Chapter Title: Inner Demons
Chapter Synapses: A story to commemorate 6/6/06. Set between chapters "Ashes to Ashes" and "The Home Front", this puts the Hyperion crew against a threat of biblical proportions. Shamelessly inspired by Doctor Who "The Impossible Planet" and Event Horizon.
Written by: Seraph Koji
"What is it you want, Admiral?" Starwind offered. It was about five months before Starwind's "death" on Deep Space Nine and a month or so before the discovery on the Tal'Nori homeworld.
"There's something we wanted you to check out, Victor. About three light-years from your current position…"
A few hours later, Starwind informed his senior officers, "Starfleet Command wanted us to take a detour on our way for our annual servicing. A ship has appeared on long range sensors crashed on a planet. The USS Eno. Computer?"
"USS Eno. Galaxy Class. Registry Number NCC-57997. Reported Lost to a Black Hole on Stardate 48225.1"
"Lost to a Black Hole?" Collins glared, "Why does Starfleet think it's out there?"
"There was a general distress call we've picked up, but we weren't able to trace it. Starfleet had to use the Midus Array, the most powerful sensor array in the Federation. The interference from the planet is too bad to trace the signal otherwise." Starwind smiled, "Seems the wormhole in the atmosphere is causing problems tracing the source."
"Is the theory that the black hole the Eno fell into was actually a heavy-gravity wormhole?" Ivano asked.
"That's what we want to know. And why this wormhole just appeared on sensors." Starwind said, "We'll be there soon. VonBach, Collins, be ready to beam over to the Eno. Winters, Talara, you'll handle surface exploration, see if there are any signs of other things falling from a black hole from years ago. Ivano will pilot a shuttle below the interference and operate the shuttle's transporter for you."
The four figures materialized on the bridge. It was dark, as they had expected, and the away team turned on their arm beacons.
The four looked about. "Seems there aren't any survivors." Collins observed, trying to get power to the console. It didn't spring to life, but a message scrolled across a blank LCARS screen. Collins read it aloud, "He is awake."
"Who is?" VonBach asked.
Collins blinked and the screen came to life, "It's what the screen…" She sighed, "Place is creepy."
"Sarah!" Talara called, standing below the wormhole.
Winters ran over and her eyes grew wide, "What the…?"
A giant metal seal was on the ground before them. Perhaps thirty meters in diameter. The symbols on it were impossible to decipher. But the tricorder reading was unmistakable, "Winters to Hyperion, we found something. We're beaming back to discuss our findings."
"The seal in constructed out of deuterium. Below it is the source of the wormhole. Although it's origin isn't the same, it is a Singularity Projector like the one that caused the incident at Jupiter Station. We can't translate the words on the seal, but they are probably an explanation of what it's purpose is." Winters gestured to an image on the screen of the seal.
"The beast will rise and wage war on the armies of God." The computer chirped.
"Computer? Clarify?" Starwind said, puzzled.
"There was an error caused by electromagnetic interference from the wormhole in the upper atmosphere." The computer replied.
"Wage war on the armies of God?" Talara asked, "That's a bit creepy."
"A bit." Starwind echoed the sentiment, "I want you to take a security team down there and shut that wormhole generator down."
"I've got the communication relay online." One of the away team called to Collins, "Try it."
"Eno to Hyperion." Collins sat in the central chair.
"No response. Probably interference." VonBach reported.
"Probably."
"Commander, we're receiving a hail from the surface. Audio only."
"Put it through." Collins said, interested.
There was crackling and static, but heard clearly from it was a low and deep voice, "He is awake."
"Deo." A whisper came on the shuttle.
Ivano looked over his shoulder, "Hello?"
There was a hiss from the transporter and the word came again "Deo."
"He is awake." Came the same hail to Hyperion as had chilled those aboard the Eno. Red alert sirens blared.
Starwind sat in his chair, hiding concern, "Report?"
"Intruder alert. Deck six, section six, junction… six."
On display panels around the bridge, three sixes appeared, only for a moment, and vanished.
"Computer?"
"There was an error caused by electromagnetic interference from the wormhole in the upper atmosphere." The computer replied.
Starwind looked over his shoulder at Phral, "I'm not liking this."
"Random errors don't act like this." Phral agreed.
Starwind sighed, "Computer, what is the significance of three sixes?"
"6-6-6. Considered to be the 'Mark of the Beast' by some religious groups in Earth's past. The number is considered to be satanic in nature."
"The beast will rise and wage war on the armies of God." Starwind mused. No, That was a ridiculous notion.
Winters motioned for the security officers to retreat behind the rock face with her. As they did, she pressed something on her tricorder, setting off spatial charges on the seal.
"The beast will rise from the pit where he has been held, awakened by the barge of the damned." The computer chirped gleefully.
