<USS Avalon> The Seventh Circle PT2

The Seventh Circle

PT2: Dodge Thomas

 

 

It had been nearly five hours since the engineering team had met with Commander 
Dallas and his group. Their combined surveys of the station had proven to 
be?disturbing.

?So that?s two bodies in the communications center, one in sickbay, and five in 
the damaged lab??

?That?s correct Commander. How many people should be stationed here?? Dodge 
shifted uneasily. It was obvious how the scientists in the lab had died. Some 
violent explosion had breeched the outer hull severely, causing the station?s 
automatic environment systems to seal the room off. Those people who hadn?t 
died in the blast quickly froze to death.

Dallas checked a manifest list. ?There should be twenty.? He rambled off names.

Tim Rainier stood to on side and waited until Dallas was finished speaking. 
?There were fifteen humans, one Bolian, three Trill and a Romulan.?

?A Romulan?? Carson asked in astonishment. ?Here??

?Doctor Pra Devoras. Romulan defect as of two years ago.?

Dallas? communicator beeped. ?Dumont here, we?ve located the Bolian and one of 
the humans?it appears that they attacked each other.?

?What?? 

?They?re both here, dead. One from severe stab wounds, the other from 
strangulation.?

?Where are you three??

?Upper living quarters. It?s a mess. Looks like somebody set fire to the place. 
These two were in the turboshaft.?

?How much more of the living pylon do you have to check??

?Lower living quarters and the rec room.?

?We?ll help you out. Thomas, you and Rainier go search the lower living 
quarters, okay??

?Aye sir.?

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Dodge and Tim arrived at the lower living quarters entrance several minutes 
later. The doors themselves were deeply scarred, as if someone had tried to 
claw their way inside. 

?What do you think could have caused these marks?? Dodge asked.

?Acid?? Replied Tim dumbly.

?The doors won?t open. I?ll run a bypass.? 


He worked for a few seconds and was rewarded by a satisfying ?ping?. The doors 
slid open, jamming halfway.

?It looks like somebody didn?t want anything getting in.? 

Dodge looked at Tim for a second and shook his head slightly. ?Yup.?

The two of them entered the main living area and were shocked to find four 
people, sitting around a card table and staring at each other. 

?Hello??

There was no answer.

?I say, hello??

?Tim?look.? Dodge pointed.

One of the people, a Trill female, reclined oddly in her seat. A reddish brown 
stain shone dully in the dim light, trailing from her mid-forearm down and over 
the palms of her hands and ending in a large puddle on the floor. 

Dodge played his light onto the other three. Similar acts of grotesque suicides 
were obvious in the others as well. One man had also slit his wrists, while 
another, his throat. The final person sitting at the table had taken a knife 
and driven into her heart.

?What the fuck!?? 

A piece of paper rested on the table, partially adhered to it with blood. 
Tentatively, Dodge freed the note and read aloud.?

?I am the last one alive now, the others have died. I can hear it now, I will 
always hear it, coming for me?coming for me?oh god. I won?t let it get to me, 
not like it got to them. The others were right?no help is coming??

?Is that it?? 

?That?s it.? Dodge looked at the woman with the knife protruding from her 
chest. There was little blood around her, and he presumed that it was she who 
had written the letter. ?Any idea who these people are??

?My guess is as good as yours.?

Dodge?s combadge beeped. ?Hey, Dodge! We have a life signs!?

?Criswell, is that you? Where are they??

?In the rec room. Dallas and Fuller are already on their way. We?ll meet you 
there.?

The two of them dashed out of the room, leaving the four suicides to their 
tragic little game of cards. In less than a minute, they met up with Dumont, 
Criswell, and Selan in the rec room. Dallas and Fuller arrived seconds later. 


?Well, where is it?? Dallas demanded.

?I don?t know. It was here, and now it isn?t.?

There was movement off to one side.

?There!?

?Where??



?Look out!?

Something small and gray dashed by quickly.

?What the hell??

?Corner it!?

?Mrrrow!?

?What the? It?s a cat.?

Tim Rainer let out a sigh. ?Thank God. I thought it was something--?

His voice cut out, changing into a disgustingly organic gurgle accompanied by 
the sound of flesh and clothing being torn.

Something large lifted him off the floor several inches. He let out a howl of 
pain, but was silenced seconds later. 

?What is that?? Screamed Leila.

The creature was wrapping tendrils around Tim. Some of them buried themselves 
inside his body, while others entered through existing openings. Tim twitched 
and grunted, but was unable to call for help.

?Kill it!?

Carson removed his phaser from it?s holster and fired. The phaser sputtered, 
then died.

?Oh shit!?

