Lennier was finishing up wrapping the last body in sheets which Greer had
brought him from the med-bay. Four more bodies, she had said. He sighed as
he kneeled next to his charges and whispered a silent prayer.
He cast his mind back to a time when death was still a new thing to him. There had been a lot of things that he didn't understand then, but weighed heavily on him now. He was sure Delenn would have something to say about faith and experience, but it sounded bitter now, just like anything she had said to him left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He was shaken from his reverie by the sound of a shot, followed by several more. Drawing his PPG he was quickly on his feet and out the door. Jogging to the junction he tried to discern where the shot had come from. More shots rang out, further in the complex. He noticed the footprints and took off after them.
There was another shot, and another, someone was going gun crazy. Obviously it was Pris, which worried him. She was a good shot, and very calm when using her pistol, so if she had to be firing like that...
He rounded the corner and saw Pris was lying on the floor firing up into the creature, which was trying to maul her. There was blood, lots of it, and it wasn't clear who it belonged to.
Lennier didn't want to think of it. He just concentrated on aiming, he had to hit it. Breathing very slowly, he fired.
The shot hit the creature squarely on the shoulder and knocked it onto its side. Pris took the opportunity to scoot back to the wall where she hugged herself in tightly. Lennier noticed that there was quite a lot blood welling up from her forearms, but was relieved to see that the creature seemed worse off.
It growled as it righted itself and turned to face it's new enemy. Snarling wildly, it charged him. Without a second's hesitation, he fired several shots.
The dog got within a meter of him before slumping onto the grown with a grunt. It was a mess, and still alive as it twitched and whined. Lennier gave it one more shot in the head, and it was still.
Once he was absolutely sure it wasn't playing dead as part of a clever ruse to make him drop his guard, he rushed over to Pris, who was still huddled against the wall.
Her arm had quite an impressive tear in it, which was bleeding considerably. She was curled up in a ball and shaking slightly, so he couldn't see where else she was hurt.
He placed his hand over hers and spoke as softly and reassuringly as he knew how, "Pris?"
She stopped shaking, and looked up. Immediately she seemed in control. "You killed it!" She said with surprise, staring at the carcass "wow."
"Are you all right?"
Pris looked back at him, "My arm is killing me," she looked worried, "how does it look?"
"Not at it's best, we should bandage it up. Did it get you anywhere else?"
She started to rise, and he had to help her keep steady. "I don't think so," she said with uncertainty.
"Where's Greer?"
Pris looked at him, slightly muddled, until her eyes widened, "She's in there," she said, pointing into the room, "I think she's dead!"
Lennier left her leaning on the wall while he went to see if Greer was still alive. He found her lying on the floor, seemingly unharmed. Pressing his fingers on her neck, he was relieved to feel a faint flutter of pulse.
"She's alive," he announced.
****************************************
Pris was sitting on one of the empty examination tables, fighting the urge to look at her arm. She really, really did not want to see how bad it was. The nasty beast had managed to sink it's claws in there, while it's teeth had gone for her collar bone. Luckily, her frantic shooting had kept it back long enough for her to be rescued.
On the table next to her, Greer was looking very peaceful, having finally given over to fainting. She didn't seem to have a scratch on her. Great, Pris thought, I rescue her, I get mauled, I have to look undignified.
Lennier placed a tray with bandages, antiseptic and the whole lot next to her. He pulled out a pair of scissors and began to cut the top of her suit off. She had a tank top on underneath, so she would least have her modesty.
He began applying the stinging antiseptic, which caused her to flinch slightly. Wuss, she thought.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Well," she started, glad of any distraction from her throbbing arm, "she wandered away, I didn't notice at first cause I was trying to get the log up and running, so I didn't notice." She bit her lip at that, she probably should've been paying attention.
When Lennier didn't say anything, she continued, "so I followed her down, and there she was, with that thing over her."
He started wrapping up her arm, "That was Dr. Greer's room, wasn't it?"
"Uh-hunh." Pris thought about it, "I just assumed she was looking for something personal."
Lennier shook his head, doubtfully.
"What?" She narrowed her eyes and smiled, "You getting all suspicious? You know that's my job."
He finished up her bandages, and looked into her eyes, "She was scared, Pris, something killed these people, we didn't know what, she didn't have a gun." His look was deep with meaning.
It dawned on Pris finally, "What could be worth wandering off into unknown danger for?" She let this slosh around in her mind for awhile. Very, very interesting, but it wasn't like they could ask her, being unconscious and all.
Lennier looked through the window into operations and then went through the door. Pris slid off the table and followed him. They went to the computer screen where Pris had been struggling to call up the log.
A little window was on the screen, declaring that the log was accessible. Lennier clicked on it and the first entry came up. It was in text, and wasn't really exciting, just a detail of the project, geologic survey, blah, blah. Pris recognized it all as rather routine.
A little too routine after a while, she noticed. It looked to her that they were just repeating tests they had already done. Why?
Next was personnel. First, project leader, Dr. Henry Greer, geologist, some stuff about his schooling and all that. Very impressive, but Pris was more interested in his picture.
