I don't want anyone wandering off."
"You got it Eltee."
Sgt. Ronald Greer sauntered off unfazed by the chaos, shouting orders and gathering men.
The Lt. surveyed the room.
"Greer where's the colonel?" She shouts at his back.
"He was right behind me." Greer called out without looking back.
Doctor Rush climbs up a metal staircase to an upper level and looks down into the Gateroom, smiling ruefully at the chaos.
A man in a dark suit and a young lady bump into the Lt. They shuffle by without stopping. Each wears a sticky slap on visitors sticker. The man's reads Senator Armstrong. The woman's says simple Chloe.
"Where the hell are we?" Asks the Senator with a gasp.
"Are you ok?" Chloe replies worriedly.
"Yeah. Not quite the vacation we had planned, is it?"
The flow of people through the gate has stopped. The wormhole itself pulses with strain.
The Lt. grabs Camile and drops flat. "Hit the deck!"
A man rockets through the gate propelled by a burst of flame and pressure. He sails across the room and lands with a hard thump. With an audible snap the gate shuts down and plunges the room into darkness. People scream. Others cry. Those with flashlight (mostly soldiers) turn them on.
"Move, move, move." Sgt. Greer is already darting towards the body. The Lt. is already there crouched over and trying to keep the man's thrashing body still. His coat is still smoking.
"Greer, its Colonel Young." The Lt. locks eyes with her NCO.
Greer didn't kneel, the smell of burned flesh, all to familiar and all to powerful from where he stood. "How bad Lt.?
"I don't know. Probably some internal bruising and definitely burns. He needs T.J." She turned. "T.J.! Hurry!"
Colonel Everett Young's body went still and his eyes came to focus on his right hand from Icarus base.
"James? Where are we? Where are we?"
"I don't know sir." Lt. James replied. "Don't move. Don't try to get up."
"You're in charge James." Young whispered. "You're in charge."
The colonel went limp in James' arms. His breathe became shallow and weak.
TJ skidded into the scene and dropped down. She only had eyes for her patient.
"Is he ok?" Greer asked.
"Uh, I dunno." TJ replied automatically.
Pulling out a medical flashlight, she peels open one of Young's eyelids and shines the light into it. Scott scrambles to his feet and yells for the young civilian.
"Wallace." Lt. James called out. "Camile, bring me Eli."
The dark surroundings looked oddly familiar to Lt. James. Almost as if she had been here before. But of course she had no idead where 'here' was. A million questions raced around inside her head chasing and being chased. She needed answers.
Eli slumped out of the crowd, heavily supported by the IOA rep.
"What is this place?" James ground out.
"Look, I just did what Rush told me." Eli stammered.
"Where is he?"
"I don't know if he went ahead of me."
"Rush!." James called out.
In the background noise, unlistened to by the frightened passengers, the low hum of the engines grew louder, more intense. The Destiny's engines were charging.
"Rush!" James called again. "Eli, help me find him."
Eli tried to speak, but was interrupted by the engine's hum intensifying tenfold, then a hundredfold until everyone clutched their heads in pain. There was a brief flash of intense light. The hum faded and the light was gone as if it had never been.
"What in the hell was that?" Greer demanded.
"I don't know." James replied. She turned to face Greer. "Sergeant, I need you to get these people settled here. I need you to find out who and what we've got. Nobody leaves this room."
Greer snapped a salute and turned and trotted away, eager to get to work.
"TJ, honest assessment, how long until the Colonel's on his feet again?"
"Ma'am, he may not wake up again. I don't even know if I can treat him with what I've got." TJ reported.
Chloe and the Senator slowly made their way over to the little group.
"Vanessa, what are we going to do?" Eli whined.
1st Lieutenant Vanessa James, looked up and realized she had no idea.