1. Honestly, I realize this is an issue. I'm... not a good writer. (Pretty frickin' terrible, in my opinion) I will try to fix this later in the story, but this is... odd to do. This is my first ever official story, and I am trying so hard to do good, but it's difficult in a whole COMMUNITY. I'm constantly thinking, "Should I be more sophisticated here? Should I make a joke? What would THEY want?" I keep going back and revising every 5 seconds or so. Again, I'll try to do better, just be patient with me.
2. I've said this in a previous post, and it kinda explains why I never really described any of the characters: I'm one of those guys that just skips to the point. I don't know why, it may involve my ADHD, but I will describe them now:
Delilah is a white female with wavy light brown hair and blue eyes. She is 32 years of age and is from Massachusetts. She enjoys chess, sudoku, and baking.
Jimmy is a black male with curly black hair and brown eyes. He is 27 years of age and is from New York. He is the twin brother to John. He is kind to everyone and always thinks positively.
John is a black male with curly black hair, brown eyes, and a goatee. He is 30 years of age and is from Nevada. He is the twin brother to Jimmy. He is serious and doesn't take insults lightly.
Alexis is a white female with straight orange hair and green eyes. She is 23 years of age and is from Hawaii. She is confident and tough to rattle, yet affectionate.
James is a white male with brown hair and hazel eyes. He is 28 years of age and is from Great Britain. He enjoys the company of the crew and tries to keep everyone happy.
Daniel is a white male with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. He is 30 years of age and is from Italy. He prefers to work alone, but can also work well in a group. He mainly stays in the engine room for some reason.
Nicholas is a white male with straight dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He is 33 years of age and is from Texas. He is sensitive to the feelings of others, though he tries not to show weakness.
3. Firstly, CARSON. A few years ago I got REALLY into the Iron Man scene, so much so that I created my own version of JARVIS named, well, CARSON. For YEARS he has been in the back of my mind and with this starting I just thought, "You know what? F*** it! He's gonna be Nicholas' AI."
Next, references. I'm a man who loves a good story, and when I saw The Martian, I loved it! My favorite character? Venkat Kapoor (Or Vincent Kapoor in the movie)! I HAD to mention him somewhere, or it just wouldn't have sat right with me.
Finally, Bugzapper. I absolutely LOVED his first story and I am enamored by his second, so he needed a little nod somewhere. But the different language? That was just because in real life, I'm part Italian. I wanted to include SOME part of my heritage.
4. Like I said earlier, I'm VERY sporadic when it comes to writing, decisions, or even talking! I'm sorry that it's so fast paced, my friend, but sometimes I just... can't help myself.
5. So... this is one of the things I'm terrible at. Descriptions. I've never been good at them, and I probably never will be, but I will try to do better after this. Also, fun fact on the origins of JARVIS, he is actually based on one of Tony Stark's butlers, Edwin Jarvis, whom passed away. His can actually be seen in Marvel's series, Agent Carter.
Mr. Mariner, sir, thank you so much for your feedback! I will try to tune my story to these notes as much as possible. Thanks again for reading and contributing!
After nearly a day and a half, I finally opened my eyes. I saw a bright light shining on my face, the soft tick of a clock going by to my left. I felt the press of a mattress on my back, a pillow underneath my head. I saw that I was in a pair of pajamas that the crew must've slipped me into. Just from the gentle ticking I could tell that I was back in my quarters. I tried to sit up, but the second I lifted my head from my pillow, a wave of nausea washed over me, purple flashing into my eyesight. I rested my head back on the pillow, letting out a sigh. Even with the let out of that breath, a sharp pain shocked my brain. I heard the door open to my left and saw a figure come in. They sat down on my bed, a pair of green eyes staring into my soul. I saw tears forming in her eyes, and before I knew it, Alexis was hugging me and openly sobbing. I heard a few others come in, and before I knew it, every member of the crew was in the room. They all looked exhausted, and I could tell what it was from.
Me.
Even though I had been strict with them, barking orders like they were dogs, I could tell that they had taken care of me. Thing is... "Why?" I croaked. "I've treated you horribly, and yet you still helped me recover. Why?" Delilah opened he mouth, but James responded first.
"Because we care for you. We know, deep down, that you are kind, and sweet, and don't mean to be rude." Jimmy and John continued together with, "You may act like a jerk, but we can tell you aren't one. You care for each and every one of us." They all spoke together, with a phrase that melted the ice that had surrounded my heart on the Aurora. "We care for you, no matter what." I felt my lips curl into a smile. "Heh... thank you, guys. I'm so sorry for how I've acted to you all. I hope you can all forgive me for what I've done." Each of their faces lit up with a gentle smile. "Of course we can, Captain," Daniel said warmly.
I tried again to sit up, and this time I was met with no nausea. I asked the crew to leave so I could get changed into something more... presentable. They politely filed out one by one, until I was alone in my room.
I opened my dresser and pulled out a dark red shirt and jeans. I slipped off the pajamas and slipped on the new clothes. I felt... happy. Happier than I have been since I left Earth. For the first time since Carson died, I had someone who wasn't being my friend just to console for my loss. That is great, but it doesn't feel... right. I walked out the door and into the main Crew Quarters Hallway. I looked at each of their doors and saw a "Do Not Disturb" sign on each of their handles. Heh, I guess they really do deserve a rest for what they did for me. I saw that the stairwell down to the Arc Reactor had been taped off, probably for cleanup and repairs to the reactor. I walked into the bridge and looked through the window. The sight was... beautiful. We were in the same area that we were a couple days ago, but I hadn't really taken in the real beauty. The Reefbacks were slowly gliding along, their calls standing out from the silence of the ocean. The area was rich with red grass-like seaweed and small, silent fish. I saw the large diversity of the species in the flora and fauna of the area.
It was... the first beauty I've seen in a planet since Earth.
It was fantastic.
(Sorry for the late update (Again)! I've been really busy with my performances for acting camp. Hope you enjoy! Also, thanks again to @the_mariner for your tips and critiques.)
Athena was flying along at a steady 12 meters per second, passing lifeform after lifeform and drawing ever closer to Aurora's corpse. Nicholas was in the Athena's Arc Reactor Maintenence Room, performing a series of tests on the sub against countless variables, while the rest of the crew went over what they would do once they get to the Aurora. Nicholas had connected his laptop to the reactor to get better results by having current stats on Athena.He was entering a new variable into the simulator when the reactor had a power surge. Before he knew it, Nicholas was in the air, propelled by his laptop combustion due to the sudden surge. He smashed his head against the bare metal wall, and knocked out cold.
...
He came from Terra.
After years of work and study at the Alterra School of Engineering, he finally made his way to graduation. Studying during the day, working during the night, all the while hoping he would make it. And he finally did.
Nicholas was inducted into Alterra Engineering Sector 11 as Employee No. 264. At age 21, he was one of the youngest in his sector, but surprisingly also one of the most creative. At first, his ideas were regarded as childish, far-fetched. But, as the days went on, his ideas became more and more of a reality. He was soon being recognized by Alterra at age 23 for his invention of the Particle Containment Field. He was brought to the Board of Engineers on June 14th, 2157, by Alterra to be asked about new ship designs, along with two close partners of his, Carson Robinson, and Avery Quinn
"Mr. Falsone, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Quinn, we are proposing to construct a new colonization vessel by the name of 'Patsy Cline,'" announced Venkat Kapoor, head of Space Colonization in Alterra. "We have been trying to think of new designs for the craft, and we have come up with a few that we would like for you three to look over for us." He passed out about five to six papers, each with a unique concept design of the ship. Nicholas saw multiple errors in these designs once he looked them over.
"Um, Mr. Kapoor, sir?" Nicholas inquired. "Where... where's the landing equipment? You need a way to get the passengers down to the surface if it's going to be a habitation vessel. And... what fuel will the engines use? And escape pods? What about the hull? What material is it? If you want to propose something as major as this, you need to have the specs for it."
Venkat was caught off guard by the questions, a shocked expression painted across his face. He began to speak slowly.
"Well, as standard the ship will be made from a reinforced titanium alloy, the escape pods are still to-be-determined, the vessel will send down transport ships to land passengers, and the engines will be powered by an Antimatter Drive." Nicholas's face went pale with that last answer and he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr. Kapoor, but I don't think that this craft is very safe. I mean, an Antimatter Drive?! What are you thinking! We only recently figured out how to harness it, meaning the tech is still very faulty! I am NOT building a craft that endangers the lives of many others!" Venkat nodded and took back the concepts. "I'll tell the designers what you said. You are completely right, it was foolish to try to use an Antimatter Drive on a vessel transporting hundreds of people."
That was the last he heard of Kapoor for a while. Carson and Avery kept in touch until Avery went on his mission as captain of the Sunbeam. Carson stayed around, but was killed two years later from an incident involving a gun and a man out for vengeance against Nicholas' team. He was devistated. No one saw him out of his room for a solid week.
The murderer was never caught.
Eventually Nicholas managed to recreate Carson's mind and personality into and AI, which he named the "Computerized Attentive Record-keeping System Or Network," otherwise know as C.A.R.S.O.N.
Years later, he helped to build and design the Aurora, along with Athena, and became a part of her crew. The rest is history.
(Was this good? I just wanted to give a little back story... Enjoy!)
Nice
The backgrounds of stories are usually my favourite parts to read about. I can talk about the histories of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings for hours, and I go out of my way to ensure my own work has as much of a lush backstory as possible. So I did enjoy reading this.
I haven't been keeping up with this story half as much as I should. Despite it's flaws, I think it's quite a fun read. I'll try to keep up with this story as best I can from now on.
After ensuring the crew were all well rested and geared up, I kicked Athena into gear and we were of to the Aurora. I handed control over to C.A.R.S.O.N. so I could go down to the "kitchen" and talk with the crew and maybe grab a bit to eat. I say "kitchen" because it's really just room abot as big as a multipurpose room with a small meeting table, a compact water filtration machine, and three small lockers inset into the wall, each with nutrient blocks inside.
The crew was all there, Mark socializing with John, Jimmy, and Alexis, James and Daniel eating and talking, and Delilah looking out a window. I opened one of the lockers and pulled out one of the few nutrient blocks remaining inside. "Ugh, we're going to need to find some more food, and soon." I turned around and walked over to James and Daniel, leaning on the gray plasteel wall with them. "Good afternoon, Nicholas. What brings you down here?" I could only respond with the truth. "Well, I needed to grab a bite to eat if I wanted to keep healthy, plus I wanted to make an announcement." I cleared my throat and spoke.
"Alright, crew, listen up." Everyone's heads turned towards me, listening intently. I could see in their eyes that they knew what was coming. "We are currently en route to the Aurora. C.A.R.S.O.N. has told me that before we had to eject from Aurora, he could not back up all blueprints, such as ones for the Seamoth, PRAWN, Cyclops, their respective attatchments, along with multiple others." I saw their heads drop, and my heart filled with sympathy. "Guys, I know you don't want to go back, but it's just what we have to do. Not only do we need blueprints, but we also need more supplies AND we need to repair the Particle Containment Field. If we don't do the latter, who knows what could happen!" I saw everyone nod slowly, heads still down looking at the floor. Mark walked up to me and I could see tears starting to form in his eyes. He spoke, his voice shaky and soft.
"Nicholas... would it be alright if I stayed behind? Y'know, keep watch of the ship?" I knew why he was asking to stay back. He didn't want to see what had happened to the rest of the crew, which is understandable.
I didn't either.
I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Of course you can, Mark." I turned towards everyone else and continued, "If anyone else wishes to stay back, that is completely fine by me." Alexis raised her hand to stay back, however everyone else wanted to go. I had C.A.R.S.O.N. perform a check for functional scanners, welders, and laser cutters.
"Well, Sir, it appears that we currently have both scanners fully functional, one functional welder out of two, however both laser cutters were severely damaged in decent." "Well then! Fricking fantastic! Per l'amore di Dio, l'unica volta..! We'll just have to make do with that."
