The pod smelled like ozone, wafting out before I even had the chance to step over the threshold. They must have reorganized everything to make room for the new diagnostic equipment, because it looked drastically different compared to the last time I was there. A lot of machinery had been shoved into the corner, with tarps thrown over them, replaced by all manner of ominous-looking devices circled around...
There it was. The stone, mounted in place by what looked to be modified docking clamps affixed to the floor and ceiling. At first I thought that the light was hitting it in an odd way, causing a dancing refraction off of its colorful crystalline structure, but I soon realized that something inside of it was causing the illumination. Its smooth surface shimmered with intricate patters as the light within pulsed, and as it slowly faded it rumbled, a deep bass that I could feel in my gut. It shook all of the equipment, I could feel it behind my eyes, a pressure in my skull that made me reach for the bulkhead to steady myself. I gripped a railing as another pulse went off, and it seemed that the researchers finally noticed my presence. They were wearing protective gear that I had never seen before, certainly nothing that we carried on the station. A heavy-looking helmet that fully encased their head, a reflective visor that i could see myself in. I... didn't look so great.
"Hey!" one of them shouted, his voice altered by the helmet's built-in speaker. "You can't be in here!"
I swallowed down a lump in my throat and took a step towards them, keen on telling them just where I could and couldn't go, but the rock... that oscillating rumble grew in frequency, causing the researchers to turn back towards it, a couple of them scrambling back to their equipment, examining the hectic-looking read-outs. Maybe it wasn't the gear that was causing the energy fluctuations? I couldn't tell if my sudden bout of nausea was responsible, but I could swear that I saw the air around the rock bend in the most peculiar way. The light inside of it grew in intensity, and the researchers began chattering back and forth.
"No no no, it's happening again," one of them said frantically, moving to peer over the shoulder of one of his colleagues. "The EM field is spiking, it's in the red."
"Getting radio waves!" another masked scientist shouted from the other side of the rock. "Some background radiation and-"
The light fixtures in the ceiling flickered and crackled, and the diagnostic stations around the pod began to flare up, lights blinking erratically, alarms sounding and red emergency lights flashing. I couldn't look at the rock, it was too bright, casting brilliant colors upon the bulkhead. Even with my gaze averted and my eyes closed the colors still played out in front of me, shifting and writhing, burned into my vision. But... no, it wasn't. It disappeared when I opened my eyes, like it knew when I was trying to look away.
"Get the shield up!" a researched yelled.
"I-I can't, it's... The shield isn't responding!" came the response.
It was blinding at this point, the rumbling so loud that I could feel my insides move with every pulse. I was hanging limply onto the railing, arm hooked on to try and keep me somewhat upright. It wasn't long before that deep resonating noise was just a steady tone. I couldn't hear anything else. Couldn't see anything else. I felt weightless. Adrift. My body taken from that undignified position and brought somewhere else.
But where?
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