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"S.A.M. 92" By A. Rhea King
Rating: PG PROLOGUE Year 2210 Androids slowly and meticulously fit humanoid aliens with mechanical limbs and implants. Two androids monitor the construction while four androids move around the room injecting the victims. On the monitors above images show the liquid flowing from the hypospray needle into the victim’s yellow blood with thousands of mechanical looking creatures in the flow. The creatures quickly attach to the blood vessel walls and burrow through, entering into the victim’s bodies. They begin repairing damaged or worn body parts with mechanical ones. A half android and half humanoid leaves the room and walks through the halls passing other half androids. It walks through a door onto a starship’s bridge. Other half humanoid and half androids are manning the controls. Alien humanoids lay unconscious on the floor in a pile. Several androids pick them up and leave with them. The android at the navigation controls is charting a course. The course takes the vessel around areas occupied by strong alien races and intercepts a handful of weaker ones. The line continues off the map into an area marked as ‘Delta (Incognizant)’. There is an area on the chart — a position that is far behind their blinking current position — that is circled and crossed off like those of the stronger races they are headed toward. The area is Earth and encompasses all areas humans have reached since after the year 2160. CHAPTER 1 Doctor Phlox scurried about Sickbay, quickly preparing a bio-bed and surgical tray. He heard the door in Decon open and looked up. Archer, Trip, and two ensigns ran into Sickbay carrying Malcolm on a stretcher. “Here,” Phlox said, pointing to the bio-bed. The four placed Malcolm on the bed, then moved out of Phlox’s way. “He’s had erratic vitals all the way here, Doc,” Trip said. “He’s going into toxic shock,” Phlox said. He grabbed a hypospray and injected a shot. “Keep an eye on his vitals, Commander.” Phlox handed Trip a scanner, “Captain, go to the shelf over there and bring me the blue container. Ensign Porter, bring me that cup of cooking oil over there on the counter.” Phlox snatched up a pair of scissors and cut away Reed’s sleeve. “Cooking oil?” all four men questioned. “Yes. Do any of you know how much of the flower’s pollen he inhaled?” “It’s hard to say. He slipped and rolled right into a field of them,” Trip told him. “He was able to crawl out, but he kept muttering that the flowers forced him to breathe in the pollen. It had to have been a lot to be hallucinating like that.” “Here,” Archer handed Phlox the blue container. “Hold on to it for a moment.” Phlox snatched up a piece of rubber tubing and tied a tourniquet off just above Malcolm’s elbow. “The scans you sent ahead showed the pollen is highly toxic. I hope it hasn’t caused any neuro damage.” Ensign Porter brought the cup of oil to Doctor Phlox. “Here, Doc.” Phlox took the oil and used a wad of gauze to coat the inside of Malcolm’s elbow. He sat the cup aside, picked up tongs, and held his hand out to Archer. Archer handed him the container. Phlox unscrewed the cap and with the tongs removed a brown-yellow colored worm. “Please close this, Captain.” Phlox handed the container back to Archer. “Don’t want these little guys escaping.” Phlox lowered the worm to Malcolm’s arm. Archer’s stomach turned as he watched the worm burrow into the raised blood vessel on Malcolm’s arm. A trickle of blood ran down Malcolm’s arm as the tail of the worm disappeared. Phlox slowly untied the tourniquet, wiped the blood and oil off Malcolm’s arm, and taped a piece of gauze over the small wound. “It wasn’t enough he got a lung full of toxic pollen,” Trip asked, “so you thought a worm might brighten his outcome, Doc?” “It is a Fespien worm. They love toxins and work faster than most medicines I know. And it will only be in him until the toxin levels go down, at which point I’ll inject a poison to kill it. It’s harmless to the Lieutenant, I can assure you.” Trip looked at Archer. Archer sat the container down on a table and moved away from it. Phlox picked up a penlight and shone the light into Malcolm’s eyes. “Hm…fixed. Curious. Recovering from the toxin in the pollen may take Lieutenant Reed several days. The rest of you need to go back into Decon.” The four men obeyed. # Archer entered Sickbay. Doctor Phlox stood next to Malcolm’s bio-bed, checking his vitals on the overhead monitor. “How is he this morning?” Archer asked. “Much better and lucky.” “Lucky?” “It took eight worms to get the toxins under control. The first five died within twenty minutes, the sixth and seventh survived two hours, the eighth died an hour ago.” “I take it that it isn’t normal?” “No. Not even for toxicity as high