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Omegas 50: Volatile Situations


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#1 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 28 December 2006 - 09:09 PM

Notemeal:

1. You wanted it, you got it. Another chapter since it's been a good while since the last one.

2. Blatant B5 reference. But hey, I'm only quoting one of the best characters in the entire show. :wink:

3. Also, blatant movie reference. Yay! :lol:

4. Immy swearing. Those who are... er... sensitive to that sort of thing might want to cover their ears, close their eyes, skip this entire chapter... whatever makes you feel better. ;)

-----

“Two? Two! What’s your status?” In frustration, Falynn pounded a gloved hand against the durasteel door that had sealed two of her troopers (one of them her younger sister) into what was looking very much like a deathtrap. “Seven, do you copy? Seven, this is One. Acknowledge, over!” She dialed up the gain on her tactical radio, but when no answer was forthcoming, she whirled around to where Omega Five was busy tinkering with the door’s control circuits. “Damn it! Jan, get this door open!”

“I’m trying, but this is even trickier than trying to replicate my great great grandmother’s turnip-rum-cake recipe. I never could get that one right. Always used too much turnip, and not enough rum. Or maybe it was too much rum and not enough turnip. Hmmm, now that I think about it, the real secret behind Grandma-ma’s recipe was probably the rum. Use enough Turmish rum and anything will taste good. My great great grandfather always used to say-”

Falynn ground her teeth together. “Jaheira, could you do me a favor, please? When they court-martial me for cutting his tongue out with my combat knife, would you testify in my defense?”

“I don’t think that will be possible, seeing as how I’m going to kill him first.”

“Raven, this is Harlequin, can you read me?”

Falynn’s eyes went skyward for a moment, and she mouthed a silent “Thank you” to whoever might be listening. “I copy, Omega Two. Now could you please tell me just what the frack is going on in there?!”

Imoen’s voice came back grim. “Our Dominion pals rigged up a little surprise for us – a little surprise with a really big bang. I’m working on getting the access panel off – stand by. Cipher… Cipher, wake up. Here… hang on to this for just a second. I need my hands free to pry this thing loose.” There was the brief clatter of metal, some manner of rustling, and then a low, drawn-out whistle. “Well… butter my backside and call me a biscuit. They’ve got some motion sensors in here, and a couple of biorhythm scanners. That’s how they picked up on us in the first place.”

“That’s just wonderful, Imoen,” Falynn said, sarcastically. “But can we praise the wonderful orcish design of this thing -after- you’ve prevented it from vaporizing you?”

“I’m working on that. Need a little more light here, Seven. Little lower. That’s it. Hold that beam steady so I can see.”

“Well?”

The noise that followed over the open communications line was definitely a sigh. “One, there’s a lot of anti-tampering gear in here. Looks like some pretty sensitive gyros inside, too – we even try to move this thing, and it’ll set off a premature detonation.”

“Can you defuse it?”

“Don’t have much choice but to try. I… oh, fuck me.”

Outside, Falynn took in a slow, shuddering breath. “Sis, my nerves are just about ready to implode on themselves here. Please quit saying stuff like that…”

“Sorry. But I’ve got some bad news, and some really bad news. The bad news is that there’s a canister of nerve agent tied into the system to… discourage anyone messing with it. The really bad news is that there’s enough high explosive and poison gas in this thing to blow the whole room and kill everyone within a couple of hundred meters.” Imoen spared a second to glance over her shoulder. Nalia’s hand had started trembling slightly, and the flashlight beam danced a little to reflect that.

“So… this is how I’m going to die,” she whispered to herself.

Imoen switched off her mike for a brief moment, “Not if I can help it,” then flicked it back on. “Omega One, recommend you evacuate the rest of the team, pronto. Clear to safe distance.”

“Hell no, Two, we’re getting you out of there! Just stand by. Five’s working on the door, we’ll have you out in a minute.”

“Negative on that. The Dominion probably gimmicked the control circuits so I doubt Ratchet’s gonna be able to get that door open the same way we did the first time. There’s no way he’s going to be able to get us out of here before this thing goes off. We’ve got one chance, and that’s to shut this bomb down before it explodes… and, uh… you’re kinda distracting me from it.” There was a strained, but still mildly sarcastic tone to Imoen’s voice as she spoke those words, but the lightly amused tone quickly gave way to grit and determination. “Back everyone off, Lead. Do it.”

“Imoen, if anything happens to you and Nalia…” she left the rest of the threat unvoiced.

“I’m aware.”

“How much time on the detonator?”

“Two and a half minutes… well, two minutes, twenty-eight seconds, now. Get out of here, Lead. Go!”

-----

“What do you mean, ‘cut the blue wire?!’ They’re all blue wires!”

“Ensign! Calm down, ok? You can do this… you have to do this. Um… because if you don’t, we’re dead.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s really helping my nerves.”

