Fic: "The Needs of the Few" (6/23)
Title: "The Needs of the Few"
Canon characters/Pairing(s): Kirk & McCoy, Pike, Finney
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,720 for chapter 6
Warnings: Foul language, political situations, military stuff.
Summary: As cadets on a summer internship, Kirk and McCoy are supposed to keep their eyes open and their mouths shut. As far as Bones is concerned, that’s just plain wrong on Jim Kirk, but Jim seems determined to follow orders and fall in line for a change. After all, they’ve both seen enough trouble in two years at the Academy, and this is the Peace Mission of Axanar. However, when a mystery starts to weave itself around the mission, and the senior officers don’t seem interested in investigating, how far can Kirk and McCoy let it go?
Previous chapters: One, Two, Three, Four(A), Four(B), Five
Chapter 6
“Thank you, crewman,” Leonard said as he saved the data file on Crewman Silfes, one of the crew members on the roster for his research.
Silfes, like the other people on his roster, had been pre-selected based on her basic psych profiles. Like all Starfleet personnel, her profile was well within acceptable parameters, but showed a higher tendency than the average Starfleet personnel for anxiety related to uncontrollable events such as transporters, zero-atmosphere, and space flight in general. All people who met the parameters for the study were offered a chance to join the study, but none of it was mandatory. To Leonard’s surprise and pleasure, almost everyone on his list of candidates had volunteered. They were just beginning the data-collecting phase, creating detailed lists of triggers, coping techniques, and personal histories, as well as beginning the preliminary biofeedback sessions. The data was already excellent.
Silfes smiled. “No, thank you, Doctor. I’ve been able to keep my... uh... issues under control on my own, but it would be wonderful to find a way to really get past the fears. I’d love to be able to get into a shuttle without needing to tell myself to breathe.”
“Well, ma’am, that’s the goal. And every bit of data we get will help people throughout Starfleet, I hope.”
She nodded and stood. “Tell me, Doctor McCoy, why did you choose a project like this?”
“Simple,” Leonard replied as he stood to match her. “The first time I got aboard a shuttlecraft, I locked myself in the latrine, panicked, yelled at an officer, and threw up on the guy sitting next to me.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Impressive. And now?”
“I’ve made a lot of progress... with a lot of help from the guy I threw up on.”
She laughed lightly. “Well, if you can come this far, I think I’ve got a pretty good chance. Thank you.”
Leonard watched her leave with a measure of satisfaction, and was just about to sit down again when a hand snaked around the edge of the doorframe and knocked. The voice of Doctor Brex was followed by his face peeking around the corner. “Got a moment, McCoy?”
“Sure. I was just finishing up interviews for today. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to know how your project is coming along,” he said as he strolled into the tiny room and helped himself to the chair that Crewman Silfes had just vacated.
Leonard had gotten used to Doctor Brex stopping in at the end of each shift, or randomly throughout the day. Maybe Brex wasn’t nearly as old as Leonard’s father, but in the short time he’d been onboard, Leonard had felt just a touch of something he hadn’t experienced since his father died - paternal pride. It was still within the realm of the professional, but it had been something Leonard was discovering that he’d missed terribly, and he couldn’t help but latching on to Brex’s approval and support a bit more than he’d expected. The man’s advice had been invaluable. He’d gotten Leonard to stop hiding from his problems, and had given Leonard an opportunity to open up in a way he hadn’t in years. It was a good feeling.
Leonard shrugged casually at Brex’s question. “It’s just started, really, but it’s looking good.” He picked up his PADD and visually scanned through the list of interviews he’d completed. “I’m already finding patterns in coping techniques that we can start using for the next phase of research. The volunteers are willing and cooperative, and we’ve already begun biofeedback tests. We’ll be ready to begin more advanced techniques with a few of them by the end of next week.”
Brex nodded slowly, rubbing his chin with his thumb as he considered this. “Good... very good. I’m glad that’s working so well.”
“But that’s not why you really came in here, is it?”
Brex offered a conspiratorial smile. “And you told me you’re not a telepath,” he said wryly, then he let out a soft sigh. “As per standard protocol, I requested that the Axanar delegates report to sickbay when they arrived aboard yesterday for the routine screening that we give to all passengers.”
Leonard set down his PADD and stared at Brex’s expression, which was disturbingly unreadable for a Betazoid. “Wouldn’t that have been part of the regular routine for anyone coming aboard the ship who isn’t...” Leonard thought back to shipboard regulations. “A full scan within four hours of arrival is routine for any crew members who aren’t coming aboard during a standard crew rotation, or any non-crew personnel brought aboard at any time?”
“Nice job, McCoy. You say you hate regulations, but you seem to know them perfectly.”
“I’ve gotta know them if I’m gonna complain about them.”
“True,” Brex said with a smile, and the expression held a hint of fondness. Then his tone became business-like again. “The other delegates we’re transporting all showed up for their appointments - even the Zhitorans - although the Tellarite and Vulcan were late. They both said they’d been pulled into an unexpected conference.”
“Glad I’m not a diplomat,” Leonard grumbled. “But they still arrived within a reasonable time frame.”
“Yes. And when I sent the initial request for the Axanar, one of the Ambassadors’ assistants actually came down promptly, stating that the two actual Ambassadors and their other assistants would be along as soon as their meeting with Captain Porter was over.”
“But the others never came down,” Leonard filled in.
“Right. I submitted the request again today, and received a reply that they’re coming down after the meetings and subspace conferences they’ve got scheduled with all those diplomatic uppity-ups, which should be quite soon.”
Leonard found himself chuckling. “I knew I liked you,” he said plainly. He really was finding it refreshing that he could be openly honest with Brex, too.
“I picked up that phrase from you,” he said with a grin. “And I picked up this one, too: damned peculiar.”
Leonard twisted his mouth, considering. “Was there something unusual about your exam with the assistant?”
Brex pursed his lips. “Technically, no. Based on Axanar physiological parameters, he was in excellent health, carrying no virulent microbes, and he was very cooperative.”
“But...?” Leonard prompted.
Brex’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “The only odd thing was when he asked if I was human towards the end of the exam, and I told him that I’m Betazoid. He seemed a bit flustered at that point, but it could be because he didn’t seem to know anything about Betazoids or how to interact with us.”
Leonard frowned. “Couldn’t you tell more specifically than that?”
Brex shook his head. “I read every species differently. Some species, I can’t read at all. I could read the Axanar a little bit, but not clearly. Just vague impressions. From what I could sense, he and the rest of them are afraid of offending people and violating diplomatic and hospitality protocols, and I was a species this particular individual hadn’t studied. It could be that he was just worried that he’d made a mistake without knowing it. I would have dismissed it as the usual discomfort I’ve seen in beings when they meet new species, but then, the Ambassadors never showed up for their appointments.”
“That’s... “
“Damned peculiar,” Brex said for him with a dry laugh. “Yes, I know. Anyway, the rest of the Axanar delegation should on their way now.”
Leonard raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s a good sign. Maybe they were just busy with everything. Meetings and getting ready for the mission and all.”
“Maybe,” Brex said, noncommittally. Then he shifted his posture, folding his arms across his chest. “You told me a little bit about your romp down on the planet.” The statement wasn’t exactly a question, but it demanded a response.
