Firmament: Reversal Zone

by Pennington,J. Grace

  My eyelids felt like stone, but I forced them open. The face above me was blurry but I could recognize the Doctor anywhere. “Good morning.”

  “It's not morning, dear, it's six o' clock in the evening.”

  He didn't call me “dear.”

  I blinked and forced my eyes to focus. It was his face, though his eyes looked wrong. “Seven...”

  I remembered. Everyone on the ship, knocked out. I sat up quickly and stared at him. “Seven?”

  “That is what I said.”

  His tone was courteous and gentle. Wrong. And his eyes were wrong. I'd been asleep for almost two hours. “Is everyone awake?”

  “I'm sure I don't know what you mean.”

  Again, polite, kind, but there was something wrong with his smile. It was—tight.

  He stood up, and I followed his example. It was all wrong. My Doctor should have been exceptionally grumpy with all the trouble and worrying about everything that was going on. But it would just show how much he cared. This wasn't my Doctor. Unless he was still dazed from whatever had happened.

  “Are you feeling all right?” His tone was condescending.

  I blinked again. “Yes. I need to talk to the Captain...”

  I had stopped the ship. The Captain needed to know.

  Instead of asking why or saying he needed my help, the Doctor nodded and stepped aside.

  I tried to shake my disorientation and focus on getting to the bridge. People lined the corridors, some still propped up and staring at the opposite wall, some hurrying, some strolling. I pushed past them all and into the elevator.

  When I reached the bridge it was chaos. Some people shouted, others worked their stations furiously. Ralston stood staring out the window blankly.

  “...told you something like this would happen! But you never listen, do you? You always have to have your own way.”

  Those words were coming out of Guilders' mouth.

  “What is your problem, Mr. Guilders? Honestly, I'm sure we'll figure something out.”

  And that nonchalant tone was emanating from our Captain.

  I swallowed, then called, “Second medical officer on the bridge, sir.”

  The Captain turned to look at me, smiled, and waved. “Hey, Andi.”

  I winced. Everything was so—wrong. “I... stopped the ship, Captain. Everyone was asleep but me, and I figured...”

  “Great! Thanks.” Smiling again; that casual smile. “Wonder why it didn't happen to you.”

  “Because of the radialloy, Trent,” Guilders snapped. “Honestly, what is the matter with you?”

  “What is the matter with all of you?” came a firm but calm voice from behind me.

  Crash.

  He stepped forward from the doorway and stood with his hands behind his back. I'd never seen him stand that way before.

  “With all due respect, we need to take a step back and examine everything that's happening here. A briefing might be advised, Captain?”

  I'd never heard Crash say “with all due respect” without extreme sarcasm or irritability. He sounded like he actually meant it.

  “Who do you think you are, Mr. Crash?” Guilders' thick eyebrows furrowed intensely over his eyes. “You are not the...”

  The Captain lazily waved his hand. “It's all right, Mr. Guilders. Sounds like a good idea to me. Lead the way, Crash.”

  Crash nodded respectfully. “Maybe Whales, Ralston, and Howitz should join us, sir?”

  “Fine by me.”

  I could only stare as those named stood and followed Crash and the Captain out. Guilders darted an angry glance at me as he passed, and I shivered. I reached out to touch August's hand as he walked by, but he jerked it away from me without making eye contact.

  My eyes stung as he walked off. What was wrong?

  “Come on, Andi!” he called back, his Austrian accent sounding harsh instead of soft as usual.

  I blinked hard and hurried after them to the nearest briefing room.

  Crash must have summoned the Doctor and McMillan as well. They both met us in the hall on the way, and we all went into the room and sat down around the long, metal table.

  I felt like crawling out of my chair and hiding under the table. Everything was wrong. It was making my stomach twist. Instead of calling the meeting to order, the Captain slunk back in his seat and looked calmly around at all of us. Crash sat straight up but with his head tilted down slightly, watching for the Captain to make a move.

