Emergency lights flashed all around. It was the only way to see in this pitch-dark environment. It was probably better than seeing the horror that lay all around them.

Kero turned to his companions. They looked scared and frightened beyond anything he knew. Sweat poured down their faces and he knew that this was not good.

They had been through the simulations before but nothing like this. Was it too much for any one person to take?

Holly reassured Sgt. Daniels and Major Grimes that they were only a short distance from the escape pods. She kept her eyes peeled on the meter on her wrist. Measuring the beats between passageways that turned left, right and in all directions.

What they knew was that level 5 was passable, but if there were 1 level up they might not have made it this far, or worse.

Only so close, and yet so far. This wasn't going according to plan. In fact all was SNAFU (Situation Normal All Fucked Up). How did it ever come to this?

The escape pods laid on the other side of the wall, only separated by a door and control deck which was used to load the ship and launch it into space. If that was damaged, as Kero believed, they could not escape this dead and dying ship.

The USS Goliath was one of the best ships in the galaxy and this is what happened here. There was no way to believe what they had seen or what lied ahead.

"Kero, how are we going to get there?" Holly screamed over the noise of the jets from an escape pod leaving. Kero lifted her head and told her that all would be fine.

"I don't like the looks of this, sir." Daniels spoke from behind. Kero turned and pointed north. "This wasn't part of the plan. Are you sure about this?"

Kero nodded and the group continued. The noise subsided and then silence. Not a normal quietness, but almost a dead silence. No sound except for their heartbeats and footsteps.

This was creepy. The ship once bustling with life now was asleep. On the left side, terminals laid smashed, their debris strewn on the floor. All around them, dead and dying people laid.

Kero was keenly aware of the blood flowing from most of his victims. Not only that, but also all of his senses were working as one. A fine-tuned machine coming it's own power and knowing what to expect.

He tried to open a door leading into the shuttle bay area, but it would not budge. Something laid across it either to prevent them from leaving or the monster from entering the rest of this ship.

"Sgt. Daniels I could use a little help." Billy came around with a very large weapon in one hand and an analyzer in the other.

"Everybody, get back!" Daniels metallic weapon spun around whirling with great velocity. Sparks flew in all directions, lighting up the area. He kept drilling until he reached something solid. Then it made a loud crunching sound.

"Stop! This is gone far enough." Kero grabbed the Sargent and he looked around and turned off the machine. They both knew that whatever was behind the door was something big or immovable.

The two men wrestled with the door hearing it creak and moan with every push, then it gave way.

A large metallic machine resembling a XR5 came crashing down. Its face all disassembled and bore no resemblance to the image it was created from.

Once it was pushed around, they saw the most horrible scene ever encountered. Bodies were thrown on the floor as if someone had shoved them. A few were missing arms or legs and other only pieces could be found, but no body attached to it.

The smells and sight were far beyond their comprehension.

"Kero we have to get going!" Major Grimes looked into Kero's eyes. He knew that they had reached the point of no return. They were all facing the escape pods.

Holly turned and looked at the machine. The XR5 eyes flickered and the machine gun began to come to life.

“Sargent, we got a problem.” Holly screamed.

Sgt. Billy Grimes and Kero pulled out their laser guns and focused it on the machine and put all of their strength into killing it.

Laser blasts from XR5 go left and right, avoiding them completely. In one amazing shot, Major Grimes takes a hit and is catapulted backwards from the blast.

"Major Grimes!!" Holly screamed as she saw him fly.

The last of the shots finally put the monster to sleep. The XR5 laid motionless. This was a security machine meant to kill enemies and not harm those on the ship. Had someone changed the program?

They went to find Major Grimes bleeding. Blood flows from his mouth and his eye sockets.

"What happened?" Major Tom Grimes spoke in a very low tone. Kero took a towel from his backpack and placed it on the wound. That would be of very little use. He was beyond all hope.

The only hope was that whatever happened here could not happen in the real world. Or was this real?

"Kero, what happened?" Her eyes glazed on Tom and in shock.

"I don't know…I don't know." He bent his eyes down and hit the communicator on his chest.

The lights flickered and faded away. The room was no longer there but replaced with a more familiar look. They were back home, on the ship. They did not leave, but rather slipped into the portals of time.

"Vital signs are normal. Tom is in cardiac arrest. We need help up here. STAT!"

They had returned all right, but what happened to Major Grimes? Was he really dead?

Kero tried not to think about it.

That was not possible. I made all the necessary precautions.