Found a Cool program

Posted on Mon Jan 17, 2022 @ 1:08am by Commander Cullen Walker & Lieutenant JG Aergad Halvor & Lieutenant AJ Taggart

1,427 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: We Will Take Care of You
Location: Holodeck

Halvor was looking at the list of holodeck programs. He wanted a good work out. He wanted a good sweat. He found one. It was locked out. It took about forty seconds, but he got around the protocols and unlocked it. Unlocking it was part of the test. As soon as he unlocked the program, the program did two things, it started and it sent a message to a program administrator.

A treadmill appeared. On the wall, a timer appeared with instructions. RUN TEN KILOMETERS. He followed the instructions and got on the treadmill and ran. The way he understood the program it was an endurance test from hell. He had to run at a very decent speed to beat the timer. He had to do it less than 42 minutes. He did it in thirty nine minutes forty two second. Data was sent to the program administrators, in this case Walker, Taggert, Tanaka and Anderson aboard the ship.

Walker looked at the control panel on his chair on the bridge, then tapped his com, "Taggart. I assume you just got a notification and bio statistics. The holodeck program is designed to do that. Can you go check it out?"

AJ took a look at the security panel on his desk and pulled up the holodeck. Noting that Lieutenant Halvor's bio-readings were spiking, he quickly rose from his chair when he couldn't get a video feed. "Show me responding." he said before taking his jacket and breaking into a brisk jog as soon as he cleared his office door. Tapping his commbadge, he opened a channel. "Taggart to Sickbay, requesting medics to Holodeck Two, at the rush!"

Walker continued, "The characters in the program will only respond to the active participants, the ones scanned when the program started."

"Acknowledged," Nicole said crisply through the comm.

The treadmill disappeared and a weight bench appeared and he was scanned. His medical profile for his last PT test appeared. PUSH FOR ONE MINUTE. He got on the bench. It registered at 340kgs. He had to keep pushing for one minute. So far the test wasn't that hard. He was in good shape, better than most. Twenty Two reps. Data was sent to the program administrator.

A chin up bar appeared. The instructions changed. DO CHIN UPS. He jumped on the bar and started pulling himself up. Two hologram soldiers appeared. KEEP DOING CHIN UP. The soldiers started kicking him in the gut while he was doing chin ups. They had the focus and accuracy of getting kicked by a Vulcan, but it was like the strength was turned up. The fact that he made it to the end was impressive. He was on his knees throwing up.

The computer spoke, "Initiating Sub Program. Klingon Calisthenics: Logan Save. LEVEL 1"

Halvor answered, "What the fuck kind of sick bastard has this as a sub program after all that?" Something picked him up and threw him into a tree. He saw the holodeck doors open, but he got kicked. The hologram attacking him was some sort of Hominid Feline, like a Caitian male with no tail. He blocked and hit back. He got kicked so hard he landed on his back at the feet of the person who entered, "Hi. I'm getting my ass kicked." That person was male, but blurry so he couldn't see who it was.

AJ had been fighting with the holodeck's controls to allow him entry for a few minutes when the doors finally slid open to reveal a rather harried and bloodied Lieutenant Halvor. "I noticed, Lieutenant. Biting back a sarcastic comment, he moved along the edge of the engagement as a small voice in the back of his head told him he didn't want to tangle with whatever Halvor.

He was picked up and thrown into another tree. He kept fighting though. He was starting to catch on to the fighting style and was landing decent punches on his opponent. Halvor might have been concussed, the guy in the archway was still blurry. "Fuck you and this psychotic program." He kept fighting what he thought was the meanest Caitian he had ever seen.

Nicole came charging around the corridor, two nurses in tow, her black bag in hand. She skidded to a stop inside the holodeck, seeing AJ by the doors, and Halvor fighting for his life. "What in blazes??" she shouted as the holodeck doors closed behind her, cutting her off from her nurses. One of the participants being knocked back by Halvor sailed through her and landed on the floor. She snarled, her eyes flaring red. "What the hell is this?"

"Computer. End Program!" AJ ordered. The computer beeped a denial and failed to respond. Letting out a slightly frustrated sigh, AJ unholstered his phaser, adjusted the power level, and aimed at the feline holoprojection. "Lieutenant. You might want to move."

The phaser did nothing except light up the holomatrix. There was a delayed response the arch control panel appeared. Instructions for the program were on the panel plain as day. Halvor hadn't thought to read them. The instructions say that once the administrator or moderator ends the program, it will create the arch instead. The participants have to get to the arch and it will stop. The program is meant to test various aspects of strength.

When the phaser did nothing to his opponent, he went back to fighting. He got the felinoid into a chokehold and got clawed in the process, but choked him out. The Feline like man disappeared and the program said, "LEVEL 2." A very large, fat man in a unitard appeared. "What the fuck is this?" He was picked up and squeezed. He was gasping. "I can smell this fat bastard. It isn't enough, unitard. I saw this movie. The blob eats everything through osmosis. I don't want to die like that."

The fatman dropped him on his hands and knees, "I don't like fat jokes." He kicked Halvor and turned around to sit on him.

Halvor yelled, "I don't want to don't want to die this way either." He was crawling towards Taggart.

Nicole looked up. "Computer end program!" A sign flashed on the arch. Nicole skimmed the document quickly. "Oh for Providence sake," she said, looking at AJ. "All safety protocols are overridden. Evidently only 'active participants' can disengage the program, and they have to do so from the arch." Her eyes glinted. "Computer," she said, "add me as an active participant."

The computer beeped. "Acknowledged," it said as two more foes appeared and began advancing on her.

Nicole reached out and hit the "forfeit" button flashing on the arch panel, and the program immediately terminated. "Darn. I give up," she said, dryly. She coughed and said, "computer, air circulation protocols Anderson-1."

The air was immediately circulated out of the room, a breeze bringing in the clean and scent-free air supply to replace it.

Nicole took a breath of relief and then leveled her fiercest scowl at Halvor. "What the bloody hell were you thinking?" she shouted.

AJ picked up his phaser from the deck and holstered it. "You're damn lucky I don't shoot you on principle. Now, I strongly urge you to stay far away from me. I'll also be recommending that your holodeck be suspended."

Walker managed to get free of the bridge and get down there. The door opened to hear Anderson and Taggart yelling at Halvor. "Taggert. I accept your recommendation. Halvor, your holodeck privileges are suspended for three months."

Halvor was getting ready to answer Anderson when Walker said that. "It's just a training program, Sir."

"That program is a training program which only a handful of people can access, the majority in this room. It requires the CMO on site to access because of the lack of safety protocols. It is a Ladder Tournament where you need a new tactic for each opponent." Walker was in Halvor's face. "You only have one tactic: walk in and hit. You got lazy being the big grey rock. A doctor fixes that and you don't remember how to think smart. Your lucky I sent Taggert to check on you. Escort him to Sickbay. I want him scanned to see if his shots are working. I think he has rocks for brains." He said that in Halvor's face, looking him in the eyes, knowing it would be more offensive to him. Then he backed off.

Nicole cleared her throat. "Lieutenant Halvor," she said, "come with me and we'll get you patched up."

Halvor turned to follow Nicole.

 

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