“Flooded? The whole floor?” Dr. Young echoed in a low worried tone.
“Yes. All of the safety partitions have dropped and it isn’t possible to get through any of its corridors. “
“In other words,” Kalashiavu said softly, “there’s no way out.”
...
CHAPTER 2: Situation Reports
“That is correct,” Heaven said matter-of-factly. “And, as for the second and third levels, the watertight doors did not close in time and sector three is completely flooded.” A portion of the display showing the facility darkened. “All other sectors on these two floors are fine. However, some rooms do have water in them from the flood we just experienced. Currently the bilge pumps are functioning but it will take a lot of time for the water to completely drain.”
“Bilge pumps?” asked Medea. She had put down her makeshift maracas. “Does that mean there is power everywhere?”
“Let’s see,” Heaven said. “Some parts of the electrical system, including the elevators, are not functioning. The cause is unclear but it would seem that the circuit damage in each sector is playing a role. That is another reason I was not able to survey the situation adequately before. However the generator is functioning normally and supplying power. So as long as the generator is operating, as well as the circuitry, the water will be cleared with time.
“Incidentally, the internal air pressure of the complex is one atmosphere. The air is twenty-two percent oxygen, seventy-five percent nitrogen, three percent helium, and the temperature is twenty four degrees.”
“So what you’re saying,” Kalashiavu summarized, “is that we’re safe for a while, right?”
“I’m sorry,” Heaven apologized. “That is correct. Everyone, we will be forced to wait inside the complex for a while. ”
“For a while,” Kensington repeated. “Until the ship notices what happens and sends a rescue team. That should have been some time ago…”
“Yes, we are trapped until help comes,” Heaven said. “I am continuously sending out a request for assistance; however, there is no guarantee it will reach anyone. All communication lines to the surface, including the emergency ones, have been physically severed and are unusable. I have also been attempting to make contact using a seafloor cable network, using sonar. I cannot estimate when the network will be back online.”
“So, we’re like little kids smack in the middle of the ocean,” Kensington said, “and no one can hear our SOS.”
The others looked at him with odd expressions. “Yes,” Heaven agreed. Those were the cold hard facts. He could see good reason for everyone to become depressed. He sighed.
Dr. Young had reached the same conclusion. “Alright. We’ve got to stay in good spirits!” Determined to dispel the gloomy atmosphere, she spoke so fast he found it almost scary. “I’m an archaeologist aboard the Outrider. My name is Maryann Young. I will be your guide until the rescue team comes. Tada, tadum.” She followed her announcement with a verbal fanfare.
“Hey, wait, wait. What did you just say?” Kensington asked.
“I’m an archaeologist aboard the Outrider. I will be your guide until the rescue team comes. Well, I’m kind of new to this whole tour guide thing, but I will be leading the tour.”
“No, no. The other part,” he said insistently.
“My name?” she asked. “It’s Maryann Ginger Young.”
“What?”
“That’s why I prefer ‘Dr. Young.’ It’s a pain, isn’t it?”
“Hey, I have a question,” Medea said brightly. Kensington rolled his eyes as another gloom destroyer appeared.
Assuming the role of tour guide, Dr. Young asked. “What might that be?”
“Can I call you Maggie?”
Kensington was sure Dr. Young would lose her good mood, but instead she said, “Yes, of course. And what is your name?”
“Medea Firien.” Boy was she full of energy, Kensington thought. Leave it to these kids.
“And how old are you?” Kensington wondered how long they would keep the game up.
“I’m a freshman at the Federation Science Academy,” the girl said, not really answering the question.
“Okay, nice to meet you Medea,” Dr. Young said.
“Thank you,” said Medea. Kensington wondered if maybe there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. He was getting a headache. The Starfleet marine seemed also not to appreciate the game. She gave the upbeat companions a cool stare.
Dr. Young noticed the look. “And how about you over there?”
“Huh?” Kensington said. “Why are you asking me?”
“Well you two joined the tour together.”
“Stupid,” Kensington said, losing patience. “What are you talking about?”
She put a hand on her hip and stared at him angrily.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he said defiantly.
