Fighting to Survive Part 1

Posted on Fri Feb 2nd, 2018 @ 3:16am by Ka'see 'Cassie' Anderson (*) & Jasper Offermans & Johnathen Anderson Jr

Mission: Ishimura
Location: USS Ishimura, Deck 10
Timeline: T Minus 20 minutes to the end
1289 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:::

Johnathen ran through the corridor as if his life depended upon it. For it indeed did. The Cloud Creature had killed nearly every member of the Ishimura crew. There were, in fact, only a handful left. Everything that had been tried to either stop, slow or kill the creature had failed. Now, what crew had survived to this point, began to fill the lifeboats and shuttles, hoping that by heading in multiple directions, the Cloud wouldn't be able to follow them all. Someone would survive.

Johnathen was actually on his way down to the shuttlebay, to fly one of the shuttles himself. Of the entire roster of pilots assigned to the Ishimura, only two remained, himself and Lieutenant Venkman. Venkman would fly the Marco Polo, filled with the surviving injured. Johnathen would pilot the Sawyer, with as many crew as she could carry.

As Johnathen approached the door to the shuttlebay, he allowed himself to hope that they might just make it out of here alive. Tgat was when he heard the screams. They came from inside the shuttlebay. He knew exactly what those screams meant. The Cloud had found them and was feasting upon their blood. Johnathen hesitated briefly, his training trying to get him to help any he could. Unfortunately, none of his training had prepared him for this creature. So, instead, he turned and ran back the way he came, as fast as his feet would carry him.

As he turned down the corridor leading to the turbolift on this deck, he collided with someone and the both of them went down in a pile.

Cassie let out a scream as she was sent flying from someones much bigger weight. Her companions didn't even have time to warn her that it wasn't anyone bad when she started hitting out. It was ironic that she was fighting when she couldn't have fought It but she wasn't going to be sucked dry without a fight.

Quickly getting back to his feet, Johnathen reached down and helped his friend get back to her feet. "OHMYGOD! CASS! I'm Sorry! But we have got to get out of here!! The Cloud is in the shuttlebay! Everyone inside is dying! Move!" The young pilot herded the group away from the immediate danger as quickly as he could.

Cassie let the man haul her up and tug her in the direction that was needed to be gone in. It was incrediable to her how quick everything had happened.

People were dying all around Hal. Normally he would've been able to deal with it. After all, in security, you expect to lose men. This time was different, he didn't expect to fight something like this. He fired his phaser just to feel like he was accomplishing something. The blasts had no real effect, so he bolted. After a while, he almost ran headlong into a group doing the same. "We've gotta get outta here! Let's go!" He said, not seeing who it was he was just in " security mode"

John saw his roommate and friend nearly collide with his group. For a brief instant, allowed a bit of relief wash over him. Then, his thirst for survival kicked back in. "I have an idea on he we could survive this," he yelled as the group continued to run. "But it's very risky!" The group reached the turbolift and the door slid open. John started ushering everyone inside. Once he was in and the doors slid shut, he grabbed the control time and barked the destination. "Transporter room!"

Cassie bent over a little trying to catch her breath as they waited for the Turoblift to get them to the correct deck. The startling reality of what was happening was starting to hit her front and centre as the silence of the turbolift started to get surreal. The lift door opened on the darkened corridor lit only by red emergency lights everyone now and then. Stepping out she noticed the pale bodied on the floor. "It has already been here." She whispered shaking.

Hal nodded. He raised his phaser. It was more of a "security blanket" than anything else. "Hello? He called out. "Is there anyone there?" He turned to John. "To where exactly are we beaming?" He whispered.

John cautiously shepherded the group down the corridor. His heart hurt, to see so many friends and shipmates lying dead on the deck around him. As they continued to move, he whispered back to Hal. "A few months back, I read something about how we could store our bio signatures in the transporter buffers. Not sure how, but I think we could survive this catastrophe."

"Ill try anything once." he whispered back.

From the darkened end of the corridor, a blinding red phaser beam lanced out towards the gathered crewmembers. The shot was aimed high, striking the overhead rather than any of the people. White hot sparks rained down from the overhead, but they faded out too.

Cassie ducked as the hot sparks fell down on them. "What the hell!" The woman yelled knowing that the phaser could have only come from a phase and someone who was obviously just as scared as them.

John ducked instinctively at the blast. "WHOA! FRIENDLIES HERE!" He bellowed to whomever was behind the phaser.

From down the dark end of the corridor, the voice of Andreus Malko came back their way. He asked, "None of you-- None of you are cirrocumulus, yeah?" His voice was hoarse and he sounded panicked. He sounded like was tired and like he had had it. Officially.

"No! We are certainly NOT cirrocumulus!" John spat back as he started to shepherd his group towards the transporter room. "Anyone else alive up here?"

"Uh... uh, no," Malko answered back in a stuttering expression. While the group closed the distance between them, Malko stood his ground. He didn't take a single step towards them, despite the body laying on the deck behind him. Shaking his head, Malko said, "It's only me."

"Where..." The only female in the group started to ask where everyone else was but stopped, she knew the answered -
Dead. "Are you okay?" Cassie wondered as she joined the other scientist looking just as 'had it' as he did if not more.

Looking her dead in the eyes, Malko could only answer with, "I'm still breathing. I'm alive."

The group moved slowly further into the darkened corridor. It was starting to get harder and harder to Cassie to ignore the screams and then deathly silence that she heard and she hated it, hated how useless she felt compared to the other member of the ragtag group.

Keeping his voice low and his footfalls soft, Malko asked, "How are we going to get out of here? There were no planets or starships in range when we tore to a halt..."

"No..." She had been in the science lab working on a blood sample when the ship had lurched to a stop. The woman shook her head at the man following him, they had, had many meals together discussing theories that she could be honest with him. She just didn't know herself, she couldn't see any route out of this waking nightmare. Even if they ever got out of this Cassie was sure the psychological scarring and a lifetime of nightmares would follow her.

OFF::

Ensign Cassie McAvoy
Science Officer - Biology
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Gregnol)

Lieutenant JG Jasper Offermans
Operations Officer
USS Ishimura

Lieutenant Andreus Malko
Chief Science Officer
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Theroh)

Ensign Hal Detan
Seceurity Officer
USS Ishimura

Ensign Johnathen Anderson Jr.
Junior Helmsman
USS Ishimura
(PNPC Robertson)