Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 04 Apr 2004 11:56:23 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: "Heather Smyth" Title: Alone Inside Author: Heather Smyth Series: TNG Part: 2/? Rating: R Code: P/C Disclaimer: Paramount owns all Startrek and I derive no financial gain from this story...just a little fun. Summary: See part one. Two days later the Enterprise was mapping a binary star system. Stellar cartography was in the process of formulating predicted configurations when a call came through from Cargo Bay nine. "Ensign Fullarton to Commander Data." "Data here." "Sir I've finished loading the supplies for Ephrim colony. What do you want me to do next?" "So soon Ensign? I will be down shortly. Please wait for me." As Data stood, Captain Picard held up his hand. "Wait Data. I've got to go down to Astrophysics; I'll drop by and see to Ensign Fullarton. Let Commander Riker know where I've gone will you? You have the Bridge." Data nodded. "Thank you Sir." Jean-Luc entered the turbolift and allowed his mind to wander momentarily. "I wonder what she's doing now? Still in the runabout.maybe reading, catching up on her research. Two days.it's been two days and Gods I miss her. I don't want to be in my quarters without her. or in my bed alone. Fifteen more days! How will I make it through that?" The lift arrived on the appropriate deck and the Captain exited and headed to Cargo Bay nine. When the doors opened he stood stunned at what he saw. "Ensign! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ensign Amy Fullarton snapped to attention and blanched. "Sir! I thought I'd save some time, Sir!" "By grossly overloading the antigrav?" Jean-Luc stepped further into the room and could hear the whine of the protesting antigrav. The Ensign had put five times the recommended load on the unit. Crates, stasis units, supplies of all sorts were piled high, topped with several steel spikes, used in geology to separate rocks for study. A metre long and two point five centimetres thick, they were sharp at one end and flattened at the other. The Captain walked over to the antigrav, awed by what he saw. "Ensign why.?" The hapless officer rushed forward to speak with her Captain, only to stumble. Pitching forward, she cannoned into the Captain, knocking him off his feet. He fell sideways, collecting the edge of the antigrav as he tried to prevent his fall. The two officers lay sprawled on the floor with one of the Captain's arms under the antigrav. The jostling was too much for the straining unit. It veered, dipped and emitted a loud screech before suddenly slamming down onto the deck. The load rebounded with the impact and the metal spikes jumped into the air. Jean-Luc, his arm trapped up to the shoulder, was just registering the fact when the spikes fell towards him. He glimpsed them in horror and used his free arm to shove the Ensign away. He couldn't contain the yell of agony as three of the spikes impaled him. One through his thigh, one through his lower chest and one through his shoulder. Amy sat up and stared in horror. A dark pool of blood was spreading around her Captain as he shuddered in agony. She slapped her combadge. "Medical emergency in Cargo Bay nine! The Captain's been injured!" On her hands and knees, she went to him and gingerly touched the spike protruding from his chest. "Sir.can I help you?.is there anything I can do?" Through gritted teeth Jean-Luc replied, "No. Don't touch me.wait for the medics." Overhead the speakers came to life. "This is the Bridge. State the nature of the emergency." "It's Amy.I mean Ensign Fullarton. Captain Picard has been impaled by several spikes and is trapped by his arm, which is under the antigrav. There 's so much blood." "Stay calm Ensign. Medical should be with you momentarily. Commander Riker is on his way and he will monitor the situation from there. Is the Captain conscious?" "Yes Sir." "Then stay with him and." "The medics are here Sir!" Amy sat back as Doctor Selar and two nurses rushed across the distance from the closing doors. Deploying her med kit, Selar scanned Jean-Luc with a medical tricorder and administered an analgesic. Using another scanner, she mapped the positions of the spikes. Turning to Amy, she ordered her to obtain a phaser. Being relieved to be able to help, the Ensign was back in moments, handing the weapon to the Doctor. With the help of the two nurses, Selar cut the spikes off, leaving two centimetres of the metal above Jean-Luc's skin. Tapping her combadge, she called the Bridge just as Will arrived. "Selar to Bridge." "Bridge here." "We have stabilised the Captain but he is still trapped. His condition is serious. When we have unloaded the antigrav I will immobilise his arm and have him transported to Sick Bay." "Understood." Will crouched down beside his Commanding Officer and asked the Doctor, "What can I do?" As she stood, Selar looked down at the Commander. "You can help by aiding us in unloading the antigrav." The five crew immediately began