Ens Hiro Jones - Not a Wasted Day After All
notyourfrog
((OOC - apologies up front. This is a long one.))
(( Ertas Square, Tecra, Da’al ))
Jones: ::coughing to clear the dust from his lungs:: Can we go now, please?
Yalu: Yes. And toot sweet.
Osuna: response
The noise from the growing mob, the breeze that did little to cool Hiro's burning neck, and the cloud of pulsating dust that seemed so unbothered by the breeze it may as well have been superimposed on the scene. Everything in Hiro said "run," but he held his position. He really wanted answers, but all he could do was ask another (probably unhelpful) question.
Jones: Uh ... gang? What the hell is going on?
Tornahd was now armed. With a heavy pipe. Hiro reflexively shifted his right foot back into a ready stance. Stick fighting was right up there with boxing, and he was not about to add "bludgeoned by crazed civilian" to his service record. Not today at least.
Yellir: We’re out in the open, we need cover NOW!
She wasn't wrong. The mob was moving closer, and now it seemed Tornahd was intent on singlehandedly smashing every in tact pane of glass within walking distance. Commmander Yalu tried to regain control over the situation while Hiro scanned the area. The concentration of "Da'al Dust" (the shorthand he'd adopted for the problematic substance) was incredibly high here. Add to that the still increasing frequency of the energy pulses, and shelter behind a solid-ish wall sounded better and better.
Yalu: Tornahd, stop. This isn’t going to help anything. ::gestures to the growing cloud of mob dust:: Those people are getting closer every second and they’re dangerous.
Osuna: response
Tornahd: It doesn't matter. None of this is real. ::He brought the pipe down on an ornate glass door.:: I will right the wrong. I will unmake what has been made.
Yellir: If we stay here, we’ll either lose our eyesight or get vaporized by the trigger-happy civilians if we’re lucky. This isn’t the time to push our luck!
That's when Yellir ran in earnest. oO not good. Never split the party. Oo Hiro's last glimpse of the pink-skinned Lieutenant was as she skirted around the remnants of a stone wall.
Osuna: response
Yalu: ::sternly:: Tornahd, it’s time to end this. For everyone’s safet——
And that's when Tornahd ran. Hiro's stance shifted to one of counterattack, but it wasn't needed. The Da'al man ran single-mindedly toward the mob. He was soon out of sight. It was a bad situation, but comparatively better. At least they were out of one immediate danger.
Yalu: Okay, let’s get the hell out of here and find Lieutenant Yellir.
MacKenzie: =/\= MacKenzie to Yalu. =/\=
Yalu tapped his comm badge with a mingled look of frustration and relief at the sound of the CO's voice.
Yalu: =/\= Yalu here. =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= What’s the status of your team, Commander? =/\=
Yalu: =/\= Uh, whatever the opposite of “peachy” is. ::beat:: Captain, there’s something concerning going on here. =/\=
oO Maybe not the most official phrasing, but I'll give him this: Yalu's got a way of saying a lot with a little. Oo
Yalu: =/\= What about you? Are you OK? =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= We’ve got a problem. Lieutenant Dakora, Commander Adea, and many of the Da’al appear to be compromised. By what, I don’t know, but it seems that something is causing them to lose control of their emotions and act aggressively, which explains the behavior we’ve been seeing. I’m fine, so I believe the only ones at risk are those with telepathic or empathic abilities… Lieutenant Dakora suggested returning to the ship, but I worry that whatever might be impacting them might also spread to the other empathic crew members, and the last thing we need is whatever’s happening down there to happen on the Artemis… what do you think? =/\=
The Trill Commander took a beat to process. From what Hiro could overhear, it sounded like their situation was mirrored across the area. Strange behaviors, unprecedented aggression, open hostility. What he wouldn't give to see a broad range scan. He shook his tricorder, as though that would magically increase its functional range, but the dust remained a hindrance. He couldn't read anything outside a 20 meter radius.
Yalu: =/\= I agree with you, Captain. If our people are being affected, returning to the ship is too great a risk. This isn’t some bacterium that the transporter can filter out. We’ll have to figure something out from down here. =/\=
More noise met their ears as they rounded a corner in the direction Yellir had taken off. Either the mob was almost on them, or there was more going on than they'd realized.
Yalu: =/\= If possible, we ought to regroup. Things are falling apart here. ::sidesteps the path of a collapsing pillar:: In every sense of the phrase. Strength in numbers, we can accomplish more as a group. =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= response =/\=
Yalu: =/\= Then until we can get to each other, I recommend we all find somewhere out of sight. It’s going to be night soon, and I can’t imagine things calming down in the dark. =/\=
MacKenzie: =/\= response =/\=
Yalu: =/\= Aye. It's a little fraught at our current location. I’ll report back once we’ve reached safety. =/\=
As the team came into a straighter stretch of what-once-was-road, they saw the wayward Lieutenant. It seemed she'd not only calmed slightly in the intervening minutes, but also done some light scouting.
Yalu: Right. This way. ::beat:: Hope you like squatting.
Jones: No complaints here, sir. I'm just happy for a roof and walls at this point. Such as they are.
Osuna / Yellir: response
Yalu: Let’s choose the structure that has ::to Yellir:: the sturdiest beams, ::to Osuna:: the best hiding places, and ::to Jones:: the cleanest air. My snots are going to be messed up for weeks.
