Sickbay
Kiya was busy with medical reports at her desk. There were tons of them to file when more of the away teams came in to Sickbay for post away mission scans and full checkups. Her hands were in her hair craddling her head in obvious lack of sleep, she'd been up all night with Sammy and the needed checkups. This was the third night she'd been up all night to keep up with the constant flow of away mission members who were coming in to be scanned and passed for duty again. And the lack of rest was pulling her down hard, despite the stimulants she was taking to keep going.
She arose and met Lt. Krone who was still in his environment suit, fresh from the planet, as was all the others who had come in.
"Doc? You don't look yourself." Krone said, a look of apalled shock on his face. He'd never seen Kiya this exhausted before.
"Neh, I'll be ok, I just need to pace myself." Kiya steadied herself on the biobed nearby, her legs trying to force her down despite her resolve. Krone could see she was shaking and tying to hide it. And her skin was pale and coated in cold sweat and her eyes were dilated, the effects of abusing the stimulants for three days straight.
Krone caught Demi's eye and covertly motioned her over. Demi already sensed what was going on by Kiya's posture and lack of attention. She quickly noted her full condition and tried to encourage Kiya to her quarters for a long needed rest. But the doctor stubbornly refused, verging on anger when Krone tried to agree that she needed rest.
"Who are you? Are you the doctor here, Krone? I don't think so!" Kiya blurted out.
"Kiya! What..? I'm just worried, you need rest, like all of us." Krone tried to tell her, but the anger and tiredness in her was destroying her perceptions.
Demi covertly scanned the CMO, immediatly proving what she suspected, that this was a dangerous situation for Kiya; the stimulants had already begun to erode her synaptic responses by 58.2 and her red bloodcell count was decreasing by the minute, her bloodstream flooding with white bloodcells. And her blood pressure was elevated by 46 and rising, heart rate rapid and faint and Demi could visibly see Kiya's color changing to a bluish white, if she didn't do something quickly, the good doctor would be dead with a heart attack.
"Doctor, sit here, you are not able to continue." Demi stated in a very no nonsense tone, one which made Krone pale slightly, he'd never seen anything like this before.
Kiya tried to protest, but her legs gave away beneath her, she crumpled to the floor gripping her chest, she looked nauseous.
In the moments that followed, several more medtechs, nurses and Demi took control of the situation, a cloud of activity that took on a life of it's own as proffesional medicine operated. Terms that Krone could not decipher, readings, even an entire language he had never learned was being used as the team members spoke in stilted quick tones and shortened codes.
He supposed that in dire emergencies there just wasn't time for full sentences and complete terms and words. He sighed and walked away to sit down on a wall bench, and watched the mezmerizing actions speed by.
Kiya's heart attack was stopped from doing more damage than it could have, but some damage was there. For several hours, Demi kept a close watch on Kiya, closely monitoring her, making adjustments to the regenerative programs and keeping precise records. All the while Demi chided herself for not catching this sooner. She'd mentioned to Kiya several times that she needed to go ahead and end her shift, to rest. Afterall, Demi was the emergency medical hologram. She actually could go for days without rest, Kiya couldn't.
Sickbay, late night
Twelve hours later, Demi came back to check on Kiya. Sammy had already been released and was in her quarters hours ago. Now all Demi had to do was make sure the CMO was healthy enough to be released to her quarters for a mandatory recuperation period.
Demi's checks revealed the doctor was testing normally, her sleep natural and no longer induced. All the while, she'd been keeping Captian Stryker apprised of Kiya's condition and they had agreed it was time for the doctor to be released to her quarters with medication for her recouperation period.
Demi roused Kiya. With gentle prodding, the doctor still not quite up to her normal par, she released Kiya to her quarters for her time of rest. It wasn't easy to let her go, as Demi knew Kiya's tricks. But Demi also knew that human pshychology enough to realise this experience had struck home with Kiya. Kiya left Sickbay for her quarters, muted and still somewhat tired.
22:56 hours. Late night
Captain Rakurai Stryker - Bridge
Stryker has been hovering over the science department's shoulders, as they studied the planet below. He'd been putting pressure on Lt. Krone. Krone and Stryker contacted the Trill Science Council, who agreed to send a dedication science vessel to the system in order to speed up analysis.
When Stryker got the call from Demi, on Kiya's condition he immediately headed on the privacy of his ready room. The EMH, Demi's voice continued, "Captain. She had a heart attack."