“Pamuya,” the marine said, interrupting and no doubt saving Dr. Young’s temper. “Pamuya Kalashiavu.” She spoke just loud enough for them to make out what she was saying. It was very effective at drawing their attention to her. “That’s my name.”
“Hi Pamuya,” Dr. Young said, instantly cheery again. “It’s nice to meet you.” Pamuya turned her back again but Dr. Young just shrugged and there was a smile on her lips. Kensington wondered if the marine might be feeling embarrassed. He decided there was something cute about her. He wondered what language her name came from. He thought back to her tugging him along in the aquarium and running like the wind.
He got up and walked over to her. “Hey Pamuya. Thanks for helping back there,” he said.
“What are you talking about?”
“You saved me in the aquarium,” he reminded her.
“I didn’t mean to save you,” she replied, stunning him. “You were in the way.”
“What?” He couldn’t believe what he had heard.
“If you had tumbled there, you would have been in the way. You were an obstacle,” she said, looking annoyed. He decided she was both intense and scary. He retracted his earlier thoughts about her being cute. They stood eye-to-eye and glared at each other for a while.
“Hey, hey, you two,” Dr. Young said, coming between them. “Let’s get along now.” Kensington turned and walked away. Private Kalashiavu just looked down at her feet again.
“Heaven,” Dr. Young said, returning to tour guide mode, “It’s your turn to introduce yourself.”
“Oh, you mean me?” the hologram asked, looking up from a data screen. She stepped back from the machine and glided back over to the group. “Pardon me for the late introduction,” she said, playing along. “My name is Heaven and I am a system engineer in the Utopia development division. Actually, I am the assistant chief.”
Wow, Kensington thought. A hologram as assistant chief. He decided her odd manner of speaking was because of the translation to Federation Standard. She almost seemed to refer to herself as if she were someone else. He thought back over her previous statements. It was as if she were the holographic representation of the main computer system. Maybe she just talks like that because she’s an engineer, he decided. It didn’t seem to matter so he held his tongue.
He turned to the group at large and raised his voice. “And I am Taylor “Samurai” Kensington. I’m forty years old and a starship captain. Thanks.”
“Taylor, nice to meet you,” said the hologram.
Medea giggled. “Yeah, it sure is.”
“Yep,” Dr. Young agreed. “Mucho gusto.” The three of them laughed cheerfully.
“Dumb,” muttered Kalashiavu. Despite her dark cloud, Kensington was glad at least to see the others moods loosen up.
“Okay now everyone,” Dr. Young began. “Now that we’ve just started having so much fun, it’s time to say good bye…”
“Maggie, wait a second,” Medea interrupted. “We haven’t introduced everyone yet.” She pointed to the corner of the room where Ryogo sat against the wall.
“Uh, do you mean me?” he asked. Kensington had completely forgotten him. And there was something odd about him that Dr. Young had been reluctant to mention. The scientist had been quiet the whole time, sitting in the corner and trying to stay unnoticed.
Dr. Young looked at him and her face stiffened slightly. “So, let’s ask,” Medea said, tilting her head toward him as she asked the question. “What is your name?”
“I, my…” Ryogo looked down. Kensington wondered what he was waiting for. “I… Who am I?” Ryogo put his hand to his forehead and grimaced.
The three of them who hadn’t been with him the whole time looked at him in surprise. “What?” Kensington said loudly.
“I can’t remember,” Ryogo lamented. “My… name.”
“Amnesia?” Kensington asked, looking at Dr. Young.
“Retrograde amnesia,” Heaven said. “It’s more common with new memories than old memories. When a person can’t remember anything at all, it’s called complete amnesia, but in instances when some memories can be recalled, it is called partial amnesia. Generally amnesia results from trauma to the head, epileptic seizures, mental diseases and disorders that manifest themselves as memory impairments.
“When a person has trouble recollecting events prior to the impairment, it is called retrograde amnesia. An instance when memory impairment is significant and continues after consciousness is restored is called anteretrograde amnesia. Amnesia caused by inherent mental factors is referred to as organic amnesia, while that induced by psychological stress is typically known as psychogenic amnesia.