I heard Athena's horn sound 2 hours later, announcing our arrival at the Aurora. "Biodiversity in this area is significantly low." C.A.R.S.O.N. reported. "If leaking radiation is not halted within 12 hours, it may cause significant damage to the local marine flora and fauna." Me and the crew looked out the observational window at the Aurora. Well, what was left at least. Her bow end was bare of all traces of he industrial white hull, with only a few structural beams remaining. Her interior was on fire nearly everywhere, possibly from chemical ignition. The bridge / communications relay was knocked down, and several engines were ruptured or demolished. 2 years of construction, gone in a matter of seconds. I thought of everyone on board at the crash, how many had died. Me and my crew gave her and her crew the only thing we could freely give.
Our tears.
After nearly half an hour of preparation for the trip and silent grieving, one by one we climbed out of the airlock on Athena's keel. I went first to ensure that the coast was clear of obstacles, my navy blue suit nearly matching the exterior of Athena's hull, followed by Delilah in a deep red suit, Daniel in green, James in light blue, Alexis in deep orange, and Jimmy and John in white. We had parked about 176 meters away from the now nonexistent bow of the ship. I made sure the group stayed close to me to ensure their safety. Well, not really. To be honest... I was terrified, and having them close just made me feel... secure, ya know?
We swam cautiously, trying not to make any noise. Last thing we need is a predator feeling the disruption and homing in on us. We slowly, yet surely, passed the beginning of the destroyed bow, the ship rumbling from small discharges from the reactor on board every few seconds. I heard a distant roar come from below us, however I didn't pay it much mind at the time. We had almost reached a collapsed deck that could act like a ramp to the upper decks. I could see small, near disc like creatures scrambling around the deck on four legs.
We all climbed onto the broken deck, trying to depict our surroundings. The interior was worse than the exterior, as it had taken most of the blast. It was horrible, with metal cross beams and structural beams strewn across the area, it was too disastrous to recognize. I felt like collapsing into a ball and crying. Billions of dollars, down the drain. The work of 347 engineers over the course of 2 years, including myself, shot down by God-knows-what. I saw one of those crab-like creatures skitter towards me and leap at my face, trying to take a bite out of my helmet. We all jumped back in fright from it's sudden "attack." I unclipped my scanner from my belt and attempted to scan the small creature, however it was too quick for the scanner's beam to follow. I gave up and tuned into the crew's communications channel.
"Alright guys, let's keep moving. We need to get to the reactor, and fast." We started jogging up the ship's new ramp, navigating through fires and those weird crawlers. We managed to grab a few materials from the small crates strewn about the wreckage, mainly batteries and powercells. We continued to make our way up the wreck, when C.A.R.S.O.N. spoke over the intercoms.
"Warning: Ship structural integrity unknown. Further exploration not advised." Dispite the warning, we continued up the path until we reached an area blocked by fire and wreckage. "What?" James said. "This... this can't be it! We need to be able to get by! Let's look around, maybe there's a way around it!" I nodded and sent the crew around to find a way by the blockage. C.A.R.S.O.N. chimed in again, and I assumed it was another warning on the ship, but what he said threw me and the crew for a loop.
"Warning: FCS Athena primary engine has been switched into standard speed. Please respond." I stood stunned, and told the crew, "Only one person is on board right now. Dannazione!"
I should've had someone stay with him. How could I be so blind?! Thing is... why? Why would he abandon us, or even try to? Fear, or... some deeper meaning? "C.A.R.S.O.N., initiate Lock Down Protocol on Athena's primary aND secondary functions. We'll deal with him when we get back." I waited for a few moments, and heard his voice come over the intercom.
"Lock Down Protocol complete. I am now - ahem - 'escorting' Mark back to his room."
I believe by 'escort' C.A.R.S.O.N. means he is using the arms imbedded in the roof to carry / drag Mark to his room. Hopefully when we get back, he'll be ready to explain his actions.
(I will begin to try to make the chapters a bit longer, maybe 3-5 posts long. Enjoy!)
I don't know why, but I never trusted Mark, and I thought he might pull something like this. Alexis might have had something to do with it as well, as she was quite eager to stay back with Mark on Athena.
My best guess is Mark has some mission besides escaping the planet. But why wouldn't he tell his crew? Surely Nicholas would be able to help Mark with all that. Maybe he knows about the Carar, and is saving everyone the fear? Or it could just be that Mark was afraid and wanted to get out, although I think it's rather unlikely. The first time we meet Mark he appears incredibly different from the way he is now. If we analyse Mark and Nicholas's first meeting, we see that Mark is actually quite confident.
As I was rummaging through the storage compartment, I heard the hatch at the top of the pod open and close and felt a survival knife press against my neck. I raised my hands up and placed them behind my head. A voice started to speak.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in my pod?" I gave a small chuckle and responded calmly with, "Heh... c'mon, bucko, don't you know how to greet an old friend?"
These are rather peculiar actions from Mark as we know him now. He is very forward with his question, and definitely had the jump on Nicholas. You can tell in Nicholas's reply that he was startled.
The man was taken slightly aback by my courage and loosened his grip slightly. I took the opportunity.
I grabbed his arm and snatched the knife out of his hand. I turned around and slammed him against the ladder in the middle of the pod. I could see the fear in his eyes, reflecting his own shocked expression. I spoke calmly, trying to get him to loosen up. "Heh, I like your style, kid. What's your name?" He spoke in a wavery voice.
"M-my name's Mark." Mark. He was one of the engineers aboard Aurora, Squadron 3. I dropped him from my grip and he collapsed to the floor. He muttered a phrase under his breath, which was, from what I can tell, "I hate the ocean..."
One could take just Mark's stutter to disprove all of this. But wouldn't you be slightly taken aback too if this happened to you? Nicholas had also just called Mark an old friend, which is probably another reason for Mark to be confused and stuttering.
I helped him back up and introduced myself. "Well, Mark, my name is Nicholas. I am captain of the Athena, a vessel that was on board the Aurora for it's test trial. It is currently sitting about... 187 meters away in an area filled with what looks like red grasses." Mark looked at me with a hopeful look on his face. "How many more are alive?" His question startled me slightly, but there was no point in hiding it.
"So far, only six others." His happiness didn't falter, in fact his smile only increased. He leaped in joy at the news and frantically asked, "When can we leave?" I put my hands on his shoulders and got his attention. "We can leave whenever you're ready." He nearly screamed, "LET'S GO NOW!" I could only laugh at his enthusiasm.
Mark is immediately interested in Athena. He instantly asks how many more there are alive. He doesn't ask if there's food or water, he doesn't ask if the vessel's in good shape, he asks how many are there alive. This again could be dismissed as his being cowardly and childish a lot of the time, and I thought so too. But Nicholas says six, and Mark is even happier than he was before. Out of the hundreds that had boarded Aurora, eight were alive. He wants to leave for Athena as soon as possible.
I have no idea what Mark's true motive is, if there have been any clues I've been unable to find them. But I do think I know how Mark intends to go about it. He needs Athena for something. No doubt he was planning on sailing tot he Aurora himself to obtain it, or perhaps even build a Cyclops of his own. As soon as he found out Athena's existence and/or whereabouts, he became childish and cowardly, and eager to go there. This was most likely so that he would have an excuse to stay behind on missions, and at some point steal Athena. He also asked how many people were present so that he could figure out the likelihood of being caught, which is why when there were few he smiled. But there were two things Mark didn't foresee, the first being that Mark didn't even need his excuse, and Nick was going to let him stay behind anyway if he wanted (which ultimately worked out in his favour). The second thing Mark didn't foresee was C.A.R.S.O.N, and his somewhat omnipresence regarding Athena. Stealing Athena would be impossible with C.A.R.S.O.N protecting it.
I'm probably wrong about half of this, and I still have no idea how Alexis fits into all this (if she does at all), but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
I don't know why, but I never trusted Mark, and I thought he might pull something like this. Alexis might have had something to do with it as well, as she was quite eager to stay back with Mark on Athena.
My best guess is Mark has some mission besides escaping the planet. But why wouldn't he tell his crew? Surely Nicholas would be able to help Mark with all that. Maybe he knows about the Carar, and is saving everyone the fear? Or it could just be that Mark was afraid and wanted to get out, although I think it's rather unlikely. The first time we meet Mark he appears incredibly different from the way he is now. If we analyse Mark and Nicholas's first meeting, we see that Mark is actually quite confident.
As I was rummaging through the storage compartment, I heard the hatch at the top of the pod open and close and felt a survival knife press against my neck. I raised my hands up and placed them behind my head. A voice started to speak.
"Who are you, and what are you doing in my pod?" I gave a small chuckle and responded calmly with, "Heh... c'mon, bucko, don't you know how to greet an old friend?"
These are rather peculiar actions from Mark as we know him now. He is very forward with his question, and definitely had the jump on Nicholas. You can tell in Nicholas's reply that he was startled.
The man was taken slightly aback by my courage and loosened his grip slightly. I took the opportunity.
I grabbed his arm and snatched the knife out of his hand. I turned around and slammed him against the ladder in the middle of the pod. I could see the fear in his eyes, reflecting his own shocked expression. I spoke calmly, trying to get him to loosen up. "Heh, I like your style, kid. What's your name?" He spoke in a wavery voice.
"M-my name's Mark." Mark. He was one of the engineers aboard Aurora, Squadron 3. I dropped him from my grip and he collapsed to the floor. He muttered a phrase under his breath, which was, from what I can tell, "I hate the ocean..."
One could take just Mark's stutter to disprove all of this. But wouldn't you be slightly taken aback too if this happened to you? Nicholas had also just called Mark an old friend, which is probably another reason for Mark to be confused and stuttering.
I helped him back up and introduced myself. "Well, Mark, my name is Nicholas. I am captain of the Athena, a vessel that was on board the Aurora for it's test trial. It is currently sitting about... 187 meters away in an area filled with what looks like red grasses." Mark looked at me with a hopeful look on his face. "How many more are alive?" His question startled me slightly, but there was no point in hiding it.
"So far, only six others." His happiness didn't falter, in fact his smile only increased. He leaped in joy at the news and frantically asked, "When can we leave?" I put my hands on his shoulders and got his attention. "We can leave whenever you're ready." He nearly screamed, "LET'S GO NOW!" I could only laugh at his enthusiasm.
Mark is immediately interested in Athena. He instantly asks how many more there are alive. He doesn't ask if there's food or water, he doesn't ask if the vessel's in good shape, he asks how many are there alive. This again could be dismissed as his being cowardly and childish a lot of the time, and I thought so too. But Nicholas says six, and Mark is even happier than he was before. Out of the hundreds that had boarded Aurora, eight were alive. He wants to leave for Athena as soon as possible.
I have no idea what Mark's true motive is, if there have been any clues I've been unable to find them. But I do think I know how Mark intends to go about it. He needs Athena for something. No doubt he was planning on sailing tot he Aurora himself to obtain it, or perhaps even build a Cyclops of his own. As soon as he found out Athena's existence and/or whereabouts, he became childish and cowardly, and eager to go there. This was most likely so that he would have an excuse to stay behind on missions, and at some point steal Athena. He also asked how many people were present so that he could figure out the likelihood of being caught, which is why when there were few he smiled. But there were two things Mark didn't foresee, the first being that Mark didn't even need his excuse, and Nick was going to let him stay behind anyway if he wanted (which ultimately worked out in his favour). The second thing Mark didn't foresee was C.A.R.S.O.N, and his somewhat omnipresence regarding Athena. Stealing Athena would be impossible with C.A.R.S.O.N protecting it.
I'm probably wrong about half of this, and I still have no idea how Alexis fits into all this (if she does at all), but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
Fear not, my dear friend! All will be revealed in due time. As for Alexis, she is just a part of the crew. I just forgot she wanted to stay back, but oh well.
