Extracted

Posted on Wed Oct 23rd, 2024 @ 11:35pm by Captain Mira Rodale & Commander Kevin Lance & Lieutenant Commander Awal Kronnelti & Lieutenant Tracey Walker Jr & Lieutenant Betaras K'ner

Mission: Deep freeze
Location: BS Neva/Matrix
Timeline: Current

:on
{Cyropod Bay A-3}

Kevin stood over the cyropod holding Mira. Arrayed around the bay that her pod occupied were pods holding Kolar, Vaytoc, a little baby and four other crewmembers including Zimia Mariten. "Why didn't it open with the others?" he asked.

Trace looked at the monitor on the control panel and said, "It is hard to tell but these icons are different from the rest. Could be that this pod is shielded from the main computer commands."

"So, how do we get them out?" Kevin asked. As he did, his eyes strayed to the pod next to Mira's containing the baby. Something in the back of his mind tugged at him that the child was important.

"When I was released, it was because my cryopod failed," Trace contemplated, "Perhaps, I can short the system in a similar fashion." He got down on one knee and removed an access panel under Mira's pod.

"Are you sure about that?" Kevin asked cynically.

"Do you have a better idea?" Trace asked. When Kevin shook his head no, the Chief Engineer continued, "Then let me work and watch out for our jailors."

Kevin turned to the West where sounds of gunfire and shouting were interjecting themselves on what should have been a gentle transition. He turned to Trace and raised an eyebrow.

"That'd be Marcus, providing cover. I don't know how long it will last." Trace said, his head and shoulders disappearing into the machine.

{Tundra/Cave}

Mira saw to it that the kids were warm and fed. Kolar or someone made to look like him had been watching her like a shark. It was unnerving having a predator watch you.

She slowly approached him. "My memories of another time and place. Have you in my life. But none of that can be true." She added quickly, seeing him smile.

Chuckling Kolar folded his arms. "You are mine, and I never released you. I hunted for you for years only to find you dying in the snow outside. You had a child on your back and were running just ahead of a beast. As you fell, I tossed my Mek'leth. You went into labor. I delivered your daughter from another male, I might add. Then, I brought you all here to safety." He waved a hand around the cave. "You had a fever. I took care of you."

Mira frowned, shaking her head no. "I had my baby in the village. I was asleep with my husband and children then awoke here!"

"Your husband is ME. That Kevin of yours was defective and died." Kolar yelled back at her.

"No," Mira shook her head.

"He is dead. He was never faithful to you. I'll take care of you and your children."

"You left me gutted on a hospital bed! After my baby was killed. You left me, then went off and got yourself killed." Mira yelled back at him. "I moved on."

Mira found herself pressed against the cave wall. His mouth pressed hard against hers.

But she could swear something was being pulled out of her mouth.

{Cyropod Bay A-3}

There was a muffled explosion and smoke billowed from the opening that Trace had stuck his head and torso into. The engineer coughed as he pulled himself out and said, "That's got it!"

A dispassionate voice spoke from a hidden speaker. "System failure in Cyropod Bay A-3. Beginning extraction."

Kevin pulled at the lid of the cryopod but was unable to open it. "It's stuck", he shouted.

"The system is cycling out the cryo gases and normalizing the pressure to the rest of the ship," Trace assured him, "The cover will lift on its own."

Kevin watched helplessly as the transfer of gases proceeded but finally the lid rose. Kevin grabbed the mask covering Mira's face and nose, pulling out the tube in her mouth.

"The machines will take care of that," Trace admonished.

"To the Void with that," Kevin shot back as he fought off the mechanical arm to pull off the cables and other tubing. He shook Mira's shoulder. "Kitten," he said, "It's time to wake up."

Mira started choking. Her eyes blinked, trying to see what was going on around her. Nothing looked like home. "Don't hurt Kolar or Ashla. Please don't hurt them."

"Shhh, Kitten, I got you." she heard KeVins voice. How did she know his sister's name, he wondered.

"Our children....Where are our children KeVin?"

Children? Kevin was vaguely aware of the passage of time, much like maintaining a time sense while asleep, but had enough time passed for he and Mira to have another child?

"Kolar is here," he hesitated, "and so is the baby."

"What is this place?" Mira asked as Kevin picked her up. "Why am I so weak?" She probably should ask where her clothes were too, but she couldn't seem to get her body to move, and that seemed the most important problem right now. They definitely weren't in the village anymore.
Where was that crazy man who told her KeVin was dead?

A blue woman was helping Kolar breathe. Zi-Mia that was her name. "Zi-Mia, get Ashla"

Kolar looked around with a frown on his face, then put a hand over his eyes "dada why no one got clothes?"

Within a few moments, the baby could be heard crying. Mira was so relieved.

Zimia handed Mira the baby when stumbled to Kolar. As She tried to pick him up, Chin was there. "Got him, Zimia. Captain, we headed for the ship?"

Mira nodded, getting on a boat, and getting out of here sounded good to her. "Where is the dock?"

Chin moved to a console. "If this is us here, then our ship is there." He pointed on the monitor. It was two decks down and looked like a far distance her. Clothing would be nice too she thought, but getting out of here was probably the best thing for them to do.

