Lt. JG Natasha Cole They needed answers…
Natasha Schell
((The Afalqi Project Hangar 1659 - Meranuge IV))
Natasha lunged sideways rather than straight back, one arm cutting out in a sharp warning toward the others while the other kept a death grip on her tricorder. Her attention split between the descending mass above them and the floor beneath it, already trying to read whether this thing was meant to crush, cover, seal, or destroy.
Munro: Everyone stay out of the safety perimeter watch out for the stabilising cables!
Bancroft: ::shouting over the noise:: Some sort of automation maybe?
Cole: Not unless somebody taught it timing.
This was no longer just a missing ship. This was a room defending its own secrets.
Cole: Back up and watch the mechanism—if this thing is tied to the signal, we need to know what moved first.
Munro: I'm trying to override now.
Bancroft: ::exasperated:: Watch– I haven’t stopped watching it. ::dryly:: It’s still moving, by the way.
Imril: ::To Tarsan:: Ensign, scan for anything that might be picking up and responding to the tricoder scans and see if you can jam it. I’m going to pull whatever I can from this computer before it starts taking swings, too.
Tarsan: Whatever it is is adapting.. I think it’s a construct of some sort. It’s not just a dumb device, Lieutenant…
Cole: Somebody didn’t just steal the Afalqi. They built insurance into the scene.
Imril shouted from above them.
Imril: [Expletive redacted] ::Shouting to be heard:: The security footage is deleting itself! I’ll explain later! Typing now!
Munro: Get off the platform!
Tarsan: Almost done! Just need another min-
Imril: ::Pointing to the ladder:: Back to the ground floor, Ensign. I don't think that this platform’s going to be around much longer.
Tarsan: What about you, Lieutenant??
Imril: That’s an order, Ensign! Move! I’ll be right behind you!
Natasha’s eyes darted between Imril and Garvin on the platform and the gantry as it was moving. She was already running through the options. Her hand was already on the grip of her holstered phaser. If she fired a burst at what she presumed was the motor for the gantry it might seize up and lurch to an abrupt stop… or it could explode and they’d find themselves in the blast radius.
oO You won't have to protect anyone if you're dead. Oo
Her body went rigid at that. She had thought she left that voice in the Void. Now was not the time to process that. Roy yelling in her ear pulled her free of the thought before it could settle.
Bancroft: Is there no way to stop this?
Cole: ::looking at Roy:: Not without making it worse!
SCKREEEEEEK!!! The Gantry didn’t so much impact with the platform but rather cut through it as its momentum and mass sliced through supports, railings and the platform itself causing debris to be thrown as they continued their twisted joining.
Nat did the only thing she could in that moment and turned into the impact, throwing up an arm as she and Roy tried to shield themselves from the airborne shrapnel. Once the first wave of debris had passed, both of them were moving again.
Munro: Lieutenant! Move!
Bancroft: This way!
Tarsan: I’m coming, I’m coming! ::calling up to Imril:: Lieutenant…
Cole: I got them, Move Ensign!
SHRRRROOOOK!!!
Munro: Move!
Nat saw Imril shove their PADD into their jacket and make for the ladder. Which had already started peeling away from what remained of the platform railing. They did not waste time with caution, sliding down the sides instead of taking it rung by rung.
The second their feet hit the hangar floor, Natasha was already moving, ushering them clear as Roy and Gavrin broke in the same direction, all of them judging the fall line on instinct more than thought.
The platform did not come down cleanly.
It rolled and twisted as it fell, the remaining supports giving out unevenly, metal shrieking against metal before the impact hit a fraction of a second later. The force of it travelled through the deck before the sound fully resolved, deep and concussive, the kind of blow you felt in your bones as much as heard.
Natasha’s eyes moved fast across the others. Roy was upright, Tarsan was clear, Imril had made it down and was moving. Ava threw herself backward out of the worst of it, clearing the collapse with one final desperate leap as the gantry came down in a thunder that seemed to shake the whole hangar.
Munro was already moving toward Imril, quick-eyed and visibly furious in the way she hadn’t seen since a very different Commander she knew was not happy.
