Deep Space Nothing

Act III

"Commander, situation report." she yells over a migraine inducing alarm. "What the fuck is happening?" she springs out of her bed and tries to vacate the room as quickly as possible but the thumb scanner takes a moment to initiate. Once scanned, the door emits the most painful noise she has ever heard and she wants to cry through the entire long grinding of the mechanics within the frame.

She breathes a sigh of relief as it slides upwards but not even giving it the chance to open fully before slipping underneath. Her feet scream in pain from the rigid, metallic flooring but she doesn't slow down as she makes her way to the bridge for what she knows is not the first time today. 

Her hands feel the cold of the ladder as do her feet, with her toes not giving any recognition to the icy temperature of each rung. She scrambles onto her knees then leaps up then sprints down the next two corridors. The second ladder is taken with ease and she pulls herself up at an incredible rate. Approaching the bridge she doesn't slow down and stumbles in to see her crew stood exactly where she expected them to be.

"Conway, Stone, Bradshaw, Kemper. Tell me what the fuck is happening. Now."

"Captain. Are you okay?" Conway asks while taking a step forward.

"Stay back. That's an order." she roars uncontrollably. 

"Captain, just calm down. Whatever is wrong, I'm sure we can talk about it. Everything will be okay?"

"It won't. Something is happening here and you are all blind to it."
Stone tries to approach but is also ordered to remain in place, she stands with folded arms and that same stern, unsympathetic look upon her face, "Captain, you need to get it together. Snap out of it"

"This is crazy, Captain. Whatever this is, it's all in your head. I understand, we're all under pressure here but this will pass." Conway says in the most disingenuous of tones.

"I just need time, I don't understand this at all. I can't explain to you what this is but I know that it is something beyond our control. I can't..." Doehler comes to a stop, deep inside she knows she is making no sense to her crew and is all alone in this situation.

Her breathing stabs into her chest like a knife, short, sharp and repeatedly inflicting unrelenting pain. "Not this time," she mutters through her broken breath before making a sprint towards the door.

The crew stay as they were while sharing a dismissive glance at one another, "I knew she couldn't handle it." Stone remarks with an 'I told you so' tone to which the other crew members give a snort and nod of agreement as the light slaps of Doehelr's bare feet fade off into the distance.

Her hands push her from wall to wall and the sweat runs down her brow, the beads glistening under the dim lights. Something has taken over, putting her into a desperate and scared state. With her jaw losing all control she hisses the air in through her teeth but she is unable to steady the pace of her breathing. The heavy thumping of her heart feels like it is over powering the slams of her feet but she continues to run as hard and as fast as she can. To where she does not know but this doesn't stop her from fleeing from the nothing that has encapsulated her.

She screams for a few seconds as she slams directly into Niec, "Whoah there Captain, getting that exercise I see. That should make you feel better."

"Niec, by God. You scared me. Wait, what exercise? Didn't I dream that? I've woke up in the same place several times now, Niec. The same thing over and over again, what were the drugs you prescribed?"

"Doehler, it can't be that bad. I gave you sedatives that's all." he shrugs, taking on the same condescending tone as the rest of her crew.

"Sedatives? Then why is it all I seem to be doing is waking up? The same place, the same time, the same annoying alarm? What is happening here?"