Chapter Thirty-Five

(Authors Note: I am so sorry guys, I've been writing and re-writing this chapter. I have at least 9 different versions. I had such a hard time figuring out how to come to this part, and serious writers block. I'm trying to get back on track.)

Green and black. Black and green. Dank and hot. Terrible. Dark. Oh god, so dark. The only light was the oppressive glow of the green that broke black panels and walls to form keys and interfaces. Buzzing and whirring and screaming. Steam and sweat and blood they didn't care splattered their floors.

Strong arms, steadfast backs, straight necks, seeing eyes, calculating minds, killing hands. Children and parents and lovers and workers and doctors and cooks and elderly. Marching, marching, marching. Burning flesh, singeing. Metal cracking, snapping, obliterating bones. Hair and flesh and eyes and blood and muscles, burning, twisting, killing without the death.

Chuckling, laughing, cackling without the breathlessness. No lungs, no heartbeat, no caring. Laughing, just laughing.

A lithe body standing, staring, laughing, watching, feasting in the pain. Strong arms, leading, unflinching, nonstopping. Fate sealing grip, forcing numb legs to take steps forward, closer. Closer to the monster.

Laughing, laughing, crying, screaming, pleading.

They don't care. Laughing, laughing. Stopping, turning. Cold, dead eyes looking out from pale flesh held together by tubes and cords and clamps. Artificial. Metallic teeth, ripping, killing, with the laughing, laughing, laughing.

"I've found youuuuuuu."

Drilling, drilling, drilling, bleeding, dying, fading, living, eternal, endless. Borg.

Setask woke up screaming. A startled Thiri slipped of a sofa onto the floor, grunting with impact as he smacked against the floor.

"Are you all right captain?!" Thiri asked as he pulled himself to his feet slowly.

"No, have you been here all night?"

"Of course. I couldn't leave you all alone like this."

"I've been left all alone in worse conditions." Setask raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care?"

"You're my captain. You're under a ton of stress. I want to help you, and I figured I'd stay the night and ambush you to take your duties in the morning."

"At least you're honest."

Thiri shrugged. "I have no reason not to be."

"Yeah." Sudden nausea swept over Setask, and she put a hand to her head, the other slapping down forcefully, overcompensating to hold her upright. She visibly swayed.

Thiri snapped even more awake with the seemingly impending crisis. "Help!" He yelped as he ran to his captain's side.

"Bathroom." She gasped, before covering her mouth with her hand and shuddering.

Thiri nodded and called for help again, before wrapping one of Setask's arms around his shoulders and hefting her to the bathroom. "I'll be back." He tapped her shoulder lightly before dashing into the hallway. "HELP GODDANMIT."

Four heads turned at his call, and looked at him, eyes wide. The fifth, a short woman with curly black hair and almond shaped eyes, jumped to action. "What's wrong sir? What room are you from, we just received emergency readings from…"

"My captain is really sick, she's in distress, and I think she's throwing up now." Thiri panted, fear making his heart race and his breath short. The woman turn and glowered at the four others, and they jumped to action. Thiri heard the faint squeak of the wheels for an emergency cart struggling to start operating.

"Doctor Miko. Who're you?" The woman asked as she bustled ahead of Thiri down the hallway.

"Commander Thiri th'Shire. U.S.S Prometheus."

Doctor Miko grunted. "That one. Trauma patient. The temp won't let anyone else on this case."

"She's not trauma…entirely."

Miko didn't seem to hear as the rounded the corner into the room, and in four long strides made it to the bathroom. Her voice rose from the small room. "Shit. Oher, Boldai, help me carry her back to bed. Egan, prepare an IV line, basic fluids. Amun, prep the scanner to Vulcan bio, complete workup."

The four snapped to work. A man with sandy blonde hair and a lanky form tore open several packages and pulled a pole closer to him. A woman with an intricate plait braid of black hair and tanner skin snapped a tricorder open and began pulling up windows, checking and unchecking options.

Two muscular males pulled Setask back into bed, Amun handed Miko the scanner, and Egan pulled Setask's arm out and stuck an IV in the most prominent vain. "Slowly administer 50 ccs of a light sedative to calm her, but don't completely sedate her." Egan nodded and bent to the task.

"No, I'm fine, you could send me into shock...Just—"

"What do you know about medicine? I'm the doctor here."

"I don't, but I know myself…"

"Everyone thinks they know themselves. Your heart is racing, we need to calm you down."

"I know my heart is racing, I'm a 42 year old Vulcan in peak physical condition!"

Miko sighed. "You've been neglecting yourself to the point of hysteria. Hormone level increased by at least 48%, body temperature below 90 degrees F, low oxygen content, and you're sweating out. Page Doctor Kyde."

"Page Avery, stop what you're doing… please." Setask groaned and bit her lip, her chest heaving.

"I think you guys should get Avery… Ryant. He's our doctor and…" Thiri suggested.

"Get him out of here!" Miko called, and Oher herded him out of the room. A tall woman with blonde curls and deep brown eyes paced in seconds after.

"Patient?" The woman's stern voice demanded.

"Setask, Vulcan, 41, throwing up blood, elevated hormones, decreased body heat, low oxygen level."

Oher stood at the doorway, blocking Thiri. "She's going into shock…" a young woman's voice, probably Amun, gasped.

"Step away." Kyde demanded.