Alieth Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 It's not fair that @Quentin Beck's worst day is so FUN to read Quote (The Ninth Level of He- err… Ward 4, Sickbay Complex, Deck 10, USS Ronin)) Being such an avid holofilm and holonovel buff, Quentin was more than familiar with horror and suspense; they often went hand in hand, depending on the flavor of the story, and he'd always enjoyed the way they still managed to make his heart skip a beat despite the fact he knew they were fictional. It was a whole different story now that it felt like he was living in one. The darkness was absolute, save for the crimson light pointing his direction and illuminating the dead crewman - there was just enough thrown by the light that Beck could see the path it had taken to emerge, right up and out of the poor man's chest. It was a small favor the security officer had already been dead, or else that would have been a horrific thing to experience, likely far worse than the quick death he'd been administered on the freighter. When he fumbled for the phaser on his hip, he felt like he was moving in slow motion; the fear of knowing the RoLFs had managed a sort of Trojan Horse attack by simply leaving one of their small bots inert in the crewman's body was difficult to process, though what self-defense training he had kicked in via muscle memory at least. He knew that solo he wasn't going to do much against the intruder, but maybe if someone else knew… Beck: ::screaming:: WE'VE GOT COMPANY! He aimed and fired. And missed. The RoLF made a sound that one could approximate as a laugh. Okay, so maybe there was a reason he didn't work security. The ship actually managed to right itself at least enough for him to get his feet underneath him again and the emergency lights finally turned on, though that didn't help at all with him feeling trapped in a horror movie. CLANG That sound came from outside of Sickbay. The crimson-lighted bot in the room with him was hovering, almost like BEC, and didn't make a sound besides the strange clicking that he could only assume was an attempt to communicate. With the comm being down, he guessed maybe the UT was out, at least temporarily. It was also hovering closer to him, and in the dim lighting he thought he could see it was actually equipped with insect-like wings that were moving so rapidly as to almost be invisible. The orderly he'd been talking to before was in a crumpled heap against the far wall - too hard to tell if they were still alive. They were certainly unresponsive. The RoLF didn't seem to care about them much, though maybe that's because they weren't considered a threat in that state. He started to back away from the hovering thing, which either wasn't equipped with a weapon or didn't find him much of a threat, either. A weird proboscis emerged from underneath the light, one that looked way too long for a creature of its size, and it lashed out towards him suddenly. Dodging backward, he raised the hand not holding the phaser as if to block the attack and only then remembered he was still holding the remains of the Brikarian blade. The proboscis slapped against it, almost knocking it out of his grip, but also managing to sheer off a small section from the very tip as it tried to grab the weapon by the blade rather than the flat, and it made a sort of shrieking sound as the tentacle-like appendage flexed away. Jaw dropping, Beck spun on his heel and dashed towards the exit to the Ward, slapping a hand down on the panel just outside the door to initiate a lockdown. The door hissed closed and the lock snapped into place, though no security field kicked on. He had a feeling that door wouldn't hold it for long. Clutching onto the blade with one hand and the phaser with the other for dear life, he moved quickly towards the CMO's office, where he'd left the others, and he nearly barreled into them as they emerged with phasers drawn. Letting out a sigh of relief now that he was back with the group, he moved with them towards the door, his eyes shifting left and right anxiously with each new clang that came from around them. Rox spoke to the boy, clutching his hand. Rox: Just stay with me, you'll be fine. Raedai: There are a lot of them, with this junk I can't tell how many. Quentin wasn't going to argue the point; it was actually pretty simple switching modes to what the Operations officer probably wanted to scan, but he was also convinced it wouldn't do any good, anyway - the briefing had been pretty clear about the RoLF's tendency to overrun and overpower their targets. He thought about suggesting they swap the blade and tricorder so he could work it, but he didn't want to disrupt Raedai's concentration, either. Beck: Too many, I think. Crater: Response Nekium: why do you do that? Said the boy looking quizzically at the nurse's snapping fingers. Rox: ::stopping the snaps:: It's just a nervous habit. The door to the sickbay was ripped in two and the large mass of a spider bot began to move through. The corridor erupted with phaser fire. The door to Ward 4 started clanging, too, the bot still inside obviously trying to break out. Rox: ::shouting to Beck:: We should fall back and use the containment fields! Maybe it will slow them down. Raedai: is your sickbay you know the protocol for forcing that damn force field. I'll try to hold them off. Quentin grimaced as the Romulan fired and… didn't really do much at all to the giant freaking spider bot. His adrenaline was enough to override his deep-seated fear of spiders and