Fear and Panic

Posted on Thursday, 10 September 2020 - 7:01am by Commander Soral & Lieutenant Alex Kingsley

Mission: Operation: Dreamweaver
Location: USS Standing Bear | XO Quarters | Deck -01
Timeline: 2393 - MD 03

{ON:}

Alex and her science team had been on the bridge all night scanning space. They had arrived late yesterday and Alex, to Soral's pride, had thrown herself into her work. He was now in their quarters attempting to sleep. He was failing. Nightmares licked at him left to right. This one, a particularly bad one, was of Alex being trapped and he couldn't move or get to her. His whole body was in pain. He tried to flail but only made things worse as if there were unseen bindings holding him. A hum in the background. He tried to call out. He screamed her name, "ALEXANDRA!!!"

Smothering a yawn as she approached their quarters, her head full of sensor readings and frustrations, Lieutenant Kingsley's plans for a bath and then lots of sleep disappeared in an instant. From the foot of the bed she could see Bones, whimpering and pawing at the bed sheets as the puppy tried to get to Soral who was shouting loud enough to wake the dead as he tossed and turned, repeating the same word over and over. Her name.

"It's alright Bones," she promised as she hurried to them, "computer, raise lights to one half. Soral?!"

She climbed on to her side of the bed to reach over and take his hand, "I'm here, Soral. You need to wake up. It's just a dream!"

His eyes snapped open and he gasped for breath. Quickly he scanned the room, his tactical brain firing. His eyes locked on her. "Alex..." He sat up pulling her into an embrace. "I couldn't get to you. I couldn't..."

"It was a bad dream, that's all," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, needing no bond to know how unsettled he was. And after what happened on Earth and the missing people they were looking for, it wasn't too unexpected for a dream find some creative ways to bring them together. "We are both okay, I promise."

Soral sighed. Her scent, her voice, it calmed him. His heart was still racing and oddly his body hurt just as it had in the dream. With Bones barking up a storm he reached down with one arm and lifted the pup who proceeded to bound up to them both jumping around and wagging his tail. For his part Soral still held onto Alex. "You are alright. You are here." He said it like a mantra.

"I am," she assured him. Allowing Bones to climb over her so he could curl up between them, Alex frowned, "it must have been some dream... do you want to talk about it? It might help?"

He sighed. "It is one that has plagued me for many nights. You are in trouble, hurt, I cannot get to you. Each time my body is sore in the dream...this is the first time it has been so upon awakening."

Her frown deepened, "I was going to say it may have been a nightmare based on what happened with Sara but... sore how? Are you hurt?"

"No of course not. Just my legs, and arms...and my side." He let out a sigh. "In the dream I am always bound on a laboratory table."

As he spoke she shifted so she could look for any visible signs of injury but thankfully found none. "Maybe the dream has some hidden meaning, like a fear or something. Perhaps you should speak to Lieutenant Vali?"

"No...it is fine." He sighed. "I should get read for bridge duty and you should rest." He said. He turned as he sat up a purple bruise became visible on his back.

"Soral stop!" Alex said quickly as he turned away from her. Shifting to the edge of the bed she frowned, "what did you do?"

"I did nothing. I sat up."

"Soral, you have a bruise - and quite a big one at that - on your back," she told him. "If you turn a little you'll see it in the mirror..."

He stood and walked to the mirror. She was right. "I...do not know what has happened." He paused. "The night before last I remember dreaming of a device that was there. I attempted to get to you but the device...it immobilized me."

Moving to his side she studied the bruise, "you should let Dr Rose scan you, just to be sure. For me. Please?"

He gave a nod. "I will." He stood with great effort. He turned and cupped her face. "My wife my pride in you knows no bounds. I hope you know this. I know I have been distant and it is not a reflection of you."

She simply nodded, not trusting her voice. Too tired to feign a false positivity she wore beyond these walls and often with them. “Go get checked out before you go on duty,” she said finally, “and let me know as soon as Doctor Rose has checked you out?”

"I have a short stay on the bridge and then I will see doctor Rose." He kissed her gently. "Tonight we will celebrate your promotion. I promise you this," a promise, he didn't know now, he'd break.

“Until tonight,” she agreed as she kissed him back.

He made an appointment to see doctor rose and after he changed and showered he headed to the bridge. The shift had been a quiet one, filled with sensor readings and the science team buzzing about. When he was relieved he headed to his office to check on a few tasks and then he was due to see doctor Rose.

After a long bath and a longer sleep than she had planned, Alex awoke with Bones licking the side of her face with his tail wagging and looking to play. “Okay crazy dog,” she grinned as she showed him away, “we can play until Soral gets home.”

About the time Soral was due home the chime to their quarters rang. Incessantly.

“Come in!”

Grol stepped inside. "My apologies for disturbing you but I must speak to the commander."

“He isn’t home yet,” Alex told him, clearly surprised he did not know that.

"That is impossible. I left him four hours ago, he'd fallen asleep on the sofa in his office. When I went to wake him for his appointment with doctor rose just an hour ago he was not there. I thought he'd left but then got a call from sickbay saying he did not show up and asking if he was on his way. I have searched the entire ship. He must be here."

“He fell asleep in his office? Soral?” Alex repeated. “I don’t know what is going on but he isn’t here. Computer, locate Commander Soral.”

The computer's voice came through loud and clear, "Lieutenant Commander Soral is not aboard the Standing Bear."

Grol gasped. "That's not possible."

Alex frowned. “Computer, are any of our shuttles or runabouts off the ship?”

"Negative." The soft non emotional voice came through. For his part Grol was starting to panic. XO's did not just disappear.

“Computer, search logs and confirm last known location of Commander Soral,” she instructed, trying to stay calm and focused. Yet she could feel her concern growing. His dream, the bruise, his vanishing act...

"Last known location Deck 01, XO office."

Grol jumped in. "Are any escape pods missing?"

"Negative."

Grol had just been about to say something when Bones lunged past him running down the hall towards Soral's office barking. Grol looked at Alex and then followed.

“Bones, no!” Alex called out as she set off after the puppy, she caught up to him just outside Soral’s office, scooping him up as the door opened. Soral was never one to lock his office when he was using it, and by all accounts (well Grol and the computer) he had been. Taking a deep breath she stepped inside.

Grol was just a step behind her. He noticed a few things that he hadn't the first time. There was a half drunk cup of tea on the table, data PaDDs scattered on the table and something caught his eye. He walked over to the sofa and from behind it he pulled what looked like a small bit of clothing but turned out to be Soral's uniform shirt. He turned it over and gasped. "Lieutenant!"

“What is it?” Alex asked as she turned towards him, her voice an octave too high and betraying her growing unease. The clutter was so unlike Soral, it was very her but not her husband. He would never leave a mess, or have such disarray. Her eyes locked on what Grol was holding, recognising it immediately. Her eyes widened as Grol turned it over in his hands and her heart sank.

The back of the shirt had very distinctive green blood stains. "We need to tell the captain."

Alex nodded, unable to quite find her voice as she took the uniform jacket. She studied it, gauging how much blood their was and realising it was in the same area as Soral’s mysterious bruise. Soral, where are you...?

Taking a deep breath she tapped her com-badge. “Lieutenant Kingsley to Commander Stillwater...”

{OFF:}