SIREN

Chapter One

A blaring high-pitched alarm screamed in my ears and ripped me from my slumber. With a groan, I scrunched up my face and flung my arms forward. My hands connected with cold glass and I pushed against it.

The lid didn't budge. The frigid door stayed where it was and didn't move a single millimetre. I tried another forceful shove, but it wasn't going anywhere.

'Great,' I muttered, 'absolutely great.'

I raised my left leg and immediately felt pain shoot up my thigh. I looked down to see a small tube pumping yellow fluid into my body. I wrapped my hand around it and winced as I ripped the pipe out. With my teeth ground together, I kicked the glass and cursed.

Something thumped against the roof of my pod. I spied a hand wiping off the frost that had accumulated on the window.

'Hey!' My breath turned shallow. 'Who is that?'

'Morning, Teabags!' sang a familiar voice. 'Don't worry, mate, I'll get you out in a second. Just a minor problem with the lock, that's all.'

'Doctor White, I'd really like to get out of here...' I glanced around at my surroundings. White wires, pipes and cables surrounded me and a small LCD screen next to my right shoulder displayed a stark warning. 'Hey, this monitor says that my oxygen is running low.'

'Yeah, I know. I'm working on it.' I heard him jangle something metallic. 'Don't worry, don't worry.'

'What're you doing out there?' I squinted through the opaque glass and saw dark shapes and bright lights.

'Getting you out, that's what.'

'Right,' I licked my lips. 'I'm assuming you've tried the emergency door release?'

'First thing I did. That's why I was on the roof of your bloody pod!'

'Right, yeah,' I nodded. The golden fluid that was once pumped into my system was now gathering around my feet. The stench made my stomach turn. I wrapped my arm around my face and gagged at the smell. 'Something's leaking in here.'

'What?'

'There was a thing that went into my leg, so I pulled it out.'

'Oh boy, that serum stinks. Does the job, though. Did Doctor Richards tell you what they nicknamed it? "The Sandman Serum"! Can you believe that? So childish.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Can't you get me out of here already? This alarm is driving me up the wall.'

'Okay. Stand as far back as you can and cover yourself.' He commanded. I saw his silhouette shrink away.

'Stand back? I'm in a pod! It's not exactly roomy!' I shuffled around in my container, working out the best way to retreat. In the end, I put both hands over my face and tilted my head down. 'Okay, I'm ready!'

'All right,' the Australian shouted, 'brace yourself!'

For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. I was just about to lower my hands when a red wrench crashed through the glass and hit me in the chest. The whoosh of escaping gas drowned out all sound and I peeked through my fingers at the remains of my pod.

The puddle that had collected by my ankles was now lifting into the air and seeping through the shattered hole. I watched in wonder as globules of shimmering liquid sailed around my head. Tiny flecks of glass spun and whirled, reflecting the harsh lights of the room.

'I hope that didn't hurt! I had to crack it open somehow. No other way,' said Doctor White, floating towards me. 'Here, let me get rid of the rest.' He grabbed onto a nearby handle and swung his thick body round. He yanked out the rest of the glass with his large hands and pulled the covering away. 'Janitor, vacuum this up,' he snapped.

I heard a clanging noise and a small robot dropped down from the ceiling. It spun its cylindrical body and then deployed two fins and a nozzle. 'Yes, Doctor White,' it said as it bumbled along, sucking up the shrapnel around us.

'You know, I always expect an actual janitor to fall from the ceiling,' he laughed, 'wearing overalls and holding a mop.'

'Funny,' I said, grimacing. A shower of bitter vomit lashed at the back of my throat.

'I know,' Doctor White smiled as he unbuttoned the straps around my torso, 'five years with NASA, two years with the ESA and still nothing prepares you for how weird this really is.'

'I might throw up,' I confessed, putting my hands over my stomach.

'Yeah, I did too. No shame in it, mate. Janitor will clean it up. Anyway, did you notice that the microgravity worked?' he smiled at the balls of wobbling liquid brushing against his body. 'The effect goes away when you open the pod, but still, bloody microgravity! It's great to see it work in the field!'

'Yeah, I suppose it is,' I said, feeling my body rise. I pulled myself out of my pod and clung to the ceiling. My stomach protested at such a ludicrous movement.

I shook my head and glanced around the spacious annular room. I looked at the five other empty containers with their lids open and felt my heart sink. One of them also had no glass on the front. I noticed the Japanese flag painted above the hinges and turned to my teammate. 'Hoshi?'

'Not good,' Doctor White frowned. The wrinkles on his forehead turned into trenches. 'Her pod locked shut, just like yours, but we couldn't get her out in time.'

'She's dead?' I asked, feeling my hands turn sweaty. I witnessed a vision in my mind of jettisoning Hoshi's delicate body into space. A funeral fit for an astronaut.

'No, not dead, but she's a little...' Doctor White sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'She's suffering from hypoxia. It's not as bad as some cases I've seen, but it's still not good.'

'I take it everyone else woke up fine?'

'Yeah. For some reason, your pod had an extra hour added on, so that's why you're last to wake up.' He pouted and shook his head. 'Olga wanted me to stay with Hoshi, but there's not much I can do. I'm not a doctor, I'm a biologist.'

'I suppose you're the closest thing we've got to a doctor, though.'

'Thanks, Teabags, pile on the pressure, why don't you?' he pointed at the doorway. 'Olga wants to see you anyway. I'm going to go check on some things in the lab and then I'll swing by.'

I stared at my friend for a while. He looked at the ground and twisted away. I let go of the handles and grabbed his shoulder. 'Doctor,' I began, 'it's not your fault, you know. Whatever's happened to Hoshi, it was an accident.'

'I know,' he mumbled, 'but we could've got her out quicker, it's just... I panicked. I didn't know if breaking the... If it would...' He trailed off and played with his fitted shirt.

'Hey, don't lose your head now, okay? We got a mission ahead of us. You're not allowed to freak out on me just yet.'

Doctor White's trademark grin spread across his face. He slapped my cheek playfully and said, 'Yeah, you're right. Anyway, get to The Eye. If you see Sam, tell him I found his vest.'

'Got it!' I smiled back.

'Good man! Make sure you apologise to Olga for being late. You know how she can get.' he laughed.

'You know her better than me,' I said, kicking my legs. I soared like a bird, stopping every now and then to grasp a groove or a handle. My stomach had now gotten used to the weightlessness and I felt a wave of excitement hit me. I waved my wrist at the doorway and the circular exit slid open with a hiss. 

// Hey there! I'm Jacob, author of SIREN. Thank you for reading this chapter. The next part will come in a couple of days. In the meantime, please share this story if you enjoyed it, and follow if you want to keep up to date on what happens next! \\