Munro: :: angry :: What was that?! You could've been killed :: to all of them :: It's not heroic to end up dead, get that fantasy out of your head now. All you get is your name on a list you don't want to be on :: to Imril :: I hope that data was worth it.
Nat stood there with a mix of shock and genuine surprise. She wasn’t expecting Commander Munro to be that harsh. She considered the woman a friend at the very least on some level. Unfortunately now was not the time nor the place to address it.
Munro: :: harsher than usual :: Roy, check them over.
Bancroft: ::brief pause:: Right away, Commander.
She looked between Munro and Bancroft, letting a hint of concern show as she settled on Bancroft. She was sure he’d picked it up too, something more was hitting Commander Munro. Ava had stepped off to the side as she tapped her combadge
Imril: Response
Bancroft: ::lightly:: Alright, are any of you dead? Barring that, any complaints? ::holding a finger up at Nat:: physical complaints.
She shot Roy a look, under other circumstances she absolutely would have made some kind of witty remark, or teased him about something or other, but definitely not after that dressing down they all just received.
Tarsan: All good, Doctor. Was far enough away ::taking a deep breath:: way too close though. Waaaaaay too close.
Cole: ::looking herself over:: I’m good, as far as I can tell.
Imril: Response
Munro: =/\= Commander Munro to Captain MacKenzie=/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= Go ahead, Commander. =/\=
Munro: =/\= The hangar’s been destroyed, while we were trying to locate a jamming device we appear to have triggered some kind of booby trap. I think it would be safe to assume that there may be other traps =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= What's the status of your team? =/\=
Munro: =/\= Everyone seems okay, Roy is checking them over now. I might have the location of the jamming device and :: pauses and looks at Imril :: Lt. Imril retrieved some information from the hangar files =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= See what else you can uncover, but watch your step. =/\=
Munro: =/\= Understood, Captain. Munro out. =/\=
Commander Munro returned to the group after her brief conversation with Captain MacKenzie. She had steadied herself, but Nat had been known to do that when she was carrying more then she let on. She suspected she might have an idea as to what might be additionally weighing on Commander Munro, and made a mental note to have that conversation in private.
Munro: Let's take a breath :: beat :: Imril, take Cole and head over to the hangar administration building, let them know what's happened here. They'll need to send a crew. Try and find out what might be in those files. Remember the Da'al are not our enemies but someone left that trap.
Bancroft: The question in my mind is, was that meant for anyone who might come poking around? Or specifically for us?
Tarsan: I think it’s some sort of adaptive virus, possibly with limited intelligence. Likely separate to the main network so that it wouldn’t be detected, I got partial readings ::sending the data to the others’ tricorders::
Cole: ::to Munro:: Aye Sir. We’ll get answers. ::to Roy:: I was wondering that myself.
Imril: Response
Munro: Tarsan and Bancroft, let's go find that device.
Bancroft: ::to Tarsan:: If things go really well, you won’t learn why they call me ‘Doc Crashcart’.
As they stood there a section of mangled gantry finally gave way to gravity's embrace, slamming into the hangar floor with a sharp, echoing clang.
Tarsan: That’s not reassuring at all, Doctor…
Cole: ::To Tarsan:: You’ll be with Artemis's two best runners, you’ll be fine. ::to Imril:: After you Lieutenant.
Imril: Response
Natasha followed Imril out of the now disaster zone that was the Hanger, as the duo made their way towards the Administration building. They need to find answers and fast before more people found themselves in danger. That thought hung at her very core.
((Short Walk Later - Hanger Administration Building - Meranuge IV))
As they approached the hangar administration building, Natasha couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted again. One thought kept returning with unpleasant persistence: they were being watched.
Cole: I know it’s early, but what do you make of all this?
Imril: Response
Cole: ::looking around:: You notice security seems … thin?
Imril: Response
She stopped looking around, confirming she hadn’t seen anyone from the Da'al security team since they had left the hanger. Her hand drifted instinctively toward her phaser.
Cole: Yeah, I got a bad feeling about it too.
Imril: Response
Tags/TBC
----- ◌● -----Lt. JG Natasha Cole
Security Officer
USS Artemis-A
A240205NC4