Disc. Too lazy to think up an interesting disclaimer so Ill just say "Star Trek is not mine"

Ok, so maybe I didnt get this chapter out all that quickly. sheepish grin Im sorry.

WARNING!! In about a week, I will be leaving for Oregon, for about two months. I will not have any Internet access during that time, so I won't be able to post anything. HOWEVER, I will have plenty of time to write while Im there (60 hour drive....oh yeah, plenty of time) so when I get BACK I will have lots of new chapters and might even FINISH this story!! (GASP) Also, I have a new story that Im working on, courtesy of a Challenge from Schemer, so I will that to post too.

Anyhoo, on with the story!!!

Chapter Thirteen

For Spock, the next week passed by in a haze. His transformations came and went with alarming variety. While some lasted under ten minutes, on one occasion he had been in wolf form for over an hour. One day he hadn't had any transformations at all, but the next day he'd had three.

Whenever he could, Spock worked feverishly at the computer console that Scotty had installed for him, trying to find a pattern, a trigger, anything. But his efforts yielded no results. The fact that Myro's information banks were not yet open to starship access also hindered the task. However, the main problem that vexed McCoy was, as the physician explained to Kirk; "I can't get any of that damn wolf's blood. If I did, I could analyze the different factors at work. But, I cant risk knocking it out, and nobody can get near it with any reasonable safety! Without that, Im not getting any closer to finding a cure."

Spock's friends were present as much as possible, but for Kirk, his duties as Captain kept him tied up. At first, Dr. McCoy had tried to be there at every transformation, but as Spock had finally told him,

"Doctor, while your magnanimity is appreciated, fatigue will only oppose your efforts."

So, if McCoy couldn't be there, Nurse Chapel administered the necessary epinephrine. (Which they had managed to effectively mix with a anti-nausea drug.)

And it wasn't just the medical personnel who were kept busy.....

Sitting in the Mess Hall, Lt. Thatcher rubbed his eyes and looked down at his schedule. He'd practically been living in the brig for the past week. Indeed, he'd just finished almost three straight shifts. Not that he minded; Thatcher liked to work hard, and this was certainly one of the most interesting assignments he'd ever had. But, it was tiring. He had to be at constant attention so that, when needed, he could quickly activate the force field (it was only put up when Spock was in wolf-form) and call Sickbay. Throughout all this, Thatcher's respect for Mr. Spock grew daily. It amazed him how the Commander managed to keep a calm, logical outlook on the situation, despite the agony it caused him. But, Thatcher supposed, Vulcans probably never had nervous breakdowns.

Thatcher yawned so loudly that he didn't even notice Lt. Charlton until he had slipped into the adjacent seat.

"Hey Jerry," the young science officer said as he sat down, looking at his friend's bleary-eyed face. "You sure look like you're having a good time."

"I was until you showed up," Thatcher shot back with a grin. "But I'll bet there's nothing I can do to make you go away, huh?"

"Nope!" Charlton replied brightly.

"Too bad," Thatcher sighed with mock disappointment. Charlton gave a gleefully apologetic shrug and Thatcher went on.

"So Sean, what've you been up to lately?"

"Been up on the bridge, handling Mr. Spock's station. Is he still in Sickbay?" Thatcher gave a weak 'I-suppose-so' gesture. "Man, he's got that computer rigged to run data by so fast, I've spent half my time telling it to slow down. What about you?" To answer his own question, Charlton leaned over and glanced at the duty roster in front of Thatcher.

"Hmm. Looks like a barrel of fun," he observed. "Who're you guarding in there anyways?"

Thatcher squirmed uncomfortably. He hated to lie but....

"Well," he said, "Ummm..."

"Ah," Charlton interrupted. "I see. You could tell me but you'd have to kill me, right?"

"Right," Thatcher confirmed with a smile, glad to be off the hook.

"So," the blue-shirted officer said, searching for another topic, "How's the new roommate assignment going?"

"With Lt. Korval?" Thatcher shrugged. "All right I guess. He keeps to himself mostly."

Charlton leaned forward confidentially.

