----- Original Message ----- From: "Mercedes Carpenter" <willowcpt@netactive.co.za> To: <chimera@ucip.org> Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 4:25 PM Subject: [USS Chimera] SD 240406.28 JL, LtCmdr Summers and Ens Carpenter Lt Commander Rangi Summers Chief Medical Officer / 2XO USS Chimera NCC 96899 - Ensign Mercedes Carpenter Assistant Medical Officer USS Chimera NCC 96899 = The Research Station The turbo lift hummed its way upward, the two occupants each silently thinking their own thoughts. Rangi glanced across at Peter Heher."How far to the communications room?" she asked on a thread of sound, hardly daring to speak. Unaware that she did so, her fingers tightened hold of the protoplaser she held. "Not far" he replied in a soft whisper."About twenty metres from this exit." "You need to send the message to Chimera." she said, holding his gaze." It would be best to try for a basic signal of distress.....something simple and easily understood?" she paused,studying his uncertain expression." If a....if a ghoul appears..I'll distract it." she shrugged slightly. "lead it away?...give you time?" her words faded as her expression matched his own. When the turbolift came to a halt, the two occupants looked at each other.Peter straightened up and signalled Rangi follow him.She nodded. Somewhere on another deck, Mercedes opened her eyes and glanced around her. She felt a wave of nausea wash over her as she struggled to recall where she was. She was sitting on the ground with a phaser in her hand and a medkit next to her. Then suddenly she remembered. After the away team transported to the station, she had suddenly felt sick and dizzy. The air was hazy and she had trouble seeing. She sat down on the ground and must have passed out... but now there was no one near her. Mercedes stood up and steadied herself against the wall, shining her wrist torch down the corridor... no one. An eery feeling crept over her and she wondered if what happened to the CMO was going to happen to her. The lift doors slid open and like shadows the pair inside crept silently out and along the corridor. Peter pointed to a door opposite, checked both directions and moved forwards. It was difficult to say who was the most surprised...Peter...Rangi...or the ghoul. "Run!...RUN" Peter shouted, giving Rangi a hefty shove on her shoulder.Rangi turned on her heel and fled back along the corridor as fast as she could go, passing the turbolift without slowing at all, rounding a corner and sprinting to the next crosssection where she skidded to a stop breathing fast. {Which way?} she thought and darted a glance back wards. There was no sign of Peter but Rangi didnt wait.She knelt at the corner, deciding in an instant that a jefferies tube was again her best option. She pulled the access panel open and climbed inside. Mercedes wandered down the corridor, walking slowly and deliberately. She'd tried to contact the rest of the team via her commbadge, but no luck. Slowly she was starting to feel scared. She had the feeling she was going in circles, and she was feeling sicker. Never had Rangi descended a ladder so fast,her knees and knuckles banging against the rungs and her medikit as she went down. At the bottom she paused for breath, shaking her throbbing hand. A moment later she was unclasping the hatch and taking a deep breath she eased herself out into another long and empty corridor. Choosing to turn right, she moved on, straining to hear any noise or detect any sign of a ghoul. Mercedes heard a strange sound in the distance, and it seemed to be coming closer. She started walking faster but didn't want to run. Approaching the corner, she looked back down the dark corridor, and shone her torch in the same direction, trying to see if there was something or someone following her. When she turned the corner, Mercedes bumped into something. She was so startled that she screamed and dropped her medkit and phaser. Rangi staggering backwards in fright, brought the protoplaser up in front of her aiming it at the figure."Ensign!?" The exclamion was one of surprise and disbelief.Slowly lowering the 'weapon' Rangi stared at the teal clad woman in front of her. Mercedes stared back at the woman with the LtCmdr pips on her collar. "I'm sorry, Commander, I didn't see you." But who was this woman? Was she part of the research crew? "I'm Ensign Carpenter, I'm with an away team from the USS Chimera," she said, bending down to pick up the equipment she dropped. Rangi frowned and as the ensign straightened up asked " Is Commander Guzman with you?" "No, ma'am," Mercedes replied. "Colonel Bretam is leading the team, but I got seperated somehow... do you know Commander Guzman personally?" A smile transformed her quizzical expression as rangi replied "Yes" . She lowered the protoplaser, feeling a huge surge of relief pass over her. "I'm CMO on Chimera" she said offering her hand." Rangi Summers. You're my new AMO arent you?" Mercedes took Rangis hand and smiled back. "Oh, what a relief. Yes, that would be me. Everyone's been looking for you since you disappeared. And now I got lost too. This place is very eery... almost like it's haunted." "Hmmm..." Rangi glanced around then looked back at the Ensign. "Well thats sort of a good way of putting it!" she said ironically. "There are 'ghouls' here." She smiled again briefly at the startled expression on the ensigns face." A term given them by one of the research scientists.he was with me a while ago..peter Heher...but we were seperated when one appeared. Where did you last see the Colonel?" "I don't recall," she replied. "I woke up on the floor... I must have passed out and I didn't know what time it was. After we transported through, some of team experienced nausea and dizziness. I sat down for a moment and that's when I must've lost conciousness. I tried contacting them, but I get no answer." "Are you alright now?" Rangi laid her hand on the AMOs arm giving her an appraising look." Lets check it out" she went on and rifled inside the medikit, producing a tricorder which she activated into 'basic scan' Mercedes stood still as Rangi commenced the scan. She was still feeling rather lightheaded, but the nausea had mostly disappeared. Suddenly she heard the same sound that she'd heard a few moments before bumping into Rangi. "What's that sound?" she asked, sounding anxious. "I dont know" The two women stood close to the wall, each peering into the dimly lit corridor. "Lets get back in there" Rangi whispered pointing to the half closed hatch.A minute later they crouched inside the tube entrance listening for any sound.They looked at each other."We have to find the rest of the away team" Rangi whispered "...are you up to it? The scan shows a general homeostasis imbalance, but we really ought to stay together. These so called ghouls...I dont know how many there are..or WHERE they are...they materialise without warning. They come through the wall sometimes." She paused and lifting out her protoplaser added " For some reason this repells them Peter discovered it. We need to tell the Colonel. You have one with you? get it out and set it to standby ok?" Mercedes nodded and took out a protoplaser. "I'm feeling better now... just a little dizzy but I can handle it. How are we going to reach the Colonel?" {Good question} Rangi thought. "We need to search for lifesigns. I'm sorry but I'm disorientated now. I dont know the layout of the station so have no idea where we are. There are fouteen other scientists here. i had them located at one point.What direction did you come from?" The young doctor looked chagrined. "I don't know... I'm sorry, but I'm so lost. I have no idea where I came from. I thought I was going in circles until I bumped into you." "Ok..." Rangi ran a hand backwards through her hair. "Right....you were on this deck.If you didnt climb up or down, then they MUST be here somewhere.We'll stay together." She gave mercedes a doubtful look. "They cant be that far away." =