Harri completed the entry in his computer, hit save then shut the thing off and snapped the top closed. He pushed back from the table and slowly stretched out his back and rubbed his eyes. He had been trying to make some headway in determining what had them pinned in place for the last 12 hours and it was time for a break and a few hours of sleep. He looked down at his watch and smiled, it had been over three hours since he'd sent Lee to sick bay and hadn't seen hide nor hair of him since. Jamie must have successfully got him treated and tucked into bed given his absence even on the intercom.
Wanting to stretch his legs a bit and check on the boat before he headed for bed Harri pushed to his feet and made his way through the control room. At some point command had been passed from Lt. James to Lt. O'Brien, he had completely missed the transfer he'd been so engrossed in his work.
"How are things looking Bobby?" Nelson asked as he approached O'Brien.
"All major systems are on line with exception of the engines, sir. Cheng indicated they were about two hours away from completing repairs at which time he'll contact you or the captain for further instructions. Most of the injured are now filtering back to their duty stations having cleared sick bay and received permission from Doc." Bobby answered.
"Good to hear. I'm going to do a quick tour of the boat, hit sick bay to check on Lee and Chip and then it's off to bed should you need me."
"Aye sir, if you don't mind me saying so, you do look about spent."
"That I am, lad." Nelson replied and clapped O'Brien on the back as he passed him on his way out the aft hatch.
Finding everything in as good a shape as possible given their situation Harri made his way down to sick bay to check on his command team. He hadn't heard anything from Jamie so he was fairly sure that there was nothing too alarming about their injuries that he need worry about. He actually was rather surprised that Jamie hadn't enlisted his aid to force Lee to give in to his exhaustion and get some sleep.
"Hi Jamie," Harri said quietly as he entered sick bay.
Jamie looked up and gave him a tired smile and waved him over to the desk to sit down and join him in a cup of coffee. "Evening, or is it morning Harri," he replied.
"Morning, definitely morning based on my watch. How's everything going down here?"
"We've finally got everything under control. I treated the last patient over an hour ago and sent my corpsmen off to grab a little sleep. I have to tell you we really need to do something nice for Kendal, she was a real lifesaver when she came down and volunteered her services. Without her help we no doubt would still be trying to sort out the damage we sustained in the drop and would still have the corridors lined with injured men. She even managed to get Lee to lie still for treatment and then shuttled off to his cabin for some rest."
Harri's eyebrows shot up in amazement. "She succeeded in doing that?! Her talents truly amaze me. I wondered why I hadn't been summoned down to sick bay to apply my own personal brand of pressure on the man. Speaking of our trouble child how is he and his partner in crime?"
"He's okay but in a lot of pain and exhausted beyond belief. He sustained five broken ribs and has a mild concussion. I managed to get him stitched, taped, wrapped and medicated and sent him to his cabin to crash. Chip finally came around about 90 minutes ago. He's got a moderate concussion, two broken ribs and a fractured right ulna. Thus far there have been no complications from the concussion and his memory seems to be fully intact so he should make a full recovery. I've got him stashed in a bunk in the next room."
Harri smiled glad to hear his command team would recover. "How about you Jamie, you look like you've been put through the wringer twice. I don't even know how you're sitting upright."
Jamie laughed. "I feel like I've been put through the wringer twice. Frank should be back in a couple of hours to relieve me then I'm pouring myself into bed for some much needed sleep. You look like you're ready to inspect the inside of your eyelids as well Harri."
"Can't argue with you there Jamie. I finished my walkthrough of the boat and once I've finished here I'm on my way to my quarters. I just needed to check in with you and find out what happened to my captain." Harri laughed.
"If Kendal was successful he should be securely tucked in bed, and I have no doubt in her abilities. If you're that concerned you could drop by and make sure he didn't fake her out by crawling into bed pretending to go to sleep then getting back up once she left. I seriously doubt that he could do that this time, he's so tired I think the second he closed his eyes he'd be out," Jamie replied with a smile.
Harri laughed knowing all too well how his son operated when his boat was in danger. "Well I think I'll stroll by his cabin and see if the lights are on. If he's still up, there will be hell to pay. I'll give you a call if there's a problem."
"Thanks Harri I appreciate that. Now go get some sleep, that's an order."
"Aye, aye Doctor," Harri replied as he pushed to his feet and flipped a quick salute. "You get some as well Jamie; we don't need you crashing either."
"Aye Admiral, as soon as my relief arrives."