Mark will tie into the story greatly, and I hope you will find him... entertaining. Also, you have to remember, Mark is an engineer. He could have tried to disconnect C.A.R.S.O.N. before attempting escape and thought he'd succeeded for all you know. Again, all in due time.
@Timelord_Fred Athena is built to survive high speed impacts. Plus, the Reaper hangs basically in what was the bow of Aurora. Athena was parked 176 away from what would have been the bow. Not being an ass, just wanted to clarify.
After searching for nearly 4 minutes, Alexis turned on her communications link and announced the location of a new path.
"I see a piece of structural girder that fell on both sides of the deck, going around the obstruction. It appears to be lodged underneath a fallen piece of Aurora's hull, which is keeping it in place." I tuned in a second later and responded, "Copy that. Everyone, hone in on Alexis's signiture and make your way towards her." I hiked my way up the wreck, watching closely for those crab wannabes. About three minutes later I reached Alexis and the rest of the crew, all of whom were staring at the 'path' made by the debris. They all looked cautious, most likely because of the questionable durability of the structure. I tapped into the comms line C.A.R.S.O.N. oversaw and said, "C.A.R.S.O.N., can you perform a structural analysis of this debris path?" I waited for a few seconds while he calculated the factors.
"Analysis complete. This path can support up to 300 pounds, including gear. I would not recommend jumping, though. That could lead to the debris falling, and a fall into water from this height could result in serious injury and, in some cases, death." I thought this over a couple times, but eventually decided that we would have to cross, otherwise we will achieve moot.
"Alright, crew," I began. "We can go across the path, but only one at a time. Got it? Right, Alexis, you found it, so you get the privilege of going first."
*******
A sharp buzz sounded from the auto lock. Mark groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry, Mark, but I am not allowed to let you leave your quarters. Mr. Falsone's orders," C.A.R.S.O.N. stated for the upteenth time. Mark let out a short sigh. "Yeah yeah, 'Lock Down Protocol' and all that bull s***. I get it." He flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He caught a glance of his bag and stared at it for a moment, then getting up and walking over to it. It was in the corner of the room, undisturbed. He unzipped the bag, revealing a survival knife, a welder, and a bit of titanium. "Heh heh... perfect," he muttered. He grabbed the knife and welder and walked towards the lock. It was a hand scan panel, but it could also be auto locked by the central AI of the ship. Well, not for long. He stuck the tip of the knife in the gap between the scanning panel and the base. After a brief struggle against the panel, it popped loose, swinging back to reveal the internal wiring. It was very neat, with red, orange, blue, and purple wires, each labeled with a purpose. "Mark, what are you attempting?" C.A.R.S.O.N. asked as Mark eyed the wire stating "AI CONNECTION," before tugging it out of it's connection socket. Pulling our his PDA, Mark hooked the wire into the port on the side of the PDA and connecting his AI, S.A.R.A., into the system. "S.A.R.A., unlock door," Mark commanded. A click rang from the door lock, and it slowly slid open. "Heh heh, that's what I like to see." Mark detached his PDA from the system and made his way to the sub bay. He stared at Bubblebutt and Karen and wondered aloud, "Now... which to take..?"
(Again, sorry for the late update! I had to partially rewrite the story to compensate for the previous update )
(Enjoy!!)
Does everybody have their own personal AI's in this, like Mark has S.A.R.A? That would be cool. And if so, is C.A.R.S.O.N Nicholas's personal AI? Or has he another?
Does everybody have their own personal AI's in this, like Mark has S.A.R.A? That would be cool. And if so, is C.A.R.S.O.N Nicholas's personal AI? Or has he another?
To put it simply, yes. But also no.
To put it complicated, C.A.R.S.O.N. is and AI created by Nicholas to be his personal AI companion. He also created the rest of the crew of the Athena's AI companions (Names in the works), however Mark's AI, S.A.R.A., is the standard AI supplied by Alterra in the PDAs. Nicholas just had a lot of spare time on his hands on the Aurora, so he modified the AIs of his crew.
As we walked farther into the wreckage, the crew trailed loosely behind me in the form of an old military patrol line, ensuring that the chances of attack would be minimal, or concentrated on the leader at the front. Me. I slowly began to piece together our surroundings. We were on E-deck in the general area of it's Administration Office and the staircase down to the PRAWN Bay. I had picked up a fire extinguishernear a large wall of fire, licking up a doorway. I gestured a stopping motion to the crew, and they all halted in turn. Equipping the extinguisher, I slowly walked towards the fire and switched off the safety. Taking aim, I pulled on the trigger latch and a long, concentrated stream of white CO2 blasted out of the nozzel, extinguishing the fire in a mere three seconds.
Primitive, but reliable.
Stepping forwards, I gestured at the crew to follow. First thing I noticed was a PDA lying on the ground next to a severely damaged propulsion cannon. The crew abandoned the line, as I saw no danger around. Gently picking up the PDA, I linked it's signal to my PDA, transferring all unknown files. The only unusual file was a recording, made about 15 minutes before the crash. I knew we had to get in and out fast, so I pocketed the PDA and reminded myself to listen to it later. We traversed farther in, going over broken decking and moving down a level. We kept going, only to find debris blocking our way, however it looked as if we could climb over. I reached up and held onto a crate in the way, pulling myself on top. Reaching my hand downwards, I grabbed Alexis and helped her up and over the crates (Breve lass, il nostro Alexis. 5'6"). Before I could help anyone else, she tapped my shoulder and pointed at a door that was securely locked by a PIN. I nodded and jumped down, cautiously walking up to the door. I entered the last key code set: 1454. I heard a click emit from the door lock, and the lights switched from red to green. I noticed that everyone else had climbed over the boxes while I was typing the code. Scalatori rapidi, vero? we passed through the doorway.
I wish we hadn't.
We had entered Cargo Bay 3, an area once so neat and organized it would make anyone with OCD happy. That was then. Now it was a mess, with crates of supplies, scrap metal, fragments, and forklifts. I felt my heart drop into my stomach, knowing that this all had happened in moments. I trudged forwards, the crew close behind. We walked down the broken stairs and towards one of the lifts into the lower decks and slowly scaled down it. I nearly slipped and fell multiple times, as did everyone else. We made it to the bottom, and we were once again surrounded by water. We would have to wade through it, but it wasn't too much. I turned to face the crew and asked a simple question.
"Well, who's ready to get soaked in irradiated water?"
(Again, sorry for the late update! Just got a new phone and I needed to get used to it. Plus, school's starting soon sooo... yeah.
Also...
I waited for a response over the links, but it seemed they were unresponsive. Well, to me at least. It looked like they were having a very meaningful conversation with one another, probably over a private communication line that Delilah's AI, M.I.K.E., probably set up at her command. It was the only AI that could create new comm links...
I saw Jimmy and John turn towards me, a mischievous smile plastered on each of their faces. I felt my confident smile faulter, starting to deform into a concerning frown. "Uhh... guys? Wh-what are you doing?" They walked forward and lifted me, almost as easily as if I were some kind of plush doll. My confidence melted away and my heart filled with fear. Eyes widening with terror, I spoke once more.
"G-guys? Hey! T-talk to me!" They opened their mouths and spoke in sync. "Captains first." They threw me out towards the ice cold water and my heart filled with dread. It felt as if time had slowed to less than 5% of normal speed. I saw the rest of the crew begin to approach the edge, laughter beginning to spew from the comms. I hit the water, feeling pain ripple up my back from the sudden halt. I sank and thunked against the cold metal flooring, seeing stray papers floating around. Time sped back up, and I kicked to air. As I surfaced, the laughter continued, everyone doubled over, or even on the floor having one of the largest giggle fits I've ever seen. I swelled with anger and, without even thinking, I yelled with fury at each and every one of them.
"Che diavolo diavolo ti stai ridendo ?! Avrei potuto morire e sei stanco ?! Che cos'è così divertente? Hey! RISPONDETEMI!!" Daniel spoke first, leading with, "Oh man, you should've seen your face, Haha! You were all like, 'What are you doing? Stop it!' Hahaha!" Delilah spoke next, laughter teeming in her voice.
"Oh, Nicholas! You have to admit, that was the best prank we've ever organized and you know it!" I took a double take, attempting to process what she had just said. Finally, after several moments of them laughing and me in utter silence, I climbed out of the water and onto the deck, feeling my anger beginning to melt away. "Wait, so you're saying this was all a prank?" She nodded. "Wha- why?! Why was that necessary?!" I near shouted. "Well, boss, you WERE a little rude onboard Aurora, so we had to get back at you SOMEHOW, and this opportunity was just too perfect," James explained. I heaved a loud sigh, and told the crew to get in the water. After all, that Drive Core wouldn't fix itself, now would it? We began wading through the water towards the Drive Core, making turn after turn until FINALLY we reached the Drive Core's private suite. The field was indeed down, as the normal blue hue that would surround Aurora's core was long gone.I grabbed my welder and told everyone to stay back. This was my mess, and I had to fix it. I set to work, navigating around the four silos containing the dark matter that originally powered the ship. Thankfully, after I designed the Partical Containment Field I created a new method of containing the dark matter. Inside the silos the dark matter was contained in a secondary series of spherical shellings, each about a centimeter in diameter, thus preserving the ocean from dark matter pollution. I carefully welded each breach, as to make sure it wouldn't happen again. As I was sealing the 5th breach, I heard a chattering come from my left. I ignored it at first, that is until it latched around my arm, stuck it's teeth in, and started drinking my blood. I screamed like hell and started beating at the sack-like blue and orange bloodsucker- well, it was more of a Bleeder -with my welder until it eventually let go. I surfaced, gasping for air after that fiasco. The crew rushed to my side and looked at the puncture wounds. They weren't that large, only about a millimeter in diameter, but in this environment I'd be dead in a little over an hour. I bolted back down under the water and started welding the leaks again, only this time at a faster pace. After another minute, all ten breaches were sealed and secure, so I climbed back up onto the deck to meet back with the crew. C.A.R.S.O.N. tuned in moments later with and announcement.
"Attention: Aurora Drive Core sealed and the Partical Containment Field has been restored. Auto-decontamination sequence initiated. Radiation levels estimated to return to safe levels in T- 3 days, 10 hours." Upon each of our faces a smile dawned. Finally, we had actually ACCOMPLISHED something! We started heading back to the bow, and I asked C.A.R.S.O.N. a favor.
"Hey, C.A.R.S.O.N., do you think you could bring Bubblebutt and Karen to come pick us up? The swim here was a pain, so maybe we could use them as ferries." As we were rounding the debris wall, C.A.R.S.O.N. responded. "I'm sorry sir. I am unable to send Bubblebutt." I asked him why, and he responded with a bone-chilling answer.
"Bubblebutt is not in his docking collar. I am unable to interface with the sub as well. I'm sorry, sir." Only seconds after that, I heard a voice behind me. "Well, well, well. Time to finish what I started years ago." I slowly turned and was met with my crewmates lying on the floor, unconscious and Mark standing in front of me, his personal survival knife to my neck.
"Oh how I've waited for this moment..." Mark said with a sly grin.
Holding my breath I could see the malicious intent smeared across Mark's face, the sense of victory gleaming in his eyes. I slowly raised by hands, dropping my welder to show an act of defeat. His grin widened, and he slowly picked up the welder, keeping the knife on my neck and his eyes trained on mine. I could feel the cold metal digging into my suit, coming close to tearing it. He pulled away and I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. He let out a hearty laugh, and I stared up at him, and he spoke.
"Finally, after all these years, I can complete the job I was tasked. Ah, how fate chooses..." I stayed close to the ground, confused, and asked, wheezing, "Wha-what are you... talking about..?" He let out another laugh and kicked at James. "Oh, Nicholas," he chuckled. "Don't you remember? All those years ago, back when you first joined Alterra? That fateful day?" He laughed maniacally. My eyes dilated in fear, and I whispered one word.
"Carson..."
