Chapter Nine: Breakthrough

Looking at the station records had revealed the man's name as George Ladan, a low-ranking Starfleet technician who had just finished his week's duty shifts when he had been stricken.

Bashir let him sleep through the morning, until early in the afternoon he felt Ladan's condition warranted an attempt at waking him.

"Wha'…? Where…?" he mumbled, looking around dazedly.

"Shh," Dr Bashir soothed. "You're in the infirmary, but you're going to be fine."

Ladan's eyes swung wildly for another moment before finally managing to focus on the doctor. "Doc…"

"Yes; I'm Dr Bashir. How do you feel?"

"A little dizzy…weak. What happened?"

"Apparently you were bitten by a sort of insect that's cropped up here on the station," Bashir explained, running a tricorder scan as he spoke. "The venom doesn't seem to be especially dangerous in itself, but it prevents you from waking normally from sleep. As best I can figure, you were out for at least twenty-six hours, so you were pretty dehydrated by the time I found you."

The man yawned. "Safe…to sleep?"

"Yes," Bashir assured him with a smile. "Rest is the best thing as your body recovers; I'll wake you again this evening and see if you're up to eating anything."

"S'good," Ladan mumbled, and drifted to sleep again.

oOo

"Sorry," Ladan apologized when Bashir woke him once more, a bit more alert this time.

Bashir grinned. "My fault; I may have misjudged when your body would have been ready to regain consciousness. Feeling better this time?"

"Yeah…a bit. Could I have a drink?"

"Of course; the more fluids, the better." He held the cup of cool water for the man to sip. "I have them bringing some soup for you, too; you'll regain your strength quickly once you start eating."

"You…said it was a bug that did this?"

"Yes; do you remember being bitten?"

Ladan closed his eyes, thinking for a minute that stretched so long Bashir feared he had fallen asleep again. "Yeah," he said finally. "I was in one of the tubes to do repairs and saw a couple; I felt a pinch and brushed one of them off my neck, so I guess it probably bit me."

"Show me."

Leaning forward, the man laid a hand on the back of his neck. "Here, I think."

Bashir examined the area carefully, but after so long there was no longer even a red mark.

"You said it's not dangerous?"

"None of the victims have been displaying any dangerous symptoms so far," Bashir assured him.

"Still, I'm glad it was a little one that bit me," the man murmured.

Bashir stared at him. "A little one…and I've been doing all my research on the big ones!"

oOo

"So when I analyzed the venom from the immature insects, it matched the foreign compound that showed up on Jake's brain scans," Bashir explained excitedly.

Sisko half shrugged. "All right, so he was bitten by one of the smaller ones. Does knowing that get you any closer to finding a cure?"

"It just might," Bashir insisted, nearly bouncing on his toes in his eagerness. "After I found that out, I looked more closely at the fully mature insects. They do still produce that compound, but they also produce a second that seems to neutralize it. And if it neutralizes it in the bug, just maybe it will also serve as an antidote."

"Jake won't be the guinea pig for a maybe," Sisko said almost harshly.

"Of course not," Bashir agreed quickly. "I plan to run simulations —"

"And how much will those tell you? Blast it, man, you still don't know why it's doing what it's doing; how do you know the combination is really inert and won't just cause some other weird symptoms?"

"Look, I won't test it on Jake," Bashir promised quietly.

Sisko sighed, his anger deflated at the lack of a harsh response. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried — and he's only fourteen!"

"I know. I'll get this, Commander, I promise."

"Yes. Carry on, then, Doctor."

Next chapter coming next week!

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know!

Please note that I have only minimal internet access, and may not have time to respond to all reviews/messages. (But they are much appreciated, even if you're reading this story long after I originally post it!) If you have questions regarding my Deep Space Nine alternate history, check my profile first to see if they're answered there. Thanks for your understanding! Barbie