„Do you need some help?", Tuvok asked obviously glad to meet somebody. "What happened to him?", he asked as he throw Chakotay over one shoulder. Janeway was impressed. "W-what are you doing here?", she asked as they walked down the hallway. "I woke up because the ventilation system stopped. I went out of my quarters and found everything dark. I thought immediately of a technical breakdown. I didn't meet anybody since I started searching." "How long are you searching by now?", Kathryn asked. "One point three hours.", was the response. "We should bring him to sickbay." Tuvok pointed at his back, where Chakotay was swinging from one side to another.
They were standing in front of the closed doors of a turbolift. "It was still working when I used it to go to the bridge.", Janeway remarked. "Looks like we have to use the Jeffries tubes." "We need a rope.", Tuvok said.
OOO
It was hard work to rappel a still unconscious man through a vertical tube. First Tuvok climbed to the level they needed to go, then Janeway throw a big cable to him, which was hanging over a rung. One end of the cable was slung around Chakotay's hips. They had done this thing the third time, when Tuvok asked for a little rest. He sat down and cleaned his bloody hands on his tunic. "We should leave him here.", Kathryn said, not very happy about it. "That would be unwise." "Why?" "It is a logical conclusion that, since I walked over five decks while not meeting anyone, many of the other crewmembers are unconscious like the commander. The Doctor could find the reason when he has somebody to study. We may not find another unconscious crewmember on the way to sickbay." "You're probably right.", the captain replied.
They were more or less shocked when they opened a door in a horizontal tube. Noemi Wildman was trembling and looking very terrified as she pressed herself to the wall. "Hey Noemi, why are you here?", Kathryn asked and hugged her softly. Noemi began to cry as she saw the commander lying between Kathryn and Tuvok. "He's like my mom.", she said and pointed at him. "He will be alright, like your mother will.", Kathryn told her in a soothing way. "Come with us, we are heading to sickbay", Tuvok chimed in. They proceeded to crawl through that tunnel; Noemi was still crying a little bit when the three of them reached the end. The captain opened the door which conducted to the hallway. Red gas streamed in. She closed the door again with a scream. "That's why I went into this tube.", Noemi remarked. "We will take the door which leads directly to sickbay."
After about ten minutes they opened a second door. The sickbay was running on emergency energy. The Doctor turned to them when they left the tube. "Why aren't you using the big door?", he asked. "Toxic gas.", the captain replied. "Please have a look at him.", she added.
The Doctor had found the reason for the problem in record time. After examining Chakotay, he came up with an idea. "Maybe it's the vaccination.", he said and began to scan the air with his tricorder. "As I thought.", he told them when he was finished. "What is it?", Tuvok asked. "Well, I think it was an error to inject the crew with the vaccine I got from Starfleet." "It was your duty.", Tuvok stated. "Moment, I was neither informed nor vaccinated!", the captain declared. "I have informed you, but I think you haven't read my report." "You mean it was unfortunately changed with something else?" She smiled, Tuvok and Noemi were looking confused. "For the same reason I didn't vaccinate you." Tuvok showed a very unvulcan expression of perplexity, but he didn't say something. "And what does the vaccine have to do with the air?", the captain asked the Doctor. "I'll show you.", he replied.
