Panic Attack, Spider Style

Posted on Tue May 26th, 2015 @ 7:04pm by Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Lieutenant Commander Gilroy & Cadet Senior Grade Chance Conradi & Ignatius Reilly

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Security

"Lieutenant Gilroy, you need to report to Security on the double," a stressed-looking Security officer informed his superior officer.

Gilroy, who'd just been roused from a comfortable position with Kai, didn't look happy. "Is there an emergency?" When two hairy legs poked up at the bottom of the screen, he startled and nearly fell to the floor. Beady spider eyes peered over the edge of the screen.

"According to ...to, um..., Ms...? Reilly, it is an emergency. And she wants you, Lieutenant. Oralia and Darwin are not here. You're the third choice."

Gilroy pinched the bridge of his nose, nodded and said, "I'll be right there."

"Where...where could Ms... um, the spider wait?"

"Oz's office." Gilroy closed the comm and took several calming breaths.

*****

Striding into the Security Offices, Gilroy spotted the crewman who'd interrupted his time with Kai. "Chauncey, what is it?"

"I'm not sure, sir. It -- she - keeps saying they are missing, but that's all I'm getting," the man shrugged and stood aside while Gilroy entered Oralia's office.

Gilroy! Iggy's usual calm, alien voice was not calm - she was panicked, and that made Gilroy feel a sliver of chilly fear run down his spine. They are missing! Gone! Just... Just gone!

"Who? Oz? Oz is on a mission, Iggy. Li and Darwin are with her. Who is missing?"

Jerry! Oh no! And my babies! Iggy wailed, an awful thing for those within her range to have in their heads.

The word babies stuck in Gilroy's head and spread to his imagination. His face scrunched up as if he were having a bout with apoplexy. Little Iggys all over the station. He touched his chest, just about where his heart was, where he thought he could feel something seizing up. He managed to parrot the offending word, "Babies?"

Iggy stopped keening. Yes. My babies. Actually, they would be spiderlings, not babies. And, they have not hatched yet, so really, it is the egg sac that is missing. I should not have left it alone with Jerry. She started rocking side to side on Oz's desk, letting off a terrible 'ehhh!' thought to those around her.

"Jerry? Who is Jerry? Where... where is Cadet Conradi? Or Ziyad?"

It does not matter! Where are my babies?! You must find them, Gilroy, Iggy slowly stepped closer to him. They were in the tubes behind our quarters, but they are gone!

"Holy Kah'less," Gilroy muttered and tapped his commbadge. "Cadets Conradi and Ziyad, either of you, report to Zeferino's office immediately," he barked, his Klingon heritage evident in his voice. "As in right now, Cadets! Not in five minutes or when class is over. Now." He rubbed his temples; Iggy's cry was unnerving.

**Eli's and Chance's Quarters**

The angry tone of Gilroy's order had Chance scrambling out of bed, even though he and Eli had been rather nicely entangled and otherwise engaged. "Oh gods!" His heart hammered. "What'd we do?", he asked Eli.

“I don’t know!” Eli jumped from the bed and grabbed for his clothes. He hopped on one foot as he tried to get his foot into his pants. “I haven’t crossed Gilroy’s path in a while now, not since...yeah. A long while.” He slipped on his uniform jacket and began to fasten it hastily. “I hate it when Klingons get mad. You shoulda seen Kh’ali the other day. She almost ran me over leaving her office.”

"Is it something in the water? Maybe Klingons have a 'season' and these two have triggered each other's," Chance was buttoning his pants and nearly injured himself pulling up the zipper. "Shoes...," he yanked on a boot, winced and yanked it back off, "That's your boot." He found his and pulled them on.

“Thanks.” Eli dropped onto the bed and yanked on his boot,then took it off. “Socks.” He spied them and managed to get them and his boots on in the right order. Finally, he stood. “Everything on and fastened? And not inside out?”

Chance was pulling on his shirt, but he paused and looked Eli over. "Looks good. Let's go," he finished getting his arms into the shirt and headed for the door. "Not sure I'll pass inspection right now, but... Gilroy wouldn't be shouting at us about that, would he?"

