Visit to Sickbay Part 2, Alien Parasite

Posted on Sun Jun 2nd, 2024 @ 12:58am by Lieutenant JG Malcolm Beckett M.D. & Ensign Charlotte Dawes & Major Clay McEntyre III & Lieutenant Jules Mundy & Lieutenant JG Thivi & Lieutenant Dr. J.R McEntyre, M.D.

1,473 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Security Alert: These Bugs Again
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD 10, 1000 Hours, After Part 1

With the alien parasite removed, Mundy woke up. He was confused, he didn't know why he was in sickbay, and how much time seemed to have passed. "Why am I here in sickbay?"

Ensign Dawes grabbed a hold of the quarantine bubble that contained the parasite and locked it onto an examination tray in the small laboratory space in the exam room.

Nurse Reynolds stayed by the patient and attempted to comfort him. "We need you to stay where you are and try to stay calm. You came in for a broken hand, but when you came out of surgery there was a situation, and this room is under quarantine while we figure out what's going on."

"Broke my hand? How did I break my hand? I have no memory of breaking my hand!" replied Mundy.

Dr. Beckett heard the quarantine alarms go up and came running from the lab, stopping in front of the quarantine barriers at Exam Room 1. "Dr. McEntyre, what's your situation? How can I help, sir?"

"Zenobiologist," Charlotte suggested from the back of the lab. She went back to peering inside the bubble. The creature was clearly trying to get out. They needed to figure out how it slipped by scans, where Mundy could have picked it up, and if there could be more infected crew.

“Malcolm, go find me Dr. Foley please and tell him to haul ass down here. I’m sealing sickbay until we know what this parasite is.”

J.R turned, seeing Malcolm entering the sickbay before turning back to Dawes.

“Could be a number of things: Blue Gill, Ceti Eel, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis.”

"Remind me how this happened again? A parasite escaped lieutenant Mundy's mouth?" Thivi looked like she'd rushed all the way from lunch - she was towelling what seemed to be some kind of pesto from her lips as she stepped through the doors to sickbay. The paper towel was disposed of in a nearby waste receptacle, and she made her way to his ward with a look of great concern affixed to her features. Her ganglia squirmed as she laid eyes upon the strange thing that was fervently trying to get out of the ward.

“Like a Chestburster from that old movie, Aliens,” J.R commented.

Charlotte considered Dr. McEntyre's suggestions, and ran them through the scanners. "Dr. McEntyre, your first thought was right, the computer identified this as a bluegill. Must have been recently exposed right?"

Charlotte carefully carried the quarantined parasite over for Dr. McEntyre and Dr. Beckett to examine.

"Must have been recent. But the question is, where would he'd been exposed to a Blue Gill? They haven't been seen since at least 2365 at the very earliest."

J.R looked over the small blue gill creature with a curious purr.

"Could we run an analysis of its air and protein intake to determine where it could have come from. Using isotopes in its blood, we could back trace it to a point of origin and compare that to Mundy's log of recent activity."

"We can try, Doctor. It's likely been inside Lieutenant Mundy's head for at least 10 days unless he got it on the ship somewhere, but we will see what we can find," Charlotte responded taking the creature back to the laboratory space.

"That could be a possibility. Could it have been on the Alteran Ship?"

J.R asks curiously as his cousin, Clay, walks into sickbay, flanked by a pair of ensigns.

"Possibly, I'll get with Max and see what we can dig up. Could be a note in the Ateran logs that might give us an answer."

Nurse Reynolds watched the exchange between Dr. McEntyre and Nurse Dawes, and picked up a PADD. "Lieutenant, do you remember what you were doing before you came aboard the Astrea?"

Jules started to realize what may have happened. "What's the stardate?"

"Stardate 66025.91," Charlotte responded. "You've been on Astrea for 10 days now," she added trying to jog his memory.

"I lost 8 days!" Mundy started to panic and started yelling. "I LOST 8 DAYS!"