Harri did a quick walk around the bunks checking on the injured men still confined to sick bay. Chip looked a little pale but didn't seem to be in any pain and was sleeping soundly. He reached out and touched him lightly on the arm. "Sleep well lad," he said softly then headed out the door to his cabin.
()()()()()
As Harri approached Lee's cabin he could clearly see a faint light shining underneath the door. 'Damn him' thought Harri, 'when is he going to catch on that he doesn't have to take care of everything on this boat personally.' Harri grasped the door knob and turned it quietly so that if Lee was actually in bed asleep he wouldn't disturb him.
He pushed the door open and peeked in, what he observed dismayed him considerably. Lee's bed had quite obviously not been slept in recently and there was no sign of him in the cabin. He stepped in fully and completed a scan of the room. The light was still on in the head which seemed quite odd. Harri moved over to the mic and snapped it up.
"Captain Crane, this is Nelson, report your location," he said tersely into the mic. Harri waited impatiently for a response. After a minute and no response, Nelson repeated his page for his captain. Another minute passed and still no response to the hail. Harri was now starting to become quite concerned.
"Master at Arms report to the captain's cabin," Nelson ordered.
"Master at Arms here, on my way sir."
"Admiral this is sick bay."
"This is Nelson, what is it Jamie?" Harri inquired.
"Is something wrong with the captain sir?"
"I don't know Jamie, he's not here and he's not answering my page."
"Damn it," replied Jamie as he pictured Lee no doubt burrowed into an engine casing or a control panel somewhere "just" lending a hand. "Please let me know when you find him sir."
"Will do Doctor."
Stewart, the MAA showed up almost immediately following the admiral's call. "Is there something you need sir?"
"Yes Stewart, the captain has gone UA from his cabin and is not answering my page to report his location. Get together a small team to track the captain down and escort him to my cabin once you've located him." Nelson snapped.
"Aye sir," Stewart acknowledged then spun on his heel and exited the skipper's cabin. 'Oh I wouldn't want to be you Skipper' he thought to himself recognizing how angry the admiral was at the moment. He quickly pulled four crewmen from the rec room and began their search of the boat.
()()()()()
An hour and a half later, Stewart gritted his teeth and knocked hesitantly on the admiral's door.
"Come," Nelson responded brusquely to the summons.
Stewart pushed open the door and entered the cabin coming to attention in front of the admiral's desk. "Sir I regret to report we've been unable to locate the captain anywhere on the boat. After the first sweep I doubled the size of the search team and we triple checked FS-1, the diving bell and every room, vent shaft, maintenance space, bilge tank, ballast tank and torpedo tube on the boat. Sir he's just not here."
"What?! How the hell can that be?" Nelson stormed in response.
"I can't answer that sir. There's no indication that anyone has left the boat via the escape hatch or the moon pool and those are the only options off the boat right now." Stewart replied evenly.
"Did you check with Dr. Ferguson, she was the last person to see him according to Dr. Jamieson," Nelson inquired.
"No sir she wasn't in her cabin when we stopped by to search. Come to think of it sir, no one reported seeing her anywhere onboard either."
Nelson snapped on the intercom on his desk. "Dr. Ferguson this is Nelson, please report your location." They waited nearly a minute and received no reply to the page. Harri repeated his page once again with the same result.
"Damn what the hell is going on now?" Harri wondered aloud. "Stewart, double the size of your team and do another sweep of the boat. I don't doubt the thoroughness of your first efforts I just want to make sure we're not missing something. Go so far as to check crates and boxes in stores, anything large enough to conceal a person."
"Aye sir, I'll get right on it." The MMA spun on his heel and quickly exited the admiral's cabin to conduct another search.
As Stewart exited Nelson's quarters Jamie came in behind him. "What's wrong Harri? Where are Lee and Kendal?"
"I have no idea Jamie. All I know is that when I went to check on Lee the lights were on but nobody was home and attempts to locate either of them have come up empty. Stewart has already searched the boat twice with a fine toothed comb and is going to do it once more with a magnifying glass and tweezers."
"They couldn't have just disappeared, that's not possible," Jamie stated.
"Isn't it Jamie," Nelson replied. "In case you haven't noticed a lot of things have happened that just aren't possible. If whatever has us trapped in this bubble has the resources to do that, then snatching a couple of people off this boat is well within the realm of possibility. Have you forgotten the little foray to Venus Chip, Lee and I made a while back?"
"That's a most unsettling thought Harri. I can guess why Lee was snatched away but why Kendal?"
"Maybe it's because she's the only woman on the boat, who knows at this point. I'm just hoping that this current search will turn them up otherwise I have no idea where to look next."
