Deliverance
Posted on Tue Oct 1st, 2024 @ 6:52pm by Commodore Tyler Malbrooke & Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen & Lieutenant Narin Valen & Lieutenant Junior Grade Daris Wren & Lieutenant Junior Grade Jordan Spencer & Captain Edmund Merrick & Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr & Captain Rowena Mazumdar & Lieutenant Commander Katherine Malbrooke & Lieutenant Mira Jayna & Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhara Rynn
Edited on on Wed Oct 2nd, 2024 @ 5:41pm
0 words; about a 1 minute read
Mission:
Episode 15 - The Evil That Lies Beneath
Location: Sick Bay - Deck 5 - USS Pioneer
Timeline: MD008 - 0645 hours
Tyler Malbrooke and Rowena McGowen's bio beds were side by side. The two officers seemed so serene that they may have been dead. There was a hustle of medical staff moving about as Sick Bay was made ready for what was to come. The goal here was to restore both of these people to their normal selves. However, no one at the moment knew how that would be done. Non essential personnel were removed from Sick Bay. If the worst happened the crew would be told when the time was right.
Kat walked in and immediately noticed Tyler and Rowena. She put a hand on her distended belly, unsure how to feel. She knew, now, that it wasn't Tyler who said those hurtful things and left their quarters, but she still wondered if a part of him, deep inside, meant them. At the same time, she loved him and wanted to be there for him and with him, whatever happened next. She slowly moved closer to the biobeds, careful to stay out of the way.
Lachlan had noticed Kat come in. She looked concerned and understandably so. This ordeal had been challenging and draining on him and he wasn't growing a life inside himself.
Moving closer to her he placed a hand on her shoulder. "How are you holding up?" he asked as he recalled Tyler punching him on the bridge. A thought quickly shook from his mind.
"Stressed." She put a hand on her large belly. "I know it's not good for the baby, but it's hard not to be." She looked over at Lachlan with a grateful smile. "How are you doing? You've had to deal with more than I have." Although she hadn't been able to sleep or eat much since Tyler left their quarters, she didn't have to face her husband--or whoever was now in control of her husband--and take command of the ship.
The door to medical swooshed open and Edmund stepped inside, his steps rather hurried. He glanced at those already there, a furrow upon his brow. "This has got to work." then looked at the quiet figures of Tyler as well as Rowena. A soft glance towards Rowena as well as a bit of worry was there as well. He glanced at Kat, "I have hope we will get them back. We must have them back." Merrick sort of fumbling at any sort of words of comfort.
Kat nodded, understanding what he meant. Her biggest worry was that her husband was growing frustrated with her and her pregnancy before he was possessed by the entity.
"Understandable, Kat." Lachlan nodded. "I think anyone would find this stressful but you even more so with your personal attachment to Tyler." Lachlan understood all too well the attachment that sometime came with the job, sometimes you just like people more, have similar traits, but he'd never been in love with someone in the way Kat and Tyler were. That compounded the feelings of anxiety, of worry and stress.
Jordan Spencer slipped in quietly, his eyes scanning the room before settling on Tyler and Rowena. "Well, isn't this a party," he quipped, his tone professional but with a characteristic edge of snark. He approached Kat and Lachlan, giving a nod to each.
"As for me?" he grinned a tired grin. You could see the bags under his eyes but still his baby blues flashed in the light of sickbay. "Water off a ducks back. Can do nothing but take this in my stride, there is no other option." he knew that to be all too true. "We'll get rid of whatever is causing this and bring our people home." he said with conviction.
"I'm glad you were able to step in with Neil gone and Tyler...compromised. You and the others have handled this well. Thank you." She looked at Tyler again. "I hear something like this happened once before."
"Are you speaking in regards as to being possessed by another entity?" Merrick quietly asked. "Hopefully not Tyler, but I do recall something happening to some of the crew on the Enterprise."
Kat shook her head. "No. Rowena's former ship. Something like this happened there. Jayna told me about it."
It clicked in Edmund's mind. That was what Kat was talking about. Edmund internally huffed, his mind was probably still trying to cope with what had happened, and instead gone to an earlier happening on the Enterprise, instead of the here and now. "Right" he uttered quietly. Edmund shifted his weight to adjust his stance, he could feel himself be a bit on edge and at the ready, even if both Tyler and Rowena were sedated.
