Episode 5 - The Enemy Within [SM-2]

[John Callaghan]

1945
Training Area 07
Meropis

Shore leave had been good for Callaghan. He calmed down, and got to reacqaint with several of his old buddies. He was also informed of another piece of information. Five years ago, back when he was a Midshipman, he had had a relationship with a British officer observing the training of Naval Officers. It turned out that she was pregnant at the time they seperated.

A girl was born later. Catherine Danielle Callaghan, with the calling name 'Cathy', was her name. It turned out that her mother only recently built up the courage to tell the girl's father. A written letter had been delivered to his quarters on the day of John's departure for Meropis. He had just missed it.

During his next shoreleave, he was planning a trip to Britain to see her. He was already thinking of gifts to get her, to make up for so much missed birthdays and christmasses and the likes.

Callaghan was now running a training group now, to make up for the people he'd lost during the last mission. At least he had someone he trusted as his XO now. Not that he hadn't trusted the previous Executive Officer. It's just that he'd worked with Captain Monaghan back when they were both operating from Stargate Command in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

She was a Captain now. It seemed that his recommendation for her to go trough OCS had went up the chain. He was glad for it. Turning back to the task at hand, he called everyone to him. "Okay ladies... Here, we have the shooting house. I am sure that, as Military personnel, all of you have seen one. You are going to be repeating this house until you know its every nook and cranny. The Captain and I will be randomizing the targets between sessions, of course, to keep it interesting. Now suit up." he said.

[Tom Chambers]

1945
Training Area 07
Meropis

Their adventure in the lab had hurt, hurt him atleast, being shot was certainly less enjoyable to shooting people, He had been hit before by fragments and knocked off his feet my concusion waves, but the Lance Corporal had the fortune of not ever actually getting hit by a bullet itself until that time in the lab, and he was certain had it not been magic the vest would ahve caught it or he would have dodged it, then they had had the mission to rescue that satedan fellow, certainly made for an interesting work place, and one much more exciting than city repair, now all he had to do was prove himself to the Marine Major and his Brick would need a new leader.

Standing in a line with the others, he was thinking over the stangeness of all expereinced combat verterans standing in a mostly straight line being talked to, but still why not just stand in a semi circle? He listened in as the Major Spoke.

"Okay ladies... Here, we have the shooting house. I am sure that, as Military personnel, all of you have seen one. You are going to be repeating this house until you know its every nook and cranny. The Captain and I will be randomizing the targets between sessions, of course, to keep it interesting. Now suit up."
 All the Tom needed was to grab his weapon of the table behind him, not that he didn't have his sidearm the ADF issue browning hipower snuggly on his right thigh.

Chambers sort of just raised his hand off his crossed arms. "Question, to the targets respond to lets say... being hit down with brute force? a boot to the target or shoulder charging it? or do we have to play by the rules and shoot everything?" Maybe a silly question but perhaps one worth asking sometimes the trainers like to put a target poping or swinging up infront or next to you, and well in a real fight, those were legitimate tactics.

He loosed his arms and taking the cap stuck between his vest and his BDUs out it flicked the Royal Australian Engineers embalzoned cap out before sliding it onto his head as he awaited a response.

<TAG: John Callaghan, Quinn Monaghan>

[Quinn Monaghan]

1945
Training Area 07
Meropis

Captain Monaghan stood by nearby listening as Major Callaghan spoke to those that had assembled.  While she was familiar with John... she knew it'd take some getting used to calling him Major.  One of the pleasant things about serving on the Meropis Project was seeing a familiar face... especially his.  Though right now, she was concentrating on those that had gathered, trying to read most of those as well as test here recall of the files she'd been given.  Thus far, she'd managed to recall them all without missing a beat.  A small feat, certainly, but she certainly planned to attach her assessment of each of them with a name as well as a face.  While the decision was ultimately John's, she knew that her own skills were being tested by evaluating those looking to join SM-2.


