A Mystery

Posted on Nov 21, 2016 @ 5:13pm by Ensign Sofia Andersson
Edited on on Nov 21, 2016 @ 5:13pm

Mission: Aftermath

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“A Mystery”
(Continued from “An Teachtaire” written by the hotel connaisseur Marko)
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LOCATION: EARTH
SD: [2.16] 1121.1500
SCENE: Paris
TIME FRAME: Mid-day, overlapping with the ANUBIS posts "Paris" and "Dust and Tears"

The survey team which consisted of Angelo Tannahill, the man in charge; Sheila Grant, the ATV driver and radiation tech; Ya'Han, the solid as a rock off-worlder; Jayson Stark, the debonair savior of damsels in distress and herself Sofia Andersson the sentenced ex Neo-Essentialist had made their way into the heart of Paris. Their objective, to gather data as to the intensity of the radiation and setup scanning stations to monitor on-site changes.

At first Sofia had been ready to face at close range the aftermath of what Richard Edgerton had unleashed on the fair city of Paris, but the deeper they drove in, the more difficult she had found it to be brave. Paris laid in absolute ruins, a dark veil having descended upon it like a cloak of death. The only reason why she had not ran away crying had been the warm and reassuring embrace of her savior. Despite the double thick layers of their HAZMAT suits which stood between them, Sofia found peace has Jayson held her making her safe and protected from the hell she had helped release.

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Excerpt from Hanali's "Paris"
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The city she had heard so much about, the one that had been referred to as one of the gems of this world appeared as if it had been pulled out of someone's nightmare. Where there had once been light, only darkness could be found. Where greenery had once been abundant, only the darkest shades of gray could be seen. Where life had been present and vibrant, only death and desolation stood. An eerie blanket of dust covered the streets with scattered pieces of clothing everywhere, all of this under what appeared to be a permanent cloud cover as if nature itself had been mourning the lost of life that had taken place.

Ya'Han found it hard to breathe as if choking on the dust that surrounded them, but the readouts on the HAZMAT suit showed that everything had been working fine and that no outside air had reached her lungs.

"We'll set up our first scan station there," Angelo said as he pointed to a street corner, one that had an unsettling number of clothing almost pilled one on top pf the other. It was easy to imagine that this had been a gathering point of some sort and that many had been there when the Satellite had fired its Thalaron weapon.

"You two come with me," Sheila said to Jayson and Sofia. "We need to set up an echo sensor perimeter around this area, so each of you grab a couple of the rods that are beneath the seats in the back and follow me.

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End of excerpt
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Sofia reluctantly abandon the safety and comfort of her savior's embrace, forcing herself to do what she had actually been here to do. The data collected by the survey team would hopefully help speed up the recovery of the city and of EARTH as a whole, but in order to do this everyone needed to do their part. This included her.

With an echo sensor rod in each hand, Sofia followed Jayson who had been following Sheila, the woman in the lead seemingly unphased by the ghastly scene they had found themselves in the middle of. In this city, death had gained a physical representation and voice; that of complete emptiness and absolute silence. Each step taken by the members of the survey team seemed to echo into infinity, and their footprints on the dust covered ground further deepened the blonde woman's anxiety and sadness.

One by one the rods were set as per Sheila's instruction as she confirmed their working status before moving on to the next spot. As they approached another street corner, Sofia froze for a moment as her eyes locked onto a scene that froze the blood in her veins.

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Excerpt from Hanali's "Paris"
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"It's horrible," Sofia could be heard saying through the open comm channel, a deeply felt sadness very present in her words.

"Looks like they were holding onto each other when the end came," Jayson added as he looked down at the scene that had triggered the blonde woman's reaction. Two sets of clothing had been found, the suit had belonged to a man while the other, a long dress had clearly been worn by a lady. The clothing had been intertwined with one another in a way that left little to the imagination.

Ya'Han felt a sadness sweep over her, not because of the scene that had just been discovered but rather for he way Jayson had reacted to it, having wrapped his arms around Sofia to offer comfort.