"Hey! I know him!"
He cast his mind back to a time when death was still a new thing to him. There had been a lot of things that he didn't understand then, but weighed heavily on him now. He was sure Delenn would have something to say about faith and experience, but it sounded bitter now, just like anything she had said to him left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He was shaken from his reverie by the sound of a shot, followed by several more. Drawing his PPG he was quickly on his feet and out the door. Jogging to the junction he tried to discern where the shot had come from. More shots rang out, further in the complex. He noticed the footprints and took off after them.
There was another shot, and another, someone was going gun crazy. Obviously it was Pris, which worried him. She was a good shot, and very calm when using her pistol, so if she had to be firing like that...
He rounded the corner and saw Pris was lying on the floor firing up into the creature, which was trying to maul her. There was blood, lots of it, and it wasn't clear who it belonged to.
Lennier didn't want to think of it. He just concentrated on aiming, he had to hit it. Breathing very slowly, he fired.
The shot hit the creature squarely on the shoulder and knocked it onto its side. Pris took the opportunity to scoot back to the wall where she hugged herself in tightly. Lennier noticed that there was quite a lot blood welling up from her forearms, but was relieved to see that the creature seemed worse off.
It growled as it righted itself and turned to face it's new enemy. Snarling wildly, it charged him. Without a second's hesitation, he fired several shots.
The dog got within a meter of him before slumping onto the grown with a grunt. It was a mess, and still alive as it twitched and whined. Lennier gave it one more shot in the head, and it was still.
Once he was absolutely sure it wasn't playing dead as part of a clever ruse to make him drop his guard, he rushed over to Pris, who was still huddled against the wall.
Her arm had quite an impressive tear in it, which was bleeding considerably. She was curled up in a ball and shaking slightly, so he couldn't see where else she was hurt.
He placed his hand over hers and spoke as softly and reassuringly as he knew how, "Pris?"
She stopped shaking, and looked up. Immediately she seemed in control. "You killed it!" She said with surprise, staring at the carcass "wow."
"Are you all right?"
Pris looked back at him, "My arm is killing me," she looked worried, "how does it look?"
"Not at it's best, we should bandage it up. Did it get you anywhere else?"
She started to rise, and he had to help her keep steady. "I don't think so," she said with uncertainty.
"Where's Greer?"
Pris looked at him, slightly muddled, until her eyes widened, "She's in there," she said, pointing into the room, "I think she's dead!"
Lennier left her leaning on the wall while he went to see if Greer was still alive. He found her lying on the floor, seemingly unharmed. Pressing his fingers on her neck, he was relieved to feel a faint flutter of pulse.
"She's alive," he announced.
****************************************
Pris was sitting on one of the empty examination tables, fighting the urge to look at her arm. She really, really did not want to see how bad it was. The nasty beast had managed to sink it's claws in there, while it's teeth had gone for her collar bone. Luckily, her frantic shooting had kept it back long enough for her to be rescued.
On the table next to her, Greer was looking very peaceful, having finally given over to fainting. She didn't seem to have a scratch on her. Great, Pris thought, I rescue her, I get mauled, I have to look undignified.
Lennier placed a tray with bandages, antiseptic and the whole lot next to her. He pulled out a pair of scissors and began to cut the top of her suit off. She had a tank top on underneath, so she would least have her modesty.
He began applying the stinging antiseptic, which caused her to flinch slightly. Wuss, she thought.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Well," she started, glad of any distraction from her throbbing arm, "she wandered away, I didn't notice at first cause I was trying to get the log up and running, so I didn't notice." She bit her lip at that, she probably should've been paying attention.
When Lennier didn't say anything, she continued, "so I followed her down, and there she was, with that thing over her."
He started wrapping up her arm, "That was Dr. Greer's room, wasn't it?"
"Uh-hunh." Pris thought about it, "I just assumed she was looking for something personal."
Lennier shook his head, doubtfully.
"What?" She narrowed her eyes and smiled, "You getting all suspicious? You know that's my job."
He finished up her bandages, and looked into her eyes, "She was scared, Pris, something killed these people, we didn't know what, she didn't have a gun." His look was deep with meaning.
It dawned on Pris finally, "What could be worth wandering off into unknown danger for?" She let this slosh around in her mind for awhile. Very, very interesting, but it wasn't like they could ask her, being unconscious and all.
Lennier looked through the window into operations and then went through the door. Pris slid off the table and followed him. They went to the computer screen where Pris had been struggling to call up the log.
A little window was on the screen, declaring that the log was accessible. Lennier clicked on it and the first entry came up. It was in text, and wasn't really exciting, just a detail of the project, geologic survey, blah, blah. Pris recognized it all as rather routine.
A little too routine after a while, she noticed. It looked to her that they were just repeating tests they had already done. Why?
Next was personnel. First, project leader, Dr. Henry Greer, geologist, some stuff about his schooling and all that. Very impressive, but Pris was more interested in his picture.
"Hey! I know him!"