Chapter Eight – Black Alert
"Admiral Janeway, personal log. The Doctor and myself have been on Risa for three days now. The medical symposium is over this afternoon, and I am looking foreword to getting my feet back on Earth soil. Although I cannot say that I did not enjoy myself here, I'm just about ready to go home. I was really hoping to find something wrong with Captain Tracy on our way up here. Unfortunately, I could not. Other than the one incident where I thought I saw the gas at his feet… I haven't had any more experiences like it afterward. I don't know, maybe my gut feeling is staring to let me down. Still, I can't dismiss my initial thoughts. And what about that incident with the Vision and the Terra Nova? That just cannot be ignored. I'm going to have to start doing some heavy-duty research when I get back to earth. I guess that's all that I have to report… computer, end log, and transfer the file to my tricorder." Janeway said, as she put her last shirt in her suitcase. She clipped it shut, and walked to the balcony of the suite they were staying in. She smiled, for it overlooked one of Risas many grand lakes. The sun was setting off in the distance, and the water was shimmering in all of its radiant glory. She breathed in deeply, and herd the latch on the door give way. She turned, as the Doctor walked into the room.
"Wow, that was a great lecture on Romulan physiology." The Doctor was gleaming as he sat his briefcase down. "Did you enjoy yourself on this trip?" He directed the question to Kathryn, as he joined her out on the balcony.
"Certainly, Doctor. I am delighted that you invited me to come along."
"Well of course, who do you think I would invite? Mister Neelix?" The Doctor paused, as in thought. "How is Mister Neelix anyway, have we been in contact with him since we returned?"
"Yes, I think Mister Barcaly managed to set up some sort of long range subspace transmitter… something like that, I'm not sure what. Anyway, whatever he did managed to do the trick. I have even sought his council a few times since our return. Oh, and speaking of Neelix, him and Dexa tied the knot." The Doctors eyes got wide.
"Well that's wonderful! I was hoping that they would. They will make a great couple." The two stood there for a moment, looking out at the lake.
"Voyager should be waiting for us by now. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready when you are." They grabbed their bags, and walked down to the elevator. Janeway tapped her comm badge as they entered.
"Janeway to Voyager, we will be ready for transport momentarily." Her comm badge beeped twice, indicating that the transmission had been received. She put her luggage down in the elevator, waiting a response from the Starship. Janeway frowned at the Doctor, and he retuned it. She tapped her badge again.
"Janeway to Voyager, please respond." The badge again double-beeped.
"Well they are within range or your badge wouldn't do that… I wonder why they aren't responding." The Doctor mused.
"You're right this is weird. Well like you said, they are getting the transmission. I wonder if we can call the computer." Again tapping her badge, she spoke.
"Janeway to Voyager computer system, please acknowledge." This time, her badge crackled, and a voice responded.
"-Federation Starship Voyager computer system responding."
"Computer, authenticate my voice."
"-Voice authenticated. Janeway, Kathryn, Admiral." Came the tinny sounding reply from Janeways badge.
"Well, at least we have the ship on our side." Janeway muttered. "Computer, what happened to the crew?"
"-Unknown. The main computer has suffered neural damage, and some commands are limited until self repair subroutines have repaired the damage. All self repair systems are online and working at 100." Janeway nodded.
"Doctor, I think we need to get up there. Something is wrong and I don't like the looks of this."
"I agree, besides, some of their crew may require medical help. We need to get up there as soon as possible." He nodded.
"Computer, lock on to myself and the other comm badge in this lift, and beam us aboard." Moments later, the elevator reached the lobby and opened, empty.
--
The Doctor and Admiral Janeway materialized on the same transporter pad as before. They both put their luggage down, and headed for the turbolift.
"We need to get to the bridge and find out what's going on here." Janeway said.
"I agree. I can conduct scans of the ship from there and see if I can find any of the crew." The Doctor chimed in. Moments later, the turbolift doors parted, revealing the bridge. Janeways heart fluttered for a moment, as she felt the brief rush of being in command again. The room was empty, and configured much like her bridge was. All of the stations were in the same place, just updated, new looking. Janeway walked to the ops panel, and noticed that every single screen in the room was displaying the same thing. "Self Repair Systems are at 97, Standby."
"Doctor, what do you make of this? I have never heard of self repair systems as extensive as this. They seem to be working on the entire ship. Computer, what is the repair system working on at this moment?"
-The repair systems are restoring the emergency holographic subroutines. Janeway frowned.
"Emergency holographics? Doctor, have you heard of anything like this before?"
The Doctor stopped in thought for a moment, then replied.
"Never herd of it." Suddenly, the lights on the bridge dimmed a few levels.
-Attention, Black Alert, Holographic systems charging. Pre-Black Alert scans in progress. The computer announced.
"What the hell…" Janeway started to say. The Doctor quickly positioned himself next to Kathryn, as the both turned in circles looking at all of the stations. The main viewscreen flickered to life displaying stats.
--BLACK ALERT--
INITIATING SHIPWIDE LIFESIGN SCANS……. DONE. ONE LIFE FORM DETECTED, ONE HOLOGRAPHIC PROGRAM DETCTED.