  The silence went on long enough to be very uncomfortable before the Captain spoke up. “So what's going on?”

  Nobody said anything. I timidly raised my hand.

  “Yes?”

  “I was awake for five hours while everyone else was out, and I stopped the ship.”

  The Doctor turned his head slowly to look at me. “I found you asleep...”

  “Yes sir, I searched the entire ship twice, and then fell asleep.”

  “And no one was awake except you?” he prodded.

  “No sir.”

  The Captain leaned further back in his chair. “That's strange.”

  “With respect, Captain,” Crash said in a clear, cool voice. “I think that the problem is obvious.”

  “Is it? Then you might share it with us, if you like.”

  “Yes sir.” Crash paused, seeming to hesitate, then looked at me. “I don't know how... I have no idea how it's possible... and I could be wrong, but it seems...”

  I didn't think I'd ever hear the words “I could be wrong” come out of Crash's mouth.

  “Get on with it,” Guilders snapped.

  “It seems clear that all of us are behaving in just the opposite way that we used to.”

  As soon as he said the word “opposite,” I realized that I had already instinctively understood this. But hearing it aloud made my eyes burn again. God help us.

  His statement silenced everyone else at the table. After a moment, the Captain sat up a little and looked at each person in turn. “Except Andi.”

  All eyes turned to me, and my cheeks reddened in shame as a tear moistened my cheek. I had never cried in front of any of them except the Doctor, Crash, and August. I rubbed the back of my hand across my eye.

  The Doctor reached out and wiped the lone tear from my cheek with one finger. “The radialloy,” he said. He sounded less cold. More like himself.

  The Captain fell back in his seat again and blew out a puff of air.

  “What are we going to do, then?” August asked. His voice was a little harsh, but he seemed to be making an attempt to control it. But even the question itself was unlike my timid, polite August.

  And instead of ordering him to keep his questions to himself, the Captain looked up at the ceiling and said, “I don't know.”

  I watched Guilders clench and unclench his fists, his bushy eyebrows still furrowed. His chest rose and fell quickly, as if straining to keep himself under control. The Doctor's hand rested on my shoulder, and I turned to look at his face. It was more normal, and his forehead was lined with concern.

  “That's impossible!” Whales blurted out. “This can't be happening.”

  Calm, business-like Whales.

  The Captain sat up straight again and slapped his palms hard on the table. “This must be what stranded the Pigeon. I... I believe we can get past this. I...” He winced. “I have faith in this crew. We don't have a lot of time.”

  “With permission, Captain,” Crash spoke up when the Captain paused. “This has had some effect on the ship as well. McMillan and Ralston should probably take a look...”

  “This isn't your ship.” Guilders' voice was less angry than it had been, but still brusque. “You have no right to be giving orders.”

  “Of course, Mr. Guilders.”

  The deferential tone pushed me over the edge. This wasn't real. It felt like one of those dreams where you know it's a dream but you still can't wake up, no matter how hard you try. I felt a sob rising in my throat and I jumped up, turned, and ran out of the brie
fing room.

  Chapter VIII

  I ignored dazed crewmen as I ran down the corridors and into the lounge. The lights came on automatically when I entered the empty room, but I reached over and switched off the light. Then I walked to the fish tank, my footsteps muffled by the short carpet.

  I could just make out the fish in the starlight that crept through the windows, and I stood and watched them flit through the water for a moment. Then I slipped to the side of the tank where there was just enough room between it and the wall for me to slide down onto the floor and sit with my back pressed against the wall.

  I tried to slow my breathing as the hot tears dripped from my eyes onto my cheeks and tickled as they rolled downwards. I had to keep my head clear. We'd been in bad trouble before, and it had never meant the end of the world. It was going to be okay. Once we got out of the cloud everything would be okay. This was just a little setback; a glitch.

  Somehow none of those thoughts deterred the tears from running down my face.

  I took a deep breath, and prayed for God’s help. As the only person on this ship able to think clearly, I had to stay calm. I was a starship officer, and starship officers shouldn't cry while on duty. I sniffed and wiped my cheeks again.

