Dark Contact

by Logan Haelstrom

  As he watched, horrified, he saw the backside of Icarus 1 suddenly crumple like a tin can. It was eerie to watch as it happened in complete silence. He half-expected to hear horrible screeching as the alloy bent under such pressure and twisted out of shape and—

  What happened next made his jaw drop open in shock.

  The probe crumpled into…nothing. He watched as it literally folded, or smushed into itself until it simply…vanished.

  Just like that. Gone. Not vanished or moved away, but gone into itself.

  The forces needed to do that…

  Deacon got up and slapped the recall for all remaining probes. He only needed Icarus 2, but he wanted to get any data he could from the rest. Nothing else seemed to happen as the probes started their return journey, and the field itself seemed to have stopped expanding as well.

  12 feet. The field had moved 12 feet and he still didn’t know if it was expansion or straight movement.

  Whatever the ship was, it seemed alive. Aliens or no aliens, movement like this denoted intelligence, and he had to get a message back immediately. He had to forget the idea of danger and see it as simple science to be reported.

  He couldn’t imagine what would happen should the field or ship, or whatever had caused that, reach the station.

  That’s when the station-wide alarms sounded and all hell broke loose.

  Austin stood there in shock. He’d been vindicated, but he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  An immense ship appeared, seemingly popping out of nowhere.

  It was massive. Austin tried to take it all in. The sounds of the klaxon seemed mute in comparison to the cacophony of sound and thought in his own head.

  Then he remembered his training.

  Austin leapt into action and assessed the danger posed by the approaching ship. Whatever had alerted the alarms, it didn’t seem to be a closing in or threatening movement. The simple fact that it had registered on the majority of sensors, hell, the fact he could see it himself, must have triggered the proximity alert. Nothing like this had been planned for. But Austin took a breath and a moment to marvel at what it meant.

  Aliens. Real life, you-gotta-be-kidding-me aliens.

  And Stan had been right.

  That momentarily shook him to his core. Now he didn’t know what to make of it all. Whatever he did, he needed to make sure the ship wasn’t advancing or trying to make contact. Then he could deal with the rest of it. Austin struggled to believe he was even having this conversation with himself. Aliens had to exist somewhere, sure. Even the public back home entertained ideas about discovering life while on the station. But this? This was beyond anything he could have imagined would happen.

  First, he’d detected something, then he’d been warned of a conspiracy—if not said in so many words. And now? Both suspicions had proven true. Austin had work to do, and that meant the meeting with the crew as per protocol. The klaxon would see to it anyway. That would be standard, although they’d had enough tests to probably make them not hurry.

  Austin told the AI to keep him notified of any change from the alien ship as he picked up his tablet and ran to the exit. The huge station had one lift he rarely used, because the quick changes in weight usually made him sick. He’d been unable to hide it, of course, but they didn’t care as long as he never passed out.

  He had minutes before he got to COMMs 1 and he took deep, calming breaths on the way. If what Stan had said was true, this wouldn’t be just any old meeting, and Austin had to be ready for any contingency.

  This wasn’t an old Hollywood movie either, but Austin wasn’t taking any chances, and readied himself for a fight. If there was someone on board willing to hurt him—he still had a hard time believing that’s what happened, he just couldn’t imagine Deacon doing it, and Deacon was the one who discovered him—he couldn’t imagine who it would be. All of them had been close. They’d had to be for the work they were doing. And he knew Deacon’s family. No, that part had to be coincidence… right?

  Maybe there could be a conspiracy, maybe, but the accident had been only that. At least that’s what he had to tell himself.

  You better be prepared to back that up, Austin, he said to himself. Or you might learn you were wrong the hard way. And that wasn’t good for anyone.

  Deacon had minutes, maybe ten at most, to decide. Checking with the ship’s computers he saw the others were up and moving. Chase and his space-jockey buddy were probably assuming this was another drill. They didn’t have the benefit of windows for their work, and most likely were taking their time, thinking it was just a simulation, even if there were a ship.

  Danielle would already be on her way and she most likely knew it wasn’t a drill. It was rare for anyone but her to administer them anyway, and on the rare occasion Deacon had had to do it, she treated it like it was the real thing. Always a professional, that one.

  Then there was Austin. Deacon genuinely liked the guy, but he was also a threat to the mission. No doubt he was rushing over this minute, bursting with vindication and pride. It would cost him.

  He looked to the door and considered his next move. Things had changed and BenDeCorp had been absolutely clear on what to do in the event of something like this. There was no time to notify home and Deacon knew what must be done as much as it seemed impossible to pull off.

  How to do it?

  In all his preparation, he hadn’t anticipated having to kill everyone on board in such a manner. An accident that took people out, or staggered cryopod failures, fine. But this? Was he a mass murderer?

  That question had already been answered, if only in principle.

  He had to do what he had to do.

  First, the jockey twins. Okay, Deacon could count on them taking their time as they’d shown the proclivity to do every time. They could wait. Not long, but they would be the easiest to surprise.

