= Cargo Bay One Nicolas rushed to the back of the cargo bay to the cluster of crates that contained the sensitive equipment Samantha had brought onboard. Several grates seemed to have come loose from their graviton belts, no doubt shifted around by the turbulence. "Help me open these crates," the tall marine said to the two Ensigns who had dutifully followed him. As they pushed the crates into the centre of the bay, Nicolas keyed in the security code on all the crates, and they began to open the large containers. When they entered a quite huge space filled with various containers, Harker made his way stright towards the back of this place to group of crates and asked them to help them open it. Terek looked on the Alex, shrugged his shoulders and when captain entered code, he helped him to push the cover aside form one of them. In the box appeared about ten tri-pod shaped devices with small parabolas on their top, attached to the special holders. "Sir what exactly are those?" Asked Terek becoming to aware that he hadn't seen anything like this before. Captain looked at him and told Terek to put one out, so young Bajoran took one of those devices out and took it from him. "They're easy enough to operate," Nicolas explained as the Bajoran Ensign assembled one of the tripod-shaped device. "Once they're assembled and put in the right place, you press the activation button and that's it." He demonstrated his explanation on the assembled inhibitor, and pointed to the small display panel when the device was activated. "It measures the temporal fluctuations, and sends out chroniton pulses to correct them. It's not harmful to people; the chroniton levels are very low. The inhibitors are only effective for 15 meter radius, so we should place a few around Engineering." Terek nodded as captain explained principles of the temporal inhibitors, but as he looked on Alex, he saw that she had same question on her mind as he had. And of course she asked. "Sir if the temporal shields aren't working properly and moreover we knew that it was a prototype technology, shouldn't be those devices instaled even before we've gone to this mission? Just to ensure as maximal safety as possible." "These were only brought along as a back-up measure," Nicolas replied. "The shields were specifically designed so that what happened doesn't happen... but obviously there was a malfunction of some sort. These inhibitors would also have to be placed all over the ship, and there simply aren't enough of them. Their energy reserves also don't last very long before they need to be charged." Alex nodded, but with Harkers last note, Terek had to ask. "Can't we just simply connect them to the power grid to keep them operatin for a longer time?" "I hadn't thought of that. It's a good suggestion... keep it in mind, we might just need it. Come on, let's get going. Take as many as you can carry. We don't have much time," Nicolas ordered, taking four of the unassembled inhibitors in his arms. The three officers burst at a running pace into Engineering. They already traumatised Engineering officers seemed not even to noticed their presence, some just casting despondent glances their way. "All right, let's set these up here... and over there," Nicolas said, pointing to four various spots around Engineering. They left the cargo bay, eacho with the four devices in their grasp. After a short while they arrived to the engineering and saw the picture of absolute chaos. {Prophets.... this had to be rough....} thought Terek looking on Alex who seemed even more shocked than he was. "It'll be OK, just do your job and it'll be fine." Said Terek to her when he saw that she looked stuck in place thinking. His words had an effect, because she took deep breath and began to carry out Harkers orders. They all spread to different parts of the engineering, placing inhibitors on their spots. It really was a simple thing. Just to stretch a legs, stabilize it and turn it on. "Right, we need to get to Deck 5 and 6," Nicolas said. He still had one inhibitor under his arm. Alex and Terek had three left between them. "There are also some problems." Without any further word, Nicolas hurried out of Engineering again. Without word they followed Harker to the turbolift. He stepped out on the deck six and asked Alex to go with him as she had three more inhibitors. She just turned around to Terek, gave him a weak smile and after that, turbolif door closed and terek continued on the deck five to place his three inhibitors, hoping that Alex won't encounter any of those anomalies. He stepped out of the turbolift with a very strange feeling of repetition or that something isn't simply all right, but he didn't pay much attention to that, because he had those feeling quite frequently for the past few days. He thought that it;ll probably have something to do with those anomalies around. But in the moment he was placing last of his inhibitors, he stumbled and had to support himself on the near bulkhead. When he closed his eyes for the moment in order to get rid of the headache, he saw horrible thing. He saw Alex and captain Harker, placing their last emitor in corridor on the deck 6, but something was terribly wrong. The bulkhead behind them began to dematerialise somehow... in a few moments the EPS conduits were clearly visible. None of the persons noticed that, as they were busy with the inhibitor and they were turned back on it. But it didn's stop with the corroding of the wall, in the next moment Terek saw