"Okay ladies... Here, we have the shooting house. I am sure that, as Military personnel, all of you have seen one. You are going to be repeating this house until you know its every nook and cranny. The Captain and I will be randomizing the targets between sessions, of course, to keep it interesting. Now suit up."

"Question, to the targets respond to lets say... being hit down with brute force? a boot to the target or shoulder charging it? or do we have to play by the rules and shoot everything?"

"Chambers, right?" said Monaghan as she took a single step further, her hands still clasped behind her back.  "You owe a pat on the back to the science team, Lance Corporal.  They managed to configure the holographic emitters in the area with very sensitive sensors.  So yes, they would respond to attempted uses of physical force.  However, those same sensors are programmed to approximate that force."  Monaghan paused a moment, knowing she couldn't do the earful of techno-babble she'd heard explaining the whole interface the first time.  "Basically, if your shot and blow wouldn't immobilize in the real world, the hologram will respond accordingly.  Meaning, don't half-ass it, or it could be your ass.  We'll know, and so will you."

Quinn turned to look in the Major's direction in case he had something he wanted to add before getting the session officially underway.

<TAG: John Callaghan, Tom Chambers>

[John Callaghan]

1945
Training Area 07
Meropis

The Major kept quiet as the questions were asked and answered by his XO. He had a good second, and that was an important win for him. She obviously knew her business. Better than he did, in fact. He didn't even know that there were hologrammes. He thought they were still working with the metal figures that popped up at random, predetermined places.

"Well, if there are no more questions... Chambers, you're fireteam lead. Get yourself and your team to the other side, and take out all hostiles. Beware of friendlies. Captain, you'll be trailing them while I, err" he said 'sit back and relax' is what he wanted to say. HE didn't, though, and instead went with "Observe from the observation tower"

[Plot Twist]

1955
Training Area 07
Meropis

Ten minutes. That is all the training SM-02 would manage today. It HAD been going well, Callaghan had been directing his team through a purpose built training room, testing their skills, team building and putting together the force that SM-02 needed to be to serve Meropis. Then, the lights went out. A muttered curse could be heard as the training area was plunged into absolute darkness for a few seconds. After a moment or two, the emergency lighting activated, casting a dim glow over the team. Still part of the training exercise?

The radio waves went berserk, it seemed this was city-wide and everyone was struggling to comprehend what had just happened. To cap it off, the training area doors had slammed shut and the familiar hiss indicated they had vacuum sealed themselves as well. The team's ear-pieces kicked to life and bleeped with the familiar command over-ride sound. General Conway had called for order,
"Meropis 2, to Meropis 1. Come in Meropis 1. Power in conference room 5 is down. Meropis 1 Come in."
Sounded the familiar deep tones of Captain Achilles Jones.
Conway's reply to Jones was short and abrupt,
"Meropis 1 receiving. We have a situation in conference room 3. Stand by." A pause followed as Conway hit the over-ride on his expedition leader's earpiece. A small, polite bleep in all other radios indicated that the General Conway had complete authorization over the airwaves. He spoke with the control room. Everyone listened in...
"General Conway to 'gate ops. Sit-rep please, what the hell just happened?"
"Sir, we have no idea. The city just went into quarantine which explains the doors... As for the lighting, we can't explain it at this time, all power just seems to have just vanished somewhere. The ZPMs and generators are still active but nothings getting through." Came the crackled reply.
"Thanks, Grover. Can we get these doors open at least?"
"No Sir... They seem to have vacuumed sealed themselves, over-ride commands aren't working. We're locked out from an unidentified auxiliary control panel somewhere else in the city."
"Alright, keep working on it. Conway out."
So, they were all trapped in their various sections of the city, things could get awkward...

