STAR TREK - The Brave and the Bold Book One Page 6

  Then the green glow had come back. By that time, people had started to die, their hearts exploding like photon torpedoes in peoples ribcages. Her only regret was that she had been unable to stand over their bodies as they expired. She wanted everyones last sight to be of her. She wanted them to know why they were dead.

  When the glow returned, she used it again, this time on everyone occupying the Government Center, which had called an emergency session.

  Now it was glowing again.

  Who shall I destroy next?

  The voice on the newsfeed droned on. Medical scanners are being distributed to all residents of Proxima. Distribution schedules are posted on the nets as well. Please use these scanners regularly, but do not tamper with them. They have been specifically calibrated to seek out the virus. If a scan turns up positive, report to the nearest hospital immediately for treatment.

  She turned in anger. They had identified the virus? They were treating it? Worse, they were now giving people the means to find it?

  Damn them!

  She had originally considered targeting police headquarters. With Starfleet involved, that wont work anymore. So who?

  Then she realized what she had to do. Oh, this is too perfect.

  The annoying Starfleet face went away, to be replaced by the usual newscaster. That was Captain James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise, one of the two starships that has declared martial law on Proxima. It should be added that the first decree made by Kirk and the U.S.S. Constellation s Commodore Matthew Decker was that the news sources would be allowed to continue uncensored. To repeat, medical scanners are being handed ou

  She turned off the feed. Infecting both ships with the virus wasnt possibleat least not at once. But she could take down one of them

  The computer diligently woke Lewis Rosenhaus up two hours after hed hit the pillow in his quarters. As usual, he was wide awake in an instant. First Rosenhaus checked in with the lab, where Technician Shickele assured him that the synthesizing of kerylene was proceeding apace. McCoy may not want to be prepared for every eventuality, but Im not going to make the same mistake.

  He then contacted the bridge and asked the communications officer to put him through to Nurse Chapel on the Enterprise.

  Yes, Doctor, what is it?

  Rosenhaus blinked. Gone were the demure tones of the woman whom Rosenhaus had embarrassed with his verbal blundering about Roger Korby. Now she sounded as excitable as a Klingon. Uh, I wanted to make sure my program

  Yes, your programs all done, and no, Dr. McCoy hasnt come back on board yet. I wouldve told you that, Doctor, I did promise you that. I can assure you, Im the type that

  A fist of ice clenching his heart, Rosenhaus said, Nurse, do you have a medical tricorder on you?

  What the hell kind of ridiculous question is that? Of course I do, but I hardly

  Scan yourself, please.

  Why should I?

  Nurse, please, run a scan on yourself.

  Even as Chapel spoke, Rosenhaus could hear the telltale sound of the Feinberger running over Chapels form as it read her biological data. Dammit, Doctor, I really dont have time forOh my God.

  You have the virus, right?

  Yes, I

  Rosenhaus got up from his bed and put a fresh shirt on. Where are you?

  Sickbay. Doctor, Im so sorry, I

  Never mind that. Run a scan on some other peoplepick crew members at random, then report back to me.

  Yes, Doctor.

  She signed off, then he contacted the bridge. This is Dr. Rosenhaus again. Put me through to Dr. McCoy, Priority One.

  After a few moments, a familiar, cranky voice came on the line. This better be damned

  Doctor, I believe the Enterprise has been infected.

  A pause. What!?

  Im back on the Constellation. I left your ship two hours ago while I had a program running and took a quick nap. And before you bite my head off, I only got an hours sleep before the distress call from Proxima came.

  Thats one hour more than I got, McCoy grumbled, but that doesnt matter. What happened?

  I contacted your Nurse Chapel, and she sounded more excitable than usual. I asked her to scan herself, and she had the virus. I asked her to scan some random crew members to be sure, but

  But whoevers doing this probably targeted the whole ship. Damn. McCoy sighed. Jims gone and declared martial law, so Id better let him know, too. At least hes safe down here, and Spocks on the Constellation with your pal Masada.

  Running a hand through his shaggy red hair, Rosenhaus said, Well need to declare a quarantine on the Enterprise. We cant let anyone on or off.