how one of the conduits grew somehow old and streamed plasma spread to the corridor where his beloved one were. The section was closed with the forcefields and he had to watch the two of them to fry like fish and chips. Suddenly vision was gone and Terek found himself on his kneels, his hand outstretched in front of him screaming: "Noooooooo!!!" ,sweating. He saw young ensign that walked through the corridor to watch him scared, but he didn't care. He stood up and knew that if he won't do anything Alex will die, because of some damned anomaly and he wouldn't let that happen. He knew, that it won't come out without some problems if he's wrong, but he made his decision. "Computer, locate ensign Alex Quinn and begin emergency transportr to her location!" A typical noise sounded the corridor and in the flash of the blue light, Terek disappeared in front of eyes of the perplexed ensign from one deck to another. He appeared about five meters away from the pair he looked for. They were just placing last emiter. They were close to one of the forcefield bulkheads, just stretching the tri-pod legs of the device. They haven't noticed him, but Terek saw the wall behind them to break down silently, so he hasn't hassitated, he run toward them and with the shout: "Computer, activate the emergency force fields closing section 31A" he hit them and throw them a few meters away behind the treshold where the forcefields activated immediately. "I'm sorry, but I had a some kind of vision...." Said Terek breathlessly to both of them while they were standing up from the ground. "I.. I saw the bulkhead to break and the EPS conduit... and you were both dead... I had to do something...." He said appologeticaly as they looked at him as on a fool. "I know it sounds crazy, but wait, and you'll see...." With this words he turned to the forcefield to see, that bulkhead disappeared and the exposed EPS conduit began to look older and older when suddenly with the big flash it exploded into the isolated section, unfortunately destroying one of the inhibitors.... "Sorry sir about that inhibitor...." said Terek to captain, but when he saw his expression, his voice died down. He looked at Alex, which wore an expression of unbelief. Nicolas looked at the young ensign who had just saved their lives. How had he known this would happen? No matter... there wasn't time to wonder on that. He glanced back at the forcefield around the bulkhead that contained the area. The temporal properties installed into the forcefields by the modifications kept the temporal disturbance isolated and from spreading any further. "That's all right," he said, offering his hand to the science officer to help him up. "We can go get another one. Thank you, Ensign." Nicolas found himself feeling quite relieved and grateful. It was a natural feeling to have after someone saves you from certain death, but Nicolas had been in similar situations before and had shrugged them off like everyday occurrences. Why did this one feel so different? Maybe it was because he knew this time he wouldn't see Samantha again. "Thank you sir." Said Terek as he stood up and tried to straighten his uniform. "I am glad that you are all right." Said and then he turned to the Alex who was still standing there, looking into the cosed corridor. "Lexi, are you all right?" He asked gently and put his hand on her shoulder. "I... I'll be fine... just hold me." And she threw herself to his arms. Terek hugged her strongly, because he felt so gratefull for that she's still with him..."Thank the Prophets you are alive...." he whispered when he was holding her, feeling the beating of her hearth and warm of her body. "I don't know what I would do without you." She looked at him and smiled "We'd better go for that last inhibitor... and then we can go somewhere, what do you say, Weranis?" She asked and Terek just smiled and they both followed captain through the corridor. As they rounded a corner, two security officers approached the group. At first Nicolas didn't think anything of it, but when they stopped dead ahead of him, he knew there was trouble. "Marine Captain Harker, please come with us... by order of Commander Guzman," the one said. Nicolas took a deep breath. There was no use to resist. Guzman had undoubtedly taken back control of the ship from Samantha. "Of course," he told the officers, then turned to Alex and Terek. "Please get the rest of the inhibitors and place them wherever there's more temporal interference." "Aye sir." Replied Terek and Alex almost in the same time, both of them looking confused about what is happening. But before they could even ask to anything, captain already left woth two security officers and they remained on the corridor alone. "Chm..." fetched breath terek "It seems that our date will have to wait for a little while." "You won't avoid me, don't get too happy about it Weranis, as soon as we'll put those inhibitors in place, we'll do things, you wouldn't even imagine." She said in a tone that haven;t showed up that she was in a mortal peril only a few minutes ago. This was thing that Terek admired her for. That she could cope with troubles and unplesantries much better than him... or she could hide those worries better. With those thoughts, they left for the cargo bay one for the rest of the inhibitors to finnish the job. = End Log MCapt Nicolas Harker Acting Helmsman USS Chimera [NPC by Samantha] & Ensign Terek Weranis ASCiO USS Chimera & Ensign Alex Quinn SCiO USS Chimera [NPC by Terek]