~*~Disclaimer=me no own~*~Woohoo! Two more reviews and I'll have the most
reviews I've ever had for one of my stories! Well, you'll find out who
Libran actually is either in this chapter or the next~*~
Phlox was at Malcolm side straight away, Malcolm had coughed so much he'd thrown up a river of blood and was now choking on it. Phlox quickly rolled him onto his side and watched as it drained into a bowl.
He heard sickbay doors open, two engineers were carrying an unconscious crewmember in. She had been stuck down by the virus.
Just as he was making her more comfortable there was a soft thud from behind him, Libran had beamed aboard Enterprise.
Phlox immediately called for security, before realising Libran was barely conscious. With the help of the two Engineers he lifted Libran up onto a spare biobed and tried to alleviate his symptoms.
"Did you get it?" Libran whispered hoarsely, "Did you get the Purple container?"
"What is it?" asked Phlox urgently.
"Reed's blood-it's the key to the cure," Libran coughed. "He's the key......... mix his blood........the white cells........ with the substance............ in the container and the virus will die.........."
"Are you sure?" Phlox asked.
Libran nodded painfully and drew in harsh breaths.
"Why his blood?"
"He......was inoculated by me.........I hoped..........it wouldn't affect him........as strongly........."
"What inoculants did you use?"
Libran didn't reply, harsh ragged breathing filled the air.
Phlox looked back at Reed; there was no way he'd be strong enough for his body to cope with blood being taken.
Phlox looked up again as Hoshi and Trip were brought in.
"It appears you both have fallen prey to the virus," Phlox announced running a scanner over them.
"Can I see Malcolm?" Trip asked weakly. "It won't make any difference now,"
"He's still unconscious," Phlox told him. "Why don't you take the biobed next to him?"
Trip nodded then stopped short.
"What the hell's he doing here?" he demanded coughing. "It was his people that did this in the first place!"
Phlox forced him to lie down.
With sickbay getting fuller, Phlox took a long look at Malcolm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bridge~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
"Captain, we're receiving a transmission," said a nervous looking Ensign now occupying Hoshi's usual place.
"The Jennerns?" Archer asked.
"It's from, the other side of the planet sir," she replied, brows furrowed.
"On screen," Archer ordered.
"Captain Archer," the alien on the viewscreen greeted him, "I am First Minister Caprion of the Tarnnerns."
"What do you want?" Archer snapped, not in the mood to be friendly.
"We know what the Jennerns have done to you," Caprion continued, "Indeed our spy, Libran had to inflict some unfortunate injuries on a member of your crew in order so that his position would not be discovered."
Archer took a deep breath feeling anger rise up inside of him.
"We believe Libran has unleashed the virus on the Jennerns but was unable to save your officer from being infected. By now, according to our data on the virus over 50% of your crew will be infected with over 15% already succumbing to it." Caprion continued. "We also know that Libran beamed aboard your ship and is currently residing in your sickbay."
"How come you've never contacted us before?" Archer cut in swiftly.
"We have been at war with the Jennerns for many centuries; we were gathering data on you and your crew to do a threat assessment." Caprion replied clearly disgruntled at being cut off mid-explanation.
"We will return him to you in a few moments," Archer began annoyed.
"No! I have contacted you to ask that you dispose of Libran back on Jennerra," said Caprion. "There is no hope for him now-he has been infected with the virus, sending him to Tannerra would be certain suicide for all."
"Cut the transmission," Archer spat, disgusted.
"Archer to Sickbay."
"I'm here Captain,"
"Have you made any progress?"
"I believe I have the key to the cure, unfortunately......"
"Unfortunately what?"
"The cure requires a substantial amount of Lieutenant Reed's blood, the amount I would require would most likely cost him his life."
"Can't you take some blood and give him a transfusion or something?"
"No, I would only be able to give him the blood after I had finished taking it originally. It would send his body into shock."
"Is there no other way?"
"None that I can think of. Without this cure Captain, I predict at its current rate of infection within two weeks the entire crew will be severely ill."
"What's Malcolm's chance of survival if you do this?"
"15% chance of making it through the procedure."
"Has he woken up yet?"
"No,"
Archer hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.
"Captain, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," said T'Pol clearly. "If this is the only chance of the crews' survival then logic dictates that that is the best course of action."
"Captain?"
"Is there any way the crew can just weather the illness?"
"No, it will eventually claim their lives."
"Why is Malcolm's blood so special?"
"It was the original source of the disease; apparently Libran injected him with various inoculants in the hope that he would somehow be able to fight it."
"Can't you just get him to tell you what inoculants he used?"
"He's unconscious Captain, I don't think he'll last much longer."
Archer heard choking and coughing intermingling on the other side of the comm.