Imoen sighed and tried to keep her frustrations in check. She knew Cipher was still a rookie at all of this, but she’d exhibited the ability to learn and adapt quickly. Right now, that was critical to their continued survival. “Well, get over it. Fast. I can talk you through the process, but you’re the only one of us with a free set of hands. Just do what I tell you, and we’ll be laughing about this over breakfast tomorrow, ok?”

Nalia was only a few steps short of panic at this point, but she was somehow managing to screw up enough… pluck… to keep herself moderately reined in. Her hands were shaking as she fumbled with a set of wire cutters. “All… all right.”

Imoen’s tone flattened – becoming almost conversational – as if she were in a classroom teaching cadets the basics of “explosive ordnance disposal.” She hoped her voice would have a calming effect. At times like this, cooler heads tended to prevail… specifically, cooler heads also tended not to get blown into their component atoms. “This thing’s got several redundant circuits built into it. If we don’t disable them first, the bomb will realize we’re screwing with it. That means we’ve got to disable those circuits -before- we mess with the rest of it. Now, one of the wires is blue with orange leads near the ends. Do you see that one?”

“Yeah… yeah, I’ve got it.”

“All right. That leads to the auxiliary power source that operates the anti-intrusion detectors. We’re going to need to kill that one first. Nothing fancy, just cut the wire near the end closest to me. That one wire and no others, got that?”

”I really wish you were doing this.” She took in a ragged, shuddering breath.

“No offense, Seven, but so do I. Unfortunately, silly me tripped one of the failsafes. If I move my hands, we die. I’d like to avoid that.”

“Ok. Blue wire… orange leads. Got it!” A quick snip of the cutters, and one end of the wire dropped a few inches downwards, its loose end dangling in mid-air.

“Good. Now that the secondary power’s out, we can isolate the anti-intrusion mechanisms. This is where things get fun. Yellow wire with the black striping, and the blue wire with the red striping. Find ‘em.”

A half second or so of searching, before Nalia’s keen vision spotted the targets in question. She nodded briefly. “Got ‘em.”

“All right. Here’s what you need to do. You need to strip the insulation off both wires. Careful, though. Don’t let them touch each other, and don’t let them touch the sides of the outer casing. You short circuit either of those two before it’s time…”

“We die. Right! I got it. You can stop mentioning that now, Lieutenant.”

“Just trying to motivate you properly.”

“Well, thanks, but not really necessary. Ok. Insulation’s gone. Now what?”

Still keeping her voice as steady and even as possible, Imoen proceeded with directing Nalia through the rest of the process. “Take the yellow, cut it, then wrap the end that’s connected to the triggering mechanism – that’s the end closest to you – around the exposed part of the blue. Do it fast. Last, snip the blue and disconnect it from the detonator. We want the junction to go from the yellow section at the detonator, to the blue section, and then have the blue trail into my end. You got all that?”

“Cut yellow, attach to blue, cut blue. On it…”

“Good job. We’re almost there.”

“How much time?”

Harlequin didn’t even bother to glance at the countdown timer. She’d been keeping a running tally in her head. “Enough. Trust me. There’s only one thing left to do. See that thick, green wire?”

“It runs from the detonator directly to the explosives.”

“That’s the one. It branches, so you’ll need to find the other ends. They should be connected to two other spots on the detonator. You see them?”

“Uhhh… yeah. I got ‘em.”

“Ok. Get this last step done, and we’re clear. First connection: the one near the electro-torsion disc.”

“The what?”

“It’s red, and triangular…”

Nalia shot her a confused look, but it quickly switched to an expression of mild realization. She bit down on her lower lip and chewed, thoughtfully. “You mean the thing that looks like a slice of pizza with an eyeball on it?”

“It’s an electro-torsion disc.”

“Why can’t you just call it the eyeball-pizza-thingie?!”

“Whatever! Cut that one first. Then find the one next to the thermal coupler… uh… the… uh… green thing that looks like half a kiwi fruit… cut that second. Then, cut the lead between the detonator and the payload. Do all three of them in one run. Fast.”

Nalia took another breath, trying her best to keep it slow and even. Her body wanted to hyperventilate, but that wouldn’t do either her or Imoen any favors. “Okay… okay, I can do that…” She reached out with the wire cutters, fighting back the tremors in her hand. She cut the first lead, then the second…

“Any time now…”

“And… three!” Belatedly, Nalia realized that she’d closed her eyes just before severing that last connection. She slowly opened them back up, seeing the room exactly the same way she’d left it about a second or two previously. “Did… did we blow up yet?”

Imoen broke out into a wide grin. “Yep. That’s why you’re still talking.”

“Ha-hah! All right! We did it! Suck it, bomb!” She pointed emphatically at the now-inert parcel of explosives and metal.

Imoen chuckled and gave Nalia a congratulatory pat on the back. “Nice job, Seven. Omega Two to Omega One. Package neutralized. Get us the hell out of here!”

