Tagged To: :AREA: Emergency Exhaust Tunnel 1A GENSTAT number: N/A Date Assigned: 1/1/2356 Monitoring Period: INDEFINITE.
Date: 10/17/2358 Time: 02:32 LOCATION - EXHAUST TUNNEL 1A - PORTAL 50
Machinary engages. The thick steel hatch embedded in the roof of the tunnel swings downward. Bright light pierces stale air. Emergency lights engage down the length of tunnel 1A. Tunnel 1A is three meters in circumference and has been cut from the rough rock of Genesis.
Ravan Ituru climbs down the rungs of a ladder that is rivited to the rock wall.
VISUAL SCAN - Subject is wearing a regulation maintenance khaki jumpsuit, a tool landen utility belt, black simulated leather work boots and canvas work gloves. He is also wearing a type III locater (auto headset) and carries a Mark V engineering tricorder. EM SCAN - Is not possible, due to the location. There are no scanners in this area.
Ravan is a dark, good looking young man of medium build and eastern Indian descent. He reaches the base of the ladder and punches in some instructions into the tricorder. He holds the black box in front of him and begins to scan the area. He speaks to his AI through his headset. RAVAN Harry? Are you there? HARRY I am present, Ravan, although blind due to your present location. No scanners are installed in this area. RAVAN Yeah, yeah, I know. Another reason why I love this detail. Ravan wrinkles his nose. RAVAN Yuk! What is that smell!? HARRY I'm afraid that's a sense I'm not familiar with. RAVAN Are you picking up my tricorder scans? HARRY Yes. For now, although I fear if you get too far from the entrance you are standing beneath the E.M. transmission from your tricorder will break up. RAVAN I'm sure it will. Will I lose you too? HARRY It depends on how far away from the portal you get. RAVAN How far away is the exhaust port from my present location. HARRY One kilometer towards the aft section of the ship. RAVAN That's where I'm headed. HARRY I'm afraid we may lose contact at 900 meters. RAVAN Wonderful. Another reason I love this detail. Ravan begins his track down the tunnel towards the aft end of the ship. HARRY Although it may not seem evident your's is a very important task, Ravan. RAVAN Yeah. Right. That's why they give it to the low man on the totem pole. HARRY A visual inspection of all exhaust ports is required yearly in order to remain within the proper safty parameters. Imagine if an emergency flushout were required on one of the main reactors and the portal malfuntioned? RAVAN I don't know why they don't just stick a remote monitor down here. HARRY That's a very good suggestion, Ravan. I'll forward it to Mr. Sing. RAVAN Far in... you do that. Some of the emergency lights flicker on the side of the tunnel. Some of the lights are out all together. RAVAN Harry make a note that about ten percent of the emergency lights need to be replaced. HARRY Noted. There is a scrapping sound behind Ravan. He spins. Ravan attempts to peer through the gloom of the faltering lights behind him. Nothing is evident. HARRY Is something wrong, Ravan? RAVAN Rats! There are rats down here! Another reason I love this detail. HARRY Would you like me to cut a work order to animal control. RAVAN Please. Rats. I hate rats. HARRY They are a rather stalwart species and quite intellegent also. The mere fact that they are able to travel the galaxy without the consent of their transporters is a testament to their abilities as stowaways. RAVAN I hate rats. Ravan resumes his trek down the tunnel. After a few hundred meters he begins to gag. HARRY What is wrong Ravan. I am becoming alarmed at that noises you are making. Ravan pulls a rag from a pocket and wraps it around his face covering his nose. RAVAN That smell is terrible! There must be a sewage leak down here. HARRY That would be very bad. If a reactor exhausted down here and there is an egress for sewage then we could have a radioactive backwash. RAVAN Let me verify it first. The lights go out. Ravan jumps. RAVAN Shit! HARRY What is it!? RAVAN All of the lights just went out. HARRY You have your personal illumination with you? Ravan fumbles through the contents of his utility belt in a search for his portable lighting. RAVAN Yeah, yeah. Hold on I'm getting it out now. Ravan finds his illumination headset and slips it on. Twin lights are are strapped to either temple. Ravan straps two more lights on to either forearm. RAVAN Much better. HARRY I've noted no power surges in the area. There seems to be a power loss at your end. RAVAN I'll check it out on the way back. Ravan resumes his trek. There are more scuffling sounds behind Ravan. He glances nervously back over his shoulder, but spies nothing. It is as quiet as a tomb. RAVAN Still there Harry? HARRY Still here, Ravan. RAVAN Far in! Ravan enters an opening in the tunnel. A small room about fiften meters in circumference has been carved out of the rock. A metal rail surrounds the outer perimeter of the room. A huge ten meter steel hatch centers the room. Ravan gags again. RAVAN My God! That smell is really powerful here. HARRY Ergen &KJdkgi wleki1@! lkafk Defensive alkd)&^. RAVAN Harry? HARRY Fishy*&^ limbo ..., ridwei DECOMPILE! RAVAN Harry! Ravan's headset has gone dead. RAVAN Harry! ... Harry!!!! What the hell is going on? Ravan scans the dark room. For the first time he notices a pile in the center of the room on the steel hatchway. Ravan slips under the rail and drops on to the metal hatch. He directs his light at the pile. At first glance it appears to be a discarded pile of rags. As Ravan gets closer his expression changes to one of horror. Four bodies lay slumped on the floor. The freshest body has been carelessly tossed on the top of the pile. That body wears the regulation jumpsuit of a maintenance worker. One dead eye glows under Ravan's light. RAVAN Koslosky! Oh shit! Oh shit!!!! Ravan spins and runs. He takes two steps and bounces off a mountain that is really a man. Ravan stumbles backward and looks up into the face of the two and a quarter meter giant before him. His light casts long shadows on a square jaw and dark evil eyes. A long black smile breaks from thin pale lips. MONSTER I am the watcher in the shadows. This is my home. You are uninvited. The monster points at the pile of bones. WATCHER As were these. Ravan begins to back up. The Watcher advances on Ravan. WATCHER We have waited a long time, me and mine before me. We are called early! Is it not wonderful? RAVAN I don't know what you're talking about. WATCHER Of course not. You are not chosen. Ravan stumbles over the dessicated leg of a corpse and falls into the pile of corpses. He screams in bloody terror as the watcher pounces on him. Ravan kicks out at his attacker. The Watcher snatches a bare white femur and snaps the end off. Ravan backs away in terror on all fours through the corpses. The Watcher smiles again and leaps. Ravan screams as the Watcher drives the bone through his heart. The Watcher holds Ravan as he squirms in agony and dies. WATCHER You were uninvited... Soon they will come. The Watcher exits back into the gloom from wence he came. LOCATION - ABOVE EXHAUST TUNNEL 1A - PORTAL 50 Machinary whirs and the metal hatch to portal 50 closes with a metallic bang. A monsterous hand punches some codes into electronic controls that are mounted on the rock wall. LOCATION - EXHAUST TUNNEL 1A - EXHAUST TUNNEL The emergency lights flicker back on. Ravan stares with dead eyes into the rock ceiling. Alarms BLARE. Red warning lights activate. The exhaust port explodes outward. LOCATION - EXTERIOR - BOTTOM OF GENSIS Ravan proceeds the rest of the corpses into the deep, black, cold of space. Back to the Glossary