Lt. Commander Doz Finch - The Dark Beyond (Part IV)
Doz Finch
((Corridor, Gibaria Outpost))
A set of doors handprinted in blood, and the flickering silhouette of angular tendrils reaching in like roots through cracked pavement: this was her first real visual of what had happened to the outpost, a place of science slowly being consumed by encroaching and infectious flora, and ghastly, destructive fauna. A horribly foreboding sight if ever there was one, which meant a great deal coming from a woman of her age and experience.
She kneeled down and blinked at one of the creeping vines, grimacing at its tangled and wet appearance, recoiling when she caught its malodorous whiff. Then she turned to her team with a warm but tight smile, her mind rolling through a hundred different scenarios on what must have happened there in the long and cold corridor. When she spoke, her accent was as thick as ever, and of course, tactfully upbeat.
Finch: As you already know, loveys, our objective here is to secure a path through to this so-called “dimensional” gate, and it’s fair to say that there’s more than a few obstacles standing between us and it.
Neathler / Sevo / Naledi: Response
Information was scant, but by god it painted enough of a picture. The gate, something she was eager to take a look at, had seemingly ripped open a portal to some other place, and terrible things were pouring out of it like a pin to a water balloon. Strange, noxious plants were spreading across walls and machinery like an accelerated mould, tailgated by monstrous creatures that the facility wasn't able to handle on its own. So they had been called in to help, and in the specific case of her team, clear a way through.
Joining her on the team were three seasoned officers with sharp analytical minds and several years of experience between them. Chief of Security and Tactical Samira Neathler, as shrewd as they came. Mission Specialist Ayiana Sevo, a red-haired science whiz with an acclaimed punch. And lastly Naledi, a recent addition on a rather special training assignment, all clicks and snaps.
Finch: It’s a vulgar mix of infectious plants and hostile creatures according to the report, but we’ve got a spread of equipment, and latest generation rifles to see us through the bulk of it. I expect you’ll be quite familiar with them, Commander Naledi. Welcome to the team! I’d offer you a cup of tea, if I had a teapot handy.
Neathler / Sevo / Naledi: Response
With a clap of her hands, she led the officers to a nearby terminal in the wall, where a three-dimensional visual of their current location, and the schematic layout that awaited them on the other side of the doors, minus the horrors, appeared through a dull chime. These fixtures were accessible to all of them, though if her first squinting glimpse of the situation was anything to go by then she doubted there would be many still operational the deeper into the facility they went.
Finch: We’re initially going to head through a series of dry labs that’ll need sealing off — computing, equipment storage, that sort of thing — but cameras are offline in this area, so we’re going in blind. I don’t know about you three, but I’m in favour of a strategic approach. Any suggestions?
Neathler / Sevo / Naledi: Response