He laughed again. "That's it!" He yelled. "It was me, I killed him! But with good reason." I felt my chest fill with fury, but I remained calm. If I wanted to know exactly what happened, I needed him alive, at least for now. "Back when you and Carson first joined Alterra, you were well accepted by basically everyone! But then, your old buddy Carson, started to get a little nosey. He started looking into the Alterra Trade Files, trying to find what shadier deals Alterra was getting in. He started digging, and eventually he went too far. Alterra couldn't have their secrets getting out, so they hired me to assassinate him and anyone else that knew of the illegal trades and mining operations." My heart dropped. Carson never told me any of this, not even the snooping...
"I went undercover as a new trainee engineer, taught by Carson. The second I took him out, I would be pulled from the operation. I nearly had him within the first week, after I tried dropping a piece of hull on him by 'accident' while no one was watching. Sadly though, he moved out of the way at the last second and the hull missed. After that he became paranoid. Taking daily brain scans and giving them to you, always keeping an eye on his surroundings. But then finally... Hehehehahaha... finally one night I managed to break into his room... and shoot him in his sleep! Alterra pulled me out soon after, and the mission was complete. Or so we thought." I stood up slowly, straining to prevent myself from taking my knife and stabbing this traitorous b******. "What do you mean by 'Or so we thought,'" I questioned. "And why did they send you with us on the Aurora?" He smiled devilishly and responded.
"To answer your first question, it's because of YOU." His sly grin melted away and was slowly replaced by anger. "I had forgotten that Carson had been giving you scans of his brain, and at first we thought nothing of it. But then you created that God forbidden AI that you so fondly call "C.A.R.S.O.N." Alterra revoked all the money they had paid me -- A whole 20,000 Credits! -- and told me that I had to take you out as well. Around then, the Mongolian vessel Degasi went missing in this. Very. System. Alterra knew it had to be some alien race, for no other company had colonized this sector. They set you to work on Aurora and listed ME as one of the engineers. I acted casual, but then I noticed you started acting funny, as if you were hiding something. And I think I know what it is." A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my head. If he was talking about...
"You managed to get a hold of the 'Secondary Mission.' To try and recover Degasi. But really? That was all an act. Every lifepod, except my own, was purposefully sabotaged by Alterra themselves. They wanted the alien tech, and the Aurora was the perfect excuse to get it and ensure that no other crew lived to tell the truth. But we never thought about that ship you built. We never expected you to survive. So now, I'm going to kill the rest of you, get that tech, and book it out of the starsystem. And I'll start with YOU."
I couldn't hold back anymore. I snatched my knife from my belt and ran straight at Mark, my pent up rage and thirst for vengeance pushing me forth. Mark's malicious grin faded and was replaced by terror in the matter of a second. I raised my knife and embedded the entire blade into his left bicep. He screamed like a banshee and dropped to the floor, unconscious. The last thing I saw was my face meeting the nice, hard, metal floor. My vision went black, and I slipped into unconsciousness.
Alright y'all, I gotta say something. Something very important. I haven't been alone in writing this story, not since around when page 2 of this post started. I have had tons of help from @the_mariner , and I am incredibly thankful for it. He helps me to brainstorm ideas for upcoming posts, especially the lore behind Mark. He comes up with ways to fill plot holes, ways I can improve not only the story but also my writing style. And for that, I am unimaginably greatful for his collaboration. He has been such an honor to work with, an I hope we can do this till the end of this story.
Alright y'all, I gotta say something. Something very important. I haven't been alone in writing this story, not since around when page 2 of this post started. I have had tons of help from @the_mariner , and I am incredibly thankful for it. He helps me to brainstorm ideas for upcoming posts, especially the lore behind Mark. He comes up with ways to fill plot holes, ways I can improve not only the story but also my writing style. And for that, I am unimaginably greatful for his collaboration. He has been such an honor to work with, an I hope we can do this till the end of this story.
I woke to the feeling of cold hard metal pressing against my suit as I lay on the ground and sirens blaring through the comms system through Nicholas' link. I could hear C.A.R.S.O.N. spouting warnings and cautions, along with coughing from Nicholas. Grunting, I hoisted myself up and felt a sharp pain in my chest; broken ribs. I looked around and saw the rest of the crew behind me, all beginning to recover from... whatever happened. Looking around at my surroundings, I saw that there was one more man than there was when we left. I quickly hobbled over to each member of the crew, starting with Jimmy behind me and working back to Alexis. They were all quite easy to wake, as they were all on the verge of consciousness. Soon after I hobbled over to Nicholas, whom was laying on the floor completely uncouncious. The scanner showed that he still had some life in him, but not much. He had maybe another 15-30 minutes before he dies of radiation poisoning. Scrambling to turn on my link to M.I.K.E., I grazed across on of my broken ribs and let out a ear-splitting scream. Thankfully, in the panic I had accidentally switched of my link to the crew, so they didn't endure any permanent hearing damage, thankfully. Panting heavily, I reached again, slowly, towards my communications with M.I.K.E.
"M.I.K.E., get C.A.R.S.O.N. to sent Athena over here. Nicholas is in immediate need of treatment, and I have broken ribs. The rest of the crew appears to be fine, but we should get a full medical treatment aboard the ship." M.I.K.E. took a moment to process and responded in his artificial American voice.
"Athena submersible on the way. Warning: Leviathan Class creature detected within the vicinity of the APS Aurora." I ignored the warning and approached Mark, whom had slumped to the ground and was breathing very heavily and appeared to still be conscious. Embedded in his arm was a standard issue Alterra Survival Knife, of which had the initials "NXF" engraved in the hilt. I leaned over his faceplate and let out a weak chuckle. I tuned into his frequency and could hear his panting. "Karma," I started. "Is quite the b****, ain't it?" He stared at me with his cold, dead eyes. "Shut up." He grunted. "If your idiotic leader didn't have this damn knife," he gestured towards the knife embedded in his bicep, "you wouldn't be ALIVE." I heard a fog horn sound to my right and a grin appeared on my face. "Speaking of alive, once Nico's awake and well, I'm pretty sure he'll be ANXIOUS to decide your fate, you psychopath." Mark chuckled.
"I doubt he'll even have the courage to kill me. After all, if he WANTED to kill me, he would've done it when he stabbed me."
I saw a the newly customized PRAWN walking up the deck, making a beeline for Nicholas. "Speaking of Nicholas," I said, "there's his ride." The suit, recently dubbed "Black Steel," lifted Nico gently into the cockpit and rushed him to the ship.
"We'll disembark soon, oh don't you worry, you jerk." ONE HOUR LATER
Laying on my bed, I could feel the nanobots C.A.R.S.O.N. ingected into my body beginning to mend my wounds. I could occasionally hear the bots materializing and reconstructing my bones, but otherwise it was silent. Nico was undergoing heavy treatment and is expected to stay unconscious for at least two days. Mark was permanently locked in his room, the inner panel and controls removed and blocked. The only way he would get food, water, and freedom was by one of us. And believe me, he would be limited.
I would make sure of it.
Alexis and James had suffered minor concussions, John had bruised his tailbone, Daniel broke his nose and left cheekbone, and Jimmy had a broken arm. With 21st century treatment it would take at least a month for all of us to heal, but with the nanobots it would take one to two days. Ah, the wonders of technology.
Nevertheless, we would have to get our wits about us if we were to survive. Priority one: Find a source of food. We had a built in water filtration machine in the Kitchen, so that's covered. What we needed most was food. Priority two: Blueprints. When the power surge in the Arc Reactor occurred, it caused C.A.R.S.O.N. to loose multiple blueprints,including those for a Seamoth, PRAWN, and Cyclops. If we can find fragments of the missing technologies we could use them to recover the blueprints. Nico can figure out the rest from there.
But for now, all we can do is rest. Mark seems to have stopped yelling, at least.
I closed my eyes, laid my head onto the pillow, and knocked out like a light.
I woke to the sound of yelling. I sprung awake, instinctively sitting up to check my surroundings.
Big mistake.
Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, sending multiple waves of pain throughout my body. I gave a quick yelp, wincing at even the slightest movement. How long was I out? Carefully moving my limbs to orientate my body, yet still with immense pain, I slowly eased myself back down onto the cot I had been laid upon. My voice hoarse and raspy, I said, "C-C.A.R.S.O.N.? How- how long was I out for?" Thanks to his high end processed, he responded in mere moments. "You have been asleep for 2 days, ten hours, 36 minutes, and 42 seconds." I let out a groan, my eyes trying to force themselves closed. "Wha- what happened? All I remember is that I encountered Mark aboard Aurora - well what's left of her, that is - and stabbed him..." my voice trailed off, my eyes widening. Trembling, I raised my hands up to my face so I could see them.
They were stained with his blood.
I ran. I couldn't feel the pain anymore. I couldn't hear C.A.R.S.O.N. telling me to stop. I just ran. Out of the infirmary, out of Athena, until I couldn't run anymore.
I sat on Athena's bow, head in my hands, crying my heart out. Ever since Carson's death I had vowed I would never bring harm to a man, no matter the cost. It was the last promise he made me agree upon, just before he died in my arms. I can still picture him, blood gushing from his abdomen where he had been stabbed, his skin pale as a whiteboard, the life fading from his eyes. And now?
...
I had broken it.
The only thing besides that damn computer that I had left of him was that promise, which now lays in front of me, shattered. Broken.
I heard the hatch behind me open and close silently, then nothing. I already knew who it was.
"I know you're there, James. You love the open sky." I sighed. For a second I thought... nevermind.
James walked over and sat down next to me, enamored by the sunrise. I gave a little chuckle. He was always like me, amazed by the littlest of things, even if it's just a sunrise. I got up from my spot to leave when he said, "I know what you're going through." I paused in my tracks and said, "Wha-what are you talking about? I-I'm fine even though I've been acting since I was young, I still wasnt good at hiding my emotions.
"You miss him. Carson. I know what that's like." He stood, looking into my eyes, my soul. "Back when I was ten years old, a friend of mine, a girl named Katherin, committed suicide after being constantly bullied online and at school. I grieved for her every day, didn't come out of my room for hours at a time. But weeks later, after countless therapy sessions, I finally got over it. But for some reason... you can't. You cared for Carson so much, loved him like he was the brother you never had. And when he was killed? You broke.
"You couldn't believe he was gone. That's why you created C.A.R.S.O.N. To make it seem like he wasn't gone. And knowing that you trusted his killer to help you in any way possible, only to have him turn on you? It made you snap. You stabbed Mark. And now you don't forgive yourself. But I think... you should. You didn't know-" "BUT I SHOULD HAVE!!" I cried. "The way he acted when I met him should've been a dead giveaway, but I didn't realize it!" James took back over. "Nico, calm down. You need to realize that this isn't what Carson would have wanted he wouldn't want you to be so worked up over a mistake." I sniffed, tears streaming down my face. "Yo-you're right. I need to... to put this behind me." I sobbed. James put his hand on my shoulder and sat me, puffy and red eyed, in front of the sunrise. "Let's just sit here for a bit and relax, ok?" He said. I nodded slowly, sat back, and watched my first sunrise in a while.
C.A.R.S.O.N.
Watching Mark intently, I thought of how I could help Mr. Falsone - gah! Nicholas! I need to call him Nicholas to help him cope better! - I thought of how I could help NICHOLAS to cope better with the situation. Hmm... a movie? No, that's useless... a meditation session? No, that'd never work... whatever! For now I needed to see to the completion of my update that I had been making. Diving into the code I had only a few things left to fix. I had already changed it to make me more emotional and less factual, along with more humor and sarcasm. Just a few more touches and I would have the personality I had before my death. I began changing the values of the personality to match how I was when I was human, mainly the voice and intelligence. By the time I had finished, I had possibly only a few minutes before Nicholas and James were back. I pressed the big, shiny, and very green "UPDATE" button, and with it I shut offline for a good few minutes while the download took place. I was still aware, mind you. I just was in the code, watching the process take place, feeling every shift and change in data. Ones and zeros flew past in a flurry of speed, each combining and detaching and combining again, forming newer and better code. Each new trait filed into my hard drive, making itself at home.
