One of our Own

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2009 @ 10:39am by Captain Elsie Halliwell & Lieutenant JG Ador Shran & Lieutenant JG Lucy Carter

931 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Behind the Mask of Familiarity
Location: Carter's Quarters
Timeline: Current

Lane exited sickbay in a hurried march, ironically, feeling worse off than before he had entered. The vacant pit of his stomach was churning, and it took all the training and experience he could muster to maintain the authoritative façade of captain. The corridors were eerily empty, and with a murderer on the loose with seemingly no evident security breaches to speak of, panic coursed through his veins.

Yvaine Gray, his daughter and Doctor Catherine Halsey were safely secured in his own quarters. He had taken the liberty, as a father as well as a captain would have, of posting additional security around that section of the ship for their own protection. Whoever had attacked and killed Ensign Turoc was sure to be behind infecting the gel-pack system with the mysterious virus. It had to someone onboard the ship. No one could have slipped in undetected and remained unseen for weeks. The Nova was only eight decks thick, and with a small crew. Surely an unfamiliar and unauthorised presence would have triggered something. But, Lieutenant Carter, he thought wildly as he raced toward her sealed quarters. A troubled past and dubious medical anomaly, but emotionally and physically capable of such an act? Who knew?

Stepping into the turbolift, he commanded “Deck Two� and tapped his combadge as he turned himself to the doors. “Captain Lane to Lieutenant Dernah. Meet me outside of Lieutenant Carter’s quarters on Deck Two immediately.�

The click of the receiver sounded as crystalline as it ever had in the silence of the turbolift. “Dernah here, Captain,� he replied. “On my way.�

Lane stepped out of the pod as soon as it had stopped, and made his way. As he approached, Lieutenant Shran was already stationed outside, erect and watchful. From around the corner, Lieutenant Dernah rushed into view.

“All right,� Lane said, as the two officers glared at him, “once the room is clear, I need you to perform a full sweep of Carter’s quarters. Leave nothing untouched. Understood?�

"Understood Captain. The kid gloves went off when my I found Turoc's body." He said with a barley contained cold fury.

“What about her personal computer?� Lieutenant Dernah asked, flicking between Shran and Lane.

“I need you to go through everything, Lieutenant. Everything.�

Dernah and Shran nodded, and then Dernah stepped forward a little. “Captain, what’s happening?� he asked, his voice thick with concern. “What does anything have to do with the Counsellor? I can sense you’re terrified.�

Lane turned to Shran and nodded, giving him consent to divulge what had transpired with Turoc. “The less you know how Lieutenant Carter is connected with this, the better. By rights, I should inform Command immediately. But, I’m not about to toss one of our own to the wolves without trying to figure this out ourselves first.� He stepped back a little, and slapped his combadge to its familiar twitter.

“Lane to Arkham. Energise.�

Commander Arkham stood behind the main control panel of Transporter Room One. As her fingers flew across the dancing lights, the monotonous beeps flooded her ears.

Lieutenant Carter stood at her glass table, a book in one hand and an apple in the other. As the world around her began to fade in a sparkle of blue and light fizz, her brow furrowed. Materialising in an unfamiliar section of the ship, her eyes focused on the rounded, illuminated entrance to her cell, two security guards on the other side, phasers raised and armed.

Once the transport was complete, Arkham tapped her combadge again and reported. “Transport successful, Captain.�

Carter carefully noted the page of the book she had got to and transferred her apple to the other hand then tapped her combadge. "Carter to security. I have been transported against my will to..." she pause and glanced around the immediate vicinity "to the brig...? Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" She looked at the two guards outside who offered no explanation and continued to stare at her, phasers raised.

“Computer,� Lane said to the sealed door outside of her quarters, “open Lieutenant Carter’s quarters. Authorisation: Lane-Pi-3-5-9.� As the doors opened, Lane nodded to both Shran and Dernah as they entered. “If you need me, I’ll be in the brig.�

Ador stormed though the hatch. He was an organized bull in a china shop. He went to work starting at the young Lieutenant's desk and computer. He pulled up the history and it showed a recent entry for Yajuta physiology.

"Damnit!" He swore. "I had hoped that the Captain was wrong." He said to no one in particular.

Brendan looked over and marched to the computer to join him. Turning to Lieutenant Shran, he sighed. “What’s this?� he asked, picking up an empty hypospray. “I understand that she works in the medical field, but should she really be administering medication?� he said, placing it back down on the desk.

“Right,� he continued, “let’s tag everything up. We need to go through all of this with a fine toothed comb. Whatever’s happened, the answers are in this room. I just thought that the Counsellor wouldn’t be able to have done any of this. But it shows that you don’t always know someone, doesn’t it?�


OFF:

---

Captain Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer,

Commander Rowena Arkham
Executive Officer,

Lieutenant Ador Shran
Chief Security/Tactical Officer,

Lieutenant Brendan Dernah
Chief Strategic Operations Officer

AND

Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Lucy Carter
Ship’s Counsellor.

 

RSS Feed