The End Of The Road
Posted on Mar 07, 2017 @ 9:25pm by Commander Jacob Crichton
Edited on on Mar 07, 2017 @ 9:25pm
Mission: Holodeck Havoc
= The End Of The Road =
(cont’d from “літаратурныя Карупцыя”)
LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SCENE: Main Engineering
STARDATE: [2.17] 0307.1819
Michael Kane stepped off the turbolift and into Main Engineering. He saw Malin-Argo, frowning at a data screen. Nearby, Asta Elgin and Jonathan Maynell hunched over a dismantled computer node. As Kane approached, Malin-Argo looked up and nodded once.
“We’re preparing to execute our plan, sir.”
“How soon will it be ready?” Kane asked.
Malin-Argo glanced down at Asta. She didn’t look up from her work. “Give me 30 seconds.”
“And you’re sure this will work?”
“Reasonably so, sir,” Malin-Argo said. “Once Ensign Elgin has finished isolating the holodeck’s safety protocols from the rest of the system, we can begin targeted deletion of portions of the simulation’s metafile.”
“Done!” Asta Elgin popped to her feet, then helped Jonathan Maynell stand as well. Malin-Argo turned immediately back to his console. “Verifying the modifications now.”
“I’m sure we did them right-” Asta said.
“Then I’m sure that’s what I’ll find,” Malin-Argo said, not looking up from his console. Asta and Maynell exchanged uncertain looks, then Asta glanced over at the captain and her cheeks noticeably flushed.
Kane arched an eyebrow. “Something wrong, Commander?”
“No sir,” Malin-Argo said. “Ensign Elgin’s modifications were successful. Accessing the holodeck’s metafile now.”
Asta Elgin had a moment to look relieved, before all the lights in main engineering suddenly flickered, and went out.
=[/\]=
LOCATION: In the holodecks
SCENE: Lush forest road
“This is insane,” Rob mumbled for the 100th time.
Kass Thytos groaned. “Is he gonna keep saying that?”
“Be nice,” said Jake. “He’s out of his element.”
“None of this makes any sense!” Rob said. He stormed suddenly to the head of the group and stood his ground, hands on his hips, keyboard print tie swaying in the gentle forest breeze. Everyone came to a stop.
“We do not have time for this,” Stavik said. “Please stand aside.”
“No!” Rob said, stamping his foot. “I’m not going one step further down this path! I demand we turn around and get back to the office, at once!”
“It’s likely the office no longer exists,” Lynette Ryan said. Rob’s eyes widened.
“What? Where did it go?”
“We’re all together now,” Carter Von said, “...so the holodeck is no longer running that part of the simulation. Even if you were to leave us, you’d wink out of existence the moment you left our presence.”
The color drained from Rob’s face. He licked his lips. “What… did-”
“We don’t have time to walk him through this existential crisis,” said Kass. She started forward, and after a few feet she turned to look back. “Well?”
The rest of the group started to follow, leaving, Rob standing in the center of the road, staring off into the middle distance. Holmes, Watson, and Miyaki, perhaps sensing some unconscious kinship with another holographic character, looked pitying at Rob as they passed him. Jake sighed.
“If it’s any consolation, you never really existed at all,” he said.
Rob blinked. “Why on earth would that make me feel better?”
“Sorry,” Jake said. “I guess it wouldn’t.”
He turned to follow the group up the path, leaving Rob behind him. Then, the world around them seemed to flicker for a moment, and once again Jake could see the faint glow of the holodeck grid fading in all around them. An instant later, the holographic “reality” snapped back into focus, once again the lush forest and the road with the yellow bricks. Jake looked back.
Rob was gone.
Jake blinked. “Huh.”
“Something wrong, sir?” Arak asked.
“No,” Jake said, shaking his head. “No, I guess not. Let’s keep moving.”
=[/\]=
LOCATION: USS PHOENIX
SCENE: Main Engineering
Auxiliary power cycled up, and in an instant the lights in Main Engineering flared to life once more. Malin-Argo hadn’t moved, and his attention immediately fixed on his console. Kane came up behind him.
“What the hell was that?” the captain asked.
“There was some sort of power surge,” Malin-Argo said. He looked up from his console and frowned. “At the instant we accessed the holodeck’s metafile.”
“Damage report?” Kane asked.
From his position at another terminal, John Maynell reported, “All systems green, sir.”