In the corridor, a short distance away from the blast doors leading into the facility’s control room, Falynn allowed herself to sag against the wall in relief. “No boom?” she said into her communications microphone.

“No boom.”

Vixen came up behind her, wearing a small smirk across her half-elven features. She rested a hand on Falynn’s shoulder. “No boom today. Boom tomorrow. With Imoen, there’s always a boom tomorrow.”

Falynn snickered at the comment, but the rest of the team simply stared at their medic in mild disbelief. Jaheira shrugged. “What? Someone has to have some perspective around here. Boom. Sooner or later… boom!”

#2 Arcalian

Posted 28 December 2006 - 11:09 PM

The particular swear Imoen used is not disturbing in the way you warned of, Alpha. More like, disturbing in it sets off certain fanboy tinglies.

I WAS wondering why Imoen had Nalia doing it.

Yes, Imoen is always boom tomorrow. Big boom tomorrow.

So freakin cute.....

Speaking personally, the sooner you write more of this, the better.
The road to the abyss may be paved with good intentions, but it is those with bad intentions that race down that road as fast as they can.

#3 Guest_Theodur_*

Posted 29 December 2006 - 09:26 AM

1. You wanted it, you got it. Another chapter since it's been a good while since the last one.


*wild cheers*

2. Blatant B5 reference. But hey, I'm only quoting one of the best characters in the entire show. :wink:


The best character – and you’re giving the line to the best character of THIS show! :lol:

4. Immy swearing. Those who are... er... sensitive to that sort of thing might want to cover their ears, close their eyes, skip this entire chapter... whatever makes you feel better. :)


More mulled wine… that makes me feel better. :(

“I’m trying, but this is even trickier than trying to replicate my great great grandmother’s turnip-rum-cake recipe. I never could get that one right. Always used too much turnip, and not enough rum. Or maybe it was too much rum and not enough turnip. Hmmm, now that I think about it, the real secret behind Grandma-ma’s recipe was probably the rum. Use enough Turmish rum and anything will taste good. My great great grandfather always used to say-”


Jan probably drunk all the rum even before stepping into the kitchen. ;)

Imoen’s voice came back grim. “Our Dominion pals rigged up a little surprise for us – a little surprise with a really big bang. I’m working on getting the access panel off – stand by. Cipher… Cipher, wake up. Here… hang on to this for just a second. I need my hands free to pry this thing loose.” There was the brief clatter of metal, some manner of rustling, and then a low, drawn-out whistle. “Well… butter my backside and call me a biscuit.”


Careful now, someone might take you up on that invitation. :lol:

“Sorry. But I’ve got some bad news, and some really bad news. The bad news is that there’s a canister of nerve agent tied into the system to… discourage anyone messing with it. The really bad news is that there’s enough high explosive and poison gas in this thing to blow the whole room and kill everyone within a couple of hundred meters.” Imoen spared a second to glance over her shoulder. Nalia’s hand had started trembling slightly, and the flashlight beam danced a little to reflect that.


Cripes, someone gave the orcsies far too much boom-boom material! ;)

“Negative on that. The Dominion probably gimmicked the control circuits so I doubt Ratchet’s gonna be able to get that door open the same way we did the first time. There’s no way he’s going to be able to get us out of here before this thing goes off. We’ve got one chance, and that’s to shut this bomb down before it explodes… and, uh… you’re kinda distracting me from it.” There was a strained, but still mildly sarcastic tone to Imoen’s voice as she spoke those words, but the lightly amused tone quickly gave way to grit and determination. “Back everyone off, Lead. Do it.”


Yep, better listen to her now, every protest you make eats away at the time she has.

Imoen’s tone flattened – becoming almost conversational – as if she were in a classroom teaching cadets the basics of “explosive ordnance disposal.” She hoped her voice would have a calming effect. At times like this, cooler heads tended to prevail… specifically, cooler heads also tended not to get blown into their component atoms. “This thing’s got several redundant circuits built into it. If we don’t disable them first, the bomb will realize we’re screwing with it. That means we’ve got to disable those circuits -before- we mess with the rest of it. Now, one of the wires is blue with orange leads near the ends. Do you see that one?”


I never really could fathom why would there be different coloured wires inside a bomb. The answer probably is: colour-coded for your convenience!

“Good. Now that the secondary power’s out, we can isolate the anti-intrusion mechanisms. This is where things get fun. Yellow wire with the black striping, and the blue wire with the red striping. Find ‘em.”


Standard stuff, Dominion style colour-coded bomb with standard wires, easy as pie – but what if the bomb had been assembled by a troll expert with fondness for pink wires with lilac-coloured striping? Then you’d be screwed, that’s what. :D

Nalia shot her a confused look, but it quickly switched to an expression of mild realization. She bit down on her lower lip and chewed, thoughtfully. “You mean the thing that looks like a slice of pizza with an eyeball on it?”