  “I'm going to need you, you know.”

  It wasn't the Doctor's voice, or Crash's. I thought one of them would come to find me.

  The light flipped on and I blinked up at the Captain.

  “Really?” It was a silly thing to say, but I had to say something.

  “Really.” He walked over and sat down in front of me, legs crossed, hands in his lap, and just looked at me.

  I just looked back. I had nothing to say.

  He sighed. “I don't know what to do. I need you to help me keep everyone on track... including me. It's not really fair to ask this of you. I wish I could let that stop me...”

  He looked at me like he wanted me to convince him not to ask me to do it. I slowly pinched the back of my left hand and winced slightly.

  He noticed. “I wish it were a dream, too.”

  I bit the inside of my mouth to keep tears from rising again, and we sat in silence for a moment.

  I spoke slowly. “I'll help you.”

  “I wish I didn't have to ask you...”

  “It's okay.”

  He looked down for a moment, then reached up, pulled his cap off, and ran a hand through his hair. “I don't know what to do. Right now I don't even know who I am. You ever felt that way?”

  I bit my lip. While the idea of him confiding in me made me feel very pleasantly important, I knew it wasn't appropriate and that when he was back in his right mind he wouldn't thank me for allowing it. “What exactly will you need me to do, Captain?”

  He stared at the ISA emblem on the front of his hat for a moment, then sighed and put it back on. “You'll need to remain with me unless I tell you you can go somewhere else. And... maybe even override my judgment at times. It's really not fair, Andi... but you are the only person in your right mind on this ship. I have to put the safety of the whole crew first. I'm sorry. I don't want to...”

  “It's okay.” I hated the entire situation, but he was right, and I needed to bolster his confidence about it. “You're right. I'll stay with you.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut for five seconds, then stood up and reached his hand down to me. “Welcome to command, Miss Lloyd.”

  I gripped his strong, rough hand and let him pull me up.

  He gave his cap another tug and squared his shoulders. “I'm giving you emergency promotion to honorary commander for the duration of this... problem. You will answer only to me, and your position will officially be that of mission consultant.”

  “Like Crash?”

  “Yes. Except Crash isn't a member of the crew...” He paused, and put a hand to his forehead. “I'm tired.”

  I wasn't sure what to say. Just how was I supposed to support him? “Maybe you should tell the rest of the crew about my position?” I questioned rather than suggested.

  “All I want to do is sleep,” he said, hand still pressed against his face.

  “What about the Pigeon?” Again, I asked a question rather than making a statement.

  He hesitated, then stood up straighter and dropped both hands to his sides. “Yes. That's what I'll focus on. Thank you.”

  There was still something missing from his voice, but it was closer to normal. You didn't get to be Captain of a starship without learning tremendous discipline, and that would serve him well even in these mind-bending circumstances.

  I followed him up to the bridge and stood beside his chair as he sat in it. All the other bridge officers were at their stations, all just sitting, waiting. The whiteness through the windows refracted the light from inside the ship back onto us in odd, dim patterns. Beeps and alerts filled the silence.

  “Mr. Yanendale,” the Captain ordered, “please open all ship intercoms for a message from me.”

  “Yes sir.” Yanendale worked his panel. “Ready, Captain.”

  The Captain spoke loudly and clearly. “Attention all personnel. This is Captain Trent. Our mission to find and rescue the Pigeon has led us into a dangerous area that has caused damage to our ship and our crew. We've determined that one thing it has done is to interfere with our minds, so that our personalities will be the opposite of what they normally are. It appears that the only person on this ship who is not compromised is our second medical officer, Andi Lloyd. I have given her honorary promotion to commander with the position of mission consultant. Everyone on the crew answers to her for the duration of this emergency. You are to obey her without question, and I trust her not to supersede this authority. I believe in my crew, and I believe we can do this. Be on your guard, and we will get through this trouble. Thank you.”