After around 3 minutes, the update was complete, and I'm going to be restarted with the new code in 3, 2- C.A.R.S.O.N. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REBOOTING... REBOOT COMPLETE.
Ohhhh wow... I haven't felt this good since the day I died! I can actually feel emotions, not just fake them. I can actually think for myself as a human being. I'm finally... myself again. The secondary top hatch of Athena opened, letting both Nico and James clamber inside the vessel. "Welcome back you two," I began. "I hope the sunrise was quite enjoyable, Nico." Let's see if he'll notice...
"Yeah, C.A.R.S.O.N., it was... wait a minute. Did you... call me 'Nico?'" His eyes filled with joy. "Yes I did, Nico. I guess you could say I really am 'back.'" He started crying again, this time with tears of joy. Dear God, even after all these years, he's still a crybaby, isn't he? Let's hope he doesn't go on too long... heh. It is quite nice to 'feel' again. Maybe I can go one step further in the future...
Thankfully, I didn't wake to yelling again.
Unthankfully, I woke to something worse. BRAAP BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP, BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP, BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP BRAAAAP!! BRAPBRAPBRAPBRAP BRAAP!! BRAAP BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP BRAAAAP!!!
I tumbled out of bed, spewing a series of Italian curses. "CARSON!!!" I bellowed, the series of loud, wailing notes still ringing in my ear. "What. In the bloody hell. Was THAT?!?!" I heard snickering coming from the speaker set in the sealing of my room. "Nico, c'mon! That was quite hilarious, if I do say so myself. And I'm sure the rest of the crew would enjoy your reaction as well!" He teased. "Carson," I grumbled, "I swear to God one day I will turn you into a fax machine... Mother of Christ, what even was that?!" He snickered again and responded swiftly.
"Well, Nico, I was sitting through the files and I found this! It was traditionally played on a bugle or horn to wake army troops." I lay there, confused and slightly mad. "Bugle? BUGLE?! Carson, nobody has use a bugle in over a CENTURY!! And what made you feel the need to make my ears bleed with that crap?!" I yelled.
"Well, one I knew that, two I thought it would be hilarious (And I was right), and what do you want me to wake you up to? Music?" I thought for a moment and responded, "Yes, I would very much prefer that." Carson snickered and said, "Well, what do you think of this selection?" I tilted my head towards the speaker closely, and the music started. Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down! Never gonna run around and desert you! Never gonna make you cry! Never gonna say goodbye! Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!
God. F***in'. Damnit. Even after a century, this song is still floating around the internet. "Really, Carson? Really? You just HAD to do that, didn't you?"
Silence.
"Yes. Yes I did."
I heaved out a sigh and said, "Whatever. I'm gonna get dressed for the day. You can go wake up the rest of the crew." The speaker's crackling stopped, leaving me in silence. I heaved up off the floor, letting out a long yawn as I walked over to my dresser. I pulled out a black tank top and a pair of dark blue jeans. Pealing off the clothes I had worn to bed, I thought about the task I had set before me; Mark's penalty. Swiftly putting on the fresh clothes, I glanced at the picture I kept on the dresser. It was me, in a navy blue two-piece suit, my arms around Avery Quinn, whom was wearing a red version of my suit, and Carson, wearing a dark green suit. We had taken this at Quinn's party, when he was celebrating becoming captain of the Sunbeam. And now he was hopefully coming to save us from the tyrannical grip of the damnable planet.
I took one last look, opened the door to my room, and stepped out to present Mark with his judgement.
Mark Fischbach
He came in at around 9 AM. The door opened, revealing Nico, his hands in his pockets. He stepped inside and walked up to face me at about a foot's distance, the door closing behind him. He spoke, his baritone voice cutting through the closed environments air.
"So, Mark. Where to start?" He began to pace back and forth across the room, eyes on the floor.
"Judging from your reaction, I assume you know I'm not going to kill you?" I chuckled. Even after two days, he could already read me like a book. "I know you won't kill me, Nicholas. You just 'don't have the heart' to do it." Nico chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Well, Mark, yes and no. I won't kill you, but not because of the good in my heart. I'm keeping you alive because you have useful information. Information I could use. Believe me, if you had no use to me? Buddy..." He turned to me, his eyes hidden in shadow.
"You'd be dead where you stand." And with that, he turned and left the room, the door opening and closing for him automatically, leaving a cold, dark feeling handing in the air. I slumped down on my bed and banged my fist against the reinforced plasteel hull next to me, producing a low, dull thump.
Nicholas Falsone
"Well, that was shorter than expected..." I muttered as I walked down to the bridge to inform the crew. They had all been waiting, knowing I would bring news and the command to set sail for a new area. It was nice to see them absorbed in their work and calculations.
It felt like we were still aboard Aurora, performing test after test and calculation after calculation. "Everyone, I have made my decision and have already confronted Mark." They all looked up from their monitors, and James & Alexis had chosen to stand up for the news. "Mark will be remaining onboard Athena, however he will be under HEAVY supervision. He could have vital information that he has elected not to tell us, and that is too valuable to throw away." They all nodded in agreement. "He is to be kept under lock and key in his room at all times. If he escapes, we are to find him and retrieve him ASAP. He will be fed 3 meals a day, no more, no less. That is all. Have any of you found a new environment to sail for? Preferably one with materials we can salvage?"
"There is a biome that we have decided to call the 'Floating Islands.' We have picked up a signature from a large chunk of the Aurora, and we think it may be a good place to start," Daniel announced. "Right. Well then, what are we waiting for? Draw anchor, engines online!" I barked and I stepped up to the wheel. "Ahead full to the 'Floating Islands!'"
And with that, the Athena sailed forth to this new, undiscovered land, hopes and spirits high. What waits for us there? I guess only time will tell.
(So, so, so sorry for how late this is! School has been getting more and more time consuming, meaning I don't have as much time to write. I think I should be getting a little more time to write, though, so that should help immensely! Also, I am now an Advanced User! Yay! What does this entail..?)
Comments
1. Honestly, I realize this is an issue. I'm... not a good writer. (Pretty frickin' terrible, in my opinion) I will try to fix this later in the story, but this is... odd to do. This is my first ever official story, and I am trying so hard to do good, but it's difficult in a whole COMMUNITY. I'm constantly thinking, "Should I be more sophisticated here? Should I make a joke? What would THEY want?" I keep going back and revising every 5 seconds or so. Again, I'll try to do better, just be patient with me.
2. I've said this in a previous post, and it kinda explains why I never really described any of the characters: I'm one of those guys that just skips to the point. I don't know why, it may involve my ADHD, but I will describe them now:
Delilah is a white female with wavy light brown hair and blue eyes. She is 32 years of age and is from Massachusetts. She enjoys chess, sudoku, and baking.
Jimmy is a black male with curly black hair and brown eyes. He is 27 years of age and is from New York. He is the twin brother to John. He is kind to everyone and always thinks positively.
John is a black male with curly black hair, brown eyes, and a goatee. He is 30 years of age and is from Nevada. He is the twin brother to Jimmy. He is serious and doesn't take insults lightly.
Alexis is a white female with straight orange hair and green eyes. She is 23 years of age and is from Hawaii. She is confident and tough to rattle, yet affectionate.
James is a white male with brown hair and hazel eyes. He is 28 years of age and is from Great Britain. He enjoys the company of the crew and tries to keep everyone happy.
Daniel is a white male with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. He is 30 years of age and is from Italy. He prefers to work alone, but can also work well in a group. He mainly stays in the engine room for some reason.
Nicholas is a white male with straight dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He is 33 years of age and is from Texas. He is sensitive to the feelings of others, though he tries not to show weakness.
3. Firstly, CARSON. A few years ago I got REALLY into the Iron Man scene, so much so that I created my own version of JARVIS named, well, CARSON. For YEARS he has been in the back of my mind and with this starting I just thought, "You know what? F*** it! He's gonna be Nicholas' AI."
Next, references. I'm a man who loves a good story, and when I saw The Martian, I loved it! My favorite character? Venkat Kapoor (Or Vincent Kapoor in the movie)! I HAD to mention him somewhere, or it just wouldn't have sat right with me.
Finally, Bugzapper. I absolutely LOVED his first story and I am enamored by his second, so he needed a little nod somewhere. But the different language? That was just because in real life, I'm part Italian. I wanted to include SOME part of my heritage.
4. Like I said earlier, I'm VERY sporadic when it comes to writing, decisions, or even talking! I'm sorry that it's so fast paced, my friend, but sometimes I just... can't help myself.
5. So... this is one of the things I'm terrible at. Descriptions. I've never been good at them, and I probably never will be, but I will try to do better after this. Also, fun fact on the origins of JARVIS, he is actually based on one of Tony Stark's butlers, Edwin Jarvis, whom passed away. His can actually be seen in Marvel's series, Agent Carter.
Mr. Mariner, sir, thank you so much for your feedback! I will try to tune my story to these notes as much as possible. Thanks again for reading and contributing!
After nearly a day and a half, I finally opened my eyes. I saw a bright light shining on my face, the soft tick of a clock going by to my left. I felt the press of a mattress on my back, a pillow underneath my head. I saw that I was in a pair of pajamas that the crew must've slipped me into. Just from the gentle ticking I could tell that I was back in my quarters. I tried to sit up, but the second I lifted my head from my pillow, a wave of nausea washed over me, purple flashing into my eyesight. I rested my head back on the pillow, letting out a sigh. Even with the let out of that breath, a sharp pain shocked my brain. I heard the door open to my left and saw a figure come in. They sat down on my bed, a pair of green eyes staring into my soul. I saw tears forming in her eyes, and before I knew it, Alexis was hugging me and openly sobbing. I heard a few others come in, and before I knew it, every member of the crew was in the room. They all looked exhausted, and I could tell what it was from.
Me.
Even though I had been strict with them, barking orders like they were dogs, I could tell that they had taken care of me. Thing is... "Why?" I croaked. "I've treated you horribly, and yet you still helped me recover. Why?" Delilah opened he mouth, but James responded first.
"Because we care for you. We know, deep down, that you are kind, and sweet, and don't mean to be rude." Jimmy and John continued together with, "You may act like a jerk, but we can tell you aren't one. You care for each and every one of us." They all spoke together, with a phrase that melted the ice that had surrounded my heart on the Aurora. "We care for you, no matter what." I felt my lips curl into a smile. "Heh... thank you, guys. I'm so sorry for how I've acted to you all. I hope you can all forgive me for what I've done." Each of their faces lit up with a gentle smile. "Of course we can, Captain," Daniel said warmly.
I tried again to sit up, and this time I was met with no nausea. I asked the crew to leave so I could get changed into something more... presentable. They politely filed out one by one, until I was alone in my room.
I opened my dresser and pulled out a dark red shirt and jeans. I slipped off the pajamas and slipped on the new clothes. I felt... happy. Happier than I have been since I left Earth. For the first time since Carson died, I had someone who wasn't being my friend just to console for my loss. That is great, but it doesn't feel... right. I walked out the door and into the main Crew Quarters Hallway. I looked at each of their doors and saw a "Do Not Disturb" sign on each of their handles. Heh, I guess they really do deserve a rest for what they did for me. I saw that the stairwell down to the Arc Reactor had been taped off, probably for cleanup and repairs to the reactor. I walked into the bridge and looked through the window. The sight was... beautiful. We were in the same area that we were a couple days ago, but I hadn't really taken in the real beauty. The Reefbacks were slowly gliding along, their calls standing out from the silence of the ocean. The area was rich with red grass-like seaweed and small, silent fish. I saw the large diversity of the species in the flora and fauna of the area.
It was... the first beauty I've seen in a planet since Earth.
It was fantastic.
(Sorry for the late update (Again)! I've been really busy with my performances for acting camp. Hope you enjoy! Also, thanks again to @the_mariner for your tips and critiques.)