"Yes." Stryker said grimly. "We supected she's been working too hard, pushing herself. I told you, unless you find a solution in a few days' time, I want her off my ship."
"Yes Sir. You did. You have to understand humans -" Demi said, Stryker cut her off.
"I don't care. I need capable officers. Not one using enough stims to kill off an elephant." Stryker blasted Demi.
"She is capable Captain. I just need your permission to proceed on my proposed plan."
"Then do it."
"Aye sir." Demi replied. "Sickbay out."
Stryker stepped on to the bridge again and turned to the Mahri XO. "You have the bridge, Commander."
He headed to the turbolift, and to Alice.
CMO Black Wolf's Quarters
The exhausted doctor walked into her quarters feeling drained despite all the rest Demi had made sure she'd had. Even with the medications, she still had an odd sensation in her chest, her hand instinctively covered that area, and she slumped against the wall, fatigue still present and accounted for.
Kiya sighed deeply, a deep tiredness creeping over her, she crouched down on her couch and layed back, nestling in between her navaho blanket pillows. Somehow, their soft texture always made her feel a little closer to home, a comfort she needed right now.
Something was pulling her attention from across the room. It wasn't anything moving, just a feeling. Her sleepy eyes searched and finally centered on the thing that had been trying to get her attention. The shelf with her kachina collection.
Each statue sitting on a rabbit hide, each kachina with it's own special story, it's own special meaning, each one a special guardian in her life. Each one had been a gift to Kiya, and those who had given them to her were too far away to help right now. She tried not to let her emotions get the best of her, but somehow a small tear was peeping from the corner of her eye. She dashed it away in frustration, even her brother Tiko wasn't here to torment her, and that void was worse than ever.
She rolled to her side, burrowing deeper into the couch, closing her eyes and turning her back on her special guardians sitting on the wallshelf. But as she did, her heart began to thump harder. Her eyes popped open wide and she could almost swear she heard the thundering beat of her family's enormous tribal drums, rythmically pounding out in time to her heartbeat, and accompanying a medicine chant much older than Starfleet's origins.
Kiya rolled back over, the wallshelf was still there, the kachinas were still there, but she could not take her eyes off of them. She knew the old ways were not far from her, especially in times like this. And especially if she didn't want them to be. The ancestors never let her forget her true nature and legacy. She was Apache, born and bred, and from a line of honored healers and warriors. She was never to run from an enemy, and right now, she was her own worst enemy, forcing herself to work far beyond her abilities. Forcing herself to run away.
And she'd previously been drinking far too much, punishing herself for letting Tiko fall victim to the trite parasites. Now Sammy. She kicked herself for not realising her warning signs before now, the girl had come far too close to loosing... loosing Kiya's newest relatives.
Time and time again, Kiya seemed to be failing her very own family and close friends. And her drinking was her way of punishing herself, as well as the hard work she put herself through. All was her attempts to make some kind of restitution for what she'd failed at, and who she had failed. She was her own worst enemy and also her hardest punisher. And all of it was killing her, figuratively and literally.
Kiya closed her eyes again, but the drumming became louder in her mind. Kiya's exhaustion was fighting her hard, making her weak and unable to move. She tried to tell herself it was her fatigue, the spoils of a heart attack, still forcing her to her knees. But she knew better... heart attacks did not come with medicine chants and the beat of a tribal drum.
She forced herself to look at the kachinas on the shelf. They seemed vibrantly coloured, much more than in real life. She could smell the smoke of a fire, the chants of all her realtives as she would have heard it during a healing ceremony so long ago. The room seemed to become dark, a wormhole of light emanating from the kachinas who were calling to her.
She sat up and began to name them, one by one, weak and barely able to talk, her head was beading in profuse sweat, and her heartbeats were jolting her chest like fists pounding against it. Her Spirit Walk had begun...
"Apache Mountain God, protector of the Apache tribe in time of war, my coming of age guardian. Badger, you cure the sick, you pray for the growth of healing herbs. Bear, you have great power to cure the sick. Buffalo, powerful among all kachinas, you can kill evil thoughts, my great spiritual protector. Butterfly, you represent the butterfly that lands on flowers, the medicine man then uses the flowers you bless in his medications. Chasing Star, you are the plants and the stars. You resurrect those who have fallen from the sky, lifting them back to the stars. Left-Hand, you who does everything reversed. Lizard, the fighter, you who brings Sweethearts together. Medicine Man, you are my mentor, you mix the herbs and roots, and give advice, and cure the sick. Owl, you who are the essence of the elders passed on to the bossom of Father Sky, the advisor who brings intelligence and wisdom back to us. Rainbow, blessed bringer of peace and harmony among all tribes. Sunface, you give warmth, shelter for the old, assures our bright future, and playful spirits for the young. And Wolf Warrior, you are my brother, you assure everyone of adequate food for the winter. I give thanks to you all, and ask for your guidance."
