"Stormy Waters"
[Previous post: 'Modus Operandi']
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Stardate: 60298.1726
Setting: Oceanic World, outside the downed shuttle
Lea sat cross-legged on the edge of the shuttle's frame, watching her companion float in the emerald green water. Several times Luke had tried to get back onboard the downed shuttle but each time the SFI Agent countered his efforts.
"I'm all for paying for my past transgressions," Luke said with a grin while keeping his head above the waves, "but I have been in this water for a while and we don't know what kind of man-eating beasts inhabits these waters."
Lea glared at the man for a little while before speaking. "Just wanted you to get a good idea of what it feels like to be on the menu."
"Would it help if I said that I was sorry?"
"Not really," Lea replied, getting up from her sitting position.
A little hesitant Luke swam to the shuttle's edge once again. "Then why allow me back on?" Onison asked as he left the frigid waters behind.
"Because it looks like we are in for some stormy weather," Lea said pointing to a new set of dark clouds that covered the greater part of the horizon. What made the sight that much more spectacular was the frequent lightning bolts that could be seen breaking the growing darkness.
Luke and Lea watched the distant storm for a little while, the waves hitting the shuttle growing in size and frequency as they did so. Without warning Luke spun around and vanished into the shuttle.
"Is there something that I should know?" Lea asked, looking away from the storm only long enough to see where Luke had gone to. After a little while, when no reply was given, the SFI Agent turned to face the hatch again. There she saw Luke's arm reaching out for her and before Lea knew it she was pulled inside of the shuttle.
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Stardate: 10298.1732
Setting: Oceanic World, inside the downed shuttle
"What was that for?" Lea demanded, looking up at Luke sealing the hatch. "Are you scared of lightning?"
"Wish it was that simple," Luke replied as he helped Lea back to her feet, an apologetic look on his face. "Did you feel the electricity in the air?"
It took a moment for Lea to realise that Luke had been speaking about the storm and not some metaphor relating to them, "Yes, why?"
"That storm is like nothing I have ever seen, and being the only metallic object in a 50 kilometres radius we are bound to attract a fair number of those lightning bolts our way," Luke explained, sitting down at the pilot's seat.
"Aren't shuttles insulated against electrical discharges?"
"Yes, but there is no way for us to know at this point if those discharges are only electrical discharges or if they are actually plasma. I for one don't want to wait and find out the hard way."
"What can we do?" Lea asked, "It's not like we can engage the engines and get out of here."
"True, we can't go up, but we can go down," Luke said, reaching for a control and turning it on. The sound of rushing water filled the small shuttle until whatever light they had was extinguished by the rising water.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?"
"Gave us a better chance at surviving this storm," Luke said in all calmness. "Submerged we won't attract the lightning."
"If this is such a good solution, why do you sound like you just signed our death warrants?"
"We have a slight problem," Luke said, the charming smile on his lips as bright as ever. "I flooded the cargo area in order to get us below the surface, but we have no way to pump the water out and get back to the surface."
"You *have* signed our death warrants!"
"Actually, I hope that I have given us enough time to see our emergency signal answered," Luke said trying to reassure Lea.
"A signal that we are not even sure was sent," the SFI Agent said, holding back her tears.
"It's alright," Luke said hugging the troubled woman, "we are still safe and together. Also think of it this way, we'll get to see what type of creatures are down here before we get rescued."
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Tiffany Rose {lady_tiffany_rose@mail.com}
Ensign Lea Summers
Currently:
Undercover SFI Agent
Once assigned as:
Assistant Chief Medical Officer
USS ANUBIS
