Random Encounter
"Captain Data?!"
Dr. Olivier jogged from one of the containment shelters toward the android. He was a little jealous, actually, that the Captain was free to roam outside of a protective suit. His dark curls were sweat-sticky against olive skin, and his helmet kept fogging with his breath. The air-conditioning system might as well have been useless.
But Capt. Data? Happily (perhaps not happily, but at least not with discomfort) was wandering from one of those shelters to another without fear of infection. The suits didn't seem to be doing much anyway. Some of the Enterprise crew members were beginning to manifest symptoms. He almost wanted to discard them just for the freedom of movement.
Finally the android turned toward him, not looking away from his PADD. "Greetings, Terrance."
He really did wish that Data would pay attention when he was speaking to him. He frowned behind another helmet fogging breath, and proceeded anyway. "Captain, the nurses mentioned that there's a man here who's been investigating the disease for a while. He might have something that we haven't found yet."
Data's gaze lifted from the PADD. "So why are you talking to me instead of him? Acquire the necessary information and return as quickly as you can. The Klingons are jumping sectors."
"We can't find him, sir..." Olivier said after a moment.
The Captain hesitated, and then his brow knit in that quizzically canid look that always reminded him of a confused Cardassian riding hound. "No one can find him?"
"No sir, he seems to be hiding outside of sensor reach."
"Why would he be hiding?" he didn't really expect an answer, though. Olivier suddenly fumbled as the PADD was shoved into his hands, and Data roamed over to the nearest shelter to pick up one of the flashlight and medical kit sets. What they had been carrying into the mining caverns in search of any more plague victims.
"Have Commander Madden take the comm," Data instructed, before heading off toward the mine entrance.
"Where are you going! You can't go without an away team!"
Rather than respond, Data simply kept going. Because if sensors weren't detecting the man, there was only one place he could be, and he might be trapped.
Dr. Olivier jogged from one of the containment shelters toward the android. He was a little jealous, actually, that the Captain was free to roam outside of a protective suit. His dark curls were sweat-sticky against olive skin, and his helmet kept fogging with his breath. The air-conditioning system might as well have been useless.
But Capt. Data? Happily (perhaps not happily, but at least not with discomfort) was wandering from one of those shelters to another without fear of infection. The suits didn't seem to be doing much anyway. Some of the Enterprise crew members were beginning to manifest symptoms. He almost wanted to discard them just for the freedom of movement.
Finally the android turned toward him, not looking away from his PADD. "Greetings, Terrance."
He really did wish that Data would pay attention when he was speaking to him. He frowned behind another helmet fogging breath, and proceeded anyway. "Captain, the nurses mentioned that there's a man here who's been investigating the disease for a while. He might have something that we haven't found yet."
Data's gaze lifted from the PADD. "So why are you talking to me instead of him? Acquire the necessary information and return as quickly as you can. The Klingons are jumping sectors."
"We can't find him, sir..." Olivier said after a moment.
The Captain hesitated, and then his brow knit in that quizzically canid look that always reminded him of a confused Cardassian riding hound. "No one can find him?"
"No sir, he seems to be hiding outside of sensor reach."
"Why would he be hiding?" he didn't really expect an answer, though. Olivier suddenly fumbled as the PADD was shoved into his hands, and Data roamed over to the nearest shelter to pick up one of the flashlight and medical kit sets. What they had been carrying into the mining caverns in search of any more plague victims.
"Have Commander Madden take the comm," Data instructed, before heading off toward the mine entrance.
"Where are you going! You can't go without an away team!"
Rather than respond, Data simply kept going. Because if sensors weren't detecting the man, there was only one place he could be, and he might be trapped.