to relieve the unit of its load. As they worked, Will frowned at the Ensign. "What the hell were you trying to do? You should know better than to place this much weight on this size antigrav." Without pausing in her work, Amy answered her Commander. "I do know Sir.it's just.I was trying to get the work done quickly. Commander Data was overseeing my rotation and I wanted to." "Impress him. I see. Well I hope you've learned from this disaster Ensign. Not too many Ensigns slip up by nearly killing their Captain by being overly keen." "Yes Sir. Do you think he'll be all right?" Will took pity on the woman and relented. "I'm sure once we get him to Sick Bay he'll be fine." Selar shooed Will and Amy out of the way when the job was finished and bent to speak to the Captain. "Sir we will soon be lifting the unit off your arm. Please remain as still as you can. I do not want to exacerbate your injuries." Jean-Luc grunted his acceptance of her suggestion and braced himself. The officers gathered around the antigrav and, bending their knees, hooked their fingers under the unit. On the count of three, they lifted. As the weight suddenly disappeared, Jean-Luc felt a stab of pain down his arm that even the analgesics couldn't quell. He cried out but, with a Herculean effort, remained still. Quickly putting the antigrav aside, Selar placed a pressure cuff around the shoulder joint and scanned the afflicted arm. "There are multiple fractures in the humerus, ulna and radius. The shoulder is dislocated and the hand has been crushed. There has been extensive disruption to the nerve pathways and the blood vessels have been compromised. I am going to place the appendage in stasis prior to transport." Will blanched as he looked at the flattened arm. His eyes wandered over his Captain's body and he frowned at the pooling blood. "What about his other injuries?" "Only one of the spikes is dangerously sited. The lower lobe of the left lung has been pierced and blood is leaking into it. I will treat the injury as soon as he arrives in the surgery suite. If you will stand back Commander." Will nodded and he and Amy stood back as the four people shimmered in blue light and disappeared. Amy looked up at Will uncertainly. "Sir.what am I supposed to do now? Could I go to Sick Bay too? I'd like to know how the Captain's doing." Will looked around him and came to a decision. "Tell you what. You get another antigrav and finish this job.properly this time, clean up.and when you're done you can come up to Sick Bay. I'll give you new orders then." A relieved Ensign grinned at her superior. "Thank you Sir." Will nodded then left the Cargo Bay. Amy looked around her, sighed and began her tasks. Jean-Luc was sweating freely by the time Selar injected him with more painkiller. He closed his eyes as his uniform was cut from his body and winced when he was shifted to the gurney that was to take him to surgery. Selar came into his field of vision. "Captain Picard, you will be going to surgery momentarily. When you wake up you will be in the recovery room. I do not foresee any problems with your treatment.however your arm may take some time to heal completely. I cannot say now exactly how I will treat your arm.I will know more when I can examine it more closely." Jean-Luc nodded and grimaced as he tried to sigh. "Try to take small breaths Captain. Your left lung has been damaged." He nodded again and swallowed convulsively as he felt the gurney begin to move. Concentrating fiercely, he made sure his last conscious thought was of Beverly. Having checked her notes, Beverly absently rubbed her stomach, trying to dispel the lingering nausea she felt. Still on their way, Beverly had been feeling slightly ill for some time and she hoped their impending arrival at the planet would alleviate her unsettled stomach. Deanna noticed her friend's discomfort and came to sit beside her. "Beverly are you all right? You've been rubbing your midriff a while now." "Yes I'm fine. We had a very rich dessert last night; perhaps it's disagreeing with me. Tell me Deanna, have you had a chance to review our accommodations?" "Not really. Other than knowing we're sharing a room, I just assumed it would be standard Starfleet quarters." Beverly frowned and sighed. "Well I hope we get a room with a bath. I could do with a long hot soak. What's our ETA?" "Oh, about 08.30 tomorrow, give or take an hour. You know how crowded the docking arrangements get when these symposiums set up." "So another twelve hours? Hmm, I think I'll do a little more reading then call it a night. Are you ready.did you complete your submission?" "As a matter of fact I did. I'm as ready as I can be, but I'm not looking forward to giving my speech. I'd much rather listen to the others." "I know how you feel. I've got to give three lectures and I'm dreading each one. I'm really looking forward to hearing Doctor Adamson's address on the latest regeneration techniques. It's something I believe we could easily incorporate onto the ship." "I'll