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Fathom's Phantoms Next Steps

Surrresh enjoyed the feel of Sigma-Echo's hallways on his feet. While the fact that he preferred to travel bare pawed was often a matter of contention among the crew he had gone his whole life without footwear and he wasn't about to start. Besides, he always argued, the only Gens REQUIRED to wear shoes or sandals were the plantigrades, which he decidedly was not. Few Gens had the pristine genes the Tiger could claim and, despite what others might say, he was highly proud of his rarely found Generation One status.

The Tiger strolled silently down the hall, pleased beyond words when he compared his silent padding with the loud, seemingly purposeful clopping of the Shire Stallion behind him. Even though Pvt. McGilvoy wore combat boots Dr. Makowi was convinced that his escort wouldn't have been able to make as much noise if he was bare-hoofed. Of course, the Horse had FEET so it was a moot point. The Tiger came to a stop, anticipating a question from his escort-- the soldier had a particular tendency to ask them.

As expected the Stallion took the opportunity. "Ser, if ah may?"

Surresh adjusted the wire framed armless glasses on the bridge of his muzzle as he turned around to address his escort. "You may as well with my permission rather than asking it without. What is it, Major?"

The Stallion's ears flicked back for a moment. "Private."

The Tiger took the correction in stride. "What is it Private?'

The large Horse shifted from foot to foot. "Seems strange t'me that we came all the way down 'ere just t'watch a bunch a security cut a ship loose an' not even 'elp when they were in trouble... Ser."

Surresh leaned against the wall, stroking the faint tuft of fluff on his chin as he assessed his escort. Ian McGilvoy had a good head on his shoulders and an excellent work ethic. He followed directions and listened astutely. All of those traits were a double-edged sword but the Stallion's curiosity was a decided liability. In the end the Tiger simply shrugged. "I promised the Gorumn on the security force that I would see him at the landing pad. I saw him, and now we're returning to the Executive Deck."

Dr. Makowi about-faced and continued on down the hall. It really didn't matter if the Horse was content with the answer; Surresh was. A few moments later the Tiger heard the sound of his escort trotting after him to catch up. The true answer was far more complex than he had wished to present to the Stallion-- especially because Ian McGilvoy, MAJOR Ian McGilvoy had a singularly important part to play in things to come... and PRIVATE Ian McGilvoy did not. That too could have been explained further but, then again, secret projects didn't remain secret if everyone was privy to them.

The two had shadowed the security team ever since they arrived at the sub-deck. With the Captain's permission Dr. Makowi had taken a two-seat shuttle from one of the station's "incomplete" hangars on the Executive Deck and flown it down to another "under construction" hangar just two levels above the emergency landing pad. Since McGilvoy was with him the Stallion found out those two secrets-- it simply wasn't prudent to reveal any more.

Surresh retraced the steps they took to intercept the security detail, heading back to the hangar with the Horse in tow. Although the Private was still following him the Tiger heard the distinct change in his escort's gait; he didn't need to look back to tell that the Stallion was distracted so he was hardly surprised when the soldier spoke up yet again. "It sounds like they're 'eadin' to th' security centeh."

The Tiger nodded absently, pressing a paw against the biometric scanner that held very few authorized signatures. The door opened for him and he walked through to the short hallway that terminated at a secretly active hangar. "They won't be there for long... Sergeant Kamrn is going to rally them to aid some civilians."

Private McGilvoy had come a long way in the week he'd been assigned to the Tiger. He responded to the statement with less incredulity than he had in the past. "Aye?"

At first the Stallion doubted almost everything that Surresh said but he'd begun to come around once he started to understand that there was more to the doctor than met the eye. On one paw Surresh felt content to know that he'd earned the Horse's respect but he always reminded himself that whether Ian believed him or not meant little in the scheme of things-- just like the Private himself.

The Tiger sighed. "Put them out of your mind, Major... most of them won't survive the next forty hours."

The sound of the Horse's boots hitting the floor came to a stop. "Come again, Ser?"

Surresh turned around to face the Stallion who stood as if he'd been frozen in place with both ears erect and facing the Tiger. Dr. Makowi reached up to make sure his glasses were still in place before stuffing both of his paws into the pockets of his lab coat. "I do not mean to sound heartless about it--" he froze when he realized he'd made a mistake. "Oh, sorry... Private, not Major."

The Horse flicked an ear, apparently having been too distracted to bother with the difference. His expression of confused alarm hinted at an injection of displeasure. "What's goin' on? What's REALLY goin' on?"

