Pris continued to stare at the directory long after she had figured out how
to get to the operation center. She had felt that if she just stared at
this, she wouldn't have to think about what she had just seen, and what
very likely was still to come. She didn't know, she didn't want to know,
she just wanted to go home.
Except she didn't have one.
Pris hugged herself and sighed in frustration. Bitch though she might, she had to admit, Greer was paying them, she was calling the shots (well rasping at this point) and she wanted to find out what had happened.
To tell the truth, Pris was also curious to find out what had killed ten people beyond the middle of nowhere.
Greer had been standing at the door to the mess hall, watching her. She didn't seem to want to rush this either, something for which Pris was thankful. It also seemed that she didn't want to just wait around, and eventually decided that it was better to get this over with.
She came over to Pris, her arms folded, and said in a quiet voice, which was barely over a whisper, "I think he's going to be some time, maybe we should..." she left it hanging.
Pris nodded, "Ok, let's be efficient. Sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get the hell out of here."
Operations was in the wing opposite the one they were in, and wasn't far from the junction, so it was a short, tense walk over. Pris asked Greer what Lennier was doing, just to ease the tension. She knew what he was doing.
"I think he's preparing them for burial. He um, was lining them up on the floor.."
"Mm," Pris said thoughtfully, "we'll probably need to find some sheets to wrap them up in..." It was good to think about practical things, but her thoughts were cut short when they reached the door. Pris stared at it for a second, before taking a deep breath and opening it.... and let it out with relief when she saw it was empty. Thank the Goddess for small favors.
It was a large, spacious room, filled with computer banks, monitors and pretty much everything one would expect to find in ops. In the center was a table with several rock samples on it, nothing fancy, just the usual kinds which geologists had studied since the dawn of time.
As she entered the room, she saw a large window looking into the next one, which, if she judged by contextual clues, was Medical. There were emergency kits, medical supplies, and surgical tools....
and the four bodies on the operating tables. Thankfully they were covered with sheets.
Pris stared at them for a second before turning to Greer. "Tell Lennier we found four more." The girl nodded and quietly backed out of the room.
Once she was gone, Pris went over to the computers and set about looking for the log. She did not notice Greer had come back and was staring into the next room at the bodies. She seemed to be debating something internally, while she tried to make conversation.
"He's praying over them now."
"Uh-humm" Pris was still not having luck finding it, and the computer was being very slow and stubborn about it. "He used to be an acolyte," she said distractedly.
"Ah.." Greer mulled this over in her head, "How did you meet him?"
"Huh?" Pris turned to her, "Oh, it's a long story." When this didn't seem to satisfy her she said, "I hired him to help translate a book I'd found." So it wasn't the whole truth, at least it was nothing but. She turned back to the computer to do battle with it again.
"A book? You mean from a library?" Greer asked, confused.
"No, I found it on a dig." Ah, records, that looked promising, she opened it. Sure enough, there was a file marked "Log". She was so pleased with herself that she didn't see Greer's reaction.
"Are you an archeologist then?"
"Un-hunh, I'm between jobs now." She opened the log, which seemed slow to respond, damn it. She tapped her foot in frustration.
Pris didn't see Greer's panicked look. Nor did she see as the other woman left the room.
Instead she continued her tapping until the frustration was too much and she turned to say something to Greer, who wasn't there.
"Hey," she said. She looked into medical. No one here but us corpses.
Stepping through the open door, she looked to see if Greer had stepped outside, but found it empty. Twisting her mouth in deep thought, she looked down and noticed footprints in the thick layer of dust which had accumulated on the floor. There were two sets coming from the junction, and another going back.
Convenient.
Pris followed Greer's footprints back to the junction, were they turned right, deeper into the complex. Looking up at the directory, Pris realized that she was heading to the living quarters. Maybe she was looking for something, maybe Pris should leave her to what she realized must be a difficult and trying time for her.
On the other hand, they had nine dead bodies which had been torn up, and no culprit, so it probably wasn't a good idea for Greer to go wandering by herself. She'd understand.
With her resolve in place, Pris set off to follow Greer's footprints. She had gone down two more junctions before they turned to the left. Pris checked the directory and saw that Dr. Greer's room had been here. The footprints went down to the end of the hall and then turned into the last doorway.
Pris had just started down here when she heard the scream. Drawing her pistol she sprinted to the end of the corridor. She quickly pressed the button and stood ready to face whatever was on the other side.
Greer was lying on the floor in a dead faint. That she had expected. What she hadn't counted on was the four-legged dog-like creature standing over her.
It was bigger than a rotweiller, with a disproportionately large mouth and set of teeth which seemed to grin at her. It's glowing red eyes bellied this impression, and Pris felt like she was losing herself in them....only not in a good way. Set along it's spine were large spikes, about half a foot each, it's tail slithered behind it like a snake, and it moved around, cracking like a whip.
The creature had turned it's full glare on her and was pawing the ground in a very worrying manner. She realized it was going to charge her and she slowly began to back away. She wasn't sure if her pistol would kill it, and she wasn't all that keen to put it to the test.