  That left Danielle and Austin. Danielle was particularly tricky because of her ship-wide access and voice control of the station. The time had passed to bring her on board and spare her, but even if he wanted to try, BenDeCorp had been clear on her too. Austin could be dealt with after that.

  That meant he needed to head Danielle off and take care of her immediately. She probably already knew what was out there, now that he thought about it because of her implant and direct connection to all but the main AI. She wouldn’t know he knew anything special, so she wouldn’t have time to be wary. If he could just play along for a while… maybe there was a workaround.

  No, you have a job to do. That’s why they chose you, Deacon. You’re dependable and ambitious. The future is yours for the taking but you must act now. You knew this was a possibility. Hell, some of it even excited him.

  Yet a small part of him was fascinated at his ability to rationalize away what he was about to do. It impressed him, that he could turn it off so easily. They were right for trusting him. Even if he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed other options, he knew he had their full support. He was doing what was right. It was go-time.

  Deacon left to meet Danielle.

  He took a few steps, then turned back, seeing where she was on his tablet and adjusted his plans. She was stopping by the bay. Perfect, he thought. It would be easier that way.

  Danielle never panicked. It was one of the reasons she was so good at her job. Level-headed and cool under pressure. But now she felt an icy drip down her back as she considered all that had happened.

  Deacon would come for her. It was the only option as he saw it. She knew more than he thought, he still most likely thought her unaware. For that matter, she couldn’t be entirely sure, but she knew enough to know that the vessel showing itself meant every minute counted. If what she suspected was in fact true, all their lives were in danger and she had to move fast. She had to get out while she could and control the station from a pod. She was the only one capable of doing so, and she knew she couldn’t delay any more.

  The thought of the alien vessel frightened her whe
n she first heard about it two days ago. How they’d all missed it was understandable, the advanced technology being what it was. Still, to hear about it, then suddenly come face-to-face with the immense behemoth, the alien behemoth was staggering to think about. For all she knew, little green men were on their way in ‘death’ ships, or something, right now. If that were the case, nothing she did mattered anyway. How could anyone know?

  But if there were any sliver of hope in her plan, she had to suit up fast and take emergency control of the station at the highest level. The safeguards could be overrun once she was inside her pod and further away from the station. She could spacewalk it, but having the pod was an extra measure of security and comfort. Although, if the aliens did pose a threat, she was a goner no matter what. Not a comforting thought.

  Right as the suit was sealing itself, the doors to the hanger slid open. She saw Deacon look around before his eyes settled on hers. There was something fascinating about the study of human communication, about how the eyes could convey vast messages without so much as single word spoken. This was one of those times.

  Their looks shared volumes.

  And he knew.

  Danielle couldn’t hide involuntary micro-expression as much as she schooled her face into mild curiosity. She’d hoped he’d think she was just worried about the situation, but they were both intelligent people and she was going against protocol by not going straight to COMMs 1. That would tip him off already. The shared look last barely a few seconds, but it was all he needed to confirm what he needed.

  “Shouldn’t you be on your way, Danielle? We got an emergency on our hands.” His voice was still tempered in caution in case he’d read her wrong, or so she hoped.

  She tried her best to let him think it true. “I’m going out, you should go meet with the others. Looks like we got something big going on, huh? I mean, really?” She pulled on her gloves as he stepped into the box and shut the door. She didn’t like where this was going. “You see this thing?”

  Deacon pressed a button and his voice came through the intercom. If she’d been wearing her helmet, she’d hear it there too but she hadn’t been fast enough. “Look, we’ve been friends, so let’s not do this.”

  Her fears confirmed, she rushed to secure the final articles of the suit and reached for her helmet. “Do what?” she said, her voice shaky.

  “I’m really sorry, Doc, I am. I liked you. But business is business, and you knew the risks when you took this job.

  Danielle shook her head. You mean risks like you being an asshole and wanting to kill everyone on board? I don’t think so, pal. She ignored him and latched things into place, but heard the inner sirens of the bay dimly through her suit as he prepared to empty her into the vacuum of space before she was fully suited up.

  Gotta work fast.

  As a doctor, she knew all too well the effects of open space on the human body and didn't want to think about what would happen if she couldn’t seal and check her work in the next few seconds. “Samantha, override on my command.”

  “Sorry Danielle, I’m not authorized to comply with your requests.”

  Danielle stopped and looked up. It was beyond her worst fears if Deacon somehow had any semblance of control she didn’t. That meant BenDeCorp.

  She knew what was next. Danielle leaned back and resigned herself to her fate with regret at not being able to protect the others.

  Deacon smiled.

  If Austin hadn’t been watching for it, he wouldn’t have noticed Danielle’s signs go red. He may have been too late for her, but he had to at least try. Willing the lift to go faster he adjusted for the change in centrifugal force as the inner cage rolled as the lift carried him past the midway point.

  Hurry, he thought to himself. He didn’t know what he expected to happen, other than that he had to do something. If he could just somehow get Deacon quarantined, maybe locked away in a hab, he could protect the rest of the crew while they dealt with the crises one at a time. Deny it as he might, Austin finally accepted that Deacon was responsible for the station’s and crew’s betrayal.

