Koma's Flashback

When the Adminstrator left it was just me and Annabell in the Slipstream Lab. I looked at the lab and I remembered.

I could see it all. Dr Wicker standing expectantly in front of me with the other scientists milling about and of course the Cavilier. He was there just in case things should go wrong.

It begins the same way as before. Dr Wicker gives the order to open the time-slip wormhole. It opens prefectly. We can view the point in time we require just like before. Wicker turns to me and smiles.

"And you thought the Cosmic energy would break the time-slip shielding." She jibes.

"I said the shields wouldn't hold after the power transfer was initiated." I warn back.

"And as I said before Austin it wont happen if we limit the transfer." Dr Wicker returned. "Begin the transfer." She orders confidently.

The Transfer Relay looks like a gigantic trident. It pierces the time-slip shielding and the power starts being registerd in the storage batery.

"Point 04 percent of capacity registered." I announce.

"Whats the influx setting ?" Wicker demands.

"Influx setting is at factor 3 and holding." I reply.

"Thats not too high. It should fill the storage batery in fifteen minutes." calculates Dr Wicker.

The Cavilier flies over from the Transfer Relay manual controls.

"Well done Dr Wicker. This looks like a great success." He congratulates.

"This is only the first step Cavilier. Soon we will be able to power the whole country this way." replies Wicker confidently.

And then it starts to go wrong.

"Influx factor rising to factor 4, 4.5. Storage capacity at 25% percent and rising fast." I relay. "Now at factor 5, 6. Dr Wicker we should end the test now, it we overload the storage battery..."

"Yes Austin I agree." Orders Wicker. "Shut it down."

I go to retract the Transfer Relay.

"The Transfer Relay is stuck." I report.

"No problem I'll get it in." replies the Cavilier calmly. He flies over to the Relay and attempts to operate the manual controls. He puts his whole strength into it and the wheel shatters.

"Influx at factor 11, Storage at 75% and rising fast we have only 30 seconds till we hit overload. We should shut down the Wormhole." I advise.

"No!" Protests Dr Wicker. "If we shutdown the wormhole we loose the Relay. That took 2 years to build. I am not letting this beat us."

The Cavilier has by this time got a grip on the Relay arm and is struggling to remove it under his own strength.

"We need to shut down now Nova." I beg using Dr Wickers surname.

"No!" She shouts back.

The storage reaches 95%. I get up and go to the wormhole console and shove the operator out of the way. I begin the shut down sequence when Dr. Wicker lunges at me.

"You can't stop it. I wont let you ruin it." she screams at me. Her rage overpowers me and pushes me over. I get back up just in time to see the Cavilier with one last pull, pry the Relay from the wormhole. The emergency claxon sounds. Dr Wicker and I both turn to see the shielding crack. The Cosmic energy spills out into the lab in waves. I manage to finish the shutdown sequence but its too late the Cosmic wave hits the Transfer Relay sending the Storage Battery into overload. The light is blinding, I can feel the wave as it comes towards me. I feel it brushing me for a scant second. Then i fall unconscious.

"Austin, Austin." She called after me. Annabell stood in front of me. How long she'd been calling my name I didn't know.

"I haven't seen that look on your face for a long time. Thats fear. Isn't it." Accused Annabell. "What is the great Captain Koma afraid of ?" Annabell continued to glare at me I avoided her eyes for a while.

"I'm not afraid. Not exactly its just that this room, its.." I trailed off.

"Yes that room is what ?" She prompted.

"I was one of the three survivors of Slipstream. I hadn't been in this room since the accident." I answer.

"So you were having a flashback ?" she asks.

"Yeah. And I am not going to let that mistake happen again." I answer.

Just my pager goes off.

Its from Prescott the Teams in trouble.