Path to Destruction Part .2

Posted on 11 Oct 2013 @ 11:30am by Commander Luke Wyatt

1,136 words; about a 6 minute read

USS Venture, Holodeck 2, 3 Weeks until the destruction of the Venture

WHACK! Luke stumbled backwards clutching his shoulder, although his pole had taken the brunt of the force his shoulder throbbed like hell from the previous two attempts on his right side. Sweat dripped of his hair and into his face stinging his eye's obscuring his vision, his breath was heavy and his legs felt like lead.

"You're getting slow old man!" Jason mocked allowing Luke to recover, Jason was in his twenties so the Gunny had easily ten years on him and lacked the stamina relying on his brute strength to crush him but he was to quick, dodging and diving from his counter attacks with relative ease.

"And you are Naive young one" Luke parried forward unleashing several well coordinated blows but each one was deflected easily by Jason. Luke gave him respect were it was due he did know how to fight but lacked the experience. "You fight as if you've just come out of training" Luke was now on the defensive deflecting the hits, back peddling towards the wall before ducking and rugby tackling Jason to the floor making sure his shoulder impacted with a thud.

"Argh! No fair" Jason said as he felt the air leave his lungs.

Luke laughed as his unprepared and much smaller opponent squirmed underneath his weight, "Do you think a Klingon will give you the same fair fight? or a romulan? or the Borg?" he said twisting Jasons arm under his arm pit causing him to stand as quickly as he fell. "I like this manoeuvre" he raised it slightly higher.

"Okay, Okay! I give I give" Jason yelped trying to break from the Gunny's grip.

Luke let go laughing to himself wiping the sweat form his eyes with the sleeve of his spare hand. "You're good son, but you have so much to learn! An animal is at its most veracious when backed up against a wall with no where to escape" He patted the young man on the back and picked up his water bottle up of the floor.

Jason watched the Gunny pop the top of his Bottle and squirt water into his mouth and then over his face "I'll be sure to remember it when fighting the veracious enemies the Venture will never encounter whilst it floats around scanning rocks and nebulas!"

Luke smiled and handed the bottle to Jason "Be thankful, I've seen a war and I don't wish to see another I'd rather be putting you new greenhorns on your asses all day than fighting some alien race out to kill, assimilate or eat us" he took the empty bottle from Jason and placed it in his bag before zipping it up and shoving it over his shoulder. "Besides, I only have 4 weeks left before I return to Deep Space Five until then you'll continue buying in the rounds" He gave a wink and proceeded towards the doors.

Leaving Jason to his own things Luke started to head towards the barracks when the ship shook and the red alert siren echoed through the ship, he could smell smoke from back down the corridor "Jason!" He shouted dropping his bags and running back towards the holodeck. He could see plumes of smoke escape from the closed doors of the Holodeck . Luke swore under his breath.

Jason's head hurt like hell, he could hear the Gunny shouting through the door's of the holodeck "Gunny" He tried calling back but nothing left his mouth, his ears buzzed and smoke attacked his eyes.

"Come ooon" Luke said groaning as the door's finally gave way and flames burst through catching him in the face, he could smell the melting of metal and plastic making him gag. Reaching for his comm badge but remembering he had left it attached to the strap of his bag. Cursing his judgement he ran in shielding his eyes with his arm and over to Jason's limp body "You okay buddy? You're not going to die on me now you owe me a drink!" He said lifting off debris from his comrades legs.

Jason coughed smiling before his stomach wretched and he was forced to clutch it "Why does it hurt so..." As Luke lifted away the metal he could see why he couldn't move. A short metal pole had impaled his left rib and probably stuck out on the other side. "Oh shit"

Looking at the pole sticking out of Jason's rib he tried to think how to proceed no doubt fire crews where on their way so all he had to do was wait out the situation but the fires were getting stronger and Luke could feel himself become light headed, his judgement was already foggy. "Don't give me that, I've seen worst" He lied picking Jason up.

USS Venture, Sickbay, 2 Weeks Until the destruction of the Venture

Luke walked into the sickbay shaking his head holding a bunch of flowers "How you feeling Jas?" He asked now standing next to his bed smiling.

"Are - those - for me?" He asked hoarsely.

Luke shook his head "These? no? There for that lovely night nurse, mind giving them to her for me?" He said placing the flowers on the table next to Jason's bed, "So how are you boy?" visually Jason looked fine just a few scratches and singed hair which would grow back in good time.

"The doc says I'll be back in action in a week or two, so don't worry I'll be back in the gym soon enough" he said encouragingly, the reality was that Jason would probably have to be sent back to Earth, his left side bellow his hip was completely paralysed and no one knew if he'd recover completely.

"Good" Luke could tell that Jason was lying, the pain in his eyes and expression on his face said it all, "Apparently some gasses from the Nebula become volatile and exploded sadly next to the holodeck we were using" he explained, knowing that no one else would have explained the situation to Jason.

"Just our luck huh?" Jason joked groaning as another pain shot through his side, a nurse came walking over quickly with another set of antibiotics, "He needs rest Sergeant" she said as she injected the hypospray the casual hiss and the usual pinch of the hypospray injecting the antibiotics into his blood stream rang in his ears.

"You make sure you rest plenty Jason, you're gonna need it" Luke gripped the young Marines shoulder and smiled as he watched his friend drift off "Sleep well my friend" he walked out the room sighing, no many things were going well right now.

To be continued...

Gunnery Sergeant Luke Wyatt
Marine Sergeant
USS Venture

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