make sure I go to that one." Beverly sighed and closed her eyes. Stretching, she thought of her lover. "What are you doing right now?" It was the beautiful red head he saw in his mind when consciousness returned. He lay quietly, his eyes closed, assessing his body. His left thigh had a tightness in it he knew to be newly reconstructed tissue. He gently flexed the muscle and felt the telltale answering twinge. Using his left hand, he fingered the wound on his chest and took a tentative breath. Again the signature tightness. His left shoulder rotated well and the muscles there also showed some tenderness. Of his right arm, he could feel nothing. From shoulder to fingertips, it was completely numb. He tried wriggling his fingers, but garnered no response. He opened his eyes and noted the subdued lighting. Lifting his head, he strained to look at his arm. What he saw made him scream in terror. His arm was encased in a very Borg-like prosthesis. Black and silver with areas of transparency, it began at his shoulder and snaked down his arm and terminated at his fingertips. Thick wires bulged up over his fingers and tubes wound themselves around his muscles. It was jointed at the elbow and he could see open wounds, the blood vessels in plain view. In horror he recoiled in the bed and shouted, "Nooooo! No! Take it off!" Hearing his first scream, Selar was entering his room as he began to claw at the prothesis with his left hand. "Captain Picard! Stop what you are doing or I will sedate you!" He didn't hear her. Sitting up he wrenched at the hardware and nearly fell off the bed. Still yelling, he slammed the arm against the side of the bed and raised it again for another assault when Selar applied a hypospray to his leg. Calling for help, she supported his senseless body until a nurse arrived. "Doctor.what happened?" "I'm not certain. He was trying to remove the stasis unit." "But why was he so upset? Was he in pain?" "No. I do not know why he was so distraught. I will check his medical file, perhaps that will shed some light on the problem." Selar had just entered Beverly's office when Will poked his head around the door. "Doctor? Nurse Ogawa said the Captain's woken up." "Yes Commander he has." "How is he?" Selar's hesitation worried Will. "What is it?" "When the Captain regained consciousness he became very.upset." "Upset? Over what? Won't you let him go back to his quarters?" "He can return to convalesce in his quarters tomorrow.that is not what is bothering him." "Well what is it?" "I do not know. It appears he is unhappy with the stasis unit on his arm. He was trying to remove it and shouting incoherently. He was becoming violent.I do not understand." "Violent? The Captain? Was it the drugs.did he have a head injury we didn't know about?" "No Commander there were no other injuries and Captain Picard was given no pharmaceuticals he has not had before. I fear his reaction was psychological not physical." "But why? Can I go see him?" "Yes, but he is unconscious." Will nodded and strode into his friend's room. In the soft lighting he gasped when he saw the equipment encasing the right arm. He left immediately and sought out Selar again. "The Borg!" "I beg your pardon Commander?" "When Captain Picard was assimilated by the Borg he had a prosthetic right arm. The Borg fitted him with it and it was one of the last things Beverly removed. It took him weeks to regain total control of the limb. When he woke up and saw that." ".He must have thought he had been re-assimilated. This is not good Commander." "You're damn right it isn't. When will he wake up?" Selar consulted a chronograph. "In approximately two hours." "Well you'd better keep him slightly sedated while we try to convince him that everything's ok." "A wise idea Commander." When Jean-Luc next awoke he knew immediately he was restrained. He heard the gently hum of the restriction field and frowned at its presence. He opened his eyes and was about to speak when he felt a hypospray empty against his neck. The effect was instantaneous. His body relaxed and his sharp mind dulled. "Captain? It's Will. Do you know where you are?" Jean-Luc opened his eyes and looked about. Finding his voice he grumbled, "Yes. I'm in Sick Bay." "Do you remember what happened?" After a momentary pause, he scowled. "Yes. The antigrav in Cargo Bay nine was." He suddenly stilled, his eyes opening wide. "My arm! The Borg!" He twisted his head sideways and stared at his arm. He snapped his eyes shut and whimpered, "No.God please no.not again." Will stepped forward and clasped his Captain's shoulder gently. "Sir.it's all right. There are no Borg.it's a stasis unit that's all.just a stasis unit to help repair your arm. Open your eyes Captain.it's all right." As Jean-Luc attempted to get his breathing under control, Will noticed as the muscles in his jaws flexing. First one eye, then the other cracked open and Jean-Luc snapped his head back looking hard at the ceiling. Still panting, he gasped, "Not the Borg?" "No Sir.I