by Lindsay, Blane and *O’Sullivan
90219.2200
…continued from part one…
-=Temporal Investigations Headquarters, Earth=-
90219.2200
…continued from part one…
-=Temporal Investigations Headquarters, Earth=-
The computer core was strong enough to have been left mostly intact, but its surfaces were too smooth for climbing.
Given that it was easily all three of their heights combined, it would be difficult but they were sure they’d be able to climb up to the top somehow.
What made Will and Keiran very unsure was that TC had just had his legs trapped under a very large, very heavy beam; and neither of the other two men was entirely sure of the damage and whether he’d be up to it.
TC answered their question before they could ask it. “It shouldn’t be difficult getting up there. Assuming the door’s not sealed we should be able to get through to the stairs, from there we'll have access to the rest of the building.”
Will and Keiran exchanged a glance, each asking the other whether they believed TC’s indication that he was alright. There was a definite limp to his walk but if he claimed that he was still capable of getting out of here, then they’d take him at his word.
“I’d feel more comfortable if we didn’t have ta open that door. Given the state of the place it might just be load bearing,” said Will, then surveyed the environment around them. “Still, doesn’t look like we’ll have much of a choice.”
By gathering up the more solid bits of debris around them they were able to make what were effectively stairs to climb up. They could have made it more solid than they did but with the creaking of the place it was decided that haste was advisable.
Will had no sooner completed these so-called stairs by laying a bench he’d been able salvage in its place as the first stepping stone than Keiran started to climb up them.
It would have probably been a good idea not to send the heaviest one up first but Keiran insisted. Every second spent waiting around was a second not spent by Liis’ side.
Naturally, he still wanted to look after the wounded here but thoughts of them could wait until he knew that she was okay. Once he’d held her in his arms again, then the rest of the galaxy could be allowed its share of his attention.
It seemed they’d made the stairs stable enough as Keiran was quickly standing on the top of the computer. It had landed unevenly due to the beam beneath it and so he was forced to balance on the edge.
He had to move slowly, putting one foot directly in front of the other or else he would have fallen off. The computer groaned beneath him so he whispered, “Easy girl,” but it did little to appease it.
He reached the door, the base of which had the same height as his chest, but with the power out it didn’t open. He began to lose his balance as he reached out to pry it open with his hands.
With some quick footwork, he managed to stay on top of the computer long enough to pull the door open and get a secure grip. On the bright side, the stairs looked to still be there.
Things were about to be almost simple when the computer groaned again.
Keiran barely had time to react before it started to tip and then smashed onto its side, leaving him dangling from the story above with nothing but a very painful fall beneath his feet.
“So, which one of us is goin’ ta catch ‘im?” Keiran heard Will remark from the floor below. He ignored the smart-ass comment and began looking for something that could be used to pull himself up.
There was a bundle of wires nearby lying on the ground, but from his vantage point he could neither tell if they were live, nor could he tell if they were actually attached to something on the other end that could support his weight.
His fingers were rapidly beginning to slip and lose hold of the door, so he was going to just have to make a grab for the wires and hope they could hold him up.
Keiran wrapped one hand around the wires, and much to his relief, was not electrocuted. He gave a slight tug and discovered the wires were not taut. The question was, how much slack was there in them? One meter? Ten meters?
His fingers continued to slip on the door, and he knew he was out of time. Quickly he switched his second hand from the door to the wires.
Then he dropped.
Blane and Lindsay both braced themselves to attempt to break Keiran’s fall as he began to plummet, but were left empty handed when after about one meter, Keiran stopped, dangling above the room by a handful of wires.
“’s alright!” He called out to the men below. “I’m gonna climb back up.”
Using the wires as a rope, he climbed hand over hand back up to the floor above, and through the open door.
“I’m gonna see if I can get some more slack. I’ll be back for ya.”
Keiran followed the wires back to a large panel at the wall that had been blown off during the explosion. The wires were all coiled up inside. He unlooped them from around the posts they were tied to began pushing the excess slack towards the opening in the floor, effectively lowering the rope down to Blane and Lindsay.
“That’s enough!” He heard TC’s voice bellow from below.
Keiran stepped back to the edge, and wrapped the wires around each of his wrists so he would be supporting most of Blane’s weight, instead of the posts in the wall. He simply didn’t trust them with TC or Will’s lives.
“After you, Spec Ops.”
“No, by all means, you first TI.” Blane replied to Lindsay.
“Oh for the love o' God! The both of yis have two minutes to climb up here or I’m goin’ to start searchin’ without ya!” Keiran shouted down to them.