“It’s an electro-torsion disc.”


“Why can’t you just call it the eyeball-pizza-thingie?!”


Because it sounds about as disturbing as anchovy-pizza-thingie!

“Ha-hah! All right! We did it! Suck it, bomb!” She pointed emphatically at the now-inert parcel of explosives and metal.


I’m sure the bomb is properly impressed and terrified now. :D

Vixen came up behind her, wearing a small smirk across her half-elven features. She rested a hand on Falynn’s shoulder. “No boom today. Boom tomorrow. With Imoen, there’s always a boom tomorrow.”


Falynn snickered at the comment, but the rest of the team simply stared at their medic in mild disbelief. Jaheira shrugged. “What? Someone has to have some perspective around here. Boom. Sooner or later… boom!”


*hugs Jaheira*

*hugs Susan*

*hugs both*

;)

#4 Guest_Cel_*

Posted 29 December 2006 - 11:52 AM

It's been so long since I've seen B5, I was worried I wouldn't recognize the quote when I saw it. As if :wink:

Great chapter!

#5 Weyoun

Posted 03 January 2007 - 10:58 PM

2. Blatant B5 reference. But hey, I'm only quoting one of the best characters in the entire show. :lol:


Zathras is as Zathras does. :wink:

4. Immy swearing. Those who are... er... sensitive to that sort of thing might want to cover their ears, close their eyes, skip this entire chapter... whatever makes you feel better. :P


Tnt Imoen : *takes a deep breath* SSSSHHHH...

Tnt Viconia : *Clasps a hand over Imoen's mouth and drags her back to the confines of their own story*

Seriously, there'll be a lot of swearing in the next part of Tnt, but not from the party-members. :wink:

“Raven, this is Harlequin, can you read me?”


Falynn’s eyes went skyward for a moment, and she mouthed a silent “Thank you” to whoever might be listening. “I copy, Omega Two. Now could you please tell me just what the frack is going on in there?!”


What's a frack? :?

“Two and a half minutes… well, two minutes, twenty-eight seconds, now. Get out of here, Lead. Go!”


-----


“What do you mean, ‘cut the blue wire?!’ They’re all blue wires!”


Hm... that's a really poorly designed atom-bomb. :)

“Ensign! Calm down, ok? You can do this… you have to do this. Um… because if you don’t, we’re dead.”


No pressure. :D

“All right. Here’s what you need to do. You need to strip the insulation off both wires. Careful, though. Don’t let them touch each other, and don’t let them touch the sides of the outer casing. You short circuit either of those two before it’s time…”


Alright, somebody needs to keep their mouth shut. :)

“Ok. Get this last step done, and we’re clear. First connection: the one near the electro-torsion disc.”


Okay, now's the time someone needs to blow up a brown paper back and pop it between your hands when nobody is looking. :wink:

Nalia shot her a confused look, but it quickly switched to an expression of mild realization. She bit down on her lower lip and chewed, thoughtfully. “You mean the thing that looks like a slice of pizza with an eyeball on it?”


Something for Monster Manual V? :D

“Why can’t you just call it the eyeball-pizza-thingie?!”


A Minor Cheese-Beholder! :)

In the corridor, a short distance away from the blast doors leading into the facility’s control room, Falynn allowed herself to sag against the wall in relief. “No boom?” she said into her communications microphone.


“No boom.”


Vixen came up behind her, wearing a small smirk across her half-elven features. She rested a hand on Falynn’s shoulder. “No boom today. Boom tomorrow. With Imoen, there’s always a boom tomorrow.”


Just be glad you didn't let Adam and Jamie disarm that bomb. :D
TnT Enhanced Edition: http://www.fanfictio...rds-and-Tempers

---
Sith Warrior - Master, I can sense your anger.

Darth Baras - A blind, comotose lobotomy-patient could sense my anger!

---

"The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds" - James Randi

#6 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 04 January 2007 - 02:22 AM

The particular swear Imoen used is not disturbing in the way you warned of, Alpha. More like, disturbing in it sets off certain fanboy tinglies.


Ah... yes... well... we'll need to be careful when it comes to that sort of thing, then, won't we?

Me: (Whispers) "Im. You're gonna have to change into something less... revealing... than that skimpy bikini."

Harlequin: "What? But why... I like this... it's comfortable... and what else am I supposed to wear when going swimming? You don't want me out there nude, do you? I mean, it's a little chilly, and to have that cold water beading on my naked skin..."

Me: "Oh, boy... red alert..."

Harlequin: "Hmm? What'd I do?"

Me: "Nothing, Imoen. Nothing." (Prepares for the fanboy squealing)

:wink:

So freakin cute.....

Speaking personally, the sooner you write more of this, the better.


