Chapter 10
Chuck had narrowed the field to three most likely suspects. He was conferring with Young on the Bridge.
"The detonators are radio-powered, sir. He doesn't have to be anywhere near it to set off another explosion. But I've isolated the duties of various crew members. Other than Mr. Scott and myself, there are only three whose duties in the last week have enabled them to be alone in engineering."
"Good work, Chuck. How can we nail it down to just one?"
Before Chuck could respond, the ship gave a lurch as another internal explosion detonated.
"Report!" Young barked to the Bridge in general.
"Helm's responding, sir. Engines seem to be fine," Sulu reported.
"Damage report coming in, sir." Uhura paused to listen.
In the silence, everyone heard the air circulation fans cut out.
"It's life support, sir. Two injured, one dead. And Captain, the life support computer system is a shambles."
"Call a medic team, Uhura."
"Yes, sir."
"Bridge to Engineering. Mr. Scott!"
"Aye, sir."
"We've just lost the life support system computer. How long can we survive without it, and how long will it take to fix it?"
"Much too long, sir. The manual says eight minutes. I might be able to reroute it through auxiliary control, but even that can't be done in eight minutes."
"How long, Scotty?"
"Twenty minutes maybe, assuming there's no sabotage in Auxiliary Control."
"Get on it then. We're going to prove the manual's wrong."
"Aye, aye, sir. Scott out."
Young touched the all-call switch.
"All hands, this is the Captain. Everyone, stop whatever you're doing, right now, and sit down, on the floor if necessary. For the next twenty minutes, I want you to use as little air as possible. Don't talk, don't eat, don't move around. If you're closer than six feet to someone else, spread out, but do it slowly. We've lost our life support computer, and it's going to take approximately twenty minutes to rig an alternative. Captain out."
"Uhura, check with all essential posts. If it doesn't take any more air, I'd like to keep moving."
"Yes, sir. One moment."
"Captain," Chuck interposed.
"What is it, Chuck?"
"It occurs to me that our saboteur might take this opportunity to escape."
"Quite possibly." He punched the intercom. "Bridge to Security."
"Yes, sir," came the response.
"Take a team and secure the hangar deck. The saboteur may try to escape."
"Right away, sir."
"Captain, request permission to assist," Chuck asked.
"Go ahead, Chuck. You too, Chekov."
They departed, leaving six still on the Bridge. Young had three of them lie down, leaving only Sulu, Uhura, and himself at their posts. Quiet descended as they each tried to breathe as little as possible.
"Sir," Uhura spoke quietly. "All posts have reported. They've put all systems on automatic, except weapons. One crewman there is standing by in case of attack."
"God preserve us from that additional problem!"
"Captain," put in Sulu, "I've put the helm and navigation on automatic too, so even if I pass out, we're still functional."
"Sir?" It was Martin on the upper right deck, speaking from the floor.
"Yes, Lieutenant?" Young acknowledged.
"The human brain can be revived after several minutes without oxygen. But if Mr. Scott loses consciousness before finishing his work..."
"What are you suggesting?"
"Seal off Auxiliary Control, and pump extra oxygen in there."
"Lieutenant Burns, can that be done?"
"Aye, sir, but Mr. Scott may not be in Aux Control yet. The first part of his work would be in Life Support."
"Bridge to Mr. Scott."
"Aye, sir?"
"Scotty, where are you?"
"Corridor 10B, deck 9. I can't give you any better estimate til I see what's in Aux Control."
"Which will be when?"
"Give me another five minutes."
"Thanks Scotty. And be careful. The saboteur could be anywhere."
"Aye, sir. Scott out."
"Bridge to Security."
"Yes, sir."
"Take another team and secure Auxiliary Control. Mr. Scott is the only one to be allowed in."
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."
"One other thing."
"Yes, sir?"
"What report do you have from the Hangar Deck?"
"Nothing as yet, sir."
"Check on it then. I sent Byrd and Chekov to assist, and I haven't heard anything either."
"Yes, sir."
"Captain," Uhura interrupted, "Chuck is calling in now."