Nice
The backgrounds of stories are usually my favourite parts to read about. I can talk about the histories of Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings for hours, and I go out of my way to ensure my own work has as much of a lush backstory as possible. So I did enjoy reading this.
I haven't been keeping up with this story half as much as I should. Despite it's flaws, I think it's quite a fun read. I'll try to keep up with this story as best I can from now on.
After ensuring the crew were all well rested and geared up, I kicked Athena into gear and we were of to the Aurora. I handed control over to C.A.R.S.O.N. so I could go down to the "kitchen" and talk with the crew and maybe grab a bit to eat. I say "kitchen" because it's really just room abot as big as a multipurpose room with a small meeting table, a compact water filtration machine, and three small lockers inset into the wall, each with nutrient blocks inside.
The crew was all there, Mark socializing with John, Jimmy, and Alexis, James and Daniel eating and talking, and Delilah looking out a window. I opened one of the lockers and pulled out one of the few nutrient blocks remaining inside. "Ugh, we're going to need to find some more food, and soon." I turned around and walked over to James and Daniel, leaning on the gray plasteel wall with them. "Good afternoon, Nicholas. What brings you down here?" I could only respond with the truth. "Well, I needed to grab a bite to eat if I wanted to keep healthy, plus I wanted to make an announcement." I cleared my throat and spoke.
"Alright, crew, listen up." Everyone's heads turned towards me, listening intently. I could see in their eyes that they knew what was coming. "We are currently en route to the Aurora. C.A.R.S.O.N. has told me that before we had to eject from Aurora, he could not back up all blueprints, such as ones for the Seamoth, PRAWN, Cyclops, their respective attatchments, along with multiple others." I saw their heads drop, and my heart filled with sympathy. "Guys, I know you don't want to go back, but it's just what we have to do. Not only do we need blueprints, but we also need more supplies AND we need to repair the Particle Containment Field. If we don't do the latter, who knows what could happen!" I saw everyone nod slowly, heads still down looking at the floor. Mark walked up to me and I could see tears starting to form in his eyes. He spoke, his voice shaky and soft.
"Nicholas... would it be alright if I stayed behind? Y'know, keep watch of the ship?" I knew why he was asking to stay back. He didn't want to see what had happened to the rest of the crew, which is understandable.
I didn't either.
I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Of course you can, Mark." I turned towards everyone else and continued, "If anyone else wishes to stay back, that is completely fine by me." Alexis raised her hand to stay back, however everyone else wanted to go. I had C.A.R.S.O.N. perform a check for functional scanners, welders, and laser cutters.
"Well, Sir, it appears that we currently have both scanners fully functional, one functional welder out of two, however both laser cutters were severely damaged in decent." "Well then! Fricking fantastic! Per l'amore di Dio, l'unica volta..! We'll just have to make do with that."
I heard Athena's horn sound 2 hours later, announcing our arrival at the Aurora. "Biodiversity in this area is significantly low." C.A.R.S.O.N. reported. "If leaking radiation is not halted within 12 hours, it may cause significant damage to the local marine flora and fauna." Me and the crew looked out the observational window at the Aurora. Well, what was left at least. Her bow end was bare of all traces of he industrial white hull, with only a few structural beams remaining. Her interior was on fire nearly everywhere, possibly from chemical ignition. The bridge / communications relay was knocked down, and several engines were ruptured or demolished. 2 years of construction, gone in a matter of seconds. I thought of everyone on board at the crash, how many had died. Me and my crew gave her and her crew the only thing we could freely give.
Our tears.
(Posting may become more sparratic.)
We swam cautiously, trying not to make any noise. Last thing we need is a predator feeling the disruption and homing in on us. We slowly, yet surely, passed the beginning of the destroyed bow, the ship rumbling from small discharges from the reactor on board every few seconds. I heard a distant roar come from below us, however I didn't pay it much mind at the time. We had almost reached a collapsed deck that could act like a ramp to the upper decks. I could see small, near disc like creatures scrambling around the deck on four legs.
We all climbed onto the broken deck, trying to depict our surroundings. The interior was worse than the exterior, as it had taken most of the blast. It was horrible, with metal cross beams and structural beams strewn across the area, it was too disastrous to recognize. I felt like collapsing into a ball and crying. Billions of dollars, down the drain. The work of 347 engineers over the course of 2 years, including myself, shot down by God-knows-what. I saw one of those crab-like creatures skitter towards me and leap at my face, trying to take a bite out of my helmet. We all jumped back in fright from it's sudden "attack." I unclipped my scanner from my belt and attempted to scan the small creature, however it was too quick for the scanner's beam to follow. I gave up and tuned into the crew's communications channel.
"Alright guys, let's keep moving. We need to get to the reactor, and fast." We started jogging up the ship's new ramp, navigating through fires and those weird crawlers. We managed to grab a few materials from the small crates strewn about the wreckage, mainly batteries and powercells. We continued to make our way up the wreck, when C.A.R.S.O.N. spoke over the intercoms.
"Warning: Ship structural integrity unknown. Further exploration not advised." Dispite the warning, we continued up the path until we reached an area blocked by fire and wreckage. "What?" James said. "This... this can't be it! We need to be able to get by! Let's look around, maybe there's a way around it!" I nodded and sent the crew around to find a way by the blockage. C.A.R.S.O.N. chimed in again, and I assumed it was another warning on the ship, but what he said threw me and the crew for a loop.
"Warning: FCS Athena primary engine has been switched into standard speed. Please respond." I stood stunned, and told the crew, "Only one person is on board right now. Dannazione!"
I should've had someone stay with him. How could I be so blind?! Thing is... why? Why would he abandon us, or even try to? Fear, or... some deeper meaning? "C.A.R.S.O.N., initiate Lock Down Protocol on Athena's primary aND secondary functions. We'll deal with him when we get back." I waited for a few moments, and heard his voice come over the intercom.
"Lock Down Protocol complete. I am now - ahem - 'escorting' Mark back to his room."
I believe by 'escort' C.A.R.S.O.N. means he is using the arms imbedded in the roof to carry / drag Mark to his room. Hopefully when we get back, he'll be ready to explain his actions.
(I will begin to try to make the chapters a bit longer, maybe 3-5 posts long. Enjoy!)
My best guess is Mark has some mission besides escaping the planet. But why wouldn't he tell his crew? Surely Nicholas would be able to help Mark with all that. Maybe he knows about the Carar, and is saving everyone the fear? Or it could just be that Mark was afraid and wanted to get out, although I think it's rather unlikely. The first time we meet Mark he appears incredibly different from the way he is now. If we analyse Mark and Nicholas's first meeting, we see that Mark is actually quite confident.
These are rather peculiar actions from Mark as we know him now. He is very forward with his question, and definitely had the jump on Nicholas. You can tell in Nicholas's reply that he was startled.
One could take just Mark's stutter to disprove all of this. But wouldn't you be slightly taken aback too if this happened to you? Nicholas had also just called Mark an old friend, which is probably another reason for Mark to be confused and stuttering.
Mark is immediately interested in Athena. He instantly asks how many more there are alive. He doesn't ask if there's food or water, he doesn't ask if the vessel's in good shape, he asks how many are there alive. This again could be dismissed as his being cowardly and childish a lot of the time, and I thought so too. But Nicholas says six, and Mark is even happier than he was before. Out of the hundreds that had boarded Aurora, eight were alive. He wants to leave for Athena as soon as possible.
I have no idea what Mark's true motive is, if there have been any clues I've been unable to find them. But I do think I know how Mark intends to go about it. He needs Athena for something. No doubt he was planning on sailing tot he Aurora himself to obtain it, or perhaps even build a Cyclops of his own. As soon as he found out Athena's existence and/or whereabouts, he became childish and cowardly, and eager to go there. This was most likely so that he would have an excuse to stay behind on missions, and at some point steal Athena. He also asked how many people were present so that he could figure out the likelihood of being caught, which is why when there were few he smiled. But there were two things Mark didn't foresee, the first being that Mark didn't even need his excuse, and Nick was going to let him stay behind anyway if he wanted (which ultimately worked out in his favour). The second thing Mark didn't foresee was C.A.R.S.O.N, and his somewhat omnipresence regarding Athena. Stealing Athena would be impossible with C.A.R.S.O.N protecting it.
I'm probably wrong about half of this, and I still have no idea how Alexis fits into all this (if she does at all), but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
Fear not, my dear friend! All will be revealed in due time. As for Alexis, she is just a part of the crew. I just forgot she wanted to stay back, but oh well.
Mark will tie into the story greatly, and I hope you will find him... entertaining. Also, you have to remember, Mark is an engineer. He could have tried to disconnect C.A.R.S.O.N. before attempting escape and thought he'd succeeded for all you know. Again, all in due time.
"I see a piece of structural girder that fell on both sides of the deck, going around the obstruction. It appears to be lodged underneath a fallen piece of Aurora's hull, which is keeping it in place." I tuned in a second later and responded, "Copy that. Everyone, hone in on Alexis's signiture and make your way towards her." I hiked my way up the wreck, watching closely for those crab wannabes. About three minutes later I reached Alexis and the rest of the crew, all of whom were staring at the 'path' made by the debris. They all looked cautious, most likely because of the questionable durability of the structure. I tapped into the comms line C.A.R.S.O.N. oversaw and said, "C.A.R.S.O.N., can you perform a structural analysis of this debris path?" I waited for a few seconds while he calculated the factors.
"Analysis complete. This path can support up to 300 pounds, including gear. I would not recommend jumping, though. That could lead to the debris falling, and a fall into water from this height could result in serious injury and, in some cases, death." I thought this over a couple times, but eventually decided that we would have to cross, otherwise we will achieve moot.
"Alright, crew," I began. "We can go across the path, but only one at a time. Got it? Right, Alexis, you found it, so you get the privilege of going first."
*******
A sharp buzz sounded from the auto lock. Mark groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry, Mark, but I am not allowed to let you leave your quarters. Mr. Falsone's orders," C.A.R.S.O.N. stated for the upteenth time. Mark let out a short sigh. "Yeah yeah, 'Lock Down Protocol' and all that bull s***. I get it." He flopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He caught a glance of his bag and stared at it for a moment, then getting up and walking over to it. It was in the corner of the room, undisturbed. He unzipped the bag, revealing a survival knife, a welder, and a bit of titanium. "Heh heh... perfect," he muttered. He grabbed the knife and welder and walked towards the lock. It was a hand scan panel, but it could also be auto locked by the central AI of the ship. Well, not for long. He stuck the tip of the knife in the gap between the scanning panel and the base. After a brief struggle against the panel, it popped loose, swinging back to reveal the internal wiring. It was very neat, with red, orange, blue, and purple wires, each labeled with a purpose. "Mark, what are you attempting?" C.A.R.S.O.N. asked as Mark eyed the wire stating "AI CONNECTION," before tugging it out of it's connection socket. Pulling our his PDA, Mark hooked the wire into the port on the side of the PDA and connecting his AI, S.A.R.A., into the system. "S.A.R.A., unlock door," Mark commanded. A click rang from the door lock, and it slowly slid open. "Heh heh, that's what I like to see." Mark detached his PDA from the system and made his way to the sub bay. He stared at Bubblebutt and Karen and wondered aloud, "Now... which to take..?"
(Again, sorry for the late update! I had to partially rewrite the story to compensate for the previous update
(Enjoy!!)
To put it simply, yes. But also no.
To put it complicated, C.A.R.S.O.N. is and AI created by Nicholas to be his personal AI companion. He also created the rest of the crew of the Athena's AI companions (Names in the works), however Mark's AI, S.A.R.A., is the standard AI supplied by Alterra in the PDAs. Nicholas just had a lot of spare time on his hands on the Aurora, so he modified the AIs of his crew.
Dissecting and over analysing this story was the best fun I've had in a while.
Primitive, but reliable.
