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The Experiment
(short novel-20,232 words)
Introduction
Is that a Star Fleet Security Team? No--why would
a Security Team come here...? It’s just a
hallucination... I can’t lose control now. I’ve come too far.
But,... I thought hallucinations were
products of memory... I’ve never seen her before... I might as well
follow her. If she is an
hallucination than I am probably still resting in my chair... I
think we are docked on a
Starbase...That is if this isn’t all a dream. If only this truly
was a bad dream...Where are we
going?...Why am I being led here?
I don’t remember .....
****************************
Sometimes I hate being an Admiral. This
is all I’ve done all week -paperwork, mountains
and mountains of paper work. Yippee. If only something, anything,
would happen the
exasperated admiral was thinking when she heard the weirdly pleasant
whistle of someone
calling her.
“This is the Admiral,” she calmly responded.
“Admiral Katrina? The Experiment 0225 has
just docked. They are not responding and
the ship is on automatic,” replied the hesitant voice on the
other end.
Finally something besides paperwork she
thought to herself, but she all she said out loud
was, “Send an armed security force -fasers on stun- to check things
out, I’ll be down in a
minute.”
Why do these stupid elevators take so long.
Come on, hurry up! Finally.... “What
happened? And who are they?!?”
“They,” he gestured toward two apparently unconscious
men in Star fleet uniform, “were
found asleep, the Vulcan locked in his quarters and the other on the
floor in sickbay. And he,”
he added, indicating the third man, “claims he is Captain Kirk.
It turns out that James T. Kirk
was, in fact, the person in charge of test flying the Experiment.”
****************************
The Admiral was standing in an extremely bare
room. Across the table opposite her, in
the only other chair, was a very nervous man. She still couldn’t
believe what she had heard.
Besides the uniform, this man did not look like Kirk. Although
she had never seen him in
person, like everyone else she knew, she had seen him practically every
other way imaginable.
“So, Captain Kirk, why was your ship on automatic when you docked?”
she said in a ‘you can’t
fool me’ manner.
“The ship was set on auto early in the flight,”
he answered, as if the question was itself
pointless, she couldn’t help thinking.
“I see, and why did you not answer our hails? Your
communications system was fully operational.”
“I must not have heard it, Admiral.
I would have answered immediately if I had,” he
remarked, a little confused.
“We found two men asleep in the ship, how
do you explain that?”
“You found Spock and Bones? Are they all right?!?”
he asked unexpectantly.
“They’re fine,” she said a little surprised
and instantly curious, “But you did not answer
my question, Captain, how do you explain their condition?”
“I can’t honestly say that I know, it’s a
little hard to remember,” he said politely. “Please,
may I get a drink?”
“Yes of course, just a minute.” She
automatically signaled the cafeteria, “I’d like a glass
of water brought down here please.”
“Anything else Admiral?” buzzed the speaker.
“No, thank you.” I’d better arrange
for a doctor to check this guy over, he looks a little
ill. “Wait, yes I’d like you to get me Doctor Charles please.”
“Yes?” questioned a new, deep voice on the
other end.
“Can you check over Captain Kirk when he arrives
at his quarters?”
“Yes, I can be there in half an hour,” he
replied.
“All right, but you don’t need to rush, he’ll
be there in about an hour,.... Admiral out.
“Now, Captain Kirk, about the Experiment...”
she began as she turned back toward Kirk.
His face was oddly unresponsive: he didn’t appear to have heard her.
“James?” she tried again
with no response. “James?!?” she said louder this time, alarm
hinted in her voice.
“...I’m afraid I didn’t hear the question
Admiral,” he said apologetically slow.
“When was the last time you slept?” she questioned,
a new idea forming in her head.
“I....” he winced at the contact his back
made as he sank back in his chair, defeated. “I
can’t remember,” he replied in a dogged, desperate tone.
“You may go to your quarters Kirk, the officer
outside the door will show you the way,”
she said gently. She waited for his weak response and then started
to signaled the doctor of the
Captain’s early arrival. She couldn’t seem to stop wondering...
why was Kirk so tired? ....
“Doctor? Kirk will be arriving at his quarters shortly. He---”
The Admiral was cut off by a muffled thump.
Worried and a little annoyed at the
interruption, she abruptly turned to see what Kirk had dropped.
“Kirk!” she exclaimed as the
sight of the unconscious form met her eyes. “We need you in here
immediately, Doctor!”
Spock had been awakened. But by what?
he wondered. It disturbed him greatly that
his memory was so fuzzy. He had just realized that he was on
a star ship when he heard several
worried voices. I had better go see what the commotion is.
His sore muscles screamed in
objection as he moved toward the door way. He could clearly distinguish
four busy voices once
he reached the door way and turned toward the hall on his right.
What he saw there alarmed him;
two doctors, an admiral and a person in civilian clothing hovering
over the figure they were
carrying.
They were calling him... “Jim!” Spock said,
thoroughly alarmed at this startling
information. He rushed -that is he hurried as quickly as his
tired body could take him- to the
Captain’s side. “What happened?” he demanded, quickly attempting
to assess the situation.
“He blacked out.” The doctor who had spoken
read his tricorder carefully before
continuing, “He is lacking sufficient amounts of virtually every vitamin!”
the doctor paused
before continuing more slowly, “His cells are slightly deprived of
oxygen, and all bodily
functions show evidence of stress. And...,” he hesitated, “There
are minuet traces of stimulants
in his blood,” he said, calm but quizzical.
As Spock followed the doctors into a nearby
room, he quietly examined what little
memory he had of his voyage on the Experiment for the surprisingly
meaningful word stimulants.
****************************
“All this man needs for now is sleep, we can’t
do anything else at the moment. That
includes you Sir,” she addressed the Vulcan. He reluctantly headed
for the waiting room,
pausing once to lean heavily on the door frame. He looks tired
Doctor Susan reflected as she set
the equipment to notify her when the captain woke up. Hey,
isn’t he another person from the
Experiment....
She started to follow the Vulcan into the
waiting room. Vulcans never show this level of
exhaustion that I know of... she recalled as she easily overtook
him. As soon as he had sat down,
she ran her tricorder over him, noticing that he winced visibly at
the sound. The exact same
symptoms, just as I had expected. “After you are done
resting, I strongly suggest you get something
to eat Mister...”
“Spock... is my name,” he replied faintly,
“Your recommendation has been noted
Doctor.”
As she left him to his dreams she decided
to check on the third man she had seen arrive
from the Experiment. That is, as soon as I find out where
he is....
****************************
Spock slowly awakened from a deep, deep sleep
filled with the constant memory of pain
and confusion. Just before he woke up fully, he heard someone
calling his name.... He was still
very groggy when he looked with heavy eyes at the bright world around
him. The voice
continued to call his name from somewhere beyond the wall opposite
him.... He commanded his
muscles to move and was surprised at their slow stiffness. He
felt as if he were being weighed
down as he carefully made his way to the door way. He opened
the slightly ajar door fully and
looked numbly into a room not quite as brightly lit but still painful
to look into. What appeared
to be a bed in the far corner was the fuzzy source of whatever was
calling his name. He was
much closer to being completely awake when he came close enough to
see the figure of a man
laying on the bed, oblivious to his presence and still calling his
name.
“Spock... Spock..... Spock where are you ...?
Spock... the lights......Spock...,” the sleeping
man whispered in muddled confusion.
Spock, now fully awake, realized with a start
that it was the Captain asleep on the bed.
He started to remember arriving in sick bay, and suddenly wondered
where
is McCoy?, they
certainly hadn’t left him asleep in a chair where Spoke barely remembered
seeing him last.
Spock took in the Captain’s tossing figure.
He had thrown the covers off him long ago in
a cold sweat. His scratchy voice came through parched lips.
A look of desperation was
continually on his haggard face.
As Spock pulled the covers back over the presently
shivering Captain he saw a small
table and glass next to the bed, and next to the table a chair in the
corner of the small rectangular
room. He picked up the glass full of water and attempted to force
Kirk to drink. Kirk willingly
paused to take a small drink and started to settle down a little.
While Spock turned down the lights in Jim’s
room he noticed a burning hunger that he
would just have to ignore for awhile. He walked out into the
hall nearby, carefully closing the
door behind him. Just as he was turning away from the door, he was
jostled, and, if it weren’t for
the wall close by, would certainly have lost his balance.
“I’m sorry, I was very distracted, I should
have been paying attention,” stammered a light,
fragile sounding voice belonging to the slight man man who had almost
bulldozed him over.
“I agree,” Spock said a little gruffly.
“Do you know where a Doctor McCoy is?”
“No, I don’t,” he said bluntly. “I must
be going...”
“Of course,” Spock muttered.
As the man left, Spock could hear him commenting
loudly about ‘when will they be
coming? are you sure?’ into his comunicator. Spock wished he could
quiet the man. It’s loud
enough in the halls already he thought. As he wondered
how to go about his search, he spotted
the doctor he had conversed with earlier, and noticed that, unfortunately,
she had spotted him
as well. Although he did not want to listen to her inevitable
reminders of his condition, he
needed to know where McCoy was. Being a doctor, she was likely to know
where a person in
Mycoy’s condition was staying.
“Did you rest well, Mister Spock?” she asked
as she advanced toward him.
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Do you know
where Dr. McCoy is?” he inquired, the hope he
felt not evident in his voice.
“He is in the second door on the left down
that hall,” she informed him as she indicated
the hallway on his left. “Last time I saw him he was still asleep.
Is there anything else?”
“Yes, where is the cafeteria?” he replied
after a moment’s hesitation.
“The tenth door on the right,” she stated,
this time pointing to Spock’s right. “Is that all,
I’m afraid I must be going.”
“Yes, thank you,” Spock said.
Everyone
here seems to be busy Spock speculated as he
headed for Mycoy’s room.
****************************
McCoy knew that he had been drifting in and
out of sleep. Every time his dreams of
confusion dimmed he could hear the outside world around him.
Sometimes he would hear
voices accompanying the beeping of the machines, and every once in
a while he could even tell
what they were saying. Until now he had not been rested enough
to open his eyes, let alone even
think about sitting up. When he did open his eyes he saw a solitary
figure towering over him.
Alarmed, he bolted into an upright position,
his confusion not helped by the spinning
room. “Spock?” he asked, afraid of the thin giant beside him.
He also realized that, in every one
of his dreams, Spock was in some kind of trouble.
“Yes, Doctor,” the comfortingly familiar voice
replied.
“Is Jim all right?” he inquired, vaguely aware
that if the Vulcan was not ‘all right’ he
would not be standing there.
“The Captain is sleeping, although I cannot
say peacefully,” Spock said as he lifted a
glass to McCoy’s lips.
“Are you all right?. You look like you
haven’t eaten In weeks!” McCoy said worriedly.
“I was intending on visiting the cafeteria
shortly,” Spock assured him while he drank, the water
scorching his throat.
“I would join you if I could move without
having the room move. Spock, I.. I don’t
remember, where are we?” he questioned as his vision cleared, while
his memory did not.
“I assume we are on a Starbase,” Spock’s eyebrow
lifted as he spoke, “I am forced to
assume simply because I also am having difficulty remembering.
Is there anything further
Doctor?”
