Stardate: 70508:2050
Title: Hallucination and Death
Author: CMO Ted Matthews
Time: After "The Straw...", During "My Immortal"
Scene: Sickbay - Brig - Sickbay


"So just in case something else drops off again, what do I do?" Astra whispered to Ted as they watched Troy stumble around the bar muttering about all the changes.

"Troy's limbs seem to have a habit of... 'disappearing', so if you could put it in ice and keep an eye on it..." The increasingly accident-prone barman was proudly showing off his latest injuries to some young and now green Ensigns.

"I can do that," Astra replied. "Can I get you a drink?"

Before Ted could respond he was called to the Brig to examine one of their latest occupants.

~

After informing the two Security Officers of the Captain's wish for Ensign Varrn to be treated before speaking to him and scolding them for using maximum stun (on a crewmember no less), Ted asked Corren to explain what had happened; the Security Officers had already told him that neither of them had seen the alleged 'red mist'.

Having read Corren's file when he had arrived, Ted was aware that he was a unique individual and whilst his physiology was similar to that of humans, there was a lot of uncharted medical territory.

The CMO took some basic readings and compared them with the baseline measurements in Corren's medical file. With respect to the vital signs, everything registered within normal limits. The thing that caught the Doctor's interest was an unusual brainwave pattern, which in some ways was very similar to what he had measured in Alex Ross, Ben Cochran, and the recently deceased Dennis.

Ted surmised that whatever was infiltrating the crew had managed to find its way into Corren's brain, but instead of taking it over, like it had in the others, it had caused an hallucination. With Ensign Varrn's distinct cybernetic structure maybe he had been shown the hallucination of the red mist to indicate a core breach so that he would inadvertently cripple the ship, trapping them inside the sphere once and for all.

Ted bounced this theory off Corren, since he was the best thing to a specialist on his own structure and capabilities.

"The thing I don't get is why would someone want the ship crippled, surely it is more valuable in working order?" Queried the CMO.

"Unless they want to stop the ship from going away. From what we have seen so far, whatever is at work here is more interested in the personnel than ship itself." Ensign Varrn's answer was logical.

"We best report to the Captain," Ted stood to leave.

"I don't think I should leave the brig right now. Not until I can be sure I can't be manipulated and cause more damage," Corren said matter-of-factly; Ted nodded and left.

The CMO hit his combadge reporting his finding to Captain Deadilus as he walked back to Sickbay. Ted was eager to put his readings on Varrn into the computer and see how they compared to the other readings he had taken since being in the sphere.

The Captain was both concerned and intrigued at the recent turn of events and told the Doctor to keep in touch if any more unusual medical things occurred.

Upon entering Sickbay Ted was immediately alerted to a crisis, Nurse Bunter was collapsed on the floor, a nurse was weeping uncontrollably and others just stood around shocked. The CMO saw the burnt remains on the biobed and as he approached his nasal cavity was assaulted by the smell of the cindered skin.

He didn't need to be told who it was as the small gold cross, even though dirty and charred, hung where it always hung on Tammin's neck...


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Lt. Commander Ted Matthews
CMO
USS Horizon
NCC-72400
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