Leonard leaned a bit back in his chair, crossing his right ankle over his left knee. “I did. And it was just like I said, sir. Hospitality to the point of... well... I found it unnerving, and I’m from Georgia.”
Brex quirked a frown like a physical question mark. “What would be the significance about Georgia?”
At that, Leonard had to chuckle again. “We’ve been accused of smothering people to death with hospitality.”
“Ah,” he said with a smile. “And then... you mentioned the way the Axanar regard doctors.”
“One of the highest stations in society,” Leonard said, still trying to wrap his head around it. “That’s what the Secretary of Health Services was telling me, anyway. But not in the same way doctors are respected on Earth, and other planets I’ve studied. Doctors are demigods around there. And the assistant who was tailing him seemed to be in absolute awe of...” Leonard trailed off as he saw the pensive expression on Brex’s face. “Sir?”
Brex let out a heavy breath. “I had wondered... if they honor doctors so highly... well, it just made me curious why they would have skipped out on an appointment. But as you said, they might have been stuck in meetings. Aaaah, I wouldn’t want to be a diplomat.” He grinned.
Leonard relaxed back into his chair a bit. “Neither would I. Although, if it weren’t for the transporter leaving my stomach in knots, I could get used to that sort of food. If I hadn’t been so distracted, I should have brought some back for you.”
Brex shook his head, still smiling. “I’ve been out here in the black long enough to have sampled plenty of exotic delicacies. Your turn for the delicacies and the diplomacy.”
“Gee, thanks,” he said with a put-out tone.
“You’re quite welcome,” Brex said wryly. Then he stood suddenly, stretching his arms behind his back, then over his head. “But in the meantime, the Axanar should be arriving soon. Doctor Ankewicz won’t arrive for his shift for another hour, and there are four Axanar coming. I need to get to a meeting at 1700, and I could use an extra set of hands. Care to join me?”
Leonard shrugged. “I know next to nothing about Axanar physiology, but any chance to examine a new species looks good on my resume, right?”
Brex tilted his head back towards the main sickbay. “I thought you might say that. Come on. Let’s go examine an Axanar.”
*********
Leonard crammed a bite of turkey sandwich into his mouth and swallowed before he’d chewed nearly long enough, then immediately took another oversized bite and chewed as Jim watched him. When he swallowed again, he gave Jim a sideways look. “I thought you said you were hungry.”
Jim glanced down at his sandwich then looked back up. “I was until I saw you ripping apart your food like a Klingon in a famine. Damn, Bones, haven’t you eaten all week?”
“I should have eaten three hours ago,” he grumbled, glancing around at the nearly empty mess hall. Dinner was almost over, but at least it was quiet and isolated in the back corner of the room where they were eating. Jim said he hadn’t eaten yet because he’d been working late with his new assignment in the communications lab, so at least he had someone to gripe to. “I had a long day of interviews, only got a small lunch, and then I stayed late to help Doctor Brex do the physicals on the Axanar Ambassadors and their henchmen.”
Jim’s eyes popped a bit wider. “I’ll bet they’ve got some crazy physiology.”
“You bet. You should see where the equivalent of their kidneys are.” He made a motion towards his armpits, and was rewarded with a slightly disturbed expression from Jim.
Jim pushed his plate away. “Thanks, Bones.”
“Anytime, kid.” He tore off another bite and chewed roughly, then put down the sandwich and looked up at Jim. “They’re an odd bunch. And it wasn’t the subservience this time. I mean, these are the Ambassadors. They’re not in a role of servitude, so they don’t have to impress us the same way, but...” He shook his head to himself. “There’s nothing they did that I can put my finger on, because they were absolutely polite, but I’ve got this gut feeling that they didn’t like Doctor Brex.”
Jim tilted his head. “I remember Brex, from my first day onboard, and then that other day I stopped by looking for you. He seems like a really friendly sort of guy. What sort of problem could the Axanar have with him?”
“No idea. I mean, they cooperated with him, but they asked if he was really Betazoid, and... it was odd. They didn’t ask for anything, but I got the impression that they wanted me to do the exams, rather than Doctor Brex, which really doesn’t make sense. Brex has far more experience with various humanoid species than I do, and he’s the CMO. The other actual doctors weren’t on duty at the time, and I’m a cadet, so I told them I was only assisting.” He sighed. “Which, of course, was bullshit, because I’m a fully qualified doctor, but it was an easy excuse. Brex asked me to help because it was getting late and doing four full exams would take a while, and he needed to get to a meeting. It was also good for me to get some experience doing basic exams on new species. But then there’s the fact that the Axanar had already skipped out on their original appointment, which was supposed to be yesterday and....” Leonard held up and caught his breath for a moment. “And I’m rambling, and I probably shouldn’t be saying half of this.”
Jim was looking at him thoughtfully. Slowly, he pulled his plate back towards himself, stabbed his fork into a piece of cauliflower, and held it up as he looked at it thoughtfully. “Well, you know I’m not going to tell anyone you were breaking medical confidentiality.”
“It isn’t medical confidentiality unless I tell you what my exam showed medically. It’s everything else that’s just... sitting funny with me.” He hunched his shoulders and shook his head. It wasn’t as though there were any sort of problem. He just felt like he needed to dissect the situation, tease it apart, and see how it all fit together because there was something there that he just didn’t understand. Well, of course there was: the Axanar. He didn’t understand the Axanar. And Jim was always the perfect person to talk to when he needed to piece together a puzzle when he didn’t even know the picture. “What do you think, kid?”
For several seconds, Jim said nothing. And then, “I think... Bones... maybe you’re over-thinking this.”
It was Leonard’s turn to feel his eyes widen. “What?”
“No, I mean... we’re going to meet all sorts of weird species with strange behaviors. The Axanar are strange, but I’m sure we’re just as odd to them. They seem to barely know what to do with humans. Maybe they’ve never met a Betazoid. But I...” He grimaced, as if having an internal argument, then shook his head. “How’s your research project going?”
Leonard stared at Jim as his head caught up with the sudden and complete shift in the conversation. Maybe there wasn’t anything specific for Jim to dissect, but he’d expected Jim to say... something. He wasn’t sure what, but Jim always had something to say. And he was dismissing the whole thing. “Jim?”
“Find anyone on the crew roster more phobic of anything related to space travel than you are?” Jim’s expression was carefully blank.
Unable to meet Jim’s eyes, Leonard looked down at the rest of his sandwich and realized that his voracious appetite had mostly vanished. He took a deep breath and let it out. Maybe Jim was right. He was getting worked up over nothing. He was nervous just by virtue of the fact that he was in the middle of deep space, and he was jumping at ghosts. “You know I can’t tell you specifics... but no. Looks like I’m still the biggest basket case of the bunch. These are mostly folks who have already been on deep space assignments. They’re more accustomed to the conditions out here, and they’ve found different coping techniques. I’m... still adjusting.”
“You’ve adjusted pretty well since I met you, Bones,” Jim said mildly, and Leonard had to smile.
“Yeah, well, I had help.”
Jim returned the smile. “I could help you with that transporter issue of yours.”
Leonard pressed his lips into a line. “One step at a time, kid.”
“Sure.”