"Come on you two," Angelo called out to the couple a few meters away. "Set up those echo sensors. We have several more stations to set up to get a good enough reading on the radiation density through the city.

The team resumed its work in silence, no one having much to say given the nature of their surroundings. Everything reflected death in one form or another, even the buildings had been stripped of the life that had been part of the city for so many centuries.

"Echo sensors are operational," Sheila announced.

"Primary scanner is working," Angelo confirmed. "Readings show over 2500 rads and zero biological matter," the supervisor said, his voice having come across as having been almost Vulcan in his ability to state the horrible and disturbing facts without any signs of emotion.

"Shouldn't we be doing something more?" Sofia asked, her guilt having once again taking hold of her. Although there had not been any actual bodies for them to do something with, the blonde haired woman had hoped that they might be able to do something to acknowledge their passing.

"We do not have the time to deal with the thousands of similar scenes we are likely to run into," Angelo said, allowing some emotion to lace his words. "We have a job to do, so let's go. We can mourn all of them later."

Reluctantly everyone returned to the ATV to head to the next location, trying their best to gather whatever strength they could knowing that this had been but the first of many heart-wrenching scenes they would come across.

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End of excerpt
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As they drove away, Sofia found herself looking one last time as the street corner where the couple had held onto one another for the very last time. Her heart ached at the thought of what their last few seconds had been like, the couple likely having been holding onto their loved one as a last hope against the darkness that had taken over their bodies.

Any and every effort to ward of the growing guilt within her failed miserable and it was only thanks to Jayson's continued support that she managed to continue with the survey mission. For a brief moment she allowed herself to smile, thinking how amazing the presence of a single person could be.

With renewed strength Sofia tackled the work of setting up the second and third scanning stations, each time her resolve would vanish by the time they returned to the ATV. Moving on to a new location meant that the nightmare had not ended and that she would be made to face more of the nightmare she still held herself responsible for, even if only in part now.

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Excerpt from Jayson's "Dust and Tears"
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"It was not your fault," Jayson lipped once again as he looked into the brown eyes within the blonde frame of Sofia's hair. She had not said anything but he could see the guilt mounting in her as it had each and every time they had finished setting up a scanner station and were heading for the next.

He could only imagine the extent of her pain. As a Doctor she had wanted to ease pain and suffering, not cause it on such a scale. Jayson knew that she had not been responsible for what Edgerton had done, and he did everything he could to make her understand that about herself. For far too long he had held himself responsible for the death of his wife, and know he could see how much that guilt had affected, how much it had drawn him into a darkness that oddly enough resembled that of the city they were now in.

"Thank you," Sofia said without actually voicing the words, her gratitude for the man's kindness shattering the silence that reigned in this place. True only he could hear it, but it had been enough.

As she leaned into his embrace, Jayson held her tight as he looked around and caught a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower. Here he was in Paris with a woman in his arms, something he had never expected to do, and despite the gray sadness that surrounded them the OPS officer of the ANUBIS had actually managed to feel a hint of happiness.

"Location four," Angelo announced as the ATV came to a stop. In the middle of what would have been a small park several piles of dust where trees would have been found stood a fountain, but instead of water resting in the main basin only more dust could be found. Had it be the remains of the fish that had called this place home or had it been the wind that had brought these ashes here? Either way the fountain now stood as a lonely dark monument of death, displaying its legacy without opposition to those who had come the breach the darkness that had taken hold of this city.

"Alright you two, you know the routine by now. Let's go," Sheila said as she tapped Jayson on the shoulder. Yes, this had been Paris, but their mission had not been one meant for would-be lovers.

"Make sure to include the fountain in the scan perimeter," Angelo added as he and Ya'Han began the setup of the scanner.