  Dont be an idiot! First thing we verified is that this isnt contractible unless youre targeted by that blessed artifact.

  Rosenhaus cursed his own stupidity. Sorry. Force of habit. Not used to a disease that doesnt wipe out the whole room.

  None of us are, son, McCoy said in a surprisingly conciliatory voice. I sent up a woman on a shuttlecraft to the Enterprise. She volunteered to be our guinea pig. Ill have it divert to the Constellation. Youll need to go over to the Enterprise, verify this and retrieve all the data, then

  Another voice interrupted. Bridge to Dr. Rosenhaus.

  Rosenhaus here.

  Doctor, I have Nurse Chapel on the Enterprise.

  Put her through, please. Rosenhaus took a very deep breath. Here it comes

  Chapel here.

  Nurse, I have Dr. McCoy on the line, also. Whats the verdict?

  The ships been completely infected. Ive got Lieutenant Sulu here as wellhes in charge of the bridge, with the captain and Mr. Spock both off-ship. Ive informed him as well.

  Another voice, this one deep and male, said, You know more about this disease than I do, Doc. What do you recommend?

  McCoys voice was surprisingly gentle. I hate to do this, Hikaru, but the only treatment weve been able to come up with is sedation. At that, its only a temporary measure.

  Not only that, Rosenhaus said, scratching his cheek, itll take forever to administer the sedative.

  Thats not an issue, Sulu said. We can flood all decks with anaesthezine gas.

  You can do that? Rosenhaus asked, incredulous.

  Of course, Sulu said, as if it were the most natural thing in the galaxy. How long do we have, Doc?

  What do you mean?

  Well, before we implement any kind of mass sedation, Id like to check with the captain, and Mr. Scott will need to put the ship on automatic so we dont fall into the atmosphere when were all asleep.

  You dont need to do that, Rosenhaus said. Some relief crew can come over from the Constellation.

  Wont they get the disease? Sulu asked.

  Of course not. The disease isnt contractible. Rosenhaus tried not to sound quite so haughty, but he still felt foolish after his previous blunder.

  All right, Ill have to coordinate with Commander Takeshewada, Sulu said with surprising calm, considering that he had a virus that was pumping adrenaline into his body at a great rate. Ill need at least an hour to get everyone to report to their quarters and set things up for the replacements. Our best bet is to keep the relief crew on the bridgeas long as they dont have to do anything too complicated, they can run the ship from there. And then well flood every other deck.

  Sounds like it should work, McCoy said.

  I agree.

  I wasnt asking your approval! McCoy then took a deep breath. Sorry, Doctor. Just goes against the grain to put your crewmates to sleep.

  As long as the sleep isnt permanent, Rosenhaus said. He was starting to understand why McCoy was so snappish. He hated the idea of being helpless. I guess we all deal with that in our own way. Me, I prefer to let it drive me to greater heights.

  Within the hour predicted by Lieutenant Sulu, the entire Enterprise staff had reported to their quarters, prepared for a very deep sleep. The chief engineeran obscenely excitable man, though Rosenhaus supposed the virus could have been responsible for thathad routed all functions to the br
idge. Takeshewada had roused the Constellation 'sgamma-shift bridge crew out of their beds and they had taken their bleary-eyed places at the different-yet-familiar consoles. Rosenhaus had also brought his junior physician over to keep an eye on things, since the Enterprise 'smedical staff was going to be just as incapacitated as everyone else.

  Then, finally, the entire Enterprise, save the bridge, was put to sleep.

  Rosenhaus had, of course, beamed off the Enterprise at that point, after verifying that neither he nor the relief crew had contracted the virus. Captain Kirk had, he understood, made some sort of speech to his people telling them something no doubt inspirational and encouraging and downright tiresome, but Rosenhaus hadnt bothered to listen. He was too busy gathering his notes.

  When he returned to the Constellation, he saw that a woman under sedation had been placed on a biobed.

  He summoned Emil Jazayerli, his head nurse. Who is that woman, Nurse?

  Jazayerli squinted at the biobed, a habit in the older man that Rosenhaus found almost as annoying as the nurses tendency to run his index finger and thumb over his thick black mustache. Thats the woman that arrived with the Galileo, Doctor.