I'm working on it. :wink:

#7 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 04 January 2007 - 02:27 AM

More mulled wine… that makes me feel better.


Okey dokey. I'd prefer something a bit... harder... like maybe some vodka on the rocks. :wink:

Jan probably drunk all the rum even before stepping into the kitchen.


That's actually probably a pretty safe assumption.

Careful now, someone might take you up on that invitation.


No kidding. I had a character in that Nexus War game who said it... now everybody's like "Dude. Let's cover Steph in butter." :wink:

What have I started?

I never really could fathom why would there be different coloured wires inside a bomb. The answer probably is: colour-coded for your convenience!


Well, the colors help whoever is assembling the bomb, and while it also kinda helps the people -disarming- it, the people disarming it could be enemies, or they could be friendlies trying to disarm an explosive that got armed by accident. Sure, maybe it makes it easier for the bad guys to neutralize the thing, but it's better than blowing up your own people because you made the thing too difficult to figure out.

Because it sounds about as disturbing as anchovy-pizza-thingie!


I like anchovies on pizza. They have to be good anchovies, though. I know this place in Manhattan that makes good pizza. I've had anchovies on it. It's pretty damned yummy.

I’m sure the bomb is properly impressed and terrified now.


Hey... can't blame Nalia for being excited. She's not used to this kind of thing happening. It's a novelty for her. :wink:

*hugs Jaheira*

*hugs Susan*

*hugs both*


:lol:

#8 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 04 January 2007 - 02:27 AM

It's been so long since I've seen B5, I was worried I wouldn't recognize the quote when I saw it. As if


Don't worry. When I steal quotes from other places (which occurs somewhat often,) they tend to be pretty obvious thefts. :wink:

#9 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 04 January 2007 - 02:33 AM

Zathras is as Zathras does.


Zathras... is... awesome.

"Slight... differences... in how you pronounce..."

:lol:

Seriously, there'll be a lot of swearing in the next part of Tnt, but not from the party-members.


It's a good thing. :wink:

What's a frack?


It's the "f-word" in Battlestar Galactica. You know, frell, frack, etc. :wink:

Hm... that's a really poorly designed atom-bomb.


Mayhap, but it gave me the opportunity to make a blatant (fairly) Family Guy reference.

Imagine that line being said by Mila Kunis. :wink:

Alright, somebody needs to keep their mouth shut.


Harlequin: "Hey, look... I'm just making sure she knows exactly what's at stake, here. This isn't something she can just blow off, you know. It's important WE NOT DIE."

Okay, now's the time someone needs to blow up a brown paper back and pop it between your hands when nobody is looking.


And then shortly after, the bomb explodes.

Harlequin: "What is it about the phrase 'WE NOT DIE' that you don't seem to understand, here?"

A Minor Cheese-Beholder!


Or a reference to the Teen Titans cartoon. :D

Just be glad you didn't let Adam and Jamie disarm that bomb.


Jaime I trust. Adam... might blow it up by accident... I'd also be willing to trust Kari and/or Grant. Tory, on the other hand... he has a penchant for hurting himself... and in this case, others, as well.

#10 Arcalian

Posted 04 January 2007 - 10:31 PM

Me: (Whispers) "Im. You're gonna have to change into something less... revealing... than that skimpy bikini."


Harlequin: "What? But why... I like this... it's comfortable... and what else am I supposed to wear when going swimming? You don't want me out there nude, do you? I mean, it's a little chilly, and to have that cold water beading on my naked skin..."


Me: "Oh, boy... red alert..."


Harlequin: "Hmm? What'd I do?"


Me: "Nothing, Imoen. Nothing." (Prepares for the fanboy squealing)




..... :lol:

*hormones implode*
The road to the abyss may be paved with good intentions, but it is those with bad intentions that race down that road as fast as they can.

#11 Guest_VigaHrolf_*

Posted 05 January 2007 - 09:56 PM

1. You wanted it, you got it. Another chapter since it's been a good while since the last one.


Actually, I wanted to see Harly and Cipher in bikinis wrestling in a tub of whipped cream, but this will do. :evil:

2. Blatant B5 reference. But hey, I'm only quoting one of the best characters in the entire show. :P


Ivonova is God. ;)

4. Immy swearing. Those who are... er... sensitive to that sort of thing might want to cover their ears, close their eyes, skip this entire chapter... whatever makes you feel better. :D


Fuck this, I can't take that shit. :)

“I’m trying, but this is even trickier than trying to replicate my great great grandmother’s turnip-rum-cake recipe. I never could get that one right. Always used too much turnip, and not enough rum. Or maybe it was too much rum and not enough turnip. Hmmm, now that I think about it, the real secret behind Grandma-ma’s recipe was probably the rum. Use enough Turmish rum and anything will taste good. My great great grandfather always used to say-”


*snicker* He's right about rum cake though. :)

Falynn ground her teeth together. “Jaheira, could you do me a favor, please? When they court-martial me for cutting his tongue out with my combat knife, would you testify in my defense?”

