A Subspace SOS

Posted on Thu May 4, 2017 @ 7:40pm by Ailyssa Wells & Ensign Michael Donovan
Edited on on Sat May 13, 2017 @ 2:28pm

Mission: Avatar
Location: Subspace Sound Nightclub
Timeline: MD 10 || 1300 Hours

Ailyssa crouched in a corner of her club with a hand clamped over her mouth to hold in the shriek that wanted to come out. The young woman peeked over the edge of an overturned table and looked at what she could only describe as madness. The club's holographic emitters had turned an innocent nebula into a chaos zone that had employees running for their lives and Ailyssa had been in the back when she heard the screams.

She ducked her head back down and crawled quickly to her office and hoped that none of the new denizens of her club noticed and would come to attack her. Once she was inside, she made it to a terminal and entered a manual message, her fingers flying over the display and causing errors.

Michael,

I am tarpped in my club on deck ten. Plaese help.

Aily.

Ailyssa tapped sent and crouched down again, praying that someone would come and get her out of the madhouse and that they would arrive before she was found.

Michael had been on patrol when the computer went bonkers. The Ensign he was with had to stay in one section to keep the people calm and get them out to a safer location. He went on down to the next section and checked the rooms. People were okay, so he kept on moving. After a few more, he stopped at a wall terminal to check-in, as best he could, and mark off where he had been. After he did that, he noticed that a message was waiting for him. Michael read it and then ran, as fast as he could. His destination was Deck Ten, the Subspace Sound Club, and Aily.

Once he got there, he had to fight his way through the crowds running around and out of the area. Michael found the entrance to the Club and went in. What he saw was unreal. "Out! This way! Hurry!" He began to usher screaming people towards the doors. Though, they eventually started running themselves. He saw what the holo-emitters had done and tried to distract the creatures so that everyone else could out. The entire time, he was keeping his eyes open for Aily.

Three large alien creatures thundered towards him screeching, apparently being herded towards the doors by two Nausicaans and a Breen who were firing weapons on either side of the creatures to keep them together.

In the back office, Aily heard the sound of Michael's voice and wished she would have warned him, but now all she could focus on was the fact that he had showed up to help her. "Michael!" she called out. "I'm in the back office!"

Michael had kept his back away from the creatures as best as he could. He drew his phaser and provided a frontal barrier to help keep them from moving outward. He picked up on the fact that they were heading towards the doors with them and nodded. If they could get them out of their and away from the club's holo-emitters, then hopefully they would simply disappear. Amidst the screams, the screeches, and the phaser fire, Michael thought he heard Aily calling out to him. Something about the office. Adrenaline surged as he was torn between running to her and helping take care of the creatures. Only seconds passed as he realized that his duty was to get rid of these things first. If she were being attacked by another, she would have done more than call out. "Right there...I'll be right there!" he shouted back. "Just hold on! We've got this!"

Luck was the only thing that was on his side; when he fired his phaser, the creatures in the front veered off and raced past him onto the Promenade and began chasing various personnel who were currently running for their lives. The Breen and Nausicaans ignored him and charged out after their prey while another scream came from the back.

Phaser still in hand, Michael took off for the back. He definitely recognized that as Aily's voice. He rounded the corner and ran down the hall to her office. "Aily!"

"Help!" she screamed and the sound of something shattering was heard before a scaly skinned reptiloid that looked like a Gorn staggered half into the hallway hissing with a chair following it.

"I'm here!" he called out. "Just stay there!" Michael took aim and fired. "Time to plug that leaky airlock seal."

The Gorn turned and roared before charging him, it's clawed manus reaching out as if to rip him limb from limb.

"What the hell!" Michael exclaimed. He ran around behind the counter and set his phaser to it's maximum setting. Following the counter's edge halfway down, he turned to see the Gorn coming up behind. Michael climbed up on the counter and slid off the other side, putting the bar between him and the Gorn. Michael pointed his phaser directly at the creature and fired. "Aily! Can you shut down the holo-emitter from your office!?!"

The shot went through the Gorn and struck the wall, vaporizing a small section of it. The Gorn moved to advance and seemed to be having trouble getting behind the counter before it hissed and started to flicker.

