The Final Day
By Deona Lindholm



A medium sized woman with short, auburn hair walked onto the bridge, yawning a little as she looked around.

"Good morning," she said a bit cheerily as she made the first of her report rounds, circling.

"Good morning, Commander Bell," replied a young woman with long green hair from one of the upper daises as she stood and saluted, saying, "Captain on the bridge!"

The first woman laughed as the others stood and saluted, saying, "At ease, crew! I'm not Captain yet...the Galactic Alliance is waiting until after this transport mission is completed before the official promotion takes place. Once we arrive at the military base in Gamma Centauri, then you can call me that all you want. But for now...Lieutenant Olon, status report."

The green haired woman smiled and replied, "All systems normal. No activity from the Cargo Bays. ETA to Gamma Centauri base is 2.3 days at present speed."

"Excellent. The sooner the Deus Weapon is off of here, the better I'll feel," Commander Bell replied as she sat in the captain's chair and tapped on the right-hand side of the chair arm.

"Ship's Log, Commander Diana Bell recording. We are about 2 and a half days away from our destination. There is still no activity from the Cargo Bays where the pieces of the infamous Deus Weapon are being stored. Once that is complete, I will be promoted to Captain and will be assigned to command the Agares. Some of the crew are rather bored by this assignment, hoping that the weapon would act up only a little. I must admit, I am a bit bored, too. I only hope that once this monstrosity has been destroyed that humanity never makes such a cruel mistake as to make a living weapon in order to conquer and control enemy planets," she dictated into the recorder, "The Galactic Alliance was created to promote peace and exploration...but lately it seems that all the bureaucrats want is power and destruction..."
She sighed, shut off the log recorder and closed her eyes, weary all of a sudden.

"Approaching Kelsas 4," someone from the bottom of the bridge called out.

"Hey, Diana!"

A small, rather familiar voice caused her eyes to snap open.

She turned and saw a little boy with long black hair beside her.

"Abel," she said, "I thought the captain and I told you to stay off the bridge unless unless it's ship's business."

"It is ship's business," he replied with a pout, "Mommy said that the weapons systems are acting funny but when she tried to tell you on the...inter...inter..."

"Intercom?"

Abel nodded and continued, "Yeah! Intercom! She said that the intercom broke!"

Oh, great, she thought, This is not good...

"Okay, thanks for telling me," she said, "Now get back down to your mother, okay?"

"Oh, 'nother thing," Abel added, "Mommy and daddy asked about your date with someone called CMO Taeros."

Diana huffed, crossed her arms and said, "Abel, that's really none of your business."

"Oh...ok, Diana!"

She groaned and said, "Please, Abel...we've told you before, on the bridge, call me Commander Bell!"

"Okay, Diana!" Abel replied and hurried off of the bridge.

She shook her head and said, "That kid...I have a bad feeling about this...Olon, check the Cargo Bays."

Olon nodded and said in an offical tone, "Scan underway...is it true, Diana? The rumor mill's been going nuts about you and the chief medical officer."

"My relationship with Matthew is no one's business," she said out loud, then in a lower voice, "It was just dinner at his quarters..."

"That explains why he's transferring off the Eldridge to the Agares," a tall, very young woman with very short orange hair replied, sitting next to Olon, then frowned, "Weird..."

"Lieutenant Dreas, what's the problem?"

Dreas shook her head and said, "The habitat decks are reporting fluxuations in temperature and food dispensers."

"Reports coming in from the Cargo bays," Olon announced, "Abnormal activity in all of them. Four crewmen injured. Minute, but--"

"Minute's too much," she replied and hit a switch, "All hands, emergency stations. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

She watched as Olon and Dreas vacated their positions on the Lower Dais and went in an elevator going to the higher one.

One by one, each of the departments reported in, stating that they were ready for action.

"This is Sickbay," a familiar, kind voice came across the intercom, "What's going on? Is Deus acting up?"

"Yes. Go down to the Cargo holds, Dr. Taeros. That thing's already injured some people."

"Right away."

Diana hit another switch and said one phrase before entering the elevator herself. "Captain to the Bridge!"

She looked at the clock and checked the monitors, hoping that the activity was just an electronic surge.

Exactly three minutes after Bell had summoned him, she saw the captain arriving in the elevator.

Three minutes...I have to wonder if he's psychic.

"Captain Parkinson," she said, saluting.

"At ease, Commander. What's the situation?"

Diana quickly gave a run-down on exactly what had happened, including Abel's reason for arriving on the bridge all the way down to the injuries on the Cargo Bays.

"And you're sure it's Deus?"

"Positive, sir."

The captain nodded gravely and said, "Very well then. Commander, take your position."

"Aye, sir," she replied and sat down beside Olon.

"I know I said this mission was boring, but I wasn't asking for this," Dreas said to the other two women seated on either side of her.

"You know the old Chinese curse, 'May you live in interesting times'," Diana replied, "Now things are liable to get very interesting."

"Bridge, this is sickbay. Bad news, all four injured crewmen are dead from level 3 burns," they all heard Taeros over the intercom, "And the captain's daughter is here. Slight injuries in comparison."

"Elhaym?" Olon asked, surprised.

"Prepare her for the capsule. No matter what happens, she must survive," they heard the captain order.

"Uh....captain? That's why I said minor in comparison...she went into the capsule by accident..."

Before anything else was said, the intercom suddenly was cut off by thecomputer's announcement and the bridge crew was treated to the sight of all viewscreens changing to red on black.

"This is an emergency, Level one Alert."

"Blast it," the commander muttered as Dreas' screen lit up.

