Rapid Descent - Part I

 Episode Name:  Rapid Descent - Part I

   Written By:  Starfleet & Fortunae

         Cast:  Bailey, Duncan, Golden, Idisha, Starfleet, Stewart, Takamura

                and Turtledove.

  Produced By:  Starfleet

  Directed By:  Starfleet

     Aired On:  Mon Nov 18 01:07:17 2002

     Stardate:  52787.7

Time: Sun Nov 17 21:40:53 2002

Stardate: 52787.4

The lean officer lowers his arms in midstretch, an expression as if reacting to some surprise on his features. Golden affords Ensign Stewart an unreadable expression, as if reacting to something just said, and crosses to stand beside the trill DTI Agent. He leans his body lower so he can get a better look at the PADD in Duncan's hand, extending a finger -- and then reads a scroll of information that his action causes with a very intent expression.

Idisha stands scant feet from Lt Golden's side bearing quite obviously his type II and engineer's kit. Otherwise unoccupied at the moment, he stands straight, his eyes occasionally flitting to a member of the team as if evaluating their states.

Stewart is sprawled out on the ground, apparently relaxing, with his head propped up against the industrial replicator. His expression is thoughtful, and his hands are rested across his stomach, fingers interlaced. For the most part, he's just camped out, waiting.

Bailey moves up to Duncan and gives him a thumbs up sign, followed by a wink and a mysterious smirk. "Good hunting..." she says to all, before heading over to the second team that is forming up not too far away. She moves to stand near T'sal, Malloy and Devereaux, sharing with T'sal some information on her padd.

Turtledove stands up, her pre-mission stretching over. Her expression is quietly neutral. She shifts her attention to Takamura, giving him a quiet, reassuring half-smile.

Takamura continues his pre-Kochek calisthenics while waiting for the pre-op mission briefing to begin. His face is set in a businesslike demeanor, though there is something dark in his eyes. As he finishes, he takes a few steps toward Turtledove.

Duncan nods to the Lt. and points out a couple of items as the data scrolls by and gives Golden a significant look. Turning to Bailey almost grins but thinking about the nature of the mission kills that pretty quickly. "Thanks, I think we'll have the situation well in hand given the way the incursion pattern was laid out."

Tyler steps into the Fighter Bay, wearing her standard uniform. She tries to project authority in her walk, carrying a tricorder at her side. She stops before the assembled officers. She gives a long look to Ensign Turtledove, and cracks a half-smile at her before clearing her throat. "Can I, uh, have your attention?" she asks.

Golden looks up from Duncan's padd, shooting an apologetic look to his teammates for the last minute team grouping changes, and then straightens to give Tyler his full attention saying, "Of course Lieutenant. Listen up, people."

Idisha turns slowly...as if perhaps trying to parse the almost order into a semblance of a command before reacting. But he gives Tyler his attention as asked for and resolutely so. His not quite stern gaze levelling upon the scientist even as his left hand lifts to steady the strap of his engineer's kit.

Duncan turns to Tyler and very carefully comes to attention almost as if he's stifling a reflex in order to do it slowly, then waits expectantly.

Stewart gets up to his feet, giving himself a quick dust-off, and adopts a reasonable facsimile of the 'at attention' pose. He turns towards Tyler, keeping quiet, and with calm, relaxed expression on his face.

Takamura looks up as Lt. Tyler arrives and assumes parade rest as he waits for her to begin to speak.

Turtledove takes care to acknowledge Tyler's half-smile with a minute half-grin, regarding the girl with a quiet confidence. She steps up to listen to what Tyler has to say.

Bailey simply looks over from where she is, hands dropping to her sides. Attention has been granted.

The young science officer clears her throat. "Um, at ease." Tyler walks toward the group a little bit more and puts her hands together behind her back. "First, I want you to know how proud I am of you all." She looks down the line at each officer and civilian, her eyes reflecting the emotions of which she speaks. "This is a difficult mission for us all. And you've handled yourselves with a professionalism that I am grateful for. Because I've had my own doubts." She stops walking but resumes her pan and scan of each officer's eyes for a second sweep. "That may make me look weak as your superior. But it certainly makes me... Human."

