Tramp Wars: The Enemy

by Larry Roberts

  Chapter 24 Dead?

  The Vacuum alarm screamed at Mark jerking him out of a deep sleep. Flailing around, he fell over Dian landing on the deck on his back as his senses slowly returned climbing out of the pit. The alarm stopped and seeing his glasses flashing he pawed at them getting them and stabbing them over his face until they slid into place. “Mark! The Power to the Admiral’s brain’s life support has been turned off. He is dying. You have to get below to turn the power back on.”

  Grabbing his pants and shoes he headed out the door as he tried to put them on hopping down the passageway. Dian fallowed naked as she pulled his Commanders shirt over her shoulders trying to hide her breasts from the ensigns piling out of their cabins. “Mark! What’s wrong?”

  “Dian, call Dr. Wells. The Admiral’s… The AI controller’s life support has been shut down. He needs to get to the core room as fast as he can. I am going down to turn the power back on." At the chain compartment he pulled his last shoe on and then grabbed his shirt pulling her to him as he kissed her, then jerking it off her shoulders leaving her completely naked and disappeared down the chain as he put on the uniform shirt.

  “How long has he been without main power Mickey?”

  “Since his AI went into diagnostics. After it restarted diagnostics the 3rd time I broke into his program and I am afraid I did considerable damage to his programming but I was able to take control and isolate the problem. His main power supply has been turned off at the main control panel in engineering. The backup generator failed to start and the backup batteries are almost exhausted. I had to cut power down to the minimum.”

  Mark trying to figure out what and why when he suddenly realized that he was already sliding down past the engineering deck. He must have hit the wrong number on the chain platform. Realizing this just as the platform crossed the junction where the platform would pull away from the chain to come to a smooth stop he jumped. Putting his feet together and bending his legs he let his legs collapse as his feet hit the deck rolling over onto his knees, down to the side of his hips, back onto his butt and shooting his legs back up into the air as they flew over his head and out the open hatch into the passageway to Main Engineering Control. As his legs hit the deck the momentum carried his body back up onto his feet, he sailed to his feet and started running down into the MEC and into the elevator that whisked him up to the Electrical deck. Jumping out he ran through the already open hatch and down the long line of circuit control panels with a narrow passageway between them down the long main breaker electrical room that ran above the passageway from the control room to the chain. If he had not been thanking his stars that the hatch that was supposed to be closed and locked was open and if he had an ounce of coordination he could have taken a few steps and stopped, standing in front of the panel he needed but instead he tripped over something and went sprawling across the deck on his face sliding to a stop in front of the panel. Rolling over on his back he looked up at the locks that were supposed to keep the breakers from being shut off. Instead, the locks where on the breakers locking them in the off positions. With no keys and nothing to cut the locks, turning the breakers back on was impossible.

  Scrambling to his feet he lunged down the Panel room into the compartment above the control room past the Chiefs closed office door as Mickey told him it was locked and empty and dived down the ladder to the control room. Out into MP-3, (he had been tripping over hand torches all night) but do you think he could find one now? Then running into the Mag plasma cutter they had used to cut the foot thick fusion chamber casing, he gave up and grabbed the hundred pound monster. Dragging it into the control room and onto the elevator, then out into the Main electrical breaker room where its minimum power setting vaporized the locks but it allowed him to turn the power back on. Turning he ran back up two decks and into his new office to call Dian and tell her the power was back on and ask if the doctor was able to take care of the Admiral or not. Realizing he did not know the phone numbers of either Dian or the doctor it dawned on him again that all he had to have done in the first place was ask Mickey. Feeling like a moron he sat down catching his breath. “Mickey, call Dian please.” Telling himself that he better go back down and stand by the switches to make sure no one turned them back off until he could find new locks for them. Then Mark realized that he was staring at a brand new Bosch Hand torch still in the box with his name on it. He had a better idea.

  “Mark I cannot get Dian. Her phone is on the desk in your cabin. Though, the last call on it was to Dr. Wells.”

  “Shit! Then get the doctor please.” Grabbing the torch out of the box and checking the power reading on the side he jumped up headed back for the electrical compartment thanking his Aid for charging it for him.

  “This is Doctor Wells. I am busy, leave me a message and I will get back to you...”

  “Shit! Mickey, can you tell me where the Doctor is at?”

  “Yes Mark he is headed for the Core compartments I believe, though he still has a ways to go. He could be headed elsewhere besides the computer core though it is late to be headed anywhere else.”

  Welding the switches closed with his new torch he headed for the chain. “Mark the elevator is faster. You do not have to transfer on the Mess deck.”

  “Oh shit yes. Grabbing the hatch he was half way through, he slammed it shut pulling the latch down as he ran for the elevator. Two seconds later he was making a beeline straight though the control room at a dead run. “Mickey can you open the elevator hatch for me?” the hatch opened as he ran up and threw, not stopping until he bounced off the back bulkhead. By the time he had hit the bulk head the elevator was already moving as the hatch began to close. The higher than normal acceleration up and to the side to enter the up shaft catching Mark by surprise, throwing him to the deck as he bounced off the back bulkhead. His momentum carrying him sliding across the elevator towered the open hatch as the overhead deck came accelerating down.