What Kiya experienced after this was lost in her dreams. Dreams that she would never speak of to a living soul, as they were sacred and for only her.
That night, while she slept, she walked with her Spirit Guides, her Kachina spirits talking words of wisdom and assurance to her. A few even speaking hard words of discipline to her as she had fallen to her own understanding in her recent months, instead of seeking higher wisdom brought through the ages long before her.
In her dreams, she was a child again, sitting in the circle of life with her predecessors and learning what she had forgotten, what she often turned from and shouldn't have.
That night Demi released sleeping gas into her quarters upon the Captain's approval. But that was not done until after she was long asleep in her deep Spirit Walk with the Elders.
Captain Rakurai Stryker - His quarters, Living Room
Alice was furious. Pacing up and down in the living room, her husband's eyes following her every move.
If her body was capable of projecting quills when upset, I'd be a pincushion., Stryker thought.
She spun around to face him. "Not everything is about you, honey."
"Maybe it should be."
She flexed her hand as to throttle him when she saw a twinkle of amusement is his eyes. She laughed before she even knew she going to. "Okay, now you are screwing with my head."
"A little." he admitted.
"You're the most frustrusting man I've ever met."
He chuckled, Alice got angrier. "This is no laughing matter." Alice said, her lips pulled so tight they looked like a rubberband stretched to its limit. "I don't think it is possible for me to be angerier than I already am."
At which point, the lights went out. "I stand corrected." she said in the darkness.
He knew something out of the ordinary was going on, tapped his combadge. / "Stryker to Bridge. Report."
"We lost all power sir." Ensign Liz Archer reported. "Emergency power is engaged ... Engineering just reported the warp cores were knocked offline. Restart sequence in progress, Warp drive will be availble in 2 to 3 hours."
Then, normal lights came on again. / "Red alert."
Stryker kissed Alice, said "Sorry Love. Got to go."
On
the bridge.
"The turbolift doors to almost open, when Stryker
started barking orders, "REPORT."
The 8 foot tall
Mahri was pacing the bridge, half jumping, running or floating,
making everyone as nervous as hell. "Captain. Reports of
Mysterious lights appearing throughout the ship. The circles of
light, the size of a tennis ball, seem to be orbiting the
Pretoria's
warp cores."
"Any analysis yet ?" Stryker asked Lt. Krone as he walked up to the science consoles, "None sir. Except their speed, these things move slowly, as fast as a person walking."
Just then, one of the balls of light appeared, drifting through the viewscreen like it did not exist.
Security officer, Ensign Rachel Skarsten lifted her hand in front of the ball of energy/light. It passed through her hand, then suddenly become as big as she is. It attacked Rachael via what Stryker guessed was a ball of energy shaped like a hand or a foot.
Rachel Skarsten was wounded, trauma to the head, dizzy from a weird physical attack of some kind, she had a pissed off expression on her face, when her captain tried to defend her instead of her defending him, the way it should be.
The plasma ball injuried Stryker the same way it attacked Rachel.
In the chaos that followed, Commander Khethra had them beamed directly to sickbay.
Cryo statis Room
Demi hovered over Lt. Thomas 'Tiko' Black Wolf, still in a cryo statis chamber, but not far from all her research in a day. Being the emergency medical hologram, she never slept, never ceased, except for routing checkups and program analysis.
She'd been pouring alot of her time into researching the old findings of a Japanese scientist by the name of Kunihiko Maeda trying to end the trite virus's hold on Tiko. And she thinks she has found something promising, when the call came from the Bridge. Commander Khetrha was transporting two injured her way, Ensign Rachel Skarsten and Captain Stryker.
Demi transferred herself to sickbay, appearing there 500 nanoseconds later.
A few seconds later, the two forms materialized in Sickbay, and Demi and the other medical staff transfered them to biobeds and they began to run scans for injuries.
"Sickbay to Bridge." Demi called, straightening up after she was satisfied.
