Star Trek: Starbase 777 - abandoned-hospital-east-wing

Meanwhile, in the different part of the hospital, two officers came back to their senses.

As Marrok came back to his senses he let out a short scream one of pain and surprise that he was somehow alive despite just being stabbed in the temples, he got up to his feet frantically looking around for someone. He realised now that he should not have acted that irrationally and attacked someone with a knife despite someone already doing it, he should have thrown Four of off S'harien, he sighed rubbing his pained temples a bit, the pain was excruciating but he would have to deal with it. "Anyone there?" He called out.

Four coughed as they began to wake up. This hurt alot. Pain was irrelevant. They had to fullfill their function. They sputtered slightly as they set their nano-machines to work. "Nano-Machine Protocol, Healing and Reconstruction #01, Localized Area of the neck." Four then forced their hands on their knees as they looked over to Marrok. Enough of their neck and voice box being reconstructed to where they could speak. "Yes, Lieutenant Commander, we are here." Four said simply as they walked over to Marrok. "This is a rather...interesting situation. We believe this lends credence to the beings power, the hallucinatory aspect of this area, and the potential that Lieutenant Commander Vovvi is alive." Four wondered for a moment as they considered the beings words. They were acknowledged as a Borg. For the first time in quite a while. At least the being saw them for what they were. They silently smirked for a just a moment before they turned to their superior officer. "We...believe that we should ascertain a means to quell the smoke. Perhaps our transference here was for a reason. We await your orders sir." Four gave a salute before waiting for what came next.

*Wires. Everywhere. Wires. Everywhere.*

Marrok had realised Four was an xB or Borg quite some time ago but oddly enough he didn't have a problem with that, it must have been this place taking his mind off of that, the memories of he when he was a Borg resurfaced for a while there and there was an awkward silence before he spoke, face to face with Four. "Agh.. Yeah It is most likely Lieutenant Commander Vovvi is alive." He said pondering over her situation for while, had she ended up here to or somewhere else? They'd have to find out. He broke eye contact with Four as he looked around the room, wires everywhere, what had happened here? "Yes as you said we must be alive for a reason, but it was foolish for the both of us to attack S'harien.. Nonetheless here we are. Yes, let's proceed shall we? We just have to get out of here first." Marrok paused for a moment, realising he did not yet know the name of his now travelling companion. "By the way I am Marrok McGuire, what's yours?"

Four noticed all the wires. Rather odd that they were all strung about. Either way they didn't know much of engineering outside of tactical fighters. They just decided to move and weave around them. Not wanting any of them to spark and mess with their implants, or especially their cortical node. Four then shrugged. "We fulfilled our function. We shall continue to. We shall proceed alongside you." Four nodded as they followed alongside their superior. They responded. "We are Errei'Arrain Four of Ten. However, we will premise with the fact that our demotion request may be accepted soon. So, we may be an Errein if all goes accordingly. We will apprise you of our designation change if it comes into effect, Lieutenant Commander."

Marrok also decided to move and weave around the wires having implants he'd rather not damage as well though they were not visible at least not in uniform aside from his prosthetic right hand. "Good to meet you Four. Demotion? I'd doubt they'd demote us despite acting that foolishly, I've seen people do far more foolish things." He said with a shrug, he was pretty sure they wouldn't be demoted but one could never be certain though Marrok was convinced he still did the right thing trying to help Four in his attack even if it was foolish.

"We submitted our demotion request for ourselves prior to these events and independently from them as well. We may though add these events onto our request. It may bolster it oddly enough." Four said as they wondered if that would work. They continued to walk alongside the Lieutenant Commander. "We have acknowledged and logged your name, Lieutenant Commander." Four said simply as they kept their scanners up for any movement. They knew they wouldn't get any other readings after their prior attempts. They wondered what it might be to quell the fog, or maybe that wasn't their purpose at this moment. Four wasn't all too sure anymore. They didn't want to think. So, they attempted to stop. It was a bad habit.

