Lt. Commander Samira Neathler - Eaten alive
Samira Neathler
(( The Underbelly - Tanglewoods - Gateside Dimension ))
It was with some relief that Samira heard Doz’ voice through the helmet’s speaker. Her speed walking slash market visiting friend was still out there, battling unknown creatures or flora in a water filled environment. They needed to save her, and maybe some of the equipment they had brought with them would finally help them. The only downside was that the devices, just like the suits, had been tested outside water, and no-one knew what would happen if they used them underwater.
Neathler: There’s only one way to find out. ::She paused a moment.:: How you’re doing, Ensign?
The resonance devices had made her realize something else. Would the EVA-suits still protect them against the radiation, or had the water removed the protective layer? It wasn’t something she wanted to voice, not in front of Ethan. She not only had to think of Doz’ welfare, though the woman would probably outlive anyone on the Gorkon, but also Ethan, fresh out of the Academy and being tossed in a horrorlike scenario that no-one could have predicted when they first set foot in the Gibaria outpost. A croak laugh resonated through her helmet.
Espinoza: Best to let adrenaline do its job ‘n ask me later, Commander.
She grinned as she turned towards him. He had already grabbed the devices from the pack Atlas had on his back. She now held one of them in her left hand. The instructions had been rather simple and made for easy use. Just like Ethan she had a good grip on Atlas and together they took a deep breath. She gave him a nod, and Ethan gave Atlas a pat. If she didn’t know any better, the ensign shared similar feelings towards Atlas as Doz.
Without any warning, the suit complied, and Samira almost lost her grip on Atlas as he dived into the swirl beneath them. Hopefully their suits would hold against the water and the pressure. She clenched her fists around Atlas and the other around the device’s handle.
Espinoza: Y’know, if there’s any doubt that Sod’s Law is real, we can just show ‘em this mission debrief. Irrefutable evidence that things’ll go wrong at the worst possible time in the worst possible way. It’s kinda ridiculous.
Who on Earth was Sod? She knew Murphy, but Sod? If they hadn’t been submerged she would have given the ensign an odd look, but now she had to use all her might to hold on to Atlas as the water and its current battered their bodies and suits.
Finch: Response
The life signs her tricorder had detected earlier, were now swimming below them. Odd shapes in what she gathered was a leathery red hide with thin tails and sharp, long claws. She could only hope none of them had reached Doz.
Espinoza: There. Beneath us. I can’t see Commander Finch, but I can see a bunch of ‘em circling something. On your mark, Commander.
Neathler: Take cover if you can, Doz. On three. ::She waited a moment, her thumb hovering over the activation button.:: One, two, three.
Finch: Response
The odd beings with their sharp claws swam closer and closer, or it was Atlas taking the two humanoids further down into the beings' nest.
Espinoza: Activating… now!
Finch: Response
With her thumb still on the activation button, Samira held on to the device even as it she felt shivers vibrating through her body. The surrounding water reacted to the vibrations coming from both devices. Rings, first small but then larger and larger coming from the instruments moved the further out as the pulses traversed into the water. Everything around them moved and the bioluminescent algae reacted with a bright light, almost blinding. Luckily, the sunscreen in their helmets kicked in, shielding their eyes from the bright light.
Both Atlas and the device vibrated in her hands and she had trouble holding on, a shockwave going through her body. She struck something, she didn’t know what and felt a sharp pain going through her side. She figured that somehow she had slammed against Atlas’ frame, but the next second she bumped into something hard with her other side. The swirling red figures with their sharp claws had disappeared beneath them but something struck her from behind, and everything turned dark.
(( Timeskip - Tanglewoods - Gateside Dimension ))
Coughing, as if she accidentally had swallowed tons of water, she slowly opened her eyes. Somehow she sat on her knees, and when she tried to move, Samira found her hands tied behind her back. Slowly her brain registered what her eyes tried to convey. The water around them was gone and she was looking at a woven surface of black and red roots, vines and creepers, here and there a bioluminescent vine blinked into existence, giving them a view of their nearest surroundings, barely half a meter around them. Other than that, all she saw was darkness.
Neathler: Doz? Ethan?
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Finch / Espinoza: Response
The faintest movement she made hurt, even using her voice. Slowly she raised her head and took a slow breath. At least her EVA-suit still functioned as it should as somewhat fresh air filled her lungs.
Neathler: My hands are tied, I can’t reach my flashlight.
Finch / Espinoza: Response
Her words were barely spoken, when suddenly their surroundings were lit by an unknown source of light. Samira’s breath stuck in her lungs as she saw Atlas about three meters ahead of her. Vines twirled around his legs, arms, and torso. Its head was tilted in her direction as if it wanted to accuse her of the position the mechanical suit was in. She kept staring, only realizing now that part of his left hand or claw had disappeared into a thick vine, as if the plant was trying to devour part of their mechanical friend.
Neathler: Can anyone move?
Finch / Espinoza: Response