Lt Alex Storm - They're Back

[Karen Morris]

((Deck 4, USS Karnack))

Sweat began sprouting from Alex’s head in little drops.  One would appear and run down her cheek.  Drip.  Then another. Drip.  And another until she felt little rivulets of heat induced perspiration.

Kneeling down to finish off the first hole, Alex didn’t  just the heat created by the mask trapping her own escalating body temperature.  It was the heat from the torch augmenting and intensifying it.  

Jovenan: I’m terrified. Mostly for you. For what changes are happening. If we get out. But, um, I’ve also been terrified this whole time, before we even encountered the Dark Things. I’ve been imagining things, seeing movement at the corner of my eye or hearing people whispering. It didn’t start here either, but on the Frontier Day. This happens every time when I’m somewhere dark and restrictive. I haven’t been able to trust what I see or hear. I… I just wanted you to know. In case I start shouting but there’s nothing there.

Silveira: Nan…

As she finished welding the first hole, Alex turned the torch off for a brief moment, setting it down.  Slowly  she inched herself up and took her helmet off using her sleeve to wipe the perspiration off of her face. She chanced a glance at Bancroft afraid what new or old look may be in his eyes.

Storm: This one’s done.  I think we should move on to the last hole.

Bancroft: Response

Alex tucked her helmet under her arm and picked up the torch, adjusting her position.  The piece of metal prepared to cover this hole had fallen when the Dark Things attacked.  

Jovenan: Okay, I’m done here. Let’s move to the next hole in the middle.

Still breathing heavily, Alex moved to the fallen piece of metal.  She turned around and leaned lightly against an undamaged section of bulkhead, and she tilted her chin over toward Bancroft.  

Storm: Feel like giving a girl a hand lifting this next piece?

…were her audible words.  Her body said the rest.  Her face was drawn, and the edges forced smile didn’t turn up with their usual enthusiasm.  As she let out a little, contrived chuckle, she took a moment to see him - not just look at him, but to see what hid behind his own mask.   Alex noticed crinkles beside his eyes.  He looked worn  Of course he was.  And something unsettling hovered around his mouth … was he in pain?  Maybe she shouldn’t have asked him to help, but it was too late now.

Bancroft: Response

Alex redonned her mask and moved to help Roy lift the large piece of metal into place, and the task of closing out the last hole began in earnest.

Silveira: I love you.

Jovenan: You too, Commander.

Silveira: Good work. I think we can break that time Alex.

Storm:  Not yet, Sil…

The muted words escaped from under her mask.  

Storm:  I need to finish up this last weld.

Bancroft: Response

As soon as the helmet was in place and the torch was heated up again, the sauna returned.  Holding the torch with one hand and the piece of metal with the other.  Each breath felt like she was sucking it through a superheated straw.  For a brief moment, her head began to spin, she let go of the torch’s trigger and pressed her other palm into the metal to steady herself.

Silveira: We can do this.

Jovenan: Yes we can. ::to everyone:: Status? Any signs of the Things yet?

She lifted the visor a little to get a deeper, cooler breath.  She felt Roy’s eyes on her even with her eyes closed.  

Storm:  I’ll be okay.  I’m just a little lightheaded.  It’s likely just the heat under that helmet coupled with dehydration.  I’m not sure where I put my water bottle.  But that’s a ‘later’ problem.  ::Turning to Jovenan:: I don’t think it’s the Things. ::Taking another long, slow gulp of cool air::  I don’t sense them at this moment.

Bancroft: Response

oO  No passing out today. Oo

She lowered the visor on the helmet and went back to work.

Silveira: We will do this.

Jovenan: When we’re done here, we get back to the Jefferies tubes together. We have to be mobile.

Storm:  Shouldn’t be long now.

Bancroft/Silveira: Response

A quarter of the way around the hole. 

Alex felt a flutter - not a debilitating pain.  Something else.  She forced more air into her lungs and narrowed her eyes and bit at the inside of her lip, hoping the pain would keep her focused.

When she was about three quarters of the way around the seam when she heard Jovenan call out.

Jovenan: Done!

The words took effort.  Between the mask and the need for more oxygen, they quietly slipped from under the helmet

Storm:  I’m getting close

Bancroft/Silveira: Response

Her torch glowed.  Despite the visor, she felt the glare.  Biting into the inside of her mouth harder, she drew blood.  oO Come on, Alex…Almost there.  Stay focused! Oo  

It took everything she had to finish the last inch of the weld, and the torch nearly fell from Alex’s hand.  She tightened her grasp just in time.

Alex stood, her feet fixed to the ground.  Managing to remove her helmet, she saw Jovenan moving to the Jefferies tube again.  Her head wasn’t splitting open in pain.  She glanced around wondering why they were heading back into the confined space.  Orders later - movement now.

But with the helmet off, her breathing eased.  She lost some of the pressure off of her chest.  At the moment, she didn’t need to understand the ‘whys’ just the ‘whats’, so she joined the others waiting once again to be submerged into darkness.

Jovenan: Deck 3 has sections that let the air flow to the multi-deck facilities. We have to fix those if there are ruptures, but otherwise it might be enough to see that the interior bulkheads are—

Alex reached out and grasped a hold of whatever was closest to her as she pressed her eyes shut and the heel of her other hand pressed into one of her eye sockets.  

Storm:  Close the hatch.  Quickly!

Bancroft/Silveira: Response

Words came clipped through tight jaws.

Storm: They’re back.

Bancroft/Silveira/Jovenan:  Response

Pressing back into the side of the Jefferies Tube, Alex leaned her head back against the cool of the metal hoping it would help.  Her question came in spurts.

Storm:  Where did they come from?

But as soon as she asked, once again the hatch to the Jefferies tube came under assault with a deafening clang that her entire body felt through the metal at her back.  

Bancroft/Silveira/Jovenan:  Response

Storm:  There’s something different this time…it feels … deliberate.

Bancroft/Silveira/Jovenan:  Response

~*~

Tags / TBC!

~*~

Lt Alex Storm

Tactical Officer

USS Artemis

O240103SK2