Feeling the need to keep the conversation tame, Leonard pushed his plate away and leaned on the table. “What about you? What are you and the rest of your group doing for the next week or so while we’re in transit?”
“Rotating assignments around the ship,” he said easily. “We’re taking turns in various leadership positions, shadowing officers. I’m heading down to commo next. Getting to play with the entire communications array.”
“Sounds like fun,” Leonard said. “Don’t electrocute yourself.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” His easy smile suddenly slipped. “This isn’t right. We both know we’re bullshitting here.”
Leonard gave another glance to his half-eaten sandwich. “Yeah. I’m sorry, kid.”
“No need to apologize.” Jim eyed his own sandwich with a grimace. “You’ve got research to consolidate, and I’ve got to memorize the schematics for the entire commo array by tomorrow morning. How about your quarters for study time?”
In his current mood, Leonard should have been happy to have Jim stop by. Always good for a healthy distraction. And after Brex’s admonishment a few days ago, he’d made a point of having Jim visit more often. But tonight, his instinct was to turn Jim away, go back to his room, and... and then what? Work on his research project in silence alone, rather than in silence with Jim around? Jim was actually a very considerate study partner when he knew it was really time to work, and Leonard rarely turned Jim away unless the kid was in one of his more raucous moods. But Jim was being fairly subdued tonight, and there really wasn’t any reason to turn him away. Huh. The Axanar must have really left him uneasy.
“Bones? Hey Bones? Study time? Yes or no? Or are you about to fall asleep on your dinner plate?”
Leonard blinked to see Jim staring at him with a bit of concern. “I... I’m sorry, Jim. Just thinking.”
Jim was still frowning. “Maybe you should just go get some sleep. I’ll go study in the observation lounge if my roommates are being too noisy.” He grabbed his sandwich off his plate, leaving most of the cauliflower, and picked up his tray with his other hand as he stood.
Leonard nodded and followed suit, leaving all of his food on his tray, which he deposited in the reprocessor slot behind Jim’s. “Maybe you’re right. For once.”
“For once? The emotional abuse I endure at your hands, Bones. I don’t know how I take it without suffering horrific psychological damage.” Jim’s eyes crinkled up at the edges as he grinned smugly.
Leonard rolled his eyes and cuffed Jim lightly upside the head as they walked out of the mess hall, earning a laugh from the kid. “Brat.”
“Yup.” But then his expression sobered. “But Bones... if you need anything, comm me, okay? You just seem off.”
“I know. But I’ll be fine. Thanks, kid.”
They parted ways, with Jim heading towards the enlisted quarters and Leonard heading back towards the junior officers’ quarters.
It wasn’t as though anything in particular had happened. And the Axanar had actually been quite pleasant to them and cooperative during the exam. They had repeatedly expressed their reverence for doctors, and asked whether Federation doctors would share their knowledge with the Axanar if they were accepted as members into the Federation. They were curious about the technologies aboard the Athena.
And yet... they’d seemed skittish around Brex. They’d asked Leonard to do the exams. Leonard had figured Brex would want to discuss it, but they hadn’t even finished the exams by the time Doctor Ankewicz arrived at 1655 hours. Brex had needed to run out the door to his meeting, giving Leonard little more than a nod as he left. There had been no time to ask him anything. Ankewicz had helped to finish up the exams, and the Axanar had been absolutely courteous to him... not that they’d technically been anything less than courteous to Brex... and dammit, Leonard couldn’t put his finger on it, but something still felt wrong. There was just nothing solid to support that feeling.
With a sigh, he tabbed his access code into the panel outside his quarters and stepped inside. Unzipped his boots and lined them up neatly by the door. Pulled off his outer uniform shirt and tossed it into the sonic cleaning unit next to the bathroom. For a moment, he stared at his bed, debating the luxury of flopping onto the bed fully clothed and falling asleep just like that, but he really did need to get a little bit of data organizing done before tomorrow.
He allowed himself a satisfying groan as he sat down at his desk and activated his PADD. He started with his message cache. Since he’d left the sickbay lab, he’d received three messages from his study volunteers with questions about how they should practice some of their visualization techniques, a note from his student advisor at the Academy, and a message from Doctor Brex. Curious, Leonard pulled up the note from Brex first.
Doctor McCoy,
First, thank you for assisting me today with the physicals. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay to finish up, but the meeting couldn’t wait.
Second, you said you’re working on a report for Lieutenant Finney regarding your experience down on Axanar. Could you send me a copy of that report when it’s done?
And finally, I would like to discuss any observations you might have made today while we were examining the Axanar. I know you noticed their odd behavior, too, but I was having difficulty reading any coherent thoughts from them. I have a theory about that. Please report to sickbay an hour before your first research session tomorrow so that we’ll have time to talk. Meet me in my office.
Thank you,
Doctor Brex
Leonard slowly leaned back in his chair, considering the message. He thought about the prep work he still needed to do for his research before tomorrow, which he’d felt was a higher priority than writing a report for Finney about his pitiful attempt at diplomacy with the Axanar landing party. But then, Brex had asked for the report, and all things considered, maybe it was more important than it seemed.
With a sigh, he activated the stationary computer terminal at his desk, interfaced his PADD, and pulled up the sparse file which was supposed to become his report for Finney. He’d get to his own research later.
He started typing.
*********
Sickbay was quiet when Leonard arrived at 0700 hours. No patients. One of the nurses said hello as he came in, then went back to restocking equipment in one of the treatment bays. Doctor Singh was working quietly at one of the computer interfaces, but she looked up and greeted Leonard with a nod.
“What brings you in so early, McCoy?”
“Doctor Brex asked me to meet him before I started my research sessions today.” He glanced sideways at the chrono. He was still actually a few minutes early. “Has he arrived yet?”
Singh shook her head. “Not yet. He’s on the rotation for 0800, but if he said he was coming in early, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
“Okay.” He glanced around. “Anything you want me to do while I wait?”
“Nothing in particular,” Singh replied. “Quiet morning. Reviewing my reports from the night shift. One person with a headache, and another one with insomnia, which isn’t surprising given the amount of stress onboard, and another clumsy engineer. I just need another doctor to sign off on the shift report, if you’ll do that for me. Then I don’t have to bother Doctor Brex with it when he arrives.”
“Sure,” Leonard said, taking the PADD. He skimmed over the reports. One Napean petty officer with a headache, a human engineer ensign with a broken toe, and a Deltan Lieutenant who couldn’t sleep. All in all, a quiet night in sickbay. Leonard signed off and handed the PADD back to Singh.
“Thank you, doctor.”
“You’re quite welcome, doctor,” Leonard said with a smile. It was nice being treated like a real colleague instead of just a cadet. He looked at the door, then at the chrono. “I guess I’ll go set up my equipment for my research testing while I wait for Doctor Brex.”
“Sounds like a fine plan. He’s pretty prompt, so I’m sure he’ll arrive soon if he told you he would.”
Leonard nodded and let himself into the lab. He kept glancing at the clock at first, but soon gave up as he became engrossed in calibrating his sensor equipment and testing things against his own biorhythms. When he finally heard the door to sickbay slide open again, revealing Doctor Brex, his eyes strayed to the chrono. It was 0754 hours.