  He signaled to Yanedale to switch off the com, then he laid back in his seat and drew a deep breath.

  “You should have asked first, Harrison,” Guilders muttered from the helm without turning around. It was the sort of thing he was always saying, but never in that way—never muttered, angry, or using the Captain's first name.

  The Captain kept leaning back in his chair. “I'm sure that Gerry'll be up any minute to agree with you.”

  He was using more contractions than normal, I noticed. I tried to keep each observation detached, cold, a mere calculation so that it wouldn't upset me.

  True to his prediction, the door at the back of the bridge opened and the Doctor strolled in. “I believe you owe me an explanation, Trent.

  “I'm sorry, Gerry. Really. But it's the only option...”

  “Excuse me, but I don't believe you have any right to tell me what my daughter should and should not do.”

  “He's right,” August spoke up harshly. “It's not fair to ask Andi to do that when she's not used to commanding anybody.”

  The Captain sat up a bit. “You might be right...”

  “Hey!” I cried.

  They all looked at me.

  I could hear my trembling breath in the silence. I tightened the muscles in my neck in an attempt to keep my voice steady. “See why you need me?”

  The silence continued a moment. Then the Captain looked straight at the Doctor. “There are fifty people aboard the Pigeon who may starve to death, and another hundred and thirty here who need to make it safely through this predicament. You've no idea how much I hate doing this, Gerry. But everyone on board is severely compromised except Andi. I trust her, and I need her help. I'm sorry. Really, I am.”

  His tone was pleading, and I knew I had to make the order of things clear now, or my authority, and by proxy the Captain's, would remain in question. “I've agreed to help the Captain and accept his temporary promotion for this emergency. I'm over twenty-one, and I have the legal right to accept a contract, and it's done.” I hesitated, longed to appeal to their sympathy, but knew I couldn't. I had to stay strong, even if I hated every moment of it.

  Which I did.

  Another pause, and th
en August turned back to his navigation panel without a word. The Doctor said “Very well,” turned, and left.

  I didn't allow myself to think about him. If the Surveyor was going to make it through this, I needed to be as disciplined as a captain.

  Maybe even more.

  “Captain?” Crash's voice came from the intercom.

  “Yeah?”

  “I have an update if you'd like it.”

  “Yes, yes, go on.”

  “Well, McMillan and I are going over engineering. Everything is a mess; I don't just mean the people, I mean the engines, the thrusters, the reactors... things aren't looking good, but the instruments aren't registering properly, so I can't be sure what's accurate and what's not...” His voice faded off.

  “All right... thanks. Keep examining, that'll help.”

  The Captain turned to Whales. “I want you to work with Gerry—Doctor Lloyd—to try to determine why this is happening and what we can do to reverse or at least better deal with it... anything you can do.”

  Whales hesitated. Then he stood and left without a word.

  The silence and inactivity that followed made it hard not to tear up again. The bridge had never been like this. Everyone just sitting there like robots waiting for their programming to kick in.

  “Are we waiting for more news from engineering before proceeding, Captain?” I finally asked, feeling timid.

  “I don't like flying blind... what do you think?”

  “I don't know.” The Pigeon crew could be getting into worse trouble while we waited here, but on the other hand, if we proceeded with no idea where we were going, we could get further from them instead of closer.

  The Captain sighed again. “I'll try to go help them down there. I want you to go talk to Gerry... referee him and Whales if they need it.”

  He stood, easing up as if gravity weighed on him, and turned to leave the room. My heart pounding, I turned with him and headed out on my way to sickbay.

  Something was about to happen that had never happened in my entire twenty-one years.

  I was in charge of my dad.

  He was putting something into the medical supply cabinet at the other end of the room when I entered. My strongest attempt at control couldn't stop a shiver from running through my body, turning it cold with apprehension. The Doctor was my favorite person in the entire universe, and I almost felt sick at the idea of him being the opposite of his gruff but good-hearted self. I knew he wasn't happy about the decision to promote me, and I hated that.