There's Always A Lonely Clown

Posted on Tue Jun 23rd, 2020 @ 4:35am by Katya & Unknown
Edited on on Fri Jul 10th, 2020 @ 5:27pm

Mission: Death in Paradise
Location: Deck 19 - Marine Quarters

This one was going to be tricky. Deck 19 was the Marine County of the ship and it was usually carefully guarded and patrolled. Those Marines liked their patrols, their routine, their practice. But they were also short on crew at the moment too. Many were on Paradise Station, and one in particular was supposed to be in the Brig recovering. It meant there were gaps in the routine. Small little breaks between a patrol and the other where someone could slip through.

Silently, quickly, the shadowy figure slid out of the jeffries tube and into the back corridor. They were dressed in the jumpsuit retrieved from the ancillary store rooms, with black gloves to cover their hands and fingerprints. Their face was uncovered, just in case someone spotted them, as that would be too hard to explain. But if everything was planned correctly, it wouldn't be necessary anyway. No one was due to come by for at least 1 rotation. It would be tight but achievable.

The officer made their way into the sleeping quarters of the Marine unit. The room was sparse and tidy, and thankfully empty of any Marines. A row of bunks lined the wall with a storage locker opposite each bed. It was a minimalist life in Marine Service, they were always on-duty. They didn't get the luxuries of the Starfleet Officers upstairs. Quietly creeping into the room, step by step, the person had managed to cross halfway through the room when they heard an unexpected noise.

From across the other side of the quarters, there was a humming. They were not alone in the area. Soon a door slid opened, as a young Sergeant emerged from the sonic showers. He wasn't supposed to be here, it hadn't been calculated into the plans. This was going to ruin the officer's schedule. And yet the Sergeant was unaware of this, as he sauntered through the empty room. He turned on the lights, but he couldn't see the mysterious person now hiding under the bunks.

The Sergeant casually wondered over to his locker and retrieved his civvies; classic pair of cargo pants and a singlet. He dropped his towel on the floor and started to dress again - all the while the intruding officer was hiding near by, trying to keep their breath from sounding too loudly. The Sergeant pulled on his pants and sat down on the bunk. Of course, the very bunk the officer was hiding underneath.

They could hear him mumbling over getting new socks, as clearly his current pair were sporting a few holes. But this didn't stop the Marine from pulling on his shoes over the top of them, before buttoning his pants. The bunk creaked a little as the Sergeant dressed, every noise caused the hiding officer a moment of panic. They just prayed that the Sergeant was dressing to leave; or else they could be stuck here underneath this bunk for too long.

They would be found.

Finally the Sergeant stood again and walked over to the mirror; they could hear the sound of a brush being combed through his hair. "Not bad." The Sergeant said aloud as he admired his reflection. He began to walk away from the bunks and towards the door, giving the officer some hope. He commanded the computer to turn the lights off again but he wasn't in a hurry to leave. It was still a few minutes until the next patrol - cutting it very close now. They considered abandoning the plan, but this may be their only opportunity to send the message. Thankfully, the Marine was soon out of the door and the officer waited a moment, their heart racing with nerves, before slowly sliding out from their hiding spot.

In the far corner of the room, near the showers, and sitting on the same wall as the lockers, was a computer console and desk. It was a lone station that the Marines used to communicate back to home, or research information for their next assignment. Their first task was to silence the console so none of those pesky button noises would alert someone to their presence. Then, using codes acquired through other means, the officer managed to access the Marine terminal and began looking through the various communication channels that were available. All those ships hanging around Paradise; one of them had to be the right. The message was pre-loaded, they just had to find the recipient...

Suddenly the door to the Quarters opened again and the Sergeant re-entered, grumbling something about leaving his towel on the floor. He hadn't bothered to turn the lights on again, hoping to just pick up the towel and go, so he hadn't seen the shadowy figure by the console. He held the towel under his chin and began to fold it, his back thankfully turned against the officer as they tried to quietly shut down the console's search. The intruder, however, noticed that the locker at the end of the room was for towels, and realised the Sergeant would soon make his way there.

Left without a choice, the officer made a sudden run for the Shower Block. The door swished opened and then closed behind them, making an unmistakeable noise. The officer continued running through the showers, knowing that it connected to the Marine Quarters next door. Alerted by the noise, the Sergeant was following slowly behind, calling out as he approached, "Who's there?! Jessup, you clown, you best not be playing pranks on me again!"

The officer ran into the next Quarters and looked for a place to hide. However, the Sergeant could be heard running after them and would soon enter the room. The officer had no time to spare. They ran through the quarters, accidentally knocking over a chair in the process, and darted out into the corridor. They found the nearest jeffries tube and entered it quickly, shutting it closed behind them. They ascended back up from Deck 19 through the small tunnel, hoping the Sergeant had not followed.

Back in the Quarters, the Sergeant had heard the chair fall and entered the room, knowing he hadn't been imagining the presence of someone else. He looked everywhere around the room and into the corridor, where the Patrol was just coming around the corner. "Hey, you seen anybody come out of here?" He asked urgently, his adrenaline running from the sudden activity.

After getting blank stares and shaken heads from the Patrol, the Sergeant sighed and walked back to his quarters. He was starting to wonder what had happened when he noticed the Console was turned on and the Communications panel was open. He tapped his badge =/\= Major, I think I have something to report. =/\=

OFF