<snip>

A few minutes later Thomas walked into Main Engineering, blinking as his eyes took in the setup.

“Someone want to fill me in on what’s going on here?” he asked the room.

COS

“Commander,” Angel said in respectful greeting. Collins and Sebastian were busy setting up the scanning device. She could see Bat reviewing the data. “21 minutes ago Ensign Bailey picked up a interphasic spanner, that one there, and immediately began to spasm from an energy release of as yet unknown cause. Commander Thor ordered her to be beamed to sickbay and he and Bailey were caught in the transport. Neither arrived at sickbay however the spanner did arrive.” She called over to Bat. “Bat, do you have anything to report?”
The portly Bolian turned and approached them. “I have something. Ensign Bailey took her took kit from the cabinet. Nothing unusual there. I have that on video record of her collecting it. But she said to the Commander that someone had been messing with her tools. She said that she was missing her sonic driver and the ODN recoupler and that she had an ‘extra’ interphasic spanner. She reached for it and, well, the rest was shocking.”
- Angel and Bat

Thomas approached the suspect tool with a tricorder in hand, letting the device do its work.

“Thank you Bat,” Angel said. Indeed she was impressed with the results of Bat’s investigation. The realization that there had been purposeful tampering suggested malice directed toward Ensign Bailey. Her eyes flickered toward the Commander. It would be a further investigation as to whether anyone was upset with the Ensign to derive a motive. “Good work.” As illogical as many of her peers would say, the portly Bolian was looking more appealing to her.

Sebastian was nearly ready to initiate the scanning device. Santos was on the other end. “Powering up the Mark IX,” he said, flicking a switch and a purply blue glow illuminated the bottom scanning business end of the bulbous scanner. “I’m getting initializing diagnostic data,” Sebastian said, the illuminated lettering scrolling along the terminal reflecting off his round glasses. He edged to the side as the Commander was moving closer with his tricorder. He nodded to Angel they were ready.

“Proceed,” Angel said, indicating that they start the scan along with the Commander.

“So we’ve got a tool that did something to the Ensign, who along with Commander Thor vanished during the transport from here to Sickbay. Is someone checking the transporters?”

COS

Angel answered the Commander increasing her pitch to talk over the soft whine of the scanners. “Ensign Kowalski is in the transporter room with the transporter operator, Petty Officer Hans Porter and they are looking at the logs and running diagnostics.”
- Angel et al

“Hopefully they’re just stuck in the buffer,” Thomas said. Transporter accidents were much rarer these days, but the technology did throw a weird hiccup every now and then.

Everyone among the engineers shared a ‘look’ of concern amongst themselves. Transporter travel was something so routine that few ever thought of it anymore. Mostly gone are the days of transporter-phobes of a century past who disliked using it. Accidents happened but they were typically due to unusual circumstances rather than something in standard operation given all the safety protocols in place both hardware and software.

“Wait, you said it was an interphasic scanner?” His mind raced with the possibilities, chief among them the possibility that the Ensign and the Chief had never actually left Main Engineering.

COS

Bat started to nod but then stopped. “Interphasic spanner, commander.” He tipped his head to one side in puzzlement as to what the commander was thinking.
- NE Bat

“If it was malfunctioning… could it have interacted with the transporter beam and instead of beaming the Commander and Ensign away, knocked them out of phase?” Thomas asked.

COS

Bat’s cheek twitched and paused in thought. Angel picked up on this. “Then it is a possibility that they are here however out of phase. That is unfortunate for Ensign Bailey who was severely injured. Perhaps if they came back out of phase in Sickbay that Commander Thor would be able to assist her.” She looked at the others. “Ensigns Bat, Kowalski, reference any other indications when this may have occurred in the past. Perhaps there is a scanner that we can adapt to register objects or people out of phase.”

The two moved off to a console .. “Commander, any other thought?”
- Angel et al

“None before we get the results from either the transporters or that analysis of the spanner,” Thomas said.

Coming out of a back corner out of one of the equipment storage compartments of the main engineering Kylie came forward to investigate the series of commotions that she had head, but had been unable to see what had gone on. The Ensign looked around a moment her face filled with confusion as she noted the soured looks of some of the staff. She quietly headed to one of the other ensigns nearby and inquired what had went on. She looked worried as she was filled in on the situation. She wasn’t sure what she could do. She looked thoughtful. “Should I head to Medbay and check the pattern buffer there?” She asked as she looked to the Commander.
Ensign Kylie Brecker, Engineer

Thomas, for his part, looked to Angel. “I’m merely an investigator, Ensign, not an engineer.”

COS

Angel turned to the arrival of Brecker, her Vulcan visage clear of emotion compared to the others about her. “Commander Thor has .. disappeared in a transporter accident while transporting an injured Ensign Bailey to sickbay. While the transport was successful from Engineering they never materialized in Sickbay. Ensign Sebastian is with the transporter chief going over the logs. Perhaps in studying them with an eye towards phase shifting you may discern something within the logs that they are otherwise not looking for.”

Turning to Thomas she said, “The indication is that there was some foul play suspected which, as you have said, you are the investigator. How may we assist beyond how we are now?”
- Angel, NL

Brecker nodded and looked thoughtful. “You think they could have been knocked out of phaze.” She said somewhat as a question but it was more of a statement. She nodded. “I will work with them.” She quickly headed off to the pannel with the others
Ensign Kylie Brecker, Engineer

“Show me the locker the spanner came from,” Thomas said. “I’ll also take the results of that analysis of the tool once it’s complete, but for now we need to determine what happened to make it malfunction in the first place.”

“I will take you there, sir” Angel said, nodding to Brecker as she departed. “Continue with your scans,” she said to Collins and the team.

The distance was not far to the locker where Bailey had retrieved her tool kit. “Bailey’s kit is still where she left it over there,” Angel said as they came to a nondescript cabinetry of several half sized lockers. Names were scripted on each denoting the engineer or team where their tools lay. Bailey’s was an upper cabinet.

Thomas directed his tricorder at first the tool kit, then the locker, looking for trace amounts of DNA on each. Pulling out a PaDD, he made a notation to review video surveillance of the engineering spaces to see who, if anyone, had touched or accessed Bailey’s locker between the end of her last shift and this morning.

OOC: I think its in engineering, though I’m not sure.
D.Inman

=/\=Mr. Thor what is going on in my engine room=/\=

Marius CO

COS

“Excuse me sir,” Angel said, stepping away from him by two steps and answering. =^= Captain. Lt Seraph speaking. Commander Thor and Ensign Bailey are missing following a transporter incident. This is being investigated here and at the transporter. There is a suspicion that this is not entirely an accident and Commander McGregor is here assisting in the investigation. =^=
- Angel, NL Eng

COS