Shattered Past

Posted on Tue Jun 29th, 2021 @ 2:30pm by Ensign James Phoenix

Mission: A Dark Looking Glass
Location: Holosuit, DS9
Timeline: Current

James Phoenix followed Quark into the holosuite. Quark went over to the control panel to set up the program.

"Alright, mister Phoenix, you have about 3 hours to use the program. When you are done, just tap this button on the console right here." Quark said, motioning to the console. "Now, if you will excuse me, I'm gonna go see if your friends need anything else."

James pressed a button to begin the program.

He was viewing the program as a viewer, not actually participating. He wanted to find clues. Anyway to help himself, and his counterpart. They both suffered the same incident, freezing them for hundreds of years. but what was different?

The program began outside the control center, or bridge of the ship. He saw his counterpart walking with another crewmen into the control center of the ship. As he observed, he noticed some major differences from the ship in his universe, and some more minor differences.

He saw a younger version of his counterpart go into the control center. Phoenix followed prime Phoenix into the room. He saw multiple personnel at their workstations. The room itself was somewhat cramped. But that was to be expected.

Prime James walked over to Ash and began to annoy her, as usual. But, that's what his specialty was. Besides, she was used to it. After all, they were best friends.

Phoenix noted the similarities between himself and his counterpart. He noticed how they both were observers on the mission. However, he also noticed the differences too. When he was on the mission, the Terran Empire still existed. Not that he enjoyed that fact. In his own universe, it was more of a non-sanctioned mission. He noticed the many NASA logos in some areas, which meant that this was a sanctioned mission. He wasn't paying attention to anything anyone was saying in the program, until Ash noticed something on her console.

"Colonel, I'm picking up a strange reading. I'm not quite sure what it is." She looked at who seemed to be the leader of that mission. James also noticed that the leader of this mission was a face that he did not recognize, as in his own universe, it was someone else.

"What is it Specialist?" The Colonel asked.

"It looks like an Co2 buildup less than a few meters from our position." She informed as she looked at her readouts on her console again. "Wait, Colonel, its coming from our engine room!"

"Not good." The Colonel said as he went to what looked like a comm system.

"Engine room. This is the control center, do you read?" There was no response. This was followed my a loud bang throwing everyone from their stations.

"The hell?!" The Colonel bellowed. "Status!"

"Colonel we are veering off course, there is damage to our thrusters and engines. My helm control is unresponsive." The officer at the helm reported, but not before his console exploded throwing him from his spot, becoming unconscious.

"Mr Phoenix, take the helm!" The Colonel ordered as he tapped a few buttons at his console, attempting to open communications, though being halfway to Mars, there was little hope for Mission Control to get their message anytime soon. "Mission Control, this is Alpha 3, Mayday, we require assistance, I repeat we need assistance. Come in Mission Control." It was no use. They wouldn't receive the message in time

"Aye." James ran to the helm station. However, he couldn't do much. "Colonel, helm is still not responding. The controls are too far damaged."

"Sir we are picking up another buildup in our engines again. This one will destroy us."

"We have no way to get off." the Colonel said.

"We have one. The cryostasis tubes sir." James said.

"Those are highly experimental. They may not work." Ash replied"

The Colonel thought for a moment. The tubes were their only chance of survival. "You too, get to the cryotubes. I'll get any remaining crew to follow. Don't wait for me. That's an order."

"Aye" James and Ash said simultaneously

"Come on he need to hurry." James said.

Mirror James followed the two to the tubes. At this point, the ship was facing a mass systems failure. Oxygen was low, and most of the ship was in flames. He noticed the two trip over a beam that had collapsed. Prime James helped his friend up, who started to limp, most likely due to a fracture in her leg. In his own universe, it was James who suffered a broken leg.

Soon after, they made it to the lab with the cryostasis tubes. James helped Ash into the first one. Before climbing into his own tube, he leaned over Ash, who was already secured in her own.

"If we don't come out of this, or see each other again, I-" He was interupted by Ash.

"Don't. We will find each other again. We will survive." She said beginning to tear up. "I'll see you on the other side. I love you."

James began to tear up himself. "See you on the other side. I love you too." He pressed a button on the cryotube to close it, and then another to begin the freezing sequence. Then, the was another small blast in the room he was forcing him to the ground. He looked at his friends pod. It was undamaged.

With a struggle, he crawled to his stasis tube, and crawled in, setting everything to happen automatically just before. Soon after he was forced into a deep sleep.

The ship exploded soon after, leaving the stasis pods to float out of the ship and into open space. Mirror James looked around. It seemed his counterpart, and the counterpart of his friend were the sole survivors. This was all he needed to know. Some kind of closure. He began to tear up, reliving his own accident. He wiped away the tears away, and went to the console, and tapped a button to stop the program. He left the holosuite and went back to the table with his friends.