  In slow motion horror, Mark knew he was going to slide out the still open hatch just as the two decks slid together cutting his head clean off. His leaded arms slowly responding to his efforts to stop himself but slipped on the deck as well without slowing him down. Just before he started to slide out the opening, the hatch sides slide closed in front of him catching his nose as he scrunched up against the hatch.

  His adrenalin shoving himself away from the hatch with enough force to push him clear across the elevator again, he sat up as he slid coming to rest on his butt with his back against the back bulkhead. His mind racing as fast as his heart and breath as he took great gulps of air. His thoughts centering on the possibility of being cut in half if the doors had not closed in time. Finely he looked up. The deck numbers seamed to pass so slowly. “Mickey can’t you make this thing go any faster!” It was not a question.

  “I have the elevator at maximum medical emergency power know Mark. You will arrive at the computer core deck in 1minute and 33 seconds. Dr. Wells is just getting to the core room know.”

  “Is there anything you can do to help him?”

  “No Mark. I have already done what I can. The rest takes human intervention. None of the lifesaving equipment can be remotely controlled. Though the Dr. could use help and he is alone at the moment. He has help on the way but it will be several minutes before they get there, too late as every second counts. Though it may already be too late as the main power has been off for hours and the batteries were extremely low.”

  “Then make this thing go faster Damn it.”

  “Mark the only way I can increase the power is to raise the Generator voltage to the section of the ship supplying power to the elevator shaft. That could have detrimental effects in that section of the ship.”

  “Damn it, just do it Mickey. You can show me what to do to help the Doctor can’t you?” The speed of the elevators increased significantly as unseen to Mark, lights started blowing out as equipment in that section of the ship started running wild and heating up though Mickey immediately started shutti
ng down equipment and breakers he had access to.

  “You will arrive in 30 seconds Mark.”

  “Faster damn it! Faster!”

  “Mark the motors are over heating now. Anymore and they will burn out.”

  “Let them burn out! Damn it.” The elevator motors howl jumped to a scream as Marks glasses showed the heat building up under the corners of the elevators deck.

  “10 second Mark.” Mark heard a pop as one of the motors blew sending sparks down the shaft and the elevator started to slow.

  6 seconds appeared on his glasses. And another motor blew and started cooling.

  3 seconds and the 3rd went and as the elevator crawled up and started to slide sideways into that decks parking slot and open hatch, the 4th and last motor blew. The momentum carrying it forward to stop with an opining just big enough for Mark to squeeze threw.

  Mark ran through the maze of open hatches and burst into the core compartment. Dr. Wells was at the main console beating the glass face to death in his frustrated efforts to turn things back on. “Mark the Doctor has hit the wrong keys and frozen the control board. You need to reset it so the Doctor can get oxygen back to his brain without shocking or creating a clot that will be impossible to remove killing part of the brain if it is still alive. Several drugs also need to be injected into his blood supply now while Dr. Wells is busy.” A drawer lit up. “Take the drawer out and set it at the base of the core next to where I had you plug in my remote.”

  Mark jumped over beside the doctor and punched a couple of buttons unfreezing the board to the Doctors touch then went over and pulled the drawer out and carried it over to the core's base. It contained a row of vials and syringes. A vial lit up with the syringe above it. “Take the drug and syringe. Take the cap off the needle and then pull the plunger out half way and push the syringe into the drug vial upside down.” A small cartoon at the top of his glasses showed him what to do as well. “Push the plunger all the way in to pressurize the vial and then making sure the needle is near the bottom in the fluid, pull out the plunger to 35cc’s. Now open the hatch at the bottom left side of the core, you will find injection ports lined up inside. Take the cap off and push the syringe into the right red injection port, and slowly push in the plunger. This is the same oxygen infuser injected into your blood during your accident." Mark continued to fallow Mickeys instructions injecting half the drugs into specific injection ports before Dr. Wells angrily jerked him away form the core.

  “What the Hell do you think you are doing?”

  “You were busy so I started by injecting 35cc of Philandraphoxen into the red port as according to the book. Then...”

  “35cc? It should have been 40. What else!

  Mark went down the list and stopped where the Doctor had interfered.

  The doctor picked up the next vial and a clean syringe and finished the regiment of shots required. Then went back to top off the amounts Mark had been shy on, telling Mark what to get ready for him next.

  “Ok let's see what that does. Get another 10 cc’s of Philandraphoxen ready.” Standing up Dr. Wells stretched as he walked back over to the console studying the vitals as Mark got the shot ready. “When did you get medical training Mark? I don’t recall you ever going to anything but the basic first aid classes.”

  “I told you Sir I read the book on my way up from engineering after I turned the Power back on Sir.” Mark very carefully filled the syringe.

  “Just which book did you read in the two minutes, it takes to get up here from engineering Mark?” He knew bull shit when he heard it.

