Mind Games: The Wrap Up (Part 2)

Posted on Sun Feb 11th, 2024 @ 5:28am by Commander Patricia Cooke & Lieutenant Commander Tsukasa Izumi & Lieutenant JG Eradaar Ezazzan & Lieutenant JG Danielle Sidney
Edited on on Sun Feb 11th, 2024 @ 5:29am

1,498 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: From the Inside
Timeline: Part 3 of 'Mind Games: The War is Over'

Previously, on Star Trek: Missouri:

"Sounds like the doctor's in trouble." Patricia noted, looking to Eradaar. "You'll certainly be earning your wings today, Lieutenant." She said before tapping her combadge. =A="Cooke to Away Team; converge upon Doctor Bakshi's location, on the double! Does anyone have a 20 on Kogami?"=A=

Eradaar looked to her Captain and snorted, nodding, understanding the assignment. She had already endured her own mental hell and it would be nearly impossible for another psychic assault to capture her mind. She had heard the reply, the Doctor was back in the original corridor. Giving one last glance back to her Captain, the Gorn suddenly was off.

She bounded back towards their original location. As she first leapt off, her strides were quick and confident. However as she began to approach the bends in the corridors, she began to feel the immense mental pressure from before. Thankfully she had already conquered her demons - or at the very least come to terms - so her mind was able to separate the fictitious emotions from the realistic ones. The corridor had become foggy as well, the Gorn having to utilize all her senses as her tongue flicked out consistently to assist her hearing and touch.

She slithered against the wall quickly as her claws scraped against the metallic corridor when she witnessed a shadow play across a flickering bend in the corridor. Emergency lights where on here, as if an alarm of some kind signaled the origin of the smoke or mist that engulfed this area, but Eradaar's eyesight could still make out the shadows. Her pupils were slits as she slinked across the wall, a perfect predator as claws tinked gently nearing the bend. Her maw open as she began to salivate at the prospect of prey - an instinctive reaction, for sure. A final tongue-flick confirmed the scents: metal, oil, synthetic lubricant.

There were three I-400 drones up ahead, one emitting an ear-piercing screeching sound that seemed to thrum consistently and produced a headache which the Gorn couldn't properly abate. The other two seemed to be flanking it, facing opposite Eradaar in the corridor as guards. In that moment, the Gorn knew what she must do.

The two drones that flanked the primary sound-emitting one all faced opposite of the Gorn in the corridor, concentrating their efforts on something else further down the way. None of them heard the soft clinks of talon to metal. The mist parted and, slowly, a reptilian snout emerged between the I-400 drone on the right and the corridor wall. A jaw opened, saliva dripped, and by the time the drone focused it was too late. Two sharp, taloned claws emerged and quickly gripped their prey dragging it back with such force it crushed it in twine. The sound of their compatriot being demolished gained the attention of the other two, with the center sound-emitting drone ceasing momentarily its functions as the two drones looked between the other in confusion, then for their missing compatriot.

Silence met their observations. A flick of the lights produced a shadow, something otherworldly. The klaxon lights began to play havoc with the mist as what appeared to be some Jurassic-era visage of an ancient predator toyed with the shadows, its clearly visible tail being shown every second the light was produced from the turning klaxon in its direction as the tail moved to and fro. There was an audible hiss and just as the guard I-400 drone began to raise a weapon, the shadow moved. The guard was struck by an object, something that could crush metal, and as the sound-emitting drone watched its compatriot was left headless as it spewed synthetic fluid everywhere, coating the corridor, collapsing.

And now, the conclusion:

The last drone standing turned to look behind it, firing off rounds of its weapons to the midst of smoke and water vapor released by a broken pipe. The klaxon lights didn't show a shadow figure to its front, but behind a shadow stood. The drone was panicking as it fired wildly, blindly, until it heard the tic-taks of claws against the metal corridor behind it. The drone froze, shaking, as two clawed hands emerged and wrapped around the head of the drone. Before the I-400 drone could react, its world went dark as its primary operating unit was separated permanently from the rest of its chassis. It would produce no further sounds anymore.