"I'll have to get back to you Captain; I need your decision soon. Phlox out"
~*~Hee hee hee! I'm evil! You know I might actually persuade myself to kill Malcolm off in this story-haven't quite had the guts to do it yet. Bless him. Seriously though-review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~*~
Phlox was at Malcolm side straight away, Malcolm had coughed so much he'd thrown up a river of blood and was now choking on it. Phlox quickly rolled him onto his side and watched as it drained into a bowl.
He heard sickbay doors open, two engineers were carrying an unconscious crewmember in. She had been stuck down by the virus.
Just as he was making her more comfortable there was a soft thud from behind him, Libran had beamed aboard Enterprise.
Phlox immediately called for security, before realising Libran was barely conscious. With the help of the two Engineers he lifted Libran up onto a spare biobed and tried to alleviate his symptoms.
"Did you get it?" Libran whispered hoarsely, "Did you get the Purple container?"
"What is it?" asked Phlox urgently.
"Reed's blood-it's the key to the cure," Libran coughed. "He's the key......... mix his blood........the white cells........ with the substance............ in the container and the virus will die.........."
"Are you sure?" Phlox asked.
Libran nodded painfully and drew in harsh breaths.
"Why his blood?"
"He......was inoculated by me.........I hoped..........it wouldn't affect him........as strongly........."
"What inoculants did you use?"
Libran didn't reply, harsh ragged breathing filled the air.
Phlox looked back at Reed; there was no way he'd be strong enough for his body to cope with blood being taken.
Phlox looked up again as Hoshi and Trip were brought in.
"It appears you both have fallen prey to the virus," Phlox announced running a scanner over them.
"Can I see Malcolm?" Trip asked weakly. "It won't make any difference now,"
"He's still unconscious," Phlox told him. "Why don't you take the biobed next to him?"
Trip nodded then stopped short.
"What the hell's he doing here?" he demanded coughing. "It was his people that did this in the first place!"
Phlox forced him to lie down.
With sickbay getting fuller, Phlox took a long look at Malcolm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Bridge~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~
"Captain, we're receiving a transmission," said a nervous looking Ensign now occupying Hoshi's usual place.
"The Jennerns?" Archer asked.
"It's from, the other side of the planet sir," she replied, brows furrowed.
"On screen," Archer ordered.
"Captain Archer," the alien on the viewscreen greeted him, "I am First Minister Caprion of the Tarnnerns."
"What do you want?" Archer snapped, not in the mood to be friendly.
"We know what the Jennerns have done to you," Caprion continued, "Indeed our spy, Libran had to inflict some unfortunate injuries on a member of your crew in order so that his position would not be discovered."
Archer took a deep breath feeling anger rise up inside of him.
"We believe Libran has unleashed the virus on the Jennerns but was unable to save your officer from being infected. By now, according to our data on the virus over 50% of your crew will be infected with over 15% already succumbing to it." Caprion continued. "We also know that Libran beamed aboard your ship and is currently residing in your sickbay."
"How come you've never contacted us before?" Archer cut in swiftly.
"We have been at war with the Jennerns for many centuries; we were gathering data on you and your crew to do a threat assessment." Caprion replied clearly disgruntled at being cut off mid-explanation.
"We will return him to you in a few moments," Archer began annoyed.
"No! I have contacted you to ask that you dispose of Libran back on Jennerra," said Caprion. "There is no hope for him now-he has been infected with the virus, sending him to Tannerra would be certain suicide for all."
"Cut the transmission," Archer spat, disgusted.
"Archer to Sickbay."
"I'm here Captain,"
"Have you made any progress?"
"I believe I have the key to the cure, unfortunately......"
"Unfortunately what?"
"The cure requires a substantial amount of Lieutenant Reed's blood, the amount I would require would most likely cost him his life."
"Can't you take some blood and give him a transfusion or something?"
"No, I would only be able to give him the blood after I had finished taking it originally. It would send his body into shock."
"Is there no other way?"
"None that I can think of. Without this cure Captain, I predict at its current rate of infection within two weeks the entire crew will be severely ill."
"What's Malcolm's chance of survival if you do this?"
"15% chance of making it through the procedure."
"Has he woken up yet?"
"No,"
Archer hesitated, unsure of how to proceed.
"Captain, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," said T'Pol clearly. "If this is the only chance of the crews' survival then logic dictates that that is the best course of action."
"Captain?"
"Is there any way the crew can just weather the illness?"
"No, it will eventually claim their lives."
"Why is Malcolm's blood so special?"
"It was the original source of the disease; apparently Libran injected him with various inoculants in the hope that he would somehow be able to fight it."
"Can't you just get him to tell you what inoculants he used?"
"He's unconscious Captain, I don't think he'll last much longer."
Archer heard choking and coughing intermingling on the other side of the comm.
"I'll have to get back to you Captain; I need your decision soon. Phlox out"
~*~Hee hee hee! I'm evil! You know I might actually persuade myself to kill Malcolm off in this story-haven't quite had the guts to do it yet. Bless him. Seriously though-review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!~*~