SPACE: 1999

"The Inferons of Bintoss"

It streamed along unnoticed against the ceiling, making its way through the darkened corridors simulating night. He yawned heavily as he passed under it, oblivious to its presence; sleep being the only abiding factor on Victor Bergman's mind. It leapt from its hiding place, landing on the back of the professor's head. It lingered momentarily, then glided down across his back, settling silently in a spot on the floor. Victor abruptly stopped walking. He sensed someone--no, something, behind him. He turned around and looked, but there was nothing there, just an overly shiny floor. He shook his head at himself, and continued on, his footsteps echoing down the polished floor as he headed toward his quarters. He made a mental note to tell the maintenance crew to concentrate a little less on polishing shiny spots into the floor, and put that energy into cleaning the sticky chairs in the recreation room.

As Victor's footsteps grew softer with distance, it moved along the floor, turning when it found the hallway leading to senior staff quarters. Gliding effortlessly under the door of Helena Russell's quarters, it moved through her room, until it hovered over her forehead as she slept soundly in her bed. Her thoughts were interesting, and not unlike that of Professor Bergman's, albeit her physical experiences of the one in charge were quite different in nature. Still, all of these carbon-based life forms seemed to have one thing in common: primitive brain functions, and therefore no great consequence of loss in the flow of the universe. After a few moments, it flew through the wall, leaving Helena unaware that she had ever had a late-night visitor.

His breathing was heavier than the others, and for a moment it hovered above his sleeping figure, unsure of his state. Convinced that he was asleep, the soft white light landed weightlessly on his forehead and stayed there for some time, slowly growing in intensity of brightness. As the concentration of the beam grew, Commander John Koenig began to toss with discomfort in his sleep, small beads of perspiration breaking out over his forehead. After several minutes, discomfort turned into pain, and within moments, searing agony. Grabbing his head, Koenig screamed as he bolted upright from his sleep. The beam flew out through the ceiling quickly and quietly, leaving the commander bathed in sweat and panting from the distress, yet unknowing of the eminent danger facing Moonbase Alpha as it catapulted toward the next star system of planets.

Victor glanced up once again at the lone figure seated in the center of the elevated office. And he was yet again struck by the pallor of the face gripped with tension. Victor frowned; John didn't look right, and he was too quiet. Paul, Sandra Kano and Alan brushed past him, the latter touching his arm softly.

"Come on, Victor, weekly Command Conference.......if I have to go, you're not going to bag on it."

Bergman nodded, and looked up again at John, who more slowly than he should have, stood from his desk, and exited out the back door of his office. Victor's lips pulled tightly together; something was wrong. But his concerns would have to wait until after the weekly meeting. With his brows furrowed deeply, Bergman left the room and made his way to the conference room.

Helena sat on John's left, Paul on his right, with the others around the table. Victor sat quietly across from Koenig, observing him. The commander had a slight sheen of sweat across his brow, and his color had grown even more pasty than Victor thought possible. It seemed to Bergman that he was a man trying to mask pain. He glanced over at Helena, but could see from her posture that she was too caught up in the excitment of planet exploration to notice much else.

"The fourth planet in this system, might support carbon-based life forms, Commander, we won't know until we're within scanner range."

Victor noticed John flinch slightly, like a man fighting pain, then relax a moment later, as though released from it.

Sandra frowned at him, "Commander?"

Koenig acknowledged Sandra, "Yes, I heard you," then he looked to Kano, "You'll start computer on calculating the best living areas for an Operation Exodus landing--"

"--Operation Exodus? Aren't you rushing things a little, John?"

All eyes were glued to the commander.

He glared at Helena, "Were my instructions unclear, doctor?"

Helena was hurt by his cold tone, but kept her voice even, "Well, no, but normally we search for signs of life and do a complete planetary analysis before we--"

His voice belied the tension he was feeling, "--I didn't ask you what we normally do. I gave instructions regarding what I want done this time. Is it a problem?"

She frowned at him, the hurt rising in her eyes, "No, it's not a problem."

He stood, "Good, glad to hear it." He glared at everyone else at the table, "You all have things to do. Let's get busy."

Koenig shot quickly out of the room, the others following some distance behind. Victor thought about saying a word to Helena, but decided his first order of business was checking in on John, who was behaving more than just strangely. By the time he reached Command Center, the doors to John's office were closed. He took a deep breath, and quickly made his way around to the hallway where the back door was located. He pressed a button on his commlock, and the door slid open. Victor stepped inside, and stood against the door as it closed, trying to adjust to the darkness of the room. After a moment, his eyes fully dilated, he saw Koenig at his desk, his elbows leaning on it, his head in his hands. The only light in the room was coming from the small desk lamp. Bergman took in a large mouthful of calming air and quietly approached. The commander seemed oblivious to his presence.

He pitched his voice low and sweet, "John?"

Koenig started, but didn't look up, "Don't you knock?"

"Only on Tuesdays...." He paused for a moment, taking in the pain on Koenig's face. "John, you don't look so good."

