Firefight

The doors to the docking bay slammed together, echoing through the empty corridor. There was a faint humming coming from the flickering computer panels and phaser burns covered all the walls. Quinn glanced down the corridor, boxes were scattered down its length. He started to move forwards silently. Suddenly a spark flew across the corridor from a damaged console behind him making one of the others jump. Quinn didn’t see who it was, but he waved his hand backwards for everyone to be quiet. Then he heard something round the corner of the T junction in front of them.

He froze and turned to Stryker. “Did they see where you landed Captain ?”

Jack didn’t get a chance to answer as a phaser bolt slammed into the chest of the man crouched next to Harper, sending both of them flying backwards. Everyone ducked behind the nearest container as more phaser fire flew over their heads smashing off yet more wall panels. Quinn was about to shout at Stryker and ask why he didn’t follow instructions but he thought the immediate situation warranted a bit more attention. He looked over to Harper who was attempting to feel for a pulse from the shot man. Harper looked towards Quinn and shook his head, the man was dead.

The firing stopped and a single voice uttered from the corner. “Mr Quinn, are you alright ?”

Quinn chuckled and picked up a broken shard of glass from a nearby console, attempting to use it as a mirror to see over the barrier and down the corridor.

“Commander Drake, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” Quinn shouted back. “You usual get someone else to carry out executions or have you got tired of just watching from your office ?”

“I never expected you to turn like this.” Drake replied. “Have you forgotten your oath ?”

“Have you forgotten yours ? I took mine to protect not only my commanding officer, but all Federation citizens and all life. Two against one I’m afraid.” Quinn said trying to see if he was looking round the corner at all.

Quinn noticed one officer he knew. “HEY ! Robson ! Anyone told you what happened to that lovely Vulcan woman you had lunch with on your first day ? She wasn’t KIA, I can tell you !”

In the shard of glass, Quinn sat movement from someone looking towards the opposite end of the corridor. He was situated towards the centre of the group, half hidden behind a cargo box.

*Too far back.* Quinn thought. “No chance of popping off his head with a lucky shot then.*

Reid, one of Quinn’s officers, reached for a grenade. She was crouched behind some boxes towards the back of the group, just behind Stryker and his crew. Quinn noticed her preparation and shook his head at her, the corridor was too narrow for the powerful grenades they had with them. He gestured something in sign language to her, which Stryker couldn’t understand.

There was some whispering before Drake continued. “Now now, no need to tell tales. I knew a man like you once, strong willed and always jumped to conclusions, never listened to the-”

“Shut up Drake !” Quinn interrupted fired a couple of wild shots around the corner. Almost at once the firing resumed, sending Quinn’s group ducking down again.

Reid pulled out a small metal cylinder and threw it across to Quinn. It was about 5cm long and 1cm in diameter. Stryker could just make out some alien engravings along the length, but he had no idea what it was. As Quinn held onto the cylinder, the rest of the men started pulling small ear plugs out of their jackets; one of them threw some around to Stryker’s crew and indicated for them to put them in. When they put them in they seemed to expand slightly cutting out all the noise. The shots of the phaser pistols flew silently above them. Making one last check to see that everyone was ready, Quinn twisted the front of the cylinder and pointed it over the barrier. The firing stopped.

Cautiously, Quinn stood up, followed by the rest of his team. Quinn moved forward, stepping over the barrier, holding the cylinder out in front of him, pointing it towards the junction.

Around the corner, Drake’s men dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, attempting to cover their ears. Quickly Quinn’s team ran round the corner, stunning the disabled officers before removing the energy cells from their weapons. Toward the middle of the corridor, Quinn noticed Robson, the man he had attempted to get through to pick up a phaser pistol, aim it at his head and fire.

After a few seconds Quinn dropped the cylinder, screaming out in pain, although no-one could hear him. As it hit the deck Stryker could see it was glowing red with heat and then start to smoke. Quinn signalled for everyone that it was safe to remove their earplugs, before continuing down the corridor, leaving Stryker and his crew a little dazed.

