[IC] Omega Station / Boop!

[JBRam2002]

"Maybe we can cut out some of that," Ryobi suggested, motioning towards the comm that Jan held. "Dunno if the doc is near her comm or not, but it's worth a shot. If someone else is tapped into the channel, though, we might just lead them right to her if we aren't careful." Ryobi sighed, holstering his pistol in the back of his pants for a moment as he wracked his brain, trying to think of the optimal strategy. "Where's a place we would know, she would know, and no one else would be able to get to or figure out? Dammit, I can't think of anything."

Nothing was making sense. Why would Gris attack? Hell, why would either Burchill or Benton try to hurt each other? Either someone infiltrated deep, or something else was going on. It reminded Ryobi of those old zombie films where someone got infected and soon transformed into a mindless murderous creature. But Gris certainly didn't look like a zombie. Besides, that's all stuff of fiction.

Then again, space stations were considered fiction back in the early space age, and here they were.

"I suppose we could head to Med Bay in the meantime," Ryobi finally replied to Jan's question. Seeing Davis like that was not something he wanted to deal with. But... he owed Lucian that much. Without Kitt's scanning, they were at a bit of a disadvantage, but they could also move faster and more stealthily. Med Bay would likely be crawling with prisoners eventually as they tried to feed their addictions or treat wounds. The sooner they could get there and stock up on supplies and change their bandages, the better. Perhaps they would even be able to take out some of the jailbreakers while they were there.

[corneredbliss]

Janetta was concerned about whether Gris may or may not have taken the doctor's comms device for himself... But she didn't mention the worry. If he had, there was nothing they could do about it at that point. Besides, it may help them locate and disarm him faster, which would be ideal, considering it would be one less enemy to sort out. She brought her device up to sight level and touched it, activating the contacts screen and selecting Ami's name.

It rang in her palm, and the noise was echoed somewhere a few rooms down from where they stood, off to their right. Jan's eyes snapped up to meet Ryobi's, and she let it ring once more to see if anyone would answer before promptly hanging up when nothing came. She didn't want to attract any more attention to them then they might have already done, and if Ami didn't pick up after the few moments her device was vibrating, she wasn't going to at all.

In a swift motion, she slid her device into her pocket and withdrew her pistol, holding it once more at the ready as she squinted her eyes down the short hall lined with rooms for patients, as if that might give her Kitt's scanner vision. The stark white of the walls surrounding them was starting to prod at Janetta's ever-flaring anxiety, especially in the silence that followed the comms' ringing. In an effort to assuage the tension that was amassing in her body, she found herself putting one foot in front of the other, heading towards the direction of where the doctor's comms had been heard. She wasn't sure if Ryobi was following behind her, or what his feelings on the proper reaction might be, but she was too paranoid to pry her eyes away from what might be waiting ahead of her.

She passed the first two rooms, which were both closed and dark, and didn't bother checking them at the moment, because it didn't take long for her to realize where her destination was. It was the second patient's room on their left; the door was open and the lights were on, and when Janetta finally shoved away from the wall on the left side of the doorway which she had been taking cover behind before entering the room, she simply stared.

"Ryobi," she breathed, by way of telling him to come look if he hadn't been following her. Her tone was strangely monotonous, unsure of how to feel about the sight. When her officer looked inside, he too could see that the doctor's device was laying by itself in the middle of an examination table at the center of the room.

[JBRam2002]

As Ryobi heard the ringing of the doctor's comm, he felt his heart plummet. Nothing was going to be easy, was it? He follwed Jan's lead, drawing his own handgun and looking for intruders from behind them as they moved towards the source of the sound.

Even though it had been silenced, Ryobi could almost still hear the ringing echoing and echoing through the empty hall. He could tell Jan was tense as well, but Ryobi's paranoia lay more behind them than before them. The lift connected to almost every part of the station, and even if they didn't approach via lift, nearly any other means of egress lay in the way they had come from. Besides, Jan could watch the twelve; Ryobi had her six.

