Alien: Resurgence [M] (Bluemoon x Kach)

[Kach]

Pegasus-Cell block

Kyle smirked at Sally's response, she didn't seem to be able to turn it off. He mused on what kind of soldier the woman could have become with the right training earlier on. "Guess I better limber up." He replied, half to himself as he wondered how their detour was going. He knew the only way out of the cell was to convince on of the crew to let them out. He sat on his bed, resting his head against the bulkhead, listening.

Life boat- Interior, Rear section

Lucille replied, still crouched by the lower half of the victim. "it is possible the heat, and shock wave from the proximity of the explosion caused electrical malfunctions." It wasn't apparent, but the android was listening carefully for any sounds coming from the next room.

The lights flickered on once more in the life boat as the door retracted, just long enough to reveal the gory scene beyond. Much of the person pinned beneath the door's head and hands were gone, their blood was smeared all over the floor. In the center of the cockpit's floor, a pale motionless man stared at the ceiling while laying in a pool of blood; likely from the large hole in his chest. A fourth casualty lay on a gurney on the rooms right wall wearing an oxygen mask.
The door let out a groaning, rending noise as it reached fully open and the light's in the lifeboat went out, it's power systems finally giving out. Only faint outlines from the red emergency lights were visible outside of Quince's flashlight's beam.

Lucille was a bit shaken by the sight, but her programming took over as she reached out to check for a pulse on the victim under the door. "We need to triage these casualties ASAP. Engeneer McGovern, check the casualty on the gurney."

The woman coughed, spraying the side of Kath's face with her own blood as she cleared her mouth. A faint voice now came from her mouth. "...Containment..."

[bluemoon]

Interior of Escape Pod

Quince grumbled angrily. His efforts had managed to open the door, only to result in a complete melt down of all systems following the victory. He turned his focus on Lucille, nodding slightly when she asked him to help her with triaging.

"I'm on it," he replied, moving past her into the rear section, careful to avoid slipping on the blood-slicked floor.

The person in question was a young male, perhaps twenty-five, with a heavy bandage wrapped around his head. There was a trace of blood seeping through the gauze and Quin gently lifted a corner, noticing a deep laceration on the forehead. The man's eyes were open, but unfocused, and the engineer gave the wounded man's wrist a light squeeze.

"Head injury. Gotta suspect concussion...eyes are dilated unevenly. Pulse strong and conscious. Doubt he can walk, but he's ready to be transported. Just gotta heave up this O2 tank." There was a soft grunt and a clang of metal on metal. "Got it. What's your status Luce?"

-----

Still leaning down over the victim, the woman's grip surprisingly strong on her arm, Kath tried to recoil as warm blood sprayed against her face. She was not wearing a surgical mask...of course not...and her first reaction was to wipe off the offending material. She only succeeded in making it worse, a curse leaving her lips as the woman at her side managed to croak out one word.

"Containment?" she repeated, wondering if the woman meant she was infectious...or perhaps it was something on the ship. "I don't understand," she added, "...are you sick?" The injury itself was pretty severe and if the captain did not get her to the sick bay soon, she would die from blood loss. It was too late to worry about anything airborne...they were already exposed...not to mention something that could be transmitted by bodily fluids. Double jeopardy. Letting out a heavy sigh, Katherine used her com to call to Quince and Lucille.

"We need to get to the sick bay. This patient is critical. How's it going in there? Can we roll out soon?"

[Kach]

Life Boat- Interior, fore section

Lucille's quick inspection revealed no signs of life from the body. The faceless figure appeared to have succumb to it's injuries. It wasn't clear in the darkness what could have caused such extensive tissue damage.
She thought there was a very faint scrambling sound for an instant before the bang and echoing ring of the oxygen tank drowned it out. She looked around but didn't spot any movement as she got to her feet.

"This one is gone. I will help the Captain get the other survivor in critical condition onto the gurney. I am 87% sure the last victim has no vitals, can you confirm?" She asked, meaning the man in the centre of the floor with his chest cavity open.
She opened her link in rely to the Captain's question. "I am heading back to you now. One more survivor up here injured but stable." Lucille moved back toward the hatch to get the gurney left out there.

-----

The woman's strength began to fade fast, her grip on Kath's arm lessening to nothing as fast as it had started. The woman lost consciousness, her hand flopping to the ground. The sound of Lucille's quick, but heavy footsteps moved as she hustled past to retrieve the gurney, but she stopped at the hatch where the bright lights illuminated a thin trail of smeared blood down the ramp. Her eyes followed the quickly fading trail to the open door of the docking area. "Captain, we have a problem..."

