From: Jamie LeBlanc (plainsimplegarak_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Fri Jul 11 2008 - 00:55:10 PDT
“A Bribery of Bliss” (Continued from “It’s All Happening Now”)
~*~*~*~*~
Location: USS STONEHENGE
Stardate: 2.80711.0300
Scene: Cargobay
~*~*~*~*~
Rharn shook her head slowly as she stared at Peter. “Let me guess. With every re-enforcement they add to their mind and grow stronger?”
The executive officer swallowed dryly and gave a small nod. “In some ways they are similar to the Borg – a think they exist as a hive mind. The many who are one is similar to the collective, though I don’t want to draw too many comparisons. The brief contact I had with the Borg was startling different than this.” For a second he turned hollow eyes over towards Aerdan and leaned back against his husband’s strong frame. The Borg incident on ANDALUSIA was something he would much rather never call to mind. “Still, as their numbers grow, the strength of their telepathy grows.”
“So let us, for a second, continue on with your comparison. We know that Izhlana was affected by these creatures, not unlike assimilation.” The captain reasoned, pacing back and forth slightly. “And yet they are also able to reach out and connect telepathically to those able to sense it.”
“It isn’t a cold, mechanical sensation I get from the hive-mind.” Peter countered. “There are many sensations – animalistic, intellectual, emotional.” He bit his bottom lip. “So far I have been fighting it, but I have this nagging sensation that it wants something … it wants me - and everyone else it is telepathically connected to – to join them, willingly.”
“If this lifeform wanted you to willingly join it, why cause you so much pain?” Matthew replied, a slight hint of anger in his tone towards the creatures.
Peter shook his head slowly. “I don’t want to test this theory… but I believe that the pain I felt from the connection was caused because I resisted a complete link.” He stared at Rharn for a few seconds before turning to Matthew, his eyes wide. “I have a strong suspicion that if I gave up and willingly tried to join them the sensation might be painless… even highly pleasurable.”
“Is that possible?” T’nnent murmured, looking down towards the Andorian medic.
Aerdan considered it for a few seconds and then nodded. “We know it mutates by affecting neurochemistry. It is quite possible that the telepathy is sophisticated enough to also trigger an endorphine release…” his voice trailed off.
There was a long pause, the silence finally broken by Cadet Karn’s voice. “What is it, Doc?”
Aerdan focused his pale eyes on Peter. “Do you remember those corpses we found?”
The engineer gave a slow nod. “I was trying very hard not to.”
“Their expressions. We had focused on the gore, but not their expressions. We just assumed it had been pain.” The CMO closed his eyes and forced himself to re-envision the scene. “Not pain. Pleasure. Even as they were being torn asunder, this thing could affect neurochemistry enough to make it seem a happy whirl.”
“So they crew isn’t in pain?” Ronnie asked.
Aerdan shook his head. “I doubt it. Their neurochemistry is probably so hyped up they are having trouble even sensing this world properly. That is probably a good thing – the mutations they are going through would normally overwhelm a humanoid’s nervous system.”
“Alright, two more questions, for you, Doctor Aerdan,” Rharn started. “One – can we turn them back? And two – how did Izshlana get infected?”
Aerdan dipped his antennae down to the top of his shaggy hair. “Technically, yes. Setting the neurochemistry back to its standard should help cleanse the body of the mutations. However, I think in reality it will depend on how far a particular crewmember has mutated. Even with our medical technology, we don’t have the ability to control neurochemistry to the level these creatures can naturally. Past a certain stage of mutation the strain of the return mutation will almost certainly kill a humanoid. Back in sickbay I can go over these readings again, but at first glance, I don’t think a fully mutated crewmember can survive the return trip, physically or mentally. As for the second question… I don’t know, Captain.”
“I might be able to help with that.” Ronnie murmured, hovering over one of the engineering access panels. “I’m picking up an unusual energy drain near the C-18 jefferies tube. It is very similar to the readings we found in the derelict ship when Izshlana found the webs.” The Vulcan hybrid looked up. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we found a similar structure there.”
“How far away is it?” Rharn asked, looking down at the crewmember on the floor, before going back to her team.
“About 100 meters, three hallways.” Ronnie replied, showing the specs to Peter.
The XO closed his eyes momentarily and then opened them again. “They are quiet, Captain… they are waiting in anticipation.”
The Nocturian gave a nod to mark her decision. “Then we need to move, before the link to the reinforcements is complete.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Location: Energy field
Scene: Lost in Time…Lost in Space
She felt like she was floating in bubblebath. It was slightly sweet smelling and lofty, like millions of tiny pillows carrying her through the air. Funny, Izzie thought, her arm didn’t feel numb anymore. It was very comfortable, and yet the more she looked around the less she saw, as if the universe was playing tricks on her. Something about the whole thing made her want to giggle.
Giggle? Izzie hadn’t felt like laughing in quite some time, giggling even less. Llandwyn’s loss seemed to have sucked that away from her, and even Xordin’s presence hadn’t completely filled that gap. And yet now, for no reason, floating in the ether she rolled her head back and giggled in glee.
Something, some rational part in the back of her mind told her that things were not right. That under any usual circumstances being lost in an unknown field of energy, unable to sense the ship, or the ground, or any sort of setting at all should be terrifying. And yet she didn’t feel terrified. She felt calm. Unnaturally calm – giddy even.
Slowly she was aware of it. The voices… or more like the voice. It didn’t speak in words, or at least words she was aware of. It was a series of sensations, ones that still communicated intentions as clearly as any spoken language.
