<USS Avalon> Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here
- From: Rowanna Darkwolf <rowannadarkwolf@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:46:57 -0700 (PDT)
Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here
Skyler, Moreya, Z.Garrity, Xavier
2011:09:21
Looking around, Skyler made sure that everyone was loaded and ready to beam
aboard station. Once she was sure she looked at the transporter tech and
ordered the command, "Beam us aboard Ensign."
The main promenade of Andromeda station was a place that should have been full
of people at any time of day. But as their group of the expedition materialized
in the middle of it, everything was empty and eerily quiet.
It was way too quiet. Rae drew her weapon and took point, determined to be
ready for whatever might be going on down here.
"Moreya, scan the area for any signs of life. I don't want to be surprised by
anything." Skyler took out her tricorder and began scanning as well.
Moreya stood stock still for several seconds, then swayed wildly, nearly
falling. Turning Skyler quickly grabbed Moreya. "What is wrong? Is there
something we should know about?" She held Moreya until she was steady on her
feet again. "Are you okay?"
Zack also moved quickly to Moreya's side, reaching carefully to steady her.
"This isn't normal. There should be people everywhere."
The Deltan took a deep breath. "Thank you both. There is definitely something
wrong here. I am picking up on ... madness. And the smell of blood ..."
Skyler's tricorder was picking up life signs -- but far fewer of them than
there should have been.
Zack shook his head, swallowing hard, trying not to vomit as his hyper acute
senses kicked in. The smell of death was nearly overwhelming.
"Moreya, what are you talking about? What blood? What madness? I think perhaps
we should all beam back to the ship until this is sorted out or an inhibitor of
some kind can be used. I am not going to risk losing anyone on this mission.
There has been enough loss already."
"Madness.." Rae whispered. "That's all there is...just madness..." She looked
confused. "What is this?"
Looking around Skyler commented, "Whatever it is, it is not good...." She
looked at Moreya and back at everyone else. Something was definitely wrong and
she didn't like it at all.
Moreya looked to the others. "You're picking up on this even more than I."
Looking back at Skyler, she said, "At a quick guess, some sort of mass insanity
has struck here. If Lieutenant Xavier and Mr. Garrity can tolerate it, I would
advise staying at least long enough to locate some of the surviving personnel.
We won't know the source of this until we can see the result. We should also
warn the other teams -- though if they have any psi-capables, they'll be
figuring this out as well."
"This way," Rae said, stepping toward the exit, weapon still held at ready. She
looked to Zack for confirmation, and he nodded tersely.
“I don't know. It sounds too risky at the moment. The longer we are here the
longer you are all exposed to whatever this is. There has to be a better way. A
way in which no one is at risk."
Zack looked shaken as he knelt next to a dead body. "It's too late," he said
softly. "We may have already been exposed."
"What do you mean," Rae asked, the hair on the back of her neck rising.
"Explain yourself Mr. Garrity." Skyler's tone was definitely stiff and agitated.
"If the cause is a biological agent, there's been more than enough time for us
to be exposed to it," he said.
“He’s right, Captain,” Moreya said, in a quiet voice calculated to calm and
soothe. “But more than likely, the bio-filters on the transporters will take
care of it -- if it is a biological agent we can identify.”
Rae blinked and frowned. “Did you hear that?” she asked.
“Ignore it,” Zack advised quickly, shuddering visibly nonetheless. He turned
to look at another of the bodies, then stood slowly his hand going to his
temple for a moment before falling away.
"What is it?" Rae asked, noting his expression.
Zack looked up at them, his eyes unreadable. “We need to move. We can’t stay
here.”
“Why not?” Rae demanded.
Zack just shook his head, consulted his tricorder readouts, then started for
the exit, looking for someone still alive.
Something was not right, thought Skyler. People on her team were falling down
around her. Something was causing them to fall, something they couldn’t see or
smell. Something the tricorders were not picking up. Something they could only
sense. Something evil in thought and nature.
“Everyone just stop where you are! We are not moving until we have some idea of
what is going on around here. I will not, I repeat, will not lose any of you to
whatever is going on here. Is that understood?”
“What is that sound!” Rae demanded, as the whispered cacophony filled her head.