His eyes meeting Tyler's when hers are directed towards him, Golden manages to slip a supportive energy through his mask of professionalism while focusing on the young officer's words.

Turtledove watches Tyler intently, supportively. Her composure slips slightly, her brow creasing slightly, at the last sentence. But her expression quickly relaxes, returning to a calm, undisturbed confidence in Tyler as their leader in this operation.

If idisha relaxes its hardly noticeable. Save perhaps that he widens his stance slightly for long standing. His head turns to keep his antennae focused upon Tyler in an odd tracking sort of fashion. If he makes discontent at her 'human' statement there is no outward sign.

Duncan standing at ease, keeps his eyes on Tyler, never wavering. The look can only be described as a mixture of trust and resignation, with trust winning out in the end.

Stewart's response is just a calm return of the glance. He's steeled himself for this, gotten over his issues... or at least managed to set them aside for the few hours this will take. At the last of Tyler's statement, his mouth spikes upward into a slight smirk, and then smooths out into an amused smile, and his eyes flick over towards Golden briefly.

Takamura's posture subtlely shifts from parade rest to at ease, not that many people could tell. He smiles slightly when Tyler reveals her own feelings, reassured that he's not the only person to have qualms about the mission. He nods to her as she finishes her statement.

Nodding once at Tyler's words, Bailey gives the girl her full attention. Perhaps the softest of smiles creeps onto her lips, though it might be the shadows in the fighter bay. Yeah. A purposeful glance back towards Duncan makes that whisp of a smile disappear, returning to her naturally neutrality.

"My reservations aside," Tyler continues, "What we do here today is for the benefit of everything we believe in. Of everything we hold sacred, of everything we hold dear. We are doing the right thing for the right reasons. We have been given a difficult task, one that will weigh on our consciences for a long time. But it's a task we must rise to and meet, as our uniforms demand." She says it, and she certainly sounds sincere in the conviction. "What we do yesterday ensures our tomorrows." She offers them a supportive upturn of her lips. "You are cleared for transport, Lt. Golden. On your mark." She flips the tricorder open and it whirs and beeps with a different cadence than standard tricorders.

His entire presence shifts gear upon Tyler's last words, his professional face being pushed aside for the intensity of his game face; as if he was expanding to something larger then he normally is. "You heard her people, form up. Two lines off my left. Team Two, establish contact once you arrive and are in position." Golden snaps off the orders with fluid confidence as if he's given such many times before and he turns his contagious self-assurance back upon Lt Tyler while he says, "Don't you worry Lieutenant, we're going to square away this little problem directly." He only awaits them forming up to give the mark requested.

Turtledove steps quietly to Golden's left, starting the line for Team 1.

Idisha takes the four steps required to take him from Golden's right to his left and forms up aside Turtledove.

T'sal nods once to Golden. "Aye, sir," she says while double-checking her gear before the secondary transport wave.

Takamura forms up standing next to Idisha after making sure he still has all his gear.

Duncan gives Lt. Tyler a quick nod as if saying "Agreed." to Golden's comment then moves to stand in line with Takamura and awaits transport.

Stewart lines up next to Idisha, doing a last minute check of all his gear. Phasers present. Tricorder batteries at full charge. Compin didn't fall off in the toilet. Check. And with that, he's ready to go.

Bailey grants Golden a faint smile, that contagious self-assurance perhaps firing her up a bit. She goes to start readying herself for the trip, pausing only a moment to look towards the ceiling. It's a fleeting few seconds that she spares for that before lowering her head and getting back to work. Second wave, here she comes.

Turtledove spares Tyler a quiet smile as she waits. She seems mildly curious, now, her eyes brightening in anticipation of the time transport.

"Beam and Scream, Lieutenant. See you soon." Golden says, then awaits the shift through time.

Takamura closes his eyes and mutters a quiet prayer to himself.