“No, just turn down the lights when you leave,”
McCoy said with a loud yawn. He was
barely conscious of hearing Spock exit when he thought I wonder
how long I’ve been out....
Spock.... I can’t reach Spock.... must stop....NO!!!
“Aaahhhhh!!!,” the Captain screamed
hoarsely as he awakened in a cold sweat.
“Captain, it is only me---,” a familiar voice
began.
“Spock? But... I...” Jim interrupted
in confusion. “But your... Spock, your.. your okay,”
he said despite the sticky roof of his mouth, thoroughly bewildered.
“You were dreaming Captain. We are on
Starbase Eleven, McCoy is fine and so am I,”
Spock quickly explained as he picked up a glass.
“Where is McCoy? What happened?” he
whispered, breathlessly relieved.
“Last I knew, the Doctor was resting peacefully.
You, however, persist to toss and yell in
your sleep,” Spock said. “And you keep refusing to drink,” he added
when Kirk looked quizically
at the glass, sitting up slowly.
Jim , noticing his hot, sticky mouth and dry
lips, began to take a drink. He gagged at the
sudden pain in his throat, involuntarily spitting the water back out.
A sudden coughing fit over
took him. He sat up the rest of the way and pressed his knees
to his chest as the excruciating
pain in his throat, stomach and lungs overwhelmed him. The coughing
seemed as if it would
never stop, even though Spock supported him firmly. After a while
it did, in fact, subside,
leaving Kirk panting hoarsely from the sudden exursion.
Kirk looked with surprize and uncontrollable
fear as Spock, despite the swimming room,
brought the glass closer to Kirk. Unable to speak in his current
condition, Jim shook his head
wildly as anouther violent wave of nausia hit him. A short, brutal
spasm of coughing enveloped
him. As soon as it was done, his vision started to clear and
his breathing slowly became less
difficult and more evenly spaced. The nausia too started to fade
away.
“Captain,” Spock began gently, “you must drink
as soon as you are able, it is impervious
to your health.”
Kirk, still clutching his knees, nodded weakly.
He fought back his fear as the glass came
closer.
“I strongly suggest drinking more slowly,”
Spock said helpfully.
Jim took a slow, painful drink, fighting his
need for breath in order to drink a significant
amount. He delayed breathing a little to long, causing a weak
caugh once he was through. At
least it washed some of the stickiness away he thought
vaguely.
He noticed in the near dark of his room the
slight movement of Spock’s eyebrow. A
moment later, he heard footsteps approaching and soon after the voices
that came with it.
“It appears as though Dr. McCoy is quite awake,”
Spoke informed him.
“Of course I’m awake, a man can’t sleep forever
you know,” McCoy commented as he
appeared in the door way. Directing his gaze toward the Captain
he continued, “Although I was
beginning to wonder about you.” After a worried moment he continued.
“It just so happens that I
brought one for you too,” he said as he produced three bowls and spoons.
“I figured you would
be hungry when you woke up. Be careful not to eat to much though,
the stomach cramps would
be worse than the hunger.”
Kirk suddenly noticed a burning hunger within
him. How could I have managed to
ignore that? he wondered. “Now that you mention it, I
am hungry,” he said as he took the bowl
McCoy offered him.
“Well Spock... aren’t you hungry?” McCoy asked
as Spock eyed the bowl he was offered
warily.
“That depends on what is being offered,” he
replied slyly.
“It’s apple sauce Spock. Don’t you trust
me?” McCoy innocently asked.
“I’ve trusted you before, Doctor, with unpleasant
results,” he stated as he cautiously took
the bowl from McCoy.
Kirk decided to try it, after all, he was
hungry. An almost unbearable pain went down his
tortured throat. He tried to hide the withering pain as he set
the bowl down next to him. I’m not
that hungry yet he thought. “How long have I been out?”
he inquired curiously.
“Thirty-two hours,” McCoy said bluntly.
“Thirty-one point eight seven two hours exactly,”
Spock corrected.
“Impossible! How can I possibly sleep
thirty-one point eight... uh--” he began.
“Seven two hours,” Spock supplied.
“--and still be tired!?!” Kirk vented exitedly.
He hated not knowing the answers.
“As soon as we figure it out we’ll tell you.
For goodness sakes calm down!” McCoy
almost shouted, alarmed at the Captain’s excitement.
“What is going on?” a Doctor who had seemed
to appear out of nowhere asked. Then,
after looking at them all, she declared, “I will not have my
patients disturbing each other. I
strongly suggest you leave.”
“We didn’t mean to disturb you Jim, you should
probably be getting more rest,” McCoy
said reluctantly.
Kirk stifled a yawn. “Amazingly enough,
even after thirty-two hours of sleep, I’m still
tired,” Kirk commented, truly amazed. “I guess I’ll see you in
an hour,” he said, still unable to
believe his own weariness
“See you in an hour Kirk,” McCoy chuckled as they
all left.
“Spock...wait,” the Captain asked with an unsteady
voice only Spock could hear.
Spock, the last to leave, paused and faced the Captain.
“Yes Captain?” he answered.
“Please... come closer,” he said hesitantly.
As Spock obeyed the Captain’s wishes he thought
why
would the Captain want me
closer, he knows I can hear him at this distance. When
he was less than a foot away he stopped
and said, “What is it Captain?”
“Hold out your hand Spock,” the Captain requested,
his voice trembling.
Fascinated at the sudden turn of events, Spock
held out his hand, palm up in the Captain’s
direction. He watched carefully as Jim reached his hand out toward
his own, stopped, then with
a quivering hand, touched Spock gently. The moment the Captain’s
hand touched his it
immediately relaxed and then gripped his hand strongly. After
Jim Kirk had released his grip
Spock asked with concern and curiosity, “Do you care to explain the
significance of this event?”
All evidence of worry and trouble had left
Jim’s face and body. He was evidently
relieved when he said, “It seems silly now, but I thought I might be
dreaming still, or maybe even
hallucinating. So many pieces don’t fall into place.
Even though my memory is a blank, when I
woke up I was sure there was no way you could be here, in the same
room with me. I had a
strong feeling that you were out of my reach... It’s hard to explain.”
“McCoy and I are also having memory problems,”
Spock informed him. He moved to a
chair in the corner of the room. He sat down and began to wonder
how much the ‘apple sauce’
McCoy had given him would hurt his throat.
Seeing his indecision, the Captain warned,
“I would be careful, that stuff set my throat on
fire.”
“I was already aware of the acute pain you
experienced while swallowing,” he said
truthfully. The captain chuckled softly as he quickly drifted
off to sleep. Spock was too hungry
to refuse the food he was holding. Heeding McCoy’s advice, he
took small, burning swallows
and then stopped despite his hunger.
But he didn’t stop simply because the Doctor
warned him. His eyes had quickly begun to
droop after eating half of what he had been given. He had to
quickly set the bowl down on the
table before he slumped back into his chair.
**********************
Doctor Charles glanced at the clock. It’s
about time I checked on them he said to himself.
He left his quarters and headed down the hall to his left. It
didn’t take him long to get there; it
was only three doors from his room.
He walked into the room and turned toward
the Vulcan. The instant he pulled out his
tricorder, the Vulcan opened his eyes and lunged out of his chair toward
the waiting room. Once
there, he leaned heavily on the door way, looking disoriented.
The Doctor was about to reach the
sickly looking Vulcan when the humanoid stumbled toward the bathroom
door, a hand on his forehead in a
sign of obvious confusion. The Vulcan, using the door frame for
support, staggered in, closing
the door behind him.
The Doctor lingered in front of the bathroom
until he heard his patient throw up and rinse
his mouth out . What’s wrong with him? he wondered as he
hurried inside. “Are you okay?” he
asked anxiously.
The Vulcan was leaning heavily on his side
against the right wall, facing the Doctor. He
breathed laboriously, raising his face, drained of color, to meet the
Doctor’s gaze. “I believe I
will need your assistance getting back,” he admitted breathlessly.
Charles calmly proceeded to the Vulcan’s side.
He was surprised how much the Vulcan
used him for support as they cautiously made their way to the chair
he had previously occupied.
The walk was so taxing they had to rest briefly at the door way leading
into the room where his
other patient lay.
Before they started to cross the room again the Vulcan’s
head jerked up. He
immediately staggered in the direction of the bed. Luckily it
wasn’t far away. Charles caught
him as he faltered next to the bed. Before he could finish righting
the Vulcan he heard a faint
whisper, “Spock...” coming from the bed.
In response to the voice the Vulcan knelt down,
took the patient’s hand in his own, cradled
his head and said, “I am here Jim.”
“Spock?...” the sleeping figure murmured
“I am right here Captain,” he replied, glancing
at the clock. “Jim,” he said as he reached
for a glass on the table, “I need you to drink this.” Spock pressed
the glass of water to the
patient’s dehydrated mouth. The patient trustingly took a large
gulp of water, wincing as it went
down his throat. The Vulcan quickly handed the Doctor the glass
and started to loosen his grip
on the Captain’s hand as the Captain bagan coughing.
“Bones?” the patient inquired as he gazed
through blurry eyes at Charles. Before Charles
could reply the confused man continued, “McCoy, I don’t want any more
of your medicines.”
“Let me sleep naturally for once...” he mumbled as he slipped back
into sleep.
“Indeed,” Spock agreed from his new position
in the chair.
What is going on? the confounded Doctor
thought as he looked quizzically at the Vulcan.
“Dr. McCoy... of course,” the Vulcan marveled.
Obviously seeing the confused look on
the Doctor’s face he continued, “There are sleep inducers in our food,”
he gestured weakly
toward the bowls on the table next to him, “and probably many vitamins
as well.” “There are no
doubtedly pain killers in our drinks also,” he speculated. “Dr.
McCoy put the inducers in our
food with the intention of preventing us from accidentally eating more
than our stomachs’ could
hold, and, of course, to insure that we slept well,” he paused
to get his drink from the table.
After taking a drink, he continued, “Unfortunately he flawed his plan
by switching our bowls.
The Captain fell asleep soon after one bite of the food containing
Vulcan drugs. Since I was not
informed of the proper quantity of food to consume I quickly exceeded
my limit before the
weaker human drugs took affect, hence my unwelcomed experience after
your arrival.”
The Vulcan went into a short, rough coughing
fit before looking up at the clock again.
With sudden revelation and conviction Spock shot straight out of his
chair. He immediately put
his hand to his forehead, teetering precariously for a moment before
he thrust his other hand out
in order to steady himself against the wall. The Doctor reached
his side the moment the Vulcan’s
hand found the wall. He carefully helped ease Spock back into
his chair.
“You must inform Vikeem of my inability to
meet with him,” he said forcefully, as if
to clear the confusion in his head.
“I will,” Charles promised. “You just rest
for a while,” he said firmly. The Vulcan drifted
off to sleep with an almost imperceptible nod as Charles began scanning
him.
Kirk walked into a room full of many different
types of humanoids and other beings.
And just like the nights before, to the amusement of everyone around
him, he ordered water and
walked with it toward a corner of the room. Ever since he had
arrived at the base he had been
having trouble sleeping. Every night he had dozed off around
midnight just to wake up again at
6’o clock in the morning, unable to go to sleep. So he came here
again to the carefree
atmosphere of the recreation room, where everybody was laughing and
drinking, having a good
time.
