The Anomaly of the Stupid Backoff - Chapter 2

Invisible Passenger

Three days into interstellar space, Captain Thomas Reyes was awakened by Luna's frantic barking. The micro-labrador stood rigid at the foot of his bed, her attention fixed on the air vent above his desk.

"Luna, for the love of—" Thomas groaned, fumbling for his tablet to check the time. "0347 hours? You've got to be kidding me." He buried his face in his pillow momentarily before lifting his head with an exasperated sigh. "TESS, what possible emergency requires my dog to wake me up at this ungodly hour?"

There was a brief pause before the AI responded. «Captain, environmental readings are showing minor fluctuations in oxygen levels in your quarters. Nothing dangerous, but...unusual.»

That got Thomas's attention. He sat up, suddenly alert. "Define unusual."

«The oxygen concentration appears to be forming a gradient. Higher near the vent, lower near the floor. This defies standard air circulation patterns.»

Luna continued growling, her eyes never leaving the vent.

Thomas reached for his tablet. "Ship-wide status?"

«Similar anomalies detected in three locations: your quarters, the main corridor, and outside Professor Alcubierre's cabin.»

Thomas swung his legs over the side of the bed and pulled on his uniform. "Wake Kurt. I want him on the bridge. And tell ASHLOK to meet me at the professor's quarters."

«The professor's vital signs indicate he is already awake, Captain. His heart rate is elevated.»

"On my way."

As Thomas hurried through the dimly lit corridors, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him. The ship felt different somehow—the familiar hum of the engines slightly off-key, the air unnaturally still despite the circulation system running at full capacity.

He found ASHLOK already waiting outside the professor's cabin, the robot's faded blue plating gleaming dully under the emergency lighting that had inexplicably activated in this section.

‹Die Atmosphärenkontrollen sind fehlerhaft,› ASHLOK stated without preamble. ‹Aber die Sensoren zeigen keine mechanischen Fehler.›

"The atmospheric controls are malfunctioning, but the sensors show no mechanical failures?" Thomas translated. "That doesn't make sense."

‹Für einen Menschen vielleicht nicht.› The robot's optical sensors focused on Thomas with what could only be described as mechanical disdain. ‹Aber die Daten sind eindeutig.›

Thomas ignored the jab and knocked on the professor's door. "Professor Alcubierre? It's Captain Reyes."

The door slid open immediately, revealing the professor fully dressed, his tablet clutched to his chest. He looked as if he hadn't slept at all.

"Capitán," he acknowledged, his accent heavier than it had been during their initial meeting. "There is problem with ship, yes?"

"We're experiencing some environmental anomalies," Thomas said carefully, studying the professor's face. "Nothing serious, but Luna—my dog—seems agitated by something in the ventilation system."

The professor's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "The small dog, she can... sense things?"

"She's engineered to detect atmospheric anomalies," Thomas admitted. "She saved my aunt's life once when an oxygen unit failed."

Professor Alcubierre seemed to make a decision. He glanced at his tablet, then reluctantly extended it to Thomas. "I have been monitoring as well. Look."

The screen displayed a complex three-dimensional map of the ship, with swirling patterns of color moving through the corridors like smoke. According to the timestamp, the recording had begun shortly after they'd departed Titan.

"What am I looking at?" Thomas asked, studying the display with a careful expression.

"Quantum field disturbances," the professor replied, his eyes fixed on the tablet. "Very small, very subtle. Not dangerous, but... not normal."

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "And you've been monitoring these since we left Titan? Interesting timing, considering Luna just started acting strange tonight."

The professor shifted uncomfortably but maintained his professional demeanor. "I have... concerns. Scientific concerns. I did not wish to alarm anyone prematurely."

«Captain,» TESS interrupted. «Kurt is requesting your presence on the bridge immediately. Nova has discovered something on the outer hull.»

Thomas handed the tablet back to the professor. "Bring this with you. We should compare notes with what Nova's found." He paused, his voice calm but firm. "Professor, whatever's happening, we need all the information. My crew's safety depends on it."

When they arrived on the bridge, Kurt was hunched over the main display, his expression grim. Nova stood beside him, her blonde hair disheveled, dark smudges under her eyes suggesting she'd been working through the night.

"Show him," Kurt said without looking up.

Nova tapped a command, and the external camera feed appeared on the main screen. "I was doing routine maintenance checks on the sensor array when I found this," she said, zooming in on a small, metallic object attached near the ship's communications array. "It's not one of ours."

The object was about the size of a credit chip, its surface a dull, non-reflective black that seemed to absorb the light around it.

"A tracking device?" Thomas suggested.

"More than that," Nova replied. "It's tapped into our communications system, and it's broadcasting something. The signal is encrypted, but it's definitely transmitting data."

Thomas turned to the professor. "Did you know about this?"

Professor Alcubierre's face had gone pale. "I feared something like this," he said quietly. "They have found me more quickly than I anticipated."

"They?" Kurt asked sharply. "Who exactly are 'they,' Professor?"

The professor clutched his tablet tighter. "It is complicated."

"Uncomplicate it," Thomas said, his voice hardening. "You've brought something onto my ship that's putting my crew at risk. We deserve to know what we're dealing with."

The professor looked at each of them in turn, his expression conflicted. Finally, he sighed. "What I tell you now, it changes everything. You understand this, yes? Once you know, you cannot un-know."

«Captain,» TESS interjected suddenly. «I'm detecting a new anomaly. The quantum field disturbances Professor Alcubierre has been monitoring... they're converging in cargo bay three.»

As if on cue, Luna burst onto the bridge, barking frantically. She ran to the door leading to the lower decks, then back to Thomas, clearly trying to get him to follow.

‹Die Schiffstemperatur in Frachtraum drei sinkt rapide,› ASHLOK reported. ‹Minus zwanzig Grad und fallend.›

"Temperature in cargo bay three is dropping rapidly," Thomas translated, already moving toward the door. "Minus twenty degrees and falling."

The professor grabbed his arm. "No! Do not go down there!" His eyes were wide with genuine fear. "It is manifesting. The signal from the device—it is a beacon."

"A beacon for what?" Kurt demanded.

The professor's answer was lost in the sudden, ship-wide power fluctuation that plunged them into darkness. Emergency lighting kicked in seconds later, bathing the bridge in an eerie red glow.

«Primary systems rebooting,» TESS announced, her voice sounding different—more precise, less human. «Detecting unauthorized access to ship's mainframe. Initiating security protocols.»

From below decks came a sound that none of them could immediately identify—a low, resonant hum that seemed to vibrate through the metal of the ship itself. Luna whimpered and pressed herself against Thomas's leg.

"Professor," Thomas said quietly, "I need you to tell us exactly what's on this ship with us."

Professor Alcubierre looked at him with resignation. "Not what, Captain. Who." He turned his tablet to show them a personnel file with a photo of a woman who bore a striking resemblance to the professor himself. "My daughter. Or rather, what is left of her after the artifact changed her."

The lights flickered again, and somewhere in the depths of the ship, metal groaned as if under immense pressure.

Their invisible passenger was making itself known.