Supernova

John Koenig awoke slowly, disoriented. Still half asleep, he turned over and instinctively reached to stroke the blonde hair of wife. He was disappointed to find that her side of the bed was empty. Cautiously he fully opened his eyes and found that all traces of his wife, Helena Russell had vanished. Her uniforms were no longer in their closet. Her hairbrush that normally rested on the table next to the bed was gone. He sat up sharply and immediately felt a pounding headache. Although he had some trouble focusing he scanned the room thoroughly to search for any trace Helena had been there. Had she left him? Had they had an argument he couldn't recall?

Slowly he stood and searched the room for any sign of her. He pressed the communicator button on the screen for Medical Center. Ben quickly came to the monitor to answer. "Medical Center."

"Where's Dr. Russell?" John asks.

"Who?" Ben questioned

"Dr. Russell," he paused. "Helena!" He raised his voice out of frustration.

"Commander, is everything alright? There's no Dr. Russell here."

Not wanting to be overcome by panic, he apologized to Ben & turned off the screen. He returned to his bed & sat in bewilderment. How could Ben not know who Helena was? She was the Chief medical officer of Moon Base Alpha, not to mention his boss. Although his headache continued to bother him, he showered, dressed, and went to Command Center.

Koenig entered Command Center and was greeted by Yasko, Tony, & Hassan who were finishing up the graveyard shift.

"Morning, Commander," Yasko greeted cheerfully.

"Morning," He responded dryly. "Still here, Hassan?"

"Oh yes, sir. Was just sticking around to hand you my report personally. Something incredible happened, sir. We've been approaching what appeared to be a red giant for about a month now and this morning it became a supernova. It was incredible! Beautiful!"

Massaging his forehead with his eyes closed, Koenig asked, "Has it had any effect on our instruments?"

"None that we can tell so far. We're monitoring it. We're far enough away and going in another direction. I don't see any need for alarm at this time."

"What's our distance?" Koenig asked.

Yasko hits a few computer keys, "9.5 light years, sir."

John grimaces in pain as his headache continues to pound. He continued to rub his forehead win hopes the pain will lessen.

"You OK, John?" Tony asked.

"Oh, fine. Thanks. Just a headache.Yasko, no other changes noted?"

"No sir," she replied.

"Misery loves company, sir. My heads been aching for a couple hours now," added Hassan.

"Is your report already logged online?" Koenig asked.

"Yes sir."

"Then get outta here. Get some rest. Make sure Maya's aware of the update."

"Thank you , commander. She's due in any time. I'll give it to her personally." He turns & leaves.

"Good," Koenig added. He sat down in his chair and stared at the reports left at his desk that he needed to review. Starring blankly, his mind wandered to his experience this morning. He continued to have these memories of Dr. Helena Russell...a woman who was his chief medical officer as well as his wife whom he loved very much. As time passed, his memories of Helena were slowly fading...like a dream, he knew there could be no such person. Currently Alpha's chief medical offer was Dr. Ben Vincent and has been since the moon left Earth's orbit 2 years ago. Yet he continued to have this feeling that she did exist. He could picture her in his mind...a passionate woman whose inner strength matched her beauty. He remembered them being married by Tony Verdeschi, chief of security and second in command. They had grown to know and love each other after the moon blasted out of Earth's orbit. Maybe it was all a dream.

The more he thought of Helena, the empty sick feeling in his stomach worsened. Something was wrong. He was sure of it. He pulled up the active duty roster for all of Alpha and searched for her name. There was no record of the doctor ever being in the space program at all. He sat back in his chair & stared at the ceiling for a moment...then stood & announced that he'd be in his quarters if they needed him. The black sun issue wasn't a pressing matter and just had to spend some time on this empty feeling he had.

Koenig returned to his quarters & slouched down in his couch. His headache, still pounding, prompted him to close his eyes. His mind immediately drifted to memories of Helena. He saw her working in medical center, tending to a patient. She was Helena leaning over Alan Carter, tending to his injuries from an Eagle crash. All at once the scene changed. He recalled himself reaching over to lie on top of Helena, kissing her passionately. He couldn't help but smile. Before he realized it he was asleep in his chair...smiling, and when he awoke suddenly, he found he had to wipe tears from his cheeks. "Gotta snap out of this," he said to himself. He stood & made his way to medical center hoping some how that Bob could give him something.

As he walked the corridors to medical center he was thinking of a way to explain this madness that was affecting him. By the time the door opened & he faced Ben, all he decided to say was that he needed a pain reliever for the headache.