()()()()()
Seaview had been searched from stem to stern multiple times now and still Lee and Kendal were nowhere to be found, it was as though they had vanished from the face of the earth. Concerned and disheartened Harri trudged tiredly back to his quarters and collapsed exhausted into his desk chair. Try as he might he could figure no way for them to have left the boat other than alien abduction.
He leaned forward in his chair placed his elbows on the desk and buried his head in his hands. Worry over his captain and Kendal weighed heavily on his mind wondering where they were and what they were being subjected to by whatever had kidnapped them. Harri sighed heavily and rubbed his face tiredly as he fought off the call for sleep his body so desperately wanted. After a moment he pushed back into his chair looked up and was startled to find a figure dressed in a dark blue robe standing before him. It was humanoid in appearance, standing about 5'9", slender with bluish white skin and long flowing black hair. Its eyes were the deepest blue Harri had ever seen almost glowing in their intensity.
"Who the hell are you and how did you get on my boat?" Harri demanded.
"I mean you no harm human, I am called Keeper. This body you see before you is merely a projection, I am not physically here on your vessel," Keeper replied.
Harri stared at the figure scrutinizing it closely. "What is it you want Keeper? Are you the one responsible for the changes to our planet and solar system? Did you kidnap my personnel?"
"To answer your second question first, no I am not responsible for the seismic events, or the shifts in magnetic fields and orbital trajectories you have observed. I am also not responsible for your missing personnel. That is the work of an entity locked away eons ago in the center of this planet to prevent it from destroying this universe," Keeper replied.
"In answer to your first question, I and others like me were responsible for imprisoning the entity in this planet's solid core and the reason for my presence now is to enlist your aid in ensuring that this being does not escape its prison and vent its rage on all who exist. Should that happen all who live on this world will be destroyed when this planet is blown apart in its escape."
Harri regarded Keeper with suspicion. "We had pretty much surmised the last part given what is going on. Why would you need our help to thwart its escape? I would think your powers and capabilities far exceed ours."
"I can only intervene if it escapes from its cell because direct action on my part now would leave the surface of your world a moldering cinder and I think that is not the response you would want," Keeper answered nonchalantly.
"We appreciate that," Harri replied sarcastically. "To get back to my question, where the hell are my people?"
"They have been pulled into its realm, to what end I'm not sure."
"Pulled in? How? Where?"
"Mirrors I believe you call them. Mirrors can be utilized as a portal between the inner and outer world but only when a mirror of sufficient size to allow passage of an object or in this case being, is inside a controlling field like the one it has generated around your vessel. You and your planet are exceedingly fortunate that there are only small mirrors on this vessel, a larger pane could have let it slip its bonds and enter into this world."
"Does this portal work both ways? Can I get my people back on this side?" Harri asked.
"Yes. As long as I have influence here on your vessel we can return them to this place. Before I'm willing to do that I will need them and you to do something for me, for your planet while they still reside on the other side. We must be most careful in achieving that task or it will act against your humans there in its realm and then strike out at the planet."
Harri once again stared at him suspiciously. "And what might that task be?"
"I need them to retrieve an item in its realm and bring it back through the portal with them. It has managed to get possession of a powerful talisman called a power stone. A power stone allows the user to access and utilize energy sources beyond its personal capabilities. It allows the user to tap into external sources such as solar, radioactive, magnetic and other forms of energy and manipulate it to affect the world around it. You've noticed the increased seismic activity on your planet and the changes in magnetic fields and orbital trajectories of the planets in your solar system, this is it drawing on and focusing these energy sources to impact the outer world to affect its escape," Keeper explained. "What I need of you and your people trapped on the other side, is to gain possession of its power stone and bring it back through the portal thereby depriving it of access to the energies it needs to escape."
"What is this power stone and how did it get one? Does it exist here on earth?" Harri inquired.
"You have encountered it, you call it carnotite. As to how it got hold of one, your planet has been bombarded by meteors and asteroids since it has occupied this space and some of those fragments of space detritus contained bits of power stone. When they impacted the planet's surface the power stone became part of the planet and was transported by weather processes from the surface to the subduction zones located across your planet and introduced into the magma. It was able to extract fragments of the stone and accumulate enough for its' needs. It has also managed to stage caches of the stone in strategic locations along the various fault lines that cover your planet. If it can initiate an explosive reaction at this location that will trigger a chain reaction all across the planet leaving this world little more than a debris field in space."
