Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Commotion in the Holodeck (tag Security)

Posted by Ensign Issac Forgrave (Security Officer) in Commotion in the Holodeck (tag Security)

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Commotion in the Holodeck (tag Security)
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻
She had tried. And by tried, it was meant that she had spent countless hours during sleepless nights trying to break in. All to no avail.

Commander Nunn had left a few months prior, having restricted Molly from accessing her training routine after her recklessness caused her to end up in Sickbay with a spear through the back of her right thigh. It had been an accident. It genuinely had. But even though Holloway had tried to explain it to the counselor at the time, the fact that the safeties had been disabled on the Holodeck program had meant she had been stripped of her access codes on that harder settings of her favorite training program.

What the actual hell happened to you!? Jersey’s voice still pierced through Molly’s mind as she remembered that fateful morning. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Holloway’s hands kept working steadily on the keyboard. She was the ship’s Chief Intelligence Officer. How hard could it be anyway? It turned out, really hard. Especially for someone with her psychological record.

Suddenly, the yellow grid of the empty holodeck gave way to the lush vegetation and the enormous trees of never ending height of her own private rainforest. Molly’s face lit up. She had done it! She had bypassed the security layer Nunn had left in place.

“Computer, begin standard routine, program Wright Alpha 1.”

Nothing. The tree leaves moved slightly with the breeze. But nothing else happened.

With a deep sigh, Molly returned to the console, now so out of place in the middle of the jungle. It was almost as if Nunn had predicted this would happen.

A few more hours passed, in which the random sounds coming through the Holodeck’s doors would not go unnoticed to the accidental passerby.

Inside, a Mariachi band played loudly over invisible speakers and a group of strikingly beautiful Orion slave women danced. The green of their skin camouflaging with the rainforest scenery. With eyes wide in terror, as the famous pheromones of the species reached Molly’s nostrils, the Intel officer turned to the console and keyed a few more commands. Why had she not paid attention during Holodeck Programming 101? The Orions were replaced by a group of Klingons wearing party hats. One of them was wearing a sash and seemed particularly unhappy about it.

“Computer, end program!” Holloway yelled in desperation as her eyes met those of the sash-wearing alien. The program kept running. She had officially broken the holodeck. With a last run at the console to try and locate the nearest exit out of the mess she had created, the computer happily accepted her override code, but instead of opening the doors, it sent an intruder alert warning right to the Security personnel.

Capt. Holloway, the very unhappy CIO

Issac Forgrave had only arrived at security to start his shift a bit ago, just long enough for the usual start - greet the departing shift, exchange notes and concerns, review any records or pertinent items. He was starting to become accustomed to the routine, and found he quite enjoyed it. “Now, where did my coffee get off to?” he muttered to himself idly as he sat down.
Having found his thermos almost immediately, he was in the process of pouring a mug of the black, steaming stuff when the intruder alert blared over the klaxon, jolting him to full alertness.
Issac kept focus on the coffee only long enough to set it down before he was focused entirely on the board in front of him. He mashed the ‘acknowledge alert’ button to silence the wailing tones, if only so he could think. Scanning the board, it appeared as though the alert originated in the holodeck; curious.
=^=Security to Holodeck, we are registering an intruder alert at your location. Can you provide details? I am on my way now with NE Jo’han; ETA is 5 minutes. Ensign Forgrave, out.=^=

“What!?” Molly’s words of surprise left her lips before she managed to stop them. The moment the unexpected commcall came through, Holloway scrolled frantically through the console’s output trying to figure out what had caused the security alert system to kick in. Or at least, trying to figure out whether it had been a shipwide alert or just part of some contained security training program that had gotten thrown in the mix.

Molly had no intention of ‘providing details’ to the security officers on their way. Or of replying for that matter. Whoever this Ensign Forgrave was that had commed the Holodeck, he was inexperienced. That much she could tell. He had provided her with the advantage of knowing both that Security was coming and how long they would take to get to her. If she was actually an intruder, he had just lost the element of surprise by telling her she had been detected. She made a mental note to let Ashur know that his new recruits had some rough edges that needed polishing.

So… five minutes until Security was banging on her door. That meant she had five minutes to get her story straight. Molly herself wasn’t very sure of the commands she had entered. If she had, she wouldn’t be in the present mess. Which meant that most likely, it would not be obvious that she was trying to bypass medical codes on her own personal Holodeck files. Ironically, the fact that she didn’t know what she was doing could potentially end up working out in her favor. And at least, when security walked in, she would know where the door was. And that was all she really cared about. She would leave the fixing to Engineering, and she hoped it would never get to Calvin’s ears. Otherwise she would never hear the end of it.

“Jo’han, with me! NE Braxton, we’ll be in contact. Stay here; if anything else pops up, comm me directly or send a runner.” Issac issued the orders quickly and precisely; if he had been able to look at it from a more detached perspective, he would have been amazed at himself. It was a testament to how refined Starfleet training was.
Forgrave and NE Jo’han left security at a quick jog; running may be slightly faster, but it was 11 decks to the holodeck and they didn’t want to arrive winded. As well, if someone was in trouble, Issac wanted to be able to talk to them instead of gasping for air if they commed him back.

