Explosive Existentialism

Posted on Fri May 8th, 2020 @ 2:09pm by Lieutenant Commander T'Vek

Mission: Around The World in 8 Days
Location: Undisclosed Location

[Undisclosed Location]

Lieutenant Commander T’Vek checked the small wrist device he was wearing, taking note that the display was slowly and steadily reaching 0. The corridors of the complex he had infiltrated with a small group of Federation operatives were dark, and not a single sound beyond his faint footfalls could be heard. The Vulcanoid officer wasn’t wearing a traditional uniform, but rather had on what might have been confused for a wetsuit by the more casual observers. It had a great many advantages over standard gear, not the least of which was the small tactical camouflage unit. He’d had to use it slipping into the facility, but now that he’d knocked out the power to the complex the natural darkness was more than sufficient to sneak around unnoticed.

Rounding a corner, the faint glow of a weapon mounted light searching about the walls spurred T’Vek to crouch low and pull out his combat knife. A phaser would have probably been easier, but T’Vek wasn’t nearly as good at using them in the dark as he was his knife, and decided that was the better option. Despite his Vulcan heritage, logic hadn’t even been a deciding factor in the choice. As the man crept closer to his target, the sound of metal clattering to the ground pulled the guard’s attention away just in time for the Vulcan to slink up behind him and slice his throat open. The only sound that escaped was a gurgle before the corpse hit the floor.

“You’re pretty good at that, Commander,” the whispered voice of one of his fellow operatives called out from the direction the noise had come from.

“Indeed,” T’Vek gave the typical Vulcan response, “How many people did you encounter on your way here?”

“Three,” the other man reported, “All terminated.”

“Good.”

T’Vek looked around them for a moment before finding a suitable place to squirrel the body away. His subordinate watched for a moment before realizing he ought to help, and grabbed the corpse by the feet. The two men finished hiding the body and continued down the corridor toward their eventual target. Two other operatives joined them as they reached a large, fortified door. T’Vek nodded to the female operative and the group stood back as she slapped a small power source next to the access panel and began inputting the access codes. A few tense moments slipped by before a satisfying clunking sound echoed through the corridor. The two males in the team hurried to the door and pulled it free from the latches before their female companion pulled the power source.

“So far so good, Commander,” the woman said from within her helmet.

T’Vek didn’t voice any acknowledgement to her statement, only issuing the faintest of nods as he watched the scene unfold. The room beyond was filled to the brim with munitions, all of them unregistered, unregulated, and dangerous. Had the helmet not been in the way, his team might have been privy to the look that crossed the Vulcan’s face.

“Keep your eyes open,” T’Vek said as he crossed into the room and pulled out the tools of his trade. He didn’t wait for a reply as he stepped into the vault and began running his hands over objects that he passed by, almost in reverence. When he reached the back of the room, his eyes narrowed and his lips began to draw upward. He laid out his tools and selected the ones he would require, popping a panel off the device he’d chosen as his assistant in charge of exploding.

Sparks began to fly from inside of the device as T’Vek gently persuaded the weapon to forget its primary function and bend to the will of the Master Demolition Expert. There were brief moments it almost seemed as if the device would rebel and refuse to go along with his plan, but those moments passed and finally the instrument of death yielded to the more powerful will, T’Vek’s. The Vulcan checked his wrist device and smirked beneath his helmet before turning to his team and giving them the signal to beam out. Once they were safely gone, T’Vek activated his own transporter signal and the world around him melted into the blue-white haze of a pattern buffer.

When the world regained its shape and form, T’Vek and his team were well outside the confines of the facility they had infiltrated. In fact, the team had traversed nearly 5 kilometers of wooded terrain to reach it. Their small shuttle rested on a relatively level piece of ground a few hundred meters above their target’s altitude, giving the team an excellent vantage point. With secrecy no longer a concern, T’Vek pulled his helmet off and dropped it to the ground without the slightest concern if it were damaged.

“He’s got that look…” the female caught sight of the look on the Vulcan’s face, stepping back nervously.

“What look would that be, Lieutenant?” T’Vek asked in the even tone most Vulcans would speak in.

The two men looked at one another and backed away toward the shuttle wordlessly, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. The Vulcan ignored the fear practically flooding out of his companions as he brought his wrist device within view, pressing a command on it with the most twisted, evil smile plastered on his face as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

BOOM…

BOOM BOOM…

KABOOM…

A series of massive eruptions burst forth from underneath the small, unassuming buildings that were atop the massive hidden complex. Jets of flame, followed by massive plumes of smoke, and finally the shockwave of the destructive energy being unleashed into the surrounding atmosphere rocked the landscape. The chaos lasted well over a full minute before T’Vek started cackling.

“Superb!” the man exclaimed as he watched the carnage he had wrought.

“Commander, we need to go…” the female Lieutenant urged him.

“Ms. Hawking, you need to learn to enjoy the little moments in life more…” the Vulcan sounded as if he were complaining as he made for the shuttle.

“I don’t want to hear that from a man that takes this much joy in removing things from existence… explosively,” the woman glared at her superior as they boarded the shuttle.

“Would you rather have allowed the Romulans to take control of that facility and use the weapons inside to erase Federation colonies off the map instead?” T’Vek mused as he took his chair on the shuttle.

“That’s not what I meant…” Lt. Hawking continued to glare.

“Your protest over my enthusiasm is noted,” the Lieutenant Commander said in an apathetic tone, “Now take us home.”

“Aye…sir,” the woman growled before plotting their course out of the atmosphere and back toward Earth.