Marrok perked his eyebrow his temples hurt a little bit when he did that, he winced a bit before responding. "Now why would you do that?" He asked curiously wondering why Four would want to be demoted, did he think he had made some kind of grave error? He paused his train of thoughts deciding that his question would eventually answer that. Marrok decided to spend a little time in silence, he didn't like this silence though especially not with this cursed fog everywhere they went. He hoped they would soon be released from this.. prison of fog.

They were swaying. Why were they swaying?

Four turned to Marrok as they saw the wires swaying. Must be a hallucination, however, they were sent here for a reason. Four stopped and tried to focus in on the wires as they responded to their superior's query. "If we are demoted we can fulfill our function truly optimally. We also will be able to further deny promotions and stay in our optimal mode of work. It is vital we do this. To fulfill our function efficiently, which is hampered by our rank. We do not see it as punitive. However, a fulfillment of who we are. We have learned many other officers do for reasons irrelevant to us and which are not held by us. Yet, we must adhere to them. So, we shall attempt to submit our case as optimally as we can." Four said with a shrug as they continued to study the swaying wires. "Lieutenant Commander, you are an engineer correct? If so, would you in your expertise find any reason as to why wires would be swaying in such a manner?"

Marrok tilted his head a bit and adjusted his stance to that of a thoughtful one, blood seeping down from his temples as he did so as he saw the wires swaying. Another freaky hallucination? "Well being an Officer is certainly not for everyone, I don't blame you, I sometimes wish I was an Ensign again, much simpler times." He said shrugging a bit, giving orders was never his strong suit, he was more of a follower someone who you told what to do he supposed that was what was good with the collective, you took orders and followed them there. "Yes that's correct, I've pondered over that myself.. I do not yet know to the reason as to why they are swaying... Probably nothing, a mind trick that's all." He said with some uncertainty as he began to move forward again trying his best to ignore and evade the swaying wires.

Four nodded and followed behind Marrok. They were surprised by his reaction, but they took it in stride. "With your aggreance, would you be willing to lend your support to our request? It seems to be a rather contentious issue. We could require further assistance, if you are willing of course." Four continued to evade the wires. They wondered again about the beings words. That he was surprised Hegemony had not found them yet. They were unsure what that truly meant. The being could also not be grabbed. Four's hands had passed through them like mist. It was probably not real but...that statement was a reflection of their subconscious, right? Where did they get that? Perhaps a scouring of their memory banks would be prudent.

The wires began to slowly move, motion snake-like, over the walls and the floor.

Marrok continued to move forward in hopes of finding a way out of this place. "Certainly not really something I'd like to do but I'll think about it for when we get out of here, alright?" In all honesty he had never requested someone to get demoted and he'd hate to do it even if it was for their own benefit that it happened hell he had barely even never reported someone except on a few occasions. Marrok noticed the wires beginning to move like snakes, worms whatever it was he didn't like it. "We should move faster, I don't like these wires coming from an Engineer.. well that says a few things." He chuckled a little bit for the first time since he got here, he did it to try to lighten up the situation they were in, a laugh could sometimes help.

Four nodded. "Of course, Lieutenant Commander." They said before they continued on their way. They were at least hopeful that there would be some sort of thought process behind their superior's decision. Four could only count on logic and objectivity to win the day rather than subjectivity and irrelevance. Four then noticed the wires moving and then the order. Their thoughts stopped as they began to move quicker. "Yes, Lieutenant Commander. Those words do indeed say a few things." Four said in regard to the multiple words that had been used. Their stride lengthened as they made sure to keep up and move quickly.

Marrok kept on moving determined to find a way out of this hell hole, this inferno was truly like some horror novel, someone could write a book about this and it'd be fiction but in truth it'd sort of be like a documentary? Or whatever it was called when it came to books, he didn't know the word for it, had look it up some time. "We should be out of this place by now.. It almost seems endless, like a maze." Like something from his nightmares, he didn't like this and the despair in voice started to appear.

"We do not believe we can escape until the fog is quelled. It makes sense that we are trapped in an endless corridor. Like the streets we appeared on. Perhaps we have to die again?" Four wondered as they looked toward the wires as they continued to writhe on the walls and floors. "In any case, we shall continue to assist you in whatever manner you require, Lieutenant Commander. The wires may play a more prominent role than originally credited." Four said as they continued their walk at the pace their superior had set.