"No problem," Ben said as he reached for a container of pills. "Take two of these. Ya know, you're about the 50th case I've had this morning. Myself included."

John took notice. "Something's going on. Did the headaches occur last night?"

"Yes, people have been coming in complaining of headaches since about 0000 hours last night. It seemed like most cases occurred early this morning. Ranging from moderate to severe headaches. Did something happen last night?"

"Nothing that I'm aware of. I'll look in to it & let you know." He decided not to mention his hallucinations at that point.

"Is there anything bothering you, sir? You seem...."

"No, I'm fine. Thanks. Just tired." He turned and left. He figured the best thing for him is to return to Command Center. Maybe he just needed to get his mind off these preposterous thoughts. Besides, he wanted to hear Maya's opinion on the supernova.

Suddenly his comlock sounded. "Commander Koenig. Please come to Command Center right away," asked Sandra.

"On my way, " he answered Sandra while stepping up his pace.

Once he reached Command Center, there was a sense of urgency in everyone's eyes. Maya was the first to speak up. "Commander, I've been monitoring the supernova & it appears to be expanding."

Alarmed, "Expanding?" Koenig replied. "How is that possible?"

"Possibly it hasn't yet completed its cycle in becoming a supernova. It's grown slightly since I last checked 2 hours ago. "

"Has there been an increase in gravitational pull? Any changes in our readings?" He asked

"No sir. None that we've detected," Maya replied. "We're monitoring it closely. There's still no danger at this point. However it's important that we monitor it. "

"Any form of radiation detected?"

"None that we've detected, sir. No radiation. No signals of any kind. "

Maya added, "With the direction of the moon we'll continue to be at a safe distance. I don't see any real danger."

"OK, good." Koenig nodded and leaned back in his chair...pensive.

Later that day, Maya was in the Technical Section comparing some charts she had made on the supernova. Tony walked in and asked her to lunch.

"Can you spare some time for a brief lunch?"

"For you? Anything," she responded. "What's on the menu today?"

"What, like it changes?" Tony retorted.

Maya laughs in agreement and the two left for lunch. In the corridor they discuss the black hole.

"So what do you think?" Tony asks

"I think we're too far away from the supernova to be alarmed."

"-yet close enough to be concerned, agreed?"

"Yes. Concern enough to monitor is closely. Stars supernova. It's commonplace. We're just close enough to need to be aware of its activity. Besides, even if we were too close, there's not a thing we could do unless we were close enough to a nearby planet to abandon Alpha." Maya explained.

Maya was in Command Center with Tony, Sandra, & extras. John's making his weekly rounds to check in with certain sections of Alpha. She's talking with Tony about some chemicals he could add to his beer to improve the taste. She turns to point to Sandra who doesn't care for Tony's beer...she turns back to find Tony gone. She glanced around the room & was surprised to see he had taken off & left her. "Where did Tony go?" She asked the room.

"Tony? You mean Tony Martin? I would assume he's in maintenance section." Sandra answered.

"No, I mean Tony. He was just here. We were talking and he disappeared. She began to look distressed as she glanced over to see a complete stranger sitting in Tony's chair. It was Paul Morrow. With a disturbed look she asked Paul "Who are you?"

"Paul. Are you OK, Maya?" Paul responded with concern.

"Tony Verdesci!" shouting now. "What's the matter with all of you?"

She was even more shaken up now and everyone was starring at her with tremendous concern. Paul stepped in & offered, " Maya, why don't you take a break & see Ben in Medical Center. Maya left command center quickly and went to her quarters. There she lay on her bed and tried to gather her thoughts. She closed her eyes and attempted meditation. However, the longer she lay still, the more severe the pounding pain in her forehead ached. Maya knew she needed help and left for medical center.

Maya sat on a bed in medical center when John walked in. By now he had been informed of the incident. He approached Maya while Ben was close by reading some charts.

"How are you doing, Maya?" He asked.

"I'm fine, " she replied confidently.

John looked to Ben who added, "Physically, she's absolutely fine."

"Is she released?" John asked

"Yes. Take the rest of your shift off, Maya. "

"Thank you." She said. " I will."

"Maya, I'd like to speak with you....as soon as possible." John knew there was nothing wrong with her. He needed to confirm that she had had the same experience as he.

"Of course, commander." She stood & accompanied him to his quarters. They walked in and she could sense his tension.

"I really am fine, sir." She offered.

" I know. There's something happening to Alpha. I can't explain it, but I had the same experience you did." John began

"You did?" She asked in shock

"This morning, I awoke with memories of my wife, Dr. Helena Russell. Do you remember her?"