Tonight, or rather this morning, there were
two Vulcans observing what Spock would call
a facinating display of the illogic of other species. Kirk sat
down, just to find that he was too
restless to stay still long. He got up, walked around the room
listlessly until he was back where
he started, and then sighed with boredom as he leaned against the wall.
For lack of something better to do, he watched
the Vulcans. The male Vulcan stood up as
if to leave, then turned back toward the female Vulcan who was soon
standing as well.
He held his hand up in the normal Vulcan salute.
----Flash!----
Kirk was surprized to find himself on a bridge,
facing Spock. Spock said with his hands
easily forming a Vulcan salute, “Live long and prosper, Captain Kirk,
Dr. McCoy.” Kirk felt a
deep remorse as Spock left the bridge. McCoy said half heartedly,
“I never could seperate my
fingers like that.”
----Flash!----
Kirk was back in the recreation room, his
heart beating impossibly quick, still staring at
where the Vulcans had been. Now there was only the female Vulcan,
staring at him oddly. He
still couldn’t believe what had just appeared to have happened.
He walked the short distance
between him and the Vulcan and asked breathlessly, “What happened?
Did I just space out?”
“Space out?” the Vulcan asked.
“Did I look like I wasn’t there... like I
might be asleep?”
“Yes,” the Vulcan confirmed.
Kirk sat down wearily in the booth beside
them, his head in his hands; his glass on the
table.
She sat down across from him with a deep frown
and asked, “Are you well?”
“I guess... It’s just that I couldn’t have
possibly spaced out because of what I’m drinking,”
he explained, indicating his glass of water on the table. “I
hope it’s simply from lack of sleep.”
He leaned back, facing the Vulcan.
“You do appear to be experiencing fatigue,
you should resting.”
“I’ve tried. Every night since I got
here I have woken up at six, tired but unable to sleep.”
She looked at him critically for a while before
asking, “You have only been drinking
water?”
“Yep. Just water.” he looked around
at the noisy room surrounding him, feeling a
sudden urge to escape. He stood up and asked hopefully, “Do you
play chess?”
“Yes.” She examined him worriedly as
a he allowed a smile to form.
“I would be delighted if you would join me
for a game. But not here,” he said, looking
with unwarented disgust at his surroundings. “I don’t really
care where; my quarters, any where
but here.”
“Okay.” She stood up to follow
him. They both wove their way through the small
crowd to the door. When they left Kirk felt as if someone was
following them. He spotted a
service robot out of the corner of his eye, turning his head to see
it more clearly. Nothing, it was
absolutely nothing.
“Sir?” the Vulcan asked worriedly.
“My name is Kirk. I just... I thought
that I saw one of those new service robots, that’s all.”
They walked in silence the rest of the way to his quarters. He
could almost feel her eyes on him,
examining him thoughly as they walked down the hall.
Kirk shivered as they passed an adjoining
hallway, a sense of fear and dread passing
through him. He unconsciously increased his pace, reaching his
quarters quickly and entering
them gratefully. As he reached to turn the lighting up he requested,
“Computer, start game--” He
turned around to see a game of free cell on display. “Computer,
I have yet to specify which
game,” he said disaprovingly.
“You specified the type of game earlier, James,”
the computer explained.
He walked over to the display as he replied, “Oh....I would like
a game of chess. And
Computer,...”
“Yes, James.”
“Address me by my last name.”
“.....Yes, Kirk.” A game of 3-D chess replaced
the card game as the Vulcan walked to the
opposite end of the small oval table with the display on it.
“I almost forgot, what is your name?” Kirk
asked as he looked at his computer screen.
He transfered a game in progress to Spock’s computer as he contimplated
his first move.
“T’Pel,” she answered as he moved one of his
peices. The game progressed slowly. Kirk
was finding it more difficult to concentrate, and it didn’t help that
T’Pel was constantly watching
him. He walked away from the table, frusturated and distracted:
he was sure he was losing.
“What is wrong?” T’Pel inquired.
“Something’s missing...” he searched his mind
as his gaze slowly swept the room. He put
his hands to his face in a frusturated gesture. My glasses he
thought. Kirk walked back over to
the computer and looked down where he had last placed his reading glasses.
There was nothing
beside the computer. He rested his fingertips lighty where his
glasses should be, frowning with
thought. T’Pel watched him closely as he leaned over the table
in an effort to look at the floor.
There they are... they must have fallen off he thought to himself as
he crouched down to pick up
the glasses in their case.
When he stood up, removing the glasses from
the case, he noticed that T’Pel was
standing next to him. “My glasses. I forgot my glasses,”
he explained as he put them on. T’Pel
moved back to the game and so did Kirk. “Maby now I’ll win.”
Kirk did do better, but he was not winning.
It was a little easier to focus now but it
slowly continued to more difficult. After about five minutes
T’Pel won.
“Hmmm...” Kirk began, looking at the game
and wondering how he could have lost by
such a large margin.
“What is it?” T’Pel asked.
“I’m not used to losing, at least, not like
that.”
“Considering your frame of mind you did well.”
“Yeah.... Sometime, when I’m more awake, we
should have a rematch.”
“As soon as you are well,” T’Pel said as she
headed for the door. Kirk turned toward the
door. He immediatly found himself at the door with the Vulcan.
“Is something wrong?”
“N-no, I ah... just been reminded how tired
I really am is all.”
T’Pel frowned and formed the Vulcan salute
with her hand. “Live long and prosper,
Kirk.”
“Goodby- I mean, live long and prosper, T’Pel.”
Steven activated the door chime on Kirk’s quarters.
“Come in,” he heard someone say
from inside. Steven opened the door and entered, checking his
list again to make sure he had the
right room. When he looked up he saw a man looking at a card
game on the table in front of
him. The man didn’t seem to be looking at anything really, like
his eyes just happened to be
directed at the game in progress.
Steven wondered what he should do. The
man seemed to be oblivious to his presense.
While Steven was thinking this the man’s eyes flikered as if switched
on. He leaned back in the
chair and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Steven was about to speak when
the man looked up at him, starting in surprise at his presense.
He put his glasses on and glanced
quickly at the door way and then back at Steven in confusion.
“Are you James T. Kirk?” Steven asked.
“Yes, I didn’t hear you come in,” Kirk said
with a deep frown.
“You said I could come in. I’ve got
the medication you requested.”
“I didn’t request any medicine,” Kirk said,
turning back to his game. “Are you sure it’s
for me?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“That’s impossible... wait,” Kirk said, obviously
tired. “What kind of medicine?”
Steven glanced at the small bottle he was
carrying. “Sleeping pills.”
“They’re for me,” he sighed. “Does T’Pel
have anything else to say?”
“She said that if you were awake enough to
figure out who sent these then I’m supposed
to tell you...,” Steven looked at his list again. “If your still
awake when she checks on you than
the date is off.”
Kirk chuckled softly, taking the bottle from
him. “That’s scary: a Vulcan with a sense of
humor.” Kirk set the bottle down on the table and turned his
attention back to his game.
“If that is all, than you should probably be going.”
“Well... she asked me to tell her if you took
any...”
“As soon as I finish my game I will, and not
before.”
Steven left quickly, not looking foward to
telling the Vulcan what Kirk had said. He
checked his list and headed for the next room on it.
Where is Kirk? McCoy thought worriedly.
He was supposed to meet me here.... McCoy
got up and headed out the door, turning in the hallway toward Kirk’s
quarters.
When he got there he rang the bell on the
door. No answer. “Computer, where is Kirk?”
he asked impatiently.
“Kirk is in his quarters.”
McCoy opened the door to Jim’s quarters and
stepped in. Kirk was in a chair, facing a
card game being displayed on the table in front of him. But Kirk
was not paying attention to the
game; his chin rested on his upturned hand, his other arm hanging limply.
Jim was asleep.
“Jim?”
Kirk stirred in his chair, slowly opening
his eyes. “Yes, Bones? What are you doing here?” he asked
groggedly.
“I was about to ask you the same thing.
What are you doing asleep at lunch time?”
Kirk jerked up in his chair, his eyes growing
wider with disbeleive. “Lunchtime? I...
must have fallen asleep.”
McCoy looked at the bottle beside the computer.
He picked it up to find out what it was.
“Well if you took one of these no wonder.
Have you been having sleeping problems your not
telling me about?”
“The funny thing is, I didn’t take them.
I was going to but....” Kirk’s voice trailed off as
he turned toward the game on the table.
“Kirk, are you having trouble sleeping?
And don’t even try to tell me your not; why else
would you even think of taking these?” McCoy held up the sleeping pills
for emphasis, knowing
that Kirk hated to rely on medication for anything.
Kirk easily finished the free cell game as
he replied, “Its nothing serious, I just keep
waking up early. And the sedatives weren’t even my idea.”
“How early?”
“Around six.” Kirk avoided McCoy’s gaze as
he spoke. “Computer, end game.”
“Well, that’s not too early. Certaintly
not early enough to make you accept--”
“I’ve just been having a little trouble sleeping,
that’s all,” Kirk inturupted.
“Well, I guess I better let you rest...”
“No, no. I’m fine. How about some
lunch?” Kirk stood up and walked to the door.
“It’s not as if anything I say will stop you,”
McCoy grumbled as he joined the Captain.
Kirk grinned at the comment as he activated
the door. He was still grinning when they
headed toward the cafiteria.
Motsaim was sitting in a far corner of the
recreation room, observing the many sentient
creatures that often gathered there. A frustrated human had once
told him that it was impossible
to explain human behavior and customs because humans themselves didn’t
always know why
they acted the way they did. Motsaim had found this perplexing
and had been attempting to find
out about humans ever since. But every time he thought he had
an aspect of human nature
figured out he would see something to the contrary.
He had been observing humans in the recreation
room for two weeks now. Many humans
insisted on consuming large quantities of alcohol: one had even passed
out the day before. In
fact there was only one human he knew to have never consumed or even
order any every time he
came. He was also the only human who came regularly.
The past three days this human had arrived
approximately six-thirty every morning.
Every time he had ordered water and then walked to a table near where
Motsaim was sitting.
The human had appeared to be increasingly tired every time he came;
his feet dragged more and
he walked around less each time.
It is almost time for him to arrive, although
it would not surprise me if he was late. It is
unusual for a human to be consistent Motsaim thought.
His idea of human inconsistency was shaken
when the human arrived at exactly six-thirty.
He walked slowly to the counter, stumbling a little as he walked.
After a brief moment he picked
up his usual water and headed for the corner of the room where Motsaim
was already sitting.
The humans slowness and clumsiness disturbed
Motsaim. Maybe he is drunk. Motsaim
walked over to check on the human, suspecting that the human might
pass out. As he came
closer the human sat down, hugging his knees to his chest and mumbling
softly to himself. He
had his eyes closed and was constantly figiting.
Just as Motsaim reached his side the human
jerked his head up. After a quick glance at
his surroundings the human stood up unsteadily and whispered, “What...
I’m not supposed to be
here...”
The human’s breathing was swift and shallow
as he tried to walk past Motsaim. Seeing
the human’s distress and confusion Motsaim firmly forced him to sit
back down.
The human looked at him and said, “You don’t
understand... I should be in my
quarters...”
“You are in no condition to walk.”
“How did I get here?”
