Taken from my book:

THE JADE 7

The missile bay doors open and a wave of golden fire escapes in a plasma burst from the bay as the first of three missiles rises like a phoenix out of its hole. Two other missiles follow the firsts lead and they all head off towards the planets surface.

The captain sits, her eyes locked on the three diamonds of fire the speed off towards the planets surface.

"NO! NO!" The captain responds in anger and frustration. Her mind now burning with frenzied thoughts as she makes her way towards the first missile bay hatch she finds. She turns the handle on the outside of the bay door and lifts the flap that covers the manual override controls. She finds a numbered pad. There is a flashing panel that is asking for authorization. She punches in her code and the bay door opens. The Captain now snakes her way into the small missile tube and makes her way to the inner hatch. She then turns a small bar that closes the outer doors and pressurizes the bay. Suddenly the inner hatch opens and she pulls herself from the tube. She falls to the floor giving way to the artificial gravity and recovers quickly but not quick enough.

Standing above her is Conway. A handgun is held in his hand aimed at her head. Crimson tries to move but as she struggles with the bulk of her space suit Conway cocks the gun and responds to her movement
"no no no Captain. I wont be so kind this time. You stay right there!"

The captain frustrated glares at Conway like she is staring at the devil himself

"Why? Why are you doing this!" The captain asks in a hateful tone.

Conway circles back to the targeting computer and casts a glance at the screen showing the progression of the missiles as they make their way to the target area on the map.

"You see Captain We all have our own agendas. And yours conflicts with mine. I am taking control of the situation I am taking control of the ship of her crew."

The captain stares at Conway with eyes that could consume a person in fire "This ship and its crew are my priority They wont follow you!"

"Ohhhh I think they will once youve had your little accident. Havent you noticed that Blue hasnt been able to reach you on the com since you entered the weapons bay? Thats right. I jammed the sensors and the communications channels. They dont know whats happening. Its just you and I and Im afraid youre going to die my dear. And after you die I will assume command"

"The hell you will you psychotic bastard! Ill have you know that in case something should happen to me that would render me unable to perform my duties as a captain that Blue is the next in command of this ship not you!"

Conway grins his features made menacing in the light of the red map that glows on the monitor

"Yes Blue Poor Blue will have an accident as well. He will be rendered inoperable. And as for the rest of the crew With loosing Blue, Scandal, Diablo, and yourself the mission will be unable to go on. I will have to recalibrate the ships computers for a return trip home."

"You sick son of a bitch! You had no intensions of ever completing this mission did you!? You did this You planned to find a way to return back to Earth! Doesnt the survival of our race mean anything to you!?"

"Listen Captain the only person that I care about is myself! You and your save the crew save the world mentality makes me sick!"

"Youre mad conway! Youre demented!"

"Yes You may think so Captain But when I return home the world will see me as the one that tried to save the mission that tried to stop you from making the wrong choices launching the nukes leaving diablo and scott on the surface. Sending Blue and yourself down to try the rescue attempt that I of course tried convinced you to go on with the mission. Its all been worked out"

"You are wrong What about Warfrat, Red, And Mary? Are you going to kill them too!?"

"As a matter of fact I planted a virus into the Jades environmental computers that control their hypercryo chambers As they sleep they will slowly drown in their hybernation fluid. No pain of course. Just a slow silent death in their sleep."

"So youd be the only one left"

"Its all about tying up all the loose ends. And Ill be made the hero for making it back the only survivor of a mission rot with dispair and tragedy. My possition in the company secured I will live out the rest of my life as a celebrity Its all so grand. But the first step to glory is removing all obsticals"

Conway takes aim at the captains head. "Good bye captain."

Crimsons gaze moves from Conway to something behind him. Her eyes wide in disbeliefe Curious Conway turns to see what Crimson is staring at Suddenly every nerve in conways body is screaming out in sheer pain. His muscles tighten like rubberbands stretched to their limit. His teeth crunch down with crushing might and his mouth foams at the sides as he is jolted by a stun gun from Crimson. His body falls with a loud thud to the floor. Crimson returns her attention back to where a second earlier Scandals face was staring at her.