"I dunno...he's kinda odd," he informed Thatcher in a low voice. "You know, he was asking me about that day that I was on the bridge, when there was that disturbance by Mr. Spock's quarters. Seemed real interested."

Thatcher's redshirted instincts perked up. Possible security leak? Nah, probably just curiosity. He told this to Charlton who agreed. Then, finding that subject closed, the science officer switched yet again.

"Hey, you know that cute new officer, Ensign Bross?" Thatcher nodded and Charlton gave a roguish grin. "Well, word on the street is that she's been eying you."

As much as that information appealed to him, Thatcher was unable to stifle another yawn attack. Charlton's eyes widened.

"Okay, you've lost your interest in women." He spoke as though this was a sure sign of the Apocalypse. "Now I know you're tired. Go to bed. Go."

"Since when are you the resident expert on women?" Thatcher grumbled. "Last I checked, your girlfriend calls you 'Seanathon.'"

The Seanathon in question gave a good-natured shrug, with a 'whatever keeps the lady happy' expression.

Deciding to take his friend's advice, Thatcher pushed himself out of the chair. After mumbling a farewell to Charlton, he headed off.

"Hey Eli," Thatcher said as he entered into his quarters. His roommate, Lt. Eli Korval was, as usual, curled up in a chair with a large book propped up on his lap. He looked up and gave a brief nod of greeting before turning back to his book. Korval was one of the few people Thatcher knew that still kept real books, quite a few of them in fact. Wandering over to the bookshelf, Thatcher perused over a couple of titles. Demons, Past and Present; Vampires: a Study of the Undead; Ghosts, Phantoms and Wraiths; Werewolves: Drawing the Line Between Fact and Lore.....

That last book caught Thatcher's eye. Gently, he drew the dusty volume off the shelf. If he could get this to Mr. Spock....The First Officer had said that they weren't going to delve into any mythological aspects, but it would still be an interesting read.

"Eli?" Thatcher questioned, holding up the book. Korval looked up again. "Can I borrow this?"

Korval gave him a long, scrutinizing gaze. Thatcher had the uncomfortable feeling that his worthiness was being considered. Finally Korval spoke.

"All right. But be very careful with it."

Thatcher assured him that he would be careful. He started to flip through the pages, but the maddingly small print made him remember how tired he was. Oh well, he'd just have to bring the book to Mr. Spock in the morning.

As Thatcher went to sleep with the book placed securely on his bedside table, he was unaware of Korval's thoughtful, inquisitive gaze upon him.

TBC

Yes, yes I know, OC characters are not nearly as fun to read about as our dearly beloved regulars. Sorry, but I felt this needed to be added to...stimulate the plot. And, as previously mentioned, I won't be able to update for about 2 months, and I didnt want to leave y'all on an extremely suspenseful moment.

Did you know that the computer doesnt consider 'undead' to be a word? It kept trying to get me to change it to "Vampires: a Study of the Unread." Go figure.

Sooo...who's figured out who the sort-of bad guy is yet? Come on, it doesnt require that much thinking!

As for my friends Ashlee Bross and Sean (aka Seanathon) Charlton, I hope you're happy with you cameos. Im expecting gratefulness by the way!

Well, see y'all in about two months, when, hopefully, I will have a TON of stuff to post!!

mzsnaz:yes, I had a great time! And yes, Spock is quite adept at that. What can I say, he's got mad skill. (sorry, my own little phrases keep slipping into things)

MySchemingMind: McCoy might have been innocent when he was like.....5 maybe. wait, what am I thinking? He was prolly born mischievous!But thank you. I love writing for Spock and McCoy!

Eatingroastbeast: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And Im liking the name by the way

Neurotic Squirrel: Thanks, i really like that image too! Kinda makes you want to just go "Awwwww..."

Dranzer bit: I will! If I could just post faster, we'd be good! But thank you!

Aura Starfire: I think that wolves can do the eyebrow thing, I've seen my dog do it before and it cracks me up. In fact, I plan to use that later in the story!! And its not really inspired by Lupin, although he IS one of my favorite HP characters

Romulan Empress: Im trying to keep him out of the brig but its just so dang hard!! And I didnt see any toads while I was there, for which I am quite thankful.