The question caught Motsaim off gaurd.
“You do not remember?” The human shook his
head slowly. “You walked.”
“But...” The human sighed resignedly
and began to explain, “I took sedatives. I’m not
supposed to wake up until nine.”
“Are you sure?”
“...Yes... Will you walk with me to my quarters?”
The human stood up again, this time
not unsteadily: just slowly.
“Yes.” Although he doubted the human’s
capability to walk unaided, he could see that
the human would probably go on without him if he refused. The
human began to walk slowly
past him as he said, “I’m Kirk, and you are...?”
“Motsaim. Kirk, have you been consuming
alcoholic drinks?”
“No,” Kirk said grinning. “If you don’t
beleive me ask him,” Kirk challenged, indicating
the bartender.
“He would not know of what you do else where.”
Kirk shrugged half heartedly. They walked
in silence out of the recreation room. In the
hall way Kirk paused and turned toward Motsaim. “Tell me if there
is anyone following us,” he
said in a slightly shaky voice.
“There is no one near.”
Despite Motsaim’s statement, Kirk kept glancing
behind them. His breathing became
faster as they walked along the hall way. Soon Motsaim heard
a small trilling sound, followed by
the sound of footsteps approaching. Kirk stopped at the sound,
his breathing increasing in rate.
“Is something wrong?” Motsaim asked.
Kirk hesitated, looking in the direction of
the trilling as a human drew nearer. The human
was holding a furry ball in her hands from which the trilling sound
seemed to be emanating. “I
hate tribbles,” Kirk said flatly.
“How can anyone hate tribbles?” the woman
asked. She was now standing beside Kirk
with the tribble still in her hands. Kirk jerked back; he had
obviously not realized the human was
so close. “Only Klingons hate tribbles. But your not a
Klingon, otherwise the tribble wouldn’t
like you.”
Kirk tentatively reached out a hand toward
the tribble as he replied, “Well, I dislike
tribbles..... It’s a long story.” He stopped petting the tribble
and explained, “We need to be
going.”
After they had began to depart Motsaim asked,
“Why did you say you didn’t like
tribbles?”
“Like I said, it’s a long story.”
“I would like to hear it.”
Kirk glanced behind him before he continued.
Despite what he had said about his dislike
for tribbles it had seemed to have a calming effect on him. “Once
I had to deal with a lot of
tribbles on my bridge and the rest of my ship. My crew didn’t
know how much to feed them. I
had hoped never to see another.”
As he spoke they passed an adjacent hall way.
His pace had increased as they walked
past, and he had looked down both sides as well. Motsaim was
about to ask him where his
quarters were when Kirk jumped back, frightened by something at his
feet. He looked at
Motsaim and away from the floor as he asked in a trembling voice, “There
is nothing there is
there?”
Motsaim could see nothing. “There is
nothing there, just as there is no one following us.”
Kirk turned toward the nearest door on the
left and acctivated the door chime. “Maybe
we should be heading for sickbay. Is this your quarters?” Motsaim
asked cautiously.
Kirk shook his head and replied, “This is
Spock’s quarters.” The door opened to reveal a
tired Vulcan who had probably been woken up.
“Kirk?” the Vulcan asked a little slowly.
“Spock, I have some things to tell you.”
Kirk walked past the Vulcan into Spock’s
quarters.
Spock looked quizically at Motsaim and said,
“Would you excuse us for a moment
Kirk?” Spock stepped out of his quarters and asked Motsaim, “What
happened?”
The Vulcan’s movements were a little slow
and his voice sounded heavy. “He appeared
to be sleepwalking. When he was fully awake he was disoriented
and generally confused.”
“Where?”
“In the recreation room. He has been
coming regularly for the past three days.”
Spocks eyes flickered at the new information.
“Has he been drinking alcohol?”
“No.”
Spock stood up straighter as a troubled look
crossed his face. “Is something wrong?”
Motsaim asked.
“He must have known something was wrong.
Continue.”
“Kirk claimed to have taken sedatives and
he insisted that they were not supposed to wear
off until nine.” Motsaim noticed that Spock was holding his stomach
as he talked. “On the way
here he seemed to be halucinating. Is it unusual for him to state
that he dislikes tribbles?”
“No, it is, as he would say, "a long story".”
Spock tuned around to open the door to his
quarters, still holding his stomach. “Are you
well?” Motsaim inquired.
Spock let his hands hang limp as he answered,
“It is a side affect from a sedative. I had
planned to sleep through it.” He opened the door to his quarters,
turned around, and asked, “Are
you a doctor?”
“Yes.”
“We may need your assistance,” Spock invited
gravely. Motsaim joined Spock as they
enterd his quarters.
Kirk could feel the slowness of his thoughts
and actions: he knew he should be sleeping.
Spock entered with Motsaim; Spock looked a little sick. “What
is it, Kirk?” Spock asked
politely.
Kirk gestured toward the game of chess he
had set up while he waited for Spock. Spock
and Kirk stood opposite each other around the game. There was
silence as they played. Spock
didn’t ask any questions and Kirk didn’t feel like giving any answers
for the moment. Motsaim
stood quietly watching: they were waiting for him to begin.
In the middle of the game Kirk could feel
enormous pressure to tell Spock what was on
his mind. He began hurriedly, “Spock, I’ve been having difficulty
sleeping.” He moved one of
his peices before continuing, “Not only have I been having trouble
falling asleep in general, but I
can’t seem to stop waking up at six.” Kirk moved his peices as
he talked and when he was
finished there was a short pause. “I even took sedatives last
night, just to wake up in the
recreation room.”
“You have been going there regularly?” Spock
asked.
“Yes.”
Spock made the last move, cornering Kirk’s
king.
---Flash!---
The room changed a little. It was still
a small room with Spock across from him, a game
of chess in between. But the lights had brightened and Spock
was standing when before he had
been sitting, and Motsaim was no longer there. At least the chess
peices were in the same places
as before. Spock asked, “Is something bothering you Kirk?”
“I guess I just don’t like being away from
the Enterprise,” he heard himself say. McCoy
entered the room with three trays of food.
McCoy announced, “It’s lunch time.”
“I lost track of the time I guess,” Kirk heard
himself reply.
---Flash!---
**********************
“Kirk...,” Spock looked up from the chess game he
had just won to face the
distressed Captain. Kirk was staring blankly at the game, his
eyes did not reflect that he had
heard Spock at all. “Kirk?” Spock walked around the table
and stood in front of the Captain.
Kirk’s gaze didn’t shift, nor did he move in any other way except,
of course, to breath.
Motsaim came up to Spock and looked at the
Captain. Spock searched the Captain’s eyes
for any sign of life as Motsaim began checking Kirk over with a tricorder.
Kirk’s eyes flickered
and focused on Spock for a few seconds before he stood up and started
pacing the room.
“That’s another thing,” Kirk started.
“I think it might be because I’m tired. I keep
spacing out like that... Sometimes it’s like a memory lapse... and
other times it’s almost like
daydreaming...”
“Do you know what is keeping you awake?” Spock
asked calmly.
Kirk paused in front of the chair, looking
bewildered. He sat down heavily as he replied,
“Well, it could be because I don’t remember a thing
about our voyage... That has been bugging
me.” Kirk buried his head in his hands and sighed. After
a moment his breathing slowed down
enough to convince Spock that he was sleeping.
Spock quietly exited the room with Motsaim
close behind. It was getting difficult to
concentrate and keep the room in focus. I am in need of sleep.
The longer I stay awake, the
more difficult it will be to think logically Spock reminded
himself.
“Is what Kirk described legitimate symptoms
of stress and lack of sleep?” Spock asked
Motsaim as soon as the door closed behind them.
“Yes.”
“What do you propose we do?”
“We can replace the medication he already
has with a stronger dose while he is asleep. If
the symptoms persist then we will investigate further as to their cause.”
Spock thought a moment before answering carefully,
“No. We should wait for him to
awaken.” He turned around to open the door to his quarters again.
“Kirk would not appreciate
anyone but McCoy or I in his quarters.”
Spock was feeling strangely distant from everything
around him. Even the pain in his
stomach from the sedative seemed far away, and the room had grown farther
out of focus. Spock
headed toward his bed as he continued, “McCoy is asleep and I should
be here when Kirk wakes
up.” As he finished his sentence the room grew fuzzier and the
floor seemed to be closing in at
an alarming rate.
Motsaim watched Spock falter and was beside
him in a moment. He had arrived quickly
enough to catch Spock before he fell the whole distance to the ground
and was at the moment the
only thing supporting him.
Spock looked at Motsaim, his eyes completly
dilated as he commented, “I will not be
awake much longer.” Motsaim helped Spock to the bed in the corner
of the room. Spock
seemed not to be in control of his own feet: he kept stumbling because
he would often place one
foot in the way of the other. Just as they reached the side of
the bed Spock tripped hard, a look of
pain and surprise in his eyes for a moment.
“Are you hurt?” Motsaim asked as Spock began
to crawl into bed.
“If you leave, lock the door,” Spock mumbled,
closing his eyes.
“Are you hurt?” Motsaim asked more forcefully.
Spock opened his eyes, failing to focus on
Motsaim as he wispered, “I just... bit my
tongue.” Spock closed his eyes again and fell asleep. Motsaim
decided to stay in case anything
else out of the ordinary reared its head.
*********************
I’m not even tired McCoy thought
as McCoy, Spock, and Kirk were walking to Kirk’s
quarters. They had just finished a late supper and were planning
on going to bed soon.
Kirk had been having trouble sleeping and wasn’t at all confident
that the sedatives
McCoy had given him would keep him asleep. McCoy had heard earlier
that day about what had
happened the night before and he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Kirk
with the slightest chance
that Kirk would wake up somewhere other than his quarters.
Kirk reached the door, turned toward McCoy
and Spock to say, “Will you check on me
once or twice during the night?”
“It would be more logical to keep a constant
watch,” Spock offered.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Mister Spock,”
Kirk invited with relief.
McCoy followed his two friends into Kirk’s
quarters with a feeling of anticipation. As if
they had planned it, Kirk took the sedative while Spock and McCoy moved
the two chairs in the
room on either sides of the door. Kirk got into bed and was instantly
asleep as McCoy and Spock
settled down for the night in the chairs.
McCoy felt very awake and wasn’t sure if he
would ever fall asleep. He watched Spock
to see if he had fallen asleep yet but he couldn’t tell if Spock was
trying to fall asleep or suceeding.
“Computer, lock the door and don’t let Kirk out please.”
The door to sickbay opened, interupting Marian’s
studies. A man entered in slowly, his
feet dragging as he walked. Marian watched him sit down in the
waiting room with concern; he
was moving at a ridiculously slow pace. Marian signaled the doctor
through the computer and
then went out to meet the man.
He was sitting down in a chair with his head
in one of his hands and a small bottle in the other.
Since he didn’t seem to have heard her enter she asked, “May I help
you?”
He squinted in her direction, handing her
the bottle as he said, “I need something stronger
then these.” His voice was a little slurred as he spoke to her
and he never did actually focus his
eyes.
After looking at the lable on the bottle she
challenged, “Are you sure, this is a pretty
strong sedative.”
“I’m here, awake, aren’t I?” he grumbled.
