Who Knew the Holodeck Could Bite

Posted on Mon Jun 22nd, 2020 @ 3:24am by Lieutenant Katniss Wakefield & Lieutenant JG Aeryn Jameson
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 4:47pm

Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: Current

A Mission Post by Lieutenant JG Aeryn Jameson & Lieutenant Katniss Wakefield
Mission: Divided We Fall
Location: Holodeck
Timeline: Current
Sun Mar 25th, 2018 @ 5:19pm

The PADD that Aeryn had given her, had been an interesting read. But it provided Katniss with no solace, here she was again in the early hours, lying awake because she couldn't sleep, the nightmares were too much and she couldn't pester the Doctor again, not after the last time she had asked for medication.

"Computer time?" she asked with a sigh

"The time is zero two thirty-six hundred hours."

Katniss slowly got up out of bed, she was at a loss for what to do. "Computer lights, fifteen percent illumination."

The computer gave its customary tone and the lights gently illuminated the room, she knew she had made various promises, especially to Cailus, but it was too early to disturb him for a spar, so it would have to be back to what Katniss knew best...the holodeck. With that, she slowly began to change out of her nightgown, into her uniform.

Walking through the ship, she pondered what program to run, something new maybe, something she hadn't tried before. Something that would challenge her, something that would tire her out and maybe help her get some sleep and with that thought she had finally reached her destination. She checked to ensure she wasn't disturbing anyone else using the holodeck, but it was empty. The doors opened and she walked inside. She pressed the display and slowly began to look at the list of programmes...'Done that,' she said out loud 'Easy'...it went on like that for several minutes, until she came across a program she had never seen before, it didn't have who the programme belonged to...but the description caught her eye.

"You have been abducted by the notorious Jigsaw killer, yourself along with several others, must overcome physical and mental challenges to show that you are worthy and repentant. Live or die, the choice is yours."

"Computer, prepare to run the highlighted program, however, disengage the safety protocols."

A warning tone filled the room. "Warning, disengaging safety protocols presents an extreme risk of injury."

"Override."

"Acknowledged, safety protocols have been disengaged, program ready to run on your command."

Katniss stood for a moment, why was she doing this, clearly she was relapsing, clearly, the counsellor needed to see her when she was like this but was it wise to disturb her at this ungodly hour, well she did say 24 hours a day. Reaching for her communicator she gently tapped it.

=/\= Lieutenant Wakefield to Lieutenant Jameson, please respond =/\=

Aeryn was sleeping peacefully when Katniss voice came over the comm, sitting up she reached for her badge =/\= Katniss? are you alright? =/\=

=/\= I think you might want to observe this one, it's giving me the chance of redemption...I'm on the holodeck." =/\=

=/\= The holodeck... Katniss wait!=/\= The comm was already closed, getting out of bed Aeryn dressed as quickly as she could and headed for the holodecks, finding the occupied one she didn't bother to check the programme she just walked inside and looked around for Katniss. "Katniss... Where are you?"

"Computer, run the program."

"Thank heavens..." She breathed a sigh of relief as she found Katniss, "I was worried about you" However Aeryn suddenly realised she was now a part of the programme too. "Oh dear..."

Suddenly the holodeck was plunged into darkness, then before she knew it, Katniss and Aeryn were restrained, their hands were in some sort of metal shackle and they were attached to a chain, along with several other people the computer had generated, then lights began to flicker, on what looked like a stage, some early music began to play before what looked like a doll began to ride out on mini bicycle to the centre of the stage. Then a voice that chilled the bones began to speak.

"You are all here because you are concealing the truth. You pretend everything is fine, but you have a darkness that consumes you, it is eating away at your very soul and if you do not cast it out, it will devour you. Only by freeing yourself will you have the chance to leave here alive, a set of challenges lays ahead." There was a pause as another light then flickered highlighting a metal door. "But be warned, your decisions have consequences. Live or die, the choice is yours."

The voice stopped and the dolls head moved ever so slightly, because it began to cackle, much like a laugh, Katniss jumped, whose program was this. "This should be fun Lieutenant, see a chance at redemption."

"Katniss are you listening to yourself?!" Aeryn had to admit she was afraid, holodeck or no holodeck it was all very real. "You have don't have to go looking for redemption you have no reason to" Aeryn looked around, "why don't we just close the programme and talk about this."

"But I need redemption, the people I have let down, the things I have lost."

Aeryn looked at Katniss as a whole host of challenges flashed up on a board that was behind them, they all looked like they were designed to take groups and whittle them down one by one, to see if they could pass a personal challenge. "Katniss this is crazy!!"

Katniss was fixated on the board. a smile creeping across her face, suddenly as their shackles dropped off Aeryn looked at Katniss, "Let's get out of here..."

Katniss detected a hint of panic in Aeryn's voice, she shouldn't have roped her into this, it was unfair to make her participate if she didn't want to. With a sigh Katniss nodded in agreement "Computer, exit." she shouted, but the usual confirmation tone did not follow, instead, the head of the doll turned to face them and started to laugh, before the voice came back over the loudspeaker.

"I want to play a game, there is no escape, no reprieve, the games continue...only by living or dying may you leave you this place."

