Dark as Daylight Ch. 04

Note: This the property of Prolonged_Debut10. Information available at Literotica .com. All persons in this NOVEL are fictitious. There will be very little sex and it will not be of a graphic or vile nature. I hope you take this journey with me, as you did in my previous short works. There will a great deal of science, how interpersonal relationships work in a relatively small space, and rollercoaster rides through Wormholes, White Holes, and possibly a Black Hole. (Einstein said it was possible; why not give it a try, ON PAPER OF COURSE." Let's Begin.

Chapter 4

11. Unsleep

Joe Finch was holding his newborn son in his hands for the first time. He was staring down at a replica of himself, before handing him to a student nurse to clean up and give him to his mother. He finished checking Sandy, cleaned her, and join her, and his new family member. He kissed her, just as she received her their infant son from Cornelia. Sandy was ecstatic.

"How many more Joe, 7, 10? We make such beautiful babies together, and we have such a wonderful time doing it."

"Baby, it seems I have all the fun, and you do all the work. If you want 10 more, we will have 10 more. I know the girls would be thrilled if we could get a message to them that they have a baby brother. Unfortunately, they will never know. What do you want to name him? Don't say Joseph, it will confuse us at the dinner table?"

"I was thinking of Horatio."

"Joseph will be just fine."

"I knew you would see it my way."

Hannah said, "I'm sorry to push you out of here Sandy, but we have another pregnancy on its way down."

"What about Joseph?"

"He has to stay here to deliver the next baby."

"I told you that name was going to cause problems. The baby has to stay here for 24 hours in an incubator. You will go upstairs with Corne, just to make sure you follow procedures."

"You don't trust me to follow procedure? I am a doctor's wife; I know what to do."

"That is exactly why you are going to be monitored by Corne. You are not supposed to do anything after you deliver a baby, except continue to love the husband that loves you, and rest."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay, get her out of here, and let's clean-up for the next patient."

"Get her out of here! I'll remember that Joseph."

"She shouldn't be talking to the baby like that, should she?"

"She's going to be a terrible mother."

"I don't like either of you."

"That time I think she was talking to us."

"You can't please everyone all of the time."

"Who is our next victim Vicki?"

"We have a problem Doctor; we have two patients coming down."

"That's not a problem Vicki; you will deliver one under Hannah's supervision, and Abby will deliver the other under my supervision."

"Doctor I'm not ready for this."

"Just in case you haven't noticed, it's the woman that does all the work. They've been doing all the work for thousands of years. All doctors do is give medication to ease their pain, and try to bring the baby into the world as safely as is humanly possible."

Hannah said, "Listen to him ladies, that's straight out of the textbook he's been reading."

"Hannah, you're not supposed to tell them that, they are supposed to think I'm brilliant."

"Do you really want me to answer that Joe?"

"You heard that ladies, she said it again. She called me Joe. She didn't call me Doctor, she called me Joe."

"I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't hear that."

"Doctor, Hannah would never break protocol."

"Ladies if I could think of the punishment worthy of you, I would give it to you in massive quantities. However, our soon to be doctor would get even with me in some malicious way, as she does with the captain of the ship."

"Here we go ladies, patient's 3 and 4 are here, get ready...

***************

"Welcome to your first Captains briefing Miss Franklin; how do you feel?"

"Honored Captain."

"Janet tell Elizabeth what her job is."

"Liz 99% of the time we are paper pushers. One percent of the time we get to do something important."

"Excellent description of the Captain's job Janet. Do you still feel honored Miss Franklin?"

"Sir, you would not have pulled me off Navigation to put me into a job that does nothing but push papers. There must be something in that one percent that makes this job important."

"Would you agree with that statement Janet?"

"Yes Captain, I would."

"What was the most important thing you learned during your 1% of the time Janet?"

"Trust Captain, learn to trust your people. Don't think you're right all the time, because you are not. They have a better tactical viewpoint than you do. Listen to their advice, filter it through your mind, then make your decision. It only takes an extra second to do, and it is the difference between life and death."

"Miss Franklin your answer?"

"If my crew is seeing something different than I'm seeing, I would do something about it. I would change the large view screens in front of the bridge, from just a pretty view of the stars, to a tactical display. This way the captain and the crew are on the same page at all times."

