Mars Alpha Options

[Bastard]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Security Center, Monitor Room

<<@group: Tanya, try not to touch anything with your bare hands. I am on my way down with a finger print scanner>>

[Marcus Tarrow]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Train, Cargo Cabin

Pulling his flashlight from a pocket Jacob peers into the container, catching a smell reminiscent of concentrated solvents before his own airtank kicks back into action. The box settled at the base of the container gleams a dull silver in the torchlight. A few highlights and shadows on the side could be markings but fine detail is obscured by the liquids diffusion of the light.

<<@group: Would it be possible to get a sensor package down here? We need a clearer look at... whatever that is in this container. There's a handheld radar scanner in my personal kit if there's nothing better to hand, but even ultrasound would do at a pinch. An air bottle for refills might not go amiss either. We don't know how long this is going to take and our tanks are taking a beating."

He steps back from the container. Shaking off the urge to run he instead looks over to where Tanya stands, her attention still fixed on the contents of the container.

"I'm guessing that if that's a bomb in there, this amount of fuel is going to make things much worse. Can we maybe drain some of it off without disturbing that box?"

[nezumi]

<<@group: A tank of oxidizer? I will not be sticking my bare hands in, not to worry. Maybe bring some tongs with your scanner?>>

"If that is explosives, this oxidizer will damage whatever it touches. Not a dirty bomb, but very dangerous. If it is even oxidizer at all, and if nothing else has been mixed.

"Draining may be dangerous, but standing here next to it is too. I vote we drain. Put a hole in the bottom of the train, or run rubber tubing to it."

[Bastard]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Security Center

Where the frag is Scrubs? JT dialed the preloaded number loaded into his HEL.

"Cap, it's Logan. Do you got a bomb squad here? We got a suspicious package on the tram at Alpha Station."
"How bad is it?"
"How should I know. That's what we need the bomb guys for."
"I'll meet you down there, and I am sending Boomer and his guys."
"Your bomb guys name is Boomer?"
"Officer Bauer," Captain Scrubs ended the call.

On the move, JT didn't take the time to send a voice to text message, and sent a plain voice message to the team, <<@Group: Bomb Squad is on the way. Officer Boomer will be there shortly to inspect the package.>>

[Marcus Tarrow]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Train Cargo Cabin

<<@Group: I hear you, pulling back and waiting for EOD.>>
Leaning back against the wall of the train he lets out a deep breath and wipes a drop of sweat from his forehead. "Thank frag for that. Knowing my luck the oxidiser would'a set fire to the tubing. Well, that's assuming it even is oxidiser not something unimaginably worse."

Methodically repacking the array of finger-thick IV needles and tubing strewn around his medical kit he muses out loud "Y'know, the fact we're still here suggests this thing is timed or fused to go off outside. Wouldn't need to be that far out for a response to take longer than suit air supplies would last.". With a "zip" he closes up the pack and clips it back to his suit "Hell of a way to go".

"Of course, if it's on a timer it probably couldn't hurt if we waited in the station.". He glances at the container with a look of concern. "Some hard cover would be nice"

[nezumi]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Train Cargo Cabin

Tanya doesn't think too highly of hanging around the bomb, if it is a bomb, and so follows back in.

"But why would they do that? Assassination? Sabotage? A missile on wheels against the launch pad? Seems complex when a bullet is so easy. What in that train is so important it needs so much boom?"

Tanya considers that for a moment longer.

"I wonder what they know that we do not. This is not deadly enough to ruin a corporations mission. But too big to kill a person. What is the target? Something still on the train?"

[Marcus Tarrow]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Train Cargo Cabin

Heading towards the platform and the shelter of a number of steel-plated walls Jacob muses out loud, spinning an AR overview map of the base in his field of view as he thinks.

"I don't know. You're right, if that container's a bomb it's far too large for one person to be the target. It's not exactly subtle either. A discreet air leak mid-trip would clear the train just as well."
Halting the spin of the map, he zooms back until he can see the whole, astonishing, length of the train track linking the lab area to the pad complex to the south.
"Could the target be the line itself? No-one's going anywhere for hours if that line gets damaged."

[Marcus Tarrow]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Monorail Platform

The remains of the thinning crowd parts as a team of four large, well armored, security guards make their way in from the access corridor, a large tracked drone trailing in their wake. As the guards go about clearing the platform the drone slowly approaches the train, deploying an arm tipped with sensors as it comes to the doorway.

<<Officer.Baur@Group: Hope yez don't mind, but the Captain cut me into your comms group. I'm in an office just down from the train platform running the drone on remote. Once the platform's clear we're going to roll in there and see what we can find out. In the meantime the Captain wants to see you. And yeh really don't want to be near this train if that is a bomb.>>

Straightening from where he's leaning against the wall, Jacob smiles over at Tanya "Time to get out of here. And the further away from that thing the better."

<<Jacob@Group: On our way.>>

[Marcus Tarrow]

Mars, Alpha Labs, Security office

The atmosphere in the security office is restrained as the team enter. The Captain paces around the room, his eyes focussed on the holographic display suspended over his desk as he talks via comm with Officer Bauer. A number of other unidentified voices can be heard dropping into the discussion with pertinent information as needed, voices that you can only assume are other members of the security teams. Noticing you presence the Captain raises one hand in a wait-a-minute gesture, asks the other voices to wait for him a few moments, then turns to talk to the team.

"Good work out there... thank you all. It's likely there'd have been some deaths today if you hadn't intervened as you did. That said, there're some formalities that we need to go through before we go any further. Archimedes, are you online?" Glancing over at the holo display as he talks you see the displayed images from inside the train disappear in a shimmer of light, then reform into a bland, nearly featureless human face. A rich voice comes across the speakers. "Indeed I am Captain. How may I assist you?"

The captain smiles to himself "Thank you Archie. I need management support for this, and I'll need your assistance compiling the data for the report we're going to have to send back home." Looking around the team, his smile drops as he continues "Archimedes. As per Mars Alpha Base security resolution 247 I am declaring a class 2 emergency. The following assets are being reassigned to security command for the duration of the incident: Dr Nathaniel Jones, Tanya Petrovna, Jacob Griffiths and J.T. Logan. Jones and Petrovna will be joining the on-site investigation team headed by Officer Bauer until otherwise assigned, Griffiths and Logan will be joining Sgt Jorden's security detail. Please update their files and accesses, notify their departmental heads, and then send home a full report with what we've got so far on todays incident."

"Done, done and done Captain. I will notify you when I receive confirmation of the report's receipt. Allowing for transmission delays we should hear back in approximately 30 minutes"

"Thank you Archie" then, turning to the team, "Ok it'll be a good few hours until anyone's needed. Logan and Griffiths - I'll need to see you here at 0900. Jones and Petrovna - Officer Bauer's saying he needs three or four hours at least to dismantle what's in the train then another few hours of scans and tests before he's likely to need you, so expect a call about the same time. In the meantime I suggest getting some food and some real sleep. I suspect tomorrow is going to be a long day. You're dismissed."

[pbangarth]

Olean's Chem lab

<<Jones here: Understood. Nothing to report from the chem lab. No extra explosives that I can see. I don't know enough to be able to quickly determine what went on here. I'll take the suggestion to grab some food and sleep. I can find the commissary... but I don't know where to sleep. I wasn't assigned quarters before shitstorm broke out. Any help there? >>

[Bastard]

Mars, outside the Alpha Labs, Security Office

<<Reply All: Check your comlink. A message along with access to our quarters came in during the excitement.>>

JT made his way to the canteen, ordering a burger and then scrolling through the menu looking for the alcohol menu. Don't tell me this is a dry county.