Tyler pushes the button her tricorder. A small, spinning ball of blue-white light begins to form and coalesce behind Golden. It expands, growing brighter and brighter to the size of a large beach ball. It rapidly spins in place, lances of blue light shooting out of it, and seems almost like a miniature anomaly. The process of it growing takes about thirty seconds, and it spends another fifteen or so at this size. Then suddenly like a rollercoaster to hell, it expands to fill the universe. A wave of white light washes over team one with a hiss of white noise accompanied by an orchestra of vertigo. And then, as suddenly as it came, it ends, and the rapid response officers are standing behind a hedge-row of a park, the entry point across the street from the DTI compound. Three hundred years ago this was the worst part of London. Now, the Bow is home to DTI. Jack the Ripper still lives here, or at least the legends still haunt the area. Through the hedge-row you can see the high ivy-covered stone wall of the DTI compound. It's a grey, drizzly day in London. But it's Earth - home to most of the RRT Timefleet officers. So even the nastiest weather in London is good weather. And rain won't be the only thing falling from the sky soon.

<CONTEST> Stewart contests his Fitness (Vitality) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

<CONTEST> Takamura contests his Fitness (Vitality) skill vs a difficulty of Moderate and Succeeds!

Duncan glances over to Golden as the transport effect fades and grins. "Told you that you'd get used to it."

Finding the transit experience as unpleasant as he remembered it doesn't remove the reaction to it being unpleasant, so Golden shifts his left foot forward to establish his balance and takes a moment to orientate. Realizing where he is he immediately scans his crew visually to see how they are holding up and leans closer to Duncan to say after manuevering himself beside the Trill..."Right... but this doesn't look like Paris. Are we still good for our entry cover or are they going to have picked up our arrival?"

Idisha blinks a few times and gives himself a forced shudder as if to rid himself of the lingering effects. Oddly enough /now/ he knows what that sensation was. How very interesting. He'd stop to examine it from an engineer's perspective but he has a job to do. Taking a knee out of reflex, he makes like he's fixing the cuff of his pants in case anyone is looking rather than getting cover as he really is.

Takamura shakes his head and blinks repeatedly trying to recover from the effects of the transport. Slowly, he regains his bearings and takes stock of his new location.

Duncan flips open his Temporal Tricorder and takes a quick reading, then says quietly to Golden. "Stardate 52727.3, we have until 52727.4 at which point the attack happens."

Upon landing, Stewart winces, and leans up against the hedgerow for a second. "I really hope they have to deal with that same sort of trip. Someone should have warned us about that." After a brief moment, he shakes it off and says, "That's... not much time."

Turtledove's eyebrows relax, as they had formerly ascended during the 'roller-coaster to hell' aspect of the ride. She, too, blinks, readjusting to more to the sensation of rain and the general outdoors. Her eyebrow re-ascends when she realizes what Lt. Golden has said.

Idisha looks about in tourist fashion, never really having been to either Terran city. The implications do unnerve hims lightly though and he stands looking about cluelessly.

Golden rolls with it, "Okay, so we skip phase one. Next step, we gain access. Agent Duncan, you're our point man at the gate, everyone we are going to presume that they didn't track us incoming because we don't get another shot at this. That being said, play it cool, play it loose, follow Agent Duncan's cues. Phasers on heavy stun, if we have to put anybody down right away they need to stay asleep for a while. Agent Duncan, since you are with us, why don't you take us in for our cover story debriefing?"

Golden adjusts his own phaser II setting to level three, then reholsters it.

Stewart checks his Type II Phaser.

After muttering another prayer, Takamura nods to Golden and resets his phaser setting. He then glances over to Turtledove and gives her a half smile.

GAME: Duncan spends a courage point.

<CONTEST> Duncan (claiming advantage) contests his Personal Equipment (Temporal Tricorder) skill vs a difficulty of Challenging and Succeeds!

Turtledove nods precisely to Golden, weaving slightly with the gentle force of it. But she quickly regains her balance, and returns Tak's half-smile as she takes her Type II in hand to reset it.

Idisha, having been recently issued his type II, gives his a solid looking over for the fifth time and making sure its on setting three before holstering it again. That done, he makes with the business of looking stoic. He's good at it. Or at least looking like he's constantly pissed at something. Which is to say its raining and he doesn't have an umbrella. Better than sleet he supposes as he looks to Duncan.

Stewart pulls his Type II, resets it, holsters it, and fishes his Type I out of a pocket, adjusting it as well before reconcealing it. He stands up against the hedge for a little cover against the rain, using his hand to shield his eyes from errant raindrops.

