Thanks again for all the reviews! Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up.
"I demand to be released!" Sid was pacing back and forth in the brig, pausing at irregular intervals to bang on the walls with his stick. "Release me! I demand to be released!"
"I'm sorry, Sid," Captain Kirk told the sloth. "I can't do that."
"And why not?"
"Because you've proven to us that you are destructive and untrustworthy. If I let you out of there, you'll destroy the entire ship."
"No I won't. Not the entire ship..."
Doctor McCoy rolled his eyes.
"Release me," Sid demanded again.
"No. Not until we reach our destination," the Captain said.
Sid dropped to his knees and held his clasped hands in front of him. "Pleeeze?" the sloth begged.
"I said no."
"Mister Bossy." Sid stood up again and resumed pacing.
"We are going to leave you now," the Captain told the sloth. "Mr.Spock will be here shortlyto guard your cell."
"Spock?" Sid repeated. "You mean Mister Ears." Sid held his fists up to his ears and pointed one finger upward. "Circular thingy-ma-bob," he said, trying and failing to mimick Spock's voice.
McCoy turned away so the Captain wouldn't see him laughing.
"That's the one," Captain Kirk told Sid. "But you call him 'sir'."
"Oooh, big important Mister Ears."
Captain Kirk rolled his eyes and glanced over at McCoy, who could hardly contain his laughter. "Perhaps you need a drink of water," the Captain suggested, frowning.
The doctor composed himself. "Sorry, Jim," he said, still grinning. "But I've never seen a better imitation of Spock in my life."
"Is that so?" a voice said from behind.
McCoy jumped and spun around. "Oh... hello..." he stammered when he sawSpock standing there.
Spock simply raised an eyebrow and looked up at Captain Kirk. "Reporting for guard duty, sir," he said.
"Very good, Mr.Spock," the Captain replied. "Just make sure the sloth doesn't try anything."
"Captain, these cells are completely escape-proof. I--"
"Yes, yes, I know. What I should have said was, make sure nobody else tries anything. Do not let anybody open that door under any circumstances."
"Yes, Captain."
The Captain turned and started off down the hallway with McCoy right behind him.
Sid stuck his tounge out after them, and in doing so, accidentally brought his tongue into contact with the forcefield that contained the cell. There was a loud sizzling of electricity, and the forcefield disappeared. Sid stumbled backwards, slightly dazed.
Spock looked down at Sid, and started to draw his phaser to stun the sloth, but Sid recovered quickly. "I'm freeeeeee!" he cried as he darted past the first officer.
"Captain!" Spock called down the hallway.
Captain Kirk and McCoy turned in time to see Sid running towards them.
"It's loose!" McCoy cried.
Sid pointed his stick at the Captain and the doctor. "Stay back! I have a stick!"
Captain Kirk started to reach for his phaser.
"No weapons, please," Sid said. "I have been trained in the mighty ways of fending you off with a stick! Let me pass and nobody gets hurt!"
Spock fired his phaser, but Sid had already moved, and the stun blast from the phaser hit McCoy instead. Sid ran off down the hallway.
McCoy stumbled against the wall. "Somebody catch that thing!" he panted, fighting the dizziness from the stun blast.
"Are you all right, doctor?" Spock asked.
"Fine," McCoy growled. "No thanks to you."
Spock frowned and looked down at the phaser, as if his off-target shot was all the weapon's fault. "I apologize for my aim. The sloth moved faster than I anticipated."
"You sure you weren't just trying to get back at me for laughing at you?"
Spock raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that I, a Vulcan, would seek revenge? Honestly, doctor, I would think that--"
"Spock, not now," the Captain interrupted. He went to the nearest com link and alerted security to the loose sloth situation. "Bones, if you're not going to pass out, you can help them search for the sloth."
"What about him?" the doctor demanded, pointing to Spock.
"I want Mr.Spock to find out what went wrong with the forcefield, and fix it."
Spock nodded and walked back to the empty cell. Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy headed for the nearest turbolift.
---
Captain Kirk sat on the bridge, restlessly drumming his fingers on the armrest. An hour later, the sloth still had not been caught. Suddenly, the com link beeped. He jumped and turned it on. "Kirk here."
"Keptin!" Chekov cried from over the link. "There are lima beans on the floor!"
The Captain blinked, not sure he had heard right. "What?"
"Lima beans!" Chekov repeated.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know! They are everywhere! Pouring from the food processor! It must be that specimen from the planet, Keptin. It must have gotten into the food processor, somehow."
"All right, I'll be right there. Kirk out."
When Captain Kirk arrived in the lunch room, he was horrified to find that Chekov's description of the situation had been an understatement. Not only were there lima beans everywhere, the room was also covered with all kinds of veggetables, fruits, and flooded with soup and various beverages. The Captain stared at the chaos for a moment, until he heard an angry shout from across the room. He looked up to see McCoy coming towards him.
"Jim, there you are! Look at this mess! Now that sloth's gotten into our food supply! I swear, Jim, if I ever get my hands on that sloth--"
"Calm yourself, doctor," the Captain said. "I'm sure we'll be able to fix--" The com link on the wall beeped. Captain Kirk went over to it. "Kirk here," he said.
"Captain!" came Uhura's voice. "The sloth is on the bridge!"
"I'll be right there," the Captain said.