Zack moved to stand right in front of her, taking her by the shoulders and
looking straight into her eyes. “Don’t listen to them! Listen to us. We’re
here. Listen to the Captain. She’s right here.”
“But what are they saying?” Rae asked, confusion coloring her features.
“It doesn’t matter. Just focus on Captain Skyler. Focus on what she’s saying.
Her voice. Her words. Those are the only ones that matter.” He told her before
turning to the Skyler, somehow knowing that if the remained in this room he’d
be the next one on the floor. Near desperately he told her, “I don’t mean to
contradict you, ma’am, but there’s nothing but death in here. Look around. See
it. Smell it. Our answers are not in this room. There are others still here. We
have to find them. Please.”
Standing there it was almost as if Skyler could feel something or someone
standing next to her. Turning to look she saw nothing, reaching out she felt
nothing except a chill run down her spine. She almost felt as if she could feel
the blood draining from her own body. She stood there and tried to take in a
deep breath to calm her nerves, however it felt as though someone was choking
her. Reaching up she grabbed her throat and fell to her knees.
After much struggling she managed to get to her feet again and whispered the
words, “Move Out Now!!!”
Taking Skyler’s arm to steady her and help her toward the exit, Zack drew his
phaser with the other and headed out. Whatever this was, it was getting worse.
Moreya reached across and set one hand on Rae’s shoulder, projecting a calm she
wasn’t entirely sure she was feeling herself. But she was probably the least
affected of the group, and needed to be strong for her crewmates. “Are you
ready, Lieutenant?” she asked.
Rae nodded, trying hard to ignore the cacophony in her head. “Let’s go,” she
answered, trying to sound confident.
They found themselves in a long, wide corridor just off the main promenade.
This was where the station’s set of a half-dozen privately owned holosuites
were located, and the tricorders indicated some lifesigns among them, somewhere.
Rae proceeded carefully, weapon drawn, in the direction the lifesigns appeared
to be.
“I can hear a voice,” Moreya said as they approached the outer door to the
holosuite deck. “With my ears,” she added after a moment with a wry grin.
“Laughing … sobbing? Not sure which.”
A few more steps took them to the door, which slid silently open for them. A
short, narrow corridor with six doors -- three on each side -- lay in front of
them. Two human bodies lay at the end. One male, one female, half naked,
limbs tangled together in an intimate, blood-spattered embrace of death.
Moreya looked away from the bodies to glance at her tricorder. “There’s
someone alive in the suite … next to them,” she said softly.
Rae aimed her weapon toward the door and proceeded ahead. Zack stayed close to
Skyler, worried about her, though he kept his weapon at the ready as well, in
case Rae needed backup. Thank God for strong shields, he thought silently,
though the murmuring voices still seeped through.
Moreya put her back to the bulkhead next to the door, glanced to Rae to make
sure she was ready, then stretched a long arm across the doorway to key open
the holosuite. A cadenza of soft beeps could be heard as the door slid open.
They could hear the voice of the person within clearly now.
Trying not to let the fear of almost being choked by some unknown thing or
person overwhelm her, Skyler stood and tried to maintain some semblance of
authority. With Zack standing so near, she felt as though he was being a tad
bit over protective. The sooner they figured out what was going on, the sooner
they could return back to the Avalon and relative peace.
She signaled for everyone to hold up outside the holosuite. “Moreya, scan the
room before entering. I don’t want to walk into any surprises. Once it is
established things are as safe as can be then we will enter. Not a minute
sooner.”
She knew Rae was just holding on, and she wasn’t sure how Zack was doing.They
were all excellent crew members and she was proud to serve with them. She vowed
to get them out in one piece no matter what.
Moreya nodded, though it seemed there was little the tricorder could tell her
that her senses had not done already. After a moment of looking at the
tricorder’s screen, she told Skyler, “There is only one person inside --
reading as human. Not injured -- at least physically. There’s no program
running, and the holosuite is empty except for the one person inside.”
Knowing everyone was depending on her, made Skyler more than a little nervous,
though she tried not to let it show. She was holding these lives in her hands
and that was a big responsibility. Why she was thinking of that now was beyond
her. She heard Moreya’s report and nodded in agreement. Taking a deep breath
and counting to ten Skyler turned and looked at her team.