Rise from the pit? The seal! "Hyperion to Winters! Stop the demolition of the seal."
"The seal is broken. The beast is awake." The computer replied.
"Starwind to Ivano, beam everyone out and get back here!"
The Eno's power came online suddenly, startling the crew. All that survived was the saucer, but it's impulse engines powered up. "What the devil?" VonBach stared, confused.
"Affirmative." The computer chirped.
"Affirmative?" Collins asked.
"Yes." A hiss filled the room.
The surface of the planet shook as large pieces of rock began to fly into the wormhole. "The gravitation of the wormhole is increasing tremendously!"
"Winters to Ivano!" She screamed over the roar of the wind around them, rushing toward the wormhole.
"Over here!" Talara motioned frantically. She drew the others to the edge of the pit beneath where the seal was. Of course, the seal was now absorbed into the wormhole.
Beneath them was a gleaming red light. Fire errupted from the distant light and came halfway to the top of the pit.
Winters observed the flame, "I believe the correct question to ask would be, 'What the hell'."
"Ivano! Damn it! Come in!" Collins screamed! The Eno was slowly drifting toward the wormhole. Actually, it seemed to be trying to position itself between the pit and the wormhole.
"What is going on!" VonBach screamed.
"He is awake." The computer calmaly replied, it's soft tones replaced by a more frightening voice, and it's usual chirping chime was replaced by a sires of tri-toned chimes.
Collins fielded VonBach's question, "If I had to guess, I'd say that he's awake, and ready to rain hellfire on the universe."
"Controls still unresponsive." A security officer reported from the helm station.
"Do you smell that?" Talara yelled above the roar to Winters as they stood over the precipice.
Winters made a face and hollered back, "Sulfur."
A transporter beam surrounded three of the security detail Winters brought with her and rematerialized them directly over the pit. They weren't visible when they must have impacted the glowing red below them.
"Ensign Lynch, set a course fir the lower atmosphere." Starwind ordered, "Commander West, report to the bridge. Sick bay, prepare for casualties. Walter, lock on to the away teams as soon as you can."
"What the hell is that?" A large number of somethings flew from the pit, startling Winters, "Open fire!"
The remaining tow security officers and Talara joined Winters in shooting the somethings, but their weapons had no effect.
"What now?" One called.
"Prepare for an eternity of fire and poking." Winters warned. Though the sentiment seemed premature when, seconds later, the group dematerialized.
"Hyperion to Eno, prepare for emergency transport!" Starwind's voice called frantically.
"Thank you." Collins said, dematerializing.
"Sir, something's happening!" Lynch called as Collins and VonBahc entered the bridge.
"On screen." Starwind ordered.
"Where's Ivano?" Collins asked.
Phral looked grim, "Sick bay."
On the screen, the saucer section of the Eno hovered between the wormhole and the pit.
"He is awake. The beast will rise from the pit and wage war on the armies of God!" The computer chirped angrily.
Lines of glowing red glistened on Eno's hull, converging on the bridge.
"What do we do?" Starwind asked.
West posed a suggestion, "We destroy Eno and shove a Catalyst down that pit."
Starwind glanced and VonBach, approving the idea offered by the Counselor.
"Firing weapons." The shimmering Eno burst into flames.
Starwind stood, "Computer. Initiate Fusion Catalyst launch sequence. Recognize Captain Starwind, Victor."
On Hyperion's dorsal hull a large launch bay opened.
Collins grudgingly offered her activation code. "Computer, deploy Fusion Catalyst. Recognize First Officer Collins, Dorian."
A giant torpedo flew slowly out of the launch bay.
"Encoding target." Winters reported.
"Computer, arm Fusion Catalyst. Recognize Chief Tactical Officer VonBach, Joseph." He grinned.
The torpedo shimmered and hummed to life. It drifted slowly into the pit and down. Down and down.
"Ensign Lynch, get us the hell out of here. VonBach, detonate."
A massive explosion shook the planet to it's very core, in fact, destabilizing that core. The planet erupted in a massive fire and exploded.
"Captain's log, stardate 57401.2. I think I just defended the Federation from the army of Lucifer. Though, since nothing of the impossible world remained, we can never tell what was beneath that seal, or what three members of our crew died to prevent. With Hyperion en route for Earth, I turn my attention to a fourth crew member, my helmsman."
"How are you, Quatre?" Starwind asked Ivano.
Ivano looked up from his biobed, "I'll be fine, sir. Ready to return to duty in no time."
"What happened?"
"I don't know sir. One minute I'm looking for something making noise on the shuttlecraft, next the doc is looking down at me telling me I almost suffocated."
"Weird, huh." Starwind sighed.
On a medical terminal across the room, the message scrolled, "He is still awake…"
