Parallel Minds

The front window swirled with dazzling colours once more, and suddenly gave way to blackness, interrupted by occasional stars. Mallic hummed quietly, waiting for the low swish of the bridge door opening. He glanced down at his watch, counting down, five, four, three, two, one…
At exactly 16:01 ship’s time, the door opened, and a figure dressed in a grease-stained, unwashed, once-white laboratory coat stumbled onto the bridge. He looked around with an air of awe, and finally fixed his eyes on Mallic.
“Ah, Captain, I- I’m sorry for my tardiness. You see, the epsilon filter suffered a few setbacks, and..”
Mallic cut him off impatiently with a wave of his hand. “Quite alright, doctor. Take a seat.” He indicated one of the two empty chairs. “You didn’t by any chance see Ensign Carpé on your way, did you?”
The doctor shook his greasy hair. “No, Captain, should I have done? I assure you that I shall endeavour to…”
Mallic had already turned away from him, though, and leaned over to speak to his first officer. “Go send someone to find him.”
“No need, boss!” a voice called out from the rear of the bridge. Mallic turned just in time to see Carpé vault over the railing fixed behind his head and into the navigator’s chair.
Mallic narrowed his green eyes and in the privacy of his mind committed murder. Ignoring the grinning bridge crew, he activated the ship’s intercom, calling the engineering room.
“Mohey, are we ready?”
The reply took a short time to arrive, and was punctuated by static bursts.
“We’re ready when you are captain. The artefact is in place.”
Mallic glanced around at the bridge crew, nervously stroking his long handlebar moustache as he nodded at something only he could hear.
“Carpé, set a course for the third world. Doctor, please prepare the device for ignition in five minutes.”
Both gave their assent and moved to perform their tasks. Mallic glanced at his watch again, and stood, leaving the bridge via the door the Doctor and Carpé had just arrived through, taking something from his pocket as he went.

*

Carpé moved a hand through his short blonde hair, and resumed guiding the behemoth of a ship towards the destination planet. This craft was unlike the light, speedy scout vessels he was used to, although it bore a similar-sized crew. It was the approximate size of a small village, most of this space being taken up by the Amleth Device, the enigmatic creation of Doctor Mikhails, whom he could hear working softly behind him.
Captain Mallic had briefed the crew very little on the function or theories behind the Amleth Device, and most of the crew remained in ignorant bliss of its capabilities. Only three people aboard knew: Captain Mallic, Doctor Mikhails, and himself.
Himself, Unity Intelligence Officer 13078, Ensign James Carpé. Appointed to this vessel because of his piloting skills and expertise in intelligence work, Carpé had maintained the illusion of his apparent lack of respect for authority partly because it blended in with his current role, but mainly because he had intensely disliked Mallic since their first meeting, three years ago. After this mission, he was going to love revealing his true identity to him.
Putting aside the matter of his persona, he turned the craft a few degrees and leaned back over his shoulder.
“Yo, doc!”
The Doctor lifted his head from the panel he was working at, and look at Carpé. “Yes, Ensign?”
“I was just wondering, doc. How long we gonna be here?” An innocent enough question, and one which his character would certainly ask.
The Doctor scratched his greasy hair and pursed his lips. “I would say somewhere between five and six hours, Mr. Carpé.”
Five to six hours. That would mean that the effect would last long enough for all concerned parties. Excellent. Carpé turned away from Mikhails, and, almost absent-mindedly, took a pen from his jacket pocket and stabbed himself in the hand.

*

Peter Mikhails turned back down towards his panel and tapped a few buttons, adjusting the power flow slightly. Ahead of him, he noticed Ensign Carpé take something from his pocket, but ignored it. He had to concentrate on his projections.
The portable panel hummed slightly, and the program had been entered into the ship’s central computer.
Glancing around nervously, he saw that the crew were ignoring him, intent on their tasks. He quietly reached up to the top of the panel and flicked a small, barely visible switch. Taking hold of the syringe which emerged from the top of the panel, he gripped it in his left hand and stabbed himself in the leg.

*

Mallic leaned against the bulkhead, breathing deeply as the sharp pain dissolved. He had accidentally dropped the small syringe, and stooped to retrieve it. Returning it to a locked drawer in his cabinet, he composed himself and strode out of his cabin, heading back to the bridge.
He disliked his crew, but that was really the point of this whole endeavour. The Amleth Device, brainchild of Doctor Mikhails, when fired, would permit any who had injected this serum to instantly know the thoughts of all others present. Mallic would be able to know everything about this crew of malcontents and criminals, enough to convict each one of them, and lock them away for some time. He smiled at the prospect of incarcerating Carpé in some distant hellhole…

*

Mikhails had known, of course, that the Unity would twist his research. That was why he himself has taken some of the serum, in order to find out what they feared of him, and present them with it. It was a dangerous game, but one at which he was determined to succeed…

*

His superiors had ordered him to find out exactly how corrupt Captain Mallic was, and he was glad to. Sweating with anticipation, he watched the silent timer on his panel count down – five, four, three, two, one…

*

Outside observers would have seen a terrific flash of green-tinged light, as the craft shook violently. Within, the crew were thrown about as though by a terrible storm. And each felt the intruders in their minds, felt their deepest secrets wrenched from them, and felt agonising pain.
When all settled, the three looked about them, and at each other, seeing only limp, lifeless bodies around them, lying in positions of torture and pain, bodies which once were their friends and colleagues.
All three spoke at the same time, with the same voice.
All three screamed.