CHAPTER TWO
Captain Kirk turned at the sound of Chekov's voice. He
spotted Chekov waving at him from behind a large boulder. Motioning to the
others to join him, Kirk jogged over. "What is it, Ensign?"
Chekov pointed toward some gray material that had collected
in a deep depression in the rock. It reminded Kirk of wet cement, except
ripples marred its surface.
"I was scanning the area and I discovered this
stuff." Chekov explained. "It is the only thing here that is not a
rock. I don't know what it is. The tricorder does not recognize it or what it
is made of."
Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Lt. Gomez all stared down at Chekov's
mysterious gray liquid. Both Spock and McCoy started to scan the stuff.
"Well, what is it, Spock?" Kirk asked his Vulcan
Science Officer.
"I do not know, Captain. But I will take a sample to be
tested in the ship's science lab, with your permission, of course." Spock
replied as he pulled a large glass tube from his black bag that hung from a
strap over his shoulder. Bending down, Spock carefully stuck the tube into the
gray material. Everyone watched at the thick gray goo oozed into the test tube.
After it was filled, Spock depressed a button and the lid snapped close. He
secured the sample in his bag and gathered a few rocks to take to the ship as well.
Dr. McCoy stared at the gray stuff, a frown on his face.
"Spock, you don't think this here gray pudding has anything to do with
what happened here, do you?"
"Without sufficient information, I cannot answer your
question with one hundred percent accuracy." Spock told the doctor.
"But by observing this gray puddle I can see it does not have the means to
cover the infected area. It does not walk, run or fly. Perhaps it is the
byproducts of what has occurred here and will give us a clue to solving the mystery.
I intend to examine it on the first opportunity."
"Well, if your sure the stuff is harmless." McCoy
shrugged and walked off to examine a pile of rocks.
"It's getting late." Kirk said as he called the
landing party back together. "Let's beam back to the ship. We can continue
this investigation tomorrow morning. I also want to see what the other landing
parties have to report." He flipped the communicator open and they beamed
back to the Enterprise.
Kirk materialized on the transporter pad and immediately
stepped down. He walked over to Kyle. "Are all of the teams in for the
night?"
"Aye, Sir. I just beamed the last two aboard ten
minutes ago." Kyle answered.
"Good. I'm going up to the bridge. Are you coming,
Spock?" Kirk asked as he stepped out into the hallway and headed for the
nearest turbo lift.
"In a moment, Captain. I wish to drop these samples off
into the Science Lab first. Then I will join you on the bridge." Spock
headed the opposite way down the hall.
"I think I'm going to turn in for the night, Jim."
Dr. McCoy told Kirk as he yawned loudly. "I think all the fresh air made
me tired. The duty nurses can handle anything that may crop up during the
night."
Kirk arrived on the bridge and called up the reports of the
other landing parties. He frowned as he read the reports. Three teams spoke of
missing vegetation and one reported missing equipment, seismograph equipment,
to be exact. He snapped the report off and leaned back in his chair. A sharp
pain had started to throb steadily right behind his eyes. He closed his eyes
and ran his hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes. He opened his eyes and
glanced at the main viewer. A beautiful planet hung in space before him. It
looked like any other Class M world, streaked with white, red, green and blue.
How can this beautiful world be the cause of my headache?
What had started out as a simple mission was now a full-blown problem. Where
did the trees go? Who or what took the equipment? Was there an undiscovered
intelligent life on the planet? Were they angry at the Enterprise being here?
Could it be a deadly virus or bacteria, one that ate organic material? Will the
answer be in that cement stuff Chekov discovered? What will go wrong next?
Sighing, Kirk rose from his chair and headed towards the
turbo lift. As he reached the doors, they opened and Mr. Spock stepped onto the
bridge. "I'm going to stop by Sickbay and get something for this headache.
Then I'm going to my quarters for the night."
Spock's eyebrow rose. "More problems?"
"Three teams reported missing vegetation, one had
missing equipment." Kirk informed his First Officer.
"Stolen?" Asked Spock.
"Missing, stolen, it's just gone. Did you find out what
that gray stuff was?" Kirk asked as he stepped into the waiting lift.
"It appears to be a new type of macerated mucilaginous
gelatinous protoplasm."
"In other words, it's slime." Kirk said.
"I do believe I just said that." Spock replied,
his hands behind his back. "Good night, Captain."
Night on the Enterprise. The lights were dimmed in the
corridors and the ship was silent as most of her crew slept in their cabins.
The science lab was also deserted. Microscopes sat on their tables, waiting for
morning. Even the computers were asleep. A thick stack of notes rested next to
a towering pile of computer disks. Several of the disks had fallen onto the
floor. Glass fronted bookcases held more science equipment. In the far corner
of the lab sat a rack of test tubes. The lab was silent.
The quite was broken by a loud rattling, the sound of
clinking glass. The test tubes shook violently but no one was there to see. A
loud bang filled the air as one of the test tubes exploded. Glass shards flew
in every direction as they tinkled onto the floor. A mass of gray slime spread
itself out over the rack of test tubes. Parts of it extended and stretched
downward towards the table. A loud sizzling filled the air as the test tube
rack was dissolved. Smoke filled the air and if someone had opened the door at
that moment they would have smelled a great stink. The gray mass slumped in the
middle and collapsed onto the table. It stretched out over the table's surface.
One part of it formed a psuedopod that stuck up into the air. The psuedopod
quivered and undigested glass test tubes were spitted out onto the floor where
they shattered into a million pieces. The table dissolved under the creature
and it sunk to the floor. Slowly it heaved itself towards the door, leaving a
trail of destruction behind it.