Marian look at the lable on the bottle again
and assured him, “I’ll see what I can do.” She
walked over to the doctor who had recently arrived in the doorway.
“The man over there says
that he wants something stronger than these,” she said as she handed
the doctor the pills. “I think
he may be intoxicated.”
The doctors’ eyebrows raised at the last comment
as he took a look at the medication in
his hands. He picked up an instrument that Marain couldn’t see
from the table behind him before
he headed toward the man in the waiting room. The doctor unhesitantly
began to draw the
patient’s blood when he was in reach.
“What...?” the surprised man exclaimed weakly,
jerking his head in the direction of the
medical instrument sticking in his arm.
“I will need to check your blood,” the doctor
commented simply. The man sighed
resignedly and ignored the doctor as the doctor made a bee-line for
the computer in the next
room.
Marian followed the doctor and watched him
as the computer analyzed the man’s blood.
On the screen the computer revealed the identity of the man, where
he was currently residing, and
the other results. The man’s name was James T. Kirk and he wasn’t
drunk, just heavily sedated.
The doctor searched the computer records and
then sent a command to the replicators.
He picked up the new bottle from the replicator and set the other bottle
down next to the
computer before heading back to the waiting room with Marian close
behind. They both
approached James Kirk and the Doctor announced, “We have found a suitable
replacement.”
James didn’t move, in fact, he was asleep. The doctor chuckled
softly and muttered, “Figures.”
“Should we wake him?” Marian asked.
“Yeah... Maybe we can get him to his quarters.
Who knows, he might be missed other
wise.” The Doctor gently shook James, eventually arousing him.
“We replaced your
medication.”
James took the bottle from the doctor’s hand
and it almost immediately slipped through
his fingers, falling to the floor. “Sorry...,” James mumbled.
The Doctor picked the bottle up before James
could think about trying himself. Marain
retrieved the Doctor’s computer for him as he was picking up the pills.
“Lets go to your quarters,
James,” the Doctor suggested. James stood up unsteadily and followed
the Doctor out the door.
Doctor Hezekiah watched James as he led him
down the hall way. James was walking
slowly beside the wall and was in danger of falling asleep as he walked.
James brushed the wall
and then stopped, looking a little confused. “James?” Hezekiah
asked. James resumed walking,
only this time with his hand trailing on the wall.
Everything was silent and dim in the hall
ways because of the time of day. It was quiet
enough that Hezekiah could hear James’ soft breathing quicken as they
approached a crossing
hall way. James stopped before he crossed the adjacent hall,
glancing to his left and right down
the hall way. Hezekiah took a few steps ahead of James before
pausing himself.
“James?”
“What?” James asked groggily.
“Don’t stop following me yet, James.”
James looked again down the adjacent hall
way before he reluctantly continued to follow
Hezekiah. Hezekiah didn’t really blame James for hesitating
before he crossed the hall way, it
was dark down both ends and it was even a little cold when you passed
it.
A while after they had passed the other hall
way Kirk stopped again and looked at his
surroundings as if he had just realized where he was. James silently
read the number on the door
closest to him and then headed purposefully in the direction of his
quarters, reaching it in a few
strides.
James hit the button that was supposed to
open the door but nothing happened. The
Doctor began to double check James Kirk’s present living quarters once
he realized that the door
must be locked.
Spock heard a door chime in his sleep and was
soon fully awake. He took one glance at
the empty bed and rushed to answer the door. The door opened
to reveal Kirk leaning against the
wall near the door and another man a little ways away searching his
computer.
“Spock...,” Kirk mumbled. He looked
like he would collaspe any minute, no doubt
because he was heavily sedated. Spock was at his side in one
cat-like movement ready to catch
him if he did fall. Kirk tried to walk but failed to take more
than one step, prompting Spock to
hold him back against the wall.
“Do you know each other?” the other man asked,
confusion evident in his voice.
Spock decide to ignore the ignorant man until a more convienant
time. “Kirk?”
“Yeah...”
“Since you can not walk, I will carry you.”
“Fine,” Kirk replied.
Spock picked him up with ease and carried
him in to his quarters. Spock set him down on the
bed carefully and said, “This time, stay asleep if you can.”
The Captain chuckled softly as he drifted
off to sleep.
The other man asked impatiently, “What are you doing
in his quarters, and why was the door locked?”
“We were hoping to stop him from leaving if
he woke up.” McCoy stirred in
his chair. “Please keep your voice down.”
“That’s all right, I’m already awake,” McCoy
said grumpily. He picked up his medical bag
beside the chair and searched through it.
“Who are you two?”
“We,” McCoy began, “are Kirk’s friends and
I am a doctor.” McCoy stood up with his
tricorder in his hand and went over to Kirk to check him over.
“What happened?”
“He came to sickbay and asked for stronger
sedatives.”
“Well, what did you give him? He already
had sedatives strong enough to make even
Spock sleepy.”
“I gave him these,” the Doctor handed McCoy
the small bottle in his hands. McCoy
looked at the lable as the Doctor continued, “It isn’t any stronger,
it just last longer at its
strongest.” McCoy set the pills on the table beside the computer
and sat back down, stifling a
yawn. “Wait a minute, I could have sworn... Computer did
I tell you not to let Kirk out?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you let him out?” Spock
asked with interest.
“He is the temporary resident; it is against
my programing to deny him access to the rest
of the base.”
“Of all the...,” McCoy grumbled, cutting himself
short.
“Are you familar with the facilities of this
base?” the Doctor asked them both.
“All except the basic programming of this--”
“Yes,” Spock interrupted McCoy.
“All right then; I’ll be in sick bay.”
The doctor left without another word.
It was a week after Jim had first woken up.
Spock, Jim and McCoy were all in Spock’s
temporary living quarters on Starbase Eleven at Spock’s request.
When they were all seated Spock began, “I
have asked for your presence because I
believe a private conference is called for. A new crew has been
assigned to the Experiment and
are scheduled to leave in approximately two point four days,” he paused
to let the news sink in.
McCoy heard Jim inhale quickly. For
some unknown reason, a chill went up his spine.
He was instantly sure of the danger any crew on the Experiment would
encounter.
“Even from my shattered memory,” Spock continued,
“I can come to the conclusion that
there is great peril attached to the Experiment. Because of our
weak conditions, the hearing is
scheduled a week from today.”
“They can’t possibly send the Experiment out
before our hearing! They can’t be sure of
the safety of the crew!” the Captain exclaimed.
McCoy almost exploded, “What hearing?!?”
“The hearing to determine the cause of our
affliction aboard the Experiment,” Spock
explained calmly, “The hearing is based on the belief that our
weariness was self inflicted. They
will not let me view tapes or logs from our voyage or our arrival,
furthermore, we have been
confined to the base until our hearing.”
“If only we knew what happened,” Kirk whispered
as McCoy sat stunned.
“But... but,” McCoy stammered as he tried
to control his temper.
“I believe I know of a probable solution,”
Spock said with icy calmness “I have come to
the conclusion that you, Jim, have a memory block, not a memory loss,”
he said sadly.
“Of course!” McCoy said with sudden awareness.
“Spock and I have memories, it’s just
that they were formed under such mental taxation that they are incoherent.”
“But I, on the other hand, have no memory
at all,” Jim said soberly.
“Well, now we know the ‘why’, but I’m still
worried about the ‘how’,” McCoy said in his
slow southern drawl.
“Under normal circumstances, he would no doubt
undergo slow metal and emotional
therapy. Unfortunately these are not normal circumstances.
I see only one way to get the
information we need,---” Spock said reluctantly.
“And that way no doubtedly carries high risks,”
McCoy grumbled, interrupting the
Vulcan.
“I believe the only alternative is a-” Spock
paused.
“Mind meld,” McCoy growled.
“How did you know?” Spock said, caught completely
off-guard.
“Between what you said and how you said it,
it was almost obvious,” Kirk teased.
In response to McCoy’s stifled chuckle Spock
said,“Perhaps there is hope for you Doctor,
I had believed you to be incapable of making such a logical conclusion.”
“There’s no use stalling,” Jim sighed after
standing up abruptly.
Spock stood up and walked to the Captain’s
side, mentally preparing himself for the
meld. He cautiously placed his fingers across the Captain’s face.
Jim tensed up as his face was
placed in a look of permanent concentration
After a long minute, Spock appeared to be
struggling as a look of agony crossed Jim’s
features. “Spock... leave Spock alone...” The Vulcan’s
breathing became hard and irregular as
he voiced Jim’s memories. “Must stop... no! Go away!” he moaned.
“So tired... can’t lose
control... must stop computer...” Kirk trembled while Spock spoke.
A look of relieve crossed
both their faces at the same moment. Then Spock’s face twisted
in total confusion Now Jim and
Spock were trembling.
McCoy leaped up in frustration just before
Spock broke the meld, catching Kirk as he collapsed
in one quick movement. Shaking, Spock lowered Jim to the ground
and sat down beside him.
McCoy quickly checked on Spock, then moved
on to the Captain. When he reached the
still quivering figure, Jim was sitting up with his head buried in
his knees. McCoy reached out to
Jim to help him up, then led him to a nearby chair. McCoy couldn’t
quite accept what he saw
next : Spock, seemingly unaffected, walked steadily to his chair.
Mycoy watched Spock calmly
fold his hands into a tee-pee and close his eyes. Well at least
Spock is sleeping McCoy thought as
he watched Jim stare blankly into space.
Dr. McCoy watched Jim stare unmoving for at
least half an hour. Then he silently
opened his med kit and walked over to the Captain. Kirk slumped
into his chair as the hypo took
affect.
************************
Now to rest in my own quarters McCoy
thought, not wanting to be there when the
Captain woke up. He was beginning to put the hypo away
when he absentmindedly tripped over
the door frame. As he reached out to catch himself, the hypo
still in his hand, he heard a small
hissing sound when he ran into the Vulcan who had seemed to magically
appear in the door way.
He had the presence of mind to pull the hypo out before it had a chance
to empty completely.
But not quite fast enough he realized
as the Vulcan collapsed. Why do these things
always happen to me he complained to himself as he did his best
to drag the Vulcan into an
empty chair. He went to the communicator on the wall and signaled
sickbay.
“Hello? This is Dr. McCoy. An unknown
Vulcan had an accident with a hypo in Spock’s
temporary quarters. [Yawn] Tell anyone you send down not
to be alarmed at the number of
sleeping people,” McCoy explained hurriedly.
“All right, we’ll be sending someone down
in a minute,” a muffled voice on the other end
replied.
“McCoy out,” McCoy said as he stifled another
yawn. Well, now I have to be here to
maintain my innocence. But I still don’t want to be here when
the Captain wakes up... Boy I’m
tired.. McCoy reflected. He made his way to the only empty
chair left, sat down, then gave
himself what was left of the hypo.
Knock, knock, knock. What now?
Henry wondered as he spun around toward the door.
*Bump, scrape, crash!* *Tinkle, drip, drip*. Henry closed his
eyes and clenched his fist, trying to
control his temper. He didn’t have to look to know what his experiment
had been reduced to.
“What is it?!?” he hollered through clenched teeth.
Henry heard the door open. “Sorry to disturb
you. You have been invited to attend a
hearing,” a calm voice said. Henry slowly opened his eyes to
see the Vulcan standing in the door
way.