"Bridge here." Commander Khetrha drolled in a monotone voice. "What is the Captain and the Ensign Skarsten's status?"
"Stable, only knocked out. The readings are consistent with that of a stunner's blast. No damage Commander. They should be coming around shortly."
"Aknowledged. Alert me when they are awake."
"Aknowledged, Sickbay out."
"Bridge out." and the link went silent.
Demi stood there a moment pondering what all she'd been researching... the cure for Tiko seemed so simple if she could only figure out one little thing.
She walked into the office to continue her research while the medtechs monitored the Captain and Ensign Skarsten.
Back in the Cryo Statis Room
Demi poured over some new information streaming into her console. She read it to herself as the words sped across the screen at incredible speed.
"KUNIHIKO MAEDA: A twenty first century earth scientist who resided in the pharmaceutical department at Okinawa University in Japan."
She scrolled through the notes reading that he was a very competent scientist, completely indifferent to everything else. He'd often been guilty of not returning home for days once he was fatally engrossed in his research. Maeda's wife was in a horrible car crash, in a coma and dying. The scienist tried to culture her liver cells in order to keep her alive. The scientist named those calls ... EVE. Her liver cells multiplied and her mitochondria eventually saved her life.
Demi spent the next few hours putting together all her information. She is nearly certain she can pull this off with Tiko if she can just find someone who has Tiko's HLA type.
Two hours pass, Demi having run the scenarios through the computer medical simulator for the 898th time, she seemed very confident this will work. Of the 898 simulated tests, only three failed. Tiko has an almost incredible chance at recovery.
Demi ran a quick database check, of the dizzying millions of HLA types available on the Pretoria and 19 other Starfleet vessels within hailing distance, only three individuals had a close match to Tiko's HLA type. And one was present on the Pretoria at this time, Alice Sharon Brangwin.
Demi leans back in the chair and decides to run the simulation test just one more time, this time with Alice's HLA type just to be certain.
After an hour of further tests, she came up with the same ratio of failure. It was decided, Thomas Black Wolf had little to loose, Demi called Alice into Sickbay.
Hidden in the darkness of space, the Gahenn Val ship was all but invisible. Its hull, the deepest black. It sat, unseen, in the stillness of eternity.
The lights of the Command controls reflected badly on Kel'N'agh, and his pallid complexion, and his life.
And then a small 'something' moved into the Gahenn Val's sphere of interest. The Pretoria
The doctor and Alice were going through a difficult time, but this was unknown and uncared for, by the Primus of the Nal Phess, - an 'Assault Class' vessel.
As the Pretoria came into resolution, the Primus spoke, these words:
"Ascendent, what is the incursion within our sense? Identify."
The young crewmember reacted instantly, its stick-like fingers danced around on the sensor console.
"Primus, it is a new encounter"
Kel'N'agh, the Primus, the captain, thought for a few moments,and then asked, "Ascendent, is it Variant?"
Ascendant Navigator Tax'ne, nervous and under pressure, paused before answering. His skin was turning different, subtle shades of blue and red; small patches of colour sprouting, unbidden, over his body
The Primus' patience was wearing thin.
"Answer, Ascendant. the incursions origin, Variant or Discrete?"
Ascendent Tax'ne's voice faltered, as it spoke the words, "Unknown, Primus"
The Primus admonished, Tax'ne: "Spend more time encountering, before you display your ignorance, Ascendent."
Hours passed, and then Ascendent Tax'ne announced, "I am determining Variant or Incursive properties." A few moments passed. "Primus, I have a definite variance in velocity and structure. This incursion represents a discrete article, I am informed it has propulsive and vectoral qualities - I suspect it is created by an intelligence"
Kel'N'agh looked at the young Ascendant with a tired soul, "You have upgraded this from 'Varient' to 'Incursion', to 'Discrete, is this correct?"
"Yes, Prime, I can now identify it as a, constructed artifact. It has no threat potential." Tax'ne sat back with a satisfied expression.
Kel'N'agh studied the situation for a long time and finally spoke.
"I think I will take a closer look", said Kel'N'agh.
Its pale, gaunt body shifted forward in the seat; an eager, predatory expression carved out the features of its face - and its intent.
Sickbay
The tall Andorian medtech finished her scans of Rachael and she moved on to the next bed as quietly and efficiently as possible. A medical tricorder passed over the unconscious Edenian, her steady movements only inches above his torso.