“We still have access to the metafile,” Malin-Argo said. “I’m beginning to remove elements of the simulation.”
A husky, bearded man suddenly flashed to life at the console next to where Kane was standing. The man’s clothes looked wrinkled, his shirt not tucked into his pants. He looked around, appearing to be as confused by his presence here as Kane and Malin-Argo were.
“Uh,” said the new arrival. “I don’t remember how I got here.”
“What is this?” Kane asked, looking past the man at Malin-Argo.
“It appears the computer has activated the Emergency Medical Hologram, sir,” the Grazerite said.
“Look, I only *forwarded* that email,” the bearded man said. “If you’re going to punish someone, you gotta punish the person who compiled all those photos in the first place.”
“This is *not* the Emergency Medical Hologram, Commander,” Kane grated.
“No sir,” said Malin-Argo. “It appears… when we opened the metafile, elements from the simulation must have bled over into the main computer.”
“You mean he’s supposed to be in the simulation,” Kane said. “What’s he doing here?”
“Should I have a lawyer?” the bearded man asked. “Look, I’m pretty sure I’m a vested employee, so… I don’t really know what that means, but I think you should probably, like… verify that with somebody.”
“I want this thing shut off,” Kane said, pushing his way past the bearded man and moving to stand next to Malin-Argo.
“Trying to override the system now,” the Grazerite said, leaning over his console once more. Kane peered discretely over Malin-Argo’s shoulder, watching him work. After a moment,he realized that the bearded man had come up to stand behind him, peering over his shoulder at what Malin-Argo was doing.
“Step. Back,” Kane deadpanned.
“Hey, take a break, man,” the bearded man said, stepping back with his hands held up to show he was unarmed. “Maybe go spark up in the janitor’s closet, come back when you’re feeling better.”
Kane turned to Malin-Argo. “Commander?”
The Grazerite punched in a series of commands on his terminal, and the bearded man vanished as suddenly as he’d appeared. Malin-Argo looked up from his terminal and nodded to Kane.
“EMH program locked out, sir,” he said.
“I have had enough of this farce, Commander,” Kane said, crossing his arms. “I want that simulation shut down, and I want control of my ship back. Now.”
“Understood, sir,” Malin-Argo said. He turned to Maynell and Elgin. “I want that metafile purged, Ensigns.”
They set to work.
=[/\]=
LOCATION: In the holodecks
SCENE: Clearing
They emerged from the forest and into a clearing. The sun shone down on them, warming their faces with its virtual heat. Blades of grass grew to the tops of their ankles, sprouting up in clumps between the golden bricks of the path with increasing frequency as they went along, until eventually the yellow bricks gave way to patches of overgrown earth. Up ahead, an ivory tower stretched into the sky.
“It should be an emerald city,” said Lynette.
“Perhaps elements of another simulation are bleeding through again,” said Yu.
“Whatever it is, it’s obviously where that path was leading us,” said Jake. “So the princess and or necromancer should be inside there, right?”
“If the narrative structure holds, I’d say so,” Carter Von nodded.
“Okay,” Jake said. “So we go inside.”
“One thing,” said Von. “In a traditional narrative, there would be some kind of guardian, some obstacle we must overcome before making the final ascent of the tower.”
“Hey,” Kass said. “Ixnay on the ‘guardian’ stuff, huh? The computer might be listenin’.”
As if on cue, the ground started to rumble beneath their feet. There came a great hissing sound, and then four enormous metal fingers appeared at the edge of the ivory tower. A second later, an enormous, skeletal figure, made of iron and power by hydraulic steam, hunched out from behind the tower, rumbling slowly towards them. It was at least 20 feet tall, with one arm a twisted mockery of a human hand, and the other a whirring circular saw blade. Seated at the head of the figure was an older man who Jake didn’t recognize. The man was wearing a top hat and a black overcoat, and half-spectacles over his eyes. As Jake watched, the man pulled at a series of levers and switches in the cockpit around him, and the metal figure responded to each adjustment as it lumbered towards them.
“What the hell is this now?” Jake asked, looking at Yu. “This one yours?”
Yu shook her head. Everyone else did, too.
“By jove,” said Sherlock Holmes. “I think I recognize that man.”
“I think you’re right,” murmured Watson.
“I think this one might be mine, sir,” said Eve Dalziel.
Ahead of them, the humanoid robot came to a halt with a hydraulic hiss. The man at the top called out.