now he felt like he was moving at super-speed, rather than in slow motion. He turned on his heel, slapping the phaser into the holster on his hip, and motioned for the others to follow. Beck: Strongest containment field is in Ward 2. We should be able to erect some in the corridor outside as well. C'mon! Crater: Response Ward 2 also housed the ship's primary surgical bay, which included a number of different devices that could be useful, like miniature tractor beams usually meant to help keep foreign objects stable inside of a patient so they could be removed manually, rather than with a transporter. If nothing else it might stop the damn bloatfly bug in its tracks. Rox pulled Nekium down the corridor to follow, but she paused at a display that blinked to life. Quentin was too focused on reprogramming the corridor's security screens to notice Nekium looking for his own way out. Rox: ::casually:: Hey guys. We're being boarded. Raedai: Whatever hit us has left us without shields, that's nice.:: He said sarcastically without stopping shooting.:: Beck: I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say it left us without a lot of things. Keep firing, I've almost got this. Crater: Response Raedai: Anything to help you raise that force field. The computer chimed once he put in the final command, but the force field didn't kick to life. Beck: Come on, you piece of crap! Rox/Crater: Response Raedai: if we are lucky a security team should come to defend this site, along with a lot of people who need help. Quentin didn't want the Romulan to finish that particular thought. Narrowing his eyes at the computer panel, he jabbed in the command again and the computer chimed. Still no force field. Beck: ::muttering:: This stupid computer hates me, I swear to– Rox/Crater: Response The clatter of an equipment tray coming between them and the spider was loud and almost broke his concentration. Then the clank of the thermal support frame being lifted bodily and thrown at the spider, crashing and splitting in half and at least putting a tiny little knick in the thing's exoskeleton. Maybe. He shot a look of annoyance at Raedai, but bit his tongue. While normally he would have chided anyone for the destruction of such delicate equipment, it was warranted in the moment. He just made a mental note to calculate the total value of lost equipment if they survived. Raedai: I hope you have some ideas, I'm running out of expensive things to throw at them. In all the confusion, Nekium had disappeared. Wrinkling his nose, Quentin balled his hand into a fist and slammed the back of it down against the panel beneath the computer and it chimed again, louder this time, before a security field crackled to life between them and the spider. Not a moment too soon, either, as it looked like it was ready to pounce. He stepped backward and held out the blade towards the entrance to the Ward and waved them on with the other hand. Beck: Quickly! Inside! Rox/Raedai/Crater: Response He waited for the trio to move into the room, then stepped in to follow them just before another security screen clicked into place covering the door. He paused when he looked around, his brow creasing. Beck: Hey, where's the kid? Rox/Raedai/Crater: Response Grimacing, he turned to look back out through the force field and watched as the door to Ward 4 burst open, allowing the bloatfly to hover into the room and join the giant spider. Knowing how those creatures worked on Earth, it was really strange to see them cooperating the way they were. They were alternating attacks on the security screen to see if they could break through it. He didn't see Nekium anywhere. Beck: Anyone happen to slap a combadge on that kid? Rox/Raedai/Crater: Response Beck: There's lots of places to hide here… we need to figure out a way to deal with those things first before we can even try going out to find him. Rox/Raedai/Crater: Response He sighed and raised the Brikarian blade. Beck: This was attached to one of them before. It looks like it hurt the flying one when it tried to attack me, but I don't know how effective a weapon it would really be. And presumably we want to keep it out of its proverbial hands, anyway, so it can't just absorb it. Rox/Raedai/Crater: Response Beck: ::sighing:: This is Sickbay, not an armory… but I guess maybe one of our phaser scalpels might be fine enough to do some kind of damage? Not that those have any good kind of range. You can refine the tip of the blade to be… hell, I don't even know how small. Micrometers, if not smaller. He pointed at some other equipment. Beck: There's the mini-tractor beam generator we use during surgeries. That's the stasis field generator, but I have no idea how it'll interact with robotic bodies that don't have organic material. Rox/Raedai/Crater: Response Beck: We could also turn on the EMH and rabbit through the Jeffries tube. I'm all ears for other ideas. Rox/Raedai/Crater: Response Tag/TBC Ensign Quentin Beck Medical Officer USS Ronin NCC-34523 A238810SA0 3 Quote Link to comment
TAma Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 (edited) I thought his worst day ever was when he was chased naked through the streets on Ferenginar pursued by bounty hunters and then tormented by nightmare holograms of his father and spiders. 🤔 Has he hit a new low? Edited May 15 by TAma 1 1 Quote Link to comment
Quentin Beck Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 Every day is in the running for worst day ever 2 Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.