Hiro nodded ascent, and shifted the focus of his scans. He'd been monitoring the energy pulses primarily for the last twenty minutes, with secondary scans for life signs. Now, he made particulate matter per liter of atmosphere the primary focus.
Osuna / Yellir: response
Jones: Looks a bit better as far as air quality too. Most of the windows are still intact, so there's less dust. Anybody got a tissue?
Commander Yalu nodded as they approached the cluster of buildings.
Yalu: Wait… Do you hear that?
Osuna / Yellir: response
Hiro had picked up on the sound as well. It was a weird, keening, oscillation. It rose and fell, becoming lower-pitched with each trough in the amplitude. The tricorder confirmed his suspicions. The energy pulses were growing in wavelength now, but it sounded like the sound was coming from the mob.
He didn't have time to think much more about it at the moment. His communicator chirped, and Ensign Jovenan's voice came through. He stepped a short distance away in the room, and tapped his badge in response.
((OOC - this is a bit out of sync time-wise, but I needed to include the conversation.))
Jovenan: =/\= Ensign Jovenan to Ensign Jones! =/\=
Jones: =/\= Jones here, go ahead, Jo =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= I need to be quick; we might have a potential riot at our hands! The molecular compound was almost definitely formed by the impact, but something is causing the molecule to persist and fluctuate in its charge. I’m still looking into that. =/\=
oO A potential riot? Not there too ... Oo The confirmation of the forced bond was reassuring. It meant Hiro wasn't as completely inept concerning molecular biology as he was beginning to fear.
Jones: =/\= I have a thought about that, but I don't currently have a good test subject. What about the concentration of the compound where you are? =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= It’s everywhere, in the dust! I found some of it here, mostly in the areas with dust covered Da’al refugees. I presume there’s more of it there. =/\=
Jones: =/\= That matches what I've seen too. We witnessed a cloud of the dust kicked up by our mob that ignored a breeze, and seemed to pulse in time to subterranean energy fluctuations. =/\=
When she responded a beat later than expected, Hiro could hear the concern in her voice as she posited a theory.
Jovenan: =/\= Jones… Is it possible this aerosol could have biological effects? Commander Adea started feeling off when the Da’al crowd brought more dust in. But… none of the others have been affected. =/\=
Jones: =/\= My best guess is yes, but I need to scan a Da'al to determine exactly what those effects are. Ours just went bonkers, grabbed a pipe, started smashing things, then ran off. It seems like the stronger a Da'al present is feeling the effects, the more likely it is to pass to a non-Da'al. =/\=
Jovenan: =/\= So we might be in danger? I’ll inform Commander Adea, Jovenan out! =/\=
The comm was dead before Hiro could even sign off. In some corner of his mind, Hiro was impressed at how composed Jovenan sounded. She'd had a rough time during the training simulation, but it seemed when it really mattered, her head stayed level, and she rose to the challenge. oO Good for you, Jo Oo
Now that the comm was quiet, Hiro noticed the tricorder back in its holster was making a "buh-leep" sound. Drawing the device, he saw what he'd hoped for since they disembarked from the shuttle: signs of life.
Jones: Commander, we're not alone. I'm detecting Da'al lifesigns upstairs. Permission to investigate?
Yalu: Response
Jones: Aye, sir.
With incredible care, Hiro stepped on the outer edges of the stairs going up to the second level. He knew there was a lower chance of them giving out underfoot by staying tight to the wall. In this wide-legged manner, he reached the upper landing. The tricorder indicated the survivor was only 3 meters away, but Hiro couldn't see or hear anyone.
Jones: ::tentatively:: Hello? My name is Doctor Hiro Jones. I'm here to help. Is there someone in here?
A ten count later, a small quavering voice answered
???: I'm stuck.
Jones: ::calling down the stairs:: I've found someone. They're trapped under some rubble. I could use some help clearing it.
Yalu: Response
Yellir/Osuna: Response
With their help, the bureau that had pinned the young Da'al down was cleared. Wide frightened eyes now looked up at the unfamiliar faces.
???: Who- Who are you?
Yalu/Yellir/Osuna: Response
Jones: My name is Hiro. I'm a Doctor from the USS Artemis. We were called to help however we can. What's your name? Are you hurt?
Teolin: My name's Teolin. My leg hurts real bad.
Jones: ::holding up the tricorder:: This is called a tricorder. It lets me see what's wrong without having to touch anything. It won't hurt a bit, ok? Promise.
A quick scan showed the boy's right cuboid and first cuneiform bones were broken, a hairline fracture of the lateral malleolus, and a strain of the fibularis brevis. They were in no way life-threatening injuries, but out of curative reach for an emergency med kit. Then Hiro remembered his addition to the bag. He pulled out the portable stasis field emitter, placed it on the boy's leg, and activated it. The soft green-blue light lit up the limb with a soft, somewhat soothing (Hiro thought) glow.
Jones: This will keep your foot from moving around until we can get you fixed up, ok?
Teolin: ok.
Yalu/Yellir/Osuna: Response
((OOC - feel free to write for Teolin as you see fit.))
TAG/TBC
Ensign Hiro Jones, MD
USS Artemis-A, Medical
E239510KD0
"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." - Marcus Aurelius