Harri stared again in wide-eyed disbelief. "And you didn't plan for this contingency when you locked it away?! Do you know that carnotite is highly toxic to us and depending on how large this power stone is my people could receive a lethal dose retrieving this item?"
"No we failed to foresee this occurrence and I must apologize for that egregious oversight on our part but what's done is done and there's no reversing that other than how I've described. When we selected this planet we expected it to remain a dead, cold world with a solid core and not develop an active geologic process that recycled materials through the system. As far as your people, their lives will be a small price to pay to save an entire planet and a universe, don't you think?" Keeper replied emotionlessly.
Harri sat there gape jawed at Keeper's response. This was his son in all but blood that Keeper was condemning to death along with a brilliant and vibrant young woman that he had come to think of very fondly in the short time he'd known her. To so callously throw away their lives for a mistake Keeper and its kind were responsible for seemed unconscionable. What made it even worse was the dispassionate manner in which it discounted them.
On the grand scale of things it was an extremely small price to pay to save the universe but on a personal level the price was too high to pay for Harri, yet he would if he had to. Hell he had fired on an enemy sub thinking Lee and Kowalski were aboard to prevent the sub from destroying Seaview and the mere thought of his actions to save Seaview from Krueger nearly made him physically ill. As an active duty naval officer he had made similar choices on the battlefield sacrificing a few to save the many but his emotional ties had not been so strong to those he sent to their death. Yet he suffered the guilt and remorse at having made those decisions even to this day but he had never been as dismissive of their sacrifices as Keeper seemed to be of Lee's and Kendal's.
"You son of a bitch," Harri finally replied in a low and deadly tone.
Keeper was taken aback at the measure of hostility he picked up from this human. It had been eons since it had experienced such an emotionally threatening and angry response. It was confused caught mentally off guard. What had it said? It quickly searched the human's thoughts and found the source of his animosity. It had been so long since it had been emotionally attached to another that it had forgotten such feelings existed. It had glibly sentenced this human's child to death with no regard for his feelings or the personal cost.
"My apologies again," Keeper answered. "I did not realize your relationship and emotional ties with those on the other side. I regret this is the only way to achieve my goal but to fail to utilize their assistance would sentence this planet and most likely this universe to death."
Harri worked hard to compose himself as he realized to Keeper they must seem as advanced as protozoa and had a tough time attributing real intelligence and value to their meager lives. Knowing his captain, he would willingly go to any length to save his vessel, his crew and his world from harm, even if that resulted in his death. His impression of Kendal was that she would likewise make the sacrifice for the good of the planet.
"How do we go about getting in contact with them so they can retrieve this damn stone and come back home? And what happens when they do return to us? Won't the energy field around the boat collapse because the entity has lost access to its new found powers and leave us exposed to forces this vessel was never designed to withstand?"
"Once the stone is removed yes its field will collapse but I will then encompass your vessel in a field of my own to prevent your demise. Until that time my presence must remain hidden. Should it detect me or my hand in the attempt to relieve it of its power stone I will be forced to intervene directly resulting in the destruction of all life on this planet," Keeper explained. "I see in your thoughts that you are quite emotionally tied to your son, does that attachment go both ways?
Harri looked at Keeper and scowled not thrilled with the fact that it could access his thoughts. "Yes I believe so; Lee and I are very close. Why do you ask?"
"To pass on our need to recover the power stone we must establish communications with one on the other side. The only way to do this undetected by it is to have you contact him telepathically. Not knowing what it may be subjecting them to, your son must be able to recognize you as the source of our message and have enough trust in you to carry out what we ask. Do you know each other well enough that you can cite incidents or memories that only the two of you are privy to so he will recognize you as the source of the voice in his head?"
"Yes there is any number of incidents that only we two are aware of," Harri replied. At that admission to Keeper he flashed to one such incident when he should have employed that device instead of trying to break Lee because he was suspected of being an imposter.
"Excellent human I believe we may be able to actually pull this off."
"Nelson."
"Nelson?" Keeper inquired.
"Yes I am called Nelson. The man on the other side is Crane and the young woman is Ferguson."
"Understood Nelson. Thank you for your willingness to trust me. I do find it rather interesting that you seem to accept all this so easily."
"We've experienced and survived alien incursions before," Harri replied flatly.
"Fascinating, we must discuss this further once we have completed our task," Keeper replied now intrigued by Nelson and his capacity to accept things so very far beyond the human reach.
"So what now? You said I would be contacting Lee telepathically to give him instructions. I have no such powers and neither does he that I'm aware of, are you able to give us that ability? And when will we start?"