“Hysterical amnesia is the most typical example. This is an affliction in which the victim often cannot recall knowledge relating to his or her personal history, such as one’s name, history, family or friends and is often a reaction to incidents too hard to endure, which incite an unconscious desire to escape , forget, or repress these experiences or events. Symptoms do not manifest in any particular way physically, and a person’s brain functioning remains normal. People found wandering in this state are often taken in or seek help from authorities.
“Young people under severe psychological stress, such as those facing domestic violence or academic problems, marriage or financial difficulties, are the most typical victims. However, this illness can be used as a cover for criminal activities and it can be difficult to detect the difference. This is especially seen in individuals with demonstrative personalities or pathological tendencies to lie.
“Normally in a few days or months, or with the help of hypnosis or shock therapy, the memories should return. Complete amnesia can be spurred by retrograde life amnesia. Memories are usually restored gradually beginning with older ones and treatment methods include psychiatric care, and hypnosis both narcotic and naturally induced.”
Kensington stared at her with mouth agape. Dr. Young, he noted, had recorded the entire speech on her tricorder. “Amnesia?” he said, looking at Ryogo.
“That’s right,” Dr. Young confirmed. “He can’t remember anything.”
The hologram went over to examine Ryogo. “Did you suffer a concussion? You might have bumped your head severely somewhere during the flood.”
“Yeah,” Kensington had to agree. “You might have taken a tumble while trying to escape it.” Kalashiavu, looking at Kensington, let loose a nasty snort when he said the word tumble.
“I don’t know,” Ryogo said. “I don’t remember anything.” Looking around at the panels, he asked “Where is this?”
“Utopia, a marine them park,” Heaven said.
“Utopia?” he repeated slowly.
Kensington glanced at Medea and tilted his head. The girl was inching toward her ‘maracas’ again. “Why don’t we go somewhere with more space, and more comfortable,” he suggested. He remembered the room with the food kiosk in it and suggested that. He was pleasantly surprised to find the drink dispenser functioning.
“Hey Ryogo,” he said. “Don’t you remember anything about before? Not even something personal about yourself?”
“What do I know? I know I’m thirsty,” Ryogo answered.
“Let’s make a toast and a prayer for everyone’s safety,” Dr. Young suggested. Save Private Kalashiavu, they all tapped their cups together and said “cheers”. They all needed something to ease the situation, so the timing of Ryogo’s comment was good. The kid seemed determined to divert attention away from his situation, Kensington noticed.
“Hey, Heaven,” Kensington joked, “don’t you want a drink?”
The hologram stood stiffly. “Uh, no thanks. I’m not thirsty.”
“Well how about taking a load off? You’ve been standing there the whole time.” He couldn’t help himself.
“I’m fine, but thanks for your concern.” He couldn’t decide whether she was playing along or was offended. She seemed very polite and serious. Prim and proper was a good way to describe her. He looked to the others. Dr. Young and Ryogo were chatting. Sometimes he would laugh or shake his head weakly. He could overhear enough of their conversation to tell they were talking about his memory.
“It’s not that out of the ordinary,” she said, trying to console him. “You’ll be fine. Either it will fix itself or we can take care of it when we get back to the ship.” Kensington noticed that whatever they were drinking was orange, and different from the water in his own cup.
The marine was some distance from the others, working her way around the room and examining the walls. For some reason he had an interest in everyone’s beverage, but could not guess what was in the cup she was carrying in her left hand. He couldn’t imagine what she was thinking either. Medea was trying partial cups of every beverage she could find in the kiosk. It didn’t take her long to forget about the drinks though and begin dancing among the benches. It was, he decided, a cute scene.
“Okay, everyone,” he announced, deciding to restore order before things got out of control again. “Let’s come on back. It looks like we’ll have to spend some time here, so there are a few things I would like to go over. First, let’s review what has happened. Then, what we should do now. Heaven, would you address the first of those topics. Try to be briefer than you were in explaining amnesia.”
She held out her arms and the image of the facility appeared between them. “I will explain. At 1245 a blackout occurred. Cause unknown. The emergency alarms began ringing. Again, cause unknown.
“1254: The elevator shifted to emergency power and an evacuation order was given. Somehow the emergency corridor to the outside was opened and remained open for several minutes.
