SUFFOLK: C4
Chapter Four: Family Ties
Kirk had been busy explaining to Admiral Johannes why it was taking so long to tow the Suffolk to the nearest Starbase (it was several weeks away at warp one, the fastest they could go while towing the Suffolk due to structural concerns) when the call came in from Sickbay.
"Do not attempt to move Doctor McCoy," Spock directed, "I will be down there momentarily."
"Yes, Commander," acknowledged Nurse Chapel.
By the time Kirk was done with the Admiral, Spock had already left the Bridge for Sickbay. Stepping out of his ready room, the captain frowned at his First's absence.
"Sir, Mr Spock has gone to Sickbay to deal with a personnel issue," Lieutenant Uhura informed Kirk, noticing his confusion.
"A personnel issue?" Kirk asked.
"He did not provide any precise details, sir," Uhura informed him.
"Sulu, you have the conn," Kirk informed the navigator before hurriedly leaving the Bridge.
~*~
McCoy stared at his surroundings. He was no longer in his Sickbay, holding his dying niece's hand, but standing in a humid rain forest, Erica standing beside him.
"You said you wanted to help me get better, Uncle Leonard," Erica explained.
"I have to admit that this wasn't what I had in mind," the doctor admitted, indicating the rain forest.
"Do you want to go back?" Erica asked, "I won't blame you if you do, you know."
"If I go back, will you still be able to recover?" McCoy inquired.
"Not on my own, Uncle Leonard," Erica grimly admitted, "and I don't have the strength to bring anyone into my mind now, I waited too long to draw you in."
McCoy didn't even hesitate in making his decision.
"Well then, Erica, it looks like you're stuck with me," he informed her, "where do we start?"
Erica smiled, glad to have her uncle at her side.
"At the beginning, I suppose," Erica replied.
~*~
When Kirk entered Sickbay, he found Nurse Chapel waiting for him.
"What's going on?" the captain demanded, "where's Doctor McCoy?"
"We don't know for sure, but it looks as though there was a spike in Eri--Cadet McCoy's brain waves that caught Doctor McCoy off-guard," Chapel informed him, leading the way to the isolation room Erica had been moved into as her telepathic abilities had gone haywire and making any direct skin contact a potential for disaster--a potential that had become devastatingly real.
"She managed to initiate a meld, Commander," M'Benga was telling the First Officer as Chapel and Kirk neared the room, "but how she managed to pull that off, I can't say."
"What danger is there to Doctor McCoy if we do not interfere, Doctor?" Spock asked, as the nurse and the captain entered the room itself.
"If she dies while they are still connected, then Doctor McCoy will, without a doubt, die as well," M'Benga grimly replied.
"And what are the chances of that happening?" Kirk demanded.
"Cadet McCoy's well past the point of no return, Captain," M'Benga replied, referring to Erica's blood copper levels, "in fact, Doctor McCoy, as her closest living blood relative, would have had to make the decision whether or not to take her off life support later today, if it weren't for this unexpected development."
"What do we know of Polluxian healing practices, M'Benga?" Kirk asked.
"Very little, at least that I have been able to access," the doctor replied, "why?"
"Bones mentioned to me that he figured Erica had turned to the training she had as an apprentice healer on Pollux V," Kirk explained, "I was wondering whether we could assist her in some way."
M'Benga nodded.
"If we knew more about Polluxian medicine, Captain, we'd have a chance," he informed Kirk, "but as we know very little, there's too big a risk that we might do the wrong thing and make things worse."
"Spock, can you do a mind meld with Bones and Erica?" Kirk asked.
"It should be safe enough for me to attempt a meld, Captain," the half-Vulcan replied.
~*~
"Where are we, Erica?" McCoy asked.
"In my memories, Uncle Leonard," Erica was quick to reply.
The doctor glared at his niece.
"I already knew that, Erica," he growled, "what I meant--"
"Sorry, Uncle Leonard," Erica interrupted, "we're on Pollux V."
"Why are we on Pollux V?"
Erica shrugged.
"My subconscious must have decided to use the Polluxian rain forests as a representation of my body," she replied, "not sure why though."
Both humans jumped as thunder roared overhead.
"That wasn't me," Erica breathed.
