By Mellice Cem and Lance Hartcort
100120.2300
Concurrent with Things Are Looking Up and about one hour before Risking Everything
-=The Forest on Sibalt=-
100120.2300
Concurrent with Things Are Looking Up and about one hour before Risking Everything
-=The Forest on Sibalt=-
There were many ways to get into Labyrinth Station, so long as one knew where to look.
There was the transporter system that Mellice had access to, or one of the many hatches hidden by various camouflaging shields or behind rather large but very light boulders made of foam.
Watching one of said entrances not too far from his old base camp, he noticed an odd sight; armed guards posted there had been none previously.
*Must be holding the Serendipity crewmembers somewhere inside,* he thought to himself while pondering his next move.
He alone couldn't take on all of Jelca's cohorts; that would be a suicide mission for just one person. He was going to need help. Serious help.
He knew where to get the assistance he needed, but he'd have to work fast in order to make sure he wasn't mistaken for one of Jelca's goons and knocked out before he had a chance to speak.
There were only few people on this now snowy ice cube he trusted, one of them being Zanh Liis, the others being Lair Kellyn, Paxton Briggs and Lance Hartcort. He had to get to one of them and explain why he was here and his role in the 'games'. He transported away to his base camp, and began to gather all the weapons he'd brought with him. The bow with quiver of arrows, his raptor, (a hooked and serrated skinning knife he's had since those dark days on Bajor in the Resistance), as well as his fishing equipment, since he knew the thin monofilament line would come especially handy for traps out here in the forest due to it being nearly invisible and near impossible to detect.
With everything now gathered, he had a feeling that his best chance to explain what he was doing here was to get to the someone who knew and trusted him. Then he could talk some sense into that person as to what Jelca and her goon squad were really up to here. He had to get to the good doctor, Lance Hartcort. With this in mind, he grabbed an extra thermal suit he'd brought with him, knowing how much Hartcort hated the cold.
There was no time to waste, as he transported into what had been the base camp of the Sera and Alchemy teams, and found it completely deserted. Looking around, he noticed the footprints in the snow, going off in different directions. *Search parties, I'd have done the same thing in ZL's shoes,* he thought to himself, while following the footsteps of whoever this was.
He noted just how many tracks there were, just in this one group, as he entered the forest. *Good, with this many people out here, finding them and Lance should be easy, so long as I'm actually following the right group.* Mellice unfortunately had no way of knowing if he was or was not, and it did not help matters that the weather seemed to keep getting worse with ever meter in the direction he was headed.
He stopped by a river, as it appeared they had clustered here for a moment. Mellice scouted around the area, until he found a downed tree over the river where everyone's tracks stopped on this side of the river and started back up on the other side of it. He'd have used his transporter to cross but, the coordinates of the other side were outside the map of the gaming area he had programmed into his device.
*Looks like I have to do this the hard way and cross the downed tree.* Even as he was thinking it, he was already in the middle of doing it, carefully traversing the river via the natural bridge. The ice on the top of it made for a tricky walk, but he managed to make it across and continued to follow the tracks in the snow.
*By the Prophets, either this snow storm is either getting worse or I'm going blind,* he thought to himself. The howling wind and the blowing snow persisted without let up, and the tracks he was following were getting covered up quicker now. He trekked onward in the direction he knew they were leading.
Mellice stopped when he thought he heard voices ahead of him, shouting to be heard over the wind. *That's a good sign, and if I'm not mistaken, that chattering voice sounds familiar.* He altered his path slightly, but kept going in the general direction the voices were coming from. He got ahead of their group, and peered around an oak tree to get a look at the members of the search party. *Leader looks like, O'Sullivan, that must be Christian, Lassiter, Tubman and yes, Lance Hartcort.*
Mellice now had to separate the shivering playboy from the rest of the group so he could explain himself to the Doctor, and offer his help. He made his move, circling around so he was in line with the Hartcort’s back. Staying silent, he crept up on the CMO, and just before Lance could make a move to join his cohorts, Mellice's left arm ensnared his waist, while his right hand clamped tightly around the Doctor's mouth. He then pulled him backwards off to the side, where he wouldn’t be seen by the others in his team.
Lance was not sure what was happening. Before he knew anything, he was being dragged away from his companions. It took a few moments for his mind to register the extent of what was going on.
He was being abducted.
The various possibilities of why this was happening to him ran through his head even as he started to struggle.