Watch your back. One of the wires decided to lash out like a whip, it's wide sweep aiming at both of the officers.

"Let's hope someone beats us to it. Die again? Oh no, I would not want to die again and risk not coming back." He said as he continued his way down the endless path of wires, he was keeping an extra watchful eye if something would decide to appear and he really hoped someone would beat them to it when it came to quelling the fire, the civilians that was in their group before they died were probably still going, hopefully. Marrok saw the wire just in time to duck away from it. "Get down!" He yelled hoping Four would be able to react in time. "Well there you have it, they're murderous."

"We are unsure if that is a possibility, but it is efficient to not entertain fatalistic thought, or any thought for that matter." Four replied. They had quite the reaction time being a seasoned fighter pilot. They silently ducked as they were ordered to. The wire whizzed past their head as they then stood up once again. "Defensive Protocol #01, engaged." Four then nodded. "We would have to agree with your assessment. Although, we are unsure if we would have been murdered by a wire."

"Well I can say this is one hell of a hallucination though I'm beginning to doubt whether this is a hallucination.. Like would a hallucination be able to kill us and send us somewhere else? I mean the pain I felt was real, is real." Marrok said in response, he was seriously beginning to doubt his sanity even more like he hadn't already done that before all of this even happened. "I doubt that to but you never know." He shrugged.

Well fuck you too. It did it again, now coming from the other side.

"A hallucination caused by an inhaled smoke most likely could cause a variety of symptoms. We may not even have moved. Our surroundings could all be manifested for us as we drown in a lake. That lake as well was never real to begin with, nor was that man. As my hands went through his neck, however, the smoke has to be controlled by a central consciousness to link all of our experiences. The rarity of a linked hallucinagenic experience naturally is very improbable. The pain inflicted could all be within our minds. If the mind believes itself to be dead it will respond in kind. The mind is also capable of time dilation. We may be experiencing all of this in a matter of nano-seconds. There are a variety of options as to what is happening, but we must consider the effects that complete mind control could inflict." Four said as they returned the shrug. "Perhaps, we agree. We shall continue fulfilling our function." Four ducked once more as their defensive functions and their attention were squarely on the wires. They then stood once again.

The wire smacked against the floor and arched, positioning itself like that - looking like a spider leg. Soon, more wires joined it from the darkness of the corridor. Something was dragging itself towards them.

Marrok listened to Four attentively not missing a single word he said, well it did seem probable which made him feel a little better about the situation they were in. "I hope you're right." He muttered before dodging yet another wire, he barely made it in time, he had been deep in thought, again, which slowed his responses. Marrok looked at where the wire had smacked against the floor which was now forming into something he didn't know how to describe, poor cable management? "I don't like the looks of that, since we can't fight these hallucinations we better run in my opinion." He said quickening up his pace.

Four shrugged and looked over to their superior. "We typically aren't in these matters, but your sentiment is logged." Four replied before they noticed the shambling mound of interconnected innards of the station. They silently mimicked the other wire that smacked itself into the floor. They thrusted their extraction tubes into the floor. Was the wire attempting to communicate? If so, what was it trying to convey? Either way, Four finished their attempt at kinetic communicating once they heard the order to run. "Yes, Lieuteanant Commander." Four began to run next to their superior but was a bit confused. They could not run from their perceptions. Wouldn't the shambling mound of wires be able to appear right in front of them, or create a wall in front of them. This felt like another test, but Four did as they were told. Their functions demanded such compliance.

Marrok nodded in reply, he thought for a moment or two about what Four had said earlier before they died about what the hallucinations wanted.. to illicit fear? Was it, yes he thought so if by running did they get what they wanted since ignoring it didn't work nor did fighting work. "I have to admit I'm unsure whether we should keep running or not.. I'm not used to giving orders, I'm a Maintenance Engineer." He said slowing down a bit. "You got any thoughts on the situation?"

