The Brig of Madness

Posted on Sun Jun 20th, 2010 @ 5:30pm by Captain Alexander Gunning & Lieutenant Commander Melissa Daniels M.D. & Commander Dietrich Reinhart & Captain Liarra Von

Mission: Commissioned
Location: USS Utica, Brig
Timeline: Current

[ON]

It was too quiet as the away team made their way toward the brig. Melissa continued to check her tricorder for any movement. "I don't like this." The doctor said in anything but her usual cheerful voice.

"Don't worry, Doctor." Gunning said, trying to mask his own apprehension. He kept his phaser trained ahead of them at all times. The lighting was poor and the pulsing red of the alert lights allowed only limited vision.

Reinhart preferred the dark, because not every species could see well at night. And while it was difficult for humans, it was even worse for others. Humans could at least make out shapes and movement at night in the peripherals. Despite the fact that the ship was crawling with crazies, and that a boot was thrown before, he remained pretty calm. There probably were some deranged folks sneaking after him, Capt. Gunning had a phaser aimed at every noise he heard, the doctor had her face in a tricorder, and he followed close behind watching for anything they caught. He had some gut feeling, however, that the tail was always grabbed first when being chased from behind. But what was there to fear, honestly. They were on a Federation starship that was fairly compartmentalized and only a few meters away from their target destination. And so the Chief Pilot pondered to himself: what can go wrong?

The sound of a crash down the corridor broke the silence. There was no telling what it was, he did not have night vision goggles. He didn't really know how to use a tricorder, and his only gut sensation was to ready his phaser. And that's what he did. Dietrich got closer to the corridor wall on the rigt, where he knew there was nothing that would pop out at him, and held his phaser firmly with an advanced pistol grip. He kept his eyes a little left so that he could use the peripheral to detect motion, then worry about identifying anything.

Liarra took up the lead, her phaser rifle in one hand and a tricorder in the other. The crash behind them spun her around. "Nothing on scanners, sir. Commander, any ideas what that crash could have been?"

Reinhart did not move from the wall nor did he break his concentration. Whispering, the commander said, "we are not alone. Get moving. We need to get to the brig." Dietrich backed slowly, his eyes trained on what was behind them. What the hell am I doing here, he considered. I cannot wait for this tour of duty to end!

Melissa raised her phaser. She had to borrow some of Kris' skills right now. She relaxed herself, focusing on all her senses for the slightest hint of movement. But there was one thing, she had to remind herself not to give into the lure to kill. It was a tempting thought, utterly consuming. She would only stun her enemies. Slipping back into the persona of Kris Valtan would slowly turn her into an assassin again. Her eyes gave away no feeling, as she suppressed her emotions for the coldness of urgency.

"I think we're close." Alex said as he closed his tricorder, he spun his light round and caught a face, illuminated with a stoney expression. "Hello?" He said as a phaser blast caught the wall behind him.

Dietrich's heart was pounding, and he jumped back after seeing the face. It was not a human, but it was something Federation. A blue man, probably a Bolian. Even though it was supposed to be "correct" to not see people as different because of the politically correct nature of Federation, he couldn't help to be initially scared.An alien. A creature from another planet. Something out there that's resorted to its primal instincts and is trying to kill me. "FRACK!" Reinhart said. Without thinking, he triggered the Phaser, sending a golden beam directly at the thing landing the shot on its shoulder. Well, he didn't disintegrate, he said as he checked his settings. Stun. Shit. A normal humanoid would be down for a few minutes before regaining the ability to move. But from what he's seen and heard so far, this thing might not be so humanoid.

Reinhart ran over to the thing and kicked him over. It was a Bolian male. His blue skin, however, was not as prominent, in fact his skin looked more human. Dietrich grabbed his shoulders and flipped him on his back, landed his knee on his back and held down his arms. "Liarra, tie him up," the XO whispered.

Melissa approached. "He's not infected." She stated, observing the Bolian.

"He still shot at us," Reinhart whispered.

Melissa spoke again, "His hand was shaking when he fired, that's why he missed. Killers are not sloppy."

Speaking from experience, no doubt, the XO thought.

"He's pretty well out of it," Alex said as he stood up, "Let's keep going."

His feet sounded heavy on the floor as the team made their way to the brig door. His tricorder showed three lifesigns beyond the door and he wanted to make sure that the team knew the drill.

"Okay, there's enough of us to make this easy. Set phasers to light stun, we need to knock them down but we need them to be able to talk."

Liarra checked her rifle to confirm the setting. Forcing open the door, she uses the bulkhead for cover, making sure the room was clear. No security officers appeared to be present, but the emergency power was keeping the force fields in place. The Klingon prisoners were still safely in their cells. "We're clear, sir. No threats detected. The Klingons are still in their cells."

Melissa entered and began to scan the Klingons. They immediately lunged toward the forcefield with a primal growl. She made no reaction, which was strange for a Medical Officer. "Commander, I am getting odd readouts of their Brain EEG's. There's some radical changes in his brain chemistry."

"Hmm. Make sure he stays behind that forcefield."

The Klingon on the other side of the forcefield recovered and began to pace back and forth like a predator. Melissa began to scan his teeth. "Commander, I'm picking up human DNA in his mouth."

"Human DNA?" The Commander mused. "No wonder they were locked in here. Is the DNA in our records?"

Melissa spoke, "It's far too degraded for an accurate match."