Eli led the way out and towards the turbolift. “What’s the one thing that can make Gilroy shout?”

"Oh, shiiit...! Iggy!" Chance picked up his pace.

Security

Chacalmand Eli arrived and everyone seemed to know what the story was. They were immediately pointed to Oz’s office, which was not a good sign. They were also assaulted with a mental keening.

“You first,” Eli whispered.

"Oh sure, send the lamb in for slaughter," Chance mumbled, yanked at the front of his tunic and entered Oz's office. "Lieutenant Gilroy, Cadets Conradi and Ziyad reporting."

"About time," Gilroy grumbled. "Ignatius, stop that noise!"

They are gone! Iggy turned to look at Chance and Eli.

“What are gone?” Eli asked. But the instant the words left his mouth he had a sinking feeling he knew what this was about. In all the excitement with Kh’ali, and celebrating in one form or another, they’d forgotten to inform Iggy. He glanced over to Chance. Uh-oh.

Eyes going wide, Chance had the same feeling Eli did. "Oh."

"Ignatius is missing someone named Jerry and her ...babies." He looked from one to the other cadet and got the feeling they already knew about this. Chance, for one, looked guilty. "I've sent engineering to the.. egg sac's last known location. I was calling you here just to take care of Iggy, but you two know something."

Chance rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable in Gilroy's glare. "Ah... Eli?"

“Well, actually, we do, yes. We became aware of Jerry not long after we got back from the colony. Given the...implications of a mate, we decided to go hunting and enlisted Vic. Strangely, Vic already knew about this Jerry.” Eli didn’t mention Reva’s participation, he figured Vic could take care of himself with Gilroy. “We thought it best if the...babies were contained instead of running loose all over the station.”

You? Iggy was suddenly calm. And angry. You stole my babies!? How could you!? Where are they? I demand you take me to them. The arachnid bristled, making herself look slightly larger than normal.

"Iggs, we're sorry, really," Chance started. "We thought it best if the egg - if your babies," he had roughly the same reaction Gilroy had had to that word, "were safe in a habitat in Science. We - with Vic - found Jerry and the egg sac. Vic collected them and took them to Science."

"Perhaps you could have notified Security as well, Cadets," Gilroy rumbled. He was unaware that Oralia and Darwin also knew about Jerry, though they assumed Jerry had become spider paste at some point instead of spider daddy.

They are safe? Is Jerry safe as well?

“They are.” Eli nodded. “But it’s much safer for them there. If they were loose, Iggy, people might not realize they are yours and they’d be in danger.” He didn’t mention the fact that they would want to see what sort of abilities these offspring had. “You can go there anytime.” He hoped that this wouldn’t have Commander Leroy hunting him down for saying so.

I see. Iggy's normal calm tone was back, though she still radiated irritation. Yes, my spiderlings will be very small when they hatch. You bipeds could step on them without realizing they were there.

"Not to mention the panic it might cause for some people," Chance added. "You might have as many as a hundred in that sac."

Gilroy shifted in Oz's seat. Babies had been one thing; hundreds of babies - spiderlings! - was another. He decided right there and then that he was going to put Vic in for a commendation for bravery in the face of sheer terror. "Take her to see these habitats, Cadets. Let her confirm they are safe."

"Yes sir," Chance nodded. He held out his hands to Iggy so she could climb aboard.

“Is there anything else, sir?” Eli really hoped that was it.

"Not at the moment, Cadets. Just remember that you should always inform your superior officers of situations such as this." Gilroy stood. "You're dismissed."

Knowing they'd escaped a harsh lecture, Chance turned and left, Iggy on his shoulder. Once on the way to the turbolift, he said, "Gilroy didn't need to tell me twice."

“I heard that.” The trio entered the turbolift and Eli gave the order for the science decks.

*********
Lieutenant Gilroy

Ignatius J. Reilly

Cadet Chance Conradi

Cadet Eli Ziyad