I ran down to Sickbay, without a thought for the lizard claiming to be Jim. My only thought was for the captain's safety, and if Henoch was back then he was in big trouble.
The doors opened onto a blackened room, but a swiftly-moving fireball raged in the center of the room. I flicked on the lights and froze at the sight.
A massive alien beast, the same one that had accidentally beamed aboard earlier, was tearing viciously at something on the floor. That something was Jim, down on his back and trying desperately to keep Henoch's teeth and claws away from him. The floor was slippery with fresh blood, both the red of human blood and the small amount of orange blood that obviously belonged to Henoch's new host.
As I stood in the doorway, staring in disbelief, I was nearly run over by a running Vulcan. Spock pushed past me, ducking under thrashing wings and fiery tail to pinch down on the creature's neck. It snarled and turned on him instead, leaving Jim alone for the moment.
I rushed to his side, running a medical scanner over him and swearing under my breath. "Dammit..."
"I see...the captain was...successful," the unmistakable voice of Sargon said as he struggled to breathe. Yep, a definite switch of minds. Double damn.
"Can you switch back?" I asked as Jim's temporary form ran into the room at last. He glared up at me, but somehow the anger was lost on his reptilian face.
"You want me to?" Sargon asked. "He'll die."
"You stay in his body and YOU will die," I pointed out.
"I've done...that before," Sargon commented, coughing a little. "It was...temporary. Your captain...will be fine...in my reptilian host...until the proper time." He paused, as if listening to something else. "Go help Spock."
I had almost forgotten about Spock, and quickly stood and turned around. Spock was holding his own against Henoch, though a slight amount of green blood trickled from a cut above his eye. Only after I saw Henoch's titanium collar did I understand why the nerve pinch didn't work this time. Spock would have to take him out the old-fashioned way, unless I found some way to be helpful.
Jim abruptly yelled something to Spock, and the Vulcan exploded into action. His fist crashed into Henoch's jaw at the same time as a lightning fast blow to the forehead. Henoch reeled back, howling in pain and rage. Jim yelled more, and Spock grabbed hold on Henoch's right wing and twisted it, hard. The sound of cracking bone was fairly audible, and Henoch screamed.
Jim ran over to Spock, pointed at Henoch, and said something completely unintelligible. Henoch glowed bright blue, and then vanished. Spock stared at where his opponent had been, then sat down rather hard. "Thank you, captain."
Jim replied in the same language as Sargon used while in the lizard's form, and I swear I saw Spock smile. "How is Sargon?" Spock asked me.
I inspected Sargon closely, finally coming to a conclusion. "Looks like a damn coma. He should heal up in a few weeks, but I have no idea when he'll wake up. Looks like you're stuck as a lizard for a while, Jim."
Jim said what was an obvious 'damn' in lizardese, and I grinned at that. I looked around my ruined Sickbay, and felt the smile vanish. "Damn. How am I gonna clean up all this blood? Looks like a damn rainbow."
Jim waved a finger and chittered something, and the entire mess on the floor was no longer there. Another wave and the stained carpet was reverted to its original condition. The scorch marks on the wall were taken care of in a similar manner.
I stared, open-mouthed, at Jim. "How the hell...?"
Jim shrugged, and I swear he was laughing at me.
"Never mind," I said, giving up. "But when you can speak, you've definitely got some explaining to do."
The doors opened onto a blackened room, but a swiftly-moving fireball raged in the center of the room. I flicked on the lights and froze at the sight.
A massive alien beast, the same one that had accidentally beamed aboard earlier, was tearing viciously at something on the floor. That something was Jim, down on his back and trying desperately to keep Henoch's teeth and claws away from him. The floor was slippery with fresh blood, both the red of human blood and the small amount of orange blood that obviously belonged to Henoch's new host.
As I stood in the doorway, staring in disbelief, I was nearly run over by a running Vulcan. Spock pushed past me, ducking under thrashing wings and fiery tail to pinch down on the creature's neck. It snarled and turned on him instead, leaving Jim alone for the moment.
I rushed to his side, running a medical scanner over him and swearing under my breath. "Dammit..."
"I see...the captain was...successful," the unmistakable voice of Sargon said as he struggled to breathe. Yep, a definite switch of minds. Double damn.
"Can you switch back?" I asked as Jim's temporary form ran into the room at last. He glared up at me, but somehow the anger was lost on his reptilian face.
"You want me to?" Sargon asked. "He'll die."
"You stay in his body and YOU will die," I pointed out.
"I've done...that before," Sargon commented, coughing a little. "It was...temporary. Your captain...will be fine...in my reptilian host...until the proper time." He paused, as if listening to something else. "Go help Spock."
I had almost forgotten about Spock, and quickly stood and turned around. Spock was holding his own against Henoch, though a slight amount of green blood trickled from a cut above his eye. Only after I saw Henoch's titanium collar did I understand why the nerve pinch didn't work this time. Spock would have to take him out the old-fashioned way, unless I found some way to be helpful.
Jim abruptly yelled something to Spock, and the Vulcan exploded into action. His fist crashed into Henoch's jaw at the same time as a lightning fast blow to the forehead. Henoch reeled back, howling in pain and rage. Jim yelled more, and Spock grabbed hold on Henoch's right wing and twisted it, hard. The sound of cracking bone was fairly audible, and Henoch screamed.
Jim ran over to Spock, pointed at Henoch, and said something completely unintelligible. Henoch glowed bright blue, and then vanished. Spock stared at where his opponent had been, then sat down rather hard. "Thank you, captain."
Jim replied in the same language as Sargon used while in the lizard's form, and I swear I saw Spock smile. "How is Sargon?" Spock asked me.
I inspected Sargon closely, finally coming to a conclusion. "Looks like a damn coma. He should heal up in a few weeks, but I have no idea when he'll wake up. Looks like you're stuck as a lizard for a while, Jim."
Jim said what was an obvious 'damn' in lizardese, and I grinned at that. I looked around my ruined Sickbay, and felt the smile vanish. "Damn. How am I gonna clean up all this blood? Looks like a damn rainbow."
Jim waved a finger and chittered something, and the entire mess on the floor was no longer there. Another wave and the stained carpet was reverted to its original condition. The scorch marks on the wall were taken care of in a similar manner.
I stared, open-mouthed, at Jim. "How the hell...?"
Jim shrugged, and I swear he was laughing at me.
"Never mind," I said, giving up. "But when you can speak, you've definitely got some explaining to do."
