Into The Shadows

Posted on Wed Feb 12th, 2020 @ 4:51pm by Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Ensign Michael Sloan & Lieutenant Aurelius Davis & Lieutenant JG Mattias Constantine
Edited on on Fri Feb 14th, 2020 @ 2:50am

Mission: Mission 2 - Fallout
Location: Unknown Planet
Timeline: Day 4, Month 1, Year 0 19:30
1788 words - 3.6 OF Standard Post Measure

Lexi looked around as held the groups' communicator as they were trying to find Sloan in what now had become darkness as if someone had flicked off a switch. One second it had been light and breezy and the next dark as a night in the bayou where you could not see the critters coming to get you out the swamps. "Anyone else not a fan of how quickly things changed?" The comms operator said as she flicked her flashlight around her again.

"Yes, positively spooky down here. I heard someone say they picked up life signs and now the Commander is gone? Sounds like the ghost stories my grandmother used to tell." Darcy gave an involuntary shiver. "But maybe we shouldn't think about that? Not right now."

“Good call. Let’s focus on the matter at hand.” Astrid didn’t mind ghost stories, in fact it felt like she was walking right into one as she flicked on her flashlight and pointed it forward to illuminate the pathway in front. The chatter seemed to be adding emphasis to that eerie silence around, given literally the only sound seemed to be them at that point, which was a little spooky granted, but hardly scientific. God that was so Vulcan. She tied that thought down right away.

Looking at his scanner, Ensign Luis Martinez shook his head. "I've got nothing on scanner, just background vegetation and us," the armory officer stated. For some reason, the man could not keep his hand from hovering over his phase pistol. "I've got a bad feeling," he stated.

Astrid remained focused on moving forward in a slow but purposeful fashion. "Easy Ensign. Let's keep our heads and stay together," she calmly stated.

"Well, together is all we've got," another voice chimed in, this one belonging to Petty Officer Larson. He scrambled up a small rock formation and pointed his light down the passageway, frowning at the lack of any discernible progress. A sigh of frustration escaped his lips; the sound died quickly in the thick air.

"Not to sound too much like our Vulcan friends, but I'm sure there's a logical explanation. I don't believe in ghosts," Larson huffed.

Livingston, who just arrived, looked around. "No indication of the commanders lifesigns? Any signs of animal life in the area?"

Almost out of nowhere, Ensign Martinez seemed to drop from his place at the side of the group. "I found a hole," the young armory officer announced. Looking around at the bottom, he found a duty hat that read NX-05. A quick scan of the hat revealed its owner. "I've got something, it's Commander Sloan's hat," he stated, holding it up to the group.

Livingston knelt near the edge of the hole. "Ensign, you okay?" He laid down and extended a hand to Martinez.

Lexi shone her torch down to check that Martinez was okay but saw his shaking the hat around to get their attention. That was a signal he was okay in her book and he just looked dusty. "Can you get back up?" She wondered quietly.

Astrid was concerned about her colleague down that hole and maintained her hearing on that, but at the same time she kept her flashlight fixed on the darker edges around them. Maybe it was a simple misplacement that had the Lieutenant Commander's hat in the hole...maybe not but Astrid preferred to air on the side of caution. "Two of you help Martinez up, everyone else keep focused on what is around us. Martinez bring that cap with you, want to see it." It could have clues...footprints, blood, anything so she wanted to see it to maybe surmise a reason for this missing officer situation they were in.

"Gees, everyone watch where they are walking." Darcy leaned over to see how deep the whole was that he had fallen into but turned her attention to the cap that was pulled up. There didn't appear to be any blood on it, she did a quick scan. "Traces of Sloan's DNA of course but I am picking up something else . . . . I'm just not sure what it is." She passed her tricorder off so the others could see.

"I am going to report this back to Atlantis," Lexi announced moving away from the group and conversation slightly as she pulled out the communication equipment she had been carrying and made contact with the officer in charge.

"Hold on." Astrid turned and looked around, pointing her flashlight to illuminate the discussion. "We report the discovery and location of the Commander's cap to the ship, nothing more. I don't want assumptions being drawn and us starting to make impulsive decisions in panic. We found a cap. The search continues. Everyone on the same page here?" She didn't need everyone thinking doom and gloom and acting with reckless intent.

Livingston spoke up. "Understood, lieutenant." He waited for the others to reply.

"Yes, Ma'am." Darcy said loud enough to be heard. "So we keep searching." She said in confirmation and put her head back down to the ground to make sure she didn't fall into any holes as she walked around with tricorder in hand.