Frowning, and a bit perplexed, Leonard put aside the equipment he was working on and stepped out into the main bay, following Brex to his office.
Doctor Brex offered a tired-looking smile to Leonard. “Good morning, McCoy. Here early today?” he asked as he stepped into his office, immediately sitting down heavily in his chair.
Leonard stopped in the office doorway. “Uh... yes, but, sir? You asked me to meet you at 0700 hours. Are you okay?”
Brex quickly gave him a look of pure confusion. “What? Why would I do that? I already had you working late last night, and you’re busy enough with your research. Why would I ask you to meet me early?”
By the expression on his face, it was clear that Brex had no idea what he was talking about. Somewhere in the back of Leonard’s mind, alarm bells were ringing, but he had dealt with more than enough psychological oddities in his career, and his well-trained responses kicked in. Remain neutral, don’t show signs of alarm, don’t upset the person showing signs of memory loss. Keeping his expression calm, he explained, “You sent me a communique last night, requesting that I meet you to discuss the Axanar physicals we did yesterday afternoon.”
Brex looked even more confused. “No, I didn’t. What would I want to discuss about the physicals? They were perfectly normal. Are you certain you’re feeling well, McCoy? You’re upset and disturbed. What’s wrong?”
“I...” He vaguely entertained the notion of letting it slide - the message had been sent at a late hour, and Brex had been under a lot of stress - but he respected Brex too much. And this was too important.
Leonard reached into his bag and pulled out his PADD. If a person was having a memory lapse, a solid reminder often helped trigger the memory to return. “Here, let me show you the message.” He tapped the screen and pulled up his message cache, but...
“What message?” Brex asked.
Leonard stared at the screen. “It was here.”
“What was there?”
“I swear, it was right here!” The message was gone. Quickly, he tabbed into his discarded message cache, searching through the history, but there was no sign of it. “I don’t understand...”
A warm hand rested on Leonard’s shoulder. “I understand that you’ve been under unusual stress lately, Leonard. Perhaps you should cancel your appointments today and take a mental health day for yourself?”
“Physician, heal thyself,” Leonard murmured, but he was still staring dumbly at the message cache on his PADD. “But... I know it was here.”
“I’m not calling you a liar,” Brex said gently. “But acknowledge the chance that you may have remembered something incorrectly under stress. I know the Axanar make you uneasy. You could have had a dream about it, and being overtired, mixed up the memory.”
“I know... it’s just...” He shook his head to himself. He had no idea what had happened, but he was going to get to the bottom of it. “I’m sorry, Doctor. I’ll... let me go to my office and contact my research participants for the day.”
He barely noticed Brex’s nod as he turned and walked out of the office. A moment later, he’d flopped down heavily in his chair, still staring at the PADD.
This wasn’t right. This was seriously and severely not right. He hadn’t been asleep and he hadn’t imagined it. He could almost picture the words on the PADD. How could Brex have forgotten? What the hell was going on here?
He stared out the door to the main sickbay, then back down at his PADD. He needed to get ready for his first research tests of the day. Brex had told him to take a day off, and while the thought was tempting, he wasn’t about to back down. But then... what if Brex was right and it was Leonard’s memory that was faulty? Still, Leonard’s instinct was that Brex had completely forgotten the whole thing.
Leonard focused on the screen of the PADD, trying to picture the communique. He could see it if he thought hard enough. It hadn’t been a dream. It had been real, and he was sure of it, and if only he could get that through to Doctor Brex....
A wordless shout from main sickbay snatched him from his thoughts. Then, “Doctor McCoy!” It was the voice of Nurse Walsh.
Leonard tossed his PADD aside and ran out into the main sickbay to see something that felt more unreal than imagined communiques and missed appointments.
Doctor Brex was sprawled facedown on the floor of sickbay, barely a meter outside his office door. Walsh was bent over him, checking his pulse manually as she repeated his name over and over again.
Leonard grabbed a tricorder as he ran to them. “Jesus, what the hell happened?”
“He took two steps outside his office... he was saying something...and he just collapsed.” Walsh was shaking her head, looking stunned.
“What was he saying?” Leonard barked out as the tricorder began spitting back readings, and Leonard would be damned if he could make sense of anything more than the basics. “No head or neck injuries. No internal bleeding. He’s safe to move. Quick, help me get him to a biobed.”
“He was mumbling,” Walsh said as she grabbed Brex’s right arm and helped heave him up alongside Leonard. “Saying something about remembering a message and that he was sorry for being late, and then he just fell over.” They lifted him up and stretched him out on the biobed. Walsh activated the bed’s scanners. “But what’s going on? Why did he collapse?”
Leonard was splitting his attention between the bed’s biosensor displays and the detailed readings from his tricorder. “I don’t know.” He wished Doctor Singh hadn’t just gone off-shift. “I’m not really familiar with Betazoid physiological norms...”
Walsh reached over and tapped something rapidly into the biobed’s control panel, and the readings on the display changed. She gave him a pointed look. The bed had automated settings for all sentient species known to the Federation, and the sensors could recalibrate instantly, displaying readings alongside the normal ranges for each species.
He felt himself flush with embarrassment. “Oh... thanks. I knew that.”
“Understandable, Doctor. It’s your first non-human emergency aboard a starship,” she said, with the trained calmness of a seasoned medical professional, but also with the obvious underlying fear of someone worried about a colleague and friend. “I’ll help. And Betazoids are very similar to humans. But... what’s going on?”
Shocked out of his own chagrin, Leonard focused on the readings again, using what he’d learned about translating vital signs for other species. “There are no injuries. No typical signs of shock. Normal nutrient levels. He’s well-hydrated. Blood pressure is... actually a little bit high, but not too bad. Cardiac rhythm is slightly irregular. That shouldn’t...” He shook his head to himself. He was lying to himself if he pretended this was anything but neurological.
Without saying a word, he tapped a new set of scanning parameters into the biobed controls, focusing on central nervous system activity. A moment later, a confusing picture emerged. He grimaced as he tightened the scan.
“What is it?” Nurse Walsh asked softly.
“Doctor Brex was supposed to meet me this morning at 0700 hours,” Leonard said flatly, not taking his eyes from the readouts. “But he showed up at 0800, acting as if he had no recollection of the message he’d sent to me last night, when he asked me to meet him early. You said that he came out of his office saying he was remembering a message, and I think I know what he was remembering. But if you look here...” The image resolved into a sharper scan. “According to the species standard, the electrical activity in these regions of the brain is abnormal. Vascular system is normal, oxygen and glucose perfusion are normal, and there are no structural abnormalities, but electrical activity is atypical in... okay, yes, those are the Betazoid equivalent of temporal lobes, and... page Doctor Singh. I can pull up references, but she might know more about Betazoid neurology, and this is an emergency.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Walsh said, and quickly hurried over to the Nurse’s station to send the message.
Which gave Leonard a quiet moment to boggle at how quickly his day had turned on its head. And forget just today... if his gut instinct was right, this was going to get uglier before it got better.
Sometimes, he hated his gut instinct.
Putting aside the tricorder for a moment, Leonard did something he knew would make Brex proud: he reached over and took Brex’s hand, and whispered, “Hey, I’m here. But... what have they done to you?”
