An ancient mystery.. Part 2
Posted on Wed Jun 7, 2017 @ 1:06pm by Lieutenant Commander Miguel Torres & Fleet Captain Rhea Kennit & Lieutenant Penelope Naroot & Lieutenant Cassandra Kennings & Lieutenant Nicole Anderson & Lieutenant Arashi Tanaka Mr. & Senior Chief Petty Officer Samantha Summers & Lieutenant Samantha Raylen
2,260 words; about a 11 minute read
Mission:
Silence
Location: Habitable moon, Kalabsha
Continued from Part 1
After the Captain had departed, making her way escorted by Ensign Mills back to the shuttle in order to return to the Victory in orbit, the remaining members of the away team party had pushed further into the ruins of the vast alien city. The corridors led deep into the mountain before they found the first passageway which would (if Torres' tricorder scans were correct) lead them to the chamber where the ancient power turbine discovered on the surface still generated enough energy for the transmission to continuous send it's message, whatever that might be.. out into space.
Estimating that they were now some 300 meters underground, Lt. Raylen was a little uncomfortable as she walked a few paces behind Commander Torres. She had been taking readings of the passageway itself, finding that this part of the complex was carved out of the bedrock itself with the structural supports provided by the walls of the various chambers and empty halls which they'd passed through.
The thought of the incredible weight of the mountain overhead made her a little nervous.
The silence as well was starting to spook her for some reason. Even the sound of their boots on the stone was muted, absorbed by the heavy stone which was wet in some places, natural water seeping down through cracks in the rock from groundwater above. It was just... too quiet.
The XO had split the team into groups to cover more ground. She wondered if the other areas of this place were as dark, silent..and kind of creepy. Pausing for a moment to take scans of an ornate and elaborate carving which seemed to show humanoid beings, though taller and much thinner of body and limb than humans making an offering to a winged being seated on a throne, she heard something..
"Miquel.. did you hear that?" Sam asked him.
He had been hearing a great many things since they had started this trek through this place, some things that he was sure that most of them couldn't hear. However since his status was known only to a few "Hear what?" he asked Sam as he continued to look around. His attention was divided between his tricorder and where he was shining the light in front of him.
Cass watched him and her brow wrinkled. She'd swapped out her sketchbook for a holo-imager and had been getting pictures of every inch they passed. She'd paused trying to hear anything, but she was towards the rear and heard nothing yet.
"There it is again.." she said, head cocked to one side listening intently. "Like.. something rubbing .. metal on stone maybe.."
"Did any of you hear anything?" he asked the other members of team Torres. Even as he listened to see if anyone of them had heard it he was listening for what Raylen had described to him.
"It's a rhythmic grinding," Penny said. "About 100 yards away, although it's hard to tell with the noise-dampening in here."
"I hear it too," Nicole said, cocking her head, wishing her ears were a bit more pointed.
"Someone feel free to describe it to me," Cassandra said.
Walking a few paces away from where Torres and the others where working in order to listen more clearly to the silence in the underground complex. Lights flickered on down the corridor at the end of the chamber they were in. Stretching out into the distance...
"Uh...Commander?" Sam called over her shoulder.
It took Miguel's eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden change in lighting. As he looked down the now lit corridor he noticed that the lighting was a bit off, almost as if slightly subdued. As he walked closer he realized why the light sources, in fact most of the walls were covered in what looked like a web-like substance.
Standing next to him, subconsciously Raylen stepped back so that he was closest to the webs as she said, "Did I ever mention how much I detest spiders?"
"I don't think so." he replied back and after a pause he continued. "Because if you had, I would have mentioned mine. Though I wouldn't say I detest them. I'd say I have a strong respect for them. They stay away from me, and I stay away from them." he added.
"Is there maybe another route to the signal source?" Sam asked, still eyeing the web strewn corridor. "One that doesn't look that that..."
"Oh for Providence sake," Nicole said, pushing past them and opening her bag. "Torch," she said, reaching in and pulling out a long, black cylinder. She pressed her thumb to it and a strong beam shot out and down the corridor, illuminating more webs in the flickering lights, but a clear walkway. "I'll scare them off, you follow," she said, walking down the corridor cautiously, but quickly.
Miguel looked at Sam and then shrugged his shoulders as he motioned for the others to follow allow as he headed after the Doctor.
Following behind the Doctor and Miguel, Sam paused as her comm badge came alive.
"Hunter to Torres, be on the lookout! There are creatures in the corridors, they hide in the dark!"
Eyes on Miguel, Sam said "Did he just say there are creatures here?"
"That's what it sounded like to me. Everyone hold up and keep your eyes open." Miguel replied as he looked around with his wrist lights. He then tapped his combadge. "Torres to Hunter. Copy that on the creatures. We haven't run into any as yet... though we think we might see evidence of them by the amount of webbing we see around. We could be dealing with some sort of spider creature. Do you want us to discontinue our exploration?"
Hunter's reply was filled static filled. ".....es! Fall ....ack to en...rance. Stay --arp!"
Nicole growled and her hair began to curl as she kept her back to the team, her light trained down the corridor, sweeping it slowly. "Cass," she said, "light the way!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Raylen muttered.
To be continued in part 3.
Meanwhile Hunter and his merry little group were moving cautiously down their own dark and decidedly spooky tunnel. It was deathly silent save for the sound of their footsteps on the floor beneath them. "I'm not afraid of the dark but this place is plain creepy." He said to no one in particular. "I'll be glad to see daylight again." As his light bounced of the walls ahead of them. He stopped suddenly. "Did any of you see that?"
