Posted by Lieutenant Patrick ‘Paddy’ McMillan (CNS) in A spooky evening - Haunted House

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Bethany Kovra Gadi (Chief of Security) in A spooky evening - Haunted House

Posted by Lieutenant Patrick ‘Paddy’ McMillan (CNS) in A spooky evening - Haunted House
Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻

“And may I say Commander that you make a fine example of Artemis. Also, I wasn’t aware that this program came with a haunted house? Anyone fancy joining me for a trip to the Dark Side?” He tried to sound as ominous as possible, but felt he just sounded like an idiot.

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethy made a strange little gesture that seemed very formal. It was actually a ancient Greek gesture of respect. “Why thank you, Paddy.” She glanced around to make sure the gold stag was still operating correctly and interacting with the XO’s daughter. “Apparently it’s in the barn. I’m game. But incase we don’t make it back, I’m swiping some candy first.”. Bethy did indeed swipe a handful of candy. Where she hid it was anyone’s guess. She also grabbed a bottle of water from the bar and downed it rather quickly. She looked at Paddy, “Anyone else going?”

Gadi, CoS

“Looks like a two person away team for now. Shall we?” Paddy gestured ahead of him and made sure to swipe a handful of candy and a root beer for himself.

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethany winked with a smirk, “Those are the best kind.” Bethy grabbed another water, downing it along the way. Were the environmental settings off? When Paddy caught up to her, “Don’t eat all that candy, we might need to bribe the goblins and ghouls inside.” They walked through the barn doors and then....they shut quickly and loudly behind them with the slithering sound of a bar being slid into place. Engulfing them in darkness.

Gadi, CoS

“Jaysus,” Paddy exclaimed, feeling around for a second before feeling something against one of the wooden beams in the barn, “You still with me Bethy?”

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethy’s soft laughter carried across to him. “I’m still here, Paddy,” her hand closed around his arm just below his elbow. “Close your eyes and then open them slowly. The total darkness behind your lids will allow your pupils to dilate and then pick up the faint ambient light when you open them.” There wasn’t much to see, the light was faint and far off, just enough to stop them from seriously hurting themselves. The something against the wooden beam was sticky. Bethy heard a slight irregular thump/tap sound above her and to the left. Her voice dropped to a stage whisper, this was fun. “I don’t think we’re alone in here.”

Gadi, CoS

Paddy grinned and shut his eyes, “My Chief in shining armor.” He took a deep breath and opened his adjusted eyes. He took a slight glance off to the left and felt his body go tight for a second. A handful of smallest finger sized spiders were gathering on the wall. Paddy grinned, “Well played Captain,” he muttered.

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

“Shinny armor is too hard to move in, but we might be able to come up with something later,” her voice was light hearted. She felt the sudden stillness in him where her hand was on his arm and she turned her head and shuddered. “Cap better be glad that’s a hologram or I’d burn this place to the ground.” Bethany could deal with it, but she really hated anything that creepy-crawly. The instinct was to move away from the gathering of spiders and a quick glance to the right showed a very sticky web. “Let’s go this way.” Bethy started walking forward careful not to stumble over anything. The thump/tap sound got faster and closer the further into the barn they went. And then the floor opened up and they were sliding down a very long chute.

Gadi, CoS

Paddy felt his weight shift onto his back as he landed on his rear and began sliding down the chute, “I’ve got you Bethy!” He called out ovver the din of the sliding chute. At that exaact moment, McMillan made a point of grabbing Gadi’s hand and holding it, not thinking about the personal implications.

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethy’s laughter echoed around the pitch black space as they hurdled down. She grinned in the dark as he grabbed her hand and she squeezed it reassuringly. Then they were falling, but only a couple of feet into something that gave under their weight as they landed and bounced. Almost like a trampoline. Running her free hand over the surface of whatever it was that had caught them told her it was a fine, closely, weaved net. Then a green glow, reminiscent of light on a Borg cube, lit up below them and she glanced through the net. “Umm…Paddy, you aren’t afraid of heights are you?”

Gadi, CoS

“No?” Paddy’s reply came out at a higher pitch than he had expected, forcing him to cough awkwardly, “No. I think we need to go this way,” He pushed his way through the net, keeping a slightly looser hold on Bethy’s hand. The corridor in front of them resembled that of a standard recon Cube, except there was one thing slightly off about the whole set up, the regeneration alcoves were mostly empty, barring two in the centre of the chamber....