Ensign Forgrave, Security

Eyeing the group of Klingons in close proximity, Holloway kept her stance at the console. Fortunately, they seemed to be a little too interested in their celebratory attire instead of engaging with her. It was definitely not Klingon behavior, but Molly would take what she could get.

As she looked at the chronometer in the corner of the screen, she waited… to welcome the two security officers to the jungle.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

OOC: The doors are not locked, feel free to enter! :) – Joana

“You know, if there are any intruders in the holodeck area, they know we’re coming now, right? NE Jo’han said in a low voice to Issac. “Yeah… that’s true. I’m hoping towards this being a malfunction or something though. Something tripped that alarm, and it looked like it was a hard trip done through a console - it’d be awful unlikely for someone outside of the crew to do that. Not that it’s impossible, mind.”
“And if a crew member hit the alert, they might be able to respond if they are in trouble.” NE Jo’han finished Issac’s train of thought.

“Exactly. That being said, no response over the comms… Not a good start.”
=^=Computer, can you give me a count of life forms or discrete bio-signs on holodeck 3, please? As well, are there any active combadges in the same area?=^=
OOC: Not sure what (if anything) would be picked up here. I’ll let you decide!

The computer’s reply came almost immediately. =/\= There is currently one active life form in Holodeck 3. There is one active combadge in the same location. =/\=

IC:
The two ensigns arrived at the holodeck door just as Issac finished the request to the computer. “Well; let’s be careful here. Jo’han, can you get that door open?”

As the door opened, Issac was hit by a wave of humidity and heat from the simulated jungle floor. Between the thick vegetation and slight breeze, it would be simple to hide in this environment. He moved inside, waving NE Jo’han to follow.

The music had finally stopped playing, and Holloway sighed in relief, enjoying the newly found silence. As the pneumatic swoosh of the doors opening reached Molly’s ears, the Intel officer jumped from her crouching position and looked around. Nothing. That didn’t necessarily mean that the door was far away. It just meant that the security officers had been placed by the program in an area it deemed to be far away from her own location within the simulation itself. Holodeck Physics. She had almost failed that class.

=^=Computer, end simulation=^= Issac commanded in a clear voice. “Nothing; damn…” he muttered to himself.

“NE Jo’han, I’m going to move in, see if I can find anything. Hang out inside here by the door; if there’s anything hostile, lets not let it out of here.” Issac paused. “We may need to call Engineering to get the holodeck sorted out.”

As Issac moved deeper into the jungle, he wondered if his stalking skills remained intact. As a youth, he did a lot of hunting in the dense Appalachian woods around his home; but that was some years ago, and he felt distinctly out of practice. Every step sounded loud as thunder to his straining ears.

Issac paused; he thought he could hear the faint sounds of conversation, but he had no line-of-sight and couldn’t make anything out. Issac considered his options, and started moving to where the console ought to be.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

Trying to remain hidden, it would be only logical to follow the path that provided the most cover. Or at least some cover. As the security officers walked they would notice the trees getting taller around them, and that light had more and more trouble reaching the ground. Ahead, a stray ray of light hinted at the potential existence of a clearing hidden in the middle of the vegetation, but such space was not visible from the ensigns’ vantage point.

Faint sounds of conversation came in through the silence, but they were too far away to make out. For a moment, they seemed to stop, replaced by hushed worried tones. From behind the security officers came a low guttural growl that clearly did not belong to a human. If they were to look back they would see in the shadows the vague silhouette of what seemed to be the front of a large head. There were no distinct eyes that the darkness allowed the two ensigns to see, but roughly where its mouth should be, there were row after row of sharp teeth.

Issac had made some progress into the dark, thick jungle; almost literally stumbling over a game trail. He was taking a moment to orient himself when he heard a distinctly inhuman growl, low and menacing. It didn’t sound like it was right on his position, but… yes, over by the entrance maybe. Where he had left NE Jo’han to cover the door. Damn.

In the clearing, keeping an eye on the group of Klingon’s, something caught Molly’s attention. It was the sound of success, because it meant that she had accomplished what she had gone there to do. A smirk grew on her lips – the game was on.

Until she remembered that the sound of the door earlier meant that Forgrave and Jo’han had made it inside. Or at least that someone else was in the room. In current conditions there was no telling whether the safeties were on, and Holloway didn’t want to have blood on her hands. Without a second thought she left the console behind and ran into the trees in what she hoped was the direction of the noise.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Issac started to move swiftly down the game trail in a loose-legged, shambling gait, trying to maintain a lower profile - it looked like the trail might swing close to the entrance, and the going was much easier than through the dense jungle. He hoped the safeties were on, but given the holodeck wasn’t responding to commands…

-NE Jo’han stood quietly by the door; scanning the dense foliage and looking for movement. “Lets see, worst case scenario; dead crew member, intruder with a comm badge. Likely scenario, crew member accidentally set off alarm, probably embarrassed and so not replying to calls.” NE Jo’han quietly muttered to himself. He didn’t notice anything concerning hiding among the trees and vines; but he heard the low growl behind him, and it was a struggle to keep his knees from shaking. Jo’han slowly turned, drawing his phaser and searching desperately with his eyes for the source of the growl.

