Lt Alex Storm - Getting Hammered
Karen Morris
((Underground facility, Kurtûl III)) .
Alex fired another set of controlled bursts down the corridor. The phaser fire struck one person and illuminated the two others with him.
Storm: There are two more. I’ll try to hold them off.
As much as she could, Alex wedged herself behind one of the girders that flanked the hallway at intervals. The intense cold from the metal and concrete sent a shiver throughout her whole body. Another phaser blast barely missed Breys.
She stepped out from her cover to send another volley of phaser fire down the corridor. The problem was that her light didn’t reach as far as the other group. She had to judge their position from the phaser fire they were sending their way.
Breys: I’m finally getting lifesigns. Whoever these people are, they’ve been exposed to this radiation a lot longer than anyone who’s part of our chase, longer than they should be able to live.
Breys: I’ll see if the way in is blocked. It’s only a handful of meters down now.
Jovenan: You’ll have to lead us there, Ensign!
Ikaixar: We can’t afford to let them waste our time.
Breys: On it.
Jovenan: Lieutenant, Doctor, keep on moving!
Alex was still ensconced behind a girder when Jovenan had called out. Two more bolts rushed down the side of the corridor. One impacted the front of the girder she was mostly hidden behind. She could feel the heat from it emanating through the metal. oO That was a close call. Oo
As soon as she was able, she slipped from her place firing her phaser as she darted across the corridor. Looking at Ikaixar, she called out…
Storm: Go!
Ikaixar: Are we certain they won’t call for help?
Breys: ::almost to herself:: The door is sealed magnetically in some way, we need to depolarize it.
Jovenan: Can you do it?
Alex took up a position at the edge of the corridor.
Storm: I’ve got this side.
Ikaixar: I’ll give cover.
From over her shoulder, she heard the doctor offering to cover the rest of them. Alex didn’t move.
Phaser fire continued to illuminate the corridor past the one where they currently took refuge, but they had seen Alex turn down the corridor because their shots were now focused on that side. Streak after yellow streak flew past the two women and ricocheted off the end of the corridor walls or at the end of the other corridor.
But with their new focus, Alex could also tell that they were coming nearer because the shots didn’t fly as long before they reached her vicinity. She decided to try something new. She aimed at the floor in front of where she believed the two were going to be and fired there over and over, creating a glow in the concrete floor - which was enough light to see an outline of a figure. She aimed for it and struck it, but the other, realizing what happened, stepped out of the light completely.
Breys and Jovenan looked pressed to a large hulking door that stood in their path.
Breys: This thing isn’t budging.
Jovenan: Do we have the means to force it open?
Ikaixar: I think a sustained blast would work wonders.
Breys: What? They’re using the radiation to make DNA porous?
Jovenan: What?
Ikaixar: What in the Four—
Now that there was only one, it was like the person had redoubled his effort to make up for the lack of their being others with them.
Storm: I’ve got this. Go help the Commander. They may need a doctor, given the thalaron radiation.
Breys: The thalaron particles are being vented into tanks a kilometer below us, and one is leaking. We need to get in now and turn this off!
COMPUTER: Thalaron treatment commenced in Research Lab 1. All unnecessary medical personnel, evacuate disposal tanks.
There was no going back. It was quite literally do or die. And she had no plans of dying today.
Jovenan: Ensign, swap with me. Lieutenant!
For a brief second, Alex’s eyes snapped back at Jovenan.
Storm: Commander?
Did she really want the one experienced tactical officer to leave the firefight to open a door when there were two science officers? Alex hesitated only for a split second as she replayed Jovenan’s words to make sure she heard them correctly before turning to join her.
Breys: Response
Alex jogged toward the door with Commander Jovenan. The door stood firmly in its place, a barricade in their path.
Jovenan: Try to get it open, use of force authorised.
Jovenan pushed a button. Alex knelt down and pulled out her tricorder, scanning the door.
Jovenan: Mister Havun! This is Starfleet! You’re under arrest. Shut down the generator and call off your troops, and you’ll receive a fair trial.