She recovers her composure and stands up and picks up the hand gun and tosses it away from Conway who lays unconscious on the grated floor. She then turns to the computer and begins unlocking the computer systems. The bay door slides open and Warfrat and Mary both armed with machine guns run into the weapons bay. Red is right behind them with his medical gear. The tracking computer shows the missiles nearing their targets. Six seconds to impact the female computer voice sounds. Crimson closes her eyes

A calm silence surrounds Scott as he sits in what seems like a black abyssal cavern. The millions of voices that were in his head now completely inert and silenced. Scott waits for some great disturbance to shatter the defining silence that invades his senses. Then before him is a scene like he's watching a movie on some invisible screen. Crimson the captain is wearing a space suite and is on one knee her hand held out defensively as Conway aims a gun at her. She suddenly looks directly at him and Conway turns to see what she's looking at when suddenly the scene before him disappears.

This was an excerpt from my science fiction story The Jade 7

Written by Sean Jankowski

He soon came to the town. Old and run down but still none the less it seemed like peoplestill lived there. He walked the streets walking past the windows of shops that were all closed. He came to a restaraunt that was also closed. He was beginning to think that everyone had disappeared when he saw a person peak out from behind a building. He ran towards them and he called out.  "Hello! I need Help! Damned it isn't there anyone in this god forsaken town who'll help me?"

He ran to catch up to the person but when he got to the side of the building there was nothing there.  He began to loose faith. He was feeling as though hed never find the help he needed when he saw a public phone across the street. He ran to the phone only to find the line cut. He ran into the middle of the street and screamed at the top of his lungs

"Someone please HELP ME!"

He then heard what he thought was the laughter of a child. He turned to see what hed heard but nothing was there. I need to find a phone he thought to himself.  From within the buildings he past eyes watched him as he went. Watching as he passed looking forhelp. Hungry eyes that poured evil into the world from within their flesh cell walls. Their hatred burning for revenge against mankind. Wanting to destroy it. He reached a small filling station at the edge of town. He walked up to the door that of course read closed. He then tried the door handle and found it locked. He smashed in the window and he opened the door and walked into the station looking around.

"Hello is there anyone here? I really need some help!"

His footsteps seemed to be mimicked at he went. He turned fast expecting to find someone there following him as he went. But nothing was there. He turned to go back the way he was going when suddenly in front of him stood a tall older man wearing overalls grease stained and tattered. In one hand he held a mallet and in the other a long axe. His long gray hair was tied into a braid in the back.  His skin was like old dried leather and was dark. Startled by his sudden appearance the man backed up and almost fell over. He barely began to ask for help when the older man confronted him with a barrage of  questions.

"What do you want? Whered you come from? Howd you get here?"

the man struggled to regain his composure as he stood up from the floor.

"Im real sorry I just barged into your establishment I was just looking for some help. I had an accident out on the highway some miles back I- I'm sorry about the window really!"

The older man sneered at the man and gave him a quizzical questioning look.  "No help here, No you should go back to the highway and keep walking. You dont want to be here in this town. Bad things have been happening here. Evil things. Things you want no part of. You get while you can. Before they know youre here."

The man sat dumb founded

"Sir listen I dont have any idea what youre talking about. All I need is use of your phone. Ill call the police and Ill be on my way. You need not be bothered by me again. I just want to call for help."

The older man turned to him and asked.

"What happened out there on the highway? Did you see something? Something that caused you to crash your vehicle? A man in the road? Eyes wide he looked at the older man. "

"How did you know?"

"You think you had an accident. But that was no accident my friend. Something brought you here. No they want you. Always searching for fresh ones. Their hunger cant be stopped. Thats how they do it you know thats how they get around. They find fresh ones like you, fresh meat."

The older man began to walk into a small back room in the station. The younger man followed him.  As he entered the room he was astonished. Cans of food lined the walls. Two large barrels of water sat against the wall. In the corner a sleeping bag a hot plate and a rifle shotgun and two boxes of ammunition sat on the floor and next to the ammunition sat a box of explosive TNT. The older man pulled a milk crate from the corner and motioned for the younger man to sit. He grabbed a small medical box and pulled out some rubbing alcohol and a clean cotton swab.

"Here wash off your head. Your wound is beginning to swell. You dont want that to become infected.  You'll get a fever... don't want a fever here... easy pickins"

The younger man took the alcohol and the swab and cleansed the wound dabbing the swab at it. He then engaged the older man once again.

"So what happened here? Who are (they)?" His voice raised in questioning.

The older man sat looking out the small crack in the window starring out as if expecting to see someone or something outside listening to him watching him.

"It all started with my nephew. He was such a good kid. But now"

the younger man sat his gaze transfixed on the older man as he talked.  As he told the story of the amulet...

Written by Sean H. Jankowski Exert of the Amulet 02