“Scans may show everything is clear, however I want everyone to be alert and
aware of the surroundings. No one is to be left alone so everyone pair up. You
are to know what and where you partner is at all times. Zack, you are with Rae.
Moreya you are with me. Weapons on stun only. Is that clear?” I hope I am not
making a fool of myself or a wrong decision here.
Drawing her phaser, Skyler looked at Moreya and nodded. “Okay, let’s move in!”
Moreya gestured to Rae, and entered the holosuite a half step behind. As the
others followed, the door slid shut and the team were plunged into complete
darkness. By reflex, Moreya called out, “Computer, end program!”
A cold, uninflected voice replied, “No program running. No power available.
Emergency backup power at five percent and falling.” The strips of emergency
lighting that ran along the edges of the ceiling and floor slowly, reluctantly
came to life, emitting a faint, orange-tinged glow that allowed the team
members to see one another. Barely.
The human in the chamber with them emitted a peal of hysterical laughter.
Hearing the sound of that laughter caused a cold shiver to move down Skyler’s
spine. It didn’t even really sound human. Immediately she let her training take
over. She hoped.
“Everyone stand still. Moreya scan the room again.” She looked around as her
eyes started to adjust to the darkness.
She started to speak in the direction of the voice. “My name is Captain Skyler.
We are from the Federation starship U.S.S. Avalon. We have come in peace to
help and discover where all the people who should be on this station have gone
to. What is your name and where have you come from?”
Moreya shook her head gently, letting Skyler know there’d been no change in the
tricorder’s readings.
Trying to mask her thoughts, Skyler used hand signals to convey her orders.
She wanted Zack and Rae to quietly move and try to get behind the voice,
wherever it was coming from. She and Moreya would try to approach from the
front and try to keep it occupied.
With her eyes constantly moving, Skyler kept her back to the wall of the
holodeck and moved silently along it. She listened intently for any noise that
would give some indication of where the being was. This is the part I hate. The
not knowing. What will happen or not happen. Will everyone make it out alive
and in one piece.She thought this to herself as she moved.
She attempted to make contact again. “I repeat, I am Captain Skyler of the USS
Avalon. We are members of the United Federation of Planets and we have come in
peace. We are here to help. We mean you or anyone else no harm. We simply wish
to know what has happened here. Where are all the people that should be here?”
Again, silence. That eerie silence that occurs when you know something bad is
going to happen. The kind of silence nobody likes. The silence that sends
chills down your spine like it was at that moment. No, she didn’t like this
silence at all.
Zack and Rae both nodded, moving around on either side to flank the apparent
survivor.
No point in masking any psi ability now, I guess, Zack thought, hoping he
hadn’t somehow outed Josh, as well. Approaching the survivor hidden within the
holodeck, he drew his own shields tighter around himself in a near desperate
attempt to block out the cacophony of sounds, the oppressive weight of sheer
madness that seemed to be pressing in. Even his impressive shields, though,
couldn’t block it all out entirely. He feared for his sanity, and for the
others.
Rae had no such shielding. Drawing nearer, she felt her hands begin to shake,
and stumbled slightly. The whispering grew louder, seeming to come from all
around her, making tracking the survivor far more difficult. Still, she pressed
forward, determined to do her job. They had a survivor to find and a mystery to
solve. It was up to her to help keep the others safe from whatever this was.
She couldn’t falter. She didn’t dare. Not with others counting on her. She held
onto that, forcing it to the forefront of her mind.
They worked their way through the room, and near the far corner, the survivor
finally came into view: sitting on the deck, knees pulled up, rocking back and
forth almost gently. “... gonna getcha if you don’t watch out,” she chanted,
not seeming to see them.
Rae paled to a lighter shade of blue, and Zack shuddered visibly. “Who?” he
asked gently, approaching the woman. Kneeling close, but not too close, he
pressed, “whose gonna get us? Who should we watch out for?”
The woman looked up, with an expression that was surprisingly lucid. She spoke
in a tone that suggested she thought Zack was some kind of simpleton.