  The doors finally slid open and Deacon stood at the end of the hall looking unsurprised to see Austin inside.

  They both stood there for a minute, sizing each other up. The klaxon had been nullified during his ascent to the upper half of the ring, and Austin figured it had to have been either Danielle or Deacon who did it. When he saw Deacon change to follow Danielle, he knew he was dealing with Stan’s nightmare come true.

  “So, what do you know?” Said Deacon. “Pretty crazy stuff happening right now don’t you think?”

  Austin did not know how to play it, but readied himself for a fight nonetheless. “What did you do to Danielle, Deac?” For a moment, Deacon almost looked remorseful. But if he hadn’t been studying his face he would’ve missed it and it passed just as quickly.

  “Look man,” said Deacon, “it didn’t have to go down like this.”

  “Then why did it?” said Austin. He slowly stepped out of the lift but stayed by the door. Deacon made no move to approach from down the hall.

  “It’s nothing personal, you got to understand that,” replied Deacon.

  Fury shot through Austin. “How can you say this is nothing personal? What happened to Danielle, Deac? What did you do?”

  “The doc had an accident. This is above your pay grade, man. I would have loved to brought you in, truly,” he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, “but it wasn’t in the cards. That’s just how these things are.” Deacon furrowed his brow, looking intent. “Do you realize what this means for the company? A discovery like this? And now we can get in.”

  Austin shook his head. “You mean, do you realize what this means for you? What are you getting out of this, what can possibly be so wonderful that you would do what you’re prepared to do?” At these words, Deacon shrugged again and took a few steps forward. Austin’s hand slowly reached behind him to press the button for the left doors to open, but nothing happened.

  “I took control a few minutes ago,” said Deacon. “I will let you out of the lift but I’m not letting you back in.” He looked down at his watch. “Right about now the air is getting pretty thin in the mechanical habs. Bye-bye to the others. So easy, don’t you think? I wouldn’t have been able to do it this way had the ship not shown itself. But it actually works in my favour,” he said, smirking. “Everything is out in the open. No one will second guess my moves. So much better, it was killing me having to worry and plan so much, I kinda felt like two people out here. Gave me a headache. Look, the only question is, are you going to make it easy for yourself? Don’t get me wrong, I do what I have to do, but I don’t enjoy any of it. I feel like an asshole, but there you go anyway.”

  Austin studied him closely. “Bull, you’re enjoying this and it makes me sick.”

  Deacon walked closer towards Austin and he considered his options.

  “I know what you’re thinking, friend,” said Deacon with a sad smile. “Trust me, I’ve already thought of everything myself, you’re out of options, my friend.”

  There was one door he could reach before Deacon reached him. And unless Deacon had locked down the whole hall, it was his one shot. He didn’t dare flick his eyes in that direction lest Deacon make a run for it, or give the command to lock all avenues off the hall at noticing Austin thinking about making a play.

  He would just have to run for it and pray he was faster than Deacon. Once inside he could secure himself in and do his best to hack the system to keep him safe while he thought of his options.

  “Come to think of it,” said Deacon, “just tell me you want in, buddy, and I can put in a good word for you. It really doesn’t have to be like this, it’s not personal, it’s a business decision, okay? BenDeCorp wants what’s best for everybody, just with them at the head of it all. But I might be able to sway them into letting you stay on if you’re cool with it.”

  Austin took a tentative step closer to the door, trying to look as though he wa
s considering Deacon’s offer and taking a step closer to him. How in the world Deacon could think that Austin would be okay with any of this, was beyond him. For that matter it meant a very dark part of the company was corrupt, or at least whomever was responsible for this plan didn’t care about anything other than profit and first discovery.

  “What do you think? Can you see what I see?” He gestured and waved his hands all around in excitement. “Can you just feel the excitement? Can you imagine how rich and powerful we’ll be? They’re real, man, and they’ve given it to us for the taking. Think what this means, Austin.”

  “How could anyone possible know that for true?” Austin was a few steps away now and would just have to palm open the door and emergency lock it behind him. It was a foolhardy plan as it could trap him in, forcing a rush to commandeer the AI or everything would be lost, including his life, but it seemed the only option. He was certainly no match physically for Deacon. At 6’4”, solidly built, and 15 years younger, Deacon would pummel him. And this time he wouldn’t wake up from the encounter.

  Deacon had to stall Austin. He wasn’t sure if he’d need him yet to help him with the AIs. There had been glitches to the codes given to him, and Samantha in particular was acting funny. His ear-piece told him she was working, at least in theory, on his behalf to do what he said. Getting her to go against everything she knew and kill off the others had proven difficult, and he still wasn’t sure if the other un-networked AIs would fight her on it. They were programmed to protect life at all costs and the override was proving more of a challenge that originally thought.

  He needed a few more minutes. He sought confirmation of control and then he had to eliminate—through quarantine or something else—Austin as soon as possible. The boys back home would know something was up but as BenDeCorp owned the station, mission and even entire field of information coming from Mars, no one else would know the alien craft had unveiled itself.