“There is a reason a communicator was not
installed in this room,” he stated, barely
fighting the urge to strangle the person in front of him. He
slowly turned around to face the
disaster that was previously his project . Despair replaced his
anger as he beheld the shattered
glass and sponge-like creature rapidly soaking up the mixing liquids.
Dr. Henry sighed deeply.
“The meeting starts in two hours,” the Vulcan
informed.
Henry turned away from the mess and proceeded
to the door. “What meeting?” he
quizzed.
“The hearing concerns the crew last assigned
to the Experiment. There is doubt about
their credibility,” the Vulcan explained as he moved out of Dr. Henry’s
path. “They claim
memory loss. There are interesting recordings for those who wish
to attend.”
“All right, I’m coming. Where is this
meeting?” he asked. Henry realized why he had
been invited; he was a therapist and also a specialist in social interactions.
“I will lead you there as soon as you are
ready; the recordings will be displayed shortly.”
“Actually, I’m ready now,” he said after a
distracted glance behind him. The Vulcan
looked for a moment as if he were going to speak, then turned to lead
the way. “I’m afraid you
have me at a disadvantage,” he began in an attempt to launch a conversation.
“My name is Tilekam.”
Seeing that Tilekam did not intend to offer
anything else, Henry fell silent. He stayed
wordless throughout the long, brisk walk behind the boring Vulcan.
Left to his own thoughts,
Henry wondered, who is being suspected of his credibility?
I would hate not being listened to on
an important subject. How long does it take to get there anyway?
I wonder... what kind of molds
would grow if my ‘experiment’ doesn’t get cleaned up?
He followed Tilekam into a room already containing
six- no -seven people. Most of them
were sitting down facing an Admiral, the rest were pacing nervously.
Tilekam moved to the
nearest seat. Henry decided to follow suite.
“You have all been invited to
evaluate the people in question. I believe the Captain’s
logs and recordings concerning the voyage and docking of the Experiment
will prove to be
useful,” the Admiral was explaining as another Vulcan entered the room
from a different door.
The Vulcan sat down three chairs away.
He was soon accompanied by an older man.
“What is going on Spock?” the older man asked the Vulcan in a loud
whisper
“If you would refrain from talking you would
soon find out,” the Vulcan said harshly.
“So you don’t know either?” the older man
remarked tolerantly.
Thankfully they were quiet for a while longer.
The Captain’s logs were interesting. He
sounded increasingly tired and definitely overwhelmed “This is
the Captain... Star date...... oh,
who cares! Bones... Dr. McCoy started hallucinating today...
uh... I will too, soon... I -I have to
go... Kirk out,” the weary voice performing the log said.
The older man got up noisily and headed back
the way he came in. The Vulcan soon
followed, although considerably less noisy.
Kirk was aroused by a loud noise. He
slowly turned his head toward the sound, his
muscles weighed down by an unnatural sleep. He opened his bleary
eyes, squinting at the
brightness around him. He saw a figure sitting in a nearby chair
with his face in his hands. Soon
a taller figure entered, turning toward the first. “Are you well?”
the second figure asked.
Someone he knew....
“Yeah... I guess so,” the first man answered.
Who?...
“Bones... Spock?” Kirk asked drowsily, his
thoughts still in a dreamlike state.
“Well, look who decided to join us,” McCoy
said merrily.
Kirk remembered now. McCoy had put him
to sleep after... after the mindmeld. It was a
relief to remember... that meant the hypo was wearing off. Kirk
slowly looked around.
“Bones...,” he began with a sigh, “what is
that poor, innocent man doing asleep in
Spock’s quarters?”
“Yes,” Spock agreed, “why is Vikeem asleep?”
“Well, I guess I owe you an explanation
It wasn’t really my fault I -”
“Bones,” Kirk threatened.
“All right, all right. I was putting
my hypo away, with every intention of returning to my
quarters, when I tripped on the door frame. Vikeem was right
in my way... he seemed to have
appeared out of nowhere. He caught me, I still had the hypo in
my hand... Well, you can
probably figure out the rest,” McCoy said sheepishly.
“A very interesting accident,” remarked a
faint voice.
Kirk turned toward the sound almost as fast
as his friends. It looks like Vikeem is awake
after all Kirk mused. Although he still couldn’t see too
well, he noticed an interesting shade of
pink steal over McCoy’s face as he approached the Vulcan. After
a small hissing sound Vikeem
stood up with what seemed like sheer will power to Kirk. His
vision was not far away from
being completely clear when he saw McCoy advance toward him, hypo in
hand.
“Oh no you don’t, I’ve had enough of your ‘help’
to last me a lifetime,” he informed McCoy.
McCoy didn’t even hesitate. The Captain, standing up to prove
his point, said, “I’m fine.” His head
swam from the sudden movement as he attempted to continue, “You just...
You just keep that thing
away from me.”
McCoy stopped five feet away, crossed his
arms defiantly and said, “All right Superman.
If you can make it over here without falling then I won’t give you
any stimulants.”
Kirk glared at McCoy. It was a miracle
he could stand up in the first place: he could
barely feel his legs, let alone move them! McCoy stood mockingly
in front of the two silent
bystanders. Fine then, I will he decided. He carefully
lifted his leg for the first step.
*Thump*
My other knee must have buckled he thought,
completely surprised to find himself on the floor.
McCoy had the widest grin as he strolled effortlessly
to the Captain’s side. McCoy
checked Kirk over with a tricorder as he administered the hypo.
A frown quickly replaced his
smile. “Jim, you didn’t tell me your knee was still healing.
You could have made it worse
pulling a stunt like that. Does it hurt?”
“Bones I can’t even feel my legs. Your
the doctor, you tell me if it should it hurt,” he
replied, exasperated.
“Think of all the times I’ve been trying to
tell you I’m a doctor---”
“Bones,” the Captain sighed.
“It will probably be hurting in a little while.
If you hurt it badly enough,” Dr. McCoy
supplied as he got up and started to leave. Spock walked over
to Kirk and offered his hand. Kirk
stood up slowly with Spock’s required help.
“What I don’t understand is why you don’t
trust me with something as simple as
stimulants,” McCoy whined.
“You switched our bowls,” Kirk said simply.
“Hunh?” McCoy exclaimed as he turned back
toward the Captain.
“The first day I woke up here. You switched
our bowls by mistake.”
His face turned a livid shade a of red.
“Oh.”
“Spock, what has happened while we were asleep?”
Vikeem inquired, ignoring the
conversation between the two.
“I have called a meeting that is currently
preparing. Beyond that I do not know,” Spock
said.
“When do you expect we can meet as originally
planned?”
“I see no logical reason not to continue right
now,” Spock said glancing at the Captain.
The Captain immediately signaled to the Doctor and they both left.
Dr. Charles was walking toward one of his patient’s
quarters when he spotted the other
two. “Dr. McCoy, Captain Kirk, how are you doing?” he addressed
them.
“We were just going to prepare for our hearing,”
said the Captain.
“Kirk, the meeting is a week from now,” he
informed, beginning to scan them with his
tricorder.
“Not anymore. Now, if you will excuse
us,” McCoy began.
“Your not in any condition to attend a hearing!”
he exclaimed. “You need more rest and
--and,” he sputtered.
“Considering the importance of the hearing,
I believe we will live through it,” Kirk said
tersely. The Captain began to leave, then turned back to face
him with a heavy sigh. “We assure
you our condition will be improved before the meeting.”
“We were planning on sleeping,” McCoy
translated.
“Well I won’t keep you from your rest,” Charles
stated. His two patients walked away
from him, carrying on a soft conversation as they left. Now
to visit the Vulcan he thought as he
turned to follow his original course.
He activated the door chime, secretly hoping
the Vulcan wouldn’t answer: that might
mean he was asleep. The door slide open, his patient, Spock,
glared at him from the opening.
“What is this I hear about a hearing today?”
he asked boldly.
“It is the hearing previously scheduled a
week from now,” he replied hurriedly.
“It was scheduled a week from now because
of your condition.” Charles started scanning
him with his tricorder. “You may be ready for it, if you get
some sleep, by tomorrow. You are
absolutely not attending it today if I can help it.”
“I do not advise you attempt to delay the
meeting. The meeting is very important; it’s
timing is crucial. You will probably be allowed to attend it,
in which case you will have the
authority to pause the meeting at any time. I have every intention
of getting sufficient rest, which
will prove to be difficult if you remain.”
Charles caught a glimpse of another man in
Spock’s quarters. He sighed, he would have
to talk to the admiral about this. “All right. You be sure to
get enough rest,” he said as he turned
to leave.
He headed toward where he knew the meeting
would be preparing soon. When he got to
the door he could hear that they were already preparing the meeting.
He entered the dim room
and moved to the group of chairs that were mostly occupied. He
was going to have nice talk with
the Admiral as soon as she was done with the preparations.
*******************
Dr. Annie had just finished analyzing the recordings
of Captain James T. Kirk’s short
interview shortly after the docking of the Experiment when a communicator
went off near her.
“This is Dr. Annie,” she answered.
“Dr. Annie, the meeting will be starting in
a half an hour,” a light, squeaky voice
informed her.
“Thanks, I’ll be there.”
“No problem, Norman out.”
Well, I don’t want to be late, and I have
nothing else to do she thought as she got up and
headed in the direction of the meeting. I wonder what Captain
Kirk is like in a more... emotionally
stable state she wondered as she passed several doors before
reaching her destination. Upon
opening the door leading into the preparation room she witnessed the
Admiral in a heated
conversation with a man who was evidently a doctor.
“I insist that the meeting be delayed, at
least until tomorrow,” the agitated doctor was
saying.
“Doctor Charles, your patients are the ones
who rescheduled the hearing, I believe they
are at least mentally ready.”
“I’d rather my patients be fully recovered
before being involved in any taxing activity. If
you must have the hearing today, at least allow me to be present to
monitor their conditions.”
Annie tried to ignore them as she entered
the room where the hearing was to take place.
She approached the closed door of the room and overheard another, less
stressful, conversation
accompanied at first by the sound of pacing.
“Jim, if you can’t settle down I am
going to give you a sedative,” a southern accent
warned.
As she opened the door slowly she saw a man
and a Vulcan sitting down, apparently
trying to rest, and another man beginning to sit down in a third chair.
“Don’t you dare,” the
second man replied distractedly.
“Hi,” she greeted them nervously, “I guess
I’m here a little early.”
“Approximately ten point zero one five minutes
early,” the Vulcan informed.
“Hello,” the second man said as he stood up
to greet her, “I am Captain James T. Kirk
of the star ship Enterprize. This is Dr. McCoy and my first officer
Spock.” He glanced at Spock,
who was sitting straight in his chair, eyes closed, with his hands
forming a tee-pee. “Spock, what
are you doing?”
Spock looked up and said, “I am calculating
the decimals of pi to distract myself.”
Obviously deciding to ignore this odd behavior
the Captain said, “So Annie, can you play
chess?”
“No.”
“Well then, I’ll just teach you. That
is, if you want to learn.”
“I don’t want to trouble you...”
“Nonsense. I could use something to
do.”
“All right, I guess,” she concented, feeling
her face blush slightly. He took her over to the
computer near the viewing screen. He quickly had a 3D laser display
on the table beside her.