Duncan takes a more thorough reading in order to verify what he already suspects. "It looks like we have the jump on them.". Noting Golden's order responds. "Alright, the secondary entrance is over here, Same security as the main entrance, but I know most of the people in that section personally and they wont question my presence or pay too close attention to anyone with me."

Golden says, "Right. Let's move," Golden says with a shake of his head, sending recently landed rain-droplets from his regulation hair-cut and forcing his expression to soften to that of a more typical fleet-orientated junior officer."

The DTI Agent approaches the secondary entry gate. The security posted there screens their credentials and allows them entrance without incident. Everyone still has their gear. On the other side of the gate is a garden courtyard. Standing on the other side of the gate is a giant Lt. JG Tyler, in a parade rest, on top of a square-based pedestal. The statue is an onyx-like stone, polished to a high black gloss. It mirrors every feature of her in every way, including the floppy ponytail. She stands looking East and slightly above the horizon, giving the effect of her staring into the future of a new day. Sculpted onto the base are the words, 'What we do yesterday ensures our tomorrow.' with the words 'Gwendolyn Elizabeth Tyler' below that. Benches are around the base of the statue among the hedges and other flora.

Since it's appropriate to his cover as an eager junior officer, Golden allows himself that confused look of wonder and shock and asks without shame, "Isn't that statue a little young to be so... big?" Of course, after the words leave his mouth, he makes an even more surprised expression that of all the things he could have said, that was what came out of his mouth.

Idisha just stares up at the statue like any other Andorian posted to Terra who hasn't seen all of the sites let alone this particular site because its behind a security checkpoint and he's only here because he's been assigned to cover Agent Duncan's ass and so anyway he just stares at it...mildly confused...before deciding he's had enough of staring at it and goes back to following along like a good ensign.

As Takamura enters the courtyard, his eyes widen at the statue that greets the team. His index finger points toward the statue as his mouth begins to move, but no words come out of it.

Turtledove regards the statue with eyebrows slightly raised. "Maybe it's a statement about the reversal of aging... a metaphor for time travel. Or. Something." She glances over at Golden, grinning slightly. Ok, so she's not skilled with the whole art-interpretation thing.

Golden ambles alongside Duncan, brushing rain from his face with an offhanded sweep of his left hand.

Duncan glances up at the statue. "Tyler's early theoretical work was responsible for the formation of the DTI. Without her there wouldn't even be one."

Idisha is content to look like a drowned rat...with antennae. The dour expression on his face becoming more genuine with every dowsing droplet that soaks every pore of his being. The 'tour guide' doesn't even get so much a grunt of acknowledgement from his little touch of history as Idisha walks along in formation.

Takamuraglances over the building and grounds like a tourist, though he is actually assessing the tactical situation. The rain doesn't seem to bother the man who grew up in the rainy Pacific Northwest. He actually seems to be comforted by the weather.

Turtledove's eyebrows go up, expressing genuine surprise and interest at Duncan's historical anecdote. She allows herself a quiet, almost touristy sweep of the grounds as she follows quietly along behind the group. Yeah. She's checking the place out, too.

Stewart doesn't even give the statue a glance, as for the most part he is keeping his head down, following the feet in front of him. Every so often though, his head snaps up for a quick, surreptitious look around the room, gaze pausing briefly on any elevated vantages, nooks, crannies, cover, and other tactically important features. And then it's back to the feet.

Duncan meanders down the path pointing out various historical items of interest but eventually making his way to an ivy covered wall with an arched doorway where he waits til all are gathered close enough for a quiet word.

The Uniform shoes are waterproofed, and so droplets of water are flung back up at the sky defiantly with each step towards the arched doorway. Golden seems happy to gather closer as the arch offers some protection from the gift from Terra's hydrosphere.

The doors of the building suddenly open and out pokes the head of a man in a sharp black suit. "What are you doing out here?" he asks. The man is mostly bald with a band of dark hair. He is wearing spectacles, and thus must be allergic to retinax. He's slightly overweight, but the suit is cut to fit him perfectly, as can be seen as he fills the door frame.

