COMMANDER KAYLIN

I yawn and look up at the galaxy map,

12:08

Glad it's another day in para-

Exclamation marks go over the planets at random, broadcasts come in from all of them.

*Black creatur- Req-ing back- People liqui- Jenna-il blizzards - summer. Giant ani-ls, Volcanic-tions.

I bang on the alarm and grab the microphone, my voice blasts from the speakers,

Get on the lines, now! Speed up towards Martus!

A soldier barges in, "Sir!" "At ease!" "We got a problem! Some of the crew-" I turn with wide eyes, "What?" "They- they-"

"Tell me damn it!" "They changed! Blackened creatures, we shot them down, but they won't die!" "Show me!" He nods and runs down the halls

Sealing quarantine doors now.

I walk through the hallway with glass overlooking the planet, Martus. I finally catch up.

A blackened soldier, claws for fingers, blood red eyes, wrapped in chains. He struggles like a wild beast. It raises it's hand to me and a spike forms in it's palm. I roll to the side and a loud ping comes from behind me. At a backward glance, the spike dented the ship's thick plating like nothing.

I aim my gun at his head and shoot him. He falls down and goes limp.

I inch closer, lower my gun and he twitches. I jump back and fall onto the floor. He pounces towards me, but the chain yanks him back. He claws at the floor in desperation. I shoot him again and again, nothing seems to phase it. I scoot back and it calms down, now that I'm out his reach.

"Sir, you alright?" Two soldiers stand me up, "Yeah, am I scratched, bitten?" "Why?" "We might have an outbreak here." I grab my radio, "Hey, is the reactor room secure? Any black creatures?"

*No sir!* "Ok, sending reinforcements your way!" *Oh, uhh, we got it covered.* Something's off here. "No, whatever this is, they're too dangerous!" I point to half the soldiers, "You guys secure the reactor room, The rest secures the helm with me!" The soldiers march and I lead the others towards the helm.

"What haven't you tried on them?" "Everything except cruel and unusual!" I pick up my radio, "Kill these things any way you can without damaging Lady Liberty! Lure to airlocks if necessary!"

My men shoot down a couple of those things, they stay down for like 3 seconds, then revive like nothing ever happpened? "Ok, shut and seal the door!" The door shuts and they start welding it shut.

I march forward, "Status report!" The computer jockeys all turn and stand at attention, "Every planet is in disaster, Martus has undead, Jennafil-" "Ok, allocate our resources well!" They all sit, slap their headphones back on and talk into speakers.

Could this be an attack? But from who? We stomped out the Soviet cells, Nazis. Who? Could it be a virus. Storms, volcanoes erupting? It can't be doomsday! Can it? I get chills as we enter Martus' orbit.