  Blinking, Rosenhaus said, The Galileo? Theres another ship in orbit?

  No, Doctor, the Galileo is an Enterprise shuttlecraft. He walked over and picked up the womans chart, then held it out for Rosenhaus. I believe shes a Proximan volunteer with the disease.

  Oh, right, Rosenhaus said, taking the chart, Dr. McCoys guinea pig. He peered at the chart, which showed that her name was Mya Braker, she served as the Representative for the Ninth District, and shed gotten the disease at the same time as everyone else in the Government Center. All right, he said, handing the chart back to Jazayerli, keep an eye on her EEG and her epi and norepi count. If any of them change in even the slightest degree, let me know immediately.

  Of course, Doctor.

  It irked Rosenhaus that Jazayerli never called him, sir. It probably wouldnt have bothered him all that much, except that he always called him Doctor in a tone of voice that indicated that the nurse didnt think much of the title. Hardly the right attitude for a subordinate.

  Sighing, he went into the lab. Maybe I can convince Decker to let me transfer him off when this is all over.

  As he sat down at the desk, he called up the results of his testwhich, in all the hugger-mugger on the Enterprise, he hadnt had the chance to thoroughly look over.

  After reading over the results, his pale face broke into a huge grin. I think weve done it!

  He contacted the bridge. Is Dr. McCoy still on the surface?

  The communications officera friendly young lieutenant named George Howardnodded. Hes meeting with the commodore and Captain Kirk right now. You need to raise him?

  He was about to say yes, then changed his mind. No, he can find out when everyone else does, he said with a smile.

  Frowning, Howard asked, Find out what?

  Ive got a good line on a cure. Im going to test it now.

  The communications officers face split into a grin. Lew, if thats true, itll be the first good news all day.

  Rosenhaus belatedly realized that gossiping with the communications officer was probably not such a hot idea. Well, keep it to yourself, George. I still havent tested it yet.

  No problem, Lew. My hailing frequencies are closed till you say otherwise.

  Good, Rosenhaus said with a smile. Sickbay out.

  Howards face faded, to be replaced by the computer simulation. Rosenhaus looked it all over one more time. Briefly, he contemplated waiting until he could have a second set of eyes look them over, then decided that wasnt practical. His junior physician was back on the Enterprise, and McCoy was still on Proxima. Besides, hell probably just come up with sixteen reasons why it wont work, he thought sourly.

  He went over to the synthesizing lab, where the stout form of Norma Shickele sat hunched over a computer terminal. Get off my back, L.R., she said in her booming voice, youll have your damn kerylene soon enough.

  Hold off on that for a minute, he said, forcing his voice to remain calm. He hated being called L.R., which was, of course, why Shickele insisted on doing so. Rosenhaus also knew he couldnt afford to antagonize the lab techs because he relied on them in situationswell, much like this one, so he had to be on his best behavior in her presence. She knew that, too, and so always did everything she could to goad him. So far, he hadnt risen to the bait.

  Maybe I can get Decker to transfer her along with Jazayerli, he thought wistfully.

  He continued. Ive got a serum. I need you to prepare a test batch.

  You said the kerylene was priority.

  Patiently, Rosenhaus said, This is higher priority. The kerylene has the potential to be a last-resort cure. This could be the actual cure. Shickele, he had learned, preferred to have things explained in detail. Just giving an order and expecting her to do as she was told was never sufficient.

  She reached out one pudgy hand. Fine. Youre the doctor, after all.

  Sighing with relief, Rosenhaus handed her the data. The words, youre the doctor, said in that snide tone that Shickele had probably spent most of her adult life perfecting, usually signified the end of the conversation.

  Grateful, Rosenhaus headed back into the main part of sickbay, and once again looked over Brakers chart. Everything seemed to be in orderbut for the presence of the virus, shed be in perfect health.

  The doors opened to reveal Commander Takeshewada, holding a hand to her forehead. Got anything for a headache, Doc?

  Smiling at the small woman, Rosenhaus said, Of course. Follow me. As he led her into the dispensary, he asked, Rough day?