Golden flashes a smile of orderly white teeth at the large man in the doorway, he seems comfortable with the question as he moves to just behind Duncan's left side so that quite accidentally his holstered phaser is blocked from the man's view, just in case. He seems to be deferring to the Trill, as it should be.

Duncan smiles warmly at seeing the gentleman. "Sir, its good to see you again, I've brought some problem children to be debriefed after a simple class four, nothing major but still, you know the regs better than I do."

The man pushes out of the door and looks up at the sky. At the same time he gestures for the officers to enter the building with several rapid waves of his forearm. "Come on, come on," he says. His accent is distinctly British. His eyes still scan the sky.

Golden complies with the invitation as soon as Duncan himself departs the rainy grounds.

Turtledove's hands move to her head as she enters the building, slicking back her wet hair. Her eyes relax, having widened abruptly upon being addressed by the bald man. She smiles politely as she files in, though her eyes show a touch of mild apprehension, such as one might expect from a young Starfleet ensign in such a notorious place.

Takamura files through the doorway after his teamamtes. He straightens up and respectively nods to the man at the door, as he would any superior officer.

As the RRT officers enter the building, all sorts of alarms start to go off from the weapons that they wear. "Security override, clearance Bennings Delta Four," comes the voice as the short fat man closes the door behind them. "I'm Director Bennings, DTI," he says to them. "I've been expecting you." The floor and walls of the interior are all polished wood, and the lighting is comfortable and warm. It looks more like an ivy league university office facility than a bureaucratic office. The main corridor leads into the facility, which is strangely devoid of people.

Idisha follows inside and wipes his hair, splaying water on a nearby wall as he seems to shake himself like a wet dog. With the water no longer running into his eyes, the Andorian seems at least mildly more content with life. If perhaps a little irritated to be facing the inquisition. And pleased to be leaving splorts of wet footprints behind him.

. o O Golden thinks "Ducan told me that at the time of the bombings, the senior DTI staff weren't here... that is why Bennings was looking up at the sky, and the real reason he is expecting us... but if this is downtime Bennings, where is uptime Bennings... and if this is uptime Bennings, has he been illegally scanning the future to save his own life... curiouser and curiouser."

Duncan slips in out of the rain and steps aside with Director Bennings, waiting as the alarms are reset.

Golden leaving his right arm hanging casually at his side, he brushes rain from his uniform in a innocent looking gesture, even as he matches the surroundings they are now in to the map in his head that they have drilled and drilled and drilled on. He doesn't seem to react to their being expected with any import.

Stewart just tries to play invisible, keeping his head down, not looking at anyone. His hands are in his pockets. He's actively doing as little as possible to stand out. After all, the better you blend in, the less is likely to go wrong. We hope.

Turtledove's eyebrows go up quietly again, apparently slightly alarmed by the alarms, surreptitiously also checking the layout of the area, with respect to the map in her head.

Bennings adjusts his glasses and looks at Duncan. "Agent Duncan, I presume you have everything in hand. I know you all have, er, work to do. As do I. You and the team have your security codes. Do you know your way to the computer core, or do you need an escort?" He glances between the officers.

Takamura tries to act surprised at the alarms going off. He quietly steps off to the side allowing the others to enter. He is genuinely surprised by the words of the DTI director.

Duncan nods gravely to the director. "We know the way sir, any other visitors?"

Idisha does perhaps the one thing to make him stand out as anything other than a pissed off wet Andorian. He stares icily at the Director as if appraising the man. This is /not/ a surprise he was looking for. But he'll let Golden field it. Work first. 'Discussions' later. He stretches his neck to get out the kinks and adjusts his kit before settling back 'into character'.

Turtledove's eyes flicker to Golden, then to Bennings. She regards the DTI director evenly as he talks to Duncan, her touristy expression melting away into a quietly unreadable expression.

"Thankfully you're the first tourists HQ has seen today," Bennings says to the Agent as he walks them toward the turbolift that will take them to the lower levels and close to the computer core. "I'm the only one who knows, so keep your cover stories intact if you run into other personnel."

Golden's comm badge chirrups. "Lt. T'sal to Lt. Golden."

Golden rubs the back of his sopping wet neck with his left hand, drumming it it twice as if working out a pain in his neck...then he brings it around to his chest to touch the combadge that just betrayed him; is right hand concealed by Duncan's form slipping with inobtrusive motion to rest on the handle of his phaser II. "Go ahead," he says, ready to take direct action if this has blown his cover.

