Vice Admiral Quinn Reynolds - Twists and Turns
Quinn Reynolds
((Apartment Block, Upper vIq'mItlh City, veHrom’nagh))
Working in concert with the Trill, Quinn began her tinkering with the power supply. She took a subtle approach, introducing an interference wave to disrupt the power frequency, dialling it up until the phase shifts matched and the power dropped. The panel sounded a raspberry buzz, as though somehow offended at having to do something, and slid down into the wall.
That was all; no fireworks, no disruptor discharges, no plumes of toxic gas, or whatever else one might want to protect an access panel with. Quinn released a breath, then raised her eyebrows as she saw what was inside.
Reynolds: It's a keypad. ::She looked toward Sevo.:: Do you want to do the honours?
V'Lar: ::Calling over to the others:: The Klingon is stabilised for transport. ::She tapped her communicator badge:: =/\= V'Lar to Gorkon, one to transport directly to Sickbay. =/\=
Transporter Operator: =/\= Acknowledged, Commander. Locking on, stand by. =/\=
Quinn glanced back to see V'Lar still kneeling next to the Klingon, tending to him until the last possible moment. The whine of the confinement beam filled the small apartment, the Gorkon's newest patient disappearing behind a veil of shimmering blue light.
With her duty discharged to the doctors working somewhere above their heads, V'Lar rose with efficient grace and moved toward Quinn and Sevo. Taelon took a few moments longer, lingering near the couch, something catching his attention in the blood spatter there.
V'Lar: I advise caution, there is still the matter of whoever attacked the informant and where they went. Is there any sign of a secondary exit from this apartment?
The Vulcan turned her observant gaze on the rest of the apartment. The single entrance, four windows (one broken), kitchenette, bathroom, and the unusually secured door. She flicked open her tricorder, scanning the local architecture. It quickly told her there were no maintenance passages or accessible ventilation systems that could have provided an alternate exit, either. Although all bets were off if there were any in the sensor hole beyond the door.
T. Sevo: Not that I know of. We’ll see what happens after I enter this code.
V'Lar: I ask because the evidence is contradictory. We have a victim, which presupposes an assailant. The assailant did not appear to pass us, nor did we detect any signs of a transport.
Reynolds: There's only the window that I can see. Which is unlikely, but not impossible, if they had the forethought to bring the right equipment.
V'Lar: Our initial scans for lifesigns had been obfuscated. ::She gestured towards the door:: What lies beyond the door is shielded. Is there any sign anyone else may have gained access?
Reynolds: There's no sign it's been forced. Beyond that, I can't say.
T. Sevo: Can I press the buttons now?
Taelon: Be ready for anything, I suppose…
She nodded to the Trill, and he punched in—the choice of phrase more accurate than unusual—the combination. The door slid open without a peep of complaint, revealing an empty closet. Or at least, something that looked like a closet. But there was an odd scuffing on the floor, and fresh blood smeared the right wall. Quinn thought it odd there was blood inside, but none on the access panel outside. It could be one of those curious pieces of evidence that meant nothing, or everything.
Sevo reached out and pushed, palm flat against the spot the blood marked. Rarely had she felt quite so much like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. The rear of the closet slid open, and a narrow staircase descended into the dark.
Taelon: Well, that’s… something.
T. Sevo: Huh.
V’Lar: Response
Taelon: Wait. Do you — V’Lar, do you hear that?
Quinn wasn't sure if she could hear footsteps below them on the stairs, or if it was the sounds of the apartment building conspiring to sound like that. Toran paused, his expression intense, until he conceded to the unyielding limitations of biology.
T. Sevo: I don’t hear anything.
V’Lar: Response
Taelon: Well — um, after you, then…
Sevo took the lead, and Quinn flicked on her torch, illuminating the stairwell from behind him. Both the Trill and the El Aurian on their team battled with the dimensions—close walls and low ceilings—so much so, Taelon had to take the stairs sideways and hunched over. Skinny and of perfectly average height (for a human), Quinn had no such problems.
