[sb118-khitomer] Lieutenant Charles Matthews - Critical Thinkers
Shakeel Hussein
((Turbolift, enroute to the Main Bridge, USS Khitomer))
((Time Index; Prior To The Briefing Scene))
((OOC – Scene discussed with the writers for Ras and Richard))
Some time had passed since Lieutenant Matthews had been scurrying like an insect in the inner workings of Phaser Control on deck eight; some, but not a lot. Yet the seconds, minutes and hours that had been lost were more than enough for the general feeling of uneasiness to continue building and building. In fact, it had been building so much, ever since he’d heard the dulcet tones of First Officer Hobart uttering the words time travel, that it felt as if a red alert klaxon was constantly blaring out within his skull. Blaring out and with no way of shutting the damn thing off.
With his left arm crossed across his chest and his right one angled towards his head, Charlie pushed into his closed eyes with his thumb and pointer finger; the pressure seeming to give him the tiniest of respites from the throbbing that was causing his over-stressed head to ache. It was only the continued conversation with Lieutenant El’Heem and Ensign Richard Matthews that caused him to move his hand from his face and open his brown eyes. The two Officers that he had been working with on deck eight had, almost conveniently, wound up being the same two Officers that Charles had ended journeying with to the Main Bridge. The trio, on their way to a briefing to presumably discuss interlopers from another time, were all seemingly singing from the same hymn sheet. The two Science Officers had expressed some of the same misgivings that he himself had; misgivings that he hadn’t heard anyone else raise as of yet, though he remained hopeful that there would be some critical thinking in the briefing to come.
Charles: ::sighs:: Yes. It’s a phaser.
El’Heem / Richard: Responses
Charles: Why---? Why do I have a phaser?
El’Heem / Richard: Responses
The concern, and pain, emanating from his head was making Charlie’s words leave his mouth with a sharp edge to them; a sharper one than he had intended to use but it was there, nonetheless. He took a slow, deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts, trying to push back his pain and come back with a measured response. It wasn’t proving to be easy. There was an irritation, perhaps even a determination, that he couldn’t shake.
Charles: I’ve seen people with… familiar… faces… attacking members of the crew. People with the faces of friends, growing tendrils and suffocating colleagues, trying to…
He paused to look at the palm of his hand. The same palm that ended up badly sliced and covered in blood after he’d picked up shards from a broken terminal screen and violently plunged it into a vine-like appendage that had Captain Delano by the throat.
Charles: …kill my Captain. I’m not going to let that happen again.
El’Heem / Richard: Responses
Charles: Can we trust they are who they say they are? All of these time travel stories you hear--- it’s never the janitor they send back. Or the cook. It’s always someone you know… or someone with links to people somehow.
Matthews nodded slowly, his eyebrows raising a little and his eyes widening in equal measure before returning to normal.
Charles: It’s too convenient. It smacks of manipulation to me. ::shakes his head:: From what I have heard, there hasn’t been much in the way of push back to these… people. Hell, apparently one of them threatened Ezra, and then he went and gave them guest quarters… which I’m struggling to comprehend. I wouldn’t have let them leave the Shuttlebay.
El’Heem / Richard: Responses
Content to let the two blue shirts talk, Charlie lowered his right hand and rested it against his bottom lip, placing the nail of his thumb in between the tiny gap between his two central, lower teeth.
Charles: Hmm.
El’Heem / Richard: Responses
As the turbolift slowed to a stop, the Lieutenant let out a sigh as he lowered both of his arms and let them hang loosely at his sides; his left hand resting just an inch or two away from the phaser he was carrying. Whilst usually he would have politely waited for his colleagues to leave the pod first, Charles took the initial step, angled his body out of his sideward stance and passed through the whooshing door. His irritation was only matched by his eagerness to find out, and find out fully, what was going on.
Continuing to move down the ramped surface of the Bridge, heading directly for the door to the Conference Room, the Tactical Officer slowed slightly; just enough to glance back towards Ras and Richard and let out one more scathing retort.
Charles: I’d have made them sleep on the damn floor.
TAGS/End Scene for Charles.
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Tactical Officer
USS Khitomer NCC-62400
A240012CM1