Lexi held up her thumb to let the Science Office know she had heard what she had said and the commander on the other end had told her to carry on searching. "The Commander said to keep searching herself. Great minds think alike Ma'am." The comms operator said brightly not even starvation and the possibility of losing the acting Executive Officer could dampen that spirit.

"Christ on a bike!" Larson shouted from the front of the group. In the moments just prior to his exclamation, he had been walking ahead of the rescue team by a few meters when his footing gave way. Agility and quick reflexes saved him, but as he shined his headlamp to the ground he gave the floor an incredulous look, almost as if it had betrayed him.

"Let's be careful around here," the young petty officer warned as he dragged his boot across the floor. "I think this is the same algae that the other team is collecting, but when you get a little water on it, it's slicker than - well, choose your own metaphor."

"Umm... I don't think we are alone out here," Ensign Martinez replied from the bottom of the hole. In his hand, he held up an empty canister that was most definitely not Starfleet issued. "Scans show this contained some kind of neurotoxin that could incapacitate a Human pretty quickly."

Astrid rotated her flashlight around between the various situations; from the near-miss slip just up ahead, to Martinez still in the hole and making fresh discoveries. She admittedly was growing a little frustrated at the situation but bit down on that for the moment and chose to focus on the tasks at hand, in the order. "Okay, everyone needs to stay grouped up and within the light of someone else. Buddy up if you have to so we don't have any more accidents today." Her voice maintained the pitch of purpose and control as she knelt down and shone her flashlight at Martinez to illuminate the next steps here. "Pass me the canister carefully."

Lexi stayed where she was just offering up her flashlight to the group so they could see the cannister better. "Definitely do not believe we are alone anymore." The comms operator whispered to no one in particular. It was either someone out there or someone on the ship was a danger to them all.

"I'd feel a lot better if we had some MACOs down here with us," Martinez added as he gazed at the canister in his hand. Was he holding a weapon used against a member of their own crew?

Livingston pulled out his phase pistol. "We should set all weapons to stun, in case the commander is under the influence of alien intelligence."

Lexi raised an eyebrow at Livingston before glancing at Conway. Surely she would have a more sensible reaction especially as the canister had not been examined yet. "I think we should examine the canister before we overreact." The usually perky woman commented. Things like his comment about alien intelligence would only get people more on edge than they already were.

Shaking his head, Martinez kept his phase pistol holstered as he said, "Definitely not from our ship, but no visible sign of hostility. No scorch marks from energy weapons or spray marks from projectiles." Looking up to Lexi, the Ensign added, "Didn't Davis say that the Commander was injured in the fall?"

"He did indeed." Lexi quickly answered without hesitation. "I do not think we can be sure of that until daylight, Sir." The comms officer could barely see the people around them let along scorch mark or spray marks.

Livingston wanted to correct himself. "I was only saying that we should be prepared in case the commander is under some sort of influence, or unable to recognize us...that's all."

"I don't think it's as good idea to start guessing what might have happened. Phasers might be a good idea in case there is something else down here but let's not be trigger happy about them. We need to know what we're shooting at and I'm sure the Commander needs help more than he needs a hole in his chest." Darcy replied, wary of the helm officer.

"I wasn't suggesting that we kill the commander. I said that we should be ready for anything. If you feel that I am not capable of controlling my emotions and shoot the commander on sight, then I would be happy to return to the ship." responded Livingston.

Martinez, trying to play the peacemaker, stated, "I agree with Lexi. Nothing is going to be solved tonight." As he pulled himself out of the pool sized hole in the ground, he added, "Emotions and tensions are already high enough. Let's go home and get some food and rest. Our heads will be in the game at first light." Holding out the cannister, he added, "I'd like to get this analyzed in the lab, the scanner is having trouble detecting what was inside."

"Too many shadows," Darcy whispered not really wanting to leave the Commander down here to whatever fate had in store for him. That made her nervous and she doubted she was going to get any sleep.

OFF;;

Ensign Darcy Blair
Science Officer
NX Atlantis

Ensign Luis Martinez
Science Officer
NX Atlantis
(pNCP Sloan)

Ensign Lexi O'Connery
Comms Officer
NX Atlantis
(pNCP Leroux)

PO2 Ben Larson
Engineer
NX Atlantis
(NPC Constantine)

Ensign Ben Livingston
Helmsman
NX Atlantis