Captain Stork of the Thunderchild materialized in San Francisco, just outside of Starfleet Medical. They had entered orbit a few hours ago and since he and his crew didn't have an immediate assignment and he wanted to check up on how the procedure was coming along once he came off duty. He looked around to get his bearings, once he realized that the building he was looking for was behind him, he turned around and entered it.

The senior staff with the exception of Doctor Plumley and Captain Allensworth and with the addition of Lieutenant Dowler were in the lobby waiting for the procedure to finish. Dustin and Hoshi were sitting side by side with their newly born infants, trying to keep them asleep or at least calm. Commander Merriell had come to Earth after his assignment on Cestus Three. He got here after the procedure had started and he didn't get the chance to talk to Doctor Plumley yet about the news of her family.

Captain Stork came walking into the lobby. Commander Sparhawk approached him and shook his hand.

"Any word yet?" He asked.

Sparhawk shook his head. "No, sir. Not yet. Doctor Plumley is still in there with the captain and his father."

Sparhawk held out a hand to offer a seat for the captain. He sat down next to Lieutenant Trinn and Lieutenant Dowler.

It was several hours later when Doctor Plumley completed the procedures necessary to heal Jermaine, the delicate process of restructuring his father's DNA was the most complex and time consuming task. Doctor Plumley walked out of the medical room. Everyone stood up from the sight of her.

"It was a success."

Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Can we see him?" Sparhawk said.

"I'll allow two at a time. Commander, you and Christine go first."

The two of them entered the room where the captain and his father were sitting on the edge of the biobeds. The two generations of Allensworth looked to the door when the first officer and counselor.

"That was thoroughly unpleasant." Allensworth said.

"How are you feeling, sir?" Jason asked.

"I'm a bit lightheaded but I'm fine."

Plumley walked through the doors, pulling out the tricorder from its holster on her belt and activating it. She ran it slowly over both the captain and his father, the device beeped, providing her with news that was obviously good to which produced a smile on her face.

"The treatment appears to be working." She said. "We're going to have to do several follow ups but that's something I could do without having to be here on Earth. I would say that our captain is on the road to recovery."

A few days later, Captain Allensworth walked out of Admiral Janeway's office and to his surprise he saw his father standing there waiting.

"Dad? I thought you went back home?"

"What? And miss out spending time with my son? Not on anyone's life." He said with a grin.

The two of them began walking down the corridor.

"So, do you want to go grab a bite to eat?" The older Allensworth asked.

"Sure. Where do you want to go?" Jermaine asked.

When Jermaine didn't get an immediate answer, he looked to his father. He could tell that there was something wrong. Keith Allensworth put his hand on the wall for support.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

"I'm…not sure."

Keith's knees buckled and he reached out to his son for support. Jermaine grabbed him to prevent him from falling to the floor. Once he had a firm grip on his dad, Captain Allensworth tapped his communicator.

"Allensworth to Medical, medical emergency outside Admiral Janeway's office."

Keith Allensworth awoke finding himself staring at the ceiling in the medical bay. In his peripheral vision, he could see Doctor Plumley and his son standing there talking quietly. From what he could tell, it wasn't very encouraging. He couldn't really make out any words.

"So am I all right?" Keith asked propping himself up on his elbows. The two of them quickly came over. Plumley gave the younger Allensworth a look before returning her gaze to the older Allensworth. "So how 'bout it, Doc? Am I all right?"

Plumley hesitated for a bit. "For now." She said.

That was not something Keith expected to hear. "What's wrong?"

Plumley expelled a weary sigh. "It would seem that my cure has a flaw that I wasn't able to anticipate in my simulations." Slowly, she left the side of his bed and activated a monitor mounted on a nearby wall. It activated displaying the familiar double helix of Keith Allensworth's DNA.

Everything looked fine at its current magnification but once Amanda zoomed in on the swirling helix, an irregularity became painfully apparent.

"The modifications I made to your genetic structure are mutating. And I don't know why."

"Can you fix it?" Keith asked.

Plumley nodded but carefully. "I already have but there are indications that the mutation is already starting to recur. For the moment it is contained in the areas altered during the genetic re-sequencing but the containment won't last."

"What does that mean?" Keith asked.

Plumley cleared the display with a quick tap of a button, and slowly closed the gap between them. "If it goes untreated, you will most likely die within a few weeks."

"Then treat it." Captain Allensworth said.

"You might want to reconsider that." Amanda said softly.

"Treatment of Keith would require a genetic reversion to her DNA's original, unaltered state. Unfortunately, that means improvements to his immune system are also reverted. That means I will no longer have the ability to treat you, sir."

"Can't you find someone else with similar DNA to help?" Allensworth asked.

"There is something unique in your father's DNA that allowed for the changes in his immune system to take place. It can only work with another family member."

Allensworth thought for a moment, thinking back to when the Terran Empire attacked Earth. Their attack killed all but two members of his entire family; his father and himself.

Allensworth was faced with a hard decision. Himself or his father.