<<sorry folks, disregard prior version, this is the valid one>> Aidan left the Holodeck limping. "Goddammit Williams, I think we did the X'Chi a bit too strong. Remind me to stay at safe distant of giant bugs in the future" he muttered and started to make it towards his quarters. Willams and Cortez were in a better shape then him, and Aidan could hear their laugher all the way to the Turbolift. Aidan was anxious to see Jacks face with his surprises. Honestly, seeing Jiminy explaining how dangerous the X'Chi were, was hilarious, and Aidan was a bit worried to give the ODA a false impression of what they were up against. On the other hand, he had seen all of them in action, and was quite confident they'd take the menace serious in a hearbeat. As soon as the doors to the Turbolift opened, Aidan saw the sculptural figure of the Chief Medical Officer coming out of it. "Allright, Ms. Summers, lovely day, isn't it?" he saluted and limped into the Turbolift. Rangi, her mind on Borg implants and the complexities of removing them, took a moment to recognise the tall figure hobbling past her.She turned with a questioning frown at the retreating figure and noticing the uneven gait said "Mr Lynch....Mr Lynch!!" as the lift door began to close.She stepped back towards the door, pressing the lowest button on the panel so stopping the lift from moving. The door slid wide. "Mr Lynch?...a moment please?" Aidan was taken by surprise. "Yes, Commander, what can I do for you?" he asked politely, while rubbing his aching shoulder. One of the X'Chi had hit him hard on the same spot he had taken a kick from that marine officer at the bar. "More like 'what can I do for you'!" Rangi replied glancing from his face to his shoulder, to his leg and back to his face." You were going to sickbay?" The question was half statment, her tone implying that she was sure he wouldnt ...now at least...be going anywhere else. Aidan looked for a moment over to the Medical Officer and finally nodded. "Yes sure, why not." he sighed and stepped aside. A visit to Sickbay was not what he had in mind right now. He longed for a warm shower and a good movie afterwards, but he couldn't possibly refuse a direct 'invitation' from Summers, not if he wanted to risk another incident with the Command team. And after the Majors 'training sessions' in the holodeck with the General in persona, it wasn't a wise move. "So" he said, while the Turbolift started. "How's things going with the replicators" he asked with a smile. "We have a new one in sickbay and so far its fine" she told him, her lips forming a smile but her gaze went back to his shoulder."What happened?" she asked Aidan followed her gaze. "Nothing really" he waved with his hand, resting importance to the injury. "We've been trying out a training program for the ODA. It's about as rough as it can get on this new mission." he said in a conversational tone. "Them bugs are a real pain in the rear end, if you get my meaning" he added with a smirk. "In any case, thank you very much for your worry, I feel flattered to know such a lovely young lady is concerned about the health of an old bugger like myself" Aidan couldn't resist that line, although he said it jokingly, he had to admit, Summers looked really good in uniform. Rangi, mildly surprised by the gallent words, gave a glimmer of a polite smile which soon faded as she asked "You've been training already?" {Ofcourse they have} she told herself and added. "What did the 'bug' do?" Her clear blue/grey eyes met his with an expression of apprehension against what he might answer might be. Aidan shrugged. "Aw well, you know, the usual things" he said. "Few hits here and there, mainly falling on us with claws and spikes. Those beasts are very resistant to phasers, their shells protect them a lot and reflect phasers set to stun. But we had to try. I don't know much about insectoid races, but they are pretty immune to pain, I tell you that." he sighed and stepped out of the TL after Summers. "It was just a holo session after all. Everyone takes a few bruises, you know how it is." he added as they walked side by side into Sickbay. The room smelled nice and clean, and Aidan felt a soothing sensation overcoming him as soon as he stepped into it. Several nurses and doctors wandered around with PADDs in their hands, some of them attending what seemed to be mostly mustard-collared officers. Aidan didn't envy the engineers at this moment, they had been working hard on getting everything ready, and time was not on their side anymore. Accidents were bound to happen in that kind of situation, and the picture on sickbay only seemed to confirm it. Plasma burns, bruises, muscle strains and cuts were visible on all engineers in the room, and the medical team was quite busy. Aidan turned to Cmdr. Summers. "Well, I can see you guys have a lot to do, so... " he waved friendly towards the exit. "I'm sure you don't mind me taking care of myself and a nice shower on top? I'd hate you having a wrong idea about me not being educated enough not to appear clean to a date, even with a doctor?" he added with a smirk. This time Rangi smiled back at him, pointed to a vacant biobed and said "Come now Mr Lynch....you've limped this far, lets see what the problem is." She followed his lopsided progress collecting a tricorder and medpadd from the waiting trolley as she passed it. "Please ...oh...can you manage?..do you need a hand?" She stepped to his side as he reached the bed.His explanation of the insectoids hadnt fooled her for one moment. He might try to pass the simulation off as nothing unusual but to