Maybe whoever was absconding with him needed a doctor…
Maybe they were looking for some company….
Maybe they were hungry and found the Trills unsatisfying…
The last thought pushed the already spastic doctor over the edge and he began to kick and fight back with surprising violence, even trying to bite down, rather futilely, on the gloved hand that covered his mouth.
Mellice gritted his teeth while struggling with the fighting Doctor. He brought him behind a large tree so the two of them could talk about the current situation. "By the Prophets Doc, I'm not one of them, I'm one of you. It’s Mellice Cem. I was sent here by Admiral David Harris under orders to muck up your training here. I had nothing to do with your missing crewmates." He explained quickly, knowing his voice should have been familiar to the Lance.
"There isn't much time, and you look like you’re about to freeze your balls off, so here." Mellice spun Lance around so he could see the very familiar Bajoran, before thrusting the spare thermal suit at him. "And don't say I never gave you anything either Doc. It might be a little small on you, but it should still fit you well enough to keep you warm."
“Geez, I guess tapping someone on the shoulder isn’t your style, is it?” Hartcort said, as he snatched the thermal suit form Mellice’s hands.
Lance gladly put it on while Mellice explained further. "Jelca and her small band aren't who they claim to be. The real team that was supposed to be in charge here are dead. I found their bodies after the paintball match."
"You know,” Lance began, “Not that I'm not grateful for the thermal suit, but aren't you suppose to be aboard Starbase 54? Last I knew, you stayed behind to help oversee the refit and overhaul of the Revolution's brig?"
The warmth of the suit immediately began to soak into Lance’s frozen limbs. He no longer cared nor worried about how or why Mellice was there only that he was glad he had brought this suit with him.
“Ahhhhhh,” He shook his limbs to get the blood flowing back into his hands. After reveling in the returning sensation of feeling for a short time, he turned back to Mellice.
“So, if you are here as a member of Starfleet, why are you stealing me? Wouldn't it be simpler and easier to just tell the Captain what you know?”
"It would, but right now she might see me as one of the bad guys since I did give her clothing some new coloring during the paintball match. If I were her, I wouldn’t trust anyone here now. Oh, and by the way Lance? You really should have found better cover in that." He said with a light hearted chuckle. "That blue stain on your shoulder was all too easy to put there." Mellice added, admitting to being the sniper that shot the good Doctor.
"I need your help in convincing my old comrade form the Aries that I'm on your side. You should know too that some of the entrances to Jelca’s underground lair now have armed guards posted at them. I don't know what kind of weapons any of you brought on this trip, if any, but you’re going to need them and we're all going to have to come up with a plan to capture Jelca and her goon squad so they can be shown the inside of a Starship brig."
He wasn't mincing words with Lance. There was no time for that now. He just came out with it straight, all the facts. Mellice did not want to sound like a cheesy alien from an old 1950’s movie from Lance’s homeworld, but the old pun worked here as he grinned. "Take me to your leader, so we can get Jelca and her people imprisoned."
“Well I’d be happy to help you with that, but as thankful as I am for the warmth, don’t you think it would have been smarter to try and grab Commander Blane or Briggs?” He shrugged. “I’m the doctor and do not have much tactical pull with the Captain.”
He put his hands under his arms to keep them warm. “Plus I am not very good with a phaser.”
"Once this situation is all settled Lance, I'll show you a few tricks to improve your phaser aim and accuracy, and yes it may have been wiser to grab one of them. However, I didn't want a larger struggle than what was already put up by you. If I had nabbed one of them, someone might have given me a more serious injury than the bite mark on my hand."
“Doctor Hartcort!” The voice of Keiran O’Sullivan boomed through the forest, as the Irishman realized the Doctor was no longer on his flank where he had been up until a few minutes ago.
“Come on.,” Lance said. “I’ll introduce you to the Captain’s husband. Once I explain to him that you are with us, you’ll have no trouble getting the Captain’s trust too.”
As if on queue, the storm suddenly ceased, and the skies began to clear, revealing the warmth of the sun. “Figures,” Lance muttered.
***********************************************
Lt. (jg) Mellice Cem
Assistant Security/Tactical
USS Revolution NCC-71605-A
&
Doctor Lance Hartcort
Chief Medical Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Lt. (jg) Mellice Cem
Assistant Security/Tactical
USS Revolution NCC-71605-A
&
Doctor Lance Hartcort
Chief Medical Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012