That which 'is not'...

Posted on Fri Jun 19th, 2015 @ 10:50pm by

Mission: Debts to be settled......
Location: Operations Dept.
Timeline: Current.

Kevin sprinted along the corridor towards the turbolift. As he ran, he stabbed at his COMM badge "Kilbane...to Karadis!" he called.

"Karadis here Sir, are you ok, you soun..." Karadis began her reply.

"Shut...up...and...listen...get team...One...and meet me...in...the Operations department...NOW!!!" Kevin finished as he reached the 'lift and jabbed at the call button.

"On our way Sir!!!!" Karadis replied, needing no explanation, but to simply blindly follow the direct order she'd just been given. She knew without hesitation that whatever it was, it was important that she did as she was told because there was no 'small talk', just a hurried order given, and that was good enough for her.

Turning to those in the room, she snapped her fingers and simply said "Team One, Able Ancra!"

Four of the Security team immediately appeared in front of her, ready to go.

"Good, right, let's lock and load!" She said, moving off towards the exit. Sounds of weapons being checked as the team moved out were heard as the Security department door closed.

In the meantime, Kevin now disembarked from the turbolift and once again began a sprint along the corridor ahead of him. As he reached the Operations Dept. doors, Karadis and her team met him.

"Right...listen up..." Kevin said, a bit out of breath "We have a problem. The...scientist...survivor...we brought back...turns out to...be...a shape...shifter..."

"A shape shifter!" Karadis exclaimed.

"Yes, and...'it' knows we know what it is now!" Kevin said, now regaining his breath. "We're about to go into Operations here and try and find it. If it's in there, it could be anything, we need to try and flush it out. No firing weapons unless your directly attacked, understood???" he asked looking around the team. The heads of those he looked at all nodded slowly and assuredly in understanding.

"Right, when we go in, I'll do the talking, you lot spread out and keep your eyes peeled and your ears open" Kevin said. He took a step to the front and began a slow and assured walk towards the departments large double doors. They opened and Kevin beckoned his team follow him through and spread out.

Looking around, he saw a crewman and quickly made his way to him "Ensign Kilbane, Security, who's in charge here?"

"Ehm, well, the Lieutenant's not here, so I guess I am, Crewman Alexander Sir, how can I help you?"

Kevin took a breath and said "Ok, we have an 'escapee' onboard, and we think he's come down here to hide out" Kevin said. He didn't want to mention it was a shape shifter in case it caused panic, "My team and I will be trying to flush them out, what I want you to do is to get all the staff currently 'in' Operations just now....out of here, but without raising suspicion...ok?"

"Not really Sir, but if that's your orders, so be it" Crewman Alexander said. He walked into the Operations room and began moving from console to console, discreetly whispering to the other Crewmen there. One by one, and to Kevins satisfaction, they all began to filter out, without panic. Some took the long way round, to make it look like they were doing checks and the like.

Kevin began to use visual hand signals to Karadis to get the team to move out and around to begin their checks. The team began a systematic sweep of the room, keeping their eyes to spot anything out of the ordinary. Kevin himself began to move around, looking back and forth. If he was openly honest, he had no idea what it was he was looking for, how did you spot a shape shifter?

As he walked, he thought about this, then an idea struck him. He frantically signaled to Karadis, and she made his way over to him. Leaning in close Kevin said "I think we may be able to flush them out. A low frequency, reverse charge phaser burst. It won't harm what we hit that's metallic or material, but it will make anything that's not metallic or material react, kind of like getting an electric shock. What do you think?"

Karadis just smiled and him and gently punched him in the shoulder as she whispered back "Your Academy time wasn't a complete waste then!"

Kevin smiled at her sacrcasm and said "Right, pass it around, we seep the room."

Karadis moved out and one by one she whispered the order to move back to the start point to begin the sweep again, this time with phasers set as Ensign Kilbane had ordered. A few moments later, everything was set, and Kevin nodded his head. All six of them moved in line abreast targeting everything they could see with a short phaser busrt.

Nothing happened over the first ten yards, but all of a sudden there was a 'Yelp!' and Security Crewman Forster shouted out "Over here!!!"

Kevin and the team hurried over to where Forster was, and saw what appeared to be a puddle of goo lying on the floor.

"Is that the...you know?" Karadis asked Kevin.

"No idea, never seen one before" Kevin replied. Before he could say anything else, the goo moved across the floor and into a low level vent.

"Shit!" Kevin said, and tapped his badge hard "Kilbane to the bridge. The shape shifter was in Operations, but we couldn't capture it, it got away through the vents again. However, we worked out that if you fire a low frequency, reverse charge phaser burst, it's like an electric shock to the thing and it reacts...badly. I'm on my way up to the bridge to make my report now, Kilbane out."

Turning to Karadis he said "Sweep this deck, get teams two, three, four, five and six and do exactly what we just did here, see if we can flush it out again. If you come across it, report it into the bridge immediately, understand, no heroics, no going after it yourself!"

"Yes Sir" Karadis replied, and then turned away to carry out her orders.

Kevin came out into the corridor and spoke with Crewman Alexander before allowing him to take the Operations team back inside the department. After that, Kevin made his way to the bridge to make his report.