Four slowed down in kind and nodded softly. "We are not either. We are but an extension of our Squadron Leader's perogative." Four said before their lips pursed slightly. A bit of shame appeared on their face. "We do, but we shouldn't." Four said simply as they then turned to look back at the shambling wires. Their face tensed as they pushed those emotions down again. "We facilitate our superiors, Lieutenant Commander. We shall do any order you give to us. We just request they be in the form of one to understand the nature of your statement."

The wires made the most teeth-grinding scratching noises as they slid over the floor, and now, with Something getting closer to them, ragged wheezing could be heard.

Hallucinations or not Marrok couldn't take this anymore he was on the brink of breaking down but he couldn't, he couldn't do it now that their lives were at risk, he was the superior officer and didn't have that luxury just yet and he was a wat veteran for fuck sake, he had seen worse but this must be by far the weirdest and maybe even the scariest and even though he tried to tell himself this was a hallucination he was determined to get out of here though the fear did get to him. "I- It's like everything is evolving. Wait.. what is that noise?" He said with an almost trembly voice. "Well some advise other than running would be greatly appreciated."

Four turned and focused on the wires as they tried to ascertain where the ragged wheezing was coming from. They didn't notice the panic or dread on their superiors face. They just stood in front of them. "Primary functions will take over without orders. We shall protect you, as best as we can. Even if this isn't real." Four said as they stood in front of Marrok as they silently studied the mass of wires.

*Would it, Lieutenant Commander? Would it be? The pale corpse-like figure with it's gaping, gasping mouth and sentient wires protruding from the helmet-like construct ensnaring it's face, did not share the sentiment.*

Marrok stood there for a moment trying register what he was seeing, whatever he was seeing did not feel very welcoming or friendly, it was terrifying even if it was a hallucination. "On second thought Four I think it's a great idea to run.. Since we can't fight these things, we know what happened the last time we did." He said to Four with some urgency as he started to move away from the corpse-like figure hoping Four would do the same this time.

Four wondered and turned to their Lieutenant Commander. They nodded as it was their function to obey orders but they did have to call upon a few subroutines. "Lieutenant Commander, we shall obey your order, however, we will note that we cannot run from this being. This is a hallucination. It's not real. It can appear anywhere. We must maintain control, not fall to fear. If you require assistance in such matters, we would be able to lend any aid required." They say as they move away with Marrok, their focus on the being behind them though as they studied it. Seemed rather odd. Four wondered what it was, or what it's name is. (edited)

Marrok sighed, they were right. "I honestly have no idea what to do but we can't fight it." He paused for a long while. "I would greatly appreciate some assistance." He said ignoring his ego about not wanting to ask anyone for help, this was a unique situation and he did need help. He was clueless about these sort of situations, helpless even.

Taking advantage of the fact that the two would rather talk than take action, it's black wires, attached to the base of it's helmet, shot out and went for the officers - two for each.

Four nodded softly before they noticed the wires. They stood in front of their Lieutenant Commander and sent out their extraction tubes to collide with the oncoming wires. "Intercept Protocol #0.5, Prototype, Extraction Protocol #01, engage." Four wondered if this would actually do anything, however, once their hands passed through the Romulan they were stabbed. Not during. This may show that as long as they can keep in contact, the hallucination may not be able to materialize. Of course, this is all conjecture, and most likely it can control its materialization more acutely. However, if they did not act, their Lieutenant Commander may fall into madness. An outcome not allowed by their primary functions. His life must be protected. "Lieutenant Commander, we cannot do anything. We are at the mercy of the hallucination. We exist without the ability to truly act." Four said simply before they spoke again once more. "So, we experiment. Learn the bounds of our prison, and continue on." (edited)

Marrok instinctively dodged the wires coming at him hopefully in time. What was thing? Well a hallucination but this one seemed to have some sort of twisted goal, was it to kill them? His mind pondered over that at a ridiculous speed. Then he heard Four speak. So basically everything they did would be in vain? Helpless? He hated feeling helpless and that there was nothing that could be done about it, he had frozen in place one part wanted to run out of there the other part really, really wanted to believe this was all a hallucination that they hadn't lost their minds and that they wouldn't actually die just like before. "So it's all pointless?"