*********
To Chapter Seven
Canon characters/Pairing(s): Kirk & McCoy, Pike, Finney
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 5,720 for chapter 6
Warnings: Foul language, political situations, military stuff.
Summary: As cadets on a summer internship, Kirk and McCoy are supposed to keep their eyes open and their mouths shut. As far as Bones is concerned, that’s just plain wrong on Jim Kirk, but Jim seems determined to follow orders and fall in line for a change. After all, they’ve both seen enough trouble in two years at the Academy, and this is the Peace Mission of Axanar. However, when a mystery starts to weave itself around the mission, and the senior officers don’t seem interested in investigating, how far can Kirk and McCoy let it go?
Previous chapters: One, Two, Three, Four(A), Four(B), Five
Chapter 6
“Thank you, crewman,” Leonard said as he saved the data file on Crewman Silfes, one of the crew members on the roster for his research.
Silfes, like the other people on his roster, had been pre-selected based on her basic psych profiles. Like all Starfleet personnel, her profile was well within acceptable parameters, but showed a higher tendency than the average Starfleet personnel for anxiety related to uncontrollable events such as transporters, zero-atmosphere, and space flight in general. All people who met the parameters for the study were offered a chance to join the study, but none of it was mandatory. To Leonard’s surprise and pleasure, almost everyone on his list of candidates had volunteered. They were just beginning the data-collecting phase, creating detailed lists of triggers, coping techniques, and personal histories, as well as beginning the preliminary biofeedback sessions. The data was already excellent.
Silfes smiled. “No, thank you, Doctor. I’ve been able to keep my... uh... issues under control on my own, but it would be wonderful to find a way to really get past the fears. I’d love to be able to get into a shuttle without needing to tell myself to breathe.”
“Well, ma’am, that’s the goal. And every bit of data we get will help people throughout Starfleet, I hope.”
She nodded and stood. “Tell me, Doctor McCoy, why did you choose a project like this?”
“Simple,” Leonard replied as he stood to match her. “The first time I got aboard a shuttlecraft, I locked myself in the latrine, panicked, yelled at an officer, and threw up on the guy sitting next to me.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Impressive. And now?”
“I’ve made a lot of progress... with a lot of help from the guy I threw up on.”
She laughed lightly. “Well, if you can come this far, I think I’ve got a pretty good chance. Thank you.”
Leonard watched her leave with a measure of satisfaction, and was just about to sit down again when a hand snaked around the edge of the doorframe and knocked. The voice of Doctor Brex was followed by his face peeking around the corner. “Got a moment, McCoy?”
“Sure. I was just finishing up interviews for today. What can I do for you?”
“I just wanted to know how your project is coming along,” he said as he strolled into the tiny room and helped himself to the chair that Crewman Silfes had just vacated.
Leonard had gotten used to Doctor Brex stopping in at the end of each shift, or randomly throughout the day. Maybe Brex wasn’t nearly as old as Leonard’s father, but in the short time he’d been onboard, Leonard had felt just a touch of something he hadn’t experienced since his father died - paternal pride. It was still within the realm of the professional, but it had been something Leonard was discovering that he’d missed terribly, and he couldn’t help but latching on to Brex’s approval and support a bit more than he’d expected. The man’s advice had been invaluable. He’d gotten Leonard to stop hiding from his problems, and had given Leonard an opportunity to open up in a way he hadn’t in years. It was a good feeling.
Leonard shrugged casually at Brex’s question. “It’s just started, really, but it’s looking good.” He picked up his PADD and visually scanned through the list of interviews he’d completed. “I’m already finding patterns in coping techniques that we can start using for the next phase of research. The volunteers are willing and cooperative, and we’ve already begun biofeedback tests. We’ll be ready to begin more advanced techniques with a few of them by the end of next week.”
Brex nodded slowly, rubbing his chin with his thumb as he considered this. “Good... very good. I’m glad that’s working so well.”
“But that’s not why you really came in here, is it?”
Brex offered a conspiratorial smile. “And you told me you’re not a telepath,” he said wryly, then he let out a soft sigh. “As per standard protocol, I requested that the Axanar delegates report to sickbay when they arrived aboard yesterday for the routine screening that we give to all passengers.”
Leonard set down his PADD and stared at Brex’s expression, which was disturbingly unreadable for a Betazoid. “Wouldn’t that have been part of the regular routine for anyone coming aboard the ship who isn’t...” Leonard thought back to shipboard regulations. “A full scan within four hours of arrival is routine for any crew members who aren’t coming aboard during a standard crew rotation, or any non-crew personnel brought aboard at any time?”
“Nice job, McCoy. You say you hate regulations, but you seem to know them perfectly.”
“I’ve gotta know them if I’m gonna complain about them.”
“True,” Brex said with a smile, and the expression held a hint of fondness. Then his tone became business-like again. “The other delegates we’re transporting all showed up for their appointments - even the Zhitorans - although the Tellarite and Vulcan were late. They both said they’d been pulled into an unexpected conference.”
“Glad I’m not a diplomat,” Leonard grumbled. “But they still arrived within a reasonable time frame.”
“Yes. And when I sent the initial request for the Axanar, one of the Ambassadors’ assistants actually came down promptly, stating that the two actual Ambassadors and their other assistants would be along as soon as their meeting with Captain Porter was over.”
“But the others never came down,” Leonard filled in.
“Right. I submitted the request again today, and received a reply that they’re coming down after the meetings and subspace conferences they’ve got scheduled with all those diplomatic uppity-ups, which should be quite soon.”
Leonard found himself chuckling. “I knew I liked you,” he said plainly. He really was finding it refreshing that he could be openly honest with Brex, too.
“I picked up that phrase from you,” he said with a grin. “And I picked up this one, too: damned peculiar.”
Leonard twisted his mouth, considering. “Was there something unusual about your exam with the assistant?”
Brex pursed his lips. “Technically, no. Based on Axanar physiological parameters, he was in excellent health, carrying no virulent microbes, and he was very cooperative.”
“But...?” Leonard prompted.
Brex’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “The only odd thing was when he asked if I was human towards the end of the exam, and I told him that I’m Betazoid. He seemed a bit flustered at that point, but it could be because he didn’t seem to know anything about Betazoids or how to interact with us.”
Leonard frowned. “Couldn’t you tell more specifically than that?”
Brex shook his head. “I read every species differently. Some species, I can’t read at all. I could read the Axanar a little bit, but not clearly. Just vague impressions. From what I could sense, he and the rest of them are afraid of offending people and violating diplomatic and hospitality protocols, and I was a species this particular individual hadn’t studied. It could be that he was just worried that he’d made a mistake without knowing it. I would have dismissed it as the usual discomfort I’ve seen in beings when they meet new species, but then, the Ambassadors never showed up for their appointments.”
“That’s... “
“Damned peculiar,” Brex said for him with a dry laugh. “Yes, I know. Anyway, the rest of the Axanar delegation should on their way now.”
Leonard raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s a good sign. Maybe they were just busy with everything. Meetings and getting ready for the mission and all.”
“Maybe,” Brex said, noncommittally. Then he shifted his posture, folding his arms across his chest. “You told me a little bit about your romp down on the planet.” The statement wasn’t exactly a question, but it demanded a response.
