Aftershocks
Posted on Sun Oct 13th, 2024 @ 10:44am by Lieutenant Gunnar Arnason
855 words; about a 4 minute read
Mission:
Terrorpin
Location: Hospital
Gunnar woke at two dogs leaping off his bed.
It was well before his alarm, indeed before first light - not that that meant a lot to someone whose formative years had been spent somewhere with weeks of no light at all - but given the reason the dogs were with him, their agitated pacing woke him more thoroughly than being dosed with ice water. "What is it?"
Answered with only whines and pawing at the door, he got up and threw on clothes, but took a moment to use his tricorder to scan the premises. He breathed a sigh of relief at none beyond those expected, but then the security in the t'Leiyas home should have set alarms blaring if any intruder had slipped in (from outside or another dimension). Still, the dogs pacing, ears pricked, as though keyed on something.
Normally the morning routine was to let them run the compound while he made their morning meal, but if something was out there...
He clipped leads to their collars and headed for the door. Thankfully it was early enough that no one who might urge him to bring a weapon was in the hall, but he did grab a phaser. Just in case. "Don't tell Caithlin," he whispered to the dogs, half-joking as he slipped into a jacket pocket.
It was dark, but he could make out dogs lifting noses to the air. Still, they only circled, directionless. Whatever had them on edge must be at enough remove that they couldn't find a clear track. His experience of dog-handling was limited, but he'd worked with search and rescue back home, and so directed them, first toward out buildings and then to make a circuit of the perimeter shield-fence.
Finally satisfied that whatever had woken them was not in family compound, he returned to the house, fixed their bowls and set them down. Normally they came to the hospital with him, but if something was wrong out there, it could be a busy day - one where dogs would have to stay in his office. "I'm going to leave you here today," he said, patting their backs as they ate (at least whatever had alarmed wasn't so bad they wouldn't eat). "Guard the kids while I'm gone."
A short time later he was at the hospital, which thankfully, was quiet. No one particularly noted his early arrival - before Luka's dogs had decided to puppy pile him, it hadn't been unusual for him to wake at o'dark-thirty, and unable to get back to sleep, simple come in for early shift. One part of his routine was essential, however: Coffee.
"Hey, Gunnar," Jess called from the cafe stand, already pouring his favorite extra strong blend. "Another early start?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Once I was up -"
"No point in going back to sleep," she finished for him, almost by rote as she set the mug on the counter. "Do you want a shot of expresso t-"
*Rumble* A container of creamer crashed to the ground, shattering, as the whole building shook...
-----Flashback------
BOOM! CRASH!
The barn he'd been running toward shook as debris from a destroyed fighter rained down.
BOOM!
Just meters away, the ground erupted - dirt and debris flew up as another fighter spiraled, both firing and dodging fire from the dogfight going on above.
He paused at the door - there was a cry, weak and frightened. Trying to see through the haze of hay, dirt, splinters, and dust filling the air he stumbled toward the sound. The smoke stung his eyes, choked the air. Dropping to hands and knees, pain shot through his injured arm, but there was a glimpse of motion - someone trying to drag himself toward the door.
He gulped air and rose to run -
BOOMBOOMBOOMRRRUUMMMBBBBLLLE
Blasts blew the back side off the barn, the shock throwing him to the ground. He looked up as the roof collapsed, heavy beams crashing down. A man screamed -
-----
"NO!"
"Gunnar?"
He blinked, looked at the hand on his arm. Then at Jess, sprawled across her counter - one hand on him, one securing the mug of coffee. Despite where his mind had gone, reflexes borne of living on a volcanic island had kicked in, so he'd braced against the stand. A good thing, as the ground heaved again. His eyes slid to the alarm light on the wall. Not on, not red. We're not under attack. He expelled a breath.
"What's happening?"
Jess' voice was alarmed, but assured this wasn't orbital bombardment, Gunnar could answer calmly. "Earthquake. I've been through them a few times before." Though this one wasn't volcanic - he'd checked on that when he'd come to the colony - but even generally stable regions could experience tectonic shifts. "There'll be aftershocks. The hospital should be designed to withstand them, but if you get worried, stand in a doorway - those are reinforced," he advised with a reassuring smile, as he pried his coffee from her hand. "Thank you. I need to get to going. I expect we're about to be busy."
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