“Igraynul, who else?”
Zack looked back at the others to see if any of them recognized the reference.
“ Anyone know who that would be? I mean, I think there was a god or something
like that called Igraynul once. I think. I forget which mythology.” He shook
his head dismissively, “ But those were just fairy tales from a dead culture. I
doubt it could be the same one.”
“We’ll have to check the cultural history,” Moreya said. “It doesn’t sound at
all familiar to me.”
Zack struggled a moment, trying to remember and wishing he had his brother’s
power of recall. “Actually...I think Igraynul was the race, not the god. There
was a pantheon of gods...I’m not sure. I can’t even swear where it was I heard
of it. The mi...” he caught himself quickly, realizing what he’d started to
say, amending, “ um...where I grew up, maybe...” he shrugged apologetically.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not important, right now anyway,” Moreya said, as she looked around to
see the team, gathered in a loose circle around the survivor. She inhaled,
about to speak again, when the woman emitted a hoarse scream, and lunged toward
the Deltan.
“Not important?! Not important?!” she screamed, limbs flailing in a frantic
attack. “How can you say that? It’s everything! He’s everything! Igraynul
is all!”
Unheard in the sudden pandemonium was the dull tones of the computer.
“Emergency power at four percent and falling.”
Rae dove into action, slamming the woman to the ground, an uncontrollable anger
overtaking her. How dare she attack one of hers! She shifted into a large,
vicious looking creature, bulging muscles, menacing claws and teeth, and
continued slamming the woman repeatedly into the floor for several long moments
before opening her mouth wide, leaning forward to....
“NO!” Zack cried, slamming his slight form into her, throwing her off of the
now-unconscious woman. “Rae...focus...we’re here. We’re right here. Don’t
listen to them, Rae, please...” He looked over at the others, his great brown
eyes wide with fear. “We have to get off the station. All of us. Now.”
“Agreed,” Moreya said, glancing over at Skyler, then back to Rae.
“Lieutenant!” she said, putting on the tone of command she avoided using until
she had no alternative. “Stand down! We’re leaving.” She stepped forward,
making a quick check of the woman lying unconscious and bleeding on the deck.
She snatched a set of stabilizers from her medkit, wrapped them around the
woman’s neck, then gently lifted her up. She glanced toward Rae, wondering
what she might see.
Rae shook with fury staring into the eyes of the small thing before her.
Another enemy? No, something in her mind insisted, but she couldn’t seem to
sort it out through the cacophony of voices. It had attacked her, hadn’t it?
It had prevented her from protecting...
Her eyes narrowed...
Moreya. Where was she?
Suddenly her own were nowhere around her, replaced by strange, unrecognizable
enemies. These creatures were to blame! The one cradled her enemy, spewing
gibberish from it’s maw as if it were attempting to communicate, its tone one
of authority. Had she been captured?
She must have been. Why couldn’t she remember?
It didn’t matter, she decided. She had to escape. She had to find her
crewmates. The path through the small one seemed as if it would be the easiest,
and so she lunged, all claws and teeth, determined to fight her way through.
Zack cried out, dodging to the left, his reflexes quick enough to spare him
most, but not all of the damage she seemed to be so intent upon inflicting. The
chaos in her mind washed over him, and he shook his head to clear it as he
picked himself up from the deck quickly and Rae made best speed to the door. He
hesitated for less than a heartbeat before aiming his phaser and stunning his
friend.
“Don’t touch your phaser settings,” he warned the others, clearly shaken as he
holstered his and hurrying to her side, reassuring himself there was indeed
still a pulse. “We set them to stun before we beamed down. All of us. Remember
that. No matter how they might appear now, they are STILL on stun.” He looked
up at Skyler almost pleadingly, as he felt his own shields threatening to slip
yet again. “Can we beam back to the ship now, ma’am. Please....”
Skyler nodded, smacking the combadge on her chest with far more energy than she
needed. Enough was enough. “Expedition team one plus one survivor. Bring us
out now. Energize!”
As they dissolved into nothingness, the computer spoke one last time to the now
abandoned holosuite. “Emergency power at three percent and falling. Final
shutdown in five … four … three …”
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