Without warning, his hand shot up, hitting her in the stomach. The steady-minded Andorian medtech flinched, but kept her equilibrium. She stood back up, her hands and the tricorder held quite still over her stomach, the only sign of pain she would reveal.
"Who are you ?" he asked in a dangerous tone.
The Andorian woman was confused and started to answer, when Demi came running over.
"Where am I? Why have you captured me ? I demand you release me. I am an officer of the Guardian Collective."
Captain Stryker had no memory of recent events, or even of his command. Demi stopped and collected her thoughts, understanding, a look of calm on her face.
In CMO Black Wolf's Quarters
The fog of images that had long since become faded and disconnected images and symbols, lifted from Kiya's conciousness slowly. Somehow, she sensed she was on her back, the soft pillows of her couch cushioning her cheek. She yawned and scrubbed slowly at her eyes, noting that the pain in her chest had ebbed to a barely noticable tingle when she touched that area. She frowned and rolled away from the soft caress of her pillows to sit up, trying to think, trying to orient herself.
Kiya feels well rested, but somehow disconnected. It puzzles her deeply. She rubs the back of her neck and swings her gaze over to her chrono on the wall. She looks away and closes her eyes as her neck is feeling better from just a small massage. Suddenly, her eyes pop wide open and she jerks her head back the way it came, not believing the time and date on the chrono's face.
"Twleve hours! I've been asleep twelve hours? That's impossible!"
She jumps up from the couch, grabs her medical blue lab coat, and springs for her door, grumbling audibly as she jogs to the nearest turbolift. As she jumps into the turbolift, she is still trying to wrestle on her labcoat, belatedly noticing one sleeve is inside out, she growls and reverses it as she barks her destination at the waiting computer.
"Sickbay, now!"
In her rush from her quarters, she never noticed the blinking message notice on her companel. Demi had tried to leave her a message, trying to explain her actions...
Back in Sickbay...
"Li'dieet, go have Hanson check you, I will take things from here. Afterall, there's little damage he can do to me."
The Andorian medtech nods gracefully and makes her way to the rear of Sickbay where her counterpart Lt. Hanson is running more cultures of the EVE cell Demi had cultured.
Demi returns her attention to the glowering Edenian Captain. She taps her combadge, "Sickbay to Bridge."
"Bridge." Commander Khetrha's voice is deeper than normal, a slight aggrivation present in her tone. Demi can hear the unmistakable grit of the Mahri Commander's fangs.
"Commander, Captain Stryker is awake. However, he is experiencing amnesia. He seems to have lost quite alot of recent memory. But from the readings we have, he should be able to regain his memories soon."
There was a long pause. For a moment Demi pondered if their comlink had been lost.
"Acknowledged Sickbay. I will inform Alice immediatly. Keep me aprised. Bridge out."
Captain Stryker had a deadly look in his eyes as he watched the medical hologram with terrible anger, his lips tight and thin over his teeth.
"I ask you again, who are you and where are you holding me? Why have I been captured? And I demand you release me, immediately. Or suffer the response of the Guardian Collective."
Corridors of Deck 7
Alice Brangwin ran like a woman possessed. Twice she plowed into someone who had the misfortune of being in her way; but they should have known better than to try and slow her down. She opened the door to Sickbay. The same room she visited just 20 minutes ago, when Demi took a blood sample from her.
The EMH, Demi straightened up as the doors opened and Alice stepped in.
"Iidasenai," Alice breathed, her heart pounding in her ears, her throat, everywhere except her chest. "Stryker!"
She ran forward, but Demi stepped out to stop her. "Alice, please! He's under enormous stress. Don't frighten him."
"I wouldn't couldn't!" she blurted, side-stepping the hologram and approaching Stryker who watched her with wide eyes.
"Stryker ?" she said gently, wrapping her arms around him. He tensed under her touch and drew away, confused. Her scent was familiar to him, he felt he knew her somehow.
"He has temporary amnesia." Demi explained. "It will last about 2 hours."
"What !" Alice asked, enraged, almost to the point where she wanted to grab Demi by the collar.
"It's quite normal." Demi said calmly, hoping Alice would calm down too. "Defense mechanism that kicks in following head trauma."
Her cool exterior was no where to be seen, frustrated, insanely angry and confused. / "Alice to Sammy. Get to sickbay please."
Captain Rakurai Stryker -
Sickbay
Rakurai Stryker in the meanwhile, looked around the room.
He didn't recognize a single face in here. Five minutes ago, he tried
to rip Demi apart. That of course that him nowhere, yet he fought
Demi again.
