There is from Uhura a small gasp, not overly loud as it escapes her taut throat, yet enough still to vocalise her shock. The eyelids of both herself and her Captain widen with the unsettling news.

"What?", Kirk utters but a single word, surrounded by an aura of tense air.

"Yeah... Now, I know what you're thinking...", resumes the good Doctor McCoy, "Thirty is a little too young for someone to have a heart attack, especially with him being so damn healthy. I mean, he just had a physical last week, and everything showed green across the board, so to speak. Nothing from that examination gave any warning signs, no fat build-up, no plaque...not a damn thing. Fast forward to today, and that's what I find when I open him up. The thing is, it's not exactly fat or cholesterol, or the Vulcan equivalent. It's something else.".

"Do you know what it is?", after intently listening, the Lieutenant locates her voice.

"By the looks of it, I'd say it's artificial. We're going to run some tests on his blood and this whatever-it-is to see if they'll come up with anything. What I do know, is that there's something weird going on.".

"How long do you think it's going to take?", queries the younger man.

"About an hour or so.", a quick glance at the patient as the doctor continues. "Might as well let you stay here; I can see that neither of you want to go anywhere. I'll call you over when I'm done."

"Thanks, Bones. We'll keep out of your way. I'm hoping it's something you can fix, but my gut tells me otherwise."

With those words, the group is separated, and thus begins the next task for the physician. Incredibly focused, he collects the vital fluid from the unconscious patient, the thick moss-toned liquid flowing into a clear vial in tidy speed.

Two vessels now filled with blood, and the medico moves to a nearby counter, atop of which there sits a microscope and an analysis machine. Utilising stable hands, several drops of the green fluid are deposited onto a clear tile, and the doctor places the sample beneath the microscope. The other vial is secured within the chamber of the analysis machine.

As the machine works by his side in a low buzz, his focused irises stare into the eyepiece, studying the droplets below. So intent is he in his task that be barely blinks, and his breaths are deliberately shallow and steady. Whatever has brought his friend into this state, will be sought by him and he will force it to reveal itself. There is within him a dread – nay, an expectation – that there is a sinister element at play. The very notion is an unpleasant one, yes, but the current circumstances surrounding this occurrence seem to indicate precisely that.

After an hour and a half, and several final checks to compare data from the analysis machine, the physician at last has an answer. His mind now enlightened by fresh information and a new light cast upon the rather perplexing source of the Vulcan's ailment, the doctor removes himself from the table. Approaching the two friends presently seated beside the patient's bed, he quietly summons their attention.

"What did you find out?", the Captain queries.

"Well...after some double and triple checking, now I know the 'what'. I found a foreign substance in his blood, which no doubt is the cause of the build-up in his arteries, and therefore the heart attack. It's some kind of poison, and it's still in his system, so I can't guarantee that he won't suffer another one. As for the 'how'...well, that still needs to be determined. I knew there was something real fishy about all of this, and I was right."

"This was a deliberate attempt at his life.", utters the Lieutenant, her mind and face both flush with a mix of sorrow and rage. "Who would do this? And why?"

"I wish I knew – "

A low sound emerges from the form atop the biobed, interrupting the physician and resulting in a rotating of heads.

"Hey, take it easy, pal...", a helping arm is extended by the doctor, "...you had a heart attack a few hours ago. I thought you'd be out for a few more."

"You...underestimate...Vulcan control, Doctor."

"Yeah, well, I didn't see much of this 'control' earlier."

"Those were...extenuating circumstances." A face of discomfort is made by the patient in his speech, as noted by those currently most proximate to him.

"Truthfully, I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. Right now, you need to rest."

"Be careful.", comes the tender suggestion from the Lieutenant with a gentle hand upon his face, sighting yet another pained expression on the Commander.

"Gentlemen, Lieutenant...if I may...continue... I had overheard your...discourse. Despite Vulcan being...the place of my birth, I was often...tormented by a number of its citizens for my...human heritage. Perhaps, it is the same...in this case, albeit in the reverse."

"Spock, are you implying that someone deliberately hurt you, because you're half Vulcan?", the Captain's quiz comes wrought with a deep concern.

"That is...precisely what I am implying, Captain."

"Xenophobia...", a near scoff of rage from the physician at the very notion, "I thought we were past all that crap."

"Although I wish...that were the case, Doctor...however, if my home planet...is but one...example, then clearly we are not."