IUncharted Space Designated Alpha Omega/I
If ever there was a time when Kevin felt fear, this was a time when he felt it strongest. The entirety of this sector of space was filled with swirls of nothing and yet something, so many groups of these unidentified distortions blocking his view from anything beyond this sector. The emptiness he felt in the pit of his stomach was now growing to take his heart.
"Roger," called Kevin to his Communications Officer, "please please Iplease/I tell me we still have radio contact."
"Aye aye, Captain," came Roger's reply. "It's a loud n' clear signal, Sir." Kevin silently thanked God for the good fortune.
"Alright, we'll need to conduct a fighter sweep. Betty!"
"Yessir?" He voice rang from his shoulder comm. She must have already been in the hangar bays.
"I want five ships readied for takeoff within the next half-hour, understood? I'm leading this little flight."
"Aye aye, Sir. What's the occasion?"
"Insane boredom coupled with anxiety." Kevin half-laughed at himself.
"I understand, Sir. Consider it done yesterday." And with that, she signed off. He made his way hastily to the hanger bays and climbed into his cockpit after dressing into the pilot's suit. He tapped his shoulder comm. once more before starting his engines.
"Raymond?"
"Already at the controls, Sir."
"Good. Keep my girl on full alert. There's no telling what this sector's got. Keep an eye behind you as well, I don't like the way that anomaly is fluctuating."
"My best eye is out there, Sir. Have a good flight."
"Stay safe, Ray." He tapped his comm. off and activated his thrusters, his four wingmen close behind.
IAlpha Omega, Two Hours Later/I
The sweep was entirely uneventful. Unless, of course, one counted the now-old appearances of the spatial anomalies. They now had only two more waypoints to cover before beginning their final approach.
"Hey, Fox Lead, what're the odds we'll make it back in time to see the dancers tonight?"
"Slim-to-none, Fox Three, keep it in your pants," was Kevin's swift reply. He rolled his eyes as his console beeped again.
"Fox Lead, you're the one who allowed ballroom dancing every weekend!"
"Yes, I allowed Iballroom dancing/I, not 'meet-the-sluts' evening. Now stop bugging me about it before I cancel the whole thing like I should have a month ago."
"Fox Lead," began Fox Two, "I think you should have nailed it when it started."
"I thought it would be nice for the guys to get to know the girls, Fox Two."
"But look what it became." Fox Two was right—it had started as simply hanging with the girls, but the lower members of society turned it into a whorehouse. While the change was gradual, it was still noticeable.
"I think I will nail it tonight," said Kevin over the protests and catcalls directed at number Two.
"I'd be happy to see i—" began Fox Two, but then static ensued.
"Repeat, Fox Two, I've lost ya again." Kevin waited a few seconds. Suddenly, they entered a debris field and slowed down slightly. Twisted ship remains littered the entirety of their vision now. Ship remains and the eerie blue-black-purple swirls of the anomalies. "What in the name of…?"
"Hey, Captain, I'm not liking this. Where the hell are we?"
"Fox Four, I wish I knew." Kevin was craning his neck slightly to get a better view of the frightening wrecks. "These ships are UNS made…years ago, though…"
"UNS made?" asked Fox Three.
"Fox Two, respond…goddamned debris must be playing with the comm."
"I'd bet on it, Cappie," replied Fox Five. Some debris bounced off of his shields as he banked slightly to avoid another small cluster. "But that wouldn't explain all this debris. No sane person would go in here!"
"That would make me insane," said Kevin, smiling.
"I meant nothing by it, sir, I'm sorry."
"Hey, I'd agree with you if you did mean it." Fox Five laughed. "But perhaps this area was still clear years ago? This could be the site of a huge battle."
"OH, JESUS CHRIST!!" came a loud scream from Kevin's comm. It was Fox Four.
"Fox Four, what happened?! Talk to me, buddy," yelled Kevin as he looked around for Four's craft. It was difficult in the thickness of the anomaly field.
"Sir," screamed Four, "you have to see this! You ain't gonna like it!" Kevin tracked Four's craft on radar and sped his way to the position. Four was looking at a cluster of debris that used to be an old fighter.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Sir…" Four choked slightly on his own fear. "Sir…" he repeated.
"Christ, Drake, spit it out," yelled Kevin angrily. The tension of the entire situation was getting to him now too.
"My God, Sir…" began Three, "look at the left wing…" Kevin looked and lost every bit of breath he had. The fighter was certainly an older version, but the wing had Two's distinctive emblem on it. Now that Kevin looked closer, he noticed the paint job was the very same of his squadron's as well. Inside the broken cockpit lie a skeleton wearing Two's suit. The final confirmation was the large red number two on the tailfin—this was, in fact, Two's craft.
"What in Christ's sake are we looking at," yelled Kevin, half choking on his fear as well.
"Sir, where and IWHEN/I are we?!"
"Three, I couldn't tell you if I tried…" Three might have heard him, but an anomaly had suddenly expanded and swallowed his craft. Five was the first to turn and accelerate out of the field. Four and Kevin were right on his tail.
"RUN FOR IT," screamed Four as Kevin dodged some debris. The field was growing thicker, making it harder to navigate—the debris seemed to pop-up out of nowhere mere kilometers in front of the craft.
"Four, pay attention to your flight pattern," called Kevin when, suddenly, one of the many anomalies spit out a broken craft—Three's craft, looking just as Two's did, leaving anyone to speculate as to whether the pilot looked the same as well—right in front of Five. Two pieces of debris caught the nose of Five's craft sending it spiraling out of control until, finally, it smashed into a massive plate of Titanium-II plating and detonated violently. "Holy God," cried Kevin as he rolled to avoid the explosion.
"Lead, what is going on here!?"
"Just fly, Four, just fly!!"
"Sir, there are more popping up everywhere!"
"Well, this confirms my belief that these things weren't here before!"
"Sir, there she is! The IInterceptor/I!"
"Go, Four, go! Dock! I'll be right behind…you…"
Kevin looked on in pure horror as his ship became fully visible. An anomaly had swallowed the majority of the ship, and the anomaly several kilometers behind the ship contained the other portion. It was as if the ship was torn in two, and those two anomalies were keeping it together, yet not. "Ray?"
"Sir, I've got her together. The ship reports no damage to hull integrity, we're fine."
"Ray!?"
"We're fine sir!"
"Ray, the anomaly is closing! Get that ship out of there now!"
"God no," were Raymond's last words as the anomaly suddenly closed rapidly. The anomaly close behind did the same, and now the Destroyer float effectively separated. The inevitable was soon to come. Kevin turned his ship around as fast as he could. The Destroyer began lighting up on every deck, signaling it's final death throes.
Suddenly, brilliantly, the Destroyer exploded in a massive, blinding white light. Kevin's ship was thrown into the mass of anomalies once again. Kevin began wondering about Four, who was only mere inches from dock when it exploded. IWas his death quick? Will mine be just as swift? Am I going to end up like Two and Five? Will my Dad be worried as well? Well, Mom, here I come. Hold the door open for me, okay?/I