"No, I don't."

"In addition to that, I awoke with a pounding headache. Ben said there have been a flood of people with headaches visit medical center since last night. And I don't remember a crew member named Tony Verdeschi." Pauses.... Maya appeared puzzled. Neither one exists yet we have vivid memories of them."

"I'm sure it must be a hallucination, " Maya began. " If these people existed, others would know of them."

"I agree. And the more time passes, the more my memories of her fade...." Long pause while John took a deep, longing breath. " Yet in the pit of my stomach, I miss her. I'm empty inside without her. I don't know how such love could be a hallucination."

Maya added, "Then why don't we remember?"

John shrugs.

Maya continued, " If they were real and somehow disappeared, why wouldn't I remember Helena?" She paused, then added "It's like they never existed."

"I just don't know," John slowly sat down on the couch & buried his face in to his hands. "But if they actually did exist, this entire base may be in danger of disappearing."

"It's possible that this is related to the supernova. The extreme energy could have sent out certain sub atomic particles that I've never examined before. It's improbable, however people are made up of atoms & energy. This could have changed our atomic make up some how."

"What are you saying," Kong asked impatiently.

"Those that have disappeared could have been thrown in to a different dimension."

John lifted his head and stared with great concern. "We're in trouble."

In the recreation center two Alphas were playing table tennis while others watched & cheered on their favorite for the match. Suddenly one of the players disappeared and the ping pong ball flew off the table. The remaining player stood their stunned.

"Hey Gordi. It's kinda hard to play table tennis by yourself!" Said one of the spectators.

Searching for what to say, Gordi replied, "I was playing with Don. Where did he go?"

"Don who? You were just standing there with the paddle & the ball. I figured you were waiting on a challenger," the on looker said.

"No, I had a match going--with Don. What's going on?"

"You seriously were just standing there hitting the ping pong ball yourself," the other Alphan commented.

Gordi was disoriented and increasingly agitated. The fight came out of frustration. Gordi threw the first punch. The other Alphan responded out of sheer defense. Security arrived just before Koenig walked in.

"What happened here?" He inquired calmly.

Security immediately answered, "Just a scuffle, sir. We'll take care of it."

"I'd like to speak with them both. And you can release them"

"Whatever you say, Commander." Surprised.

Security team leaves the Commander and the two men. Koenig asked the rest of the Alphans to leave the room as well.

"OK, who would like to start?" Koenig asked.

Gordi answers, "Sir, I was playing table tennis with someone and just vanished. I can't explain it. I was upset & take responsibility for fight."

He turned to the other Alphan awaiting his story. "Sir, it happened just like he said."

Koenig let the other Alphan leave and continued to speak with Gordi. Gordi's defensive and upset.

"Sir, I really have nothing more to say. I can't explain what happened."

"I wanted to speak with you alone to avoid a possible panic. This morning, the same thing happened to me...it also happened to Maya and I expect a lot of others on the base that haven't admitted it."

"Really, sir," completely relieved.

"Did you have a headache all day today?"

"Pounding one, sir. Haven't been able to quite shake it all day. "

With that statement, John turned and left the room....leaving Gordi dumbfounded. John headed towards Command Center in hopes that Maya would have some sort of lead. Before he reached the door Maya had paged him on his comlock.

"Commander, would you meet me in technical section right away. It's urgent."

"On my way," he said as he turned to head down a different hallway. When he arrived, he found an empty room. No Alphans manning the instruments. No Maya. Immediately he clicked on his comlock and wasn't able to connect to Maya. An error message came across the screen stating no record of staff in database. John (buried) the feelings of panic that were trying to overtake him Although Koenig was himself an accomplished scientist, he faithfully relied upon Maya for her expertise. What is the explanation to all this? Quickly he walked back to Command Center. He needed to remain calm and address the base.

He dashed in the room with a concerned look on his face. Sandra asked what was wrong.

"Commander,?"

"Sandra, any new readings on the supernova?"

"No, sir. What's going on? "

"I believe we're being affected by the black hole that we're approaching. I'll explain it," He paused and scanned Commander Center. Sandra was the only staff there and didn't seem troubled by that fact. His thoughts suddenly flashed to Helena and how much he missed her. He could really use her support and advice right now. He had relied upon her time after time and trusted her more than anyone he'd ever known. Sandra sat awaiting his orders, now starring at him with concern. John finally acknowledged her. "Open a channel to the base."

She pushed a button and John was on live with the remaining Alphans.