“What was that ?” Stryker asked looking down at what was now a smouldering piece of junk.

Quinn turned back “My last one, so move it quickly !”

They raced down the corridor towards the turboshaft. Whilst Harper removed the control panel and tinkered with the control systems, some of Quinn’s men were attempting to prise open the lift doors. Quinn was ordering the rest of his people into single file. As the doors finally gave in, a cab flew past them, first blowing cool air into the corridor and then sucking it back down into the shaft.

“I’m surprised they’re still using them.” Quinn remarked slinging his rifle over his shoulder.

“Most likely trying to identify Dennis’s signals I imagine.” Reid replied “Or trying to shut down the core.”

Finally Harper stood up from the control panel.

“Okay, I have managed to override the cab’s control systems.” He announced. “I don’t know how long the override will last, I’ve sent all the cabs to the furthest points and locked them into a diagnostic loop. It should give us a couple of minutes, but eventually someone will override the diagnostic.”

“Okay, Flynn you go first and secure the doors, Harper you follow him. Quinn ordered. “Harper, when you get up there, make sure no one regains control. As soon as we’re all up, I want you to disable the system totally; I want the system shutdown for good.”

Harper entered the shaft and disappeared. Quinn then picked out two officers to guard the corridor and the doors they were standing on. Slowly the rest of the group climbed the emergency ladders up the shaft, until only Stryker, Reid, and Quinn were left. Quinn entered the shaft, followed by Stryker and finally Reid.

“They’re trying to override the cab diagnostics” Harper shouted down from the upper floors. “I suggest you hurry, I don’t know how long I can hold them off.”

Quinn glanced down at Stryker and Reid then up to Harper “Just keep those cabs locked till we get up ?”

“Sure” Harper replied.

Quinn rapidly climbed up the ladder, he could see the base of a lift a few decks up with a red light blinking under it. As he got closer to the deck above, a hissing sound came down the shaft from above. Then the sound changed and Quinn realised that the motors were reactivating in the shaft. He saw Stryker and Reid a few metres down slowing. “Come on damit !”

At that moment the lift cab started to fall rapidly towards them, it had started instantly moving at nearly top speed. Quinn realised that he would be lucky to get to the door in time, let along the other to.

“Harper !” He shouted as he looking down, holding onto the bars of the ladder as the air pressure increased and briefly closing his eyes. Then there was the sound of crunching metal.

Quinn opened his eyes and looked up, realising that the base of the cab was just over a metre above his head. The cab had stopped, covering the top half of the doors to the deck, its red light blinking furiously and a sharp hissing sound blowing down the shaft. An arm reached out through the gap and pulled him up. As he crawled out onto the deck, he turned and saw Taylor, offering his arm to Stryker, pulling him through.

“Hurry, I can’t hold it for much longer.” Harper shouted flicking isolinear chips back and fourth.

Quinn pulled Stryker clear of the shaft, just as Reid’s arm appeared over the edge of the doorway. Then there was a cracking sound and Reid’s arm disappeared as the cab dropped. As the cab fell, there was again the vacuum effect, which tried to suck Quinn and Stryker back into the shaft. If Reid had screamed, no one heard her, the sound of the cab drowning out everything.

After everyone had regained their composure, Quinn ordered everyone to head for the cargo bay.

“I’m sorry about Reid.” Stryker offered.

“She was a good officer.” Quinn replied. “I just hope her death hasn’t been in vain.”

Stryker headed off after the others, leaving just Quinn by the now empty shaft. He stood motionless and silent for a moment, before calling down the shaft.

“Samson, Riddick, close the doors and get back to the docking bay.” Quinn ordered. “We’ll see you back there.”

The light from the corridor below disappeared and Quinn pulled out a plasma grenade, arming it and threw it into the lift shaft. He then kicked the metal bar which had been used to hold the doors open, before running as fast as he could. Seconds later, the entire deck was rocked as the grenade exploded sending hot plasma through the entire turbolift system.

“Let’s go” Quinn remarked as the rest of the group looked on.