Lieutenant Jack Kessler - Send in the Marines
Joel Cannistraro
Kessler: Time to go gents. All aboard the express elevator to...::beat:: Wherever it is we are going.
Jack drew his phaser as Tucker and Evinrude stepped on the lift. Just as it began to descend, Jack caught sight of the Tholians and they appeared to catch sight of the team. oO Shi.... Oo The thought was cut off as the devices Tucker had provided detonated. The lift continued its way down and Jack stood on his tiptoes wanting to see the exploding plastic material and what it was doing to the Tholians. The Lift apparently did not share Jack's appreciation for the tactical divergence the devices had hopefully given the team.
Evinrude: Hang onto something, Chief! We're about to experience some serious whiplash!
Tucker: ::grabbing a hand hold:: Holding oooonnnn!
Kessler: ::looking down below and then back up overhead:: Commander, how long do you think that stuff will slow down the Tholians?
Evinrude: ::Catching his breath, he muttered.:: Well that...was a thrill... ::To Tucker, louder.:: You okay, sir?
The jarring slam and destabilization of the lift caught Jack totally off guard. Evinrude sounded ok but Jack had not rolled over to look directly at him. Tuckers voice cut through the suits coms loudly than Jack thought it should have been.
Tucker: =/\= I didn’t get all that, Jack, but I’m going to assume you’re talking about thermo-plastic. Even with disruptors, it’ll take a good twenty-plus minutes to get through it. If they figure they can use flame to warp it, then we’re in trouble, and you’ll have about five minutes. =/\=
Kessler: ::letting out a sigh:: =/\= Let's hope none of them have flamethrowers then. =/\=
Kel: =/\= Kel to Tucker, Evinrude and Kessler. I need you to move deeper into the complex to the cooling system. =/\=
oO Of course he does. Oo Jack grinned at the situation and rolled over to push himself upright as Evinrude responded back to their Captain.
Evinrude: =/\= Commander, this is Evinrude. Tucker and Kessler are on another channel. Say again?
Jack watched as Tucker banged the side of his head to get the speakers in his suit to work.
Tucker: I’m having issues, too much static in my ear speakers. I’m going to switch to commbadge audio instead of feeding it through the suit.
Evinrude: =/\= We can find it, sir. If the cooling system is near the reactor pit, that area is... =/\=
Kessler: ::tapping his own combadge:: =/\= Sounds like we're on a new hunt. =/\=
Evinrude: =/\=Well, there may be radiation interference. We'll try to signal when we've finished the reset, but a call may not go through. =/\=
Tucker: ::hooking his thumb as Tess:: He’s right, you know. The deeper we get, the less we will be able to communicate with the Ronin or anyone here, except for the three of us, but we shouldn’t wander off either. Stay in range of each other.
Jack looked around the space as Tucker checked his suit. Tactically, Jack did not like their position and not knowing what was ahead of them made that situation even more troublesome. As Kel responded Jack held up his wrist tricorder and scanned the area for anything that was a potential threat.
Kel: =/\= I'll send a rescue party to assist you and get you back to the ship. ::pause:: Kel out. =/\=
Kessler: ::turning back to the others:: If he's sending a rescue party I hope Captain Winters is leading the ground wave. I would not want to have anyone else other than her hit those Tholians from the rear.
Evinrude: ::To the officers who were there in person.:: Ensign Esot has the experience to pull this off. If they think the power plants' extra cooling capacity will get this thing under control, we have to try. ::He nodded firmly.:: I'm in.
Tucker: Not like we can go back the way we came. Sure, let's get it done. You ready, Mister Kessler?
Kessler: ::double checking his phasers power:: Let's do this Commander.
They hurried down the narrow hallway toward the cooling system, where the pump room would be located. Jack noted Evinrude's attention stayed locked on his wrist, more than likely keeping an eye on the radiation that was more or less burping into the atmosphere through the broken dome. There wasn’t the containment there had been before because the Ronin had to shut down the power transfer, which Jack really did not want to think about.
Evinrude: Not far now. Turn left here...and it's just twenty meters…
As Evinrude rounded a corner, his voice died out, and he’d stopped dead in his tracks. Tucker stopped beside him and Jack held a pace or two back. He looked past the two officers and noted that the wall nearest the reactor had burst inward under pressure and heat, torn asunder by a flowing mass of molten slag. The material had solidified, resembling a mound of cooled lava.
Evinrude: ::Gravely.:: Radiation is...intensely concentrated up ahead, sirs. Beyond what our suits are rated for.
Tucker: Mister Evinrude, find us a way around that doesn’t involve going back the way we came.
Evinrude: Response
Kessler: ::turning and scanning behind them:: Well, this radiation has my scans all screwed up.
Tucker: I’m going to start looking for a jefferies tube or something similar. Or we could hold up and wait for them to come and ‘rescue’ our rears?
Evinrude/Kessler: Response
The sound was unmistakable and Jack turned quickly as Tucker changed his stance to face the ladder from the upper level. It was if they all were moving in slow motion but Jack never took his eyes off the upper level as they watched as several Tholians sprang forth from the tunnel like spiders leaving their nest. Jack heard Tucker spin around, most likely looking for cover.
Tucker: THOLIANS!
Evinrude: Response
Kessler: This isn't going to be good. We need to find cover and find it now. ::beat:: Get moving.