The five medtechs tried cornering him, and poking him with hyposprays. He threw them around. Once again Demi tried to talk him into not attacking. Demi got too close to him. He then tried grabbing her by the neck, touched her chest when she punched him back with the power of a drugged out Klingon.
Since then, he tried to calm himself down. Wondering if the people around him was telling the truth, or if he was kidnapped by these strange people. All the species around him was totally alien to him. He figured he was proberly undercover, setting up another crime Syndicate to dismantle and destroy it when his assignment is over.
Why did the red haired alien woman call him by the most intimate word in his language though ?
Commander Reiko Korner - Bridge, USS Intrepid
The Intrepid dropped out of warp and approached the Pretoria. The young Commanding Officer, Reiko Korner looked at the Eclipse class ship.
"Damn. That thing is huge." he remarked in a thick Australian accent.
The Andorian XO, Emmer was amazed as well. "Tactical, report."
Lt. Murray Walker reported, "Pretoria's shields are up. Weapons on stand by, but not charged. Yellow Alert. Wait ... are they hailing us."
Commander Khetrha appeared on screen. / "Be adviced, we are experiencing ... anomalies. Seven crewmen including the captain has been injuried since these things appeared, ten minutes ago."
"Acknowledged Pretoria. We will hold postion within 20 kilometers. I guess we are still go beam up one of the two Artifacts ?"
Commander Khetrha shruged, and not really caring about the science value that these things below may hold. / "Hold you position. The transporter modifications on our end is almost complete. About 15 minutes. Pretoria out."
"Friendly, isnt she ?" Reiko said outloud.
Sammy McIvers Quarters
Something caught Sammy's eye as she walked from her bathroom. She shook her head and looked again, not sure if she'd seen the thing or not.
"You? What are you doing here little fellow?"
She peered at the tiny hedgehog and decided to kneel, getting herself a little lower to the creature. She smiled as she remembered the commotion the little prickly thing had caused not long ago, and the temper Kiya had displayed over it's being unceremoniously dumped into Alice's trash can. She offered her hand for it to smell.
"Well hello. No need to be afraid, no one is about to dump you in a trash can again. I promise."
A tiny pinkish nose peeked from under the bed's frame, wriggling and snuffling in all directions. Eventually, the little spine-covered form waddled out to greet her. He'd finally caught her scent, and remembered her friendly, warm pocket.
Sammy smiled a huge grin as the little hedgehog snuffled at her fingertips. He waddled and made happy little popping noises as he smelled of her hand and fingers. He trilled as he considering whether the smell of toast and jam on her fingers were something he might like to sample or not, and nuzzled into her hand.
"You are just the cutest thing I have ever seen." she giggled, unable to contain the need to laugh any more, his tiny whiskers tickling her delicately.
Sammy's comconsole bleeped to life, "Alice to Sammy. Get to sickbay please."
"What? What in the world is going on?" Sammy apologized to the tiny creature and placed it back under her bedframe. She quickly slipped to her feet, stepping as fast as she could to her door. Something in Alice's voice was wrong.
Sammy walked quickly to the turbolift, "Sickbay!" She was becoming very worried, somehow she knew something terribly wrong had happened. She'd never heard Alice sound so distraught before.
Sickbay
Captain Stryker sat on the edge of the biobed feeling very disoriented. Alice was sitting at his side, her arm around his waist protectively. He looked around at her and pondered, from her face he could see the worry and mess of emotions eating her up inside.
He could not fully remember what had happened, but he now could remember who she was. Even some of the faces in Sickbay were becoming familiar to him, though he still felt groggy from the sedatives the medical crew had shot him with. And there was this foggy picture in his mind of slugging someone very hard... Demi? His eyes went round with bafflement. Alice hugged him, bringing him back to the moment in a warm haze.
"I am sorry Heart, I did not intend to frighten you so." he looked at her softly, a mess of emotions within his own heart. He took her hand in his trying to make sense of himself, and not doing a very good job of it.
"It's alright my Heart. You were not yourself." Alice lays her head on his shoulder and sighs deeply.
At that moment, Sammy came brushing into Sickbay, she stopped and looked around for them, saw them and quickly came to Alice's side. Alice disengaged Stryker's waist long enough to hug her dearest friend. Then Sammy placed her had out to touch Stryker's shoulder. He stiffened and looked at her with surprise. Sammy stopped short, the look in his eyes akin to a frightened panther, and pulled her hand back to Alice's arm, looking up at her with great uncertainty.