The doctor shook his head. "It would take far too long to explain I'm afraid... and we really don't have the time. Now let's go."

Dr. Makowi continued onward to the single two-seater shuttle that was prepped for use but Ian did not bother moving. "Ah might be a Private, Ser, but ah still want an answeh."

The Tiger scowled and planted his feet firmly while crossing his arms over his chest; the Stallion stood his ground, eyes glaring back defiantly. After far too much time had passed for Surresh's comfort he sighed and threw his paws up. "Fine... just hurry up, Private... I'll explain everything on the way."

The Horse was not moved. "Tell me now..."

Dr. Makowi's eyes shifted from the defiant Shire Horse to the sealed entryway through which they had come; he didn't miss the very distinctive circular glow. "No, Private... I'll explain on the way, but we have to go NOW."

Maybe it was the tone in the Tiger's voice or perhaps it was the way he chose to sprint for the shuttle rather than walk, but whatever it was finally broke through his escort's mini-mutiny and Ian followed him quickly. Surresh was going through start-up protocol when he heard the Horse gasp. "...what in th' name a St Andrew?"

Surresh's paws continued dancing over the controls, thankful he'd bothered taking flight training before signing on with the VAC. He didn't bother looking up from his work but he could tell what the Stallion meant. "We been calling them Phantoms."

"What ARE they?"

The Tiger entered an initiation code and the shuttle started the 180 degree rotation that would put it in position to launch. "Early Human cultures often gave living attributes to fire. The simplest explanation I can offer is that they might have been onto something. Phantoms are creatures that are to heat what you or I are to carbon."

Although the Horse was obviously in the mood to argue he was thankfully more interested with assisting moving the shuttle and the Tiger saw the indicator on the control console acknowledge the commands inputted at the second seat station. Ian wasn't beyond speaking up when he was done however. "That makes no sense."

Surresh snapped his flight harness into place and he heard the Horse behind him do the same. Pressing another series of buttons the Tiger activated the shuttle's two engines. "Sorry, but, as I said-- it's the simplest explanation."

The two engines kicked to life and once the docking clamps were released Surresh let the shuttle broadcast the code for the docking bay doors... but nothing happened. "That's not good."

The Tiger heard the Horse fidget in his seat behind him, most likely straining to look back at the Phantoms. "What's not good? Why aren't we movin'?"

"The fact that we're not moving is no good, Private. The heat signatures from the Phantoms are tricking the sensors and the shuttle bay doors don't want to open."

"Can yeh override it, Ser?"

Surresh smirked. "Hmm... I find it humorous how, now that you want something suddenly I'm 'sir' again."

"Can yeh override it, yeh damn cat?!?"

The Tiger inputted the code. "Yes."

The entire shuttle heaved and bucked as the right engine failed; the fact that Dr. Makowi could distinctively smell burned wiring concerned him greatly but he disconnected the magnetic clamps; moments later the scent stopped and the ship was pulled out through open doors by the sudden release of atmosphere. The Tiger remained quiet as he saw the shuttle's starboard engine float past them, charred beyond all recognition. Private McIlvoy was not as composed. "What in th' 'ell?"

Surresh calmly adjusted the shuttle's remaining engine and opened up the maneuvering thrusters to correct its faulty vectors. "The Phantoms are attracted to endothermic heat, Private. The shuttle engines create a LOT of heat therefore they are a very attractive target. It's not as though I can fault them; if given the choice between an uncooked bowl of spiced peas with tofu and a piping hot skewer of chicken satay, I would decidedly choose the chicken."

Once the shuttle was as under control as the Tiger could manage he rotated it slowly back toward the upper decks of Sigma-Echo. Its maneuverability was poor and the reliability of traveling a long distance with a single engine was shaky at best but Surresh was confident that he could manage a landing at the executive deck landing bay... he just hoped he could do it without drawing too much attention; just like the rest of his secrets the hangar wasn't something he was particularly interested in revealing.

It wasn't until they were most of the way back to their destination that the Horse spoke again. "Why're those things on Sigma-Echo?"

It was a fair question and one Surresh felt could be answered. "They were brought back aboard the Lagress-- the freighter that crashed. Which, if you were paying attention, gives a very plausible reason as to why the rescue team decoupled it from the emergency landing pad."

The Stallion remained quiet for a moment before he asked a follow-up question. "An' yeh knew about em bafore-'and?"