"I know it's not my fault," Sofia whispered as she placed one of the echo sensor rods down, "but it's hard not to feel responsible when you see this," she said pointing to a pile of clothes. Although covered with dust Jayson had been able to make out the distinguishing features on the garments, identifying them as having once belonged to a little boy and girl, likely siblings playing by the fountain while their mother watched from one of the benches by the fountain.

Once again Jayson welcomed the woman in his arms, the stress of dealing with this having once more been too much for Sofia to handle by herself. Maybe it would have been better if they had not come here, but he knew that confronting one's demons had been the best way to defeating them. Pain was part of the healing process, and that too he knew first hand.

"Stay here," Jayson offered as he went to place the remaining echo sensors before Angelo made another comment about having to stay on schedule. Sofia seemed happy to comply, this giving her time to gather her thoughts and emotions.

When the last of the rods had been set, Jayson went to turn to face the supervisor just as a gust of wind swept through the park. Without trees or anything else offering some sort of barrier, a wall of dust was lifted to come crashing down on the survey team. For several seconds no one could see anything, the dust blinding them completely and making it impossible for any of them to locate the others.

"Stay put and don't move," Angelo told everyone. "This won't last long."

"At least we hope it won't," Sheila added, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

When the flash dust storm finally died down, Jayson smiled and nodded to the supervisor before turning to make sure the others had been well. Ya'Han gave no impression that this had bothered her in the least, not that the OPS officer had expected it would. As the Chief of Security, she had proven time and time again that she could manage some of the worst possible situations without flinching. Sheila also appeared alright, although a little troubled by the amount of dust that had landed on her HAZMAT suit. That was when he noticed that Sofia had not been where he had seen her last.

"SOFIA!" Jayson called out as he rushed to where he had left her standing. Quickly he let out a sigh of relief when he found her down on her knees, trying her best to find some protection from the storm that had come and gone. "It's over," he said as he helped her back onto her feet.

"Over 2500 rads and no surprises, no biological matter," Angelo said as he read the data being displayed by the scanner. "Bring it in, we still have more stations to set."

"On our way," Jayson acknowledged as he held the trembling woman in his arms.

"Don't leave me alone again," the blonde woman whispered through tears, "please."

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End of excerpt
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Her body still shook like a leaf. The dust storm had not been dangerous in the least, but the psychological impact on Sofia had been beyond measurable. For a moment she had believed that the souls of those who had perished had come to seek revenge. It was beyond her understanding as to how she had managed to go through the storm which weeping like a little child.

Having returned to the ATV Sofia once again sought comfort in the arms of her savior, a man who had given her more strength than she had ever thought possible. He and his companion had not judged the blonde woman for her involvement with the Neo-Essentialist, and both of them had even gone as far as to help her in her efforts to make amends. Would they ever know how grateful she was? Would she ever be able to find a way to properly show them how much they had helped her?

"Location five," Angelo said as he pointed to a small building set in what Sofia believed had been some sort of green space. The hill where the building sat had likely been a luscious green with multicolor flowers enhancing the grounds, but not the structure sat on top of a mound of dust.

"Yes, yes we know," Jayson teased to Sheila as he jumped out of the ATV and offered his hand to help Sofia disembark. Another stop, another scanner station, and another wave of guilt came to trouble the blonde haired woman. Luckily, this location had not been like the others, set much further from the normally travelled path meaning that there had been very few set of clothing to indicate the last place someone had been when the attack occurred.

As little as it may have been, Sofia had been grateful for this change which allowed her to focus more on the task at hand rather than the death that was ever present in every corner of the city.

"We need to set the main scanner as close to the building as possible," Angelo explained. "Spread the echo sensors at the bottom of the hill, this will give us a good sample of the radiation seepage into he ground."

Normally, Jayson and Sofia would have each gone their own way to set up two rods each, but this time Jayson had made sure to follow the woman following her request not to be left alone. The man had truly been a gentleman and her savior. Once the fourth rod was placed and tested by Sheila, the signal was given to Angelo who repeated the exact same process he had done four times before. When he failed to call out his report, the ATV driver moved up the hill to see if something was wrong.