"Who are you?" he said sharper than he intended, her face vaguely familiar.
"She's Sammy McIvers, Stryker... from Dot's Diner. You and her and I are all good friends." Alice looked at Sammy, a very pained look in her eyes.
At that moment, CMO Black Wolf came striding up. By the look in the woman's face, Stryker could see she was exceptionally angry, but keeping it in check. Just barely.
"How are we feeling Captain? Are you remembering any more of your surroundings?" despite her cool words, Alice could hear the doctor's teeth grit very tightly, the muscles of her jaw pulsing in taught jerks.
'ooh-oh, not good. wow!' Sammy thought to herself, swallowing audibly.
"I think alright doctor. Alice is familiar to me.. you in a way.."
"Good." she interrupted forcefully, "Alice, I'm releasing the Captain into your care. I have an EMH to try to coax back online, and several others to attend to."
Kiya slips her eyes off to the side making a mental note of each and every one of her medical personnel now needing various minor injuries corrected. Alice smiles a nervous and peeved grin. She knows the Apache is not far from blowing up. And definitely not amused that Demi is now hiding behind a level one diagnostic program in the computer. All of it a la Stryker in an amnesia-induced fist-swinging rage of Edenian defensive martial arts.
Kiya turns to walk away, then swings back around on Stryker. He can see her eyes have gone fully black. He swallows, suddenly remembering just what that means.
"Captain, I can fully appreciate the need to defend yourself when under the influence of amnesiatic disability. But I hope you never make the mistake of swinging on Demi or my medical staff again. Or me. This time it will not be added to your record. Next time I won't go as easy. Now if you will excuse me, I have a Sickbay to restore to order."
Kiya gives Alice a look to freeze molten lava and turns away striding off to her office. Alice knew what that look meant, 'keep him the bloody devil out of her way.'. And she suspected Kiya wasn't stomping off to her office to do that stack of reports, as much as it was to finally cool off. Something she knew wasn't going to happen any time soon if she didn't hurry up and get her husband far from Sickbay, and Kiya.
Alice joggles Stryker's arm, "C'mon slugger", she says playfully, "I think we better go."
A loud thundering whack is heard coming from Kiya Black Wolf's office, sending a few things falling to the floor.
"Uuuuh, I think now would be a good time, guys!" Sammy squeaks, as she hurriedly tries to help Alice pull a groggy Rakurai from the biobed.
"Indeed." Stryker murmurs ducking instinctively. He chuckles silently, an impish grin on his face, eyes wide with appreciation for the predicament he'd gotten himself into. 'hotter temper than a supernova!' "Alice? You said something about a diner?" He grins innocently as the two drag him towards Sickbay's doors.
Stryker - Dot's Diner
Stryker was eating olives like popcorn. Alice and Sammy shared a huge banana split.
He was starting to remember, more things by the minute. He recited an oath, "I, Rakurai, swear to guard the people of Edenia, against all who threaten it. A Guardian is sworn to valor and honour. My heart know only virtue. My weapons defends the helpless. My deeds helps the powerless. I speaks only the truth. My wrath undoes the wicked. I swear this by my name's sake."
"What was that ?" Sammy asked.
"The oath of the Guardian Collective." Alice answered.
He looked at a Vulcan in red uniform passing by, "Crewman Saavik."
Alice nodded.
Stryker looked at Sammy, innocently, "Samantha. Its clear you and Tiko like other alot. What are you two getting together ?"
Sammy burst into tears, unintelligently muttering and cursing at Stryker before running out of Dot's Diner.
"Honey, that was uncalled for." Alice told him.
"What ?"
"Tiko is in cryo statis. Slowly being eaten by Trite Parasites. He may die soon. He is beyond the point of where Medical science can save his life."
"I should get back to the bridge." Stryker told his wife.
"I am going with you." Alice responded.
CMO Black Wolf's Office, Sickbay
Kiya had been at her desk for hours now. The stack of PADDs in front of her had slowly shifted from one pile to another, completion of the 26 individual reports blessedly nearing completion. She leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose in exhaustion, her eyes aching and every single word she tried to see was beginning to run together. All she wanted to do was get all these blasted reports done, and now it seemed like she was almost ready to take a break.