"Omega 1 restarting..." the orange-haired lieutenant reported and began procedures, just as they had done in the drills, "Alpha genome restructuring. Consuming SR replacement...Base code 85 million...100 million! It's speed is overwhelming!"

Not good, both Diana and Olon thought as the latter began her procedures, tracking the creature's progress and trying to intercept it...without success.

"Activating emergency shunt," the latter reported and then said after a quiet moment, "Denied!"

"Contamination is spreading widely," Dreas reported, then turned to Parkinson, "Captain?"

"Cut off the cables manually," he replied.

This had better work, Olon thought as Dreas replied, "Roger. Activating self-destruct bolts...confirming..."

The hopes that it would work sank as the follow-up report came, "No good, nothing happened."

"Omega 1, they are attacking!" Olon suddenly exclaimed.

Diana checked her console and the youngest woman said, "We can't stop them! 90% of our weapons have been taken over!"

She shook her head as the ship was slowly being taken over...then glared at some information coming across her screen.

"Something wrong, Diana?" the captain asked.

"Alpha 1, computer transmitted coordinate codes. Coordinates input: MX-128-EZ-061!" she replied.

"The main planet!" someone exclaimed.

The captain swore and added, "So they're planning on attacking," then got onto the phone with the engine room.

"Engine room, activate the emergency sealing system. Engine room? Engine--"

"Sorry, Captain," she replied, "No lifesigns in the Engine Room."

Olon gasped, pointed at the screen and asked, "What is that?"

Diana and the captain stood as red words began to fill the view on all screens, even the station monitors.

" 'You will be as gods'? What does that mean!" Dreas asked, starting to sound a bit panicked.

"Calm down, Lieutenant," she replied, "Panicking will only worsen the situation."

Right then, the captain started giving out orders to move all civilians to the transport shuttles and dispatch a notice.

Is he serious? Abandon ship, with this vile creation on board? Dreas thought and turned to the captain.

"I am evacuating the ship. All of you, evacuate now."



"Evacuate the ship immediately. All passengers proceed to the shuttles in a calm, ordinary fashion."

The computer kept droning the instructions as crew and civilians alike were running and screaming like a wild stampede.

Why is it that when people or machines say to stay calm it never works? Diana thought as she tried to not only make her way to one of the shuttles but to also keep some sense of order in this catastrophe.

She faintly saw Olon and Dreas in the large crowd and tried to call out to them.

No success.

Is Matthew all right? she suddenly thought, Did he get trampled in this...?

It seemed like an eternity, but in actuality it was only ten minutes before the crowds's screams faded, as did the loud pounding of feet on metal.

Diana blinked and looked about her and then she saw miniature explosions outside of the ship.

"Those explosions...they're the shuttles! Deus is actually shooting down all the shuttles," she said incredulously.

Then something else hit her.

All the shuttles had taken off and she was still on board the ship.

"I don't know if this is a mixed blessing or not," she heard a voice down the corridor to her left.

She turned and saw a man that was slightly taller than her, wearing an Alliance medical uniform, walk up to her. He had short black hair, black eyes and a seemingly eternal kindness to him.

"Matthew," she said, amazed and worried at the same time, "What happened to you?"

"I should ask the same thing, but...I tried to get to a shuttle, but the panicked crowd had other ideas," he replied.

"Same here," she replied ruefully, "We're both stuck on this ship. Did you see what Deus is doing to the shuttles?"

"Yes. The only one I saw make it to the planet was Abel's. It's in for a rough landing, though. Diana...you know what the captain will have to do."

She nodded and slipped a hand into his as she said, "Yeah...we'd better get to the bridge. This might not sound right, but...when I was a kid, I always thought that being stuck on an empty ship was...romantic."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. Never thought it'd actually happen," he replied with a sigh, "I'd ask you to a candlelight dinner now that the setting's right, but--"

She chuckled and squeezed his hand, saying, "You've always had weird timing when it came to these things. I don't think Deus has a sense of romance or love, do you?"

"Hah. If he did, none of this would be happening."

Right then, they heard a voice crackling on the speakers.

"Who's down there? I ordered everyone to evacuate!"

Matthew pressed a button on a nearby wall and said, "It's Dr. Taros, sir. Diana--I mean Commander Bell and I couldn't make it to shuttles in time."

"I understand. You know there's no other way down to the planet," the captain replied after a long minute.

"We do, Captain," Diana replied.

Right then, long metal tubes exploded from a nearby wall, snaking their way towards the communications panel.

"I think that monster knows we're still here," Matthew mumbled, "Keep very still, Diana...just like in the drills."

She nodded and did her best to remain still as one of the metal cables rose and activated a light that went up and down her physical form.

On a nearby monitor, some words appeared.

First officer, Commander Diana Bell. Preserve lifeforce pattern, high prioroty.

"What in the...? Diana, look out!" Taeros called out to her.

"I...I can't move," she managed to reply before the light beam intensified and a second one activated, scanning the only other person in the corridor.

Chief Medical Officer, Matthew Taeros. Preserve lifeforce pattern, high priority.

The light beam scanning him intensified for a moment and afterwards, the both beams vanished.

Process complete. Activating program. Mission: Assimilate prototypes Bell and Taeros.

"Assimilate...? Captain, don't worry about us, but please hit the switch! Deus is trying to make us part of the system!" Diana called out just as the cables wrapped themselves around the two humans.

The intercom was still on so they heard as the captain quickly started the sequence that would certainly destroy the ship.

Matthew reached out and gripped Diana's hand...and smiled at her.

Her kind smile at him was the last thing he ever saw as a blinding light suddenly engulfed them.