Seeing that Will had no intention of moving first, TC took the wire and with a grunt, began to climb. Little did he know that Will was purposefully remaining below, in case his injuries led him to fall.
The weight on the wire was causing it to cut into Keiran's wrists. A lesser man would have released them, but Keiran just cringed through the pain.
Finally TC had dragged himself up and onto the next floor and satisfied that he was safe, Will followed.
With the two men safely up Keiran immediately released the wires and turned to a nearby door, saying with unintended gruffness, "The stairs are this way," and latching his fingers in and forcing it open before TC and Will could have a chance to help.
Though knowing that with the possible structural damage to the building he should move slowly, Keiran was almost running up the stairs, and in spite of TC's injuries, both he and Will followed closely behind.
"Where exactly are we headin'?" Will asked to anyone who could answer.
"Here," was all Keiran replied, as he found the floor he'd been looking for. If he remembered the building's design correctly then there should be a back up communication system on this level. If it were intact then he it would let him get some much needed answers about Liis and could speed up the search considerably by getting the Sera to scan for lifesigns.
He was about to force this door open as well when it automatically parted for him.
What they saw beyond that door, none of them had expected.
There was no visible damage on this floor, and dozens of people were being orderly evacuated.
Had the explosions been strategically or even arbitrarily set up to damage the building itself, then there'd have had to be more damage than this on a floor this high up; at least some furniture would have been toppled.
Looking at the place, though a relief to see so many people were all right, they couldn't escape the reality that the explosion that struck their area had been targeted at one particular location. Or one particular person...
“Status?” Will asked of the nearest agent he could grab a hold of.
“They hit your office, Sir, and the archives. Surgical strike. Injuries, but no casualties reported so far.”
Keiran glanced at Will to see his reaction to the news. Surely he was relieved to hear no one had died, but at the same time he had to be infuriated to learn that this bombing that threw TI into chaos was essentially an assassination attempt on his life.
“Looks like you’ve got a fan.” TC remarked to Will.
“We need to get back to the Sera. Keiran interjected. “You comin’, Will?” Matters appeared to be well in hand down here and he knew Will could likely do much more to coordinate any relief efforts from the ship. More to the point however, Keiran wanted to be with Liis as soon as possible. “We should go up to the roof so they can get a clear scan of us. They’re probably already lookin’.”
Keiran deduced that if Liis hadn’t been lucid enough to order Reece to begin scanning for lifesigns, then surely by now Salvek had been in contact with the ship to make the same order. One way or another, they would be looking.
“Go on. I’ll get in touch with ya soon,” Will replied, as he extended his hand to Keiran in a parting gesture of friendship. “I’ve got to stay until all my people are accounted for. Got to check on Gem too, make sure she’s still in one piece.”
Keiran marveled at how quickly responsibility for the agents under his oversight had taken hold of Lindsay. Will might not know it yet, but as short a time as he’d had the Director’s job, it had already made its mark on him.
“Be careful, old friend.” Keiran said, as he shook Will's hand.
“Give my regards to yer wife.” Will nodded once. Keiran understood; Lindsay meant he wanted to be informed of Zanh’s condition as soon as it was known.
“Godspeed.” Keiran concluded, before he and TC hustled back into the stairwell and up the last two flights of stairs leading to the roof.
O’Sullivan’s eyes barely had time to adjust to the evening moonlight before he felt the familiar tingle around him of a transporter beam.
As the cycle completed he blinked rapidly, trying to focus in the brightness of the room he’d materialized in.
Even before his vision sharpened, the sounds around him clearly announced that they had been brought directly to Sickbay.
*********************************
Captain William Lindsay
Interim Director
Temporal Investigations
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
*Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Security Liaison to
The Alchemy Project
and
Admiral Gemini Lassiter
Director,
The Alchemy Project
---------------
NRPG:
"Keiran barely had time to react before it started to tip and then smashed onto its side, leaving him dangling from the story above with nothing but a very painful fall beneath his feet."
"Then he dropped."
Lindsay, O'Sullivan, I swear you two are a enough to put the heart in me crossways...~ZL
Captain William Lindsay
Interim Director
Temporal Investigations
Commander TC Blane
Second Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
*Commander Keiran O'Sullivan
Security Liaison to
The Alchemy Project
and
Admiral Gemini Lassiter
Director,
The Alchemy Project
---------------
NRPG:
"Keiran barely had time to react before it started to tip and then smashed onto its side, leaving him dangling from the story above with nothing but a very painful fall beneath his feet."
"Then he dropped."
Lindsay, O'Sullivan, I swear you two are a enough to put the heart in me crossways...~ZL