"Put him through."
"Captain, Byrd here. Hangar Deck is secured. And we found the saboteur, sir. He was hiding in one of the shuttles."
"Good work, Chuck. What condition is the prisoner in? Any injuries or damage?"
"We're fine. Prisoner's out cold from a double stun charge. He tried to fire up the shuttle, but the failsafe override wouldn't let him. Damage is minor. I've been thinking though, Captain. This Hangar Deck's got a lot more air in it than the nine of us need."
"Understood. I'll get back to you on that in a few minutes. Meanwhile, stay put."
"Yes, sir. Byrd out."
"Bridge to Tanzer."
"Yes, Captain."
"How are things on the Rec Deck?"
"Considering, not bad. It's not every day we get an eight-minute warning."
"I didn't say-"
"You didn't have to, sir. It's common knowledge."
"No panic then?"
"No, sir. It's a good crew you've got."
"I know. What's the head count on the Rec Deck?"
"Rough estimate, I'd say about 150."
"Send 75 of them to the Hangar Deck, slowly."
"Thank you, sir. That will help a lot."
"You're welcome. We're not dead yet. Young out."
"Uhura, inform Mr. Byrd of the expected arrivals. Mr. Burns, what sources of oxygen does this ship have?"
"Each deck has two emergency supply closets. But the amount of oxygen in those tanks is insufficient, sir. They're not designed to serve the entire ship, only to allow personnel to evacuate a damaged area."
"What else?"
"There's the e-suit tanks. They've got a bit more, but even a two-hour supply for one person doesn't go very far in a room full of people."
"Lieutenant Martin, opinions?"
"Well, sir, personnel in the engineering hull should be fine, if we seal it off from the primary hull. Two reasons: the ratio of cubic inches of air per person is much lower, and they have the oxygen generator. They can bypass the controls and rig a fan for local use."
"Should we move all personnel to the secondary hull then?"
"No, sir. What works for a hundred would not work for four hundred."
"Very well. Uhura, call engineering. Presumably Scotty's thought of all this, but let's be sure. Burns and Martin, put your heads together - not literally - and come up with a recommendation for maximizing the oxygen we have."
"Sir, I have Mr. Scott."
"Cap'n, some of the news is good. There's no direct sabotage in Auxiliary Control - it's almost as if he didn't know this place was here; very odd, that."
"But..."
Scott sighed. "The bad news is I underestimated the time. The damage in Life Support was more extensive than I thought. I know it's been ten minutes already, but it's going to be at least fifteen more, maybe twenty."
"Are you alone? Would help make any difference in the time?"
"Unless the help's name was Spock, I doubt it."
"You'll have the next best thing in under five. Young out."
"Sulu, you have the conn. When Martin and Burns come up with a plan, get Byrd and Chekov to implement it. They're already down there. I'll be in Auxiliary Control."
"Yes, sir." Sulu stood up as Young exited the Bridge. The air was already becoming foul.
"Everybody move to a new location. Find some fresher air in here."
Uhura moved to Chekov's chair. Sulu stood in front of the main screen. Burns and Martin stood up and moved over a few feet. Rish opened the door to the head.
"All right, Martin, what have you got?"
"I still think we should seal off the secondary hull. Then at least some of us would be alive."
"Would you like to be trapped in the engineering hull of a ship hurtling through enemy territory at Warp 8, with no one at the helm?"
"Well, maybe not."
"Uhura, any word from engineering on rigging a fan for the oxygen generator?"
"They're working on it. There are problems. I didn't press for details."
"All right. Back to you, Martin. What about the O2 tanks?"
"Decks 2-5 and 25-30 each have four tanks. Decks 6-24 each have eight tanks. Here on the Bridge we have two tanks. Aux Control also has two tanks. Each of these tanks has ten minutes of air for one person. That's 150 tanks for 300 people. Then there's the e-suits. Ten airlocks each with five suits is 50 tanks, each of which holds two hours of air. The problem will be sharing amongst three people, rather than running out. Oh, and Sickbay has its own supply."