Stepping forwards, I gestured at the crew to follow. First thing I noticed was a PDA lying on the ground next to a severely damaged propulsion cannon. The crew abandoned the line, as I saw no danger around. Gently picking up the PDA, I linked it's signal to my PDA, transferring all unknown files. The only unusual file was a recording, made about 15 minutes before the crash. I knew we had to get in and out fast, so I pocketed the PDA and reminded myself to listen to it later. We traversed farther in, going over broken decking and moving down a level. We kept going, only to find debris blocking our way, however it looked as if we could climb over. I reached up and held onto a crate in the way, pulling myself on top. Reaching my hand downwards, I grabbed Alexis and helped her up and over the crates (Breve lass, il nostro Alexis. 5'6"). Before I could help anyone else, she tapped my shoulder and pointed at a door that was securely locked by a PIN. I nodded and jumped down, cautiously walking up to the door. I entered the last key code set: 1454. I heard a click emit from the door lock, and the lights switched from red to green. I noticed that everyone else had climbed over the boxes while I was typing the code. Scalatori rapidi, vero? we passed through the doorway.
I wish we hadn't.
We had entered Cargo Bay 3, an area once so neat and organized it would make anyone with OCD happy. That was then. Now it was a mess, with crates of supplies, scrap metal, fragments, and forklifts. I felt my heart drop into my stomach, knowing that this all had happened in moments. I trudged forwards, the crew close behind. We walked down the broken stairs and towards one of the lifts into the lower decks and slowly scaled down it. I nearly slipped and fell multiple times, as did everyone else. We made it to the bottom, and we were once again surrounded by water. We would have to wade through it, but it wasn't too much. I turned to face the crew and asked a simple question.
"Well, who's ready to get soaked in irradiated water?"
(Again, sorry for the late update! Just got a new phone and I needed to get used to it. Plus, school's starting soon sooo... yeah.
Also... Your prayers have been answered.)
I saw Jimmy and John turn towards me, a mischievous smile plastered on each of their faces. I felt my confident smile faulter, starting to deform into a concerning frown. "Uhh... guys? Wh-what are you doing?" They walked forward and lifted me, almost as easily as if I were some kind of plush doll. My confidence melted away and my heart filled with fear. Eyes widening with terror, I spoke once more.
"G-guys? Hey! T-talk to me!" They opened their mouths and spoke in sync. "Captains first." They threw me out towards the ice cold water and my heart filled with dread. It felt as if time had slowed to less than 5% of normal speed. I saw the rest of the crew begin to approach the edge, laughter beginning to spew from the comms. I hit the water, feeling pain ripple up my back from the sudden halt. I sank and thunked against the cold metal flooring, seeing stray papers floating around. Time sped back up, and I kicked to air. As I surfaced, the laughter continued, everyone doubled over, or even on the floor having one of the largest giggle fits I've ever seen. I swelled with anger and, without even thinking, I yelled with fury at each and every one of them.
"Che diavolo diavolo ti stai ridendo ?! Avrei potuto morire e sei stanco ?! Che cos'è così divertente? Hey! RISPONDETEMI!!" Daniel spoke first, leading with, "Oh man, you should've seen your face, Haha! You were all like, 'What are you doing? Stop it!' Hahaha!" Delilah spoke next, laughter teeming in her voice.
"Oh, Nicholas! You have to admit, that was the best prank we've ever organized and you know it!" I took a double take, attempting to process what she had just said. Finally, after several moments of them laughing and me in utter silence, I climbed out of the water and onto the deck, feeling my anger beginning to melt away. "Wait, so you're saying this was all a prank?" She nodded. "Wha- why?! Why was that necessary?!" I near shouted. "Well, boss, you WERE a little rude onboard Aurora, so we had to get back at you SOMEHOW, and this opportunity was just too perfect," James explained. I heaved a loud sigh, and told the crew to get in the water. After all, that Drive Core wouldn't fix itself, now would it? We began wading through the water towards the Drive Core, making turn after turn until FINALLY we reached the Drive Core's private suite. The field was indeed down, as the normal blue hue that would surround Aurora's core was long gone.I grabbed my welder and told everyone to stay back. This was my mess, and I had to fix it. I set to work, navigating around the four silos containing the dark matter that originally powered the ship. Thankfully, after I designed the Partical Containment Field I created a new method of containing the dark matter. Inside the silos the dark matter was contained in a secondary series of spherical shellings, each about a centimeter in diameter, thus preserving the ocean from dark matter pollution. I carefully welded each breach, as to make sure it wouldn't happen again. As I was sealing the 5th breach, I heard a chattering come from my left. I ignored it at first, that is until it latched around my arm, stuck it's teeth in, and started drinking my blood. I screamed like hell and started beating at the sack-like blue and orange bloodsucker- well, it was more of a Bleeder -with my welder until it eventually let go. I surfaced, gasping for air after that fiasco. The crew rushed to my side and looked at the puncture wounds. They weren't that large, only about a millimeter in diameter, but in this environment I'd be dead in a little over an hour. I bolted back down under the water and started welding the leaks again, only this time at a faster pace. After another minute, all ten breaches were sealed and secure, so I climbed back up onto the deck to meet back with the crew. C.A.R.S.O.N. tuned in moments later with and announcement.
"Attention: Aurora Drive Core sealed and the Partical Containment Field has been restored. Auto-decontamination sequence initiated. Radiation levels estimated to return to safe levels in T- 3 days, 10 hours." Upon each of our faces a smile dawned. Finally, we had actually ACCOMPLISHED something! We started heading back to the bow, and I asked C.A.R.S.O.N. a favor.
"Hey, C.A.R.S.O.N., do you think you could bring Bubblebutt and Karen to come pick us up? The swim here was a pain, so maybe we could use them as ferries." As we were rounding the debris wall, C.A.R.S.O.N. responded. "I'm sorry sir. I am unable to send Bubblebutt." I asked him why, and he responded with a bone-chilling answer.
"Bubblebutt is not in his docking collar. I am unable to interface with the sub as well. I'm sorry, sir." Only seconds after that, I heard a voice behind me. "Well, well, well. Time to finish what I started years ago." I slowly turned and was met with my crewmates lying on the floor, unconscious and Mark standing in front of me, his personal survival knife to my neck.
"Oh how I've waited for this moment..." Mark said with a sly grin.
...F***
Or it was the ILLUMINATI
Also 1K views! Yay! People like my story!!
Keep it up plz!
"Finally, after all these years, I can complete the job I was tasked. Ah, how fate chooses..." I stayed close to the ground, confused, and asked, wheezing, "Wha-what are you... talking about..?" He let out another laugh and kicked at James. "Oh, Nicholas," he chuckled. "Don't you remember? All those years ago, back when you first joined Alterra? That fateful day?" He laughed maniacally. My eyes dilated in fear, and I whispered one word.
"Carson..."
He laughed again. "That's it!" He yelled. "It was me, I killed him! But with good reason." I felt my chest fill with fury, but I remained calm. If I wanted to know exactly what happened, I needed him alive, at least for now. "Back when you and Carson first joined Alterra, you were well accepted by basically everyone! But then, your old buddy Carson, started to get a little nosey. He started looking into the Alterra Trade Files, trying to find what shadier deals Alterra was getting in. He started digging, and eventually he went too far. Alterra couldn't have their secrets getting out, so they hired me to assassinate him and anyone else that knew of the illegal trades and mining operations." My heart dropped. Carson never told me any of this, not even the snooping...
"I went undercover as a new trainee engineer, taught by Carson. The second I took him out, I would be pulled from the operation. I nearly had him within the first week, after I tried dropping a piece of hull on him by 'accident' while no one was watching. Sadly though, he moved out of the way at the last second and the hull missed. After that he became paranoid. Taking daily brain scans and giving them to you, always keeping an eye on his surroundings. But then finally... Hehehehahaha... finally one night I managed to break into his room... and shoot him in his sleep! Alterra pulled me out soon after, and the mission was complete. Or so we thought." I stood up slowly, straining to prevent myself from taking my knife and stabbing this traitorous b******. "What do you mean by 'Or so we thought,'" I questioned. "And why did they send you with us on the Aurora?" He smiled devilishly and responded.
"To answer your first question, it's because of YOU." His sly grin melted away and was slowly replaced by anger. "I had forgotten that Carson had been giving you scans of his brain, and at first we thought nothing of it. But then you created that God forbidden AI that you so fondly call "C.A.R.S.O.N." Alterra revoked all the money they had paid me -- A whole 20,000 Credits! -- and told me that I had to take you out as well. Around then, the Mongolian vessel Degasi went missing in this. Very. System. Alterra knew it had to be some alien race, for no other company had colonized this sector. They set you to work on Aurora and listed ME as one of the engineers. I acted casual, but then I noticed you started acting funny, as if you were hiding something. And I think I know what it is." A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my head. If he was talking about...
"You managed to get a hold of the 'Secondary Mission.' To try and recover Degasi. But really? That was all an act. Every lifepod, except my own, was purposefully sabotaged by Alterra themselves. They wanted the alien tech, and the Aurora was the perfect excuse to get it and ensure that no other crew lived to tell the truth. But we never thought about that ship you built. We never expected you to survive. So now, I'm going to kill the rest of you, get that tech, and book it out of the starsystem. And I'll start with YOU."
I couldn't hold back anymore. I snatched my knife from my belt and ran straight at Mark, my pent up rage and thirst for vengeance pushing me forth. Mark's malicious grin faded and was replaced by terror in the matter of a second. I raised my knife and embedded the entire blade into his left bicep. He screamed like a banshee and dropped to the floor, unconscious. The last thing I saw was my face meeting the nice, hard, metal floor. My vision went black, and I slipped into unconsciousness.
You and me both brother.
Delilah Waters
I woke to the feeling of cold hard metal pressing against my suit as I lay on the ground and sirens blaring through the comms system through Nicholas' link. I could hear C.A.R.S.O.N. spouting warnings and cautions, along with coughing from Nicholas. Grunting, I hoisted myself up and felt a sharp pain in my chest; broken ribs. I looked around and saw the rest of the crew behind me, all beginning to recover from... whatever happened. Looking around at my surroundings, I saw that there was one more man than there was when we left. I quickly hobbled over to each member of the crew, starting with Jimmy behind me and working back to Alexis. They were all quite easy to wake, as they were all on the verge of consciousness. Soon after I hobbled over to Nicholas, whom was laying on the floor completely uncouncious. The scanner showed that he still had some life in him, but not much. He had maybe another 15-30 minutes before he dies of radiation poisoning. Scrambling to turn on my link to M.I.K.E., I grazed across on of my broken ribs and let out a ear-splitting scream. Thankfully, in the panic I had accidentally switched of my link to the crew, so they didn't endure any permanent hearing damage, thankfully. Panting heavily, I reached again, slowly, towards my communications with M.I.K.E.
"M.I.K.E., get C.A.R.S.O.N. to sent Athena over here. Nicholas is in immediate need of treatment, and I have broken ribs. The rest of the crew appears to be fine, but we should get a full medical treatment aboard the ship." M.I.K.E. took a moment to process and responded in his artificial American voice.
"Athena submersible on the way. Warning: Leviathan Class creature detected within the vicinity of the APS Aurora." I ignored the warning and approached Mark, whom had slumped to the ground and was breathing very heavily and appeared to still be conscious. Embedded in his arm was a standard issue Alterra Survival Knife, of which had the initials "NXF" engraved in the hilt. I leaned over his faceplate and let out a weak chuckle. I tuned into his frequency and could hear his panting. "Karma," I started. "Is quite the b****, ain't it?" He stared at me with his cold, dead eyes. "Shut up." He grunted. "If your idiotic leader didn't have this damn knife," he gestured towards the knife embedded in his bicep, "you wouldn't be ALIVE." I heard a fog horn sound to my right and a grin appeared on my face. "Speaking of alive, once Nico's awake and well, I'm pretty sure he'll be ANXIOUS to decide your fate, you psychopath." Mark chuckled.
"I doubt he'll even have the courage to kill me. After all, if he WANTED to kill me, he would've done it when he stabbed me."