It growled and gathered itself up.
Pris swallowed.
There was a soul-curdling howl, and it jumped toward her.
She fired.
Except she didn't have one.
Pris hugged herself and sighed in frustration. Bitch though she might, she had to admit, Greer was paying them, she was calling the shots (well rasping at this point) and she wanted to find out what had happened.
To tell the truth, Pris was also curious to find out what had killed ten people beyond the middle of nowhere.
Greer had been standing at the door to the mess hall, watching her. She didn't seem to want to rush this either, something for which Pris was thankful. It also seemed that she didn't want to just wait around, and eventually decided that it was better to get this over with.
She came over to Pris, her arms folded, and said in a quiet voice, which was barely over a whisper, "I think he's going to be some time, maybe we should..." she left it hanging.
Pris nodded, "Ok, let's be efficient. Sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get the hell out of here."
Operations was in the wing opposite the one they were in, and wasn't far from the junction, so it was a short, tense walk over. Pris asked Greer what Lennier was doing, just to ease the tension. She knew what he was doing.
"I think he's preparing them for burial. He um, was lining them up on the floor.."
"Mm," Pris said thoughtfully, "we'll probably need to find some sheets to wrap them up in..." It was good to think about practical things, but her thoughts were cut short when they reached the door. Pris stared at it for a second, before taking a deep breath and opening it.... and let it out with relief when she saw it was empty. Thank the Goddess for small favors.
It was a large, spacious room, filled with computer banks, monitors and pretty much everything one would expect to find in ops. In the center was a table with several rock samples on it, nothing fancy, just the usual kinds which geologists had studied since the dawn of time.
As she entered the room, she saw a large window looking into the next one, which, if she judged by contextual clues, was Medical. There were emergency kits, medical supplies, and surgical tools....
and the four bodies on the operating tables. Thankfully they were covered with sheets.
Pris stared at them for a second before turning to Greer. "Tell Lennier we found four more." The girl nodded and quietly backed out of the room.
Once she was gone, Pris went over to the computers and set about looking for the log. She did not notice Greer had come back and was staring into the next room at the bodies. She seemed to be debating something internally, while she tried to make conversation.
"He's praying over them now."
"Uh-humm" Pris was still not having luck finding it, and the computer was being very slow and stubborn about it. "He used to be an acolyte," she said distractedly.
"Ah.." Greer mulled this over in her head, "How did you meet him?"
"Huh?" Pris turned to her, "Oh, it's a long story." When this didn't seem to satisfy her she said, "I hired him to help translate a book I'd found." So it wasn't the whole truth, at least it was nothing but. She turned back to the computer to do battle with it again.
"A book? You mean from a library?" Greer asked, confused.
"No, I found it on a dig." Ah, records, that looked promising, she opened it. Sure enough, there was a file marked "Log". She was so pleased with herself that she didn't see Greer's reaction.
"Are you an archeologist then?"
"Un-hunh, I'm between jobs now." She opened the log, which seemed slow to respond, damn it. She tapped her foot in frustration.
Pris didn't see Greer's panicked look. Nor did she see as the other woman left the room.
Instead she continued her tapping until the frustration was too much and she turned to say something to Greer, who wasn't there.
"Hey," she said. She looked into medical. No one here but us corpses.
Stepping through the open door, she looked to see if Greer had stepped outside, but found it empty. Twisting her mouth in deep thought, she looked down and noticed footprints in the thick layer of dust which had accumulated on the floor. There were two sets coming from the junction, and another going back.
Convenient.
Pris followed Greer's footprints back to the junction, were they turned right, deeper into the complex. Looking up at the directory, Pris realized that she was heading to the living quarters. Maybe she was looking for something, maybe Pris should leave her to what she realized must be a difficult and trying time for her.
On the other hand, they had nine dead bodies which had been torn up, and no culprit, so it probably wasn't a good idea for Greer to go wandering by herself. She'd understand.
With her resolve in place, Pris set off to follow Greer's footprints. She had gone down two more junctions before they turned to the left. Pris checked the directory and saw that Dr. Greer's room had been here. The footprints went down to the end of the hall and then turned into the last doorway.
Pris had just started down here when she heard the scream. Drawing her pistol she sprinted to the end of the corridor. She quickly pressed the button and stood ready to face whatever was on the other side.
Greer was lying on the floor in a dead faint. That she had expected. What she hadn't counted on was the four-legged dog-like creature standing over her.
It was bigger than a rotweiller, with a disproportionately large mouth and set of teeth which seemed to grin at her. It's glowing red eyes bellied this impression, and Pris felt like she was losing herself in them....only not in a good way. Set along it's spine were large spikes, about half a foot each, it's tail slithered behind it like a snake, and it moved around, cracking like a whip.
The creature had turned it's full glare on her and was pawing the ground in a very worrying manner. She realized it was going to charge her and she slowly began to back away. She wasn't sure if her pistol would kill it, and she wasn't all that keen to put it to the test.
It growled and gathered itself up.
Pris swallowed.
There was a soul-curdling howl, and it jumped toward her.
She fired.