Big Badda Boom

Posted on Wed Apr 17th, 2019 @ 6:30pm by Commander Torhild Jessen & Lieutenant Mark Jamison

2,331 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: The Sincerest Form of Flattery
Location: Promenade

Having left Aravik's Tori decided she had time to grab a quick chai latte before she headed back to the science lab. At the very least she could grab one to go and enjoy it on her walk, after all, dawdling through the promenade was one of her favorite things.

No sooner did she have the latte in her hand and had been about to walk out the door when suddenly chaos descended around them. The sound of an explosion rang in her ears, broken glass and metal flying everywhere, furniture being toppled, people screaming...

Tori herself fell backward, almost instantly crawling for the nearest safe haven she could find, under a booth seat where she was largely shielded from the flying schrapnel.

Already she could feel the burning hot flavored milk scalding her skin through her uniform and she could feel several cuts and grazes from the initial blast, but the sound of active fire told her that this nightmare was far from over.

Mark was in a store buying something for Kinsley when there was an explosion that blew him off his feet sending him a good three feet away from the door. Alarms were going off, people screaming, children running around crying looking for their parents. Through the smoke he saw dozens of people laying around on the floor bleeding or screaming in pain. Getting up, he discovered he had a number of cuts and burns from flying debris.

He started to help where he could, helping those who could walk to their feet. One of those he helped was a starfleet officer. She looked like she had been burned, "Oh my goodness, wait....your hands....they are burned", he said as he brushed her hair from her eyes. "My name is Mark..Mark Jamison....here let me help you up", he said gently lifting her up and guiding her to a seat.

Tori had started to crawl out from under the booth, when the sounds of the weapons firing started and instinctively she shied down again. "Stay down!" she called to anyone who could hear. "Stay as low as you can!" Not that it would help much, from the sound she couldn't even tell what kind of weapon it was that was being used, but it didn't sound like any kind of phase or pulse weapon she had ever heard before.

She cast a scared glance at Mark, trying to take deep breaths and keep herself calm. "Tori," she offered in a shaky whisper. "Who are they?"

"Marines I think, maybe security personel, definitely bad guys too", Mark said. "You ok? Tori is it?", Mark asked.

She nodded slightly, clearly shaken. "I'm okay... minor wounds, they'll heal... those people, there are so many people out there... someone has to help them..." she said in a hush.

"I'm not sure if we should even go outside, at the moment. Hell we aren't even sure who or what we are dealing with", Mark said. He was not willing to risk his neck but the heroic part of him took over and he started to get up when the marines started to appear and take charge of everything. Sighing a big sigh of relief, Mark finally relaxed enough to pick himself off the floor and help Tori to her feet. Taking a clean piece of cloth he attempted to try and clean up Tori's cuts and scratches.

Tori pulled away instinctively, moving cautiously to one of the large open bay windows looking out over the promenade, the glass now laying shattered at their feet around them. Keeping as close to the wall as she could, she tried to peek out, looking around in an attempt to determine what was going on out there. She cast a glance back at Mark. "Those people have been through enough," she hissed softly. "We need to do something to try and help them. I think if we're quick and stay low we can get through the fray, if we can get beyond the promenade we can get into tent city. At the very least we can start telling them to get down, see who needs help, be there to help."

"Agreed, but first let me have a look at your cuts. Some of them are pretty deep Tori", he said slowly advancing on a scared Tori. "Look I only want to help you and I'm not going to hurt you in any way. Now please let me see to your wounds please Tori?", Mark pleaded to Tori.

There was another barrage of weapons fire from on the Promenade, making Tori drop down to the deck. Carefully she unzipped her jacket, shrugging out of it, realising for the first time the extent of her injuries.

An array of cuts and grazes covered most one side of her body, the side that had been immediately exposed to the shop front when the windows had imploded. The sleeve of her jacket had been little more than tatters and a glance showed that there were small pieces of glass embedded in her skin and a few larger gashes that, now that she had seen them, were starting to sting.

Reaching up, she touched her hand to the side of her face, the blood on her fingertips as she pulled away making her pale even more, which only made the blood stand out even more against her skin.

"I don't think any of them are too bad," she said quietly. "I'll be okay for now." She looked around the cafe at the people, both civilian and Starfleet all trying to take shelter from the weapons, each one of them mirroring her own terrified expression at each sound of weapons fire and screaming.

Mark was trying to be brave about this mess, was only making him more nervous. "Troi come this way I found a place to hide in. You will be safe in here while, I see if I can find security to handle it", Mark said.

Tori shook her head quickly. "No, going out there is a stupid idea, and I can guarantee security knows." Almost instantly there were a new set of voices, a new set of shouts, and the sound of yet different weapons fire. "It sounds like they're already out there..." a new look of alarm crossed Tori's face, her hand flying to her throat, her fingers fluttering anxiously. "The school rooms," she murmured softly. "They're just off the promenade... all the children... Astrid...." Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened with alarm.

Marks eyes opened wide, "My god...Kinsley, she's still in school....your girl? Is she still in school?", Mark asked hurriedly. "I'll get both you stay here!!", Mark ordered.

Tori shook her head quickly. "You won't be able to get into them, they will already be in lockdown, we're just going to have to wait it out," she said quietly. "No one will be going in or out until the threat is declared over. Tori leaned back against the wall, dabbing the sleeve of her jacket to her forehead, wincing slightly. Now that the immediate shock of the situation was starting to wear off she was starting to feel the pain from her injuries. "You know, now I'm starting to understand why they recommended us to be fully armed at all times. This place isn't safe."