Leonard leaned a bit back in his chair, crossing his right ankle over his left knee. “I did. And it was just like I said, sir. Hospitality to the point of... well... I found it unnerving, and I’m from Georgia.”
Brex quirked a frown like a physical question mark. “What would be the significance about Georgia?”
At that, Leonard had to chuckle again. “We’ve been accused of smothering people to death with hospitality.”
“Ah,” he said with a smile. “And then... you mentioned the way the Axanar regard doctors.”
“One of the highest stations in society,” Leonard said, still trying to wrap his head around it. “That’s what the Secretary of Health Services was telling me, anyway. But not in the same way doctors are respected on Earth, and other planets I’ve studied. Doctors are demigods around there. And the assistant who was tailing him seemed to be in absolute awe of...” Leonard trailed off as he saw the pensive expression on Brex’s face. “Sir?”
Brex let out a heavy breath. “I had wondered... if they honor doctors so highly... well, it just made me curious why they would have skipped out on an appointment. But as you said, they might have been stuck in meetings. Aaaah, I wouldn’t want to be a diplomat.” He grinned.
Leonard relaxed back into his chair a bit. “Neither would I. Although, if it weren’t for the transporter leaving my stomach in knots, I could get used to that sort of food. If I hadn’t been so distracted, I should have brought some back for you.”
Brex shook his head, still smiling. “I’ve been out here in the black long enough to have sampled plenty of exotic delicacies. Your turn for the delicacies and the diplomacy.”
“Gee, thanks,” he said with a put-out tone.
“You’re quite welcome,” Brex said wryly. Then he stood suddenly, stretching his arms behind his back, then over his head. “But in the meantime, the Axanar should be arriving soon. Doctor Ankewicz won’t arrive for his shift for another hour, and there are four Axanar coming. I need to get to a meeting at 1700, and I could use an extra set of hands. Care to join me?”
Leonard shrugged. “I know next to nothing about Axanar physiology, but any chance to examine a new species looks good on my resume, right?”
Brex tilted his head back towards the main sickbay. “I thought you might say that. Come on. Let’s go examine an Axanar.”
*********
Leonard crammed a bite of turkey sandwich into his mouth and swallowed before he’d chewed nearly long enough, then immediately took another oversized bite and chewed as Jim watched him. When he swallowed again, he gave Jim a sideways look. “I thought you said you were hungry.”
Jim glanced down at his sandwich then looked back up. “I was until I saw you ripping apart your food like a Klingon in a famine. Damn, Bones, haven’t you eaten all week?”
“I should have eaten three hours ago,” he grumbled, glancing around at the nearly empty mess hall. Dinner was almost over, but at least it was quiet and isolated in the back corner of the room where they were eating. Jim said he hadn’t eaten yet because he’d been working late with his new assignment in the communications lab, so at least he had someone to gripe to. “I had a long day of interviews, only got a small lunch, and then I stayed late to help Doctor Brex do the physicals on the Axanar Ambassadors and their henchmen.”
Jim’s eyes popped a bit wider. “I’ll bet they’ve got some crazy physiology.”
“You bet. You should see where the equivalent of their kidneys are.” He made a motion towards his armpits, and was rewarded with a slightly disturbed expression from Jim.
Jim pushed his plate away. “Thanks, Bones.”
“Anytime, kid.” He tore off another bite and chewed roughly, then put down the sandwich and looked up at Jim. “They’re an odd bunch. And it wasn’t the subservience this time. I mean, these are the Ambassadors. They’re not in a role of servitude, so they don’t have to impress us the same way, but...” He shook his head to himself. “There’s nothing they did that I can put my finger on, because they were absolutely polite, but I’ve got this gut feeling that they didn’t like Doctor Brex.”
Jim tilted his head. “I remember Brex, from my first day onboard, and then that other day I stopped by looking for you. He seems like a really friendly sort of guy. What sort of problem could the Axanar have with him?”
“No idea. I mean, they cooperated with him, but they asked if he was really Betazoid, and... it was odd. They didn’t ask for anything, but I got the impression that they wanted me to do the exams, rather than Doctor Brex, which really doesn’t make sense. Brex has far more experience with various humanoid species than I do, and he’s the CMO. The other actual doctors weren’t on duty at the time, and I’m a cadet, so I told them I was only assisting.” He sighed. “Which, of course, was bullshit, because I’m a fully qualified doctor, but it was an easy excuse. Brex asked me to help because it was getting late and doing four full exams would take a while, and he needed to get to a meeting. It was also good for me to get some experience doing basic exams on new species. But then there’s the fact that the Axanar had already skipped out on their original appointment, which was supposed to be yesterday and....” Leonard held up and caught his breath for a moment. “And I’m rambling, and I probably shouldn’t be saying half of this.”
Jim was looking at him thoughtfully. Slowly, he pulled his plate back towards himself, stabbed his fork into a piece of cauliflower, and held it up as he looked at it thoughtfully. “Well, you know I’m not going to tell anyone you were breaking medical confidentiality.”
“It isn’t medical confidentiality unless I tell you what my exam showed medically. It’s everything else that’s just... sitting funny with me.” He hunched his shoulders and shook his head. It wasn’t as though there were any sort of problem. He just felt like he needed to dissect the situation, tease it apart, and see how it all fit together because there was something there that he just didn’t understand. Well, of course there was: the Axanar. He didn’t understand the Axanar. And Jim was always the perfect person to talk to when he needed to piece together a puzzle when he didn’t even know the picture. “What do you think, kid?”
For several seconds, Jim said nothing. And then, “I think... Bones... maybe you’re over-thinking this.”
It was Leonard’s turn to feel his eyes widen. “What?”
“No, I mean... we’re going to meet all sorts of weird species with strange behaviors. The Axanar are strange, but I’m sure we’re just as odd to them. They seem to barely know what to do with humans. Maybe they’ve never met a Betazoid. But I...” He grimaced, as if having an internal argument, then shook his head. “How’s your research project going?”
Leonard stared at Jim as his head caught up with the sudden and complete shift in the conversation. Maybe there wasn’t anything specific for Jim to dissect, but he’d expected Jim to say... something. He wasn’t sure what, but Jim always had something to say. And he was dismissing the whole thing. “Jim?”
“Find anyone on the crew roster more phobic of anything related to space travel than you are?” Jim’s expression was carefully blank.
Unable to meet Jim’s eyes, Leonard looked down at the rest of his sandwich and realized that his voracious appetite had mostly vanished. He took a deep breath and let it out. Maybe Jim was right. He was getting worked up over nothing. He was nervous just by virtue of the fact that he was in the middle of deep space, and he was jumping at ghosts. “You know I can’t tell you specifics... but no. Looks like I’m still the biggest basket case of the bunch. These are mostly folks who have already been on deep space assignments. They’re more accustomed to the conditions out here, and they’ve found different coping techniques. I’m... still adjusting.”
“You’ve adjusted pretty well since I met you, Bones,” Jim said mildly, and Leonard had to smile.
“Yeah, well, I had help.”
Jim returned the smile. “I could help you with that transporter issue of yours.”
Leonard pressed his lips into a line. “One step at a time, kid.”
“Sure.”