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethany glared around at the cube. Her mentor would lose her mind in this thing. Well…it was a hologram, so probably not. And that was the thing, this was a holodeck. There was truly nothing dangerous here. She stood up following Paddy across the net, aware he still had ahold of her hand, though loosely. She supposed she opened herself up for that, coming into a haunted house, just the two of them. She grinned ruefully as the walked. “Ye know those two in the middle....are a bit obvious.” Her voice was hushed, but close in the Erie green darkness. “So far we have Nyctophobia (fear of the dark), basophobia (fear of falling), Arachnophobia (fear of spiders), Teraphobia (fear of monsters), and Acrophobia (fear of heights). What do you think is next?” As they moved there was a hum of electrical equipment and then the whirring buzz of gadgets powering up and the heavy think of heavily booted cybernetic feet - behind them, and humanoid shapes beginning to move from the center alcoves. “Normally they would ignore us. Think we get that lucky?”

Gadi, CoS

“Somehow I don’t think so.” Paddy went to draw his phaser, but noticed something vaguely familiar about one of the drones coming towards the two officers. He was a young looking male man who, it seemed, had only been recently assimilated. The other drone, a woman with Trill markings on the flesh coloured side of her face, had a sort of pained look on her face. “Well.. that’s unexpected.”

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethy noticed his hand move to draw a phaser. The man was a counselor! “Umm Paddy, did you really bring a phaser to a Halloween party on the holodeck?” She laughed, “and people say I’m paranoid.” She watched the two drones, it was a holodeck after all, they wouldn’t be too much threat. While Paddy was looking at the two in front Bethany had glanced behind them....oh lovely…zombies, old fashioned dead ones behind them, and cybernetic ones in front of them. “What’s unexpected?”

Gadi, CoS

“You always need to be prepared I suppsose,” Paddy chuckled awkwardly, then added in response to her question, “Can’t you see? It’s us..”

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethy turned giving the drones a good look. “Huh, Trill spots? Haven’t tried that one before. Not a bad look. Take forever to get them all tattooed.” The drones slowly strode toward them, and while they had been talking the zombies had come up behind them and one grabbed Bethy by the shoulder. She turned her head to look, “Eww… you’re dropping skin everywhere dude.” She grabbed the hand, which promptly fell off, triggering an angry moan/yell from the thing. Bethy looked at Paddy. “Zombies are a little over done, don’t you think?” Glancing around, “I think we’re supposed to be running away.” She chuckled and pointed and made a dash for a side passage that brought them dangerously close to their Borg selves.

A wall slammed down behind them with resounding finality. In the pitch black again, Bethy stepped forward onto a suddenly sticky slick floor, slipped, fell, landed on her backside, hands covered in the substance with a sickly metallic odor wafting towards her. The lights flickered on and Bethy closed her eyes to the bloody gore and disembowelment.

Gadi, CoS

The wall pushed Paddy forward a few inches as it closed behind them, causing him to slip and fall face first into the pool of blood they were standing beneath. As he looked up above them from the floor, he noted several open pipes at equidistant intervals in the room, “Oh for the love of-” Sure enough, red liquid started to fill the room from the six pipes around them.

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethany made the mistake of inhaling through her nose and noticeably had to swallow back the bile in her throat. The rancid metallic odor was all too accurate. Scrabbling and sliding she pushed to her feet and reached down for Paddy’s hand to help him up. She looked around for a door, a ladder, a hatch, a different horror that was better than this one. Bethany began slogging across the room, to an area that looked like it might be a bit higher than where they were. As she moved she steadfastly ignored the disembodied things floating around in the red mire.

Gadi, GoS

Paddy flailed around in the blood for a few seconds, sloshing more and more blood to the other side of the pool. Why is it I can never remember anything about my swimming lessons when I need to? The room was now filled up to about five feet with crimson red liquid, “I hope you can swim Bethy?” He called out.

-Lieutenant Patrick McMillan: Counsellor-

Bethany reached out a hand and pulled up to the higher elevation. “I can, but I am not swimming in that, Paddy.” Did she sound strained or breathless? Maybe from slogging through the bloody much or maybe it was something else. “Haunted houses are meant to scare you and send you running. Stop you from seeing the obvious way out. Frighten but not harm.” She looked around, trying to ignore the lapping of the sickening liquid, she turned slowly. “Ha! There!” She pointed to a spot about 10 feet off the ground, a door, with a ladder going to it. Grabbing Paddy’s hand and swallowing the bike in her throat she wadded back into the grotesque mire. Teaching the ladder she began to climb.

A klaxon began to blare and the sound of a giant plug being pulled was heard. “Hurry up Paddy!” The mire begin to drain…faster and faster creating a whirlpool. Making the landing, Bethy opened the door, that was too easy and walked through.

Gadi, CoS