The sight of the comm sitting on a table immediately set a thousand alarm bells ringing in his mind. As a military police, he had been trained to no trust unattended electronic equipment in conspicuous locations. As he thought through various scenarios in his mind, he decided a bomb threat was too unlikely: a bomb could rip a hole in the station and cripple it, and the amount of time that had passed since they saw Gris on the cameras seemed insufficient to convert the radio into a bomb. The possibility was still there of course, but there were only a few ways to determine the methods of a trap. The easiest way was to intentionally trigger it.

Ryobi motioned for Jan to step around the corner from the comm. The walls in the medbay might not stop a bomb's explosion, but they could shield her from other ill effects. Ryobi on the other hand would be in the middle of danger. Ryobi took a deep, slow inhale, lifting his gun to the ready. 3... 2... 1... the countdown in his head sounded. At the final number, he stepped into the room, wheeling towards the right to see if an enemy lay in wait. He hoped the room would be clear so he could approach the device and examine it more closely, but caution ruled today.

[corneredbliss]

This guy was absolutely crazy.

If Jan wasn't sure about it before, she was certain now. "Ito!" she hissed angrily at him as he motioned for her to take the corner to the room before slipping past her. There was no telling what would be waiting for them inside the room, and here he was just diving into the dangerous unknown as if the stakes weren't through the roof or anything. Sure, he probably knew what he was getting himself into, which explained his initial request of her taking the corner (which she did, not wanting to further mistakes), but lack of preparation for whatever might be in the room made her nervous as he stepped in.

Janetta's pistol was up and at the ready just behind her officer, and after the first few moments of quiet passed, she slowly exhaled the breath she had been holding. Nothing was set off, and no one else seemed to be in the room. So far, so good. But guard couldn't be let down yet, and it was with careful steps that the Captain and Ryobi moved toward the device on the table.

"Well... At least it's not attached to Ami's dead body." Her voice was only above a whisper as her gaze darted towards the empty doorway. The attempt at optimism failed and Jan's brows furrowed as she added, "I'm unsure if that's a good or bad thing. Either way, I don't think she would have willingly left her device out. Like this."

[JBRam2002]

Ryobi let out a sigh of relief as nothing dangerous happened as he entered. The comm could still be a trap, although it was likely difficult to subtly rig it for anything more than a minor shock. More likely at this point, it would be used either as a way for the other side to communicate with them, or it was left in a hurry. That, or it was a way for the enemy to pinpoint their position.

Ryobi glanced around the room. Medical equipment was scattered around, most of which was beyond Ryobi's limited area of expertise. He had received minor training as a field medic, not as a doctor. Still, nothing immediately screamed out of the ordinary about the room. The comm device seemed normal as well. Ryobi picked it up, but didn't touch the power switch. "Let's get someplace safe," he called back to Jan. "Somewhere other than here. Maybe there's a message or some other purpose, but I don't want to stick around next to a homing beacon."

[corneredbliss]

Janetta seemed to involuntarily wince as Ryobi picked up the device, half expecting it to spontaneously combust upon contact. When it didn't, she released the breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Her paranoia was through the roof, though obviously for good reason. She was just about to agree to his suggestion of relocating when a long drawling female voice came from behind her in the doorway.

"Well, lookie here," came a thick, surprised Latina accent; its owner came sidling against the doorframe, bloodied pistol grasped between both hands. With her back to the hallway, Lillian Gardea looked upon the two bodies in the room as if they were thick pieces of candy that she'd just happened upon. And when her eyes fell on Ito: "Baaaaaybeeee!" Her voice was a low purr as she took a step into the room, forcing Janetta (who had drawn her weapon up once again) to take one backward. "How ya been, mi amor? You don't come to visit me anymore," Lillian pouted, now completely ignoring Janetta though her body language suggested she was still ready for an attack.