"Actually nowhere is safe at the moment. Ky'La has us going around in pairs with small arms. With the Mimic threat too, it can't get any better", he said moving close to her looking at her injuries. "Please Tori, I don't bite. Let me look at them at least please?", he pleaded.

With a slight nod, Tori turned enough that she could face him, giving him easier access to the wounds on the one side of her body. "It sounds like security has arrived out there," she said quietly.

Gently Mark wiped away the dried blood from around the lacerations, and then gently patted the open wounds with a moist towel to remove the debris and clotted blood. "Damn you really got nailed Tori. Those are gonna hurt later, ya know", he said continuing to tend to her wounds the best he could.

The noise had subsided considerable and soon he heard voices that sounded like medical teams had arrived. Taking a look briefly he saw the blue tunics of the medics and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Tori, hun, the medics are here. Come let me help you up so they can take a better look than I. I will go look after the kids, ok hun?", he said softly, looking into her frightened eyes.

Tori laughed softly, a slightly crazed, almost strangled kind of laugh. "I will come with you. You wouldn't be able to remove her from the school room anyway. She's a restricted child," she said quietly.

"Tori ok....from the school we go to sickbay and have that looked at as well as my own cuts. We got to get the kids home safely. Let's go", Mark said gentlybtaking Tori's hand and led her slowly through the moving sea of guards, marines, and medical people towards the childrens school.

Hauling herself to her feet, Tori drew a few slow deep breaths before shaking her head. "I'm going to get my daughter from school then i'm going home to take a very long, very hot shower. I have a dermal regenerator in my quarters, I can patch myself up enough."

Looking in disbelief at this stubborn but beautiful woman, "Tori......have you lost that beautiful head of yours? Those wounds need a doctor", he said shaking his head. "You are the most stubborn woman I have ever met, but suit your self, let's get the kids and then home", Mark said smiling.

"Astrid doesn't need to see me going to sickbay to get patched up," she said softly. "She needs me to pick her up, take her home, and do what we do every afternoon. Take showers, have dinner and watch a movie or read a book or spend time together playing a game. My injuries are irrelevant. She needs me more."

"Who am I to argue with a determined woman?", Mark said softly. "Your dedication to your child is intoxicatingly corageous. I have a problem with my daughter since the divorce but that is another story. Now I have to get my daughter as well", he added. Kinsley was 7 and throughout the divorce and the custody battle Kinsley was both traumatized and withdrawn and needed special attention which made his career life hard but manageable.

As they finally made their way out of the small cafe, the scene on the promenade looked like a bomb had gone off, literally... there were bodies, destruction, chaos, people running around, medical officers jumping into the fray and assessing bodies and life signs around them. Continually side stepping and jumping out of the way of rushing people, Tori breathed a sigh of relief as they finally cleared the promenade and headed toward the school rooms.

As they stepped into the school room, Tori nodded to the young teacher who acknowledged their presence and released both Astrid and Kinsley.

Astrid, clearly pleased to be free from the math she was supposed to be doing, jumped from her chair and grabbed her doll, rushing across the room, stopping short as she took in her mothers injuries. "Momma?" She didn't have to ask any questions, the look of concern on her face said it all. "An escaped polar bear broke into my science bay and tried to steal my fish!" Tori told the lie easily. "Can you imagine it?"

There was a giggle from Astrid and then a sudden giggle from the little blonde who appeared beside her. "Where is the bear now?" Kinsley asked between giggles.

"Well, I had to wrestle the polar bear to get my fish back! And that made the polar bear pretty cranky, but, it was just my luck that at that moment there was a passing circus ship so I transported the polar bear there and now the fish are safe." Tori winked at both the little girls before she took Astrid's hand in hers. "Now, my little one, how about we go home and we can have cookies and chocolate milk for afternoon tea and then we maybe we can watch that princess movie you love so much?"

Almost immediately, Kinsley looked up at Mark. "Daddy, can we go to Astrid's please?" she pleaded, tugging on his arm. "Please, Daddy, please? Can we go to Astrid's for cookies and chocolate milk? I want to watch the princess movie too!"

Trying to suppress a small smile, Tori looked across at Mark, raising one eyebrow questioningly. "Yeah Daddy, can you come to Astrid's too? You can have milk and cookies and watch a princess movie!" Though her voice was full of bravado in the presence of the young girls, there was clear evidence to anyone who looked closer that the events of the afternoon had clearly shaken her a lot.

"Yes Kinsley we can go and have cookies and chocolate milk and see the Princess movie, but first we have to go home and change ok sweetheart?", he said looking at his daughter. Mark needed the distraction and he kner so did both girls let alone Tori as well.

"Yes!!!!!!! Oh thank you Daddy", Kinsley jumped up and down before pulling Mark's arm hard for him to bend down to let her kiss him.

Looking at Astrid, then Tori, "Well I guess it's a date then", Mark said laughing.

Glancing at Mark, Tori rested a hand on his forearm. "Let them have their fun," she said softly. "Come back to my quarters, let the girls have their fun, THEY need this. I have a replicator, they can both get new jammies. It will be fine."



=/\=

Lieutenant Commander Torhild Jessen
Chief Science Officer
Starbase Versailles

&

Lieutenant Mark Jamison
Engineering Officer
Starbase Versailles

 

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