[bluemoon]

Life Boat Interior--Fore Section

Katherine was just beginning to get to her feet to assist in loading up the wounded passenger when Lucille pointed out the blood near the entrance. Rubbing her bruised arm gently, she let out an exasperated sigh, following the trail out of the escape pod just far enough to see it led past the docking area doors...into the hallway...

"Fuck!" slipped past her lips, then she turned to the pilot. "Help me get the woman on the gurney, then I want you to log into the security system and locate that thing so we can contain it." She looked around her, trying to see into the darkened corners and under the equipment where something else might be hiding. "I want to know what is roaming my ship...and just how dangerous it is. Hopefully there is only one."

She grabbed the side of the gurney and helped pull it up the ramp, sliding it next to the victim, then pausing to look towards Lucy again. "Just how the hell did it get past me without my noticing? I heard nothing...but it must have gone across my path. Damn it! We don't need this! We are too short on staff to track something through the ship, take care of at least two injured persons, and keep an eye on prisoners. Where the hell is Quince?"

Life Boat Interior--Aft Section

Hearing his name, the engineer appeared, wiping his now ungloved hands against his pants. He hated the way his palms sweated when he was wearing them. Giving Katherine an apologetic look, he nodded to her. "Sorry Captain...I was checking out another victim...which I am sorry to say is deceased. Looks like we just have the two survivors...plus whatever the hell left that track." He had overheard the two women talking about something escaping the pod...perhaps a wounded pet...or maybe whatever caused the wounds they were seeing. He hoped for the former, but the mark along the floor did not look like those made from a poodle.

Grumbling, he disappeared for a moment, returning with the gurney and its occupant. "We should get moving. Times a-wasting and all that. My guy is stable so we can concentrate on getting the female into the med-pod for surgery if she needs it...then I can assist in the search. If that is agreeable?"

[Kach]

Life boat-- Interior

"Yes captain." Lucille replied curtly, very curious what had managed to sneak past the three of them. She helped Kath with the gurney and loading the wounded woman onto it. She mused as she silently listened to the captain fume. Protocol states the airlock should have been sealed, and she should have been allowed to complete her inspection before any others entered the area.She would have to mention that oversight in her report.
"I will lock down the ship and run a scan, it should not be difficult to locate with our on board sensors." The android replied matter-of-factly. "I will let you know of any assistance I will require thank you. In the meantime we need to triage these patients."

The group carefully lowered the gurneys down the ramp to the level deck and Lucille sealed the life boat once more. "Permission to head to the bridge and begin a lock down and scan captain? I will keep the path to the med-bay open." Lucille looked at Kath expectantly, waiting for her orders.

[bluemoon]

Docking Area--Pegasus

"Yes...do that..." Katherine responded in a flustered manner, all trace of professionalism leaving her in her frustration. She looked down at the blood trail again, and with a shake of her head moved into the docking area whilst pushing one of the gurneys, Quince and Lucille close behind her. Once they were all clear, she closed the air lock and started down the corridor, her face maintaining a stern look.

It didn't take them long to get to the lift, Kath having already decided they would take the survivors to the upper level, the surgical module on that floor being the best one available on the ship. Once they boarded and the doors closed, the captain leaned against the wall and gave Lucy an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Lucille, I didn't mean to snap. I just don't know how this could have happened. Please contact me as soon as you get to the command center...I want to make sure you get there safely. Once you lock down the ship and locate the...thing...meet us in the med bay and we will figure things out from there."

Upper Deck

Once the lift doors opened, Kath and Quince headed for the med bay. Kath couldn't help but think they would be lucky to save this woman's life, the amount of blood already pooling on the metal frame of the gurney quite alarming. There was also the issue of the unknown entity to deal with, and although the chances of it being on this deck was unlikely, it wasn't impossible. It was always best to expect the unexpected. And it was with this thought that she turned to the engineer.

"Keep at the ready Quince, I'll cover the front...you the back. The little escapee is out there somewhere." Drawing her sidearm, Kath made her way down the corridor, trying to keep her focus as she went over all the mistakes she had made. She would get a write-up for sure...if not a suspension. Of course that wouldn't be until they landed with their cargo...so there was time to make up for it. Secure the ship...capture or kill the unknown specimen...save the life of the other ship's survivors...and deliver the prisoners in one piece. Perhaps it would be enough to save her skin...and really...how hard could it be?

