===== Turbolift 1, USS Chimera ===== As Athena stepped back onto the turbolift, someone reached out and grabbed her wrist. She looked behind her to see who had touched her and finally her thoughts cleared away and Shane's face was there. "Yes," she said almost hesitantly. Shane shook his head slightly and said quietly: "Athena ... Athena, what are you doing in here? You are like day wandering, are you all right?" he asked with a worried expression, not even aware that she picked up his own thoughts. "I'm fine except...," her words trailed off as her thoughts flooded her brain to over flowing. She shook her head and started again, "Its just that I feel ..... Rangi was here." Her forehead creased as her thoughts crowded in on top of themselves. Shane held her in his hands softly but strong enough to prevent her from falling. He was always aware of her strong telepathic abilities but to sense someone who was missing for several hours in a room was a surprise for him. He nodded eagerly in the hope that Athena might help him to finally find his beloved. "Yes, according to the computer log, she stepped into this very lift, but never left it." He blinked; "Do you know what happened to her?" "No.... I don't know what happened," she said, "but I can sense her .... energy like you might smell her perfume after she's left a room." Athena rubbed at her temple a bit as she looked at Shane finally seeing him clearly for the first time. Shane had many bad aspects and one of them was that he ignored problems and wishes of other peoples while he was full focused on a goal. Like now, even the thought that Athena might be able to find Rangi made him blind to all symptoms Athena had. His eyes were now lit in a yellow light as he asked hastily: "Where is she, Athena ... where is she ?!" "I don't know," she said softly. Shane's grip tightened and she replied louder, "I don't know!" She stood still looking at Shane and as his grip tightened even more she practically yelled his name, "Shane." Suddenly Shane was aware of the grip he was holding Athena. He blinked once, twice and only then slowly released her from his grip. "Eh ..." he mumbled, "I am .... sorry Athena, excuse me please". His facial expression changed to a tortured and worried look for a moment before changing to his usual XO one. "I am sorry," he whispered. "That's OK.... I understand," she said as she rubbed the wrist that was being crushed behind her back. "Walk with me to my quarters and tell me about the portals," she asked him. "You're giving me a counseling appointment?" he asked with the slightest trace of panic in his voice. Nonetheless he nodded and ordered the lift to deck three. As the lift stopped, Shane waited for Athena to step out first and followed her. On their short way to Athena's quarters/office Shane started, "Do you want the analysis stuff or my own perception of them?" She assured Shane while they were in the lift that this wasn't a counseling appointment she just wanted some more information so that she could make her own conclusions. As she stepped off the lift she replied, "Just your own perception and then we'll go from there." She stopped suddenly and didn't move as she sensed an energy that she had never felt before. "They are a way to an another space or universe ...um or whatever or a tunnel that can cross distance and even time with an exit to our own universe. They are of transwarp origin, what it is in my opinion a dangerous thing to play so ..." he stopped suddenly when he realized that Athena wasn't moving, "What is it Athena?" he asked worried a bit again. He looked around himself half expecting to see a menacing alien nearby. "Do the portals seem to be as wide as say .... the corridor here," she asked. It was almost as though she were looking at one of the portals as she continued to stand where she was. Shane wondered a bit and then nodded: "Yes, sure they can" He motioned with his hands and draw a large circle in the air: "They are in fact all sizes, from a man's height to several kilometers. But" he suddenly remembered a report from Oriana he has read: "They appear to be two types of these portals. One is a natural phenomenon and the 2nd somehow artificially created." He sighed: "But we have no proof of that." Athena nodded her understanding and continued to walk down the corridor. She stopped again right before the turn they needed to make to reach her quarters and she shivered. She stuck her arm out and didn't let Shane move around the corner either. "Someone's there," she said quietly as she moved flat against the wall. Shane looked warily around. He saw no one and nothing, even heard nothing. Suspiciously he sneaked around the wall and tried to find something. He kneeled down on the floor to have an another perspective, but nothing again. He turned then to Athena, got to his feet again and asked quietly: "Where? You mean here? The corridor is empty ... do you sense something we cannot see?" Athena closed her eyes and concentrated before answering Shane in barely a whispered voice, "There is a being around the corner." She didn't care if Shane could see it or not she felt sensed something there and it was different. For a moment Shane closed his eyes to master his own anxiety and fear and very carefully tried to scope around the corner. He pressed himself at the wall like a chameleon trying to conceal himself, but the red color of his uniform was VERY different from the light blue/gray outfit of an SF vessel. Inch by inch he pushed himself forward and after a small while he was able to look behind the corner whith one of his eyes. Just after a second he jerked back with an desperate sigh. Athena felt Shane move to look around the corner and snap back into place as though he had indeed saw something. Athena reached out with her mind to the new being with a message of hello. {{Hello, who are you?}} What Athena sensed next, was the beings confusion. She remained still except for a slight trembling and silent. {Geeeeeez} he thought, {what a bad luck!}. He looked at Athena who looked to be a bit 'away' with her thoughts and said to himself: {An alien ... a freaking alien, just few meters away ...} He resisted the urge to call the security ... his voice would surely reveal their position to the lurking alien. He was about to reach for Athena to drag her away from this place, but then he noticed that she was 'looking' at a certain point of the corner wall. If he would draw a line ignoring the material ... the line would point ... to the alien. {She knows its here!} Flashed through his mind ... The alien technician was about to reenter once again into his own realm when he realized that some strange signals are trying to reach him. It was like something or someone would be next beside him, but there was no one. The signals were primitive and exotic ... and that made him interested in. {Is anybody out there} he said half wondering if he will become a reply. Athena could sense the confusion and then curiosity. {{Hello.}} Although she tried another telepathic message it didn't seem that she was getting anywhere. Maybe these aliens didn't have telepathic abilities. Shane observed Athena for a while, ready to grab her at the first signs of danger. It was quite fascinating to watch her facial expression to change while she was attempting ... {What the heck she was attempting at all?} There was a rustling sound near the lift. It broke the concentration she was using on the alien. She picked up the energy of a couple of other people before she return to concentrating on what she was trying before. With her thoughts focused back on the alien she noticed a series of rhythmic clickings. It almost appeared to be like Morse code. She softly asked the computer, "Computer, Record the noises outside the counselor's quarters. "We've got to find where that thing went," came the not to far off voice in an urgent loud whisper. With the additional noise that was coming, Athena sensed fear and confusion coming from the alien. Suddenly she stopped feeling the alien one-second it was there the next it was gone. Athena looked around the corner as a small group of three oda members approached; the alien was gone. Shane wanted to grab Athena by her uniform and prevent her from looking around the corner and get herself into possible trouble with the alien, but she was too quick for him. Fast like a river fish <OOC ::grins @ Indy and thinks about fish analogies> she was on the very edge of the corner and her head scoped around the corner like a small scope. Shane rolled his eyes and thought about THE troublemaker be back ... Athena looked at the Oda members recognizing the two men but the woman was new. Athena's posture relaxed for a second before she sensed that there was danger around. Shane stand now besides Athena and looked around to see the alien. The coridor was besides the three ODA members empty, like there was never an alien present there. Looking at the ODA members Shane recognized the woman as Private Vandetta Rose who had reported to him only about an hours ago. He called out towards Detta: "Private Rose, be carefull! There was here an alien just a minute ago. It still might be here somewhere around. I want your team to search for it. But be carefull and report to me immediately when you find it" ====== End of log ===== Lt. Athena Wellington Counselor USS Chimera & LtCmdr. Shane Guzman Executive Office USS Chimera