Four tilted their head as they kept their attempt up in colliding with the wires coming toward them with their tubes. As their superior officer was able to dodge them. They nodded. "In a sense. We are at the whims of the hallucination. If it wishes to steer us toward the problem to fix it, then it shall. If it wishes to kill us, then it will. All of this is irrelevant. We must trust in others until a scenario presents itself to where we may be able to assist them." Four then called to the being. There wasn't much else to do at this point. Perhaps they needed a reset. It seemed prudent. "Hello, our name is Four of Ten. You wouldn't happen to be able to communicate would you?"

The wires lashed out, and the weight combined with their speed made them quite the formidable whip-like weapon - one that crashed into Four and effectively threw them on the ground; the pair that went for the redhead, crashed into the wall with such force, that pieces of the wall's plastering flew off of the impact place. The being wheezed, like it enjoyed this showcase of destruction. It's wires rose up, prepared to strike again.

"I don't think it will." He said in response to Four as he walked to them, he so badly wanted to run but if Four would right what good would that do? But they couldn't just stand here and take this abuse. "We should really, really find a way out of this." He said frightened. (edited)

Four winced as the whip crashed into their tubes and threw them down. Their head rung from the force as they silently missed their force field generator implant. The pain shot through their body as they pushed up from their knees to stand with a bit of a wobble. "We...are unsure if there is a way out at present...death may bring us closer to fulfilling our function, Lieutenant Commander." Four said as they accepted the help. They then noticed the beings apparent enjoyment and the wind up of their wires. "We shall accept any order given, however, we are unsure if there is any possible means to facilitate our escape at our present time. Death is irrelevant, Lieutenant Commander." Four readied for what came next and for the order given. They knew any physical defiance at this point would be impossible with this being. So, they waited. (edited)

tw // violence Inaction came with punishment - get stabbed right through your stomach. That left Four on the floor, alive, but unable to move - as if stuck in the perpetual state of death. S'harien's words might've come back to mind - about the rules changing, as the time went on.

"Nope, I am not dying again." He said with a determination despite his fear. "Run. We run instead I don't want to risk anything." Oh no, just as he had said that he saw Four fall to the floor, he ran over to Four to see if he would be able to get up so they could run the heck outta here like they should have from the start. "Four! Are you alright?" He said shaking them while being blizzfully aware of the thing, despite his fear he couldn't just leave Four.

Four coughed as they felt themselves be impaled. Their golden eyes contracted as they were brought into a state of partial death. If the mind perceived its death then it would die whether it was real or not. Four nodded softly. "We are just...fine...Lieutenant Commander. We suggest...an alternate approach for you. You seem rather frightened. Remember, none of this is real. We are perfectly fine. Perhaps, running, would be in your best interest." Four wasn't thinking logically or rationally at this point. It was more so morbid curiosity, and seeking their previous home. They wouldn't die, but they wanted a break from being sentient. They laid back and tried to relax on the ground. Their golden eyes closed as they began to try and take deep breaths. 010101000110100001101001011100110010000001101001011100110010000001101110011010010110001101100101001011100010000001010111011001010010000001101000011000010111011001100101011011100010011101110100001000000110011001100101011011000111010000100000011101000110100001101001011100110010000001110111011000010111100100100000011010010110111000100000011100110110111100100000011011000110111101101110011001110010111000100000010101110110010100100111011101100110010100100000011011010110100101110011011100110110010101100100001000000110100101110100001011100010000001010111011010000111100100100000011001000110111101101110001001110111010000100000011101110110010100101110001011100010111001110011011101000110000101111001001000000110011001101111011100100010000001100001001000000111011101101000011010010110110001100101001011100010111000101110

Another wire shot out, aiming for the Lieutenant Commander's middle section. Enough time to either run, or let yourself get impaled!

Marrok was indeed rather frightened and even more so to the horror he had just witnessed, he shook his head. He watched the thing closely as he tried to get Four up to his feet, he couldn't just leave him but then he saw another wire shoot out aiming right for him, and to his great regret he evaded it and ran away muttering a "I'm sorry." To Four.

Escape would lead McGuire to #abandoned-hospital-west-wing!