Feeling the need to keep the conversation tame, Leonard pushed his plate away and leaned on the table. “What about you? What are you and the rest of your group doing for the next week or so while we’re in transit?”
“Rotating assignments around the ship,” he said easily. “We’re taking turns in various leadership positions, shadowing officers. I’m heading down to commo next. Getting to play with the entire communications array.”
“Sounds like fun,” Leonard said. “Don’t electrocute yourself.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” His easy smile suddenly slipped. “This isn’t right. We both know we’re bullshitting here.”
Leonard gave another glance to his half-eaten sandwich. “Yeah. I’m sorry, kid.”
“No need to apologize.” Jim eyed his own sandwich with a grimace. “You’ve got research to consolidate, and I’ve got to memorize the schematics for the entire commo array by tomorrow morning. How about your quarters for study time?”
In his current mood, Leonard should have been happy to have Jim stop by. Always good for a healthy distraction. And after Brex’s admonishment a few days ago, he’d made a point of having Jim visit more often. But tonight, his instinct was to turn Jim away, go back to his room, and... and then what? Work on his research project in silence alone, rather than in silence with Jim around? Jim was actually a very considerate study partner when he knew it was really time to work, and Leonard rarely turned Jim away unless the kid was in one of his more raucous moods. But Jim was being fairly subdued tonight, and there really wasn’t any reason to turn him away. Huh. The Axanar must have really left him uneasy.
“Bones? Hey Bones? Study time? Yes or no? Or are you about to fall asleep on your dinner plate?”
Leonard blinked to see Jim staring at him with a bit of concern. “I... I’m sorry, Jim. Just thinking.”
Jim was still frowning. “Maybe you should just go get some sleep. I’ll go study in the observation lounge if my roommates are being too noisy.” He grabbed his sandwich off his plate, leaving most of the cauliflower, and picked up his tray with his other hand as he stood.
Leonard nodded and followed suit, leaving all of his food on his tray, which he deposited in the reprocessor slot behind Jim’s. “Maybe you’re right. For once.”
“For once? The emotional abuse I endure at your hands, Bones. I don’t know how I take it without suffering horrific psychological damage.” Jim’s eyes crinkled up at the edges as he grinned smugly.
Leonard rolled his eyes and cuffed Jim lightly upside the head as they walked out of the mess hall, earning a laugh from the kid. “Brat.”
“Yup.” But then his expression sobered. “But Bones... if you need anything, comm me, okay? You just seem off.”
“I know. But I’ll be fine. Thanks, kid.”
They parted ways, with Jim heading towards the enlisted quarters and Leonard heading back towards the junior officers’ quarters.
It wasn’t as though anything in particular had happened. And the Axanar had actually been quite pleasant to them and cooperative during the exam. They had repeatedly expressed their reverence for doctors, and asked whether Federation doctors would share their knowledge with the Axanar if they were accepted as members into the Federation. They were curious about the technologies aboard the Athena.
And yet... they’d seemed skittish around Brex. They’d asked Leonard to do the exams. Leonard had figured Brex would want to discuss it, but they hadn’t even finished the exams by the time Doctor Ankewicz arrived at 1655 hours. Brex had needed to run out the door to his meeting, giving Leonard little more than a nod as he left. There had been no time to ask him anything. Ankewicz had helped to finish up the exams, and the Axanar had been absolutely courteous to him... not that they’d technically been anything less than courteous to Brex... and dammit, Leonard couldn’t put his finger on it, but something still felt wrong. There was just nothing solid to support that feeling.
With a sigh, he tabbed his access code into the panel outside his quarters and stepped inside. Unzipped his boots and lined them up neatly by the door. Pulled off his outer uniform shirt and tossed it into the sonic cleaning unit next to the bathroom. For a moment, he stared at his bed, debating the luxury of flopping onto the bed fully clothed and falling asleep just like that, but he really did need to get a little bit of data organizing done before tomorrow.
He allowed himself a satisfying groan as he sat down at his desk and activated his PADD. He started with his message cache. Since he’d left the sickbay lab, he’d received three messages from his study volunteers with questions about how they should practice some of their visualization techniques, a note from his student advisor at the Academy, and a message from Doctor Brex. Curious, Leonard pulled up the note from Brex first.
Doctor McCoy,
First, thank you for assisting me today with the physicals. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay to finish up, but the meeting couldn’t wait.
Second, you said you’re working on a report for Lieutenant Finney regarding your experience down on Axanar. Could you send me a copy of that report when it’s done?
And finally, I would like to discuss any observations you might have made today while we were examining the Axanar. I know you noticed their odd behavior, too, but I was having difficulty reading any coherent thoughts from them. I have a theory about that. Please report to sickbay an hour before your first research session tomorrow so that we’ll have time to talk. Meet me in my office.
Thank you,
Doctor Brex
Leonard slowly leaned back in his chair, considering the message. He thought about the prep work he still needed to do for his research before tomorrow, which he’d felt was a higher priority than writing a report for Finney about his pitiful attempt at diplomacy with the Axanar landing party. But then, Brex had asked for the report, and all things considered, maybe it was more important than it seemed.
With a sigh, he activated the stationary computer terminal at his desk, interfaced his PADD, and pulled up the sparse file which was supposed to become his report for Finney. He’d get to his own research later.
He started typing.
*********
Sickbay was quiet when Leonard arrived at 0700 hours. No patients. One of the nurses said hello as he came in, then went back to restocking equipment in one of the treatment bays. Doctor Singh was working quietly at one of the computer interfaces, but she looked up and greeted Leonard with a nod.
“What brings you in so early, McCoy?”
“Doctor Brex asked me to meet him before I started my research sessions today.” He glanced sideways at the chrono. He was still actually a few minutes early. “Has he arrived yet?”
Singh shook her head. “Not yet. He’s on the rotation for 0800, but if he said he was coming in early, I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”
“Okay.” He glanced around. “Anything you want me to do while I wait?”
“Nothing in particular,” Singh replied. “Quiet morning. Reviewing my reports from the night shift. One person with a headache, and another one with insomnia, which isn’t surprising given the amount of stress onboard, and another clumsy engineer. I just need another doctor to sign off on the shift report, if you’ll do that for me. Then I don’t have to bother Doctor Brex with it when he arrives.”
“Sure,” Leonard said, taking the PADD. He skimmed over the reports. One Napean petty officer with a headache, a human engineer ensign with a broken toe, and a Deltan Lieutenant who couldn’t sleep. All in all, a quiet night in sickbay. Leonard signed off and handed the PADD back to Singh.
“Thank you, doctor.”
“You’re quite welcome, doctor,” Leonard said with a smile. It was nice being treated like a real colleague instead of just a cadet. He looked at the door, then at the chrono. “I guess I’ll go set up my equipment for my research testing while I wait for Doctor Brex.”
“Sounds like a fine plan. He’s pretty prompt, so I’m sure he’ll arrive soon if he told you he would.”
Leonard nodded and let himself into the lab. He kept glancing at the clock at first, but soon gave up as he became engrossed in calibrating his sensor equipment and testing things against his own biorhythms. When he finally heard the door to sickbay slide open again, revealing Doctor Brex, his eyes strayed to the chrono. It was 0754 hours.