“Holmes, my old nemesis! The time has come to settle things between us, once and for all!”
“Moriarty!” Holmes called back. “I should have known you’d be behind this!”
“Wait a minute,” Jake said. “I’m pretty sure Moriarty never got a giant steam powered robot in any of the Sherlock Holmes stories.”
“You and your friends will never reach the tower!” Moriarty called. “The Necromancer will destroy you all!”
And then, metal legs hissing, he began to advance, his circular saw arm held out before him.
Kass rolled under the first sweep of the robot’s arm and slashed at one of its legs with her katana. The blade clanged loudly off the iron chassis, and then Kass had to duck again as Moriarty swept at her with his saw once more.
Carter Von circled, trying to get behind the Moriarty-mech. When he had an opening, he bounded forward, trying to drive his bat’leth in between the iron struts of the robot’s leg, and at the hydraulic system underneath. His arm was true, and the leg gave out with sudden whoosh of steam, as the robot tilted awkwardly to one side.
“Good show, my boy!” Dr. Watson said. Carter Von gave a polite nod to the doctor as he stepped back, avoiding the backward swipe of the robot’s hand.
“Basely done!” screamed Moriarty from his perch. “You should have faced me with honor!”
The robot’s saw arm pistoned out, and Jake had to roll to one side to avoid being struck in the midsection. The robot’s humanoid hand then lashed out, and seized Sherlock Holmes in its iron grip. Holmes was lifted into the air, feet dangling beneath him.
“Holmes!” Watson called.
“At least I’ll have the chance to finish *you*!” Moriarty said. He pulled another lever, and the hand began to squeeze. Holmes cried out, and then his cry was sharply cut off, as the metal hand pulled tighter and tighter…
“Get the hydraulics!” Jake called. He tossed his bat’leth to Arak, who leapt forward and brought it down against the robot’s arm, slightly off target. The bat’leth clanged against the metal chassis, and then the saw arm swept in. Arak rolled away, and the circular saw bit into the ground behind him, spraying up dirt and bits of grass.
Then the world around them began to flicker, and once more Jake saw the lines of the holodeck grid, just for a moment. Then, things snapped back into focus; except now, Sherlock Holmes was gone. The robot’s hand was empty.
“What?” Moriarty growled. He pulled a lever, and the hand opened up, but it was empty. No trace of Sherlock Holmes.
“Holmes?” Watson asked. “Where’d you go, old boy?”
“They must be stripping elements of the simulation out of the metafile,” Lynette Ryan said. “People, places, things… they’re starting to disappear.”
The world flickered again, and suddenly Watson was gone too. Moriarty suddenly looked very confused. He glanced around, as if he wasn’t sure where he was.
“What?” he asked. “What is this?”
“We need to get into the tower,” Jake said. “If their trick with the metafile doesn’t work, we need to be ready to finish this on our end.”
“How did I get here?” Moriarty shouted. “What is this metal monstrosity you have me buckled into? I am Professor James Moriarty, and I will not be treat-”
The world flashed, and suddenly Moriarty, along with his mech, had vanished.
“SIr, what happens if they delete an element of the program that’s critical to the resolution of the story?” Yu asked.
“Got me, lieutenant,” Jake shrugged. “Let’s go with ‘we’ll all be trapped in here forever’ and make sure it doesn’t come to that.”
The group made their way towards the tower. It stretched high above them, and ended in a large, twisted ivory spire. Windows dotted the walls of the tower, and Jake counted at least twenty floors from where he stood. The entrance to the tower lay at the top of a small set of polished ivory stairs, ending in two large carved doors of emerald green.
“There’s your emeralds,” Von said to Ryan.
Jake stepped forward, and pushed the door. It swung slowly, silently open. It was too dark inside the tower for Jake to make out what was waiting there, but he could faintly make out a twisting set of stairs beginning somewhere just to the left of the tower’s entrance.
“Time to save the princess,” Kass said, as she came up behind Jake.
The group went inside. After they’d all passed the threshold, the emerald door swung slowly shut behind them, sealing them in.
=[/\]=
NRPG: We’ve entered the tower and the final act! While the folks in Engineering are yanking elements of the program in an attempt to crash the simulation, we’re trying to defeat the Necromancer and rescue the Princess. What will we find inside the tower? Who’s going to get us out of this first?
Shawn Putnam
A.k.a.
Jake Crichton
Executive Officer
USS PHOENIX
