Chrono Virus

Chapter 6

Blaring alarms pierced Hubbard's ears and the sound shocked his body back into the reality that was the blazing fire aboard the Oceania. A wave of heat blew over his face causing his eyes to instantly tear up. The unfamiliar commanding officer still directed the orderly chaos. Shouts rang along Engineering as the orders were relayed over the noise.

 "Damnit!" Hubbard yelled.

The haze had been seconds from being vented into deep space, yet it had snapped him back here at the last possible moment. His hands felt heavy, weighted down by the filled hose in his hands, bucking as nannites flew out of the end. Hubbard gripped the hose tight and took a visual inventory of the section. He recognized Jenkins and Whol working the hose on the second team. His counterpart eagerly continued his duty on team one. Hubbard couldn't help from staring for a moment at the younger face, untouched by the rigors of space travel and financial burden. There was a determination still in his eyes, a yearning to make his own way through the universe and become someone who mattered. The young Hubbard turned toward the captain. He averted his eyes back toward the fire, his smile snapped away.

 Would seeing his future self change history?

The consequences of a possible paradox were shattered as a panel on the wall sparked out. A shower of white cinders spewed out and fell gracefully to the floor. The distinct sound triggered Hubbard's memory of the fire, and he remembered exactly what would happen next. They'd learn in a moment that the hose team two held was only running at half-output and that was why they weren't getting the fire under control. A change in controls would remedy that and the crew would be back to normal duty in a half-hour.

Hubbard held the hose steady waiting for the revelation. Through the screams of coordinating the nannite spray, he worked to filter out the noise to something usable. Two minutes passed and nothing changed. Three minutes and the flames raged on. Another minute and an alert sounded that the engine containment field would soon be decimated, putting the ship's entire propulsion system at risk. Hubbard remembered hearing the alert only once before during his training to qualify for a post on the Oceania.

"That alert never went off," Hubbard said.

"What?" the person in front of him asked.

Hubbard glanced over to the confused young man holding the same hose as he did. "Nothing!" he shouted over the noise.

 This wasn’t right.

The commanding officer approached the first team and took control of the front position. He maneuvered the hose toward the flames, bringing the entire team closer. Each step sent a shot of dread through Hubbard. He wanted to shout for them to stop. He wanted to scream that the hoses weren't operating properly, but he couldn't. Each second that his mind worked to overcome the paralyzing fear, he felt an overwhelming force freeze his attempts. Closer and closer they drew to the flames, the commanding officer forging ahead.

Hubbard remembered to exhale as the group paused and aimed their hose at the base of the fire. The nannites shot out at a full flow, piercing the air like an army of tiny arrows. The flames retreated. The smooth sweeping action of the hose pushed the flames further away and the blaze began shrinking. Combined with the second and third team's hoses, the crew began to gain control. All three hoses continued their sweeps. For a moment Hubbard could have sworn he felt a hint of cooler air brush his sweat-covered cheeks. Some air must have swept in as the flames died down. Hubbard gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the hose, pushing himself to get as much control over his section of hose as possible. They needed to get this fire out before the damages in Enginneering left the Oceania stuck in deep space for months waiting for help to arrive.

Without warning, a bulkhead above team one exploded. Scraps of metal shot out like the shrapnel of a bomb, and Hubbard's entire team ducked. Nannites rained down in all directions, and the fire roared back with a vengeance. Crouching, Hubbard saw the hose dance on its own from the pressure. Nobody was holding it any more. All of the first team lay on the ground motionless, everybody’s skin badly burned with huge gashes from the explosion.

 Searing heat rose through Hubbard's torso. It shot up from his stomach, burning every fiber of his intestines as it reached up into his chest. He coughed smoke and could practically feel ashes regurgitating up from his throat. Through eyes blurred with tears, he looked down to see his body tearing apart through horrific gashes on his skin. The wounds appeared from nowhere, but he felt them instantly. Hubbard let out a painful scream. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. His life went on past the Oceania. The Raven still awaited him.

Thoughts of his ship filled Hubbard's mind as he fell to the deck curled into a fetal position. The internal burning locked up all his muscles. Incapable of speaking, all Hubbard could do was think of an apology to Watts and Mallory for what took place on the Raven. A lone tear escaped him seconds before the pain shot into his head sending the world to black.