Got To Break Free

Posted on Feb 28, 2016 @ 12:40pm by Captain Kassandra Thytos
Edited on on Feb 28, 2016 @ 12:41pm

Mission: Promethean

“Got to Break Free”

(cont. “The Ascent”)

Location: LAVENZA II

Stardate: 2.16.0228.2101

Scene: Yet another ventilation shaft.

“You have such wonderful musculature, Captain. The things I could do to you…” Conniston’s breath was hot on the back of Kassandra’s neck and she flinched, trying not to betray the fact he was getting under her skin. He was pressed close to her, his arms wrapped tightly around her torso in a manner than was far more intimate than she would have liked. Conniston hadn’t had the strength to make it up the ventilation shaft on his own, and the angle made it too difficult to pull him up. Besides which she didn’t trust him one iota, and wanted eyes on him the whole time. So instead, he was clinging to her back while she carried him up. She was currently somewhere two thirds of the way up the ventilation shaft, hanging onto her makeshift rope. Above her were the two Jakes, Commander Jos, and Eve. Behind her Russ brought up the rear, carrying her pulse rifle and frag grenade. “A combination of Vulcan fast twitch fibers and Klingon slow twitch fibers in your muscles, I think. Retain your speed, but make you stronger- you probably are at a disadvantage strength-wise because of your size, right? Less leverage too. Perhaps a denser bone structure to compensate for the additional strain? Bump up your circulatory system, give you your sight back, although perhaps we could keep those sensor nets, I find them intriguing.”

Kassandra tried to ignore the man as he mumbled notes to himself about how, exactly, he would go about improving her She wasn’t sure if it was just the ramblings of a madman, or if he’d guessed that her and Barton were likely rivals on some level and was trying to rile her up. It made her uncomfortable, not only because she felt like a piece of meat he wanted to cut up and dissect, but also because there was this quiet voice in the side of her head that thought that all his suggestions were not only reasonable, but quite attractive. That annoyed the living hell out of her. It was the same part of her mind that resented Barton’s enhanced capabilities, resented him coming in and plowing her to the sidelines of the action. She was used to being on a level playing ground with others, able to make up for her shortcomings against stronger, bigger (and usually male) opponents with stubbornness and the other assets like her speed, experience, and her sensor nets. She was used to it never being in doubt that she was the best person for any job, and even though they were friends, it rankled every time she had to cede the floor to Barton, something that was happening more and more often. If she only had some genetic enhancements of her own then -

“If you’re gonna be dead weight, you could at least be quiet dead weight,” Kassandra snapped, pulling her thoughts out of their tailspin. “I’m trynna concentrate here.”

“Such stubborn desire to remain imperfect. Just think how much better you could be with just a few changes. You could even be younger, think of being 20 years younger physically, but having the same life experience. You could be something more than you are, exceed your limitations.”

“Reach things on the top shelf,” Russ’s voice echoed from below her jauntily, clearly mocking the doctor. “Is he bothering you, Kass?”

“Nothin’ I need your help with, pretty boy,” Kassandra retorted, glad for the distraction he p. Her sensor nets picked him up in the darkness below her, he had the rope wrapped around his hand, patiently waiting for her to make her painfully slow progress up the shaft.

“Just give me warning if you decide to throw him down the hole.” Russ said with a grin. Kassandra snorted, and tightened her grip on the line as a sudden seismic shift sent them shaking and swaying wildly around the shaft. Kassandra’s discomfort at being slammed around was slightly relieved by the pained noises Conniston made as he broke her impact against the walls. Forty feet left to go. Her arms and legs were screaming by the time she got to the top, and the thin jumpsuit she’d had on underneath the thermal suit was slicked with sweat. Commander Jos assisted her over the lip into the corridor, and took over guarding the mad doctor as Kassandra recovered.

“Where is the Annabelle’s Lament docked?” The Andorian asked Conniston and the second Crichton. Kassandra swiveled to look at him, trying to stifle her surprise. She’d thought they’d be trying to meet Barton at the entrance with the Lena. The Andorian met her ‘gaze’ and shook his head as though reading her mind. “The earthquakes are becoming too frequent, the last one cracked the foundation of this base. We can’t afford to just go to the exit and hope that Lieutenant Barton has got to the Lena in one piece. The Annabelle’s Lament is the most expedient way of getting out of here. Once we get free of the base, we can look for Barton.”

“I ain’t worried about that smug, over-engineered lunkhead!” Kassandra protested under her breath. Russ glanced over at her with an annoying grin, which Kassandra returned with a rude hand gesture. “Stop thinkin’ so loud, Back-up Navigation.”

* * *=/\=* * *

Scene: Docking bay.

“Move it Evaer.” Brass sneered with newfound bravado as he saw the Lament sitting on the landing pad in the base’s shuttlebay. The way up had been fraught with peril, collapsing corridors, burning turbolifts, and more of the unspeakable monsters. Fortunately for the two outlaws, the seismic disturbances and the ever increasing destruction within the base seemed to have put all the twisted monsters within into survival mode. Brass and Evaer had seen them in the hallways, but the creatures were now more interested in escape than hunting, and didn’t try to attack them. Still, the Ferengi was happy to be back at the Lament. Brass nudged Evaer in the back with his disruptor, and stepped past a pile of crates.

There was a thud behind him and his sensitive ears picked up the quiet beep of a weapon’s safety being turned off.

“Drop the weapon, short-stuff,” a husky human female voice said quite close to his ear. There was a sudden, painful dig of something metallic into his kidney. “This here’s a pulse rifle, ain’t got a stun settin’. At this range it’ll blow a hole the size of a grapefruit inta your stomach. Don’t think you really wanna test it out. Once you’ve dropped it, kick it behind ya. No funny stuff, or maybe I’ll use this pulse rifle to turn your lobes into swiss cheese.” Brass did as he was told, trying to ignore Evaer’s sardonic gaze, and turned to face the human. He gawped for a moment. She was barely taller than him, with that ugly orange colored hair that humans seemed to like, and creepy blue eyes that made her seem like she was looking through him. Under her skin green flashes of light shimmered, blinking and making her stand out in the darkness. “What the hell you starin’ at?”

“You’re awfully short for a hew-mon.” Brass couldn’t help himself, and was rewarded for his cheek with a rifle-butt to the stomach.

“You’re awfully mouthy for someone that’s got a gun on them,” the woman’s voice dropped into an animal-like growl. She glared at him until he squirmed, then raised her voice. “Commander, I’ve got two interlopers here, Ferengi and a Bolian. Think they’re Flexo’s buddies?” A tall, thin Andorian appeared in the Lament’s hatch in response to her bellow. He came towards her and she backed up to meet him halfway, her pulse rifle never wavering from Brass’ midsection. Finally she nodded, and came back towards them. “You’re lucky Commander Jos is such a nice man, he says we can’t just leave you here to die. You better thank him when you get the chance because if it were up to me, I’d leave your asses here to the cold and the lack of air. As it is, you’re gonna get to try out your ship’s holdin’ cells for yourself.”

* * *=/\=* * *

Scene: Docking Bay lift maintenance tunnels.

Eve watched the two Jakes frantically trying to re-route the facilities remaining power to allow the outer doors to open, and the lift which would take the Lament from the underground portion of the base up to the surface. Initially, the mirror Jake had been surly and unwilling to work with Starfleet Jake, but his stubbornness had been overcome by ever increasing earthquakes. His hatred for his counterpart was finally overcome by his sense of self preservation, and so the two engineers toiled side by side in the interest of saving their skins.

* * *=/\=* * *

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Kassandra Thytos
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