Katniss looked toward Aeryn, "This isn't even my program, and you can't say I didn't try."

Aeryn looked at Katniss, “until we find a way to get out of here it looks like we’ve got very little choice but to join in” she shook her head, “let’s get moving!”

Running alongside the rest of the the holographic participants they found themselves in the jungle, the heat was that of tropical jungle and the foliage was thick. Aeryn paused to look around knowing very well the easiest looking route would most likely turn out to be anything but, she stepped back as an all too real spider slowly crawled by. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

"I kid you not Lieutenant" Katniss said, it was something that she never had a fear of, was spiders.

Aeryn watched as a contestant ran ahead and tripped a hidden booby trap, moments later a large trap with spikes swung across and speared him she looked around at Katniss, "please tell me the holodeck safeties are on?"

"Erm, No...I disabled them before you came."

“WHAT?!!” Aeryn’s voice was even more of a panic now, taking a deep breath she looked at Katniss “Whatever happens we have to finish this programme you’re used to this I’m not we agree here and now to get this finished even if it means you have to leave me behind. Once the holodeck resets we’ll be back together anyway.”

"Rather that, or we both end up dead," Katniss said, the realisation coming to her. "Computer end program..." she tried in a desperate vein not to put anyone in danger, but the program didn't end.

"We could try and get the bridge to cut power or any emergency transport, or we could get someone on the outside to do something," Katniss suggested, the last thing she wanted was to get the poor Lieutenant killed.

"It's an idea" Aeryn nodded, "will we even be able to get a communication out?"

"It may be worth a try, but let's see if we can find a way out."

Aeryn looked around with the booby trap sprung that was one route they could use, "let's go this way... Cautiously!"

--- Sometime later ---

Just when things looked like they were going good Aeryn's footing slipped, sliding down a steep embankment she landed with a thud the pain in her arm & the fact that the bone was now sticking through her skin was a definite clue that it was broken. She moved to get up just as a nearby snake decided to strike...

Katniss looked behind her, Aeryn was gone...there one minute gone the next, she looked around "Lieutenant..." she shouted

Aeryn felt the bite but her attention was focussed on her arm and on letting Katniss know she was alive, "I'm down here!" she called to Katniss, "the bite wound was stinging but her arm was worse."

Katniss followed the voice to the edge of an embankment "How on earth did you get down there." Katniss said, looking at the pattern of destruction it was clear she had fallen. "I'm coming," she yelled as she slowly made her way down, nearly slipping herself in the process, but within a couple of minutes she had made it to Aeryn, she took one look at the bone protruding out of her arm and knew this had taken another turn.

She smiled at Katniss, "I don't think I'm going to be much good to you now Katniss."

Katniss tore the arm off her uniform, " Compound fracture, you're going to need surgery, but first I need to check your pulse to ensure it hasn't cut off the blood supply, I won't lie, this will hurt." Katniss said as she went to manipulate the arm.

Aeryn knew what was coming next but it still made her cry out, for now, the pain of that made her forget about the snake bite. "Where do we need to be to tap into the ship's systems?, better still how do we find it?."

"Let me worry about your arm first Lieutenant," Katniss said checking the pulse, which seemed strong enough, she then began to make a sling out of the torn arm from her uniform.

"Let's get there" she went to stand with Katniss' help her head spun and she almost fell over again, "give me... a minute" Aeryn leant against a tree for a moment, "you have to keep going, I'll find somewhere to wait nearby."

"Keep going, I don't want a dead body on the holodeck floor when this program finishes. I don't think I'd be able to explain that one away," she said, implying she had in the past managed to talk herself out of a difficult situation.

"Katniss you have to go..." She motioned to where the snake bite was, "I don't have a clue what type of snake bit me so I don't know if it was venomous so you have to keep going. If you wait for me we're both dead so get going and get us some help!"

"A snake, you're kidding me. Well this certainly, complicates things. Let me see if I can find it to see what type of snake it was."

Katniss walked away, leaving Aeryn leaned against the tree, her arm was fine for now, but for how much longer she didn't know, blood loss was a worry, so now was the snake bite. Katniss pretended to look for the snake, while she racked her head for ideas, then it came to her if a communication was being blocked what about an emergency beacon, after all, if the casing of a communicator was cracked an emergency beacon was activated. Normally it was to aid int he recovery of the dead but if someone picked it up, they might realize something was wrong.

With that Katniss started looking for the biggest rock she could find...'Perfect' she said out loud, as she pulled off her communicator and placed it on top of another rock, with all her might she lifted another rock and brought it crashing down on the communicator, it took several blows to actually break the base, but that should do it, one emergency beacon. "Nope, couldn't find it," Katniss shouted leaving the communicator and heading back towards the Lieutenant.

--- Meanwhile in Ops ---

Krysia was busy in Ops when an emergency beacon warning flashed across her console, frowning she checked to see where it was coming from tracing it to the holodeck she tapped her comm badge and tried calling but didn't get a reply, sending a team down to the holodeck she tapped her comm badge again.

=/\= Kaleri to sickbay, Doctor your services may be needed in the holodeck, I'm getting an emergency beacon but I'm not getting an answer, a team will meet you there. =/\=

To Be Continued...