"Janet, your response."

"After the last two deadly approaches by meteors, I placed the exact request in to engineering. They are working on the fix now."

"Do you see Miss Franklin, during Janet's 1%, she learned to trust her crew, and also came up with the same answer you did seconds after a meteor, three times the size of this vessel, traveling at 56,000 miles an hour, was clear of our position. She did not score 97% on her captain's examination, but she acted as a great captain would. She acted instinctively, and correctly. She has the makings of a fine leader. We need those same qualities to come out of you, not tomorrow or next week or next month. We need them to come out of you now. While you are not on the bridge, but on duty, we will constantly run simulations at you to make you better. You will be stressed, and stressed again, just as we are doing with Janet, and the rest of our trainee captains. Not all of our trainees are going to make it. We need those we know are going to make it, to make it quickly. Jennifer and I cannot continue to work the 12 hour shifts as our norm. It's just not possible for the human body to take that much stress seven days a week. We need downtime, just like you do. In a short time, we will enter the White Hole. Who knows what it's going to be like going in, or coming out the other side. Dismissed I'll join you on the bridge shortly. Good night Janet."

"Good night Captain."

"Captain can we have a moment of your time?"

"I'm being ganged up on at 06:15 hours?"

"Yes sir, before everybody else gets to you with their needs for the day."

"Well Laura, since I haven't seen you in a week or so, it's my pleasure, but what are you doing with this old codger who's getting married Sunday?"

"I had to convince him I was right, before he would come along with me."

"I'm in trouble. You convinced Jack Daniels you were right? All of this must be a dream."

"No Even, this is not a dream, the young woman is correct. Listen to her."

"Go ahead, I have my running shoes on."

Laura said, "I'm going to take Gordon out of stasis. I don't know what's going to happen to the ship when we go through the White Hole. If the vibrations are too intense, and if the stasis unit get separated from the cooling lines, he will die. It's just as simple as that. If his temperature starts rising at too fast a rate, his cells will not recover because there is no warming fluid replacing the cooling fluids we put into him. He will just degenerate into something we won't recognize."

Jack said, "There is a benefit Even. We have to bring in the nuclear engine before we go into that thing. We don't want the lines being hit by tiny meteorites that will be bouncing off us, and then hitting them and then the engine itself. I know you extended the engine, and you could probably bring it in. Gordon is trained to do it. The electrical lines have been subjected to -270°F temperatures for nearly 8 months. He is the only one who knows what to look for as the electrical cables come in to the spacecraft. He also knows the timing. He may use a heating coefficient on the inside of the nuclear containment chamber to bring them above freezing as they come in contact with the ship, which would make them more malleable as they rotate around the coils. We are running out of time Even; if he knows something we don't know, we could have a paddle, but no creek to use it in. Let Laura defrost him please."

"What you're forgetting is that thing in his head."

"We are not forgetting it Doctor. We are just trying to make the best out of a bad situation."

"If this is what you think is the best way to go for the safety of this ship, do it with my blessing."

"Thank you Captain."

***************

"Infirmary to Captain Luck.

"I'm busy Joe can it wait until later?"

"You can wait until she's 13 Even. I was going to ask you if you had time to meet your granddaughter."

"Delicious had the babies already?"

"No, Zoey just delivered."

"Why didn't you call me sooner. I should have been there with her."

"The other Captain Luck was here with her."

"I'm still pissed at you for not calling me."

"Your wife wanted you to get some sleep. Take it up with her."

"Okay you are forgiven. I'll be right there."

I walked onto the bridge and everyone was working diligently with their trainees.

"Good morning everyone."

"Good morning Captain."

"Good morning Callie."

"Good morning Captain Luck."

Callie, we have a new captain in training this morning.

"Elizabeth use your full name and tell Callie you have the bridge."

"Callie this is Elizabeth Eugenia Franklin; I have the bridge."

"Do you agree Captain Luck?"

"Yes I do Callie, give her a hand if she needs help. I'll be in the infirmary."

Elizabeth looked at me like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming speeding automobile.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the infirmary to see my granddaughter."

"You're leaving me alone?"