?Let me do it.? Dallas pulled out his phaser and fired as well. The device 
emitted a thick beam that gradually grew larger in diameter as it dispersed. 
The creature moaned in pain, the same haunting sound that Dodge had heard on 
the recording nearly two days earlier. ?Wide dispersal pattern.? Dallas was 
instructing them. ?Magnetic field amplifies the beam, otherwise it shorts it 
out!?

The creature burst into flames, the moaning and howling becoming more intense 
as it did so.

Dodge adjusted his phaser and fired as well. Clair Dumont also followed suit. 
Within minutes, nothing was left of the creature or Tim Rainier but a fine ash 
on the floor.

For a time that could have been a minute or an hour, the group stood there in 
stunned silence. The cat emerged from behind a raggedy couch and sat on it?s 
haunches, cleaning itself.

Dallas spoke. ?It appears that we now know what happened to the people 
stationed here.?

?Those poor bastards.? muttered Dodge. ?All alone out here with nobody to help 
them?Shit!?

?What??

?Van Luden. We have to go back for him. We?ll take an extra environment suit 
and bring him back.?

?Agreed. When that?s done, we can all go back to the biology station. It?s not 
that far, maybe a day?s drive.?

Leila interjected. ?There?s a huge storm brewing. The atmosphere detection 
devices are going off the scale. We have maybe three hours before it hits.?

?It would be unwise to attempt any travel in weather of that severity. Logic 
dictates that--?

Carson cut Selan off. ?Point well taken. You don?t have to go quoting logic.?

?Agreed. Dodge, you and I will go out and retrieve your last crewperson, then 
we?ll wait out the storm. Once the storm has abated, we?ll head to my facility 
and signal for help.?

?Aye sir.?

?The rest of you see if you can?t get the main power back online, clean up 
these bodies and make this area a little more habitable. If we?re going to be 
spending any portion of time here, we?re going to want it to be livable. Also, 
keep your eyes peeled for any more bodies. We?re still missing four humans, a 
Trill and a Romulan. There may still be survivors.?

?Aye sir.?

?Let?s go Dodge.?

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It took them nearly forty minutes to reach the downed shuttlecraft. After 
donning their environmental suits, the two humans exited the ice tracker and 
walked up to the craft.

?Look at this.? Dodge pointed out. ?It?s those same claw marks like I saw in 
the lower living area.? He pounded on the hatch. ?Van Luden? Are you in there? 
Bundle up, we?re coming in.?

They opened the hatch and entered. After closing the hatch behind them they 
looked around. ?Van Luden?? Dallas called.

A mound of blankets and thermal parkas moved in the corner.

Dodge and Dallas removed their phasers. ?Hello??

?Dodge, is that you? Thank goodness. I thought it was that thing.?

?What thing??

?The creature.?

?It was here??

?Yes, but it went away. Everything is just fine.?

Dodge narrowed his eyes. ?How?d you make it leave??

?I was very quiet. It isn?t a very intelligent animal. It must have sniffed 
around and then left. Don?t worry, Dodge, I?m fine.? He smiled and nodded. 
?Have you come to take me to where all the other people are??

Dallas nodded. ?That?s right. We have an extra thermal suit for you with us.?

?Excellent.?

?Wait a minute.? Dodge reached out and blocked Dallas from handing the 
protective garment to Van Luden. ?Full name please.?

?What??

?Dodge, why?? Dallas looked confused.

?Full name please.?

?Um?Hector Van Luden.?

?Rank and Registry number.?

?Dodge, I really don?t see why? Van Luden?s face began to sweat.

?Rank and Registry number.?


?This is really unnecessary. Just give me the suit and we can go. I?ll answer 
all the questions you?d like as soon as we?re on our way.?

?No such luck.?

?Damn you Dodge!? 

Van Luden began to change. The bones in his face shifted unnaturally, his skin 
becoming elastic. A low hissing moan came from deep within his lungs.

Dodge said nothing and fired. Van Luden burned.

The two men watched the flames consume the now silent and motionless creature.

?I won?t let it get to me, not like it got to them?? Dodge said aloud, 
remembering the suicide letter. ?This is what compelled them to take their own 
lives. The prospect of--of being taken over, like some sort of puppet. It must 
have been trying to do that to Rainier as well. We should bet back, Dallas. We 
need to tell the others.?

?Let?s go.?

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The upper living quarters all fronted to a circular room that housed two 
couches and a book shelf. The cat padded softly into the room, it?s gray fur 
quietly reflecting the light.

A single door stood open, and there were rustling sounds within. The cat 
glanced down the insulated walkway, then to the turbolift. Both were empty. It 
turned and padded into the room

A single, indistinct voice greeted him.

?Well hey there kitty.?

There was a pause, then the unexpected sound of breaking glass. Muffled sounds 
issued from the room, as if someone were struggling. The door slammed shut.

Then it was quiet in the corridor again.



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