"What's going on?"

"Must be something wrong with the main scanner," Angelo replied. "I'm reading less than 1000 rad at this location."

"That's impossible," Sheila huffed.

"What is impossible?" Jayson asked, "that the radiation is less than half what it is everywhere else of that the equipment might be malfunctioning?"

"Both actually. I tested the equipment before we left and everything was working perfectly," the radiation tech explained. "The self diagnostic system is showing that the unit is working fine, so i don't get it."

"Could there be something in the ground that is doing this?" Sofia asked, not at all being an expert in such matters although she did now understand all too well what Thalaron radiation could do to living tissue.

"There is nothing that can explain this," Sheila huffed in frustration. "There might be some fluctuation in the level of radiation picked up by the scanner, but not at this level. The discrepancy is just too large to be any sort of natural phenomenon."

"Well, we have a bigger mystery," Ya'Han said as she studied the data readout of the main scanner. "The level of rads is actually dropping, slowly mind you but dropping nonetheless."

"Something is *absorbing* the radiation?" Angelo questioned out of pure confusion knowing that there had been nothing capable of doing this.

"What's in the building?" Jayson asked trying to find some sort of answer to explain what they had all witnessed.

"According to the map of the city, this is nothing more than an access to the underground water treatment facility," the supervisor replied still unable to even begin to understand what was happening.

"Maybe we should call this in and have a better equipped team come and investigate this," Ya'Han suggested, her training as a Starfleet Officer quickly taking over.

"Even at 1000 rads, our transmitter would never be able to get through the interference, plus no one is listening. We are expected to just set up the scanning stations and return to the triage center," Angelo explained.

"So let's go," Sofia urgently suggested. "All we need to do is set up the last station and head back, once there we can report our findings and someone else can come here to see what is causing the drop in radiation."

"I agree," Sheila added without hesitation.

"I do have orders to check out anything that would be unexpected," Angelo pointed out sigh a slight sigh, "and I do believe that this fits the bill."

Jayson and Ya'Han glanced at each other for a brief moment, neither one of them having been trained or the type to walk away from such a mystery. Their answer came in the form of a smile before addressing the survey mission leader. "We're in."

"Please Jayson, I'm scared," Sofia admitted as she took hold of the man's arm.

"Nothing is going to happen," Jayson reassured. "We'll just go inside the building and see if we can find some explanation as to why the Thalaron radiation is lesser here than anywhere else. We'll be in and out in just a few minutes."

"You and Sheila can stay here while we three go down and check things out," Ya'Han suggested knowing all too well that both women would refuse the offer before she had finished the sentence.

"Let's go then," Sheila reluctantly said as she made her way to the only access to the building's inside. "The sooner we get in, the faster we'll get out."

"Jayson," Sofia pleaded one last time.

"Nothing is going to happen," the OPS Officer confirmed with a smile. "I promise you that you will be safe."

"I'll take point," Ya'Han announced as she kicked in the locked door granting the survey team access to the building and hopefully answer to the mystery they had discovered.

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NRPG:

And there you have it Jayson, the link has been made, well at least for starters. We just have to find a way to get down to the secret lab and discover the cause of this drop in Thalaron radiation.

I would like to thank both Jayson and Hanali who have been awesome partners in this so far. I know that I have been a pest but you two make it so easy to want to write more and more about this. I just love the way this is developing and the fact that we will soon be dragging more people into this lovely little mess.

Jerome, first, I haven't been called a doll in ages, so thank you ;-) Second, I was thinking that maybe in the end the bio-crystalline life form could be used as a way to help bring Paris out of the Thalaron radiation hell it was plunged into.

Jessica, your last post was brilliant. The way the scene was set up was worthy of the best sci-fi / horror genre. It gave me a lot of ideas and drove me to write right away to take full advantage of the setup you created.

Everyone, keep up the award winning writing and stay tuned, this little journey is far from over.

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Tiffany Reeve

Ensign Sofia Andersson