Surresh locked the shuttle's landing computer onto the landing bay by using the beacon he'd placed before they left as a way point since the station's transmission systems were offline. Once the trajectory was confirmed the Tiger sat back in his seat. He took a moment to check the O2 count on his wrist band while he tightened the belt around his fitted suit. "Yes. Several of the top operatives for Project Yggdrasil anticipated them."

The Horse didn't linger on the mention of the project for long. "Yeh mean, people KNEW those things were comin' and just LET em?"

The Tiger unlatched his flight harness and flipped the switch on the metal collar carefully concealed in the hem of his lab coat. "Unfortunately yes... it was the lesser of the evils since destroying the Lagress would have opened up a bigger can of worms."

The remaining engine on the shuttle jumped and the entire frame shook as it exploded. The Horse let out a shout behind him. "We just lost th' other engine!"

Dr. Makowi pulled the lever on his hidden collar and the EVA suit mask closed around his face. He spoke through his PCD comm. "The Phantoms got into the shuttle, Private... of course we lost the second engine."

The Stallion fidgeted in his seat, not having missed the fact that the Doctor was suited up. "I don't have a suit!"

The tiger nodded, "It's alright, Private... you won't need one."

Surresh was kind enough to wait until the Phantom had taken the Horse's life before he hit the release on the cockpit. The floating, eel-like creature was beautiful in its lethality right up until the cold nothingness of space replaced the shuttle's atmosphere and the ash-like debris of the thing bounced harmlessly off of the Tiger's space suit. He oriented himself toward the landing bay and pushed off of the seat. His trajectory was perfect and he floated safely back inside.

Dusting himself off, Dr. Makowi initiated the bay's scrubbers well before sealing it. He reintroduced the atmosphere only once he was sure that the coast was clear. "You can never be too careful."

The Tiger headed toward the airlock leading back into the station; he still had a lot of work to do and he couldn't let the loss of a Horse who should have been a Major detract him from his appointed tasks... not when he had so much more left to do.

* * * * * *

The trip to the Docking Bay Security Outpost was by no means expedient especially since the station's tram system didn't extend to the emergency pad. Following along behind the Lieutenants but in front of the civilians, Kamrn held his tongue, thinking instead back to the strange creature that had killed Aztek with a mere touch. His mind was a jumble with thoughts for the entire trip and, before he knew it, they had arrived.

Lt. Hayward unlocked the security center door with his key card and kept it open, ushering everyone inside-- even those who weren't members of the detail. The group that had arrived along with Lieutenant Cox had dissolved quickly as it melded in with the rescue party; although the two Coxs stayed close to the cat they'd been guarding the Donkey quickly left them to join up with the Technician and the Laborer who had hull-walked to the landing pad. Hayward and his team sans Kamrn and Mol rounded out the group.

The presence of so many people in the relatively small security outpost made the place feel crowded but, even with his concern over his scent Kamrn did his best to ignore the close quarters as everyone began searching around for any working comm stations; the outposts were supposed to have hard line connections between one another. An inquiry from Lt. Hayward caught the Gorumn's attention and Kamrn looked to the screen where the Leonburger pointed--- some security camera from the Central Hub Tram station... and there was activity.

Specialist 4523 was quick to answer the inquiry regarding the Human woman on the screen, "Jocelyn Schultz... she had an override for the auto-lock."

Kamrn watched the scene that was playing on the monitor; there had been some kind of accident on the track and the woman was pulling someone out of what appeared to be the wreckage of a tram.

Lieutenant Cox moved over to examine the monitor. "Has anyone checked in on the tram system security stations?"

The Neo-Human woman quickly called up a selection of the cameras on the view screens. "Four of the monitoring stations are down between here and the Central Hub... it looks like the crash took place near the middle station.

Mol plopped down into a seat situated next to 4523 and began typing away at the console. "Points are all between the first Central Hub station and that crash site."

Kamrn did a double take when he caught sight of a second Human woman ushering everyone away from the crashed tram; he recognized her from a security bulletin. "Lydia Parker..."

Sgt 4523 glanced at the Gorumn then back to the screen and magnified the image; sure enough it was the computer programmer Central had been seeking before the impact. "Is that someone you recognize, Sergeant?"

Kamrn nodded and had just opened his mouth to speak when there was a loud thump from the other side of the room. All eyes went to Alton, who waved Sherman away from the console before the Bull could hit it again. "At least give me a chance to try and improve the reception before you go beating on it... any better, Boone?"

The Human technician waited until the Donkey fidgeted with an open panel of wires and circuits but, in the end he shook his head. "Negative... pretty much the same."

The Donkey held up a finger to forestall further punches against the computer by the Bull. "One minute... give me one more minute..."