"Give me a minute," Aily called out while she fumbled with the interface which seemed to go from touch capable to being a mere hologram and back. "This thing is playing games with me!" Finally, it solidified enough for her to shut it down. Instantly, every holographic creature in the club vanished but the ones that had exited were still on the Promenade.

Michael ran back to the office. "Aily, they're gone. No more should be appearing in the club. You did good, girl. Thanks."

Aily sobbed and looked at him with terror in her eyes until she realized that he wasn't a hologram. She jumped and ran to throw herself into his arms. "What the hell is going on?" she asked.

Michael hugged her tight, glad that she was okay. "I have no idea," he said. "But I'm not sure anyone else has much of a one either. But, how this one start?"

"I don't know," she said. "I was working on some new holographics for the club and then things started popping up and going after my employees and I ended up trapped back in my office. Are they okay?" she asked.

"They made it out the promenade, but so did the three creatures," he said. "Apparently the holo-emitters throughout the ship are keeping them alive. Hopefully Ops can get them all shut down soon." He hugged her and continued, "I'm glad you got them shut down in here. I really would have hated to phaser them."

"What?" Ailyssa asked him. "They got out?" her voice trailed off and she looked at him. "Uh...can I stay with you until this gets cleared up?"

"Yeah, of course you can, Aily. And yes, they're running around the promenade at the moment," he said. "Which is why I think you should stay safely in here where the emitters are shut down. At least, for a while. Then we'll get you to my quarters. How's that sound?"

"Are you sure they won't get back in here?" she asked. "I mean, I know the emitters are off in here, but what if I have to go out?"

"I can't be sure of anything at the moment," Michael replied. "I don't even know if the Senior Staff is sure of what's happening or not. Would you feel better staying here?" he asked. "Or do you have other work that you need to do? Either way, I can sit with you for a few minutes or go ahead and escort you to my quarters."

"Do you think it would be safe in the Jeffries Tubes?" Aily asked. "I'm not hungry and there's no emitters in there, is there? I could go in there and make my way to your quarters with a map."

"No, none that I know of. Or at least, I can't imagine any reason for any to be in there." Jeffries Tubes was a good idea and would most likely be the safest route throughout the ship at the moment. Michael grabbed a PADD and brought up the location of his quarters and where they were currently were. He then had the computer plot the most direct route of least resistance for Aily to travel. "Here," he said, "this should help you. Do you have a phaser or anything here for defense that you could take with you for protection?"

"I'm a civilian, Michael," she reminded him. "They don't give us phasers. I have a duranium bat that I use for the less civilized patrons, but I've never used it."

Michael chuckled and shook his head. "You're right. And a bat wouldn't be easily held in the Tubes. I think you should be fine, though. When you get to my quarters, put a message out to me and let me know that you've made it. I'll eventually get it."

"Do you have any security set on your quarters?" Aily asked him as she headed for the small kitchen in the back and grabbed a big butcher knife.

"I do," he said. "I'll put the codes on the PADD with the map." He picked it back up and entered the information. "No real big security stuff, though."

"Thank you, Michael!" she said before she put the knife aside and gave him a big kiss while she wrapped her arms around him. "This means so much to me!"

With everything that was going on and him wanting to make sure that she was safe, the fact that he'd just given her access to his quarters slipped by without a thought. Until she kissed him and said what she did. "Oh," he said smiling, "you're welcome, hon." Michael returned the kiss. "I'm glad."

Aily stepped back and smiled before she grabbed the butcher knife again. "Well...I guess it's time for me to get in the Jeffries Tubes. If you don't hear from me in an hour, it's been nice, Michael."

He smirked. "Nice? That's it? That's all it's been? Nice? Man...I'm gonna have to work harder if 'nice' is all I get. You're in for it now, you know that right?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just a bit shaken. I'll make it up to you later, Vampirella style. Don't get hurt out there. Promise me."

Michael walked up and took her by the hand. "No need for you to apologize. You said or did nothing wrong. I was just trying to lighten the mood. I have no plans to get hurt. And I can only promise as much as that. But I look forward to coming home, Ailycat." He leaned in and kissed her.

Aily returned the kiss and smiled. "Then I'll see you then," she said before she took the PADD and a deep breath. "Once more, into the breach."