Unfortunately, McCoy heard her speak, and her words did not help his unease at being in his niece's mind.
"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.
"Someone touched your body," Erica explained.
"Spock?" McCoy asked.
Erica shook her head.
"Too emotional for Spock, Uncle Leonard," she replied, "probably Nurse Chapel."
"Makes sense," McCoy remarked to himself, even as a familiar shuttle flew overhead, a thick cloud of smoke marking its path thru the alien atmosphere, glimpses of which they could see thru gaps in the canopy above their heads.
"Are we going to be reliving your rescue, Erica?" McCoy asked.
"Looks like it," Erica replied, "come on, let's go investigate."
~*~
With one hand on McCoy's meld points and the other on Erica's, Spock intoned, "My mind to your mind, your thoughts to my thoughts..."
Spock saw glimpses of a shuttle crashing in a rain forest, a jaguaruni hunting its two survivors down. He saw Erica astride another jaguaruni(1), racing through an alien rain forest to rescue the survivors. He saw Erica, on board the Enterprise, pestering her uncle to allow her to go down to Engineering. He saw Erica leaving the Enterprise, dressed in her cadet uniform. He witnessed Erica's doomed command of the Suffolk.
"Spock?" Kirk asked hesitantly as the half-Vulcan ended the meld.
"I could not reach Doctor McCoy," he informed the captain, "and as for Cadet McCoy, I am not sure what is going on in her mind except that it has something to do with her memories."
~*~
Erica suddenly collapsed, unconscious before she even hit the ground. McCoy checked for a pulse, part of him wondering whether it was really possible to be unconscious when you were already unconscious in reality, but he stopped wondering when his mind started to ache from trying to make sense of it.
"Sorry 'bout that, Uncle Leonard," Erica said as she came to once more, "someone was tapping into my mind."
"Tapping into your mind?" McCoy asked.
"You know, like a mind meld?" Erica clarified.
"Perhaps it was Spock trying to say hello," McCoy suggested.
"It probably was him, Uncle Leonard," Erica agreed, "but he left before I could say hi back."
1. Malika is the name of the jaguaruni Erica adopts (see Malika).
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Kirk had been busy explaining to Admiral Johannes why it was taking so long to tow the Suffolk to the nearest Starbase (it was several weeks away at warp one, the fastest they could go while towing the Suffolk due to structural concerns) when the call came in from Sickbay.
"Do not attempt to move Doctor McCoy," Spock directed, "I will be down there momentarily."
"Yes, Commander," acknowledged Nurse Chapel.
By the time Kirk was done with the Admiral, Spock had already left the Bridge for Sickbay. Stepping out of his ready room, the captain frowned at his First's absence.
"Sir, Mr Spock has gone to Sickbay to deal with a personnel issue," Lieutenant Uhura informed Kirk, noticing his confusion.
"A personnel issue?" Kirk asked.
"He did not provide any precise details, sir," Uhura informed him.
"Sulu, you have the conn," Kirk informed the navigator before hurriedly leaving the Bridge.
~*~
McCoy stared at his surroundings. He was no longer in his Sickbay, holding his dying niece's hand, but standing in a humid rain forest, Erica standing beside him.
"You said you wanted to help me get better, Uncle Leonard," Erica explained.
"I have to admit that this wasn't what I had in mind," the doctor admitted, indicating the rain forest.
"Do you want to go back?" Erica asked, "I won't blame you if you do, you know."
"If I go back, will you still be able to recover?" McCoy inquired.
"Not on my own, Uncle Leonard," Erica grimly admitted, "and I don't have the strength to bring anyone into my mind now, I waited too long to draw you in."
McCoy didn't even hesitate in making his decision.
"Well then, Erica, it looks like you're stuck with me," he informed her, "where do we start?"
Erica smiled, glad to have her uncle at her side.
"At the beginning, I suppose," Erica replied.
~*~
When Kirk entered Sickbay, he found Nurse Chapel waiting for him.
"What's going on?" the captain demanded, "where's Doctor McCoy?"
"We don't know for sure, but it looks as though there was a spike in Eri--Cadet McCoy's brain waves that caught Doctor McCoy off-guard," Chapel informed him, leading the way to the isolation room Erica had been moved into as her telepathic abilities had gone haywire and making any direct skin contact a potential for disaster--a potential that had become devastatingly real.