Bennings says to Duncan, "If you run into trouble, have whoever it is giving it to you to contact me and we'll clear it up. The personnel in the core are expecting you to program holographic testimony about the 'event' you witnessed." Bennings doesn't bat an eyelash at Golden's cover.

T'sal says over the badge, "Team 2 has arrived directly in London. Shall I proceed, sir?"

. o O Golden thinks "Bennings knows we are here for the computer core... this was not part of our mission brief; what sort of side game is DTI playing here? Stay loose."

. o O Turtledove thinks "That's the cue for possible action. But I wonder. Duncan seems to trust him... very odd."

Responding to his combadge, Golden says "When you get to the security check point, tell them you are reporting for a Class 4 incident debriefing and that Agent Duncan directed you to wait for him in the main lobby. Inform them if there are any questions you were directed to have them confirm them with Director Bennings." He eyes the man in the black suit for any objection to this wrinkle.

Duncan's surprise at hearing T'sal's communication does not show on his face, he simply nods to the Director and glances around the corridor then says. "Come along ensigns, we've got a debriefing to record." then smiles hearing Golden handling T'sal's faux pas with his usual adroitness.

Bennings doesn't object, in fact he nods his approval. "Very well. Good luck." He glances down the corridor as he thumbs the door to the turbolift.

"Understood, sir," T'sal says over the comm badge. "Team 2 out."

Idisha stands straight and adjusts his kit before giving a nod to Duncan. The fingers of his right hand splaying and his arm arcing slightly in the poise of a classic terran gunfighter. A throwback to the 'classics' of theatre. "Lead the way, sir. Ours is but to serve." He says to Duncan in curt federation standard.

Golden withdraws his hand from the butt of his weapon and resumes full "in character" mode to follow Duncan to the computer core for thier debriefing, by all appearances unflapped by this small hiccup in their plans.

Stewart just keeps walking along with Duncan, hands still in his pockets. None of this particularly concerns him. And the fact that one of those hands is currently wrapped around a Type I, and has been since entry is not directly apparent. To all outward appearances, he's just a bored ensign, on his way to do things that promise more boredom. He does, however, spare Bennnings a good long sidelong glance as he passes.

. o O Golden thinks "Ifni Ifni Ifni... may that be the worst of the surprises on this mission and we'll be good to go."

Turtledove's mouth quirks upward slightly as she defers naturally to Golden, following him quietly, her own hand falling away from where it had been poised above her belt. Her eyes regard their surroundings as she walks along, quietly alert.

Duncan approaches the turbolift and hits its summon key allowing the systems biometric scans to give him a thorough going over before the turbolift arrives.

Takamura takes up the rear keeping his eyes peeled. As he passes Billings, he nods respectfully. His hands rest on his hips as he moves along.

"I had forgotten what rain was like..." says Golden, making small talk as the scanners do their work; a lie perhaps but one easily attributed to an ensign just arrived back from space.

The doors of the turbolift swish open. Bennings nods to each officer as they board. He says to Duncan, "I expect a full report on my desk in a month." He then smiles. Must be a DTI joke. The door swishes closed and the turbolift idles while it awaits a command.

Idisha mutters as he follows Duncan. "I hadn't." He's had enough of water. Give him a good snow anyday. But with the wait for the lift, there's no need to make like the Andor Kid and he relaxes slightly as the turbolift proves empty.

Takamura smiles. "I find it rather refreshing. Reminds me of home."

Turtledove follows quietly into the lift, resuming her previous expression of wonderment, and meanwhile keeping a good eye on their surroundings at all times.

Duncan looks to the others and says "brace yourselves." then addresses the turbolift. "Computer Core, rapid descent." then leans back against the wall as the turbolift accelerates away, inertial dampers just barely catching up.

Idisha is very glad he has a multisectioned torso and thus doesn't feel his digestive track try to hug his lungs.

Golden raises his eyebrows appreciatively as the action that follows the computer command lives up to it's name. The almost sensation of weightlessness as they plunge towards their rendezvous with fate... and later, the Romulans.