"You remember what bluegills used to be for, don't you? They were used as a means of control. I think the medical records are still a landmark case even in nursing textbooks." Thivi whispered to Mac the junior, standing next to him with her hands nervously clasped together. "Wherever lieutenant Mundy picked it up, I fear that there's a chance that there might've been a security breach. Perhaps it might be wise to commence a security audit?"

“Clay?” J.R asked his cousin, the larger McEntyre.

“I’ll have to run it. Mr. Mundy there, was supposed to be our new Chief of Security. If he’s been under the influence of a Blue Gill, then his notes since then are already suspect. I’ll have to go through the logs and data myself.”

Clay elaborated for the assembled.

Dr. Beckett spoke up, "I'll check everyone in Sickbay, once Nurse Thivi has cleared me. Given that Cardassians are immune, I can't imagine that Kelpians are susceptible either, this parasite seems to require very specific physiological traits to take neurological control, so we'll start with her assistance."

"Commander, we'll need to seal off everyone to their decks, and alert the Captain. Once we've cleared medical personnel to do the examination, they'll need security to make sure the decks are properly swept while we examine everyone," Beckett stated.

"Thivi would you mind?" Beckett asked.

"Of course." Thivi bustled off to grab instruments from the nearby table. "Sir, if you'll have a seat..."

Mundy got off the bed. He staggered towards the creature. "Someone give me something to kill that thing!"

“NO!” J.R yelled out, sharply, with a Caitian growl behind it.

“We kill it, we can’t back trace it to the mother! We find the mother creature, we end the threat of a resurgence!”

Mundy picked up a laser scalpel and headed for the parasite. It must have sensed Mundy's intentions, for it started thrashing against the forcefield that held it.

“Dawes! 2 CCs of Loraphan!” J.R called out as he started for Mundy to try to stop him. Clay did the same, standing like a bulwark in front of the containment room.

“Lieutenant! You will halt now!” Clay ordered in a stern, authoritative voice.

Charlotte had to grab the medication from a cabinet, to quickly put the hypospray together for Dr. McEntyre, she ran up behind Mundy and looked at the doctor quickly before tagging Lieutenant Mundy in the neck with the medication while he was distracted by his mission and the two McEntyres who were trying to stop him.

Dazed by the injection, he stopped moving forward, but fell against a cabinet, opening a wound in his forehead. He laid on the floor, gushing blood and moaning.

J.R was quick to Mundy’s side, a medical trickster probe pulled from his pocket as he knelt down to scan the newest injuries. “He’s got a concussion. Dawes, help me get him up onto the bio bed and get me a dermal regenerator and a pack of sterile gauze.”

"Well. Now that tiny crisis is averted." Thivi resisted the urge to sigh. Could they go one week with no strange goings-on, please? It would've been nice, really. "Now, sir, if you'll please sit still for a bit..." She began to scan over Beckett's body, starting with the back of the neck and moving towards his throat and mouth.

"Am I right and proper, Nurse?" Dr. Beckett asked.

"Absolutely. You do seem a bit tired, though," Thivi joked as she flipped the tricorder shut. "Right. Now that you're settled I think the rest of sickbay needs to be looked at - could you help me out?"

"Agreed," Malcolm said. "The more medical officers we can clear, the quicker we can work to get security cleared, and then we can divide and conquer the rest of the ship. Dr. McEntyre, I'm sure you're just fine, but if you don't mind?"

"Of Course. Where do you need me, Dr. Beckett?" J.R ask as he stood and helped Mundy back onto a Biobed.

"Right there is just fine, Doctor," Beckett answered, using his hands to move the fur on the back of the Caitian's neck as he scanned with an infrared light. The parasite had evolved itself to make their tails not visible to most humanoid's field of vision, but it would pop under the right lighting. Beckett then took his tricorder and set it to scan for a specific neurological frequency and finished the exam.

"All clear, Doctor," Beckett commented.

Thivi, Beckett, and McEntyre then each examined three more medical officers, which increased their numbers to six medical personnel cleared to do examinations. Soon they were on their way with security to clear the rest of the ship.

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