Katsi mashed the door close button on the elevator, wanting nothing more than to just go to her room and plot how to keep Dean on the ship. Right before it could close, an arm jammed itself through the gap, making Katsi jump. The doors tapped lightly around the arm before popping back open, Anisa walking in. The older sister pushed the door close button. Anisa pushed the button for the observation deck. “Alright, spill the beans.” Katsi sighed and ran her hand through her hair. “I knew it. This is because you like him. Are you really putting us all in-“

Katsi sighed louder, groaned, and stated, “See, I knew you wouldn’t get it. I hoped you would but I knew you wouldn’t. It’s the same everytime-“ the two of them began speaking over each other.

“I can’t believe you are so immature that you can’t see the bigger picture. I mean when you renovated the van I thought-“

“I come with you deep into space where purple ladies with fire keep trying to kill me to find your boyfri-“

“He isn’t my boyfriend and you know that! Not everyone is shallow like you! I mean how could you-“

“And here she goes with this stoic ‘I don’t need anyone’ stance. Just like when we were kids! You always cut me out-“

This squabbling went on for many minutes as the elevator descended. Eventually it died down and Katsi explained in an agitated tone. “Look, I lost a lot of friends to my attempts at a revolution. After Dean explained how things were and that your friend might be able to solve the problem for good, I volunteered.”

Anisa stated in a tired tone, as though she had heard the story a million times, “And then you got a kitty crush on Dean.”

“First off, not a real phrase. Second, yeah. He is muscular, kind, noble, knows his way around tech and theoretical physics, and is basically immortal so I don’t have to worry about him being taken away and executed for treason against the regime.” She rocked a little back and forth as if really finding comfort in the thought.

Anisa nodded, “Yeah, but here’s the zinger. Do you even know his last name?”

Katsi nodded much to Anisa’s surprise. “I don’t know if he likes me back, but when you meet a man with a brain as big as his muscles you start thinking long game.” Anisa shot her a glare and Katsi peeled back the mask a little, “I do like him, but I worry that I’m just trying to feel normal out here. Things have been crazy non-stop since we left home and I just need something to ground me.” Flipping her hair a little Katsi asked, “Enough about Dean. How are your headaches doing? I thought you and Tak fixed them.”

Anisa laughed nervously which got her sister to glare at her. She tried to avoid eye contact, but she knew it was only a matter of time before her sister got through. Katsi went to put a finger in Anisa’s mouth to tug on her cheek, but Anisa intercepted it. The two of them eventually devolved into smacking each other. As they were squabbling, the lights began to flicker and the elevator ground to a halt. Anisa asked, “Did Dean ever tell you what to do if the power did that?”

Katsi shook her head slowly, “He said that the power draw of our main gun was so massive that we shouldn’t ever need to worry about standard operation.”

Anisa pushed the button for the floor again, but it didn’t react. She pushed it a few more times and said, “What about the OS?”

Katsi, now growing nervous stated, “The three of them created this code themselves and the processing power should be more than enough for non-combat needs.” She wiggled past her sister to check out the display as the power flickered again.

Anisa checked her commlink and whispered, “Anisa to crew. Anisa to anyone. Can anyone hear me?” When the connection was completely dead, she felt her other self shifting below the surface. Not trying to tell her anything. Not pushing for control. Just moving enough to remind her she was there. It was clear that the monster was growing restless.

Katsi opened up the service panel, checking all the wires and boards. At a loss, she sighed, “I don’t see any damage, and it’s gonna take me a few minutes to rewire the doors to open.” The lights flickered off as she said this and she grumbled, “Okay, maybe a bit longer than that.”

Anisa began to examine the elevator, stating out loud, “Shawn was one of the designers and he was never a fan of needlessly complicated technology. Odds are there is a simple lever or button to a hatch. No telling where we are in the ship but it’s better than being in a box.” As the power came back, Anisa spotted the floor panel and the rip cord holding it in place. “Really? Why make it some fall away panel? How do you fix it? You and your love of the dramatic. Kat, cover your eyes.”

The younger sister did as she was told and Anisa pulled the cord. A series of microexplosives went off, filling the elevator with light and smoke. Through it, Anisa grabbed her sister and pulled her through the gap into the dark elevator shaft below.

The air in it was cold, their boots making a heavy clunk on the steel grating. The sisters looked around in the dark, Anisa eventually finding an odd tube. Leaning against it, she heard a crack and orange light began to travel in lines through the entirety of the shaft. “Did he use glow stick technology for emergency lighting? That’s actually pretty great.” Katsi couldn’t help but be impressed. “For a technophobe, he seemed pretty creative.”

Anisa nodded, “Yeah. Problem he had was less the ideas and more reigning them in or giving them grounding. Brilliant but inert. It bothered him a lot.”

Katsi nodded a little, staring down the faintly lit elevator shaft. While the orange light wasn’t the most ominous color, their voices echoing in the shaft put her on edge. The unending darkness beneath them reminded her of the true size of this ship. “Yeah. His ambition might be a part of our problem right now. Where are we even going? What floor are we on?”

Anisa sighed, “For now, we just need to keep moving. Once we find a door onto the ship proper I’m sure we can get a better impression of what’s going on.” Again, the other shifted below the surface, restless and hungry. As they descended into the dark, all she could think was that something was very wrong in the air.

Eventually following the trail into an open door in the elevator shaft, they walked down the cold and sterile hallways on the other side. The lights were flickering in the dark and their only lead was the orange chemical glow be leading them to some mysterious location. Katsi and Anisa kept checking the walls and digital panels as they walked. Katsi huffed, “You would think there would be better signage. I don’t even know what floor we are on.” She shivered a little, realizing how cold these hallways were. “Must not be a common one or I’m sure the heating would be on.”