<Tag John Callaghan Quinn Monaghan and Tom Chambers>

[John Callaghan]

==Slightly breaking the posting order here.==

1955
Training Area 07
Meropis

One moment, the team was moving through the shooting house like planned, and the next everything seemed to be turning down. The lights started to flicker. The comms went haywire. First the Major overheard a conversation between the General and the XO. Then it turned to a conversation between the General and Gate Ops.

Callaghan turned his radio to to the right frequency. "Okay, listen up. As of this moment, all of you are sfad hoc members of Team Two. I want all of you to meet me at the door." he said to his team. Then, as he started fastwalking to the door, he said "Meropis One, Callaghan here. We have lost power in the shooting house. I overheard something about doors not opening? Talk to me."

[Tom Chambers]

(Isn't that a perk of being a team leader and or Major?)

1946
Training Area 07
Meropis

"Chambers, right?" He nodded. "Yes Captain." Monahan thens tepped one step forawrd as if to take the lead with the talking, a somewhat rulebook command technique."You owe a pat on the back to the science team, Lance Corporal. They managed to configure the holographic emitters in the area with very sensitive sensors. So yes, they would respond to attempted uses of physical force. However, those same sensors are programmed to approximate that force." He smiled a little. Even when they weren't with him those damn scientists were perhaps trying to torture him. "Basically, if your shot and blow wouldn't immobilize in the real world, the hologram will respond accordingly. Meaning, don't half-ass it, or it could be your ass. We'll know, and so will you." Well that was certainly much better, now he was just hoping none of the others would screw it up too badly.

When no more questions were asked Major Callahagn began. "Well, if there are no more questions... Chambers, you're fireteam lead. Get yourself and your team to the other side, and take out all hostiles. Beware of friendlies. Captain, you'll be trailing them while I, err"
 The Major paused breifly. "Observe from the observation tower" He nodded at the Major and waved his hand at the others signalling those who were one the first run through to move with him. 

1955
Training Area 07
Meropis

Once they were assembled he gave them his own little order. "Make sure you hit and down your targets, lets not get shot in the back or sides by holograms." He said to the fireteam as they stacked up at the entrance to the training area propper. he then toggled his Radio. "Fire team Ready." The course begana nd the ymoved in clearly the They began the course with a seeming far more practiced than it actually was move through the first sections of the training area.

As the Lance corporal rounded a corner and shot 5 to 6 rounds into the chest of one of the holograms and the others moved around and with him it all went rather pear shapped, the lights flickered along with the holograms before all dying quickly replaced by the red hue of emergency lighting. "Cease fire, reload and stay ready. I swear those bloody scientists don't have the full quid." He said The cites Commans had gone crazy, he could hear them go off since he had a dual channel radio, he couldn't however talk on the main city frequency, just listen for now.

After there was a discussion between the General, and Captain America, then Conway and gate ops, Major Callaghan radioed to them all. "Okay, listen up. As of this moment, all of you are ad hoc members of Team Two. I want all of you to meet me at the door."
 The team moved and he would normally have radio in again but Callaghan was on the command freq, trying to contact General Conway. 

They soon arrived at the main area infront of the door. the Major was walking towards it. The lighting wasn't great in emergency red, he could vouch for that having spent quite some time in it in damaged parts of the city as he and the other engineers worked to fix the damn thing. He hadn't brought a torch to attach to his weapon persay, but he had sone electrical tape and a small torch, so pulling them both out the taped the torch to the bottom rail just infront of the forward verticle grip then looked at the others. It was probably just a little too light for night vision yet it was hard enough target verification if it came to that wouldn't be particularly easy.

<TAG: John Callaghan, Quinn Monaghan, Plot Twist>

[Quinn Monaghan]

1946
Training Area 07
Meropis

"Well, if there are no more questions... Chambers, you're fireteam lead. Get yourself and your team to the other side, and take out all hostiles. Beware of friendlies. Captain, you'll be trailing them while I, err... observe from the observation tower."