As the chassis dropped, dead, against the metallic floor the Gorn continued forward. A few moments later it noticed a shadow through the mist. Someone was .. holding their head between their hands. She flicked her tongue twice and confirmed a biological scent, though admittedly the amount of lubricant from the machines on her snout soured it a tad. She moved forward, partially from the mist, part of her uniform visible as her head was clearly visible in the dim light of the corridor.

When the hum stopped, Lahki's mind took only a moment to register it. Suddenly, the visions also stopped. She unpeeled her hands from her face, and cautiously looked around. She saw the scene playing out in front of her. Quickly, she jumped to her feet. She wasn't OK yet but she was okish. She grabbed her phaser from where one of the droids had placed it, teasing her with it, just out of reach.

Patricia tried her best to keep up with her counselor, having picked up her dropped phaser rifle. When she spotted the I-400 drones ahead of them, Patricia raised her blaster to lay down some cover fire for Eradaar, but it was wholly unnecessary.

That was, until a few of Klawe's men started shooting from the opposite direction. It was a good thing Patricia had kept her rifle raised, and she spun around to quickly dispatch Klawe's goons.

"Doctor, follow my voice," the Gorn said, gently, in a surprisingly feminine tone that was soft and welcoming. "Follow it to me. What you're experiencing is fabrications from psychokinesis. It is an assault that you must overcome."

Lahki nodded, and moved towards the Gorn. "Thank you," she said.. "I will be ok. This isn't the first time, and it won't be the last," she said. "I am just...tired." She said. The after-effects always exhausted her.

With Eradaar handling recovering Lahki, Patricia grew more and more concerned with Akira's whereabouts. She should have checked in by now...

=A="I need eyes on Kogami."=A= She said over the com frequency. =A="Has anyone seen her?"=A=

Danielle had awaken from her nightmare. Still jittery and completely unsure where she was. "hello?" she said as she looked for anyone nearby. "Connor i know you're there, show yourself and fight me." she screamed. while her combadge kept churning.

she kept looking around for Connor while running into walls. that was until she noticed a unusual smell. her instincts told her it was probably another one of Connor's tricks yet she couldn't seem to move away.

Within moments she noticed another dead body covered in vomit. Only something was off. She didn't look dead. "He didn't kill her?" she thought judging by the lack of blood.

In a brief moment of freedom she tapped her combadge. "She....she's uncons..." she said before the transmission ended by her falling unconscious herself.

"What was that, Sidney?" Patricia asked. "Cooke to Sidney, come in!"

When Patricia was met with silence, she knew something was wrong:

"God damnit!" She cursed. "Seems we've lost Sidney, too!"

Lahki spoke. "Let me try..." she said. She closed her eyes, and attempted to probe for the women's life signals. "Down the corridor a bit, both are alive. Not conscious...who is Connor?" She asked. "I'll cover you both from the flank...." She said.

It was a shocking sight to say the least: The unconscious bodies of Akira and Danielle lying on the floor in a puddle of vomit.

=A="Cooke to sickbay: Requesting a double emergency transport straight to sickbay."=A=

Within seconds of Patricia giving the order, the two unconscious officers were beamed away. The sound of the transporter had alerted some of Klawe's men. The distant muttering of Ferengi could be heard along with approaching footsteps

"I believe that's our cue to make ourselves scarce as well..." Patricia muttered, looking back at her counselor and doctor.

The Gorn snorted, agreeing as she followed the others away from the situation.

=/\=Three to beam to Medical. Let's go, Cap," she said, pulling the woman into the light. "You good, Eradaar?"

A moment later, they appeared in the Sickbay. "Get the Captain downstairs. Get me my kit," she said, starting to call out orders. She would deal with herself later.

[OFF]

Commander Patricia Cooke
Commanding Officer
USS Missouri

&

Lieutenant Commander Tsukasa Izumi
Executive Officer
USS Missouri

&

LCDR Lahki Bakshi
Chief Medical Officer
USS Missouri

&

Lieutenant JG Eradaar Ezazzan
Chief Counselor
USS Missouri

&

Lieutenant JG Danielle Sidney
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Missouri

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