Arashi started to scan with his tricorder to see if there was anything alive besides them. "Tricorder scans are negative, sir. I do not see anything. What did you see commander?" Arashi asked.
Alec shook his head, before giving Arashi a sideways glance, "I'm not sure Mr. Tanaka only that it was big and terribly fast." He looked back to the others, "Everyone stay sharp. We may have company."
Arashi set his phaser to heavy stun and kept scanning with his tricorder. "I have a bad feeling about this. Whatever that was, I have a feeling that it might be hunting us." He said with a bit of a nervous tic in his voice.
Alec heard Arashi's comment and couldn't agree more. He hated being in this corridor. They were cooped up, unable to spread out.Easy pickings if something was indeed hunting them. He reached for and set his own phaser on stun. "Everyone, if you haven't already done so, set your phasers to stun." He informed the group as he continued to move cautiously down the tunnel.
Crouched in the tunnel, talons secure against the cool porous stone, every muscle in the beasts long, powerful body was tense with focus as the young creature drew in another long breath, captivated and intrigued by the strange tantalizing scents which came to him for further ahead where the tunnel narrowed and twisted through the darkness. Flicking his tongue out over his muzzle, he drew in the strange scent again and the tip of his long, whip-like barbed tail flicked with rising excitement. Young and still growing, he was hungry. He was always hungry...
He'd been hunting the crunchy, unsatisfying but easy to find prey which prowled these tunnels when the sound of these new, strange and exciting prey creatures had first caught his attention and now.. a slender tendril of saliva dripped from his lower jaw as he waited, impatient and eager ..
The impatience of youth however...
Unable to wait further, the creature let out a long, hissing snarl as he lunged forward, razor sharp talons on six toed feet carrying him forward across the ceiling..six limbs deftly clinging to the stone while his long tail provided additional balance and even assistance..
Dropping to the ground once he was free of the narrow confines of the ventilation shaft in which he had hidden, the creature rose up on four limbs, the third pair attached at shoulders held out with talons and spines which ran down each limb to the elbow joint fully extended... a dark mottled hide helped mask its presence, pale eyes almost pearl white with no visible pupil.. the creature stood nearly 4.1148 meters tall, 8 meters long from the tip of its pointed snout to the end of its barbed tail.. and roared .revealing long, daggarlike teeth....
"Commander!"Arashi shouted as he saw the creature and stood in front of the commander. He dug out his phaser and fired a blast at the creature. At best he had hoped to make himself and the others look like hard targets to this creature and at worst he hoped that he had stunned the creature.
Alec saw the. the creature in front of him just as Arashi stepped in front of him, his hand brought his phaser up, firing as he did. His shot hitting the creature along with Arashi's square in the chest. ""Back!, Everyone back! Use your phasers to defend yourselves!" He barked as he pulled Arashi back from the monster that stood before them. Tapping his com, he gasped into it "Hunter to Torres, be on the lookout! There are creatures in the corridors, they hide in the dark!"
Pain!
These small, strange prey had somehow hurt it!
Staggered back several paces, the creature's long tail lashed wildly as it screeched in surprise, hurt, and anger. The phasers effect was not as hoped..
Shaking its head again the creature gathered itself and turned a baleful, vicious expression with wicked jagged teeth bared in a gruesome snarl and this time the roar was one of unmistakable rage!
From some distant point down the dark tunnel came a faint answering call though there was no time to consider that problem because the creature attacked! Leaping high it charged toward the nearest prey thing.. teeth and claws extended for the kill...
"BACK!" Hunter screamed to the members of his team as he brought up his phaser and fired again! Just as the creature launched itself in an attack "Fall Back!" He waved with one arm as he fired again adjusting his phaser power setting to a higher frequency ducking his head
from the razor sharp claws and barbed tail.
The creature hit the ground with a thud, one leg collapsing under its weight for a moment causing the beast to let out another ear splitting shriek of pain and anger. Recovering, the creature crouched low, body coiled and ready to strike again. Fixing it's eerie place blank eyes on them..the monster snarled and hissed...
"BACK!" Alec yelled again a she adjusted his phaser yet again to a higher frequency, his eyes never leaving the blank eyes of the monster in front of him as it snarled and hissed.
So focused on the beast before them, the stealthy arrival of a second creature passed un-noticed until it was too late! Older and more experienced a hunter, this scarred creature carried an empty eye socket on the left side of its skull. Dropping down from the roof of the chamber with one smooth motion it drove Crewman Giles Redfern to the stone floor. Redferns scream cut short sharply, deep crimson staining the stones in a spreading pool beneath his lifeless form. The first creature roared a challenge and launched itself at the intruder, the two monsters slamming together with ear splitting shrieks as they fought for the kill!
"Torres to Hunter. Copy that on the creatures. We haven't run into any as yet... though we think we might see evidence of them by the amount of webbing we see around. We could be dealing with some sort of spider creature. Do you want us to discontinue our exploration?"
Hunter's reply was filled static filled. ".....es! Fall ....ack to en...rance.Stay arp!" As he turned to see the second creature using Refern as a shish kabob. He waved the remaining away team members back. "Head back to the entrance! Stay sharp!'' As he fired at the second creature, striking it squarely in the chest.
Arashi had turned up the power to his phaser to kill, ready to fire it at the creatures. "Damn, should have seen that one coming..." He said to himself, angry that a fellow crewmate was killed. He fell back to the entrance and watched his tricorder for signs of life other than their own.
To be continued in part 3.
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