"I'm all right, Victor."

Bergman stepped closer, "You looked like you were in pain during the meeting, and...." He paused, his timbre growing soft, "you were a bit short with Helena."

Koenig shook his head, his voice thick with guilt, "I shouldn't have reacted like that, I know; I didn't mean to...."

Victor put a comforting hand on Koenig's shoulder, and gently moving John's hands out of the way, softly slid his other hand around to feel the commander's forehead.

"You're too warm, John, too warm. It should be impossible, but, I think you're running a fever." Victor placed his fingers against the large artery in Koenig's neck and frowned as he felt the man's pulse race. He gently took John's wrist in his hand and examined the monitor strapped to it, "Hmmm.....your life signs read normal."

Koenig leaned his head forward again into his hands, grimacing in pain.

"A headache as well..."

It was a statement and not a question, but Koenig nodded, "Yeah, bad one."

Victor placed his hands on Koenig's shoulders and gently began to squeeze the taunt muscles underneath them. John groaned in pain.

"Yes, I'll bet that smarts. Just try and relax a little." Victor continued to knead the commander's muscles with his hands, applying more pressure as he could feel the muscles beginning to give way slightly, "When did this start?"

Koenig's voice sounded calmer, "Last night. I woke up in the middle of the night, it felt like I had daggers stuck in my head. Couldn't go back to sleep."

"Why didn't you call for Helena or me?"

"I thought it would pass, Victor....and it did get a little better during the Command Conference, but now...." His voice died out as the pain intensified.

Bergman stopped the massage and rubbed a soothing hand across Koenig's back, "All right, my boy, the discussion's over." The professor pressed a button on the commander's desk panel, "Helena, could you please come to the commander's office?"

Even through the communications system, Russell could see the worry in Victor's eyes.

"Is everything all right, Victor?"

"More or less.... a little less with some of us."

Helena nodded, "I'll be right there."

John reclined back in his chair, and Victor leaned against the edge of the commander's desk, his arms crossed in front of his chest, hovering within an easy reach.

Koenig looked up at his mentor, rallying his case once more, "Victor, I'm sure it's nothing... just overtired, that's all."

"Uh-huh."

"I didn't want to worry her...."

"Mmmm...."

After a moment, he smiled slightly at the older man, "You're not buying this, are you?"

Victor grinned at him, "Not a word, and if I were you, I wouldn't use that excuse with Helena.... not if you expect to still be in one piece after she's through with you."

John winced in pain, and put a hand to his head, "I'm not sure I still want to be in one piece; it hurts too damned much."

Concern tightening his brow, Victor rested a caring hand on Koenig's arm, "Just hang in there, John, Helena should be here any minute now."

The commander let out a tight sigh of air and nodded just as Helena entered through the back door. Her eyes squinted in the dim light, and she pressed a button on the wall panel to bring up the illumination.

"Why is it so dark in here?"

Koenig flinched in reaction to the brightness in the room, and Victor looked over at the doctor.

"Helena, turn them back down a bit, eh?"

Frowning, Dr. Russell did as she was asked, and walked over to the two men, kneeling next to Koenig's chair.

"John?"

He forced himself to smile at her, "Don't look so worried, I'm sure it's nothing. Just a little headache...." He indicated Victor with a nod of his head, "The overprotective among us asserted his will."

She smiled at him and stroked his face, "Victor was right, now let me have a look."

Russell pulled a small device from her medical pack and scanned Koenig.

"Everything reads normally." She looked at the monitor on his wrist, "Your monitor shows no abnormalities either...." Helena looked at Victor for an explanation.

"Don't look at me, look at him... he's pale, obviously in pain. Forget the instruments, Helena, feel his head, take his pulse with your hand...."

Dr. Russell put a hand across John's forehead, and then placed her fingers against the carotid artery in his neck.

"You do feel feverish, John, and your pulse is racing." She pulled a hypodermic from her medical pack, rolled up his sleeve, and placed it against his arm, "In Alpha's environment, you shouldn't be able to contract any viral or bacterial disease, but I'm going to take a blood sample, just to be sure." She looked into his bright blue eyes, which were dulled with discomfort, "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"Just the headache...."

Frowning, she reached into her medical pack and extracted another hypodermic, and filled it with medication. She held it gently to Koenig's neck, and pressed a button, the end lit up as it expelled its contents.

"That should help." He looked at her, the ache in his eyes fading slightly, she brushed a hand across his cheek, "Don't worry, it was just a muscle relaxant and something to dull the pain."

He reached for her hand, holding it in his, his voice soft with fatigue, "I'm sorry about before."

She smiled at him, squeezing the hand holding hers, "And I'm sorry I didn't realize something was wrong." After a moment, she looked at Victor, "Help me get him to his quarters, he should rest for awhile."

Bergman's voice was gentle, "Come on, John, off we go...."

Victor lifted Koenig out of the chair, and with Helena on one side and Bergman on the other, they escorted the commander to his quarters.