[Kach]

Docking Area- Pegasus

Lucielle helped push and pull the gurney's into the Pegasus's airlock, glancing back to look at the open hatch to the lifeboat with a frown. Half of the survivors were deceased. She hoped they could save these two. They quickly pushed the two gurneys to the lifts, Kath, weapon ready in the lead and Quince at the rear with Lucille doing most of the pushing and pulling between the gurneys.
The blood trail continued down the hallway past the airlock but rapidly faded to nothing.
Luckily being a prisoner ship, most of the doors needed activation or a key code to open to hamper escape attempts, so what ever it was didn't have the run if the ship. The lift doors were the exception, remaining open unless the lift was on another deck, however they required a key code to operate.
The group fit comfortably into one lift, one of them activated the controls and the exterior doors closed as they began to raise.
Lucille felt sympathetic to Kath, it was a highly unusual situation and things weren't going smoothly. She reached out and put a comforting hand on the Captain's shoulder. "It will be okay Captain. We have the situation under control, we just need to slow down and remember protocol."
Lucille's voice was calm and reassuring, she knew they needed to keep their heads to maintain effective.
The doors opened to the upper deck and she removed her hand from the Captain and confirmed the orders looking completely serene.
"I will confirm when I arrive at the C.D." She offered a nod to Kath and Quince before turning and jogging forward with heavy steps down the corridor, the opposite direction to the infirmary.

Pegasus- Upper Deck- Lift corridor

There wasn't any sign of anything out of the ordinary outside the lifts as they headed to the infirmary.

Cell Block A -Cell 22

Kyle had spent a few minutes laying on his bunk examining the entertainment device, skimming some of it's offerings before turning his attention into what he could rig it into. He figured he could rig the power source into a makeshift taser, or use it to short something out, if he had any use for either. With some explosives he could make a rather nice bomb, with access to comms he could even use it to send a message, unfortunately right now, its best job was to break up the boredom of the empty cell block.
"Hey Red... you have any special talents? Other than your charms, and slitting throats of course."

[bluemoon]

Pegasus--Upper Deck--Infirmary

Katherine pressed the key code to open the infirmary door and she and Quince entered, each pushing a gurney. The woman was the more critical of the two and they placed her inside the medical unit first for evaluation. The machine was automated and once the injured woman's wrist was scanned and her personal info was pulled from her chip, her injuries were documented and appeared on the screen. Most ship personnel had chips inserted at the time of employment, each one containing basic information such as name, birthdate, and any medical conditions. It was situations such as this that made them a necessity.

Kath put in a few commands and the unit began the process of administering anesthesia and surgical preparation. She turned to Quince and nodded. "I think we can see to the other victim while..." she turned back to the med unit and read the name across the top, "...Amanda Freiss undergoes surgery." She gave him a reassuring smile, faking confidence. Truly she was a nervous wreck. This was not her area of expertise. She hated medical...and the fact that they had dropped off their only doctor at the prison colony irked her to no end. Quince had some medical experience, but only at the level of an assistant, basically a nurse, and she did not have a lot of confidence in his abilities given his predilection for drinking.

The two turned towards the other gurney, and Quince began a preliminary examination, using a hand held scanner to access any injuries more thoroughly than he could do visually. Finding nothing other than the head injury of concern, the man was transferred to a bed and he was rebandaged by the engineer while the captain kept watch over the entrance to the room. The door closed automatically after they had entered, but it was the only access point to the room and if any threat was going to approach, it would come from that direction, as it was the weakest point.

Cell Block A--Cell 21

Sally had set aside her gaming device to stretch out on her bed, quickly becoming bored with the supposed entertainment. She lay with her feet crossed at the ankles and arms under her head as she stared at the ceiling in silence. When Kyle spoke to her, she cleared her throat before answering, thinking over her response.

"Talents?" she chuckled. "Well Chief, I'm not sure what you have in mind, but I have the stamina to put most men to shame." She smiled, the expression lost on the occupant in the other cell, but one he would recognize as one of cocky confidence if he could have seen it. "As for 'useful' talents, I am pretty handy with weapons...of the bladed sort and a few others. I can pick most locks...but...I unfortunately left my kit in my other outfit...so, no luck there." She swung her legs over the end of her cot, sitting up and leaning towards Kyle's cell, a look of curiosity on her pretty face. "Are you scheming lover? Cuz I would like to hear anything you are working through. It's nice just to hear another voice in this damn dungeon."