  “Ok Mickey, which book did you get that out of?” Mark put the vial back into the drawer and stood up with the syringe in his hand. “Don’t give me a damn list of books a mile long. Don’t you have a Manuel for a Hall 9000 AI controller with a section on emergency care or something like that?” As he turned around and looked at Dr. Wells, he realized he was talking out load. And the Doctor was staring at him. “Oops.”

  “Ok Mark what the hell is going on?”

  “Ah Doctor Wells…My glasses are more than just glasses with an AI attached. I have a thousand year old Imperial tech Police Inspector AI embedded in my new glasses. It seems she can teach me just about anything in short order that does not take skill or a lot of practice unless I want to sleep on it. I simply fallowed her directions and then yours.”

  The Doctors mouth dropped open for a couple of seconds. “Well, that explains the Nannites that saved your life from the poison gas. Your AI did a damn good job, gave George what he needed when he needed it when I was too busy to do it. You can put the syringe down.”

  “How is he going to be Doctor Wells?”

  “I have no way of knowing for sure even though his brain waves seem normal. That is until he comes out of his induced coma. That could take a while if ever depending on how bad he is. And then he may be a moron with as low as the oxygen level was in his blood along with the poisons. At least his artificial heart was still pumping a little when I got here so what little oxygen was still in his blood reached most of his brain. All we have to do now is flush all the poisons out of his system which could take a while and pray. How did the power get shut off to him in the first place anyway?”

  “All I know is that Mickey woke me up with the news that the Admiral’s power had been shut off. When I got to the power panel the locks had been taken off of both breakers and relocked with the breakers in the off / open positions. I had to cut the locks off and then welded the switches closed to keep whoever did this from doing it again before coming up here.” standing back Mark could see only the occasional light flicking through the glass tower. “Who could have done such a thing like this? Who would even want to murder the Admiral?”

  “Actually the question is who knew about the Admiral, knew about the system and the breakers and had the keys to the locks.” Mickey said. “And of course you already have a suspect.”

  “You cannot seriously believe that the Chief tried to murder the Admiral Mickey.”

  The Doctor looked up from the consol. “What’s this about the Chief Wanting to Murder the Chief?”

  “My AI, Mickey thinks the Chief did it since he was mad at the Admiral for backing my upgrade of the number 3 main engine and we herd the Admiral threaten the Chief with retirement if he did not get the new implants this morning.” Mark shook his head in disbelief.

  “Threaten the Chief?” The doctor walked around to the core, checking the dose Mark had prepared and then injecting it.

  “Ya, the Admiral said something about the Chief knowing that Commander Hicks took the missing engine up grade boxes and telling the Captain to replace him as Engineering Chief if he did not do as instructed and get the implants.”

  Dr. Wells pulled out another vial and injected a measured amount. “I am afraid that the Chief does have a darker side Mark. But don’t go to making conclusions until all the facts are in after the investigation.”

  Half-dressed Doctors and technicians started pouring in on the run out of breath. “The elevator is stuck half in the hatch or we would have been here sooner Dr. Wells. We stopped at the deck above and dropped down the ladder next to the shaft.”

  “That’s ok we have things well in hand. You can set up additional monitors and sensors.” Dr. Wells grabbed a case of drugs that had just been delivered and dug out a vial. “Good we will use this in a few minutes after we get most of the poisons out of his system.”

  “Doctor Wells.” Mark did not know what to say but he was worried about losing Mickey. “Please don’t tell anyone about Mickey. I don’t want some officer taking her from me for a souvenir now that I have gotten used to her. She is kind of nice to have around.”

  Looking up at Mark the doctor smiled. “We will talk about Mickey later son. Now leave this to my staff.”

  Mark bumped into Diane as he walked down the passageway. “How did you get here ahead of me Mark?”

  “I burned out the elevator motors.” Mark smiled. “I don’t think they n
eed your help now. Let's get breakfast.”

  “You what?" Giving him a (Ya sure Mack) look of disbelief before looking down at the deck. "The elevator stop on this deck has an elevator car stuck halfway in it with the doors open. That was you? Are you responsible for all the hatches being closed on this and the medical deck as well? I had a hell of a time getting to sickbay to begin with to find out that everyone was headed up here."

  "No." Mark could not understand her accusation. "I just knew that the Admiral needed help fast and that you and the Doctor's help was going to take a while to get here. Thank Godstar, that the Doctor only had to come down a couple of decks from officers country."

  "How is the Admiral? And what is an AI Controller?”

  “A.I. super computers need human controllers to operate efficiently. The Admiral is the ships AI. Human controller and he is not doing good but they are doing all they can. And I guess I will introduce you to Mickey my AI computer.”

  “Mark we need to check the emergency generator for the Admiral.” Said Mickey.

  “Oh ya that’s a good idea. Where is it?”

  "Where is your computer?" Dian looked at him not hearing Mickey. "It is your computer, not mine. You lost it not me."

  “The next deck down in the cores auxiliary equipment compartment.”

  “Ah I didn't lose Mickey Diane. We need to make a detour. It should not take long.” They were already headed down the ship’s ladder for an elevator that worked but Mark walked past it and to a locked hatch. “Ok now what Mickey.”

  “Who is Mickey?” Dian was not amused.