Anisa used the manual override lever on yet another of the doors, trying to grab at anything that could give them a lead. Orient them. As she did, she saw rows of empty bunk beds. A barracks? Why would

They have one of those? Did that mean there was an armory near here? Weapons? Is that where he was leading them with this trail?

As they walked through the halls they began to hear thuds and thumps echoing through the empty walls. The Fugue Engine was supposed to run silent. Perhaps it was just the various other bits of machinery compensating for the power fluctuations. Perhaps there was a leak, or perhaps it was just the coolant going through the pipes. The lights flickering did nothing to put them at ease.

As they wandered the halls they were surprised to see Tak traveling around just as uneasy as them. Upon seeing them she seemed to smile cheerily. “Oh, hello girls! You have no idea how glad I am to have found you.” She approached them casually, adjusting her goggles a little as she did so. “I would lend you guys a pair each but I didn’t have time to get them from my room.”

Katsi laughed along, but she noticed her sister did not. Ignoring it for now, Katsi asked, “Have you seen anyone else?”

Tak shook her head and sighed, “Sadly, no. I’ve been looking but no luck. I was worried that someone might have hacked our systems so I was trying to find the armory. I would hate to be caught by surprise.”

Katsi nodded, “Yeah. Weird timing of this. Dean was just talking about feeling hunted. Do you think this is the same person?”

Tak thought about it for a moment and shook her head, “I don’t think that the power has anything to do with that feeling he had. But if we are being hunted, they would absolutely take advantage of a moment like this to infiltrate.”

Anisa nodded and spoke coldly, her eyes distant, “Yeah. It would be a good time for that. With communications down, there is no telling what dangers could be hiding on this ship. I say we stick together. Strength in numbers after all.”

Tak smiled lovingly and nodded, “Of course, Zora. Lead the way until the dawn!” She motioned Anisa to take the lead who did so nearly robotically. Watching her sister’s precise and deliberate movements, Katsi couldn’t help but feel weird about it. Tak leaned over and asked, “Is she okay?”

Katsi shook her head, grumbling, “It is those damned headaches. She hasn’t been acting right. I thought you guys sorted that out.”

Tak hesitated for a moment before nodding, “Yeah. I thought we had too. But a condition like this doesn’t just disappear in an afternoon. We should be careful. If our hunter has entered the ship, they might be trying to influence her.”

Katsi nodded, “Let’s all be on our guard then. If they have mind control tech, none of us are safe.” Tak nodded, following Anisa’s lead with concern on her face.

Anisa shouted from the front, “You are right. That’s why we need to get to the armory. But that means we need to be careful at the armory. I’ll go in first to make sure it is safe.” This seemed to put Tak more on edge but Katsi just patted her shoulder, trying to reassure her that it would be okay, doing her best to continue trusting her sister.

Katsi watched carefully and couldn’t help but notice Anisa’s hand drifting to her temple subconsciously. Tak noticed this and whispered, “When we get to the Armory, stay in the hall. Say you want to keep watch. If she loses her mind, run. I’ll catch up.”

Katsi nodded, worried about the possibility. Playing with the device on her wrist, she wondered if this was the kind of situation that Tak wanted her to use it in. Her companion noticed her playing with it and held out her hand, clearly asking for it. Katsi laughed at the joke and Tak chuckled as well, the two continuing to follow the stalwart figure ahead of them.

Tak whispered, “I know you may want to protect yourself, but an emergency transformation device would be very helpful in this situation.”

Katsi nodded, “It’s times like these the DNA lock is a pain. But at least it keeps us safe in a situation like this.” Tak nodded, briefly reflecting on what was said. Eventually, the orange line turned into one of the more heavily locked rooms. Anisa held her head and seemed to whisper under her breath. Removing the keypad, she seemed unsurprised to see an odd sliding tile puzzle underneath. None of the tiles had any discernible markings on them. Yet Anisa seemed to slide the tiles without hesitation or doubt. A few moments later and the door cracked open. As Anisa strained her muscles to open the door, Katsi blurted out, “You guys get the armory open. I’ll keep a lookout for the intruders.”

Tak nodded and rushed over to help Anisa open the door. Once it was wide enough for them to fit, Tak tried to enter. Anisa shook her head, smiling ominously, “We don’t know if it is secure. Until it is, I’m the only one who can defend themselves.” She lifted up her arm, tapping on the bracer on her right arm. “I’ll make sure it is clear. You can follow me after, Tak.” The clone seemed bothered by the nickname, but nodded. Still, they both seemed to enter just fine, the room seeming to glow with orange light.

Katsi couldn’t see what was happening from out in the hallway. Between her angle and the power fluctuations, she couldn’t be sure of much of anything going on. Suddenly she could hear a scuffle, a blast, and then the sound of screeching metal. Katsi dove around a corner to hide as she watched the door. As she did, Tak came out of the door, suspended in the air by a shiny clawed hand through her gut. The doctor coughed a jet of blood as another insect-like hand came out and grabbed her by the head.

The armored bug woman laughed a little as she tossed the bleeding figure against a wall. She hissed, “You are nothing. The relentless survive. You will not.” The insectoid figure walked up the hallway, slowly, her spiked boots causing short bursts of the sound from before. Metal screaming in pain. Katsi held her breath and stayed perfectly still in the darkness. The woman seemed to be looking for her, placing a hand on a nearby wall and gently running her clawed hands along it, creating an odd grinding sound as she left.

Once Katsi was sure the monster had left, she collapsed, trying to figure out what she should do about the monster her sister had just become.