"I will be glad when the two of them are back to themselves." Edmund added.
Jayna wasn't sure if she should be here or not, but she wanted to see how the paranormal team removed the entities and she wanted to see the captain and Rowena restored to themselves. To her, it was a way of putting an end to the nightmare they'd all been through. She stood, out of the way, where she could watch the proceedings and the reactions of the others.
Wren trailed behind the group as he finished securing the shuttle and seeing that repair crews started to clean up the mess of their re-entry.
"How is he?", the Trill asked as he strode across Sickbay to join the others. He stopped at the site of Malbrooke and McGowen on the biobeds, the Commodore's wife standing beside the acting captain.
When Wren had arrived, Edmund gave a nod of greeting towards the Trill.
Zhara quietly slipped in. She'd left Sophia in her office as she knew there would be a lot of people wanting to watch the proceedings, and she was right, based on those who had already arrived.
She saw Jayna and went over to stand by her. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing?"
Jayna shook her head. "Better, now that we're finally getting somewhere."
"Yes, I can imagine. Come talk to me later." Then she turned to look at the captain and Rowena. "I want to see how this goes."
"So do I." Jayna, too, had turned her focus back to the two on the biobeds. Recent events had brought back some of her nightmares, but if this went well, she was hopeful they would soon come to an end.
"Alright, everyone, let’s give these two some breathing room. I don’t want a crowd getting in the way of my work," Spencer quipped, moving with brisk efficiency toward the biobeds.
He glanced at Jayna and Zhara. "Hope is good, but right now, let's focus on what's in front of us. Commodore, you look like hell," he said, more out of habit than genuine observation, with sarcasm in his voice. "Let's get you back to feeling like your charming self, shall we?"
Jordan quickly assessed Tyler's vitals, his hands moving with practiced precision. "Vitals are stable for now. Let's just keep it that way," he muttered, his tone professional yet laced with his usual sarcasm. "No sudden heroics, just good old-fashioned medical know-how."
Zhara watched Jordan for a minute, then went over to stand beside Kat and give her emotional support.
Jordan glanced up from his console, acknowledging Zhara's presence with a nod. "Oh, this should be fun," he muttered with a touch of sarcasm, his fingers moving swiftly over the controls to initiate a deep medical scan of Tyler and Rowena.
"Can someone call the ghostbusters down here?" the doctor replied as e looked at the information before him. He sighed as he shook his head.
Mazumdar walked in as she heard him talk. "Captain Rowena Mazumdar, Paranormal Unit, you must be Doctor Spencer, Lieutenant. You'd be happy to know 'the ghostbusters', as you call us, have arrived. Well, one of you will have to do it with me I am afraid."
Zhara couldn't help smiling at the timing of her entrance. What was that Terran phrase? As you wish...?
The arrival of the captain caught Jayna's attention. Still keeping out of the way, she moved into a position where she could better watch what the woman did to remove the entity--or entities--from Rowena and the commodore. Then she glanced at Master Sergeant Barr as he was in charge.
"Captain Mazumdar, for those who are wanting to know, just how will this situation be resolved? You had said there won't be an exorcism. And the sort of assistance you will be needing, what do you need?" Edmund shifting his stance, hoping that the solution will be revealed.
"Yes, Captain Mazumdar informed me of the process earlier." Lachlan looked over at the captain as he reiterated Merrick's first statement. "I'll let you explain again as you are the expert on the matter. If you need assistance then you can use Doctor Spencer, or myself." he added feeling he had to take charge and get things moving.
Jordan raised an eyebrow as Captain Mazumdar made her entrance, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Well, I guess if we're going to play ghostbusters, I might as well be Bill Murray," he quipped, glancing at the captain. "So, Captain, what's the plan? Are we going to wave a magic wand, or should I start playing the Ghostbusters theme song to set the mood?"
Mazumdar looked to the doctor and said without phasing. "If you feel you can work when the mood has been set, then by all means, please do. Now if you seriously want to work on your captain and second officer, you go check their levels. There must be something that jumps out to you. These creatures feed off emotions. And I am guessing both my god child and your captain are probably showing signs of and overwhelming use of a particular emotion. I think you can figure out the rest, don't you doctor, you're smart enough. I can't be doing everything for you, now can I?"
