"I'm sure it's nothing, Doctor," Phlox said. "The captain is probably just exhibiting a normal human response to stress."

"This isn't a normal reaction to stress, at least not for him," Jordan replied. "And that's not all. Take a look at these scans."

Dr. Phlox regarded the scanner she handed him for a long moment. "When did you take these?"

"About five minutes ago."

Phlox activated the view screen next to him. He opened Archer's medical file, comparing it to the results on the scanner. "This is incredible," he said.

"What?"

"His molecular structure is changing. Look at his DNA strands."

Jordan looked closely at the screen. "They're mutating," she said in amazement.

"Yes. Very disturbing."

"What could cause such a thing?"

"I've never encountered anything quite like it."

"It just doesn't make any sense. We've haven't been exposed to any radiation. There isn't anything on Enterprise to account for it, or the rest of the crew would be affected," she said, pacing.

"One would assume so."

"We were only on the planet for a few hours. Others have been on the surface longer. We both cleared decon." She stopped.

Phlox looked at her intently, reaching the same conclusion. "Did you?" he asked softly.

"Do you think?"

"That it's possible we didn't catch all the pathogens in decon? It's a definite possibility. Hold still, please." Phlox passed the scanner over Jordan, then examined the results. "Well, you appear to fine in any case. I see no changes in your genetic structure."

"So it can't be anything from the planet."

"Just a moment. Didn't you say that the captain had been scratched by a plant thorn while you were exploring?"

"Yes, but I scanned the wound myself. There was nothing unusual about it."

"Do you still have a record of that scan?"

"It should be entered in the main database by now."

Phlox returned to the viewscreen and activated Jordan's file. He studied it for a long time, running comparisons with other databanks. Just as Jordan was sure she'd burst with impatience, he looked up and pointed at the screen. "There it is," he said. "Look at the endorphin levels. That may be our culprit."

"Now what?"

"Now we go ask the captain to come in for some tests."