"I told you to grow up in a hurry. I told you I was going to stress you. I can't stress you if I'm standing behind you watching every move you make. You were at the briefing, you know our course, speed and our angle of declination. The six people in front of you are watching out for your welfare and the welfare of this ship. Start pushing papers Captain, and wait for your 1%. It may happen today; it may happen 30 years from now. It has not yet happened to me. You are here to learn Elizabeth. Callie is here to help you, but she will give you as much rope as you need to hang yourself, before she steps in to save the ship. I'm going to see my granddaughter. Have a nice day."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

By the time I got down to the infirmary, they were rolling Zoey out to go back to her room. I kissed her and congratulated her on the birth of her daughter. She didn't seem happy at all. So I decided to put a smile on her face.

"I know something you don't know."

"I have to lose 20 pounds?"

"I believe you just did."

"She's gorgeous, have you seen her yet?"

"No I just got here, I was at a briefing. Do you want to know what I know that you don't know?"

"It sounds like a joke is coming, because you know a lot of things that I don't know."

"You have been off birth control pills for a year, and now you are no longer pregnant. You can't start taking them again for two more months. Now do you want to know what I know that you don't know?"

"Oh Lord, put me in the brig with my baby, otherwise the ship is in danger."

"Why would you say that Zoey? We have the perfect medicine for you."

"Dad, the only medicine that ever worked to keep me calm were my birth control pills. You know it, and I know it."

"I know one another way to keep you calm, but you have to promise not to hit me. Okay!"

"Okay dad I promise not to hit you."

I put a big smile on my face, and said to my daughter, "We are taking Gordon out of stasis today."

I know the scream deafened everyone on the first floor, as it reverberated around the ship. My neck took the brunt of the damage when she grabbed, squeezed it, and told me I was lying, just to make her feel better."

Joe ran out of the infirmary to find out what was happening.

I told him and he told a nurse to bring him some sort of medication. Moments later Zoey was asleep.

Joe began yelling at me, and asking me how such a smart person could be so stupid.

When I told him it was 7:10 AM. He told me at 7:30 AM I could be delivering my first baby. I believe it was his way of telling me he was going to change my gender.

"What was I supposed to do Joe, keep it a secret from her? Was I supposed to let him walk into their room later today and let her think it was an apparition?"

"No, I guess not, but I'm sure you did it the wrong way anyhow. You always put things in their blundest form, and screw up their day."

"Can I see my granddaughter now?"

"She's with her grandmother."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Good morning my love."

"Isn't she just gorgeous?"

"You certainly are."

"Not me you idiot, her?"

"What is this nonsense with blonde hair?"

"I had blonde hair as a child, it changed."

"I love you the way you are."

The ship took a hard right turn and climbed at a 40° angle. I wound up covering Jennifer and the baby, holding on for dear life.

Joe was standing behind one of his trainees, with a baby half way out of her mother's womb. He flew to the floor hitting his head. Luckily the trainee was able to hold her position, and held onto the baby as it completed the task of leaving its mother's.

"Who the fuck is steering this ship Even?"

"A very competent trainee, but this is her first day on the bridge alone. I think I'll go up there and see what happened."

"I have a scalpel in my hand. If you're not out of here in 10 seconds, I am going to use it on you."

"Joe, she would not have turned the ship if we did not have a dangerous situation. Cheer up, we are still alive."

"Leave, or you won't be."

Joe got up with the scalpel in his hand and approached with the pointed end facing me. I was gone in a flash. When I arrived at the bridge Elizabeth was as white as a ghost.

"Elizabeth report."

Elizabeth was in a state of shock. She couldn't speak so I decided to test her.

"Navigation, and helm, don't turn around. This is Captain Luck. Helm, I want you to take no action. Navigation in 20 seconds I want you to report an asteroid approaching from our 1 o'clock position, 30° angle of declination, collision course, speed 98,000 mph, collision in 13 seconds."

"Roger Captain."

At the appointed time, Jeffrey Utah said, "Captain navigation, asteroid 010°/ 30° angle of declination, collision course speed 98,000 mph collision in 13 seconds."

Elizabeth didn't move.

"Captain what do you want us to do? Seven seconds before collision."

