Cindy

For a fraction of a second, Cindy debated what to do. It was actually a relatively simple decision, but part of her hesitation was based in her memories coming from an organic being, so there was a fear of what the coolant might do to her. It was quickly overcome though. She could either continue to chase the other intruder, or she could try to save the entire ship. One was a much bigger danger than the other.

She decided that she had to trust in Security to handle the other intruder and she sent a message to the Bridge. She quickly accessed her files on the ship's coolant system and began dashing across the large room.

The wave of coolant washed across her feet and she cringed at the sensation. It made her sensors react in a slow way that registered as a tingling sensation, but would do no actual harm to her. She waded over and noted that the fuses in the system had indeed activated. The monster had damaged not only the holding tanks, but also some of the control mechanisms as well. She was going to have to reroute the auxiliary system manually.

She quickly verified what parts were still intact and began opening the bypass valves. She brought the system online enough to give herself a few more seconds, as it struggled to recirculate what little was in the system, but she still needed to open the line to one of the reserve tanks of coolant. It was just out of reach.

The computer began venting the coolant from the room, but was still creating a toxic fog up to about waist high as she struggled to grasp the pipes and make her way up to the valve. She was startled as something came up out of that fog and grabbed her around the waist, throwing her down to the deck hard.

She cried out, more out of fright than pain. As the fog began to thin out more, she looked up to see that the monstrosity she had presumed was gone, had in fact survived in some way. It looked even more strange now, having incorporated hardware into itself, like some instant Borg. There were pieces of metal, EVA suits and composite materials covering most of it. The thing was impossibly twisted and using arms as legs to move around. On the small amount of exposed surface that she could see, there was some sort of shining hard shell that looked like it had been part of some strange insect, but she didn't have time to think about it.

She had dropped her phaser and was feeling around for where it had fallen. The monster lashed out at her and she rolled to the side, barely avoiding a blow that sounded like thunder in the room. It would have crushed her for certain. She began to panic as her hand hit the phaser, only to knock it further out of her reach. She scrambled to try and crawl over to it as the thing roared in anger and drew back for another try at her.

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OOC: Tune in next week to see what happens. Will Cindy be crushed by the Zergbie that just won't die? Can she get to the valve that might still save the rest of the ship? What about that intruder that got away? Will Lassie ever manage to get poor Timmy out of that damned well? We'll find out next time on, As The Galaxy Turns (Brought to you by ACME Stem Bolts).

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XO LtCmdr Samantha Waters
Lone Wolf
lonewolfdagaz@hotmail.com