"Yes I have the ability to help you focus your mind and tap those latent capabilities that have yet to fully manifest within your brain. Your species has tremendous mental potential if you can just get past your warlike tendencies and keep from blowing yourselves into oblivion. We will start soon; both he and Ferguson are currently unconscious as a result of their sudden entrance to its realm. It has taken no actions against them other than prodding at their dreams and they have sustained no new injuries as best I can tell. We can do nothing until Crane is alert and aware of what is going on around him, so for now we just wait. I would recommend that you eliminate any other large portals that may be present on this vessel to prevent it from acquiring additional members of your crew. "
"A wise precaution, I'll get my people right on that." Nelson replied.
"Very well, I will return when Crane is able to participate. Until then Nelson," Keeper said and abruptly disappeared.
()()()()()
Harri shook his head and rubbed his eyes trying to make sure he hadn't imagined all that had just occurred. Coming to the conclusion he wasn't dreaming and that he actually had conversed with an entity from a highly advanced race he now needed to take action to protect his boat and get his captain and passenger back aboard. He pushed up to his feet and moved to the head to splash some water on his face. Cognizant of what Keeper had told him, he draped a towel over the mirror before turning on the water.
The shock of cool water on his face revitalized him a bit and he moved back into his cabin and over to the intercom on his desk. "Chief Sharkey, report to my cabin immediately."
"Sharkey here sir, I'm on my way," Sharkey replied to the hail. Less than five minutes later there was a knock at Nelson's door and Sharkey entered and stood at attention in front of the desk. "Reporting as ordered, sir."
"At ease Chief. Francis I have a project for you that I need completed ASAP." Nelson started.
"Aye sir. Just let me know what you need done and I'll see that it's taken care of right away."
"I need you to put together a working party to paint all the large mirrors on board black. I don't want anyone to touch the mirrors so have them use spray paint. I want this done for every mirror except for the ones located in Captain Crane's cabin and in Guest Cabin 1; those leave as they are but post guards outside the doors so no one goes in without my express permission."
Sharkey stared in complete confusion and worry at the admiral. "Paint the mirrors sir? May I ask why?"
"As crazy as this sounds Chief, Captain Crane and Dr. Ferguson were taken from the boat by way of the mirrors. I have just been visited by an alien entity that provided an explanation for their disappearance along with the reason for the earthquakes and other changes in our planet and this solar system," Nelson explained.
A look of total disbelief flashed across Sharkey's face. He was aware of the stressful situation the admiral was under along with probably not getting any sleep for over a day. Surely the man had nodded off and this was just the remnants of a dream or nightmare. "Uh…yes sir. Um are you sure you're feeling all right sir, did you maybe hit your head a little harder in the diving bell than you thought?"
"Don't patronize me Sharkey; I'm fully aware of what's going on around me and in complete control of my faculties. Given the facts of our current situation alien intervention is the only explanation for where we are and what has occurred." Nelson snapped.
"Aye sir," Sharkey replied as he snapped back to attention. "My apologies, sir. So did the alien say where the skipper and Kendal are?"
"It said that there is another entity trapped in the center of our planet and everything that has happened has been an attempt on its part to escape its prison. The entity pulled them into its prison through the mirrors hence the reason for cutting off its access to any other personnel on this boat. Should it escape, this planet will be destroyed."
Sharkey paled appreciably at the admiral's explanation. "Are we going to be able to get them back sir?"
"I hope so Francis, I hope so. There are plans in the works to do just that. Now you've got your orders, see to it that everything is taken care of as quickly as possible."
"Aye sir, I'll see to it personally." Sharkey spun around on his heel and headed out the door.
()()()()()
It had them, it had been able to capture two of the beings from the other side and they now lay unconscious on the floor of its cell. It felt giddy almost like a child with a new pet. It had been alone for so long it relished the presence of another living being even if they were little more advanced than the single celled animals they stemmed from. It was also thrilled that one of those it had taken was the captain of the vessel and had control over the weapons it needed detonated above its cell door.
The trick now was to convince them or coerce them into releasing the missiles. It would have to be patient and wait for them to wake up. It had already slithered into their dreams and tried planting its ideas but had encountered resistance much as before; they both seemed strong of will and conviction and that would not be easily overcome. It cursed the fact that it was trapped in this physical form and could not invade their thoughts to directly read what was contained in their minds and learn how to launch the weapons itself.
If it could not convince the captain to act voluntarily it would try other means which would not be pleasant for either of its guests. And if perchance he still resisted and could not be forced to comply, it would simply collapse its containing field around the vessel and return to its original plan to shake this planet to death.