"Turn right heading 090° climb 40° ascension angle."

Nothing happened.

Elizabeth yelled, "Turn dammit, turn."

I said, "There was no reason to turn Elizabeth, there was no asteroid. You were sitting in the captain's chair in a state of shock. I wanted to see if, and or when you would react if there was another deadly object coming our way. You hesitated for six seconds, a very deadly six seconds. However, you got the job done. Just barely mind you, but you got it done. Congratulations, do you want to go change your underwear now?"

"Just the opposite Captain; I probably won't go to the bathroom for a week."

"Tell me about the first one. You got your 1% within 10 minutes of sitting down."

"Initially I thought it was a joke, Captain. A new trainee sitting in the captain's chair for the first time. Then I said to myself they wouldn't do that to me. They are here to help me. As Janet said, "It only takes a second to figure that out, and then you take action. I may have overreacted, but the asteroid missed us by a good margin."

"Callie how did she do?"

"Her course correction angle was correct. A 20° down angle would have been sufficient, but Ms. Franklin erred on the side of caution, which is always better."

"Thank you Callie."

"Captain this is Laura Schiff at Stasis Unit 1."

"Go ahead Laura."

"We will begin the procedure of bringing Gordon back to normal temperatures within 30 minutes. Are we going to play 'Chutes and Ladders' anymore?"

"I'll leave that up to Captain Franklin. If she feels it's necessary to save the ship, and the now seventy-one residents on board, from an oncoming asteroid, I will leave that up to her.

Do not wake up Jennifer. She must be exhausted. She worked a full twelve-hour shift last evening, and then stayed up all last night with Zoey, while she delivered her baby."

"Zoey had the baby?"

"Yes, a beautiful blonde headed green eyed baby girl."

"What a great day for both of them. I hope this works."

"What do you mean you hope it works?"

"Well, I've only done this twice before. The monkey died, but the human lived. So Gordon has a 50-50 chance."

"Ask Adam to have one of those extra-large plastic bags ready, and to make sure you fit in one of them. You know how that story ends, don't you?"

"Yes Captain, I get your message."

"I'll be down there in 20 minutes."

I said, "Captain, I want a full 180° long range scan to commence in 10 minutes. If anything looks close to our position, I want you to make a slow turn away from, above, or below it, at long range. Do not worry about being wrong. Just keep your distance from any object that is coming our way. We have to be sure that the cooling lines are not disrupted, while they are bringing Gordon, or anyone else out of stasis."

Elizabeth didn't answer him.

"Elizabeth did you hear me?"

"I'm sorry sir, when you said Captain I thought you were talking to someone else. I will do as you ordered, starting now."

"I am not going to refer to you as 'Acting Captain Franklin' every time we have a conversation on the bridge. If I am speaking to you, and I say Captain, I'm definitely not speaking to me. If you already have control of 'The Bridge', I am speaking to you. Are we on the same page now Captain Franklin?"

"Yes Captain, we are."

"Excellent, I'm on my way to see my son get defrosted. Don't call me, just keep us out of trouble Captain Franklin."

"I will sir."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

"Attention on the bridge: I want all sensors and scans at full range. If there is a pebble coming at us, I want to know about it."

"Aye, aye Captain."

"Callie change all lights on the bridge to red."

"All lights to red. Floor track lights are on."

>>>>>>>>>>>>> 

10 minutes later, Teddy walked onto the bridge, climbed into her chair, and buckled herself in.

"Hello Captain 'lizbeth, I number 2 officer Teddy. I help you. Am 3 years old now. Head please."

"What?"

Delicious said, "Teddy would like to hold your head in her hands. She does it with all her new friends. Captain Luck is my father. I am Delicious Thyme; you may have heard about me lately."

"Yes I have. I'm very happy you are feeling better."

"Thank you very much, I'm happy I'm feeling better. Please put your head between Teddy's hands. She is very good at telling things about people."

Elizabeth moved, and lowered herself to Teddy's height. Teddy put her hands on Elizabeth's head, and a big smile crossed her face.

"Mommy, she the one. Her girl baby make first contact. Long time now, but she the one."

Elizabeth backed away so fast, she tripped over her own feet, and landed on her butt.