=/\= On the Chimera =/\= ~Athena looked around and saw gnomes and Borg and they all seemed to be closing in on her. She had to get out of there and quickly. There just didn't seem much room to move as the others closed in around her.~ Athena tossed on her bed and her heart rate increased a bit. ~Maybe she could slip by the gnomes that were doing a tango and past the Borg that seemed to be trying to assimilate one of the gnomes, while another gnome used a small ax on the Borg. No ... wait... maybe she could run past the gnomes lined up like a foot ball team or were they just waiting in line to be assimilated.~ Athena sat up in bed and in the next moment hit the floor running. She ran straight for the door, hoping it would slide open in time for her to escape. She went through the door and turned around and looked back at the room as she heard the door swish close. Athena gave a small shudder as she thought about the things she left behind the closed door. She took a deep breath and started jogging backwards for a last glance before she made her getaway. However, her hasty retreat came to a sudden stop when she bumped into something tall, solid and warm. Marine Thomas O'Connell was deep in thought as he walked along the corridor on deck 5.{I don't know how they cope in there!} he said to himself thinking about a recent visit to sickbay that he'd made, acting escort for a young science technician deeply in love with a Aurelian cactus {Its a mad house in there} he thought and was totally unprepared for a tall dark haired woman jogging in reverse, to cannon into him. he caught hold of her just in time to save her falling to the floor. Athena looked up into the marines face and gave him a shove with her hands to escape from his grasp. The red satiny gown the she wore shimmered in the light of the corridor. "Excuse me," she said softly because that's what she had been taught as she tried to decide which direction to go next. For a fleeting moment the marine wondered if he too was being affected by the flower, regardless of the fact he had been given the antidote as a precaution along with the rest of the crew. Never before had he seen such a vision as now stood in front of him. A beautiful woman with a cascade of black shining curls, wearing a satin gown that clung in all the right places. "Excuse ME!" he mumbled in reply. Athena had not managed to quite extricate herself from the man's grasp with her shove and she tired again to tug her arm free. "I need to go," she said as thoughts of the gnomes and Borgs floated back to her. Her heartbeat was visible at the base of her throat and she seemed to be having trouble pulling enough air into her lungs all of a sudden. "Hey..take your time" he said still holding her arm. "You in some kind of trouble?...can I help you?" Athena gave him a confused look as she tried to breath deeper to take in some much needed air. She tugged her arm harder to get him to let go, but the more she seemed to struggle the more difficult it was to breath. A doubt crept into Thomas mind "Errr...you..err...you haven't..errr...been in sickbay have you?" he asked carefully. "Yes...::deep breath::... I have," she replied. She didn't even think about telling him about her narrow escape there. Her breaths came in short rasps as tears filled her eyes and she asked, "Please, .... Let .... me go?" The marine slowly lessened his hold, thinking that this woman seemed too distraught to be left alone. Glancing along the corridor in the direction from which Athena had come, he thought: {She's running from something?..what?} "Do you need help to get back there?" he asked. Athena didn't hear his reply as her body went limp and her heart thunder at the base of her throat like a marathon runners after running a 100K race. He stepped forward quickly, so preventing a fall to the floor and stood supporting her weight as though he were holding a life size rag doll. He looked around with a touch of desperation. Half turning the limp body and with an effort, he unceremoniously hoisted Athena over his shoulder and set off at a brisk walk towards sickbay, hitching her weight back into place when she began to slide down. =/\= End Log =/\= Lt. Athena Wellington Counselor USS Chimera & Marine Thomas O'Connell NPC apb:Rangi