Frowning, and a bit perplexed, Leonard put aside the equipment he was working on and stepped out into the main bay, following Brex to his office.
Doctor Brex offered a tired-looking smile to Leonard. “Good morning, McCoy. Here early today?” he asked as he stepped into his office, immediately sitting down heavily in his chair.
Leonard stopped in the office doorway. “Uh... yes, but, sir? You asked me to meet you at 0700 hours. Are you okay?”
Brex quickly gave him a look of pure confusion. “What? Why would I do that? I already had you working late last night, and you’re busy enough with your research. Why would I ask you to meet me early?”
By the expression on his face, it was clear that Brex had no idea what he was talking about. Somewhere in the back of Leonard’s mind, alarm bells were ringing, but he had dealt with more than enough psychological oddities in his career, and his well-trained responses kicked in. Remain neutral, don’t show signs of alarm, don’t upset the person showing signs of memory loss. Keeping his expression calm, he explained, “You sent me a communique last night, requesting that I meet you to discuss the Axanar physicals we did yesterday afternoon.”
Brex looked even more confused. “No, I didn’t. What would I want to discuss about the physicals? They were perfectly normal. Are you certain you’re feeling well, McCoy? You’re upset and disturbed. What’s wrong?”
“I...” He vaguely entertained the notion of letting it slide - the message had been sent at a late hour, and Brex had been under a lot of stress - but he respected Brex too much. And this was too important.
Leonard reached into his bag and pulled out his PADD. If a person was having a memory lapse, a solid reminder often helped trigger the memory to return. “Here, let me show you the message.” He tapped the screen and pulled up his message cache, but...
“What message?” Brex asked.
Leonard stared at the screen. “It was here.”
“What was there?”
“I swear, it was right here!” The message was gone. Quickly, he tabbed into his discarded message cache, searching through the history, but there was no sign of it. “I don’t understand...”
A warm hand rested on Leonard’s shoulder. “I understand that you’ve been under unusual stress lately, Leonard. Perhaps you should cancel your appointments today and take a mental health day for yourself?”
“Physician, heal thyself,” Leonard murmured, but he was still staring dumbly at the message cache on his PADD. “But... I know it was here.”
“I’m not calling you a liar,” Brex said gently. “But acknowledge the chance that you may have remembered something incorrectly under stress. I know the Axanar make you uneasy. You could have had a dream about it, and being overtired, mixed up the memory.”
“I know... it’s just...” He shook his head to himself. He had no idea what had happened, but he was going to get to the bottom of it. “I’m sorry, Doctor. I’ll... let me go to my office and contact my research participants for the day.”
He barely noticed Brex’s nod as he turned and walked out of the office. A moment later, he’d flopped down heavily in his chair, still staring at the PADD.
This wasn’t right. This was seriously and severely not right. He hadn’t been asleep and he hadn’t imagined it. He could almost picture the words on the PADD. How could Brex have forgotten? What the hell was going on here?
He stared out the door to the main sickbay, then back down at his PADD. He needed to get ready for his first research tests of the day. Brex had told him to take a day off, and while the thought was tempting, he wasn’t about to back down. But then... what if Brex was right and it was Leonard’s memory that was faulty? Still, Leonard’s instinct was that Brex had completely forgotten the whole thing.
Leonard focused on the screen of the PADD, trying to picture the communique. He could see it if he thought hard enough. It hadn’t been a dream. It had been real, and he was sure of it, and if only he could get that through to Doctor Brex....
A wordless shout from main sickbay snatched him from his thoughts. Then, “Doctor McCoy!” It was the voice of Nurse Walsh.
Leonard tossed his PADD aside and ran out into the main sickbay to see something that felt more unreal than imagined communiques and missed appointments.
Doctor Brex was sprawled facedown on the floor of sickbay, barely a meter outside his office door. Walsh was bent over him, checking his pulse manually as she repeated his name over and over again.
Leonard grabbed a tricorder as he ran to them. “Jesus, what the hell happened?”
“He took two steps outside his office... he was saying something...and he just collapsed.” Walsh was shaking her head, looking stunned.
“What was he saying?” Leonard barked out as the tricorder began spitting back readings, and Leonard would be damned if he could make sense of anything more than the basics. “No head or neck injuries. No internal bleeding. He’s safe to move. Quick, help me get him to a biobed.”
“He was mumbling,” Walsh said as she grabbed Brex’s right arm and helped heave him up alongside Leonard. “Saying something about remembering a message and that he was sorry for being late, and then he just fell over.” They lifted him up and stretched him out on the biobed. Walsh activated the bed’s scanners. “But what’s going on? Why did he collapse?”
Leonard was splitting his attention between the bed’s biosensor displays and the detailed readings from his tricorder. “I don’t know.” He wished Doctor Singh hadn’t just gone off-shift. “I’m not really familiar with Betazoid physiological norms...”
Walsh reached over and tapped something rapidly into the biobed’s control panel, and the readings on the display changed. She gave him a pointed look. The bed had automated settings for all sentient species known to the Federation, and the sensors could recalibrate instantly, displaying readings alongside the normal ranges for each species.
He felt himself flush with embarrassment. “Oh... thanks. I knew that.”
“Understandable, Doctor. It’s your first non-human emergency aboard a starship,” she said, with the trained calmness of a seasoned medical professional, but also with the obvious underlying fear of someone worried about a colleague and friend. “I’ll help. And Betazoids are very similar to humans. But... what’s going on?”
Shocked out of his own chagrin, Leonard focused on the readings again, using what he’d learned about translating vital signs for other species. “There are no injuries. No typical signs of shock. Normal nutrient levels. He’s well-hydrated. Blood pressure is... actually a little bit high, but not too bad. Cardiac rhythm is slightly irregular. That shouldn’t...” He shook his head to himself. He was lying to himself if he pretended this was anything but neurological.
Without saying a word, he tapped a new set of scanning parameters into the biobed controls, focusing on central nervous system activity. A moment later, a confusing picture emerged. He grimaced as he tightened the scan.
“What is it?” Nurse Walsh asked softly.
“Doctor Brex was supposed to meet me this morning at 0700 hours,” Leonard said flatly, not taking his eyes from the readouts. “But he showed up at 0800, acting as if he had no recollection of the message he’d sent to me last night, when he asked me to meet him early. You said that he came out of his office saying he was remembering a message, and I think I know what he was remembering. But if you look here...” The image resolved into a sharper scan. “According to the species standard, the electrical activity in these regions of the brain is abnormal. Vascular system is normal, oxygen and glucose perfusion are normal, and there are no structural abnormalities, but electrical activity is atypical in... okay, yes, those are the Betazoid equivalent of temporal lobes, and... page Doctor Singh. I can pull up references, but she might know more about Betazoid neurology, and this is an emergency.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Walsh said, and quickly hurried over to the Nurse’s station to send the message.
Which gave Leonard a quiet moment to boggle at how quickly his day had turned on its head. And forget just today... if his gut instinct was right, this was going to get uglier before it got better.
Sometimes, he hated his gut instinct.
Putting aside the tricorder for a moment, Leonard did something he knew would make Brex proud: he reached over and took Brex’s hand, and whispered, “Hey, I’m here. But... what have they done to you?”
*********
To Chapter Seven