It was offering her peace. It was offering her bliss.
All it wanted in return was for her to relax, give in, and join them.
~*~*~*~
Scene: Sickbay
Arjan frowned at the message flashing across his screen from the away team. “That makes a bit more sense, but why just the males?”
“You are obviously missing a critical connection.” Suvek replied with a note of distaste. “You should re-examine your data.”
The Andorian tilted his antennae forward slightly. “Perhaps you can clue me in on where to look. We have been through this data three times.” Turning, he leaned back against his chair. “Besides, Vulcans are a telepathic species… have you been contacted by this alien?”
Suvek gave a slight nod of assent. “Vulcan mental discipline allows me to block its influence.”
“Are you sure?” there was concern in Arjan’s tone.
For a few seconds the two men faced off against one another.
Finally Suvek relented slightly. “For now I am sure.” The Vulcan flashed his dark gaze away from the irritating Andorian and back to the viewscreen. He wanted to remind the man that he, in fact, was in charge as the other doctor was a civilian. But he had to admit that neuroscience was not his primary discipline. So instead Suvek had fallen to hinting at the proper course of action rather than direct orders. “Perhaps these neurological readings the away team is picking up ca n be used to modify an internal scanner.”
“What would we be scanning for?” Arjan decided to just take the bait like a good boy. He was in no mood for an argument, especially with a Vulcan.
“Lieutenant Vort’s biosigns.”
“Can anyone on the medical staff co-ordinate that, or will we need to call in engineering?” The neurosurgeon asked.
Suvek considered that for a moment. “Having a transporter officer present would be a great boon, since we will still need to locate and rematerialize the Lieutenant.”
Arjan smiled a bit. “Good, then you can call for one.”
~*~
Time Index: some minutes later
As soon as the Andorian entered the main sickbay he had a shadow. Pausing slightly to gather readouts from Nurse Glebben, he tried to avoid the prince’s gaze as he went over to one of the biobeds with a tricorder.
“I already monitored that man not less that a minute ago.” Xordin said evenly, walking up. The expression on his face was quietly querying, he wanted to know if progress had been made.
“I’m not worried about a change in his readings… I need to doublecheck something.” The civilian doctor murmured. After a few seconds he snapped his tricorder shut. “As I thought.”
“What is?”
Arjan sighed slightly, and met the man’s worried expression with a reassuring gaze. “The away team linked the mutations to an over stimulation of the brain resulting in a drastic change in neurochemistry. Whatever this creature is, it is trying to telepathically link with these crewmen in order to unbalance and initiate the neural change.”
“Can you reverse the process?” the other civilian asked, pacing backwards slightly
The Andorian shook his head a little. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Well, aren’t you a neurosurgeon?” Xordin asked, hovering slightly.
“In fact I am a neurosurgeon.” Arjan confirmed, sticking his head back in the readouts.
Xordin paced nervously, his mind focused on Izshlana. “If you’re a neurosurgeon, shouldn’t you be familiar with neurochemicals?”
The elder Jos brother’s antennae twittered in faint irritation. “Oh, I do know a thing or three about neurochemicals. The problem is we’re working with neurochemicals that don’t even exist in this dimension.”
“How is that possible if they are originating in the brains of crew from this dimension?” Glebben asked, while administering a sedative to a restless patient.
“Were I to venture a guess, I would say that as the body mutates, the brain is capable of producing an expanded array of biochemistry.” Arjan bit his lip slightly, flicking through screens. “Unfortunately we don’t have much time for theory at this point. We need action.”
The little reverie in sickbay was broken by Suvek’s cold, logical voice. “I believe we have located a trace of Ensign Vort…”
Xordin snapped his head around so quickly it almost hurt. “Where is she?”
“It isn’t so much a matter of where, but in what state.” The Vulcan replied evenly.
“What state?” Glebben looked aghast.
Behind Suvek, a tall thin El Aurian engineer nodded. “She dematerialized but never rematerialized. Yet we located some remnant neural traces of her around the transporter platform.”
“And?” Xordin prompted
“It is logical to conclude that whatever energy is affecting the telepaths on the ship is capable of intercepting the energy of the transporter beam as well. Enisgn Vort has a very unique biology, and with this mutating form affecting her, it is quite possible she has adapted to being able to survive in a dematerialized form for extended periods of time.
Suvek finished.
“So she is in the embrace of this telepathic creature?” Xordin asked, his brows furrowing.
Suvek gave a thin nod. “Almost assuredly.”
“Can we get her back?”
The transporter engineer took in a small breath. “Technically she should be able to re materialize at any time. It may be more of a question of does she want to rematerialize?”
“How could she not want to?” Prince Cadrin’s voice was shocked and confused.
Arjan sucked breath in through his teeth. “I think I can answer that one. It looks like once a mind fully joins with the creature it is rewarded with a large and constant release of endorphins – making the joining highly pleasurable. She may not know it, but she is being cajoled to join by an overwhelming feeling of happiness.”
Xordin felt his shoulder sag. “So it comes down to whether or not she can look past that?”
The El Aurian nodded. “The transporters are set to receive her, should we have a chance to lock on. I have done all I can. The rest is up to her.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
NRPG: Real life is almost completely crazy, but I wanted to get a post out. Hope this makes sense.
Hit me if anything doesn’t jive.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Jamie LeBlanc
Lieutenant Commander Aerdan Jos
Chief Medical Officer
USS STONEHENGE
From HyperNews_at_youth.net
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