"Bridge to Sickbay."
"McCoy here. You in charge up there, Sulu?"
"Yes, Doctor. Captain Young is helping Scotty. How's your air supply?"
"We're okay, but we're sealed off. So no one can come or go."
"What's your head count?"
"Staff and patients total 17 right now."
"Thanks, Doctor. Sulu out."
"Bridge to Cmdr Byrd."
"Byrd here, still on the Hangar Deck."
"How's your air supply?"
"Running a bit low. Not quite desperate yet."
"Send details to fetch the e-suit tanks from airlocks six through ten. The Rec Deck is getting the other half."
"Yes, sir. Byrd out."
Sulu called Tanzer, then hit the all-call.
"Attention, all hands. As your air supply runs low, slowly make your way to the emergency supply closets located next to the lift on each deck. After obtaining a ten-minute air tank, report to either the Rec Deck or Hangar Deck, whichever is closer. You are reminded to move slowly; use only as much air as necessary. Bridge out."
Sulu turned to Uhura. "Make sure the guy in weapons has two tanks of air." He turned to the others. "You three get below. Uhura and I will hold the Bridge."
"Sir, shall I bring you more O2 tanks?"
"No, Burns, we'll manage with the two we've got."
When the others had left, Sulu fetched the two tanks and brought them to Uhura.
"These are for you. Put one on now. If I pass out, you can give me a breath or two every now and then."
"Sulu! I'm more expendable at the moment than you! This is no time for chivalry."
"Then neither of us opens the O2 for the next five minutes, unless the other has already passed out."
xxxx
Chuck sent Chekov and four security guards to fetch the O2 tanks. While they were gone, he divided the personnel into groups of four. Before this was over, he might have to put five on one tank, but he would start with four. Also, he filled the shuttles with twelve people each, picked more or less at random. He did include the prisoner and two guards. When this was all over, he wanted to make sure that prisoner was alive to answer questions.
xxxx
"Sulu!" Uhura was calling him. "Wake up! Come on; don't die on me, Sulu!"
"Wha- What happened?" He sat up, realizing as he did so that an air hose was attached to his nose.
"You passed out before I did, so I opened the tanks."
"How long has it been?"
"You lasted six minutes. Now we have ten minutes of air. At the end of that time, it will have been twenty-nine minutes since we lost life support."
"Any word from Scotty?"
"No, and I haven't wanted to delay them by asking."
"Can we make this air last longer by sharing one tank and then the other?"
"Worth a try."
xxxx
By the time Chuck had distributed twenty-five air tanks amongst the personnel on the Hangar Deck, other personnel were arriving. He and Chekov directed traffic for another five minutes, occasionally taking a breath of air from one of the tanks, just to keep them on their feet. As the influx trickled to a halt, Chuck gazed over the heads of the crowd at Chekov, the only other one standing. All the tanks were being shared by five people. There was no air supply for Chuck or Chekov. They spent the next fifteen minutes making the rounds, taking one breath from each tank. By now the supply in the tanks was getting low.
Chekov called out, "I've an idea."
"Need help?" Chuck coughed out.
"Nope."
Chekov took one last breath and dashed out the door. Two minutes later the decompression alarms went off. Chuck heard the air being pumped out. A minute later, the alarms stopped. Air was drawn back in. But this air coming through the floor vents was fresh. Chuck breathed deeply and smiled. Looking up at the observation port, he gave Chekov a thumbs up. Two minutes later, Chekov repeated the maneuver. Then Chuck motioned for him to return. There was enough air for several minutes now.
When Chekov reappeared, Chuck asked how he'd accomplished the feat.
Chekov grinned. "I told the computer the Hangar Deck was being taken over by a hostile force."
"Computers will believe anything," and Chuck laughed. "Can you do it again if we have to?"
"Probably, but the air is recycled. Too many times, and I'm just recycling foul air."
"How many more times, do you think?"
"Spock would know, but I'd guess two or three more."
Chuck had everybody turn off the air tanks until the air was again too foul to breathe. Two minutes later, the air circulation fans kicked in.