"She managed to initiate a meld, Commander," M'Benga was telling the First Officer as Chapel and Kirk neared the room, "but how she managed to pull that off, I can't say."
"What danger is there to Doctor McCoy if we do not interfere, Doctor?" Spock asked, as the nurse and the captain entered the room itself.
"If she dies while they are still connected, then Doctor McCoy will, without a doubt, die as well," M'Benga grimly replied.
"And what are the chances of that happening?" Kirk demanded.
"Cadet McCoy's well past the point of no return, Captain," M'Benga replied, referring to Erica's blood copper levels, "in fact, Doctor McCoy, as her closest living blood relative, would have had to make the decision whether or not to take her off life support later today, if it weren't for this unexpected development."
"What do we know of Polluxian healing practices, M'Benga?" Kirk asked.
"Very little, at least that I have been able to access," the doctor replied, "why?"
"Bones mentioned to me that he figured Erica had turned to the training she had as an apprentice healer on Pollux V," Kirk explained, "I was wondering whether we could assist her in some way."
M'Benga nodded.
"If we knew more about Polluxian medicine, Captain, we'd have a chance," he informed Kirk, "but as we know very little, there's too big a risk that we might do the wrong thing and make things worse."
"Spock, can you do a mind meld with Bones and Erica?" Kirk asked.
"It should be safe enough for me to attempt a meld, Captain," the half-Vulcan replied.
~*~
"Where are we, Erica?" McCoy asked.
"In my memories, Uncle Leonard," Erica was quick to reply.
The doctor glared at his niece.
"I already knew that, Erica," he growled, "what I meant--"
"Sorry, Uncle Leonard," Erica interrupted, "we're on Pollux V."
"Why are we on Pollux V?"
Erica shrugged.
"My subconscious must have decided to use the Polluxian rain forests as a representation of my body," she replied, "not sure why though."
Both humans jumped as thunder roared overhead.
"That wasn't me," Erica breathed.
Unfortunately, McCoy heard her speak, and her words did not help his unease at being in his niece's mind.
"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.
"Someone touched your body," Erica explained.
"Spock?" McCoy asked.
Erica shook her head.
"Too emotional for Spock, Uncle Leonard," she replied, "probably Nurse Chapel."
"Makes sense," McCoy remarked to himself, even as a familiar shuttle flew overhead, a thick cloud of smoke marking its path thru the alien atmosphere, glimpses of which they could see thru gaps in the canopy above their heads.
"Are we going to be reliving your rescue, Erica?" McCoy asked.
"Looks like it," Erica replied, "come on, let's go investigate."
~*~
With one hand on McCoy's meld points and the other on Erica's, Spock intoned, "My mind to your mind, your thoughts to my thoughts..."
Spock saw glimpses of a shuttle crashing in a rain forest, a jaguaruni hunting its two survivors down. He saw Erica astride another jaguaruni(1), racing through an alien rain forest to rescue the survivors. He saw Erica, on board the Enterprise, pestering her uncle to allow her to go down to Engineering. He saw Erica leaving the Enterprise, dressed in her cadet uniform. He witnessed Erica's doomed command of the Suffolk.
"Spock?" Kirk asked hesitantly as the half-Vulcan ended the meld.
"I could not reach Doctor McCoy," he informed the captain, "and as for Cadet McCoy, I am not sure what is going on in her mind except that it has something to do with her memories."
~*~
Erica suddenly collapsed, unconscious before she even hit the ground. McCoy checked for a pulse, part of him wondering whether it was really possible to be unconscious when you were already unconscious in reality, but he stopped wondering when his mind started to ache from trying to make sense of it.
"Sorry 'bout that, Uncle Leonard," Erica said as she came to once more, "someone was tapping into my mind."
"Tapping into your mind?" McCoy asked.
"You know, like a mind meld?" Erica clarified.
"Perhaps it was Spock trying to say hello," McCoy suggested.
"It probably was him, Uncle Leonard," Erica agreed, "but he left before I could say hi back."
1. Malika is the name of the jaguaruni Erica adopts (see Malika).
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