“1303: The opening of the emergency corridor disrupted the air pressure balance inside the complex and the devices responsible for adjusting the air pressure encountered problems. The complex automatically started pulling air in from outside. As a result the mixture of gas designed to maintain six atmospheres of air pressure escaped. Helium, which is lighter than oxygen or nitrogen, escaped first. Air pressure in the complex dropped to one atmosphere.
“1439: The major power source came back online. The computer system responsible for overseeing Utopia rebooted and reset the air pressure adjustment mechanism. The air ventilation ducts were closed. However, because the facility was built to saturation diving specifications, it would not collapse as long as the internal air pressure was equal to or higher than the outside water pressure.
“1555: Unable to withstand the external pressure, the glass of some windows cracked, causing flooding. To minimize damage caused by the flooding, the emergency watertight doors automatically shut. This brings us to our current situation.”
So much for being brief, Kensington thought. At least now he had a better idea of what had happened.
“I would like to be able to gauge our current situation more accurately,” she continued, “however, some monitors and sensors are still not functioning normally. As a result I cannot obtain accurate data and can only provide an outline of the situation.”
“Hey, sorry to ask the same question again,” Kensington interrupted. “The first floor, the one above us, is flooded, yeah?”
“Correct. I have requested confirmation from our complex management system and it has been confirmed.”
“So we really can’t get out of here,” he said, feeling depressed again. He wished he hadn’t asked her to repeat that. He had been trying not to admit it to himself, but realized they were in deep trouble. He didn’t even amuse himself with the unintentional pun.
“Currently the top priority is in requesting assistance from your ship so I am doing my utmost to get the communication system back online. I must request your patience.”
“Well, all we can do for now is wait for help,” Dr. Young said. “Right?”
“You just keep trying to make everyone feel better, don’t you?” Kensington asked.
She put her face right next to his and said “Oh, I’m sorry. Would you prefer my dark, despondent, we’re doomed approach?”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” he said defensively.
She smiled at him and stood up. “How about another drink?” She went into the kiosk and came out with a huge bottle and held it up comically.
“I just can’t get over how cheerful you are given how totally screwed we are,” he complained again without thinking. A fine picture he was making as captain.
“That’s not it at all,” she said sulkily. “I’m like this precisely because of the situation!”
“Yeah, you’re right.” He quickly apologized. “Sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” she said cheerfully. “Here you go.” She poured him a drink from the bottle. It was brown and fizzed. He took a big gulp and slurped the dregs down.
“Hey, hey,” he said, even though most of his drink was just bubbles. “This is better than Coke.”
“Isn’t it?” she agreed. He thanked her for the beverage. “Any time,” she kidded. “And it’s on the house.” She shouldered the massive bottle and took it back inside the shop. She teetered like a penguin, which was funny because that didn’t really suit her. He laughed without thinking.
The marine was leaning against the wall and stared after Dr. Young as she disappeared into the shop. Kensington again wondered what she was thinking beneath her gloomy exterior. He walked over to her and casually tried to strike up a conversation. “Even if we’re going to wait for help,” he said, “we can’t just sit on our butts doing nothing. Right?”
“You act like you’re all serious but there’s nothing going on in that head of yours is there?” she asked.
“What? That’s not true! I’m thinking. I’m always thinking. Right now I was just thinking of a way to keep us from getting bored.” He rattled off the first thing that came to mind.
She let out a heavy sigh. “Sure, whatever.” The look she gave him was one of exasperation. He didn’t want her to expect anything from him, but found her attitude very frustrating.
“Arrghh!” he groaned loudly. Somehow she always got to him. Ignoring her, or at least trying to, he called to the others “Hey. Alright everyone listen up.”
The others gathered around him. “Taylor, what’s the matter?” Heaven asked.
“We’re not going to accomplish anything just spending time like this, right?” he said. “So I just thought why don’t we split up and finish looking around the complex.”
“Why?” Heaven asked. “Don’t you think staying together in one place would be safer?”
“No,” he said firmly. “I think we should check to see if staying in one place and doing nothing is really the safest thing to do. You know, walk around, see what we can find and scope out any dangers. If we find some, we can tell everyone to watch out for them or do something to get rid of them. Plus, we could see if there is a safer place and then we could all gather there.”
“But Taylor...” she said.