She stared off into the middle distance at nothing in particular. A sudden realization struck her as to how angry she'd been with the Captain for his one man wrecking of Sickbay. She sighed tiredly and shook her head. 'its a wonder I didn't get slapped in the brig!' she mused to herself with a cockeyed grin.
She rounded up the tally in her mind with a wicked smirk; nine medical staff needing repairs to minor injuries, one with need of the ship's counselor and a dislocated jaw, and three biobeds needing resurfacing and minor repairs, the cloth and padding torn to shreds, and several with their components sitting in boxes for the engineering crew to reassemble. And then there was the utility cart that would never be the same again. She snickered quietly as it was she who had requisitioned a new one two months ago, and it was indeed the Captain that had denied said requisition. She guessed she'd be getting a new one afterall.
And, there was one Emergency Medical Hologram that was yet 38 minutes from coming online, still hidden deeply within the deepest guts of a diagnostic program.
Kiya scoured her face with her hands and sighed, 'ok Kiya, let's get this together. it's almost finished, just a few more words and you're out of the woods for today.' She leaned back over the pile of reports, glaring at them.
She grabbed the remaining PADD and began typing in the final notations, realizing with relish that once the last tittle of punctuation was entered and sent to the mainframe, she would finally, truly be finished! With a wide, exhausted smile, she relaxed and tapped the keys to save and log her last entry to the main medical database.
It was then that every last PADD went inexplicably black. Every word disappeared into the voids of electronic mockery. Kiya stared at the PADD in her hand with utter shock, sweat beading on her forehead.
"What the devil!" She growled and began tapping away at the last PADD. Nothing responded. She grabbed up three more and did the same, but they were as inert as the other one. She growled deep, dark curses in Apache and scrabbled through the PADDs with a desperation that was rare in her, each and every last blasted PADD was doing the same blasted thing: Nothing, hours of data gone!
Kiya was fuming as darkly as she'd been just a few hours before, when Alice had made the comment that resulted in a divot being punched into her office wall. And her hand still smarted from it too.
The doctor stood up suddenly, her chair rolling backwards into the wall making a profound crash. Her fists were tight balls, the skin taught and white across her knuckles, and she stomped out into the main room of Sickbay to go find a replicator and some much needed, nerve settling coffee.
Kiya growled several imaginative and possibly physically impossible, Apache ephithetes along the way. And she did so with such dire venom that several of the medtechs and one nurse scrambling to get out of their CMO's way.
The replicator on the wall sat there serene and silent, as Kiya stomped up to it. Just a few lights shining and a soft comforting hum that would usually be the very thing Kiya needed at a time like this. She glowered at it, her eyes nearing that familiar and dangerous black color once again. She took a huge sigh, closed her eyes and leaned her arm up to cradle her head against the wall, as if to confide in an understanding friend. Her body was trembling slightly and there was a distinct raspy quality to her voice.
"Capracian Coffee, black, 120 degrees fahrenheit. Double strength."
After several moments, Kiya's eyes popped open realizing nothing had happened. Her eyes darted down at the replicator bay to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, there was nothing there, just the soft, muted hum of the replicator and it's placid soft lights glowing cheerily at her. Her eyebrows shot downward again.
"Capracian Coffee, black, 120 degrees fahrenheit. Double strength." she said a little louder than before.
Still there was nothing. The muscles in her jaw were pulsing and her teeth were once again beginning to grit audibly. She stood away from the wall, her back rigid with anger, and stared hard at the defiant piece of electronic mockery.
"I said, Capracian Coffee, black, 120 degrees fahrenheit. Double strength."
"I heard you doctor, go make it yourself!" The replicator says in an entirely uncustomary voice, most definitely not the regular voice of the computer system.
Kiya's mouth drops open for only a second before she slams her jaw shut and growls deeply, this time a much more unrestrained string of Apache invectives. Several of the medical staff have now realised what is going on and are just a trifle concerned; nothing hacks off their CMO like a lack of black coffee when she needs it.
"I will say this one more time. Coffee. Black. 120 degrees fahrenheit. Double strength!"
The replicator began to make it's customary sounds of compliance. And just as uncustomarily began to spew hot, black, Capracian coffee, double strength, all over the fuming doctor. She stood there trembling soaking head to foot in the one thing she did not need to be wearing in this mood.
Kiya's hand slowly went up to her combadge and struck it into activation so harshly, that it nearly sprang from her uniform.
"Engineering?" she purred all too nicely, "Please send a crew to Sickbay. I am about to disassemble one of your replicators. Piece by infinite piece."