"All hands, this is the Captain. We have restored air circulation. However, it will take several minutes for the foul air to be flushed out. Please remain where you are, if you have sufficient air to do so. Thank you all for your patience."
xxxx
Konti returned to the meeting room after a meal. He felt guilty eating, but appearances must be maintained. He brought Koh some food and stood gazing at Spock and Kirk. Spock still looked completely unaffected by his circumstances. Kirk, on the other hand, continued to display the agony he was experiencing. Face contorted, body shaking and twitching, breathing ragged, fists alternately clenched or clawing the floor, feet kicking and pounding the floor, Kirk still did not scream.
"Koh, why isn't he screaming?"
"I have no data on mentally perceived pain. Even the double drug did not make him scream. But sir, for him, screaming is no indication of willingness to talk."
"Koh, there's got to be a limit! Even for him!"
"Konti, you remember what this feels like? Multiply it by a factor of four, and you'll approximate what he's feeling right now. Look at him! You tell me; is there a limit?"
"There has to be! When is it time for the next dose of that drug?"
"Now, but Konti, I can't guarantee it won't kill him."
"Will it kill Spock?"
"No."
"Have it ready then, but wait for my command."
Konti went to find the Romulan who could do a Vulcan mind-meld.
*Jim, they are about to double the intensity.*
*Hard to conceive of, but thanks for the warning.*
*Koh thinks it may kill you.*
*If you feel me slipping away, you can help me fight it, but not at the expense of the data shield. Protect the data even if we both go down with the ship.*
*Understood.*
Kirk heard footsteps approach.
"Kirk, can you hear me?"
Hearing a tone of concern, Kirk was alarmed and opened his eyes fractionally. Konti was leaning over him, his face within arm's reach. Kirk slapped Konti's face, hard.
*Jim, was that wise?*
*Can't be helped. Konti was losing it.*
Konti bellowed with rage, and reached for Kirk's throat. He stopped himself short, stood and stepped back. Taking a deep breath to get himself under control, he spoke quietly, his voice dripping with contempt.
"Very clever, Kirk. But it won't work. You will not provoke me into killing you. You cannot protect those secrets that way."
*Nice theory, but if that were my intent, I'd be on my feet attacking him right now. Does he think I can't?*
*Possibly.*
The Romulan was speaking. "I can't do what you ask if he is not restrained."
*Uh-oh. Spock, get ready.*
*I had no such warning the first time. Do not worry. He cannot penetrate my shield. He has not the skill.*
Konti called to Koh. "Bring restraints. Immobilize him."
"Yes, sir, but I remind you, he feels more pain without restraints."
*What nonsense is this?*
*Koh is providing Konti with an excuse.*
*But what for?*
*He desires your assistance when violence breaks out.*
*Of course. I must be tired.*
*More distracted than fatigued.*
In any event, Konti opted for the restraints. So they put Kirk on a table and strapped him down. Kirk was grateful the straps controlled some of the reaction. He tried to relax, knowing it was useless.
"Kirk, this is your last chance." Konti's voice no longer carried a tone of concern. "Talk now, or you're going to be sorry. If you think you're in agony now, just wait til we double it, and then double that. Shortly before you die in screaming agony, you will spill all those secrets. Trust me, you will have no choice. You'll do it without even knowing you did it. You can save yourself from that fate by talking now. You will even be allowed to live. As soon as you start talking, I'll turn off the pain. No more pain, Kirk, if you talk."
"No," was Kirk's answer.
Without another word, Konti gestured at the Romulan, who placed his fingers on Kirk's face.
*Hi, I'm Jim. And you are...*
*Rishon. I will take what I want from your mind.*
*No, you won't. Spock won't let you. If you intend to stay, you're in for a wild ride. Feel free to leave any time. We won't object.*
*Spock will let go of your mind when the pain becomes too severe.*
*If you think that, you don't know Spock.*
Koh applied the drug to Spock.
*Jim-*
*Hang on, Spock. I'm not leaving without a fight.*