With ARIA bringing up the rear, they navigated the tiny landing midway, the stairs reversing direction and meeting another door at their base. It could only have been three or four metres in height, which meant—
T. Sevo: This must be the apartment directly below.
V’Lar: Response
This door was open, and apparently lacking the obfuscation and security of the one in Ep'ehko's apartment. The floor plan was a mirror of the one above, the interior in a considerably better state. It was clean and almost orderly. Tucked into one near corner was a small bed, and a couch faced a screen near the centre of the room. MREs and other survival supplies sat in neat stacks, enough to keep someone fed for weeks. Quinn slipped her phaser back into her hand, aware that their assailant could be inside.
T. Sevo: It looks like a survival bunker…
Reynolds: ::Low,:: Any life signs in this apartment? Assuming we can get any readings in here.
V’Lar / Taelon: Response
Someone had gone to the trouble of blacking out the windows, stopping determined observers from peering into the fifth-floor apartment. Anywhere else in the city, that might have drawn attention by itself, but the run-down state of the building meant boarded windows were commonplace. Quinn suspected that the same person had welded the front door shut—preventing anyone from breaking in, but also cutting off any other avenue for escape. If their assailant had come this way, they were almost certainly still here.
An investigation board spanned the left half of the living room. Printed materials and screens of various sizes hung on the wall, and a large desk sat in front. Old and new sat side by side, books stacked next to a computer terminal.
T. Sevo: Maybe this was where Ep'ehko was researching his cases.
Reynolds: He had an office. ::She glanced briefly at the wall, keeping a steady eye over the rest of the apartment.:: If he was using this place for research, he must have wanted to keep this investigation out of sight.
V’Lar / Taelon: Response
A dull thump crept out from behind the bathroom door. Sevo shifted his bulk, moving toward the room with soft footfalls. He glanced her way for confirmation, and after gesturing toward V'Lar and Taelon to take up cover, she gave him a nod. Phaser levelled, he opened the door.
T. Sevo: Um, hello.
Time froze for a moment, Sevo looking at the Klingon hidden in the bathroom, and said Klingon looking back at Sevo. The man was short for his species, covered in blood and nursing a wound in his side. But underneath the beard he was trying to grow, he had a baby face she'd seen before—on the hidden holographic board of the Glob Fly.
Reynolds: Ep'ehko?
Ep'ehko: Who's asking? ::He gripped a bloodied d'k tahg tight in his hands, not taking his eyes off the Trill in front of him. Every inch a man ready to go down fighting.:: Why are you here?
V'Lar / Taelon / T. Sevo: Response
Wariness beaded through every inch of the Klingon's body. Quinn's eyebrows lifted with a small realisation—the UT was idle, and Ep'ehko was speaking Federation Standard, not Klingon. It probably wasn't unusual in a colony known for trading with other factions, but she hadn't expected to hear it from someone who spent his days dealing with his own people, rather than outsiders.
Reynolds: We just beamed whoever was in your apartment to our ship. Who were they?
Ep'ehko: Korvak. ::He jolted, leaning forward a little.:: He's alive?
V'Lar / Taelon / T. Sevo: Response
Ep'ehko: He's a fool, that's who he is. A brave idiot. ::A grim grin settled on his lips.:: I'll never hear the end of this.
A moment passed, Ep'ehko's eyes searching the faces of the Starfleet crew standing in his hidden apartment. Finally, he relaxed, wiping the blade of his d'k tahg clean on his trouser leg and returning it to its sheath. Quinn suspected he was in far more pain than he was willing to let on, his steps stiff and laboured as he exited the bathroom.
Ep'ehko: Very well. Patch me up and I'll answer your questions.
V'Lar / Taelon / T. Sevo: Response
Commanding Officer
USS Gorkon
T238401QR0