"Yes, sir," Quinn said simply.  She said nothing more, but simply took a look at the list on the tablet in her hand.  Evaluations.  It somehow felt so bureaucratic to her.  It definitely wasn't something she was entirely used to... being an officer.  She almost welcomed the simplicity of playing the grunt.  Your orders were given and all was clear.  However, she'd never been one to settle for doing things the easy way.  "All right boys... you heard the Major.  Get into position."


1956
Training Area 07
Meropis

"Make sure you hit and down your targets, lets not get shot in the back or sides by holograms. Fire team Ready."

Quinn watched as Chambers took lead.  She made a few rudimentary  notes, certainly nothing that would eliminate anyone immediately.  She watched as Stark took point.  He was careful, cautious, but he certainly wasn't stiff.  He had potential.  Though, what quickly caught her eyes was Mullins, bringing up the rear.  He was anything but comfortable.  However, perhaps that was a good thing.  He wasn't cocky.  She recalled the program and knew that the first volley was coming up shortly.  She said nothing, but simply watched as they moved into position for the first ambush.  And as it happened, there was a good response... the teams' shots were centered and then... nothing.  The holograms seemed to flicker before fading from existence.  She watched as Mullins whirled with the nozzle of his gun heading in her direction.

Instinct took over as she extended her hand it held it from going the last of the its projected rotation.  Her eyes met Mullins, and her thoughts were clearly expressed in her eyes.  "Cease fire, reload and stay ready. I swear those bloody scientists don't have the full quid."

"Actually, I don't think this one is on the scientists," Quinn said stepping forward as the emergency lighting came on to compensate for the loss of power.  She set the tablet aside and checked her own weapon.  The chatter from the city began to play into her ear.  Her eyes turned towards the tower, certain that Callaghan had heard what she had.  His voice soon filled the room to confirm what she had suspected.

"Okay, listen up. As of this moment, all of you are ad hoc members of Team Two. I want all of you to meet me at the door."

It didn't take long, and as they made their way, Monaghan looked over at Callaghan as he emerged from the tower.  "If power is down, it stands to reason that the lifts are inoperable.  The closest stairwell is about 40 meters to the left."  She knew that she wasn't telling Callaghan anything he didn't already know.  But the words had likely been more for the benefit of the team than the Major.  "Chambers, you're with me on point.  Stark, you and Drummond cover our six.  Lights everyone and split formation... single-file on either side of the corridor.  Silent count-off!"

She nodded at Chambers and after he went, and took the near side of the corridor, she went and crossed to the other.  Both proceeded down the corridor.  She suspected that Callaghan had moved in behind her.  As they made their way to the stairs, she  came to a stop and held her first up signaling for a stop.  Looking over her shoulder, she glanced at the Major for confirmation.  "Infirmary's one flight up, should we check in there first before moving further?"  Once the Major had made his call, she nodded at Chambers to move in first and then proceeded after him.

<TAG: John Callaghan, Tom Chambers, Plot Twist>

[John Callaghan]

1956
Training Area 07
Meropis

John heard the Captain say several things to the men, and deciding that he didn't have anything to add, he lead everyone to the stairs. They were going up. The elevators were out, and so was the teleportation thingy. They'd have to leg it. Check in on the infirmary and try to get to Gate Control. "Alright, let's move it." John said as he lead the way up the stairs.

A little while later, they reached the infirmary.

[Tom Chambers]

1957
Training Area 07

Meropis

It certainly was unsetteling them being all they were waiting around, but Captain Minahagn Breifed Major Callahagn, though it was nothing that wasn't obvious, likely to settle some of the other,s it seemed they were going to make a plan, as good as those were. At least though Captain Monaghan was giving them some direction, direction was good, it often settled you down, gave you something to go for, it seemed espeically important for some members of the group at hand, some there might have seen more fire fight type combat than him, but he was bomb defusal, putting your own life and th elife of other sin you own or someones elses hands was something every soldier was trained for, not that you always liked the people you had to work with.