Jordan let out a short, amused chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "Well, Captain, you make a compelling argument. I’ll hold off on the soundtrack for now and focus on playing 'find the emotional parasite' instead," he said, his voice still laced with sarcasm.
With a slight smirk, he moved over to the console, pulling up the scans of the captain and second officer. "Let’s see what we’re dealing with. Emotions off the charts? Overactive brain chemicals? Oh, joy. Nothing like a little neurochemical treasure hunt to brighten my day."
He glanced back at Mazumdar. "Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll do my part. Just make sure you’re ready to bust some ghosts when I hand over the data."
Wren watched the exchange, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What exactly are these things inside them?" he asked of Mazumdar.
Jayna knew exactly what Mazumdar was talking about. She'd felt it in the underwater facility. It was fear. They didn't need this woman to tell them that. What they needed was for her to do her hocus pocus or step aside and let the doctor and scientists take care of removing and containing the entity or entities.
Jordan sighed, hands hovering over the console as he reviewed the medical data. "Well, Wren," he started, his tone dry, "what we’ve got here are two freeloading emotion vampires from astral space. One feeds on vengeance, the other on fear. You know, standard Tuesday in Sickbay." He shot a glance at Mazumdar. "Apparently, Rowena’s got Maleficus hanging out in her brain because her parents did a little extracurricular experimenting, and now the thing’s out for payback."
He swiped through the scans, pausing at the serotonin levels on Tyler's chart. "And speaking of freeloaders, Tyler's thyroid is producing an overabundance of oestrogen. So, he’s feeling a little... extra anxious. Serotonin’s the key for him. Induce a state of pronoia." He flicked a few more buttons on the console and then glanced at Wren again. "So, fear and vengeance. Emotions get these things all jacked up and powerful, but hey, no pressure. We just need to find a way to suppress their little emotional buffet."
Turning to Mazumdar, he raised an eyebrow. "Captain, if you’ve got a mystical solution for this—or if we should just juice up Rowena’s pleasure center with some dopamine and kick Maleficus out—now’s the time." His voice had a mocking edge, but underneath, he was already piecing together the next steps.
That made far more sense to Zhara. She didn't discount what the visitor said, or her credentials, but the doctor's words made perfect sense and they were backed by science.
Mazumdar grinned at the words the doctor said. "Well, Doctor, you really paid attention. Actually her parents did some things, So Malificus is out for revenge. The paranormal unit has been playing with forces beyond their own comprehension up until now. Please doctor, continue, I think we all have suffered enough, especially Rowena and the Commodore. It's time to end this."
But would this end it? Kat had been quietly watching the proceedings. She wanted her husband back, but she also wanted to be sure these creatures were sent to their own dimension, or were somehow kept from finding someone else to inhabit. How could they be sure it was truly over if they were simply kicked out of Ty and Rowena? Would they leave the ship to find new victims? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This woman was supposed to be an expert. She'd have to trust her. And the doctor.
Jordan’s lips curled into a sardonic smile as Mazumdar spoke. "Ah, so not only do we have vengeful astral squatters, but it turns out their beef is personal. Makes it all the more charming."
He glanced at Kat, noticing her quiet tension. "Don’t worry," he said, voice more measured now. "We’re not just evicting these freeloaders. We’ll make sure they can’t come back for a second round, and if they try? Well, let’s just say I’ll have the deflector dish primed to send them back to whatever emotional buffet they crawled out of."
Kat didn't realize she'd been so transparent with her thoughts. She nodded her thanks and visibly relaxed.
Jordan turned back to the biobeds, his fingers already working through the commands to begin the deeper scans. "First things first, let’s flood Rowena’s pleasure centers with dopamine. That should coax Maleficus out. It won’t be pretty, but we’re in Sickbay—not a day spa."
A few more taps on the console, and he pulled up Tyler’s hormonal levels. "As for the Commodore, we’ve got to lower that oestrogen before he spirals into a full-blown case of paranoia. I’ll adjust his serotonin to stabilize the anxiety, and with any luck, we’ll be pulling both of them out of this mess."