"Attention all sections Alpha. This is commander Koenig. We're experiencing some sort of space and time distortion that is causing people to disappear. We haven't isolated the trouble and are working diligently to come up with a solution. Please remain calm if you notice that someone has disappeared. It is my belief that this is being caused by the supernova that we're approaching, and that time will correct itself once we pass it."

Sandra glanced up at John in disbelief. "Who's disappeared?"

"You wouldn't remember them. Once they disappear, they're erased from our memory? Erased from existence." He paused, then, with urgency in his voice, "Paul. As you quickly as you and Sandra can, begin automating this base. We won't survive without a full staff for long."

"Yes, sir," both responded as they both left Command Center and headed in different directions.

John called down to Mathias in medical center. "Medical Center, Mathias here," He answered.

"Bob, is life support fully automated right now?"

"Yes sir. Presently it's set on automatic. It doesn't need a staff to run it unless a problem arises."

"Good. Thanks." John responded.

Bob asks, "Commander? So there really was a Helena in medical? I don't remember her."

"It seems that only 1 person has vague memories of the people who disappear. Perhaps those who are closest to the missing person."

"It just doesn't make sense," he added.

"No. Nothing about a black hole makes sense." John answered with fatigue in his voice. "Koenig out." He disconnected the open line and sat alone in Command Center. Realizing that he needed another staff member there, he called Yasko and Hassan. Neither name registered in the database. Just then an alarm sounded. Some power generators were failing and there was a loss of pressurization. John immediately headed towards life support while trying to raise Sandra and Paul on the comlock. He found no one as he ran through the corridors. The base was practically empty. Staff was disappearing rapidly as they approached the black hole. Could it be that he was alone on the base?

Finally his comlock beeped. It was Bob Mathias. "Commander! Everyone in medical center has vanished."

"I know. Meet me in Life Support. We're loosing pressure fast."

"Got it. I'll be there. Mathias out."

As John picked up the pace, he almost ran in to an Alphan wandering the corridors. She was disoriented and scared. He placed his arm around her shoulder to guide her. Suddenly there was an explosion followed by fire. He knew exactly where the nearest extinguisher was. He grabbed it and put it out. Be turned around and his frightened crew member was gone. He made certain that the fire was out and ran towards Life Support.

Finally reaching Life Support, the doors wouldn't open. He cursed and tried to force the door open. He figured Bob had probably disappeard and who knows who was left on the base. Finally he stood back & fired at the door controls with his lazer. He was able to then push it open and enter the room. He dashed over to the terminal & reset the controls. The alarm stopped. Catching his breath for what felt like the first time today, he rested on a nearby step.

Curious as to the distance of the supernova, John returned to Command Center. The base was lonely and quiet. John opened up the channels to the base, "This is Koenig. Is there anyone left?" No response at first. "Is there anyone out there." After a moment, he received a response from a hydroponics worker and a maintenance worker. Both were confused and frightened. John tried to reassure them but there was little reassurance to be found.

He switched on the monitor and found, to his relief, they were now moving away from the supernova. He hoped that time & space would correct itself. There wasn't much to do now but wait and waiting in Command Center felt like the most comfortable place to remain. While waiting, he began checking on the monitors for the base and most were functioning...at least well enough. However, without constant monitoring, most systems would start failing one by one. It was only a matter of time. Time he was dreading having to wait through. Finally he decided to go & get some coffee and wait it out. He stopped by maintenance and found the tech that had called in.

"Join me in some coffee, Stan?"

"I'd love to, sir. " They proceeded to the mess hall and shared a cup of coffee.

After a couple hours, Stan admitted that he was exhausted and returned to his quarters for some sleep. "I hope I see you in a few hours."

"I hope so. " John responded. He remained in the mess hall for a while, pacing the room and checking the monitors before deciding that there was nothing more he could do. He returned to his quarters in hopes of getting some sleep and returning to normality the following day. Once they were a safe distance from the black hole, he hoped that his crew would return to Alpha. If not, he would face another lonely day of confusion and fear. A tomorrow not worth living for if it was without Helena. Once he reached his quarters, he dimmed the lights and lay on the bed. He starred at the ceiling for as long as he could remember then wasn't aware that he had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

The next moment John was aware of was his head hair being stroked by gentle yet strong fingers. He stirred and turned to face the sight of his beautiful wife Helena.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," She said.

"Morning, love." He paused then asked what time it was.

"0900 hours. We missed breakfast but you seemed to need the sleep more than food."

John sighed. He was now fully awake and grabbed his wife and held her close.

"I love you so much," He added. "Somehow last night just seemed like a long night and I'm so grateful to have you in my arms.