have full scale encounters running already, made Rangi think that the mission they faced was going to be unpleasant in the extreme. "I'm good, thank you" Aidan replied and laid down on the bed with a sigh of pleasure. "Next time, I prefer dinner and a movie first though." he added with a smirk, as the doctor passed the handscanner over his body. "I'm kinda old-fashioned, you know". He slowly started to relax on the bed. "Funny thing those bugs, I tell ya" he started to talk, half to himself, half to Summers. "I mean, imagine a giant roach, operating a warp capable ship. How did they built it? How do they operate it? What would their information look like? Or the consoles, or their engines. I mean, they have to have something in common with us. Their technology has to be understandable, and should be based on the same physical laws as ours, but it's just fascinating to think how it could possibly look like, don't you think?" he addressed his last question to Summers directly. Rangi gave a slight nod of agreement, although her attention was on the results of the first scan. "It's a tantalizing question certainly." she said laying the tricorder aside and reaching toward a selection of small silver cyclinders on the nearby trolley. She selected one, checked its details and opened it ready to use. "Now...if you can sit up a moment and ease your uniform off....I need to see your shoulder." Aidans grin widened. "You are fast, I'll grant you that" he replied joking and took his shirt off. "I just hope Mr. Guzman doesn't ruin this lovely moment." He tried to bent his neck to check on his shoulder. A large blue-greenish area covered his shoulder bones and upper arm. "Wow, that was a good punch" he muttered and touched it carefully with his other hand. "Thats right....just relax..it wont hurt." She moved forward ready to administer the cooling lotion that would treat the spectacular bruise now revealed. "You've hurt this before." she stated."Some of the bruising is a few days or so old." Before he could reply Rangis attention was distracted.A patient under the care of AMO Gannsen was apparantly none to keen on his treatment and voiced his discomfort with a series of groans cries and the odd expletive. Rangi looked back at Aidan and gave him the smile that seems to come as part of the graduation from medical academy. "I'll put this on for you and then we'll look at the leg ok?" "I'm in your capable hands, Doc" replied Aidan and watched Summers do her job as she gently rubbed a blueish gel over the affected area. Aidan had to admit it was a very pleasant feeling, but before he could comment on it, Summers finished and rushed off to help the AMO. The pain subsided rapidly, as the cooling gel started to affect his shoulder. Aidan leaned back and stared at the ceiling, his mind wandering back to the X'chi. How was it, that in all this time, this would be only the second encounter with that species, being that they were an Alpha Quadrant race. And what kind of technology did they have, how did they travel. Again his thoughts were interrupted by the CMO, who started to scan his wounded leg. Once again the scans showed severe bruising. {No wonder he's limping} Rangi thought reading the results of the muscle damage.She clicked the tricorder to pause and anticipating the answer she knew would follow her request said in serious tone. "Please remove your trousers Mr Lynch...I need to look ...at the leg." His expression was all she expected and amusement showed through her professional veneer. Aidan laughed out loud. "Doctor" he said smiling. "There are ladies in the room. I told you, I'm old-fashioned, I did expect at least some privacy." He removed his pants and laid back on the biobed. This was the first time a Doctor asked him to remove all of his clothing, usually, a scan and a hypo solved everything. It was quite clear to him, Summers was old school, or was it something else? Aidan smirked about the thought. If the allmighty XO was here, Aidan was sure he'd be the one doing waste disposal, and on a permanent basis. "Oh!" Rangi couldnt hold back the small sound of surprise. She studied the injury, a frown deepening as she did so. Six reddened areas ran in a line stretching from lower calf to thigh. In some ways the marks resembled a bite and although the skin was unbroken, the damage was more than she expected to see from a simulation exercise.She knew safety protocols would have been in place yet the injury made her wonder what levels had been set. "Some 'bug' Mr Lynch" she said, gently touching the angry redness of his lower leg and turned her head to look at him. Aidan couldn't hold back a laughter. "Cmdr. Summers" he said in a fake serious tone. "Please be gentle, this is my first time.... with a doctor." he smiled and let Rangi do her job, lying still on the bed. He had to admit, whatever she was doing, it felt really good. After a while, the pain on his leg started to recede and Aidan felt pleasantly tired. The treatment was soon completed and Rangi, glancing at Aidans face thought at first he had fallen asleep. "Its all done." she said quietly and smiled when he opened his eyes." You can redress now." she told him. "It will feel sore for a while but by this evening you'll hardly notice it ok?" Aidan sat up, feeling much better. "Doc" he said, while putting his uniform back on. "That was wonderful, we have to do it sometime again" With that he stood up and, nodding with a smile at Rangi he left Sickbay. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LtCmdr. Summers CMO USS Chimera & Spc. Aidan Lynch ODA Eng Spc. USS Chimera