“It’s not like the rescue squad is about to burst in the door,” he overrode her objection. “So if we’re going to have to be here half a day, or a day or so, then we should find out what kind of place this is and get to know it like our own ship.”
“In that case,” she replied, “I can provide you with an abundance of information.”
“No, that’s not what I mean,” he said. “Listen, Heaven, you have to look after the communication network, right? You were just talking about how some sensors or monitors weren’t working right and you can’t get a full sense of the current situation.”
“Oh, I see,” Dr. Young nodded in agreement and clapped her hands together. “While Heaven is sending out a distress signal, we should use our own two legs to see what kind of a situation we’re in.” She turned to the hologram. “How about it, Heaven? That would be easier on you wouldn’t it?”
“Yes, I suppose it would,” the hologram answered reluctantly. “But there are still the dangers.”
“Alright, I’ll go then,” Kalashiavu said and laughed. Well, he thought she was laughing, but her lips curled nastily.
“Hey, private, where are you going?” he asked her as she started toward one of the doors.
“We’re going to separate and check things out, right?” Her expression was blank again. He liked that better. She headed for the entrance to the emergency corridor.
“Hey, you can’t just…” he called after her but she quickly disappeared. “Come back here! Hey idiot!” She was out of sight and he could hear her boots clacking on the metal stairs as she climbed.
“Pamuya’s gone,” Medea said to him. “Now what are we going to do?”
“I’m worried,” Heaven said, looking toward the empty doorway the marine had disappeared through.
“I think it’s alright,” Ryogo said suddenly. They all turned to look at him. “Like you say, it doesn’t do us any good to stay in here. She just went to the second level. I’ll bet she’s just going to look around there. So why don’t the four of us look around this level?”
Dr. Young looked thoughtful but Medea instantly agreed. With no other options, Kensington nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”
Heaven still seemed worried. She finally nodded just slightly. “I guess there is nothing I can do to stop you. Please, be careful everyone.”
With Heaven returning to the control room, the four of them searched the complex. They started with the normal corridors and then the emergency passages above and below them on the third level. Splitting into pairs at the forks, they agreed to meet back at the forks when they had checked the corridor ahead. They did that over and over.
Kensington wondered briefly if water was leaking in anywhere. He quickly decided that the pressure would cause water to spurt loudly through any crack it could find. He hoped they would find something that could improve their situation. A vague part of his mind hoped they could find a door to the surface that Heaven was unaware of. Having found nothing, they eventually returned to the kiosk and found Heaven already waiting. Private Kalashiavu was nowhere to be seen.
“We can’t just let her run loose,” Kensington muttered. “I wonder where she is.”
“Shall I check?” asked Heaven. Following her, they returned to the central control room. “I checked the life readings in the complex. Even if Pamuya were moving around, she should still appear in the results of this scan. That is, of course, if she is in the complex.”
Kensington couldn’t believe she would find an exit and abandon them. The dark thought came to him that a scan wouldn’t find her if she weren’t still alive. He did manage to keep the thought from coming out of his mouth. A moment later his doubts were dispelled. A fuzzy light showed up on the holographic display of the second level. “That would be Pamuya,” Heaven announced.
Kensington saw that there were a number of lights congregated on the third level. He presumed that was them in the control room. “Oh!” Ryogo exclaimed suddenly. “Isn’t that strange? Look.” He pointed at a corner of one monitor. A single character was displayed there. “Watch it closely,” he said. It kept cycling between three different characters.
“Oh my, you’re right,” Heaven agreed. “I wonder what it could be.” She fiddled with a control but the character continued fluctuating. It changed every few seconds.
“What does it mean?” Kensington asked, confused.
“It’s the number of life readings,” Ryogo said. “It keeps switching between five, six, and seven. The number of lights on the holographic display doesn’t change though.”
“Wait a minute. You can read that?” Kensington said in surprise.
“I guess so,” Ryogo said apologetically. “You can’t?” The others looked at each other. Apart from Heaven and Ryogo, none of them understood it.
“Could it mean there is someone else besides us in the facility?” Ryogo asked when they had calmed down. “If it could really be seven…”
“That’s what it would mean,” Dr. Young agreed.
Topic: The Promise (Read 23876 times)