*** Sickbay * USS Chimera *** Scott turned away from the replicator and glanced along the main ward of sickbay though his mind was elsewhere. Maikais words, at first so easily explained away, now began to bother him. He knew that Rangi wasnt the type to give in to imaginary fears and realised that she wouldnt have contacted him from the starbase unless she had been seriously worried that a potential problem might arise. In the far corner of the main ward an engineer pondered over a padd he held in his hands,looking up now and then at one of the Surgical Support Frames currently dis-assembled in front of him. Scott wandered over in his direction, absently watching the engineers methodical movements. {Maikai thought the Commander was...how did she say it?...not acting like himself...more than casual....but thats to be expected surely} Scott drew level with the biobed, frowning at the litter of biosensers and the isolinear biometric array, or at least parts of it. The engineer paused his work and watched Scott sideways on, fearful of an offer of 'help' {So he came back to Chimera for something...obviously he wouldnt change into uniform...and he'd be in a good mood..relaxed...happy...} Scott smiled to himself. {...he's with a woman he loves...he's on R&R with her...ofcourse he's going to appear overly casual!} The engineer straightened up as Scott chuckled and he glanced down at the array of equipment in front of them, wondering what was so funny. {But on the other hand.....} Scott bit his lip in deep thought. {...what if there ' was' something odd? Rangi was concerned....} He sighed and shook his head. The engineer looked from Scott to the cardiac stimulation interface and back again. {..and he's the XO...no...it's too risky..I have to call her..tell her what Maikai said.} Scott half turned and reaching to tap his combadge, gave a friendly nod to the engineer. +Taps+ Fisher to Commander Summers? + The engineer returned to his work, checking the gauge on his laser torch and comparing it to the padd. He glanced up at the sound of static that was the only response to Scotts call. +Taps+ Fisher to Commander Summers...Scott here Rangi + Again there was a hissing of static. "You wont get her like doc...not if she's on the base." the engineer said, seeing Scotts frown."We moved out of range about a half an hour ago." "What? You're kidding me!" Scott replied, surprised. The engineer shook his head. "Nope we're about..ohh..500,000 kilometers away?" "Why?!" Scott asked nonplussed. "Out of weapons range."The engineer replied simply and shrugged as though to indicate it was entirely out of his hands and he didnt understand it either. He switched on the laser torch. Scott turned away. {Guess that settles it then....lets just hope that's all there was to it.} *** Starbase Kinsi *** Rangi leaned back against the wall and watched Cameron Sikes disappear around the bend of the corridor. It was so easy to imagine Harvey.As a child, Rangi had had a pet rabbit of her own. She watched Cameron snap his fingers as though calling his pet and she could 'see' the floppy eared creature zigzag its way along the corridor, sit up on its hind legs to sniff the air, before scooting off at high speed in pursuit of its owner. Rangi put her hands to her head. {This is madness!} she thought. {I've been talking to a man with an imaginary rabbit...as though it was commonplace....and he accepted the fact that a wooden chest follows me around!} She lifted her head and looked both ways along the corridor. "This is a dream" she told herself "..and I'm going to wake up in a minute." But her voice didnt sound convinced. She pushed herself away from the wall and looked back at the door to the VIP quarters. {Imagination it might be..} she thought { but there's no way I'm going back in 'there' ! } A few seconds passed while Rangi tried to decide what to do. Finding Shane was the obvious choice. {Mr Sikes said there was alot of activity on the promenade...perhaps that's where Shane's gone...I'll try there first.} She set off toward the nearest lift, glanced back over shoulder, saw nothing, but quickened her steps never the less. Her combadge 'bleeped' into life. +TAPS+ Acheson to any Chimera member, meet me in section Alpha on Deck 257. I wanna get the hell out of here." Rangi paused in her hurried walk. {Now what?...he's seen another drone?...oh geeez...what's going on?}she asked herself and taking a deep breath, started toward the lift once more. {Shane....'please' let me find you!} she willed. *** End Log *** LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/2XO USS Chimera & Ens Scott Fisher AMO USS Chimera (npc) Rangi