“I don’t think that will be possible, seeing as how I’m going to kill him first.”


:) :) :) :D

I am amused by Jan, but as I can write him all that well, I leave him to the experts.

Falynn’s eyes went skyward for a moment, and she mouthed a silent “Thank you” to whoever might be listening. “I copy, Omega Two. Now could you please tell me just what the frack is going on in there?!”


Bran: "Bad shit."

Imoen: "Well, gee, thanks Captain Obvious."

Imoen’s voice came back grim. “Our Dominion pals rigged up a little surprise for us – a little surprise with a really big bang. I’m working on getting the access panel off – stand by. Cipher… Cipher, wake up. Here… hang on to this for just a second. I need my hands free to pry this thing loose.” There was the brief clatter of metal, some manner of rustling, and then a low, drawn-out whistle. “Well… butter my backside and call me a biscuit. They’ve got some motion sensors in here, and a couple of biorhythm scanners. That’s how they picked up on us in the first place.”


*snerk*

Bran: "Minsc, get Larry and hold that corridor. There's going to be a horde of fanboys and some fangirls coming this way. Some with butter. Some with biscuits. Stop them."

Minsc: "Boo is very worried Captain Bran."

Bran: "I know. But just remember, fire in wild and uncontrolled bursts and everything will be okay."

“That’s just wonderful, Imoen,” Falynn said, sarcastically. “But can we praise the wonderful orcish design of this thing -after- you’ve prevented it from vaporizing you?”


Valygar: "It would have the benefit of brevity."

The noise that followed over the open communications line was definitely a sigh. “One, there’s a lot of anti-tampering gear in here. Looks like some pretty sensitive gyros inside, too – we even try to move this thing, and it’ll set off a premature detonation.”


Bran: "Women used to say that about Tyrion."

Tyrion: *eye roll* "How droll."

Bran: "And true."

“Don’t have much choice but to try. I… oh, fuck me.”


Bran: "Minsc! Alert Status One! We've got incoming!"

Minsc: "Minsc is scared."

“Sorry. But I’ve got some bad news, and some really bad news. The bad news is that there’s a canister of nerve agent tied into the system to… discourage anyone messing with it. The really bad news is that there’s enough high explosive and poison gas in this thing to blow the whole room and kill everyone within a couple of hundred meters.” Imoen spared a second to glance over her shoulder. Nalia’s hand had started trembling slightly, and the flashlight beam danced a little to reflect that.


Bran: "Some Dominion EOD boyo had fun. I'm impressed."

Jaheira: "I am just happy not to be in the blast radius."

“So… this is how I’m going to die,” she whispered to herself.


Poor Nalia. :D

Imoen switched off her mike for a brief moment, “Not if I can help it,” then flicked it back on. “Omega One, recommend you evacuate the rest of the team, pronto. Clear to safe distance.”

“Hell no, Two, we’re getting you out of there! Just stand by. Five’s working on the door, we’ll have you out in a minute.”

“Negative on that. The Dominion probably gimmicked the control circuits so I doubt Ratchet’s gonna be able to get that door open the same way we did the first time. There’s no way he’s going to be able to get us out of here before this thing goes off. We’ve got one chance, and that’s to shut this bomb down before it explodes… and, uh… you’re kinda distracting me from it.” There was a strained, but still mildly sarcastic tone to Imoen’s voice as she spoke those words, but the lightly amused tone quickly gave way to grit and determination. “Back everyone off, Lead. Do it.”


Bran: "Get them clear. You can't do anything to help, but you can save lives on the off chance that Immy screws up."

“What do you mean, ‘cut the blue wire?!’ They’re all blue wires!”


*snerk*

Imoen sighed and tried to keep her frustrations in check. She knew Cipher was still a rookie at all of this, but she’d exhibited the ability to learn and adapt quickly. Right now, that was critical to their continued survival. “Well, get over it. Fast. I can talk you through the process, but you’re the only one of us with a free set of hands. Just do what I tell you, and we’ll be laughing about this over breakfast tomorrow, ok?”


As opposed to looking like breakfast sausage. :D

Imoen’s tone flattened – becoming almost conversational – as if she were in a classroom teaching cadets the basics of “explosive ordnance disposal.” She hoped her voice would have a calming effect. At times like this, cooler heads tended to prevail… specifically, cooler heads also tended not to get blown into their component atoms. “This thing’s got several redundant circuits built into it. If we don’t disable them first, the bomb will realize we’re screwing with it. That means we’ve got to disable those circuits -before- we mess with the rest of it. Now, one of the wires is blue with orange leads near the ends. Do you see that one?”


Imoen: "And if it does, well, it gets rather BOOMish."