as what was in the flower pollen.” “How is he recovering?” “Rather quickly now. He has some will to live.” Archer smiled. Malcolm had more secrets than anyone he knew, but his thirst for life wasn’t one of them. “Will he wake up soon?” “I’d say not for another three to five more days.” “Alert me if there’s any change.” “I will, Captain.” Archer left. Doctor Phlox turned back to work. He looked up when Malcolm groaned, watching the Lieutenant. He started tossing as he fought off a nightmare. Doctor Phlox walked over to the bed. Malcolm muttered curses at whatever had invaded his dreams. Doctor Phlox laid his hand on Malcolm’s shoulder, looking up at a monitor. He looked down when Malcolm grabbed his wrist. Malcolm was still unconscious. Phlox pulled his wrist free and picked up a hypospray. He pressed it to Malcolm’s neck. “No,” Malcolm whispered. “Lieutenant?” Phlox asked. Malcolm didn’t respond. Phlox pressed the hypospray to his neck again. “No,” Malcolm whispered, “Help me. I can’t stop—” Phlox hesitated, watching Malcolm’s fight become increasingly aggressive. He injected Malcolm with the hypospray and the Lieutenant quieted. Phlox sat the hypospray aside and went back to work. # Trip sighed, pressing the PADD for another screen. He closed his eyes as he yawned. Trip sat the PADD down on his lap and stretched. He looked down when he heard a noise and watched Malcolm roll onto his side. Malcolm’s eyes opened and his gaze drifted around the room to Trip. Trip smiled. “Morning.” Malcolm didn’t reply. “How ya feeling?” Malcolm looked away. Trip noticed Malcolm’s confused look. He sat the PADD on a bio-bed behind him. “You okay, Malcolm?” Malcolm looked at him but said nothing. Trip stood and turned, tapping the companel on the wall. “Trip to Doctor Phlox.” “Phlox here.” “He’s awake, Doc.” “I’ll be right there.” “Can I have a tray sent up for him?” “Not yet. Just water for right now, Commander. I’m going to alert the Captain.” “Okay. He’s acting kinda dazed.” “That’s understandable. I’ll be there shortly.” Trip turned and stared. Malcolm was standing next to the bio-bed, the blanket that covered him on the floor. He didn’t show any embarrassment in the fact he was naked. He held Trip’s PADD and was rapidly going through the data on it. “You should probably get back in bed, Malcolm.” Malcolm didn’t obey. Trip took Malcolm’s arm and guided him back to bed. He pulled the PADD from Malcolm’s hand and sat it aside. Trip picked the blanket up, wrapping it around Malcolm. “Want a glass of water?” Trip asked Malcolm. Malcolm looked up at him but didn’t reply. “Are you feeling okay, Malcolm?” Malcolm didn’t reply. Trip pressed his lips together. He walked to a sink and retrieved a glass of water. Malcolm took the glass with jerky, hesitant movements. He stared into it, tilting the glass from side to side, as if he were seeing water for the first time. “It’s just water, Malcolm.” Malcolm looked up at Trip. Trip grabbed the glass and Malcolm’s hand and lifted the glass to Malcolm’s lips. Water ran into Malcolm’s mouth and down his chin. He spit it out, shoving the glass away. Trip, surprised by the strength behind the push, let the glass go. It flew across the room and shattered on the floor at Phlox’s feet. He stopped short, looking from the shattered glass to Malcolm. “Apparently he doesn’t want water,” Trip explained. “Apparently.” Phlox picked up a scanner and joined Trip. He lifted the device to scan Malcolm. With blinding speed, Malcolm ripped the scanner from Phlox’s hand. He tried to open it with his fingers. When he couldn’t, he hurled it across the room. Trip and Phlox ducked to avoid being hit by it. Trip stood, staring at the shattered scanner. Phlox stared at Malcolm. Malcolm got off the bio-bed again, the blanket sliding away from him. He began going through the cabinets of Sickbay. His movements were very jerky and stiff like he was re-learning how to walk. He tossed items aside and held back a few. He returned to the bio-bed, picked up the PADD and began taking it apart. Phlox retrieved another scanner and scanned Malcolm. “What’s wrong with him?” Trip asked. Phlox’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Commander. Every reading is normal.” Malcolm put the PADD back together and sat it aside. He stood stock still, not even blinking. Trip snaked his hand out and he picked up the PADD. He turned it on and his jaw dropped. “What is it?” “Want to know what’s being ordered on the resequencer in the Mess Hall or what the Captain’s currently working on in his ready room? It’s reading every system on Enterprise.” Trip looked at Malcolm. “This is not Malcolm, Doc.” “Let’s get him into the imaging chamber. The two moved to prepare Malcolm for the imaging chamber. |
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