promise. Please." "Can you remove it?" Selar stepped forward and said softly, "No Captain. Your right arm was extensively damaged. The bones, nerves, muscles and blood vessels need intensive treatment if you are to regain full use of the limb. I apologise for your discomfort, but it is the only way." "Remove the restraining field and give me something to counteract the sedative." "Sir I do not think." "Doctor Selar I can assure you I will be fine. Remove the field.please." The Vulcan hesitated but capitulated when she saw the surreptitious nod from Will. "Very well Captain." The room was very quiet with the field silenced. Jean-Luc spoke again. "Would you allow me to sit up?" "Yes Sir, but please don't move the arm." Selar raised the head of the bed and the Captain sighed. Will noted he refused to look at his arm. "When can I be released?" "If all goes well; tomorrow morning. You will be off duty for an extended period while your arm heals. You may work from your quarters in four day's time. Until then you are to rest." "I see. Commander, ship's status?" "Nothing to report Sir. Everything's fine. You just." "I want to see that Ensign." "Ensign Sir?" "The one who caused all this mayhem." "Oh. Ensign Fullarton." "Yes, Ensign Fullarton." "Sir she's been up to Sick Bay several times to enquire about you.she feels just terrible about what happened." "Now Commander!" "Aye Sir." Will paged the Ensign and tried again with his furious Captain. "Sir she was just trying to." "I know what she was trying to do Commander.I bore the brunt of her enthusiasm remember! She does not need your excuses.I will deal with her as I see fit! Is that understood?" "Yes Sir!" Selar left the room and noted when the frightened Ensign arrived. She entered the Captain's room and stood at attention. In an icily calm voice, Jean-Luc said, "You may leave Commander." Will cast a worried glance over the Ensign and left, but stayed in Sick Bay. Jean-Luc let the ominous silence stretch on. The Ensign's trembling became overt and beads of sweat appeared on her brow. In a deceptively quiet voice, the Captain addressed her. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Did you give any thought to the repercussions of your actions?" "Sir I." "Silence! What were you thinking when you deliberately overloaded the antigrav in an effort to ingratiate yourself with your commanding officer?" His deep baritone was now loud and harsh with condemnation. "What the hell were you thinking? You have shown yourself to be an incompetent fool!" Tears appeared in Amy's eyes and fell down her face as she stood rigidly before her Captain. "Answer me!" "Sir! I.I'm sorry.so sorry.I.I." "You're what? Sorry? Well that just makes everything all right then does it? You could have killed me Ensign! Are you sorry about that too?" "Sir.Captain Picard.I.I'm." "You are confined to your quarters until further notice. Now get out!" Amy turned and fled. Blinded by tears, she didn't see Will until she ran right into him. "Hey, slow down. What did he say?" Her breath hiccuping, she tried to answer her superior. "He said.he said." "Take it easy, here sit down. I'll get you a glass of water." When the distraught Ensign had calmed somewhat, Will asked again. "What did he say?" "He yelled at me and confined me to quarters. Oh God he'll throw me off the ship! What have I done? I'm washed up! He'll see to it I'm thrown out of Starfleet! Oh God! Oh God!" "Stop Ensign! Stop that right now. Look Captain Picard is pretty angry right now.he's not himself. Let things cool down and I'll talk to him. Stay in your quarters for now and I'll see what I can do. And Ensign? I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself.at least for now." "But my roommate." "Tell her.or him.if they have any questions, to come and see me. Ok?" "Yes Sir. Commander?.the Captain.he will be all right.won't he?" Will looked down and Amy and gave a wan smile. "Yes, of course. Now shoo, be gone." Amy gave a tentative smile of her own and turned to leave. But before her feet took her to the door, she lifted her head and spoke. "Thank you Sir." Will watched her go with a sigh. He turned, frowning as he looked at the Captain's closed door. "What the hell's going on?" -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Awards Tech Support http://www.trekiverse.us/ASCAwards/commenting/ No Tribbles were harmed in the running of these Awards ASCL is a stories-only list, no discussion. Comments and feedback should be directed to alt.startrek .creative or directly to the author. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ From ???@??? Thu Apr 08 22:14:15 2004 X-Persona: Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n15.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.70]) by skylark (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1bbxnSZ3NZFjw1 for ; Thu, 8 Apr 2004 04:07:48 -0700 (PDT) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13368-1081422464-stephenbratliffasc=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yah