Time passed quickly as he showed her the different moves and complicated
strategies.
When he finished teaching her he asked, “Now, will you join me
in a game of chess?”
“Well, okay.”... He seemed to thwart
her every move! He was winning quickly; this guy
was a pro!
“I win. Spock, how much time now?” he
asked, straightening up nervously.
Spock looked at the Captain with a troubled
frown. “Come over here Kirk.”
Kirk looked a little annoyed as he walked
briskly over. The Vulcan stood to meet him.
“You didn’t answer my question, Spock.”
“One point nine five seven minutes.
Kirk, are you feeling well?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” he snapped. Spock looked
at him doubtfully as Kirk rocked on his heels.
“Just a little nervous,” he said in a calmer tone.
“Hold out your hand.”
Kirk thrust out his hand. “Happy?”
“Kirk, look at your hand.”
The Captain glanced inattentively at his trembling
hand, looked away, then looked
immediately back, shocked at the unconscious movement. He quickly
pulled his hands behind
his back. “I’m fine,” he said in a less convincing tone.
He looked worriedly in Dr. McCoy’s direction.
McCoy was fast asleep, his chin resting
on his chest. Kirk walked over to McCoy and began to shake
him gently. Spock sat back down
as McCoy mumbled, “I’m up, I’m up.”
“McCoy? McCoy... wake up Bones!” McCoy
opened his eyes and pushed Kirk away
slowly. “I couldn’t let you sleep through the meeting now could
I?”
“Wouldn’t have hurt me any,” McCoy said with
a grin. He pulled his hands away from
McCoy’s chair swiftly as McCoy’s eyes wandered in their general direction.
McCoy gave Kirk a
puzzled look as Kirk walked to an empty chair.
The chess game vanished as Annie walked over
to Kirk. She watched him fidget and
avoid her eyes as she approached. “Kirk, I expect you to tell
me just how it is you beat me so
fast,” she demanded jokingly. “That is, as soon as there is time,”
she said after the sound of
footsteps reached her ears.
A grin spread across his face and he relaxed
a little. “As soon as there is time, Spock and
I will show you,” he promised as she made her way to an empty
seat. This meeting should prove
to be very interesting...
Dr. Matthew was surprised to see only four
people waiting for the meeting so close to the
actual starting time. Then again, I do hear a few people behind
me he reflected. He paused in the
door way to commit to memory the scene before him. To his left
there were three occupied
chairs with devices attached to the arms. Beyond the chairs was
the computer equipment that
controlled the viewing screen opposite him. To his right was
a group of chairs behind a long
table or desk, he couldn’t tell which, all facing the middle of the
room, just like the three chairs
opposite them.
He headed for an empty chair beside the fourth
person in the room, a woman. “I would
think there would be more people by now,” he commented as he sat down.
He noticed
that all three men opposite him were nervous, although of course the
Vulcan displayed it
considerably less than his companions.
“I was just thinking the same thing,” the
lady confirmed.
“I’m a little worried about the Captain, he has
been like that since I got here,” she indicated with
her eyes the fidgeting man closest to them.
“He does seem the most affected,” Matthew
agreed as four more people poured into the
room. The two Vulcans in the group sat down front and center
without a word while the two
humans approached the nervous group at the other end of the room.
But Matthew was more worried about the Vulcan.
He had met many Vulcans before as
patients and he knew that the level of nervousness must be enormous
before a Vulcan would
show any sign of it. Yet this Vulcan’s eyes wandered a little
with a troubled look in them,
resting frequently on the Captain. Matthew stood
up and walked toward the nervous
being, pausing only to nod a greeting to the men he passed. “Sir,
I’d like to speak to you
privately,” he said in a tone he hoped only the Vulcan could hear.
The Vulcan stood up to show
he had heard and was willing to follow. Matthew led him outside
the room, far enough away so
as to insure their privacy.
“Your very nervous,” he began bluntly, to
the point. The Vulcan’s eyes registered a level
of shock, further confirming his distressed state. “I’ve met
many Vulcans before, the emotional
state you’re in was probably not noticed by anyone else. I suggest
you distract yourself until the
Admiral arrives. Are you Spock?”
“Yes, I suggest you attend to Captain Kirk
and Doctor McCoy.”
“I was about to Mister Spock. But first
I’d like to know about any additional reasons for
the Captain to be so nervous. Unless, of course, he always displays
that level of emotion.”
“He has the most complete and accurate account
of our voyage... It is highly unusual for
him to respond to pressure in this manner,” Spock informed cautiously,
“Also, it may be helpful
to know that I have surpressed the majority of my memory in my sleep,
and it is possible that the
Captain has also begun to surpress his memories.”
“I’ll see what I can do for them before Dr.
Charles gets here. He would delay the meeting
if he saw the Captain now.”
“That would be quite unfortunate.” Spock
said as Matthew began to re-enter the room.
Computer specialist Kiam had arrived early
and seated himself in the center of the front
row, observing how all the humans persisted in talking about things
irrelevant to the upcoming
meeting. He had noticed that the crew of the Experiment was already
seated and quite nervous.
His curiosity was aroused when, after exchanging a few words, the Vulcan
from the crew left
with a unusually calm human. It was set ablaze when the human
returned without the Vulcan.
Kiam watched as the human talked with the
rest of the crew with a calming affect. Kiam
stood and intercepted the human as he made his way back to a chair
he had occupied earlier.
“Where is the Vulcan from the crew of the Experiment?”
“He is in the preparation room: he does not
want to be disturbed,” the human hinted.
“Will there be any delay in the meeting?”
“Not as of yet, but if they don’t calm down,”
the human indicated toward the crew, “then
the chances of a delay are pretty high.”
Kiam nodded thankfully before returning to
his seat. Even the humans were beginning to
find seats: it was almost time for the meeting. As the last person
sat down, the Vulcan from the
Experiment returned, no longer showing any sign of agitation.
The Vulcan sat down at the
exact moment the meeting was scheduled to start. A few hushed
voices could still be heard when
the Admiral and another human were heard in the hall.
Their tardiness seemed to aggravate one of
the crew. He was tapping his fingers on the
arms of his chair, glaring at the doorway and shifting uneasily.
When the Admiral arrived the
crewman settled down a little, gripping the arms of the chair fierce
enough to turn his knuckles
white. The Admiral walked confidently to a position in front
of the table between the crewmen
and the observers as the man who entered with her hurried to an empty
chair.
“Spock, please explain why you rescheduled
the meeting,” the Admiral requested.
“Captain Kirk, Dr. McCoy and I have newly
attained, accurate information concerning our
voyage on the Experiment 0225.”
“I see, and just how did you come upon this
‘information’” she said disbelievingly.
“We used a Vulcan technique to restore Captain
Kirk’s memory,” Spock replied boldly.
“In order to help you fully understand, I would like Dr. Charles to
explain our condition upon our
arrival.”
Dr. Charles looked surprised as he stood up
and began, “Yes.. um..,” he looked at the
computer device he was holding before continuing. “The same symptoms
were found in all three
of the Experiment’s crew: malnutrition, weak, near total exhaution
of both mind and body, and
traces of several types of stimulants.”
“Considering our condition, Doctor, is it
possible to have had memory loss or a memory
block?” McCoy asked Dr. Charles.
“It is possible for a memory loss to occur,
but I would need to know the cause of the
affliction before I could determine if a memory block could happen.”
“So, Spock, how did you restore Kirk’s memory,
and why Kirk?” the Admiral snapped.
“It became clear that Captain Kirk had a memory
block when he realized that he could
not remember even boarding the Experiment. He would not have
been allowed to board if his
condition was to the point where he would not be able to retain a memory,”
Spock explained
patiently, ignoring the Admiral’s tone of voice. “We used a Vulcan
technique called the joining
of minds, or as the Captain would refer to it, a mindmeld.”
The Admiral directed her gaze toward the Vulcan
observers. Kiam answered her before
she could even ask, “The joining of minds, if done carefully, will
restore memory.”
“All right, begin your story,” the Admiral
sneered.
“We will not be telling a ‘story’, Admiral,
we will be telling the truth,” Spock retorted.
Obviously this is of great importance thought Kiam. “Dr.
McCoy and I can only accurately relate
the events aboard the Experiment until after the cause of our affliction
is fully revealed.”
“Dr. McCoy?” the Admiral asked for confirmation.
“Yes, that’s right,” McCoy relented.
The Admiral turned back toward Spock.
“The boarding of and the first day aboard the Experiment
was uneventful. Sometime during the
second day--” Spock said.
“Can you be any more specific?” someone asked.
“Although it is of no importance, before noon
on the second day, the computer informed
us of a new experiment. This was unusual for many reasons.”
Kirk was deathly still now, listening to Spock’s
account. McCoy shifted in his chair, he
also was intent on listening. Every observer, including the noisy
human who had
arrived with the Admiral, was quiet as well.
“First, the computer was programmed
to ask our permission before commencing with
any experiment, no matter how trivial. Second, it was my impression
that the computer
purposefully waited for all of us to be present. Third, the content
of the computer’s
announcement and explanation of the experiment.” Spock paused a moment
to glance at both
Kirk and McCoy.
“I am afraid I can not fully remember the
contents of the announcement,” Spock said.
Kirk shifted in his chair, fear and anticipation evident in his features.
“I can only remember
thinking that it was quite inconvenient and against moral standards.”
Kirk looked at McCoy hopefully. In response
McCoy stated, “All I remember is that
whatever it was, there was little I could do to stop it.”
“I -I remember...,” Kirk said. After
a long moment of apparent struggle he continued, “I
can’t believe what I remember. It’s just...,” his voice trailed
off. He stood up abruptly and
declared, “I know! We can ask the computer!”
“What do you mean?” the Admiral asked as Kirk
started walking toward the door.
He paused, turned around and exclaimed, “Well, are you going
to follow me or not?”
The Admiral stood open mouthed as people began to get up. Spock
and McCoy had risen when
Kirk had first started walking, and were already at his side.
Kirk walked swiftly out the door in
the direction of the docking bay.
Kiam also got up to follow. Whatever
Captain Kirk is thinking, it is illogical to stay
behind and risk missing an important event Kiam convinced himself
as he followed the Captain.
It was difficult for the humans to keep up with the demanding pace
Kirk set. Yet the pace didn’t
change all the way down the halls to the docking bay.
Kirk did not show his nervousness again until
they were beside the ship. At the door he
paused, took a deep breath, and then proceeded to open the door with
a shaky hand. He hurried
inside and unto the bridge. Once on the bridge, he led them to
the computer.
“Computer,” Kirk demanded in a quivering voice,
“list all experiments commenced
during your last voyage.” On the viewing screen appeared a long
list of titles. After a brief
search, Kirk addressed the computer sternly, “Computer, why have you
not included all of the
experiments in your list?”
“They are all there,” the computer responded.
“Computer, don’t lie to me. Where is
the experiment concerning the effects of stimulants
on carbon-based lifeforms like myself?”
“There was no conclusion, James.”
Kirk’s face hardened. “Do not call me ‘James’, call me
Kirk.”
“Yes, James.”
Kirk’s eyes blazed as he began again, “Computer,
prepare the visual and sound recordings
taken and the announcement given to the previous crew concerning the
experiment on stimulants.