As both ensigns walked in, in a typical holodeck fashion, the doors had closed behind them immediately blending in with the surroundings. Given the current program malfunctions, however, it would not be a bad idea to keep track of where in the simulation it had spawned.

As Jo’han slowly turned, phaser on hand, the source of the low growl jumped out of the vegetation. It was too fast for the ensign to have a good look at the attacker, and yet heavy enough to throw the security officer to the ground and lock him in place. Long pale boney fingers held his shoulders down with surprising strength, as a pale eye-less head with row after row of teeth made a lunge for his neck.

And then…

Issac caught movement out of the corner of his eye - some(one?) was running parallel to him, off to the left. Taking a gamble, he called out “HEY; YOU!” while moving a hand down to the phaser slung low on his hip.

Ensign Forgrave, Security

The creature’s teeth stopped millimeters away from Jo’han as a shout echoed through the vegetation and its head turned to face the direction of the sound. A moment later, it ran off into the darkness, leaving the ensign behind.

NE Jo’han’s breath rattled out of his clenched teeth as he lay on the damp ‘ground.’ He knew that he needed to get up, to get moving in case that thing came back, but he was having a remarkably difficult time convincing his body to listen. Slowly, he clambered up and took stock of himself.

Further into the rainforest, the words reached Molly’s ears closer to her position than she had expected them to be. The rainforest setting was part of her original programming so she knew the place as the back of her hand and her eyes knew what to look for. So as she caught the flash of gold of a security officer’s uniform in a darker area just beside the path she was on, Molly veered towards the sound and cut through the vegetation, hoping to cross in front of them.

Alas, having miscalculated the speed at which the officer was moving, a few seconds later Holloway was coming off through the foliage, colliding at full speed with Forgrave.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Eyes focused on the blur of movement ahead of him, Forgrave was caught completely off guard by the collision. Crashing to the ground with a muffled “SHIT!, he scrambled in the dirt to get a bit of distance from the unknown assailant.

He managed to get his feet under himself, and quickly stood, continuing to back away while drawing his phaser. It was only now that Issac managed to get a good look at his ‘assailant,’ and he recognized the tabs and distinctive red hair of the CIO. Well, how’s that for a fine introduction, Forgrave? He sarcastically asked himself. Meeting the CIO was on his list of things to do, but he had hoped for a… less abrupt introduction.

Still a bit jittery from the collision, he moved a bit closer to the CIO, being sure to remain just out of arms length - he wasn’t quite sure what was going on, and he’d rather come across as rude than make any mistakes now.

“You alright, ma’am?” Issac glanced around the area, straining his ears for any growls in the distance. Keeping his phaser at a low-ready in his right hand, he extended his left to the fallen CIO to help her up.

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security

From her position, Molly had had one advantage over the security officer – the fact that she had seen the collision coming. She had tried to stop it at the last second, but even that hadn’t prevented her from eating a fistful of dirt.

Coughing, she managed to come to a sitting position and use her sleeve to clean her face enough to open her eyes. They were still semi obscured by the tall flora around them. Focusing on her surroundings, Molly tried to listen to the ambient sounds. Where was it? She was sure it would have heard–

And then the ensign spoke.

A beam of light illuminated the officer’s features as Holloway turned to look at him. It was almost as if she had produced the flashlight out of thin air, but the ensign would know that not to be the case. Whatever the situation however, the Intel officer was pointing it directly to his face.

“Gah!” Issac grunted quietly from the sudden bright light in his eyes; he winced, turning his face quickly. There goes my night vision… he thought, before dismissing it from his mind.

“Shh” She said sternly taking a finger to her lips before whispering. “You’re going to get us caught.” For the most part her accent was standard American with the hint of a New York Irish influence.

Issac wanted to argue that she was making just as much noise as he was; but quickly dropped that line of thinking. Arguing would accomplish nothing right now. He settled for a firm nod, still keeping his head turned away from the light in a effort to preserve his vision.

Ignoring the officer’s helping hand, Molly stood up and quickly dusted her uniform. Swiping the immediate vicinity with her flashlight, Holloway finally turned to the Ensign again. “It didn’t find us. Let’s try to keep it that way. Come on. This way.” And she stepped away from the path and into the denser trees from where she had come from.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Issac felt torn; he wanted to question the CIO, figure out what was going on. What didn’t find us? Did she know anything about the intruder alert? Come to think of it, the Chief’s eyes had looked fairly shadowed.... how long had Captain Holloway been up? As his mind went to more suspicious questions, his eyes narrowed at the Intelligence officer’s back. But right now wasn’t the time for that.

Forgrave shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts, and resumed his quick shamble after the Chief. He had re-holstered his phaser; and as before, kept his flashlight tucked away in a effort to preserve his night vision. Despite his speed, he placed care into his steps, trying to remain quiet.

Catching up to Holloway, he spoke; almost in a whisper. “Ma’am, I’ve got a lot of questions, but I’ll start with one: are the safeties currently on?”

Ensign Issac Forgrave, Security