  Rough hour. First I had to rearrange the shift schedule, since our third shift is now off on the Enterprise, then I spent twenty minutes going at it hammer and tongs with Matt.

  The commodore? Rosenhaus asked, surprised, as he fetched an analgesic from the cabinet.

  No, Takeshewada snapped, Matt the quartermaster. Of course the commodore. She sighed. Damned stubborn ass of a man, he is.

  He handed her the pills. What was the argument about?

  Martial law, pros and cons. Thank you, she added as she took the pills. She swallowed them quickly. I understand the rationale behind it, but Ive always been leery of outside authorities waltzing in and taking over. Besides, Kirk lived on Tarsus IV.

  Takeshewada spoke as if that planet should mean something, but Rosenhaus hadnt a clue to its significance. Okay, he said, hoping not to sound too foolish.

  Chuckling, Takeshewada said, I keep forgetting how young you are. Quickly, the first officer told a story about a colony world, a poisoned food supply, and an insane governor.

  My God, Rosenhaus said. He had had no idea that something like that could even happen in the Federation. And Kirk was there for that?

  As a teenager, yes. And he was the one who suggested declaring martial law today. According to Matt, he wants to do it right, so to speak. Still, I cant help but think of the old saying about abused children growing up to become abusers. She took a very deep breath.

  Well, wouldnt the commodore keep him in line?

  Takeshewada pursed her lips. Rosenhaus didnt like the expression it formed on her face. It was a bizarre combination of frightened and concerned. Between you and me, Doc? The problem with Matt Decker is that hes impulsive. Once he gets an idea in his head, he tends to jump into it feet first and figure out the consequences later. Hes made it work for him so far through a combination of stubbornness and dumb luck. I just hope today isnt the day his luck runs out.

  Grinning, Rosenhaus said, Not likely. After all, Im on the job, and I think Ive got us something.

  Eyes widening, Takeshewada said, Oh?

  Ive got the lab synthesizing a serum based on a project I was involved with at Starfleet Medical. Computer sims show that it should work. Dr. McCoy sent up a volunteer from the surface, so as soon as its ready, I can test it on her.

  Smiling a small smile, the commander said, Best ne
ws Ive heard all day, Doc. Hell, wish youd told me sooner, it probably wouldve taken the headache away and saved you a couple of pills.

  Lab to Rosenhaus. Your magic potion is ready, L.R.

  Thumbing the intercom, Rosenhaus said, Thank you, Shickele, in what he hoped wasnt a cranky voice. Ill be right there.

  Now Takeshewadas smile was wider. L.R.?

  Dont ask. Rosenhaus shuddered. The last thing he wanted to do was get into the sickbay politics hed been dropped into the middle of. Then again, she is the first officer Or rather, dont ask now. Id actually like to sit down with you and talk about someissues I have regarding sickbay.

  Fine by me, she said with a nod. Well set something upafter you perform your miracle.

  Rosenhauss Miracle. I like that. Thats fine, Commander.

  Heading for the door, she said, Thanks for the pillsand keep me posted.

  I will.

  With a spring in his step, Rosenhaus headed back to the lab. Even the dark look Shickele gave him couldnt spoil his mood.

  Can I get back to the kerylene now, L.R.?

  He considered telling her not to botherthe serum was bound to workbut one didnt wish to take chances. Yes, please do.

  Youre the doctor.

  Damn right I am, he thought triumphantly as he took the hypo that Shickele had prepared, and went to Brakers bedside. He checked to make sure the dosage on the hypo was set properly, took a deep breath, and applied the hypo to Brakers neck.

  Then he let out the breath he was holding.

  Over the course of the next hour, he and Jazayerli monitored Brakers progress, watching as the viruss attempts to produce epi and norepi were frustrated by the serum. Yes! he thought triumphantly. Where sedation simply put the virus to sleep in the same way it retarded all other bodily functions, this serum actively inhibited the virus without doing any damage to the patient.

  It works!

  The doors opened to Dr. McCoy. Whats this I hear about a cure?

  Rosenhaus blinked. Howd you find out? I only just tested it an hour ago. He indicated the medical scanner. Take a look.