[Kach]

Command Deck Pegasus

Lucille cycled through the lock into the command deck and sprang into action. "PEG, command deck illumination full." The lights blazed to life, revealing the empty room as Lucille marched to her seat and dropped into the chair, it rotated and moved into position. She began quickly typing, still giving PEG commands. "Run a ship wide scan for untagged life forms. Close all hatches and initiate code 3 lock down." Text began to scroll across her screen as PEG confirmed the commands and began preforming them.
Lucille opened a message and began typing.

XO Taves: Orders confirmed. Life boat recovered with two survivors. At least one organism on board. Working to contain. Please advise.

She sent the message away and her gaze looked back to the monitor where PEG had finished typing and she frowned.


SHIP WIDE SCAN: UNTAGGED ORGANISMS
<WORKING......>

CODE 3 LOCK DOWN IN PROGRESS
PRISONER CELLS > SECURE
AIR LOCK > SECURE
LIFTS > SECURE
BULKHEADS > SYSTEM FAILURE

NOTICE: FOUR BULKHEADS FAILED TO SEAL
>DRY STORAGE STARBOARD
>CELL BLOCK A - EXT DOOR
>ENGINEERING - ACCESS STARBOARD- #7
>LIFT DOORS -#2 - DECK 1
PLEASE ALERT MAINTENANCE

SHIP WIDE SCAN: UNTAGGED ORGANISMS
<COMPLETE> NON DETECTED


In the infirmary the light on the door lock switched from green to red, indicating it was clocked and would require one of their pass codes to pass through.

Lucille turned on the intercom between the command deck and the infirmary.
"Captain, I am in the command deck and we have a problem."

Block A - Cell 22

Kyle felt a smirk creep across his face. There was a clear pattern what Red had on the brain during their trip. He examined the cell from his bunk, as he had for the last few days, as he thought through scenarios. If she could slice door controls, maybe she would be of use. In the still silence of the cell block, there was a faint vibration through the ship as all the open bulkheads closed and sealed. Kyle sat up from his bunk. "They locked down the ship..." He was planning on catching the ride all the way back to Earth, but if the detour had turned sour he wasn't going to be stuck waiting in a cell to starve or worse.
"How would you like to go for a walk Red?"

"There is a fail safe for the cell doors, if there is an electrical fire in the cell, the door will open. My cell doesn't have an access panel so yours should. Up near the ceiling, opposite your bunk. Smash the side of your device against the hull and it will split. You can use the shell as a driver to remove the panel's screws. Then find the yellow wire inside, peel some isolation off, and touch it to one of the terminal's on the device's battery that should have enough current to trip the door."

[bluemoon]

Pegasus--Upper Deck--Infirmary

Kath turned towards the wall-mounted intercom when Lucy's voice came through, shaking her head as she moved towards it. "What now?" she murmured, distracted from replying when the medical unit's alarm began beeping, a red light flashing on the readout screen.

MEDICAL ALERT
FOREIGN MATERIAL DETECTED
PROTOCOL REQUESTED

There were a series of options listed below the alert and the captain selected 'removal' and 'analysis' before she turned back to the grilled speaker.

"This is the captain. Does the problem require my attendance or can we discuss it over the com? Seems we have a bit of an issue on my end as well." she said.

Cell Block A--Cell 21

Sally listened closely to the Chief's directions, her attention all his when he asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She searched for...and located...the panel he mentioned, grumbling to herself when she realized it was much higher than she could reach. She would find a way...

In the space of a few seconds, her device was in two pieces, her eyes scanning the room for anything to stand on...that wasn't bolted down. She grabbed up her mattress and leaned it against the wall, the sound of her foot slamming into her dining table reverberating through her cell in the next moment.

"Little fucker..." she growled as she crawled on her hands and knees to inspect the bolts which held it firmly in place. There were two screws and it seemed her attack had loosened them just a bit. She went to work on them with a determined grimace, her game player's shell cracking further as she used it as a screw driver.

Silence was followed by the sound of table legs scraping along the metal flooring. Sally grunted as she lifted the mattress atop it, folding it then climbing on.

"Almost got it Chief," the red head called once the panel was off. She let it topple to the floor, not mindful of the noise she was making. She yanked the yellow wire towards her and stripped its insulation off with the edge of her player. Her fingers were bleeding by the time she touched the wire to the exposed batteries.

"Blast off," she shouted as a spark erupted, a hollow click following the light. She wasted no time jumping down and giving the cell door a try, the disengaged lock allowing her to pull it open easily enough.

"Here I come..."