MAIN COMPUTER CORE LOCKOUT ENABLED.
"My God, what the hell is all of this?" Janeway said aloud as they stared at the viewscreen.
"It's called black alert, Admiral." A voice from behind Janeway and the Doctor said. Startled, they both turned around quickly to be greeted by a very fit man in a Starfleet uniform pointing a phaser at them.
"Who are you?" Janeway said quickly, bringing herself up to her full height. The man stared at her and the Doctor for a moment then replied.
"My name is Captain Marcus, the holographic counterpart from Captain Tracy. I was activated as a result to loss in life forms aboard this vessel. When I came online I was not expecting to see anyone aboard. What are you two doing here?"
"You're a backup captain? Intriguing, I'm surprised Starfleet hasn't told me about you."
"There are many things Starfleet hasent told you about this ship, Admiral. Now, who are you and why are you here?"
Janeway glanced at the Doctor, and started spilling the whole story, from the beginning. When she finished, Captain Marcus sat down in the Captains chair, and layed the handheld phaser down next to him. He crossed his arms, looking at them.
"Computer," He said, "enable the rest of the holographic crew." Instantly, every station on the bridge was filled with holographic people. Janeways jaw dropped.
"How many holographic people do you have on this ship?" She asked in amazement looking at all of them.
"A full crew compliment. Full systems report!" He replied, and looked up at his tactical officer.
"Sir, everything is online except for deck nine. The sensor resolution is gone to hell down there, and I cant find out why." The tactical hologram said.
"Erect a level nine forcefield around that deck."
"Done. I recommend sending a security detachment down to check it out."
"Good idea, do it."
"Engineering to bridge." Came the voice over the comm.
"Bridge here." The captain replied.
"Almost everything is working down here, I'm having some problems with the antimatter seals, they seem to be corroding away. It's nothing to worry about right now, but if I don't get it sealed in an hour or so we are going to have to dump the core. My engineering scanners are telling me the drain is coming from the deck nine antimatter tanks."
"Deck nine." Marcus muttered. "Helm, get us out of the Risa system. Maximum warp. If we do end up having to eject the core, I don't want to blow up the quadrants vacation planet. Engine room, keep an eye on that leak, and alert me of any more problems. Bridge out." Janeway looked at the Doctor as they felt the the ship vibrate slightly as it jumped into warp.
--
Four security holograms stood in the turbolift holding compression rifles at ready. The lift slowed, and the doors opened. The first two men jumped out shining their lights into the dark corridor.
"Clear!" one of them said. They knelt down and shined their lights all around. The other two slowly walked out of the lift looking around.
"Computer, lights on." The team leader said. The computer beeped, and the lights flickered on. The corridor looked normal. He took the lead, holding his rifle. Slowly walking foreword his eyes trained on the hallway ahead. He stopped suddenly, hearing something. It was coming from three doors down, Cargo Bay Seven. He motioned for two of his comrades to go ahead of him and stand guard by the door. They ran ahead, and stood pointing their weapons at the door. His partner fell in step behind him, and they walked up to the door. He tapped his comm. badge.
"Security Detachment Alpha leader to bridge."
"Bridge here."
"Can you tell me what is in Cargo Bay Seven?"
"Internal sensors are still down on that deck. The logs say there isn't much in there though, a few storage containers with trinocycline in them, nothing lethal though."
"Standby bridge. Alpha leader out." He leaned foreword and placed his ear next to the door. Scraping. It sounded as if someone or something was scraping or clawing at the door from the other end. He leaned back, and pointed his weapon at the door. The other three men stood at ready. He nodded at the man closest to the panel, who pressed the open button.
Warning, an unstable atmosphere detected in Cargo Bay Seven. The room has been sealed off-the computer announced. The doors remained unopened.
"Computer, erect a level ten forcefield around the bulkheads in this corridor. Seal us in."
Forcefield in place- The computer announced.
"Open the doors."
--
Janeway and the Doctor were leaning up against the tactical console, watching Captain Marcus try to regain internal sensors for deck nine.
"Alpha Le," The communication system crackled to life. The bridge occupants directed their attention to the transmission from the security team. "—ridge—de— nine— seal off—horrib—entire crew—reports—we will—Tracy not—out." The comm. system cut out. Marcus shot his eyes down to the console. Keying in a few commands, high definition forcefields immediately snapped into place around deck nine. The ship suddenly shifted into red alert.
"Captain, something is forming next to us!" The helm officer said. "whatever it is, it has an intense gravimetric pull, its causing a feedback in the warp engines, I can't keep our speed up much longer!" The helm officer finished, as he fought with the controls.
"Sensor analysis?" Captain Marcus directed the question to his ops officer.
"Sir, it's a subspace fold, but I don't understand how it is keeping up with us… at warp speed." Janeway nearly choked on her own spit.
"Let me see it!" She said, as she walked to the center of the bridge, looking at the main view screen. The image came up on the screen stopping the Admiral dead in her tracks, for it was the exact same image she saw years ago on the original Voyager. Her nightmare that she had almost forgot about suddenly resurfaced rapidly. The entity that plagued her and the Doctor was back.