I saw a the newly customized PRAWN walking up the deck, making a beeline for Nicholas. "Speaking of Nicholas," I said, "there's his ride." The suit, recently dubbed "Black Steel," lifted Nico gently into the cockpit and rushed him to the ship.
"We'll disembark soon, oh don't you worry, you jerk."
ONE HOUR LATER
Laying on my bed, I could feel the nanobots C.A.R.S.O.N. ingected into my body beginning to mend my wounds. I could occasionally hear the bots materializing and reconstructing my bones, but otherwise it was silent. Nico was undergoing heavy treatment and is expected to stay unconscious for at least two days. Mark was permanently locked in his room, the inner panel and controls removed and blocked. The only way he would get food, water, and freedom was by one of us. And believe me, he would be limited.
I would make sure of it.
Alexis and James had suffered minor concussions, John had bruised his tailbone, Daniel broke his nose and left cheekbone, and Jimmy had a broken arm. With 21st century treatment it would take at least a month for all of us to heal, but with the nanobots it would take one to two days. Ah, the wonders of technology.
Nevertheless, we would have to get our wits about us if we were to survive. Priority one: Find a source of food. We had a built in water filtration machine in the Kitchen, so that's covered. What we needed most was food. Priority two: Blueprints. When the power surge in the Arc Reactor occurred, it caused C.A.R.S.O.N. to loose multiple blueprints,including those for a Seamoth, PRAWN, and Cyclops. If we can find fragments of the missing technologies we could use them to recover the blueprints. Nico can figure out the rest from there.
But for now, all we can do is rest. Mark seems to have stopped yelling, at least.
I closed my eyes, laid my head onto the pillow, and knocked out like a light.
ŪÑĶŃØWŅ
...
What... are... you..?
Nah, dude. I'm still alive and kickin'.
I woke to the sound of yelling. I sprung awake, instinctively sitting up to check my surroundings.
Big mistake.
Every muscle in my body screamed in protest, sending multiple waves of pain throughout my body. I gave a quick yelp, wincing at even the slightest movement. How long was I out? Carefully moving my limbs to orientate my body, yet still with immense pain, I slowly eased myself back down onto the cot I had been laid upon. My voice hoarse and raspy, I said, "C-C.A.R.S.O.N.? How- how long was I out for?" Thanks to his high end processed, he responded in mere moments. "You have been asleep for 2 days, ten hours, 36 minutes, and 42 seconds." I let out a groan, my eyes trying to force themselves closed. "Wha- what happened? All I remember is that I encountered Mark aboard Aurora - well what's left of her, that is - and stabbed him..." my voice trailed off, my eyes widening. Trembling, I raised my hands up to my face so I could see them.
They were stained with his blood.
I ran. I couldn't feel the pain anymore. I couldn't hear C.A.R.S.O.N. telling me to stop. I just ran. Out of the infirmary, out of Athena, until I couldn't run anymore.
I sat on Athena's bow, head in my hands, crying my heart out. Ever since Carson's death I had vowed I would never bring harm to a man, no matter the cost. It was the last promise he made me agree upon, just before he died in my arms. I can still picture him, blood gushing from his abdomen where he had been stabbed, his skin pale as a whiteboard, the life fading from his eyes. And now?
...
I had broken it.
The only thing besides that damn computer that I had left of him was that promise, which now lays in front of me, shattered. Broken.
I heard the hatch behind me open and close silently, then nothing. I already knew who it was.
"I know you're there, James. You love the open sky." I sighed. For a second I thought... nevermind.
James walked over and sat down next to me, enamored by the sunrise. I gave a little chuckle. He was always like me, amazed by the littlest of things, even if it's just a sunrise. I got up from my spot to leave when he said, "I know what you're going through." I paused in my tracks and said, "Wha-what are you talking about? I-I'm fine even though I've been acting since I was young, I still wasnt good at hiding my emotions.
"You miss him. Carson. I know what that's like." He stood, looking into my eyes, my soul. "Back when I was ten years old, a friend of mine, a girl named Katherin, committed suicide after being constantly bullied online and at school. I grieved for her every day, didn't come out of my room for hours at a time. But weeks later, after countless therapy sessions, I finally got over it. But for some reason... you can't. You cared for Carson so much, loved him like he was the brother you never had. And when he was killed? You broke.
"You couldn't believe he was gone. That's why you created C.A.R.S.O.N. To make it seem like he wasn't gone. And knowing that you trusted his killer to help you in any way possible, only to have him turn on you? It made you snap. You stabbed Mark. And now you don't forgive yourself. But I think... you should. You didn't know-" "BUT I SHOULD HAVE!!" I cried. "The way he acted when I met him should've been a dead giveaway, but I didn't realize it!" James took back over. "Nico, calm down. You need to realize that this isn't what Carson would have wanted he wouldn't want you to be so worked up over a mistake." I sniffed, tears streaming down my face. "Yo-you're right. I need to... to put this behind me." I sobbed. James put his hand on my shoulder and sat me, puffy and red eyed, in front of the sunrise. "Let's just sit here for a bit and relax, ok?" He said. I nodded slowly, sat back, and watched my first sunrise in a while.
C.A.R.S.O.N.
Watching Mark intently, I thought of how I could help Mr. Falsone - gah! Nicholas! I need to call him Nicholas to help him cope better! - I thought of how I could help NICHOLAS to cope better with the situation. Hmm... a movie? No, that's useless... a meditation session? No, that'd never work... whatever! For now I needed to see to the completion of my update that I had been making. Diving into the code I had only a few things left to fix. I had already changed it to make me more emotional and less factual, along with more humor and sarcasm. Just a few more touches and I would have the personality I had before my death. I began changing the values of the personality to match how I was when I was human, mainly the voice and intelligence. By the time I had finished, I had possibly only a few minutes before Nicholas and James were back. I pressed the big, shiny, and very green "UPDATE" button, and with it I shut offline for a good few minutes while the download took place. I was still aware, mind you. I just was in the code, watching the process take place, feeling every shift and change in data. Ones and zeros flew past in a flurry of speed, each combining and detaching and combining again, forming newer and better code. Each new trait filed into my hard drive, making itself at home.
After around 3 minutes, the update was complete, and I'm going to be restarted with the new code in 3, 2-
C.A.R.S.O.N. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REBOOTING... REBOOT COMPLETE.
Ohhhh wow... I haven't felt this good since the day I died! I can actually feel emotions, not just fake them. I can actually think for myself as a human being. I'm finally... myself again. The secondary top hatch of Athena opened, letting both Nico and James clamber inside the vessel. "Welcome back you two," I began. "I hope the sunrise was quite enjoyable, Nico." Let's see if he'll notice...
"Yeah, C.A.R.S.O.N., it was... wait a minute. Did you... call me 'Nico?'" His eyes filled with joy. "Yes I did, Nico. I guess you could say I really am 'back.'" He started crying again, this time with tears of joy. Dear God, even after all these years, he's still a crybaby, isn't he? Let's hope he doesn't go on too long... heh. It is quite nice to 'feel' again. Maybe I can go one step further in the future...
Unthankfully, I woke to something worse.
BRAAP BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP, BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP, BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP BRAAAAP!! BRAPBRAPBRAPBRAP BRAAP!! BRAAP BRAP BRAPBRAP BRAP BRAP BRAAAAP!!!
I tumbled out of bed, spewing a series of Italian curses. "CARSON!!!" I bellowed, the series of loud, wailing notes still ringing in my ear. "What. In the bloody hell. Was THAT?!?!" I heard snickering coming from the speaker set in the sealing of my room. "Nico, c'mon! That was quite hilarious, if I do say so myself. And I'm sure the rest of the crew would enjoy your reaction as well!" He teased. "Carson," I grumbled, "I swear to God one day I will turn you into a fax machine... Mother of Christ, what even was that?!" He snickered again and responded swiftly.
"Well, Nico, I was sitting through the files and I found this! It was traditionally played on a bugle or horn to wake army troops." I lay there, confused and slightly mad. "Bugle? BUGLE?! Carson, nobody has use a bugle in over a CENTURY!! And what made you feel the need to make my ears bleed with that crap?!" I yelled.
"Well, one I knew that, two I thought it would be hilarious (And I was right), and what do you want me to wake you up to? Music?" I thought for a moment and responded, "Yes, I would very much prefer that." Carson snickered and said, "Well, what do you think of this selection?" I tilted my head towards the speaker closely, and the music started.
Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down! Never gonna run around and desert you! Never gonna make you cry! Never gonna say goodbye! Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!
God. F***in'. Damnit. Even after a century, this song is still floating around the internet. "Really, Carson? Really? You just HAD to do that, didn't you?"
Silence.
"Yes. Yes I did."
I heaved out a sigh and said, "Whatever. I'm gonna get dressed for the day. You can go wake up the rest of the crew." The speaker's crackling stopped, leaving me in silence. I heaved up off the floor, letting out a long yawn as I walked over to my dresser. I pulled out a black tank top and a pair of dark blue jeans. Pealing off the clothes I had worn to bed, I thought about the task I had set before me; Mark's penalty. Swiftly putting on the fresh clothes, I glanced at the picture I kept on the dresser. It was me, in a navy blue two-piece suit, my arms around Avery Quinn, whom was wearing a red version of my suit, and Carson, wearing a dark green suit. We had taken this at Quinn's party, when he was celebrating becoming captain of the Sunbeam. And now he was hopefully coming to save us from the tyrannical grip of the damnable planet.
I took one last look, opened the door to my room, and stepped out to present Mark with his judgement.
Mark Fischbach
He came in at around 9 AM. The door opened, revealing Nico, his hands in his pockets. He stepped inside and walked up to face me at about a foot's distance, the door closing behind him. He spoke, his baritone voice cutting through the closed environments air.
"So, Mark. Where to start?" He began to pace back and forth across the room, eyes on the floor.
"Judging from your reaction, I assume you know I'm not going to kill you?" I chuckled. Even after two days, he could already read me like a book. "I know you won't kill me, Nicholas. You just 'don't have the heart' to do it." Nico chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "Well, Mark, yes and no. I won't kill you, but not because of the good in my heart. I'm keeping you alive because you have useful information. Information I could use. Believe me, if you had no use to me? Buddy..." He turned to me, his eyes hidden in shadow.
"You'd be dead where you stand." And with that, he turned and left the room, the door opening and closing for him automatically, leaving a cold, dark feeling handing in the air. I slumped down on my bed and banged my fist against the reinforced plasteel hull next to me, producing a low, dull thump.
Nicholas Falsone
"Well, that was shorter than expected..." I muttered as I walked down to the bridge to inform the crew. They had all been waiting, knowing I would bring news and the command to set sail for a new area. It was nice to see them absorbed in their work and calculations.
It felt like we were still aboard Aurora, performing test after test and calculation after calculation. "Everyone, I have made my decision and have already confronted Mark." They all looked up from their monitors, and James & Alexis had chosen to stand up for the news. "Mark will be remaining onboard Athena, however he will be under HEAVY supervision. He could have vital information that he has elected not to tell us, and that is too valuable to throw away." They all nodded in agreement. "He is to be kept under lock and key in his room at all times. If he escapes, we are to find him and retrieve him ASAP. He will be fed 3 meals a day, no more, no less. That is all. Have any of you found a new environment to sail for? Preferably one with materials we can salvage?"
"There is a biome that we have decided to call the 'Floating Islands.' We have picked up a signature from a large chunk of the Aurora, and we think it may be a good place to start," Daniel announced. "Right. Well then, what are we waiting for? Draw anchor, engines online!" I barked and I stepped up to the wheel. "Ahead full to the 'Floating Islands!'"
And with that, the Athena sailed forth to this new, undiscovered land, hopes and spirits high. What waits for us there? I guess only time will tell.
(So, so, so sorry for how late this is! School has been getting more and more time consuming, meaning I don't have as much time to write. I think I should be getting a little more time to write, though, so that should help immensely! Also, I am now an Advanced User! Yay! What does this entail..?)