Storm: It’s using a biometric triple locking mechanism.
Her tricorder whirred.
Storm: But lucky for us - like most everything around here, it’s an older iteration of it, and has a weakness I think we can exploit.
Breys: Response
Ikaixar: I’m recalibrating my phaser, it’ll be faster if there’s more of us trying to blast it open.
Jovenan: Havun! Open the door or we’ll blow it up! Or let the Nascaik do it for us!
Havun: Response?
Ikaixar: Commander, duck!
Alex realized what the other Betazoid was doing after it was too late.
Storm: Wait!
But her voice was drowned out by the phaser fire. Since Ikaixar decided to take matters into her own hands, Alex went back to the edge of the corridor. Breys was the only one left there covering them, and she was a science officer.
Alex tapped her shoulder relieving her.
Breys: Response
Ikaixar: I’ll need someone to tell me when to stop— I can’t see how thick the metal is.
The streaks continued coming down the hallway, from closer this time, but with only one person there, it was much easier for Alex to pinpoint his location, and she hit him square in the chest. The last of the three attackers crumpled to the floor.
Storm: Got him! We’re clear for now. I’m going to gather their phasers.
She walked down the corridor and took each of their phasers, so if they came to, which they shouldn’t for hours, they wouldn’t be able to do any damage. In just a moment, she was back with the others as they were still trying to break into the door. Just as she was about to turn back down the corridor
Jovenan/Breys: Response
Chunks of red hot metal slowly fell to the ground like droplets falling from ice, they sloughed like layers of sludge, falling flat onto the concrete.
Ikaixar: How-how many are going to be waiting for us on the other side?
Alex stepped back up beside the door.
Storm: Lieutenant, they are using Thaleron radiation in there.
Jovenan/Breys: Response
Ikaixar: Let me worry about us dropping, just keep giving cover!
Alex had been preparing to follow Jovenan's order when Ikaixar stepped in. There was nothing to do now except stand aside and hope the phaser fire didn't penetrate the chamber.
Havun: Computer, isolate the necrotic nucleotides in the patient. What’s the recommended treatment?
COMPUTER: Analyzing. Nucleomimetic hyper-treatment plan loading. Warning: Patient’s DNA porosity not at recommended levels.
Havun: Load up the instructions... The treatment will start soon.
oO Till the end of our lives, and further still. Oo
He saw the door fall away and looked up, Starfleet colors showing in the gap left behind.
Storm: ::To Ikaixar:: Stop! You’re through!
JovenanBreys/Ikaixar: Response
Havun looked back down on the computer console.
Havun: Start the treatment. ::raises the glass hammer to the chamber’s window and looks at Starfleet:: Step any closer, I’ll break the glass and release the radiation to the rest of the laboratory.
Alex slipped her phaser rifle up her back and held her two hands up to show that she was no threat. Granted her type 2 was holstered at her side and easily accessible. She stepped through and off to the side to let everyone else in.
Storm: If you do that, you’ll kill yourself, too.
Jovenan/Breys/Ikaixar: Response
As the others engaged with Havun, Alex took a small step toward him.
Havun: Please understand, the treatment must continue. She- Falon will die without it!
Jovenan/Breys/Ikaixar: Response
Storm: Havun, do you realize that you have several Nascaik teams on the ground ready to take you out? We just stopped one of them. But there are more.
Alex continued to inch her way closer to Havun. She just needed to get to that hammer.
Jovenan/Breys/Ikaixar/Havun: Response
Storm: And do you realize that they have threatened to execute Secretary Jetripar if we don’t bring you in? I can’t imagine you want that.
Jovenan/Breys/Ikaixar/Havun: Response
Every moment, Alex unobtrusively positioned herself closer and closer to Havun until she finally lunged toward Havun, trying to pin his arm before he could strike the glass.
Storm: I don’t want to hurt you!
Jovenan/Breys/Ikaixar/Havun: Response
~*~
Tags / TBC!
~*~
Lt Alex Storm
Tactical Officer
USS Artemis
O240103SK2