Sgt. Cox focused his attention on a different task at hand. "Cortez..."

The Cat looked up from his collection of supplies quizzically but didn't bother saying anything.

The gruff Malamute then addressed the Feline directly. "Has anyone from the bridge tried sending you a communication since your first call for deployment?"

The Doctor scowled. "Four hours ago the comms were up and running-- right now the only communications I'm getting are from everyone within short wave range."

Dr. Cortez accentuated the range by motioning to everyone in the security room.

Lt. Cax tapped his subordinate on the shoulder. "While you're at it check everyone else too... see if we have any extended range comms in here."

The Wolf nodded in response, and started making the rounds.

Kamrn missed the question Gunner had asked of Specialist 4523 but apparently Tirzsark hadn't and answered for her. "I do... Jacqueline Schultz was with Boone and Sherman. She was the Overseer of their survey group."

The Gorumn glanced to the security screen which was still on the wreckage in the Central Hub station; apparently the Cytkus was identifying the lady the Specialist had IDed. Kamrn then looked to the Human technician and the Bull, who both confirmed the assessment with a nod.

Lt Hayward was still looking over the Specialist's shoulder. "Has anyone figured out if that's a live feed? Those people are going to need help."

The Neo-Human woman shrugged. "Three second delay due to the communication reroute but yes, Sir-- it's otherwise live."

The Leonburger glanced back toward the Gorumn. "Kamrn... do you know how to get to the Central Hub Station from here?"

Sgt. Cox scowled. "Is that even an option with the tram line blocked?"

The Gorumn ignored the interruption and answered the Dog's question. "Down the hall to the Primary support array and then up a few miles of steps."

Dr. Cortez shook his head. "To help some people that far away? I'd call that a waste of time and resources. It's a much better idea to stay here where at least we have some idea of what's going on thanks to the security screens."

The Cat motioned to the huge array of monitors to accentuate his point. Sgt. Gunner flicked at one of the monitors in response. "The main problem with that is that we won't actually be able to help anyone... we'll just be watching."

The Cat was very quick to counter. "And what kind of help could we offer that's more important than understanding what's going on?"

The Captain put an end to the discussion by giving very distinct orders to anyone who had any knowledge of how to run the security monitors. The group began dividing up the walls of screens and started doing a search for any information they could find. Kamrn, hardly skilled with computers, simply sat back and watched everyone else work; he was joined by Sherman and Sgt Gunner. Surprisingly, they ended up waiting far less time than he would have expected but the results were not very pleasant.

Tirzsark jumped out of his seat, pointing at a monitor as Burger flipped through the feeds. "Four! Camera four!"

The Donkey went back to the recording in question which drew everyone's attention immediately. "Is anyone else seeing these things?"

Kamrn moved over along with everyone else to look at the monitor and the swirling mass of see-through, eel-like creatures swarming the scene. The Gorumn frowned when he saw the small army of corpses collapsed in various places on the floor, holes burned through them. "There's more than just a few... and a lot of casualties."

Off to the side Sgt. Cox was already gathering up his gear, explaining his plan to Lieutenant Cox as he made ready to leave. All of that came to a screeching halt when the Dalmatian shook his head, "Negative, Sergeant... I need you here. Right now we don't know what's going on, and all of this points--"

The Malamute spoke over him. "It points to security being needed more than ever."

Dr. Cortez did not smooth things over with his next comment. "Is there some kind of failure of leadership here? We should be thinking things through before making stupid decisions and running off toward who-knows-what."

Sgt. Cox was immediately in the Feline's face. "At least I'm trying to do something rather than hide away in a room until it all blows over."

The doctor casually leaned back in his chair seemingly bored of the discussion. "Risks far outweigh the gain. Sorry-- it's just not worth it."

Technician LaGriss cleared his throat and motioned to the newest set of monitors that he'd finally managed to get active and online. "Of course... that's assuming we can't get more information first?"

Everyone looked to wall of screens and silence completely filled the room; most of the monitors showed death-- huge swaths of unmoving corpses all with holes seared into them. The Cat simply crossed his arms over his chest. "There-- you see? Dying isn't really something I planned on doing tonight, thank you very much."

Kamrn had a feeling that a similar sentiment was quickly and reasonably taking over the room. Letting out a snort the Gorumn pushed the access panel on the door and made his way out, ignoring the objections behind him. He planned on getting back into the thick of things before the more reasonable part of his mind was given a chance to take over. He was quite honestly surprised when some of the others followed suit.