He shot a sideways glance at Mazumdar. "And once we’ve dealt with their little tantrum, you can handle sending these beings back to their astral sandbox. Sound like a plan, Captain?"
Edmund felt way out of his depth here, glancing towards all those involved in getting the entities out of Tyler and Rowena, all he could do was just offer a silent plea to the stars and be there, maybe as a sort of support. He wanted his friend Tyler and Rowena to come out from being possessed and start on the path of healing. He swallowed hard, clenching and unclenching his fists.
During the past days Tyler was trapped in his own head. The images that he saw mentally were that of a drawn out fight, very often with the demon looking being taking the upper hand. However, something had just changed, something caught the being's attention. Tyler capitalized upon the distraction. "Get out!!!!!" He screamed mentally at the thing.
Zhara was an empath, which sometimes helped her in her work. She was used to picking up emotions from those she counseled--but now she felt something odd. A strong wave of emotion. She closed her eyes for a moment to locate it. She looked at the two officers on the biobeds. Was the captain trying to assert control over the entity? Then she heard the mental shout. She grabbed on to that tenuous connection and sent a flood of positive energy to the captain. She didn't know if it would do any good, but she needed to do something. And perhaps there would e others in the room who felt the same thing and could add their own help.
Edmund noticed the intense attention that Zhara had where Tyler was concerned, his eyes being drawn back to his friend's face. Urging him quietly "C'mon Tyler come back to us, we need you back. Fight, Fight! You can't let that demon stay inside!"
Kat added her encouragement to the others. "You can do this, Cowboy. We need you."
Tyler had been gaining headway against this, whatever it was. This had been the longest fight that Tyler ever had, and probably the one with the most at stake. He could feel himself again, as he gained the upper hand in the fight. Images of his career, his friends, his crew, his family and most of all his beloved Kat filled his inner eye. He could hear the voice of his wife and Lieutenant Rynn and the rest of his crew asking him to return to them. It was the sound of those voices that completed his return.
Tyler Malbrooke's eye fluttered open as he returned to the world, to himself. The first thing he noticed was a sickening green mixture of light and energy above him. There was a blood red mixture of light and energy above Rowena. In a flash of blue, silver light both of the mists were gone. He moved his head to the left and right and saw Kat standing next to his bed with Rowena lying in the bed beyond. To his right Dr Spencer stood and watched. "Attention on deck..." Tyler said with his usual tone of sarcasm with a smirk on his face. What was hidden beneath that was the knowledge of what he had done while it was in control, those he had hurt. There would be a lot of work to correct all of it. But, for now he was back with his beloved next to him.
Something caught his eye, Edmund letting out a gasp when he saw the green cloud rise up from Tyler. His eyes widening and in the corner of his eye he caught the red cloud coming from Rowena!
When he heard Tyler's voice Edmund grinned with a relieved smile, "Welcome back Tyler, welcome back"
Kat couldn't help herself. She cried. Her joy, relief, and pregnancy were more than her emotions could handle. But right now, she didn't care. Her cowboy was back.
Mazumdar stood next to Rowena's bed and looked at her. Rowena opened her eyes and looked into the eyes of her godmother. She swallowed as every single memory of the past days sunk in. She closed her eyes and turned away. Mazumdar nodded and just put a hand on Rowena's shoulder. Mazumdar understood the psychiatric tumult she was going through as everything Malificus had done in her body, she remembered everything as if she did them herself. She would need a lot of counseling to get through this.
A Joint Post By
Commodore Tyler Malbrooke
Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Rowena McGowen
Chief Intelligence Officer/Second Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Narin Valen
Assistant Chief Science Officer, USS Pioneer
Ensign Daris Wren
Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Jordan Spencer
Assistant Chief Medical Officer, USS Pioneer
Captain Edmund Merrick
Executive Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Major Lachlan Barr
Chief of The Boat, USS Pioneer
First Sergeant, The Cure
Lieutenant Commander Katherine Malbrooke
Operational Advisor, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Zhara Rynn
Counselor, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Junior Grade Mira Jayna
Assistant Chief Intelligence Officer, USS Pioneer
Intelligence Liaison, The Cure
Captain Rowena Mazumdar
Director, Starfleet Paranormal Unit
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