[JBRam2002]

The voice sent shivers down Ryobi's spine. Lillian had always been... problematic, to the point where Ryobi had actually requested her to be transferred to a different cell block once. All of that mattered little now, as despite the duo apparently outnumbering her, Ryobi knew that Lillian counted at least double in terms of her psychopathy. Avoiding bloodshed would be difficult, if not impossible, but he hoped maybe he could avoid Janetta's if he played this right.

Ryobi still clutched his gun in his hand, having never holstered it once he entered the room, and cradled the comm device with the other. They had a good-ol'-fashioned Texas stand off, and although it was likely that both Janetta and Ryobi could fire before Lillian would get two shots out, there was an excellent chance that Lillian would kill one of them first. Ryobi slowly lowered his weapon as nonchalantly as he could, but kept his index finger on the side of the trigger. He turned around slowly, and his eyes confirmed what his ears had already told him.

"Lillian, dearest," Ryobi cooed softly. "I was actually hoping we would run into you soon. I was just thinking about all the fun we had. Was this comm yours?" He held up the device he had picked up. "We've already got one, so I suppose I could trade you. Toss over that gun, and you can have the comm. Deal?" The saccharine smile and tender tones of his voice would hopefully help her stand down, depending on exactly how crazy the woman was, but Ryobi definitely didn't count on it. "I'd hate to see your beautiful body get hurt, you know."

[corneredbliss]

Janetta, having personally experienced Lillian's aggressive libido a few times during checks, knew enough to let Ryobi handle the situation. Which he was, and were it not for the gravity of it all, she might have poked fun at him for his flirting with this ridiculous super-fan of his. There was no competing with his influence over her, she knew this; so she kept quiet and watched, muscles tensed, finger itching for a reason to pull the trigger on this bitch.

Practically purring with delight at Ryobi's attention and concern, Lillian was eager to respond to this newly interested version of the Officer. "Oh, it wouldn't mind getting hurt," she growled assuringly, "by you, at least. You can do anything you'd like to me, remember?" As if to prove her point, she brought the pistol up to her mouth, and with both eyes locked on Ito's, she flicked out her tongue and dragged it along the barrel. The taste of metals mixed on her buds as she grinned a now blood-stained, toothy grin, obviously enjoying it.

"Ugh." An involuntary, disgusted grunt escaped Janetta, and just like that, the switch went off and Lillian had the gun pointed toward the Captain. "What?" she snarled. With her eyes narrowed like that, she had transformed from a kitten to a snake. "Jealous, Pryce?" And again, another switch, as if she were remembering that Ito was still there and definitely also still had a gun. Softening ever so slightly, she added, "Maybe we'll let you in on the fun, too - but only if you're a good girl."

Her gaze threw daggers toward Jan before sauntering back toward Ryobi, to whom she grew sweet towards once more. "Anyway. Sorry to say, honey, but there's no trade. I don't want that thingy - it's not even mine. I thought it was yours. Maybe calling me to you for some fun." She snickered happily, before something dawned on her and her voice grew angry again. "Or so you can lead me here to trap me, put me back in my fucking cell, huh?! Is that it?!"

[JBRam2002]

Ryobi didn't need to read Lillian's psych profile to know that she wasn't entirely all there. The woman had two things on her mind at all times, competing for space on that deteriorating platform: sex and paranoia. If he could draw out the former to take control, perhaps he could get her to forget about the well-deserved paranoia. The trick was in doing so without getting Jan shot.

Ryobi tossed the captain a glance, hoping she would follow his lead. Lillian was despicable, but a negative reaction could wind up with a bullet in their brains. "Lil, why would I want to lock you back up? I've been waiting months for this chance: to get you and Jan alone in a room with me. What guy could resist such an opportunity? Here, how about a contest? The person who gives me the best kiss can get first dibs, hmm? Why don't you show your stuff first, Lillian?"