Revenge of the Mummy

Posted on Fri May 6th, 2011 @ 3:09pm by Commodore Amanda Pike & 1st Lieutenant Lukas DeVries

Mission: Renegades
Location: Various
Timeline: Following 'Hanging by a Thread'

Lukas S. DeVries couldn't recall a time in his young life that he had ever run faster then at that very moment. Receiving word of the destruction done to the already damaged secondary hull and knowing his mother was somewhere on that bridge he couldn't help the feeling of complete horror that was consuming his thoughts. He had already lost his father in a similar situation - he could not lose her as well. It was unacceptable. Maneuvering around the fallen debris that had yet to be removed from the various corridors the marine Lieutenant felt the sorrowful pangs in his heart. So many had suffered in this ordeal. The dead... the injured. Even the ship itself. There were no victories amongst this fight. Only victims.

Turning the next corner abruptly he barely had time to register the form of another individual coming in his direction before they collided in mid-stride. Quickly dusting himself off the man turned his attention to the other person and felt his spirit liven up a bit when he realized who it was he just nearly plowed over.

"Amanda... thank the fates!"

Satisfied that she had suffered no battle wounds in her latest incident, the Commodore nodded in greeting. "I was just on my way to find you... just where did you think you were going?"

"That's an idiotic question!" Lukas interjected as he tried to move past the slightly smaller woman. "The ship just got blown to hell... and if I was a betting man... which you know I am... I suspect something has happened to the Major and I intend to find out what!"

Amanda sighed. Stubborn as a mule these DeVries' were. "Your mother has been relocated to sickbay... the other Commodore found her just a short time ago."

Relief filled the young man's senses as he felt his body fall back into the corridor wall. "Is she... is she alright?"

"Depends on your definition of the word son," she explained as she reached over and grabbed him by the shoulder. "She's alive and that's all that matters right now. A lot of the crew didn't make it. Commander Roberts being one of them."

The death of a vessel's Executive Officer was never something easily dealt with. There were a number of complications that arose from such a tragedy and knowing that the flirtatious playboy had only been recently promoted to the job only made the situation worse. "Talk about buzz kill..."

"You know it," Amanda agreed as she prodded him back towards the direction she had just come. "Nevertheless... I assumed you might attempt something stupid and thus took it upon myself to intercede such behavior. Instead, I believe our assistance could be used better in sickbay."

Lukas fought not to choke on his own saliva. "You!? You hate sickbay! You never willingly go there."

"Sucks doesn't it?" she sighed again. "The only conciliation I have is that this time I'm not the patient. Besides... I'm sure your mother wouldn't mind a visitor or two."

Taking a deep breath the man began to wonder if he had once again crossed over into another universe without being aware of it. Things could not possibly get any more bizarre than they were right now. Unless he himself had suffered some terrible concussion or been slipped some mind altering drug. "Roofies? You don't have any do you?"

"Roo... what?" Amanda questioned with a curious leer on her face. "Have you been snorting bath salts or something? Is that what you young people do these days for fun? I swear..."

What the hell? Lukas found himself suddenly unsure of how to respond to the blonde and instead opted for resuming his pace - albeit a bit slower. Perhaps the Commodore was right. Maybe a trip to the hell hole of eternal death would bring his mother some joy... if nothing else perhaps he could ogle some pretty chicks... as long as they weren't zombified.


[Sickbay]
[shortly thereafter]

The medical care center was nothing short of a three ringed circus by the time the duo of DeVries and Pike arrived on scene. Scattered in every single nook and cranny a body rested - some alive - some dead - most somewhere in between. In the midst of it all several barely injured crewmembers had taken up the task of becoming makeshift doctors and nurses as they tried to calm their patients. It was definitely not a job either of them were cut out for.

Standing still for several seconds as he collected himself, Lukas finally felt brave enough to own the room as he took a deep breath and plunged into the madness. All around him voices cried out... some in pain... some in delirium. He wished nothing more than to end their noise making. Though for their sake or his own he was not yet sure. He weathered the area for a few minutes longer before he finally saw her.

He halted immediately in his tracks, forgetting for a brief moment that the Commodore was directly behind him - thus causing their second collision of the day. Instead, all he saw was the grotesque image displayed in front of him. Something out of those cheap holofilms he enjoyed as a child and used to torment his sister with.

"Damnit Lu," Amanda hissed as she brushed herself off again. "What's the problem now?"

Lukas shook his head venomously. "I can't. She looks... she looks like the mummy!"

"Oh for fates sake!" the woman hissed louder. "You can't seriously be afraid of some bandages can you?!"

The marine blinked hard. "Um hello!? My mother is scary enough without them! Besides... it looks like she's resting. Maybe I should come back later."

"Oh no you don't!" Amanda commanded as she gave him a harsh shove in the direction of the biobed. "You've put her through enough hell the last few years... don't you go skipping out on her now when she needs you. Get over there and take it like a man."

Damn those women. There was nothing he hated more than having his manhood questioned. Especially by someone who looked big enough to work for the Keebler Elves. Sucking up what was left of his pride he crossed the short distance that laid between him and his mother. She looked like shit... and that was an understatement. He was halfheartedly hoping she was asleep and wouldn't notice him there.

"You really did it this time," he muttered as he neared her limp frame. "For a while there... I... yanno... I wasn't sure..."

Buried underneath the hastily placed bandages - a sure sign that sickbay was lacking in materials and experienced practitioners - the figure of Stace S. DeVries laid motionless. Nevertheless, her ears were far from closed.

"Amanda told me about the Commander... and I heard some whispering about the Cadet too," Lukas rambled on. "I just wish I knew if you knew. If you realized how close you were to throwing your entire life away. I know it's been hard without dad around... but sometimes... sometimes I can't help but feel like you're chasing him through these near death experiences. And you can't. You mustn't. What happened to him was my fault... mine and mine alone."

He paused as he turned his head slowly back in the direction of the Commodore. Having thought she might have just walked away he was surprised to see her standing a few feet away - a displeasing frown on her lips. The message was loud and clear. Quit talking about your father.

"So... anyways... they say you're going to be alright. You just need some time to recover... to wake your body from it's shock. We'll be departing for Starbase 900 soon. I hear they have some good doctors there that can help fix you up. In the meantime though you just need to break yourself out of this cage. You're tougher than this. You've been through far worse and survived," he encouraged as he recalled the various stories of her earlier life. "Until then though... I'll be around... helping where I can. So don't worry. I got this."

Got what though he had no clue whatsoever.