What is possession? PT. 2

Posted on Sun 30th Apr, 2023 @ 9:24pm by Exo-Comp EXQT
Edited on on Thu 4th May, 2023 @ 6:22am

776 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Neither Yours Nor Mine
Location: Deck 14
Timeline: MD1 0330

Previously...

{(BANSHEE) (QUERY-PEGGY: How does Mood become influenced. Spectral analysis required.)}

Banshee had only just returned to their tribal grounds in the subsection, it began immediately shining in different colors, asking for Mood results as it went.

{Brown Sector} 0330

The dog was barking. For a man who had a coinflip tendency to wake up drunk from the night before, it was not a welcome sound. Still, the alarming yap wasn't a normal occurrence, if it was alarming, there might be an issue.

Renato scratched his scruff, he had been in a deep asleep when the barking woke him. One of the residents had a canine in their family unit which was fine usually so long as it was silent at night, but it was barking at the witching hour and it had to stop. Staggering down the corridor into he main room he could see Tannis had already gotten out there. the Ex-Borg had a bewildered if not amused expression on his face. The XB could see in the dark just fine, and the dog was clearly alerting to the presence of a machine in their pantry.

"Something with antigrav, its hovering, gathering stuff, I cant make out what it is, and its got no transponders." Tannis was their in-house security informally. This information was on the observe and report side of things.

"Review footage, what did it do here first?" Renato was trying to get a good look but the pantry was narrow and dark. He could see a large sack, filled with edgy items, and the debris of the ransacking drone scattered all around.

Thinking only that someone had a drone stealing their leftovers was largely testament to the powerful drink he had before bed still fogging his mind. This was something he needed to think about but was still coming up to speed.

It made a loud thump trying to turn around and the pots and pans fell to the ground. Renato jumped in fear, the adrenaline waking him up. In full alert mode he spoke loudly, "Tannis! Get the pulser, I'll keep everyone back."

Those who were awake clustered at the thresholds observing the clatter and tumult.

Zombie had collected a fair amount of canned goods and continued its stated goal of collecting one of everything. It was heedless to the observation of the people nearby, Zombie had a singular focus.

Renato signaled others to stay back, the glimpses of the floating menace made it look big and dangerous. It had a bulk which suggested it was heavy and antigrav units the size of grapefruits so it could move fast. His technical knowledge wasnt so advanced and beyond surface observations he knew nothing. Presuming the worst, he just motioned time and again to hold everyone back.

Tannis grabbed the pulser, a low energy electric pistol largely meant to put a quick slap of reason into rowdy people. Once he aimed it at Zombie, Renato called the constables of Brown Sector who informed him this was not the only call they had received regarding the boxy machine stealing stuff. Logic and common sense lead him to believe this was a heist gone wrong.

"Listen, whoever is controlling this drone, I've called security-"

Renato didn't get to finish the sentence before the drone bolted. The poor dog stood no chance as Zombie broadcast a beam and lifted the dog halfway to the roof. An open hatch for ventilation had been opened. He cursed his sleepy eyes for missing it earlier. Tannis fired a bolt at Zombie but as the drone maneuvered it struck the dog. Thankfully the setting was low and the dog only howled, wiggling so much it threw Zombie off course.

Tannis tried to shoot it again but the bolt had a clean miss as Tannis was determined not to hit the dog again.

The squirming weight threw off the antigravs so Zombie dropped the wailing animal onto the communal sofa and disappeared into the ceiling tubes.

In a split second everyone was in stunned silence. Tannis had a grim expression and broke it first, "I'm so sorry, I'm not a marksman... sorry, it was moving too fast."

"You did fine, the dog is just startled." The good boy went back to barking furiously at the roof, ready to rend and tear.

Renato shook his head in disbelief as Kya ran from her room and the bedlam only continued to rise.

=/\= You there? Renato we detected a weapons discharge?

Renato replied to the constables, "Get Security on the ball tracking this thing, it will be displacing gravity."

They all stared in disbelief at the open hole in their ceiling.

-TBC-

 

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