"Chambers, you're with me on point. Stark, you and Drummond cover our six. Lights everyone and split formation... single-file on either side of the corridor. Silent count-off!"
 He nodded strongly at her, they had a plan and it seemed he was being made somewhat of an important member of a rifle section, that was new. he turned the torch on then proceeded out the door checking both ways before turning the corner, hugging the wall as he moved down rifle up, he wasn't looking directly down his sights, but training and time had helped him to know, reasonably well where the weapon would shoot, he just needed to aim a little off to th eleft of the centre area of his vision, it wasn't accurate but it was far more practical.

He glanced to his right, the Captain was there, they mvoed won the slightly differnt lights making strange patterns along the even stranger patterend surfaces of the city. Nothing had come at them yet, it seemed it mgih tjust be the power, but they would have heard something along those lines by now... the silence was... disturbing. they reahced the foot of the stairs and he aimed up the stairwell hopignt os ee either the lighing coming back on from the top down, enemies or second most prefereably nothing. Nothing was there. 

Monaghn then quired the Major. "Infirmary's one flight up, should we check in there first before moving further?"
 The Majors response was short, and maybe a litlte unclear, he assumed they were going to the infirmiry. then probably main control, but if someone was hurt and hostiles were loose in the city, securing the infirmiy would be very, high on the list of priorities, it was also not a bad palce to set out to get to all power generatiosnt o manually set them off, if it came to that. "Alright, let's move it." 

The Combat Engineer glanced at the Marine Captain, then he flicked the holding strap over his  sidearm, if he was going to need it, it would be on the stair well and quickly. he then aimed up the stair well a little higher than the graident of the stairs and began up them at a brisk pace. checking the sides as the reached platforms.

<TAG: Quinn Monaghan, John Callaghan, and I assume Plot Twist>

[Plot Twist]

2001-2015
Stairwells Near Training Area 07
Meropis

The team moved efficiently up through the stair well, keeping as silent as they could. Hell, you wouldn't even know they were there if it wasn't for the torch lights illuminating every nook and crevices and the occasional rustle of clothing or the soft thud of a boot fall. They had trained for this, and this was not a drill. The team used hand signals, pausing every so often to meticulously check their corners before moving on. Just half an hour ago some of these people had never met, and now they were forced to form a cohesive unit for the sake of the city. It was just fortunate that they'd brought live ammunition with them for the exercise.

Stark had been ordered to take point as they'd ascended the final few short flights. He paused by the fire door as the rest of the team took strategic positions around him. Drummond checked his watch, 20:15 Zulu exactly. They'd taken their time ascending the stairwell but a slow and methodical approach is a tried and tested military strategy and one that they'd stuck to. Worryingly, the radio systems had been completely silent the entire time. There wasn't even a voice to be heard elsewhere in the city, it was spooky, almost like Meropis had become a ghost town.

Slowly, Stark opened the door to the corridor leading up to the infirmary. It snaked around to the right ahead of them and was filled with a thick pitch black darkness. As the team crept through the threshold, a small groan escaped an alcove to the left. Drummond knelt down and hand signaled the Major. They had a man down, a lone airmen was slumped against the wall clutching his stomach. He'd been slashed, a great wound across his abdomen was trickling blood into his operational BDUs. The airmen feebly clutched a side-arm and seemed too choked up to speak. Drummond nodded to the Major, he'd stay with the airmen while they brought back a stretcher - this wordlessly communicated and exactly the sort of efficiency that Meropis needed.

As Stark rounded the corner he noticed them. Three of the alien creatures were sniffling and scrabbling at the bottom of a sealed-shut infirmary door. He quickly switched off his flash light and doubled back to Monaghan, Chambers and Callaghan. With a nod of his head, he held up three fingers. It was go time.

Thread continued here: stargatemeropis.proboards.com/thread/1220/ep-enemy-doctors?page=2
Tag: John Callaghan Tom Chambers Quinn Monaghan