Missing
Editorial Note: this story is a follow-up to The Lookout.
The Director wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly at first. “Say again, Lima One?”
“The Lighthouse is vacant, sir. No life signs. No damage. No signs of attack. It’s like Jordan just… stepped out, sir.”
“It’s deep space, captain, you can’t just step out,” the Director said brusquely. “Sweep for life signs again. Thoroughly.”
Static came back over the line.
“Lima One?”
He glanced over at the bank of comms technicians, quietly frantic over their controls.
“Lima One?” he said again, more softly.
He looked up on the screen. “Get me a visual.”
“Sir,” one of the techs said, “The relief team only has audio hookups, we weren’t able to get them equipped with video given the urgency-”
“Then patch in to the Lighthouse itself!” the Director growled. “I want eyes, damn it!”
It took another half hour. The control room remained chillingly quiet. When the screen finally came on, it showed the Lighthouse docking bay. They could all see the relief team’s ship, and the hatchway open leading into the Lighthouse itself. What they could not see was the relief team.
Lima One and her crew, like the sentry of the Lighthouse itself, had gone.
This story was written for
’s prompt: revisit the Lonely Lighthouse:
WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!!