“No offense, Seven, but so do I. Unfortunately, silly me tripped one of the failsafes. If I move my hands, we die. I’d like to avoid that.”


Imoen: "That would be bad."

“We die. Right! I got it. You can stop mentioning that now, Lieutenant.”

“Just trying to motivate you properly.”

“Well, thanks, but not really necessary. Ok. Insulation’s gone. Now what?”


*snerk*

“Ok. Get this last step done, and we’re clear. First connection: the one near the electro-torsion disc.”

“The what?”

“It’s red, and triangular…”

Nalia shot her a confused look, but it quickly switched to an expression of mild realization. She bit down on her lower lip and chewed, thoughtfully. “You mean the thing that looks like a slice of pizza with an eyeball on it?”

“It’s an electro-torsion disc.”

“Why can’t you just call it the eyeball-pizza-thingie?!”


*snerk* I love that. :D

“And… three!” Belatedly, Nalia realized that she’d closed her eyes just before severing that last connection. She slowly opened them back up, seeing the room exactly the same way she’d left it about a second or two previously. “Did… did we blow up yet?”


*checks* Apparently not.

Imoen broke out into a wide grin. “Yep. That’s why you’re still talking.”

“Ha-hah! All right! We did it! Suck it, bomb!” She pointed emphatically at the now-inert parcel of explosives and metal.


Nothing like just barely surviving to make you feel alive.

In the corridor, a short distance away from the blast doors leading into the facility’s control room, Falynn allowed herself to sag against the wall in relief. “No boom?” she said into her communications microphone.


Bwahahahaha

“No boom.”

Vixen came up behind her, wearing a small smirk across her half-elven features. She rested a hand on Falynn’s shoulder. “No boom today. Boom tomorrow. With Imoen, there’s always a boom tomorrow.”

Falynn snickered at the comment, but the rest of the team simply stared at their medic in mild disbelief. Jaheira shrugged. “What? Someone has to have some perspective around here. Boom. Sooner or later… boom!”


Go Ivonova/Jaheira!

Great chapter Alpha.

VH

#12 Guest_Coutelier_*

Posted 07 January 2007 - 03:45 PM

“I’m trying, but this is even trickier than trying to replicate my great great grandmother’s turnip-rum-cake recipe. I never could get that one right. Always used too much turnip, and not enough rum. Or maybe it was too much rum and not enough turnip. Hmmm, now that I think about it, the real secret behind Grandma-ma’s recipe was probably the rum. Use enough Turmish rum and anything will taste good. My great great grandfather always used to say-”

Kryten: It appears my intelligence circuits may have melted...

Falynn’s eyes went skyward for a moment, and she mouthed a silent “Thank you” to whoever might be listening. “I copy, Omega Two. Now could you please tell me just what the frack is going on in there?!”


Hehe... I love the word 'frack'. They used it in the original Battlestar Galactica as well and even as an ickle boy I knew what it was they were really saying...

“That’s just wonderful, Imoen,” Falynn said, sarcastically. “But can we praise the wonderful orcish design of this thing -after- you’ve prevented it from vaporizing you?”


Edwin: She may not be able to praise it ater.

“Can you defuse it?”

“Don’t have much choice but to try. I… oh, fuck me.”


Tarant: Language!

Imoen: English!

Imoen switched off her mike for a brief moment, “Not if I can help it,” then flicked it back on. “Omega One, recommend you evacuate the rest of the team, pronto. Clear to safe distance.”

“Hell no, Two, we’re getting you out of there! Just stand by. Five’s working on the door, we’ll have you out in a minute.”


Edwin: Eh... I believe it's the first good piece of advice the brats ever given. I suggest running away. Imoen will most probably blow up... which is tragic, god it's tragic, but for the rest of you life can go on.

“What do you mean, ‘cut the blue wire?!’ They’re all blue wires!”


Imoen: Isn't that always the way? You read all the instructions and they turn out to be useless.

”I really wish you were doing this.” She took in a ragged, shuddering breath.

“No offense, Seven, but so do I. Unfortunately, silly me tripped one of the failsafes. If I move my hands, we die. I’d like to avoid that.”


Edwin: Hmmm... what's that on your face?

Still keeping her voice as steady and even as possible, Imoen proceeded with directing Nalia through the rest of the process. “Take the yellow, cut it, then wrap the end that’s connected to the triggering mechanism – that’s the end closest to you – around the exposed part of the blue. Do it fast. Last, snip the blue and disconnect it from the detonator. We want the junction to go from the yellow section at the detonator, to the blue section, and then have the blue trail into my end. You got all that?”


Imoen: Good thing they used all the right colors when they made this bomb. Last time I had to disarm a bomb every single wire was black.

Nalia shot her a confused look, but it quickly switched to an expression of mild realization. She bit down on her lower lip and chewed, thoughtfully. “You mean the thing that looks like a slice of pizza with an eyeball on it?”

“It’s an electro-torsion disc.”