Zimia seemed to be more concerned with clothing. And starting pulling things out of the large basket. Only it was made of steel like their swords. Come to think of it, everything looked like steal.

"Going home sounds good, KeVin." Mira told him, trembling from the cold.

{ Cryopod Bay Zed7A }

K'ner felt the shift, realizing something was happening... changing... unknown but... familiar? She centered, focused, relaxed, prepared... Flashes of memories... smells... moisture... buoyancy...

She extended her senses outward, now that she had a good foundation. Her medical background provided the insight she needed to realize her situation. She remained relaxed, feeling, listening. Things were moving... vibrating... pressures shifting... she had almost escaped once before, this time she wouldn't fail.

As tubes and connections slid away she adjusted her own weight as her elevation changed and her body was leaving whatever had contained her. She felt an edge as some kind of light glowed on her eyelids. She continued her motion, hoping there was a floor where she expected it to be.

The thump and whomph of air at the sudden stop confirmed her suspicions as gravity pulled her down. She straightened out slightly and eased her eyes open, letting the light in gradually and adjusting her view. The automaton's arms and tentacles were working where her body should've been but apparently didn't expect her to not be there and acted as if she still was in place.

She decided to let it suss that out on its own as she got her bearings, flexing muscles that hadn't moved much except within her own isometrics. The container must provide some regular stimuli to keep the body from deteriorating. It wouldn't do her any good if she suffered from severe atrophy.

Controlling her breathing she moved parts and shifted others until she sat up, then to a knee, then ever upward. Mechanisms, tubes, rows upon rows. Many were cycling open like hers. Some were trying to return their charges back into the bosom of the tubes but she recognized several faces and moved carefully to the nearest.

Every meter gave her strength, every swing of her arms, confidence. She was close to the next unit and... Boluxi she thought the name was, looked like he was trying to awaken. The machine was simple enough and wasn't exactly heavy-duty, built for this specific purpose. It was easy enough to influence its movements, to spoil its aim while she managed to pull him off the back board and onto the floor with less impact than she had delivered herself.

K'ner left him to wake up fully and become aware on his own and moved to the next station...

{Main Control Room}

"There is a sudden, steady and steep decline in the energy output," a robed figure stated.

"What is the cause?" a second inquired.

"A large number of the subjects in the terran arctic simulation have been removed," the first replied, "The computer reconfigured the remaining subjects into less optimal scenarios."

"Why were the subjects removed?" the second asked.

"Massive failure amongst the cryopods on levels one, three and seven. Reclamation efforts are ongoing."

"Those cyropods have a meantime between failures of 25 cycles. How could they all have failed so suddenly?"

"I believe that I have an answer," a third interjected. A diagram of code was displayed on the monitor. "The computer was fed false data that cryopod were failing. The detection triggered the computer to remove the subjects from the simulation automatically."

"Lock down all simulations immediately," the second ordered, "Interrupt all extraction and reclamation efforts. Send in security drones to find out what is happening."

"As you command."

( Cryopod Bay A-9 )

The pod Awal was started smoking, his eyes shot open. He had just enough room to pull everything off and out.

Rodriguez pulled open Awal's cryopod lid. "Time to wake up, chief. I can't get your wife and kid out of their cryopod without you."

{Cyropod Bay A-3}

Zimia, bless her heart, was tossing clothing to people she thought would fit in them. Her aim had improved Mira thought. Zimia brought clothing to her. "Here, this shirt will cover you and boxers. "

Mira nodded, trying hard not to think of the person who might have worn them before her. But...she gave a little shrug it was better than being naked.

Kevin put her on her feet only to have Mira’s legs give out on her. Zimia cursed as she helped her dress and then used one of the shirts as a diaper for the baby. Once Kevin picked her back up. Little Ashla was placed in her arms, and another shirt covered the baby.

"Chin, do we have everyone?" Mira asked.

“We are short a few captain they are being helped out now, but their are some that aren't crew members." He told her.

"We get as many away from here as we can, Chin." Mira told him not sure what size boat they came here in and why they had even come to this place. Had they been taken in their sleep? That had happened once before.

There was a yell and crashing sound. Mira could see her brother open one of the boxes they had been held in then pull his child out. She could just make out Dianna as Kolar picked her up as she held Venus.

Mira looked around. "we need to move. This is a bad place, and the evil ones will be back for us. They will know we have gotten free."

An explosion could be heard from the West. It was close. "We need to move." Trace said.

A door panel slid to one side and three cylindrical robots mounted on wheels entered the cyrobay with weapons firing. Kevin grabbed Mira and pulled her behind at cyropod for cover.

:off

Lt Betaras K'ner
Hazard Team Combat Medic TL-B / CMO
USS Chuck Norris

and

Lieutenant Tracey "Trace" Walker
Chief Engineer
USS Chuck Norris

and

Captain Mira Rodale
CO USS Chuck

and

Commander Kevin Lance
Executive Officer
USS Chuck Norris

&

Lieutenant Commander Awal Kronnelti
Chief of security and tactical
USS Chuck Norris