Melissa motioned toward one of the cells with a dead Klingon in it. "Ms. Von, Mr. Reinhart. Care to assist me in an autopsy?"

"You are nuts," Reinhart said. "We don't need to touch something that we can probably guess is infected."

"An autopsy, Doctor? I don't think now's really the best time, is it? Let's get him quaratined on the Jackal. You can perform it on the way to Cestus III."

Melissa responded, "I won't know, with certainty, what this virus dose to one's mental well-being. And as a result, I need to take a look at this Klingon's Brain.

Alex looked around the brig and caught sight of a boot protruding from behind the security terminal. He rushed over and turned over the body of Captain Hermann. He was still alive and grumbled as he held onto his neck. "They... they... said they were in distress."

"Calm down, Captain. We'll see to your wounds." Alex said as he gripped the man's forearm tightly. "Doctor! I think we've found where that DNA came from. We need you over here."

Melissa scanned the Captain, including the wound on his neck, with blinding speed, she drew her phaser. The Captain hissed as he grabbed Gunning's hand. Trying to bite him. A stun from Melissa's phaser interrupted Hermann.

Alex glared down at the limp body of the Captain. "If he didn't outrank me, I'd bite him back."

Melissa spoke, "It looks like the virus is spread by contact. Specifically when the Captain was bit. I'll need to do the Autopsy. There might be a possibility that I can isolate the virus and develop a vaccine to release through the air ducts."

"Good plan, Doctor. Get it done and let's make sure we can save these people."

A door opened down the corridor with the typical "whoosh" of the electrical motors. Reinhart looked around at the other Klingons in the brig, followed by a stare at the door. Their life was drained from them, but their blood lust was ever present. "Alec, we need to tell the others," he said quietly as he looked at the door. "Before it is too late."

"Agreed." The Commander said as he tapped his commbadge. "Gunning to Prax. Be vigilant, some of the infected crew may appear as normal."

Melissa opened one of the Brig Cells containing one dead Klingon and began to drag him onto one of the chairs. "I hope you guys aren't squeamish about me cutting out his brain." She said simply.

"I've seen worse," Dietrich said as he looked towards the brig's doors with his phaser in hand.

"I don't have time to drag him to Sickbay, we are onboard a ship of homicidal maniacs after all. So if you can't stomach it, look the other direction." Melissa removed some tools. "Alright you nasty little bug. Time to see what you do under the hood." Melissa began to make the incisions. After a few moments, she was finished.

She removed a part of the skull, revealing the brain. However there was not much left. She began to scan it. "Computer, begin audio recording. Subject; Klingon John Doe, Male, Approximately fifty years old. Preliminary Autopsy reveals extreme trauma to the Klingon Cerebellum and the Cerebral Cortex. All lobes have been effected. Pathogen identified as a bloodborne parasitic pathogen that reacts to certain stimuli and inhibits others. The sectors linked to anger and rage have the worst infection, thus leading me to believe that the parasite requires specific conditions in order to reproduce. Scans indicate elevated neurotransmitters within the sector's in question. Possible treatment would require a specially designed neurosuppressant. If the Anger and Fear sectors of the Brain are rendered temporarily inert, the patient will begin the rejection process simular to a high fever." She noted in her notes.

"What's the verdict Doctor?"

Melissa spoke, "I can make the Neurosuppressant, but someone will have to get it to environmental control. We'll be onboard a ship filled with people acting like Vulcan's for a few days until they have a fever and fully reject the parasite. The less area it has to grow in, the more the immune system will reject it."

Alex was consulting his tricorder. "No need, Doctor. If I remember my Starship constructions correctly, there should be an environmental control duct behind this panel," he stopped as he popped the panel from its position.

A grunt came from outside, and a scream down the hall. Three or four loud, yet muffled, moans came next. The Chief Pilot walked towards the door's keypad and punched a few keys, manually shutting down the door. "We need to move fast," he announced to the team, feeling the sweat pour off his forehead and roll down his cheeks. The ship's environmental controls were functioning, it seemed. But Reinhart's psychological control over his body's reaction to stress was amazing at... well... perspiring. "Doctor, how long do you need to make the suppressant?"

Melissa worked quickly on a piece of equipment. Making sure the suppressant had just enough to inhibit the neural functions that this parasite thrived upon. Finally, she handed Gunning the vial.

As the Doctor passed him the vial from her kit, Gunning took a long look around him as the body of Captain Hermann lay prone just behind him. He pressed it into the receptacle and the computer made a couple of reassuring beeping noise before responding.

"Biological agent detected. Please enter clearance."

"Gunning; Beta-one-seven." The Commander replied.

"Initiating flood sequence. Agent will be released in three... two... one. Agent released."

Melissa spoke, "Effect should be instantaneous."

The Commander turned and looked around the brig at the bodies of the Klingon scientists and his fallen superior, Captain Hermann. His heart sank that it could have come to this with an infection. Without the Klingon scientists being taken alive, they may never know what had happened on board the ship.

He turned and began to drag the unconscious Starfleet officer towards a holding cell. "We need to hand command of this vessel to the executive officer as soon as he comes round."

[OFF]

Commander Alex Gunning
Commanding Officer

Lieutenant Commander Dietrich Reinhart
Executive Officer

Lieutenant Liarra Von
Chief Tactical & Security Officer

Lieutenant (JG) Melissa Daniels M.D.
Chief Medical Officer