*** CMO Office * USS Chimera *** Rangi requested a fresh glass of water and while she waited for it to appear in the replicator, she glanced down at her uniform, which was minus its tunic, left behind on Camerons ship somewhere. She rubbed her hands across the trousers and T shirt in an effort to look smarter and wished she had a clean and decent looking uniform to wear. But there was no time to worry about personal appearance...that would come later, now there was more pressing things to do. Taking the glass, she crossed to her desk and sat behind it on the green leather- like chair. She took a sip of water and placing the glass carefully on the desk top to the left side of the moniter, she switched on the link and accessed the recent sickbay reports and began to read. Steadily the data scrolled up the screen, beginning with the first patients admitted earlier that day. An ensign suffering what was at first thought to be depression,cause unknown followed soon after by two cadets from the science department who had decided that the best way to settle a minor disagreement over a test result was for each to try to 'flatten' the other. Within thirty minutes, nine people had been admitted to sickbay, exhibiting 'strange' out of character behaviour. The Colonel had brought a crewman in, an engineering technician, Anders, who had been so relaxed as to be almost incapable of walking or controling even the simplest movements. Ninety minutes later and sickbay had thirty nine patients admitted and things were beginning to get hectic. Rangi lifted the glass and leaned back in her chair, still reading the reports as she slowly sipped the cool water. Name after name scrolled on the screen...hysteria...melancholy...wild mood swings...hallucinations...all were mentioned. Then came her own name and those of Acheson..Alshain..Idrani..and Wellington.That was two hours after the first case had arrived. It got worse. Rangi sat watching the screen and marvelled at what her team had had to cope with. {Eighty five...'Eighty...Five' patients at one time} She shook her head slowly as the full picture became clear, hardly able to believe the speed with which the whole problem had developed. Mercedes had arranged the setting up of a temporary sickbay in a cargo hold.Without it there would have been no way to deal with the demands on the main sickbay. Rangi read the 'S/B2' data stream. It held more of the same, though with less serious cases. She let out a long sigh. {What a mess...and all because of that beautiful flower.} She sat forward in her chair and pressed the button to open a communication channel to the Colonel. He replied immediatley, sounding partly surprised to hear her voice. "Colonel...I'm back on track...and i can update you sir on all that's happened here." She briefly outlined all she had read, keeping to the point and informing the Colonel of the progress made so far.She told him that nineteen patients remained in the main sickbay and fifty three in sickbay2, though some of those, like Lt Acheson, had been allowed to leave , though under strict control. They had, she told him, coped very well in extraordinary circumstances. "Sir?" she asked when her report was done, "Is there any word yet form Commander Guzman....or Lt Blackburn?" The answer was negative and Rangi looked down to the floor, momentarily closing her eyes. "Then sir...may I ask what's happening to the base? I'm wondering if they can treat themselves or whether..." Her attention snapped suddenly to the door.From outside her office came the sound of alarms. Rangi sprang to her feet said "Emergency need!" and cut off the communication channel. She ran to the door in time to see Scott Fisher race past. She followed him. Ensign Oriana lay crumpled on the floor beside her bed. "Whats happened?" Rangi heard Scott call. A nurse kneeling at Orianas side looked up and explained "She jumped off the bed...like she was trying to get away from something." "Get her back on here." Scott said and he Rangi and the nurse lifted the Science Officers limp body back up onto the bed. "Somethings wrong.." Rangi said warily, looking up at the bio display. "Oh ...Geeez" Scott breathed. "She's dying" the nurse said simply. "Get the ELS frame." Rangi said and reached forward and frantically tapped buttons on the display. Alarms continued to sound as one stopped another began, warning of the patients worsening condition. Heart failure..liver failure. "Everythings shutting down!" Scott exclaimed in surprise."Whats happening to her?" "I dont know" Rangi replied." I dont know." Six minutes later the Emergency Life Support Frame was in place and working and IT now kept Oriana alive, for her whole body had somehow shut down and for a reason that they didnt understand. *** End Log *** LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/2XO USS Chimera