Match the sound and visuals and cut out any frame without sound or
visual movement. On my
signal you will put the announcement on the viewing screen for five
minutes, then begin playing
the recordings. Understand?”
“Yes, James. I am ready.”
“Admiral?” Kirk inquired.
The Admiral nodded in response. Kirk
joined his companions at the opposite end of the
room, against the wall, before signaling the computer verbally.
“All right, computer.”
McCoy was worried. He had felt his nervousness
creep up on him, and he had seen it in
Kirk and Spock. At least Spock has calmed down. Whatever
he did before the meeting worked
McCoy thought as Kirk finished conversing with the computer.
He watched Kirk carefully as the announcement
appeared on the screen. Kirk was
leaning against the wall a little, his full attention on the computer.
Kirk’s hands had been
shaking when he had opened the door to the ship, but McCoy couldn’t
tell if they still were
because Kirk had his hands pressed firmly to his sides. Spock
also had his gaze directed toward
the screen, so McCoy followed it to see what Kirk had turned up.
Purpose of experiment:
To access information on the affects of
stimulants on, and the
endurance of, carbon-based life forms.
Procedure:
Chases will begin at 1800 hours and renew
every 12 hours. Chases, carried out by
robots, will be 15 minutes long with robots armed for the
duration of the chase in the event that
subjects stop or slow down significantly.
Stimulant factor: 75%
test subjects:
Spock, Vulcan;
James T. Kirk, Human;
Dr. McCoy, Human.
McCoy stared in disbelief at what he saw.
His dreams had been filled with confusion,
fatigue, and hopelessness. He had remembered only that he couldn’t
change what happened:
even now he couldn’t think of a way he could have stopped it.
A seventy-five percent stimulant factor couldn’t
be canceled out by using depressants without
endangering the patient.
He quickly swept his eyes over Kirk to see
his reaction. Kirk’s breathing was rapid and
he was beginning to sweat. “Kirk, you need to sit down,” McCoy
hinted as he pulled Kirk
toward the Captain’s chair in the center of the room.
“N-No, I’m fine,” Kirk persuaded swiftly,
shrinking away when he saw where McCoy
intended to take him. He smiled weakly and explained, “This whole
room gives me the creeps,
Bones, including that chair.”
“Humph,” McCoy responded, but he stopped pulling
Kirk. Then the screen stole his
attention; it switched to an overhead view of Kirk, McCoy, and Spock
on the bridge.
“Computer,” the Spock on the screen said,
“the procedure will interfere with our
recreational activities such as sleep.”
“I was already aware of that, Spock,”
the
computer replied. Something must have
changed because Spock paused as if reading something on the screen
out of the camera’s range.
“Computer, the stimulants you are using will exceed
the 75% factor for Captain Kirk and Dr.
McCoy.”
“But without them your stimulant factor
will not reach 75%, Spock.”
“That could cause cause physical and mental
damage!” the McCoy on the screen yelled as
the third figure, Kirk, began pacing.
“Computer, stop the experiment,” the Kirk
on the screen demanded boldly.
“I can not do that James.”
***Authors not: I'm sorry. I have to say it. think the movie, 2001, Hal: "I'm sorry, I can't so that Dave." the real difference is that this computer doesn't have a real name. ^.~***
“Computer, is it not possible to separate me
from McCoy and Kirk in order to maintain
the proposed stimulant factor?” Spock asked.
“Explain.”
“If I was to be locked in my quarters, I could
take the surplus amount of stimulants
required intravenously.”
After a moment of calculating the computer
consented, “Your suggestion has been
determined beneficial and will be carried out.”
“Beneficial.” the McCoy on the screen whispered
harshly.
“Do you have any advice Dr. McCoy?” Spock
asked.
“All I can do,” the figure on the screen said,
“is warn you about the effects of stimulants
on humans. I don’t know anything about Vulcan stimulants.
For humans, the heart and other
normal functions increase in intenseness and/or rate of activity.
After pro-longed use,
hallucinations and eventually insanity are inevitable, and that’s after
you get too tired to move,”
McCoy said hotly. “Because of the dosage, I can’t counteract
the effect. Just try not to
over-exert yourself,” he said, purposely facing the pacing Kirk.
Kirk stopped pacing and asked, “Isn’t there
anything we can do?”
“No Captain,” Spock said.
“I am waiting for you Spock,” the computer
reminded them.
“I shall no doubt see you after we dock.
Live long and prosper Captain Kirk, Dr.
McCoy.”
“Live long and prosper Spock,” McCoy and Kirk
said in unison, McCoy failing to
position his fingers correctly as he said it. Then Spock walked
out, the camera following him to
his quarters.
McCoy’s memory, at least some of it, was coming
back, and what remained jumbled
became a little clearer. His feelings of dread when he entered
the ship made sense now, as well
as his bizarre dreams: dreams where Spock disappeared and robots kept
following him, zapping
him when he stopped to rest or fell. Dreams where people he knew
were dead or far away called
his name, where the twisted, blurry halls never seemed to end.
And he remembered now. He remembered
not being able to fix minor injuries. He
remembered wondering when it would end, when he would be able to sleep.
He vaguely
remembered fighting insanity, forcing himself to eat when he wasn’t
hungry.
It took a while to watch. McCoy and
Kirk tried to stay together, reminding each other to
eat or rest when they could. After a while the McCoy on the screen
started to looked
spaced out, then it was obvious that he was hallucinating.
“McCoy? McCoy?!?” the figure on the
screen cried desperately. “McCoy, can’t you hear
me?” No response. Then the service robots came on-screen.
McCoy heard a low moan coming from the direction
of the floor. He looked down to see
Kirk sitting, holding his knees to his chest and watching the screen
with a look of agony.
McCoy immediately reached down as Spock did
to help Kirk up, cursing himself for not
paying more attention; for not being able to stop himself from becoming
completely absorbed in
the what the computer was displaying.
As soon as Kirk was standing up he doubled
over, gagging and clutching his stomach.
McCoy and Spock half dragged, half supported Kirk until they were in
the bathroom next to the
sink. Kirk leaned heavily over the sink, making choking and coughing
sounds. He would have
definitely have thrown up if there had been anything in his stomach;
as it was, he coughed up
digestive fluids.
Spock looked at McCoy quizzically. “Emotional
stress can make people nauseous, even
throw up,” McCoy said as he watched Kirk’s gagging subside, and then
replaced by hiccups.
Kirk, wild-eyed and still feeling sick, lunged
out of the bathroom.
McCoy darted out after Kirk, a little frantic.
Spock reached him first; he was standing
in front of Kirk, searching his eyes. Kirk was standing against
the wall, glancing to his left and
right, ignoring McCoy and Spock.
“Jim?” Spock said.
“No... not again...,” Kirk said to himself.
“Jim? Jim, look at me,” Spock
commanded, taking hold of Kirk’s arms.
Jim closed his eyes and struggled against
Spock. “...No...,” he moaned.
“Jim!” Spock deliberately slammed Kirk
against the wall, causing Kirk to open his eyes
as he inhaled deeply and quickly. Kirk stopped struggling and
started shaking, forcing himself to
look at Spock. Spock, now supporting Kirk and pinning him against
the wall questioned him
calmly, “Do you remember waking up at the base?”
“Yes,” Kirk began diverting his gaze to his
surroundings, “but...”
“Jim, look at me please. Jim, we are
here for a meeting remember? The Experiment is
docked.”
Although Jim looked at Spock while Spock was
talking, when Spock was done he looked
away without answering.
“Spock... He could black out from the stress,”
McCoy informed, still shocked at what
Spock had done and afraid he would do something like it again.
Spock and McCoy followed Jim’s gaze to the
screen visible through the locked-open door.
Kirk was confused. Memories were crowding
and distorting the present. Images from
his past flashed in front of his eyes. He felt sick, and
if Spock hadn’t been holding him up he
would have fallen long ago. Too much was happening; to many things
to remember and
understand. He felt like his head was going to explode.
The screen on the bridge captivated him.
It took hold of his mind because it reminded
him of something he remembered.
On the screen he saw himself banging on a
door to someone’s quarters. He seemed
furious and very frustrated as he punched the button that refused to
open the door like it was
supposed to. He turned around and leaned against the door, sliding
into a sitting position and
hanging his head in resignation. He kept glancing in various
direction at things that weren’t
there. The Kirk on the screen scrunched up and hid his head in
his hands as he shouted, “Go
away!”
Kirk felt like he was drowning. Everything
grew darker and farther away as Kirk slipped
into unconsciousness. Then there was a far away pain in his arms,
a pain that grew by the
moment. Kirk fought his way back to something close to a normal
state of mind to see what was
causing him pain. He forced himself to open his eyes and look
at his arms as he heard a faint
‘Jim?’.
Kirk saw a hand on each arm gripping hard
enough to turn his skin white. He looked up
right into Spock’s face. “Ow,” he complained meekly.
Kirk didn’t have much time to contemplate
the relief he read in Spock’s eyes because
soon a coughing raked through his body. Spock began to take him
toward the bathroom with
McCoy close behind.
“No...,” Kirk protested in vain. “No!”
he said louder this time, bracing himself, “I’m fine.
(Hicup)” Spock paused and looked at Kirk and then McCoy questioningly.
In response to
McCoy’s shrug Kirk repeated, “I’m fine.” He wasn’t exactly ‘fine’
but his coughing had
subsided and was almost non-existent. Kirk tried to support his
own weight but failed to stand
on his own.
Spock wasn’t trying to take him anywhere so
Kirk focused again on the screen. Now he
was on the bridge talking to the computer. “Computer, please
stop,” the lone figure on the screen
pleaded.
“The Experiment is not finished.”
“Spock and McCoy can’t last much longer!
I don’t think I can last that much longer
either... You were entrusted with our safety, Computer.”
A brief silence. “The Experiment
is not finished,” the computer repeated.
“We can’t do you any good if we are dead!
If you stop experimenting on McCoy and
Spock, It will effect my will to live, therefore affecting how long
I live.”
“In what way?”
“That’s why you would do it; to find out how!”
the Kirk on the screen said excitedly.
A pause, as if the computer was contemplating,
then, “Sickbay is no longer available.”
Kirk closed his eyes and leaned his head back,
shutting out the screen. He was trying to
sort through what he had just seen there. It seemed to him as
if it had just happened to
him again: pleading with the computer, trying to figure out what to
say to make it leave his
friends alone.
But Kirk was still confused; which was the
memory? Was it what happened with the
computer or what happened with Spock and McCoy there beside him that
was happening now?.
He wanted to believe that the computer was the memory but he couldn’t
be sure.
On the screen was a cry of pain. Kirk
re-opened his eyes to watch himself on the screen
again. He was sitting down in a hall holding his knee. “You
are injured, James,” came a
computer’s voice.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” the Kirk
on the screen said sarcastically.
“Are you able to walk?”
“I don’t know. Computer? Call
me Kirk.” He tried to stand up but his knee buckled.
Kirk tried again more carefully and succeeded in standing up this time.
He looked down the hall
way and sighed before attempting to walk. It was slow going but
Kirk eventually made it to the
bridge and sat down in the Captain’s chair.
“This chase has been officially canceled.”
“That’s good to hear,” Kirk said with more
than the slightest bit of contempt. The screen
was silent and close to motionless for a lo