SOUND

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say. So how did we all just hear one?

The Mint was deep in Fannian Space, cloaked and slowly approaching the third moon of Yoka. Somewhere out there, something big, screamed so loud that we all heard it … here … from within the ship.

“What the fuck was that?” popped Trap. He was on the walkways below, making repairs.

My crew began to react quickly! Bliss had her attention on the ship’s main window. From her chair, at the science consoles, she answered Trap, “Something,” she paused, and then, “… screamed?”

Trap was standing up, and looking across the deck. He alerted, “There’s no noise in space B.” Trap wasn’t looking for a response or an argument. It was just a statement. We all knew sound didn’t travel in a vacuum and that was the point. Something monstrous just made sound in space.

Trap jumped up to the deck, and moved to the pilot’s console, falling into the gunner’s seat. To his left, the Mint’s pilot, Dasswah, nodded at Trap as he arrived near her. She was shaking her head receiving data from her console. Turning her head sideways toward the perch, she reported, “Sensors show zero-medium … electric or magnetic, Captain. And nothing hailing us.”

Trap swung around in his chair, addressing me. “Captain?”

I looked over my crew. We were all on edge. I looked down at Trap from the perch and grimaced. He looked ready. Alert. They all did. Dash was searching for the source as well as possible cover. Bliss, who was below to my left, was analyzing data inside and outside of the Mint.

“Dash, full stop,” I ordered.

Dash acknowledged, bringing the Mint to zero punch.

Still looking at Trap, I asked, “There’s got to be a medium right?”

Trap pointed toward the main window with a smirk, “Only space Captain,” he said. “And Dash says no electric storm or odd magnetic stuff out there. But yah … there’s got to be something vibrating.”

Something screamed again. Everyone heard it again.

I swung left to face Bliss’s chair, punching commands into my chair boards. “B – run scans on the crew. Now!” I ordered. “And make sure to get Cop and Jinko.” The last of my crew still in their bunks. “Dash, what’s the nearest cover?”

Trap leaned over Dash’s station watching her search. “There,” she said to Trap, pointing at her console.

Trap called back to me, “Two thousand clicks or so Captain. Looks like dead rock.”

“And Iolla?” I asked. Iolla was the third moon from Yoka, our destination.

Dash turned back to the perch. “Six hours cloaked, at Punch3.”

Bliss chimed, “Captain?”

“Yah B?” I turned to her.

“Initial scans are coming in and they’re fucked up. If accurate, we got …” the stress level was rising for everyone, “Fuck it. I’m just sending it to your console Step,” she decided, smacking a key on her boards, she spun in her chair to face the perch. “Two dimensions, right? Either that, or maybe that scream fucked something up?”

I looked at the data coming across my screens, and barked an order to Dash, “Dash – stay cloaked but get us to that rock as fast as you can.”

Dash acknowledged, steering the Mint leftward and ascending.

Trap was impatient, “So?” he said to me.

The scans showed two dimensions within the ship, as Bliss reported, and the entire crew was in both dimensions simultaneously. “Run ‘em again B, and this time scan 1000 meters out.”

Bliss looked back to her screens. I continued to examine the numbers associated with the data. The scans were accurate. There was no interference. I looked down at Trap. “There’s another dimension in the ship,” I started, and then shook my head, “It’s around us … on us …” I leaned on my console, and emphasized, “In us.”

Dash glanced back, “Fuck,” she muttered, absently brushing her gear.

Before Trap could respond, Bliss reported, “Scans are the same Step, and the Mint is in it too. It’s all over out there.” She jutted her head toward the main window. “We’re flying in it.”

Trap stood up, pulling his pulse rifle from its station holster, “We in danger here?” He moved the rifle through the spaces near him, aggressively defensive.

I stood up, drawing my own energy pistol, “I don’t know.” I tapped several keys, “It’s … like an atmosphere … another space?” I moved toward my drop ladder.

Trap stepped onto the deck, and moved toward the perch. He lowered his rifle a bit, but still held it at guard looking up at me waiting.

I descended from the perch, “B, Can we make out what this other dimension is made of?”

Bliss answered quickly, “Already done. Nitrogen, hydrogen.” She switched to other tools at her station as I arrived near her, Trap just behind me. I placed my hand on her shoulder and she touched it briefly without looking at me. “But there’s something visible throughout it, like a fog.” She leaned back shaking her head, “There’s something different …” she trailed off.

“Yah, I see it,” I commented.

The scream … again.

“Fuck’s sake!” grunted Trap, swinging his weapon back up.

We were all looking out the main window. That was the third scream. It had to be alien … and I’d swear it sounded feminine. Whatever it was, it must be gigantic! It might not even be screaming I considered. Each time it had sounded nearly the same … like something vocalizing, a bird chirping, a dog barking, a monster aching.

I pointed at one of Bliss’s screens. “There B. It’s undetermined for sure.” The data showed the atmosphere of this other dimension was also made up of a different sequence … unknown chemistry, nothing whacky, but maybe quantum. “See if we can isolate that B, and try to get a sample. Meanwhile, see if you can run diagnostics on just the unknown element.” I tapped her shoulder, “Be careful.”

She nodded and got to work. Trap and I moved closer to Dash. I holstered my pistol. “Whatever this is,” I waved my arm in the air, “It hasn’t been aggressive so far, right?”

Trap countered, “You said it was in us Cap.”

I nodded, “Yah, but not interacting with our physiology … not crossing over. It’s hard to explain. It’s like we are in it, and it is in us, but neither of us are merging with each other.” I clasped my hands together. Pointing at Bliss, I added, “That’s what I got B trying to figure out now.”

Trap smirked and shook his head. The Mint was arriving at the dead hunk of rock hanging in space. The rock was about three miles long, from the Mint’s perspective, and half that wide, and high. Dash found a nice crevice on the underside, and nestled the Mint there.

“Trap, what do think about those screams?” I asked.

Trap thought for a moment, “It sounds like pain?” he offered.

I nodded, “I agree.” I touched Dash on the back, “Work on that scream Dash. Run it against known languages, intelligent … animal … alien. See what comes up.”

I turned to Trap, “Secure the ship Trap. Everything. Automate defenses. Alert and nullify. And wake up Cop and Jinko.”

“You got it Step,” Trap moved off, back onto the walkways below.

Just then, suddenly, white light washed over everything and thumped the Mint! There had been no sound, but something massive exploded out there!

Yoka? The monster?

Heavy rock pounded against the hull! The Mint shook violently! Klaxons sounded loud throughout the ship. Trap was cursing below. I couldn’t see anything. I was on the floor. I must have fallen.

I yelled through the white, “Dash, descend and move, Fullpunch!”

Dash called back, “Got it Step!” She sounded injured.

I felt the Mint whip away!

“Bliss!” I yelled. “Bliss!”