“Why can’t you just call it the eyeball-pizza-thingie?!”


Imoen: Because electro-torsion disc is way cooler.

Vixen came up behind her, wearing a small smirk across her half-elven features. She rested a hand on Falynn’s shoulder. “No boom today. Boom tomorrow. With Imoen, there’s always a boom tomorrow.”

Falynn snickered at the comment, but the rest of the team simply stared at their medic in mild disbelief. Jaheira shrugged. “What? Someone has to have some perspective around here. Boom. Sooner or later… boom!”


Edwin: They survived... but some day... muahuamuahuamuahua...

Tarant: It's your turn to clean the septic tank.

Edwin: Er... yes, of course.

Good chapter!

#13 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 09 January 2007 - 12:21 AM

Actually, I wanted to see Harly and Cipher in bikinis wrestling in a tub of whipped cream, but this will do.


CN: "Come to think of it, I... really wouldn't mind seeing that, either..."

Raven: "Careful, Colleen. That's my sister you're talking about."

CN: "Hey, she's a grown woman... she's old enough to make her own decisions about that sort of stuff. I know you don't like to think about it, I know you think of her as just your kid sister, but she's and adult... she's a -woman- with wants, and needs..."

Raven: "La-la-la! I'm not listening!"

*snicker* He's right about rum cake though.


It's probably the first time Jan's been right about -anything-... eve.r.. :P

I am amused by Jan, but as I can write him all that well, I leave him to the experts.


These days, we only have one... we need our other one back. :D

Bran: "Minsc, get Larry and hold that corridor. There's going to be a horde of fanboys and some fangirls coming this way. Some with butter. Some with biscuits. Stop them."

Minsc: "Boo is very worried Captain Bran."

Bran: "I know. But just remember, fire in wild and uncontrolled bursts and everything will be okay."


God... seriously... I mean, you think it was bad when Steph said that? Imagine Imoen actually saying that in front of the wrong crowd? I think the gang's gonna need Amy to keep the hordes away. :wink:

DM: "Riot control duty. Always fun." (Grabs a big ol' riot shield and a heavy vest)

Bran: "Women used to say that about Tyrion."

Tyrion: *eye roll* "How droll."

Bran: "And true."


Harlequin: (Snickers) "Premature detonation..."

*snerk* I love that.


(Pull back to a long shot of this area; their two parts lie not far from one another. A huge light bulb snaps on next to the green teen's head and he runs toward his own section. In an instant, he has become a Sasquatch, much larger than before, and hoisted it overhead. A couple of steps put him next to Cyborg's pod, and he starts banging one into the other with great enthusiasm. The almost-rebuilt big man's jaw drops lower and lower in pure disbelief as loose parts fly past him; finally Beast Boy stands on the two joined pods, reverts to human form, and lets Cyborg shudder at him. This gives way to a shadow of self-control and a weary shake of the head.)

Cyborg: Now carefully take out the configuration disc.

(Question mark by Beast Boy's head; he then dives into the machinery and works his way down, the camera tilting to a hatch at ground level. This pops open so he can poke his head out.)

Beast Boy: You mean the thingie that looks like a pizza with eyeballs?

(He holds it up as he says this; it looks like a slice of the aforementioned deep-dish. Cut to inside the hatch, just behind him.)

Cyborg: Why can't you just call it a configuration disc?
Beast Boy: Why can't you just call it an eyeball pizza thingie?

:D

*checks* Apparently not.


(Val Yor closes his eyes and hangs his head in disgust-"this is what I get for including the likes of her on the mission." Outside, Starfire has planted herself between the two drifting mines and is straining to keep from being crushed between them. Extreme close-up of two detonators, one on each mine, as they approach for an inevitable crash-but they come to a halt within inches of one another and the two spheres are slowly forced apart. Muscle has overcome momentum, and Starfire leaves them to float away.)

Starfire: Whew! (On the bridge, Beast Boy has covered his eyes with his hands.)
Beast Boy: Did we blow up yet?
Raven: Yep, that's why you're still talking.

:D

Yes... I kinda overdid it with the Titans jokes... but... well... it's Raven... :D

#14 Guest_AlphaMonkey_*

Posted 09 January 2007 - 12:25 AM

Kryten: It appears my intelligence circuits may have melted...


That happens a lot around Jan, unfortunately.

Edwin: Eh... I believe it's the first good piece of advice the brats ever given. I suggest running away. Imoen will most probably blow up... which is tragic, god it's tragic, but for the rest of you life can go on.


Raven: "You know, Edwin, you may have nothing to do with what's going on here, but I promise you this. If something happens to her, I'll shoot you dead. Just for the sheer thrill of it."

Imoen: Because electro-torsion disc is way cooler.


Harlequin: "It also has the benefit of being -accurate-. And when dealing with a several ton explosive, it's best to be -precise-."




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