Glitch in the Stars (Part 1)

Posted on Wed Jan 22nd, 2025 @ 3:29pm by Lieutenant Commander Angus Murphy & Captain Elijah Rutherford

Mission: A Day In The Life
Location: Holodeck 1
1201 words - 2.4 OF Standard Post Measure

Deep within the heart of an uncharted jungle, where the dense canopy allowed only fragmented beams of sunlight to filter through, stood an ancient temple. This forgotten edifice, shrouded in mystery and enigma, was a relic of a bygone era. The jungle's lush greenery claimed much of the structure, with thick vines and creeping vegetation entwining the temple's weathered stones. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the constant symphony of the jungle: the calls of exotic birds, the rustle of unseen creatures, and the distant roar of a waterfall.

The temple rose from the jungle floor, its stones a blend of gray and mossy green, worn smooth by the relentless passage of time. Massive trees surrounded it, their roots snaking around the foundation as if to anchor the ancient structure to the earth. The front of the temple featured a grand staircase, partially obscured by the undergrowth, that lead up to a stone platform. On either side of the staircase, intricately carved statues of long-forgotten deities stood sentinel, their features eroded but still exuded an aura of reverence and power.

At the center of the temple's facade stood a colossal stone door, a formidable barrier that has remained sealed for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. The door was framed by two towering pillars, each covered in enigmatic runes, a cryptic script etched deeply into the ancient stone. Flanking both sides of the pillars, carvings were interspersed with depictions of mythical creatures, celestial bodies, and scenes of ritualistic significance, telling a story that has been locked away for milliennia.

Angus Murphy, dressed in long-sleeved khaki shirt and pants and wearing a wide brimmed safari-like hat, hacked away at some of the vines that partially obstructed the temple doorway. Perspiration beaded on his forehead and ran down the sides of his shaven face in the sweltering humidity. When he was finished, he cast a smirk back toward Elijah as he tucked away the machete into its sleeve which was securely slung diagonally across his chest. "This has to be the way in. Do you see anything?"

Elijah took a pause to wipe away the sweat from his brow, this whole set up was proving to be a workout that his wife would be very glad of, as well as the doctor. He took a moment to take a drink of water from his canteen before answering Murph. He was dressed much like Murph, his shirt clinging to him in areas, dark patches showing in his back and on his chest. He tilted back his hat in order to mop his brow then moved forward to have a look at the door, being careful not to trigger a possible trapdoor. Or trigger. "I see two stones that don't seem to match the rest of the stones here." Turning to look at Murph.

"Oh," Murph noticed the stones then as well. They were some distance apart so it was hard to compare them closely at the same time. He muttered to his exploration partner, "excellent observation." He reached up to the one near him and pressed it. That was how it worked in the holovids. You found an ancient door and you pressed a stone and it opened, right? Wrong. It did not budge.

"Maybe we need to press the stones at the same time to open this door. Will take some timing, right?" Elijah moving towards the other stone to the left. "What do you think shall we try it on Three?" his hand ready to push the stone when the count of three was hit.

"Worth a shot," Murphey nodded and got into position. "One... two... three."

The stones finally gave way with some exertion, allowing themselves to begrudgingly be pressed into the temple stonework a few inches until they finally clicked into place with near-perfect symmetry.

The click from the stones locking into place was all that filled the air between them for a long moment, but eventually another sound started to become evident. A low rumble from some ancient mechanical lever, perhaps. Then a serious of thuds as locks released and switches were set off in exactness that modern engineers would have thought impossible.

And then the floor beneath them gave away.

The sounds that were heard, had transfixed Elijah enough that when the ground gave way from beneath them, he wasn't ready for any action to leap towards some safety. Instead, his hands flailed around trying to grab on any surface to try to slow the fall to no avail. He had no idea how far he, and Murph had fallen did that truly matter? just as long as it wasn't a bottomless pit. Actually that could have passed through Elijah's mind, but didn't. What had his attention was that the falling was stopped, with him landing in something, on something? Both? A pool of water?

Sploosh! Elijah felt something, a sort of vegetation clinging onto him as he sank beneath the surface. A quick kick of his feet pushed Elijah towards the surface, his head popping up spitting out water and sucking in air. Plants with narrow leaves and vine like stems were on his head and shoulders. He treaded water while he looked around for Murph.

"Murph! Murph! Where are you!"

Above, Murphy had managed to wedge himself along a narrow ledge at the last moment and was clinging to the stonework in an attempt to keep himself from falling into the watery pit that opened up and swallowed Elijah. He could hear Elijah struggling against the water, but clearly okay for the moment.

"I'm here," he called, already feeling the ledge of ground his feet were balancing against start to give. "What do you see? Is there an entrance down there?"

Elijah slowly maneuvered himself with his hands to get a view of his surroundings, thankfully there was a bit of light coming from above, he spotted something that looked like a rocky platform and... An entrance! He was feeling rather relieved to hear Murph's voice.

"I see an entrance and there is a rocky platform not too far away!" Elijah starting to swim towards it, it wasn't that far to go maybe about 50 yards from the platform. Elijah pulled himself up from the water, the little vines clinging to him still. He proceeded towards the entrance. "Are you going to join me?" looking upwards to where Murph was possibly at. So far this has been an interesting program that had been developed. Who knows what will show itself next.

"Give me a minute," Murphy had removed the coil of rope that was fastened to his belt and affixed one end to an outcropping in the rock that looked strong enough to support his weight. He gave it a tug and decided it would have to do. He rappelled down, swinging on the rope to make it over to Elijah's newly found underground entrance. He secured the rope for later, figuring they would need it for their exit.

"Haven't gone in yet? Waiting for me to go first?" Murph chided with a smirk as he passed the captain up and entered the dark, damp corridor that sloped gently downward.


To be continued...