Dark Plague: Stubbs Electrified
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Stubbs, alone in his cabin, mentally replays a baseball game, his focus shattered by a sudden, creeping energy drain that begins with a computer terminal going blank and spreads across the room.
An arc of electricity surges from the ceiling lights, violently shocking Stubbs as the cabin plunges into darkness, forcing him to stagger out unconscious.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Neutral within the memory; contributes to the ephemeral sense of order that is shattered by the outage.
Dark is recited as 'on second' in Stubbs' internal baseball memory, functioning solely as an internal mnemonic cue rather than an external actor.
- • Help structure Stubbs' memory sequence
- • Provide psychological ballast during stress
- • Structured recollection brings temporary control
- • Names placed in order help manage cognitive overload
Present in Stubbs' memory as a calm, familiar figure; neutral and supportive by association.
Lockman is invoked by Stubbs as 'on first' within a mental baseball lineup—functioning as a mnemonic placeholder rather than an active physical presence in the cabin.
- • Occupy mental space to help Stubbs organize his thoughts
- • Serve as a comforting image during cognitive strain
- • Being named in the lineup stabilizes Stubbs' attention
- • Order and routine reduce anxiety
Elicits excitement and communal warmth in Stubbs' consciousness, then is abruptly cut off by the blackout.
The Cheering Crowd manifests as a non‑corporeal auditory presence in Stubbs' mind, filling his head with the sound of fans and providing the emotional backdrop for his baseball reverie before the blackout intrudes.
- • Soothe and distract Stubbs from present anxieties
- • Anchor his mind in a stable, ordered memory
- • Shared memory can provide emotional regulation
- • The familiar noise of a crowd symbolizes belonging and safety
Concerned and urgent—focused on immediate rescue and adherence to duty rather than reflection on cause.
The guard outside Stubbs' cabin hears yelling, approaches and attempts entry; when the door resists he forces it open, finds Stubbs staggering and unconscious, and reacts with urgency to remove him from danger and summon medical aid.
- • Gain rapid access to the cabin and secure the occupant
- • Provide or summon medical attention for Stubbs
- • Prevent further harm to ship and crew
- • Crew safety is the primary immediate priority
- • Physical intervention is required when someone is in distress
- • Command protocols require him to report and act decisively
Part of a nostalgic scene that momentarily elevates Stubbs' spirits until the blackout violently intrudes.
Branca is named as 'on the mound' in Stubbs' inner game, acting as the imagined opponent and completing the mnemonic tableau that occupies Stubbs' consciousness.
- • Stabilize Stubbs' internal focus
- • Provide continuity with a less threatening past
- • Memory of structured competition is inherently grounding
- • Naming roles preserves a sense of control
Initially inwardly calm and absorbed in nostalgia; quickly becomes startled, terrified and overwhelmed as the blackout feels deliberately targeted.
Stubbs lies alone, mentally reciting a baseball lineup, then startles as ship systems fail around him; he is physically lifted and shocked by an arc from the ceiling and collapses unconscious, his private memory violently interrupted.
- • Maintain mental equilibrium through ritualized memory to soothe anxiety
- • Monitor and complete his work despite fatigue
- • Survive the sudden electrical assault and call for help (implicitly)
- • Small rituals and ordered memory can steady him under pressure
- • Shipboard failures are usually systems-level and fixable
- • The loss of power near him is abnormal and potentially dangerous
An incidental, quietly reassuring presence in Stubbs' memory until the violent arc disrupts the mental scene.
Thompson is called out as 'at the plate' in Stubbs' reverie; the name serves as part of the comforting internal drama rather than playing an external role in the blackout.
- • Contribute to the narrative structure of Stubbs' memory
- • Diminish the immediacy of present danger through nostalgia
- • Ritualized memory can postpone facing immediate problems
- • Familiar images are safer than present uncertainty
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
A computer terminal at the far corner of Stubbs' cabin is the first visible system to fail: its display goes blank and serves narratively as the opening indicator of a spreading, selective power loss that creeps toward Stubbs and raises the stakes.
The overhead lights in Stubbs' cabin gutter and die one by one, their progressive failure creating tension and darkness; a final violent electrical arc emerges from these fixtures, physically lifting and electrocuting Stubbs and functioning as the direct instrument of harm.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Stubbs' cabin serves as the intimate battleground where private memory and technological sabotage collide: a cluttered, low‑ceilinged personal space whose electronics fail in a creeping pattern that isolates Stubbs and concentrates danger inward, turning a sanctuary of routine into a crucible of vulnerability.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Themes This Exemplifies
Thematic resonance and meaning
Key Dialogue
"Stubbs: "Lockman on first, Dark on second... Thompson at the plate... Branca on the mound...""