Reed Response Part one

Posted on Sun Jul 24th, 2022 @ 7:30pm by Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Captain Stenn & Commander William Gerhard & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D. & Ensign Michael Sloan
Edited on on Sun Jul 24th, 2022 @ 7:31pm

Mission: Mission 6 - Memory
Location: Deck G
Timeline: Day 301 12:15
1530 words - 3.1 OF Standard Post Measure

Benjamin had been moving the last of the items from his old quarters to his new ones when he heard the shot and darted out in the corridor on instinct but stopped dead as he saw something he hoped to never see again the being that had destroyed his life. He watched in slow motion as the creature started to feed and William Gerhard raised his phaser and fire it hitting the being's shoulder. “You!” He yelled as Gerhard fell to the floor the connection broken.

“You!” John Smith said his suspicion confirmed that something or more precisely someone had followed him from one universe to another. It took a lot of energy to jump universes but with enough energy he could do it. But he did not have enough to escape there and then, he needed more so he had no option to run and hide. Benjamin started to move to follow but stopped as he looked down at Gerhard and noticed him struggling to breathe and then stop.

“Oh no, you don’t William.” He said as he started CPR to keep him alive until Medical and more support responded to the Reed Security Alert.

William was on his back, the sounds around him distorted. He could feel something on his chest, a pressure that kept repeating in a rhythmic fashion. There was something else, he couldn't breathe. He tried to tell his lungs to work, but they wouldn't. His vision was hazy, black spots multiplying in his field of view. There was one particular spot that seemed to be growing. He knew he should fight it, should force it out. But there was something about it that drew him. It was a sense of calm, of peace and serenity. The void offered him a way out, a fresh start. He saw the images of his life play out before him: hauling the sledge with his uncle through the Swedish tundra, standing before the magistrate and being judged, passing out of Starfleet Armory school, receiving his commission, meeting Lexi for the first time. Lexi, he thought to himself as he saw her. Her smile, the way if filled him with warmth. The last time they had spoken had been a fight. Would that be the way he would leave things? NO, he thought to himself as he fought against the void.

With a sharp intake of breath, William gasped for air and opened his eyes slightly. He saw Jameson over him, and he tried to speak before the larger man forced him back down to the deck.

There was a clang from a few meters up the corridor and a vertical service tube hatch fell open as Stenn clambered out. He had taken the shortest route down from the MACO compartments just one deck above, phase psitol in hand he advanced on the kneeling Jameson and protrate Gerhard.

"What happened?" Avira had just rounded the corner, one hand on her medkit, the other on her sidearm. She made sure the environment was clear before approaching William sprawled on the floor, face and chest covered in blood. She pulled her medical scanner and held it close to William, showing erratic readings, they barely made sense. Then she noticed the glutamate levels. Just as Hughes had told her they had found in victims of the creature. Her antennae curled forward tightly and her face froze. "Who was it?"

"Jan Kowalski.... He is here." Benjamin said rising from where he had administered CPR to retrieve William's weapon.

Avira remembered hearing that name, there was nobody by the name of Kowalski on the ship. She wondered how he might've infiltrated them. If perhaps he was going under a different name. It had to be one of the asteroid away team. Even without William that still left 4 suspects.

While currently serving as the Chief Engineer, Sloan’s years of service as an armory officer took over. He had drawn a phase pistol and ran towards the commotion. Seeing Gerhard down, while shocking, served to increase his need to secure the area. With the doctor and Jameson attending to the wounded chief, Michael asked, “Which way?”

"I do not know other than that way. I wanted to save... I had to save someone." Benjamin said as Beth came running down the corridor and stopped dead at the scene where blood and people stood with phase pistols drawn.

"He is alive?" She demanded

"Yes, ma'am." Avira confirmed that William was still alive, but barely. The medical scanner couldn't quite make out what was wrong with him, but his vital signs were erratic. All she knew was that they had intervened only just in time.

“It was Jan Kowalski.” Benjamin repeated.

A team of four MACO Operatives jogged donw the hallway and joined Stenn waiting for orders.

"Who are we looking for?" Stenn asked, unfamiliar with the name Jan Kowalski.

Beth looked at Benjamin. “I think a description now Benjamin.” She said glancing to Gerhard wishing he could just let him.

“My height. Blonde. Green eyed. Wearing a blue highlighted uniform.” He said quickly as Beth narrowed down her crew members and got to one realisation that made her head explode in pain and reach for the wall to counter the wave of dizziness. “Smith. It’s Smith.” Beth said finally.

Stenn nodded, O'Connery had been correct. Explanations could come later for now the priority was locating Smith.

"Captain, with Mister Gerhard incapacitated do l have your permission to lock down the ship, activate all MACO and Armory personnel to search for Ensign Smith?"

Beth looked at the Vulcan and nodded without hesitation. “Yes do it. Sloan go with him and assist.” Beth said quickly knowing his expertise would be needed to sort all of this out and secure the ship.

William floated in and out as he lay on the deck. He could see the hazy outlines of people standing near him and conversing, but he could not understand what they were saying. He caught flashes of blue running over him. He then felt himself being lifted and placed onto something hard before he was lifted again. His head lolled as he looked over and recognized the captain. They made eye contact briefly, and he struggled to say something before the blackness enveloped him again.

Beth watched William as he drifted in and out of conscious and frowned. “Get him out of here. Benjamin stay with them just encase he comes back.”

“But you…”

“Just go with them I will have my escort.” She said to the crewman in armoury who was stood there looking less than impressed that things had changed so quickly. “Doctor look after him.” Beth said knowing she did not need to remind the doctor.

Avira was already preparing a stimulant to help stabilise William. She gave a simple nod to the Commander.

Stenn activated his communicator. =^= This is Captain Stenn. All off duty Armory and MACO personnel report immediately to your duty stations. On the Captain's authority all other personnel are to remain in their current location, seal all compartments.

Lock down the Bridge until the Captain's arrival.

Report any sighting of Ensign John Smith, do not approach, but report his location. =^=

A moment later there was a partial response =^= Mess Hall! He's in the Mess Ha-. !=^=

Stenn signaled his team and ran.

Watching the Marines charge down the hall without a plan or coordination with the rest of those gathered, Sloan turned to the rest who were not actively involved in medical care. "I wish he would have stuck around, but I believe we have a way to find Smith." Bringing out his PADD, Sloan pointed out some sensor readings that a Damage Control Specialist had brought to his attention in the time before Leyton had been killed. "We noticed that someone had accessed a few systems, but there was no sensor log of anyone in the area." Had they not been under a severe time crunch, Sloan would have paused to see if anyone in the group would get it. But this time he just completed the thought, "After deep analysis, that sensor ghost is the key. There is a hole in the internal sensor readings wherever Smith is currently located. It won't point out his exact location, but will get us within three meters."

“Just follow. Keep them level headed. I will catch up in a moment.” Beth instructed knowing that she could trust Michael in tense situations. She had seen him before he decided to go the engineering route.

“Will do,” Sloan replied to the Captain. Placing the PADD back into one of his side pockets, he added, “I’ll update him before we bust through the doors guns blazing.” Drawing his pistol, the Chief Engineer took off down the hallway.

Beth turned back to her escort and indicated the other end of the corridor. “We need to go up.” She said quietly. The man nodded and followed looking around. He really hoped that Smith was in mess hall and not stalking the ship. It really felt like a situation he could not face with just the Captain for company.