*** Sickbay * USS Chimera *** "Bretam to Summers" Rangi set her half empty mug down and tapped her combadge. + Taps + Summers here General. Is there something wrong?" she asked thinking that he sounded rather gruff. "Doctor. Could you please pay our chief engineer a visit in main engineering? He seems rather on edge and looks tired. Give him a quick once over and make sure he is well." +Taps+ Yes sir, I will head down there shortly. " she responded. "Thank you. Bretam out." Rangi looked around sickbay and satisfied that all was running smoothly, picked up a medcase and headed towards the door. "I'm in engineering if you want me." she told Scott who raised a hand in aknowledgement. * Engineering * "Sorry ma'am..he left a while ago." The young sandy haired engineer spoke apologetically. "He was heading for deck four...and then three...I think....he wasnt that clear." "Right..." Rangi considered this. "...thankyou ensign" She turned away and headed back to the turbo lift. "Computer...the location of the CEO please." [Chief Engineer Officer Lt McTaggert is in Jefferies Tube Gamma 7 subsection eta 48] Rangi sighed {Jefferies tube!..right...} * Jefferes Tube Gamma 7 subsection eta 48 * "Axa, throw me that tricorder over" Sean said to the Trill Specialist. while climbing up the ladder to the next subsection. "We'll find the problem, or I'll start a knitting course" he continued in a grumble and leaned over the shaft to grab the tool. "Sean," replied Axa calmly, "this is pointless and you know it. There's only two possibilities of something like this to happen. Either everything is running fine..." Spc. Axa waved at Seans grunt. "... I know, I know. The second possibility is that the self diagnosis routines were changed. If there was any problems with the sensors, it wouldn't affect all of them, it's statistically impossible." Axa concluded. "Tell me something I don't know" grumbled Sean and crawled a bit deeper into the narrow passage. Axa stuck her head over the border and climbed into the passage. "Why are we doing this then?" she asked surprised. Sean finished scanning the sensor module and sat back heavily, placing the tricorder next to him on the floor. "I have a few reasons" he finally said. "First of all, I needed to get away from that burocrat, Keylor." Axa grinned at his comment, but Sean only replied with a tired smile. "Second, I want Quayle to have a quiet way with the core. Everybody seems to be to eager to throw stones in my way in finding out what is going on. Fact is, there has been no EPS overloads since the incident. No malfunctions have been reported, nothing. And you know as well as I do, that that is probably worse." Sean caressed gently the circuitry in front of him. "I can feel her changing, can't you?" he asked, lost in thoughts. "Somebody did something to her. She's changing. She's been forced to change. I'm losing that familiar sound and feel I had with her. That alone makes me nervous." Axa looked at the pulsating light of the EPS conduit. "I can feel it, too" she finally admitted. "These junkheaps we got, they've been forced on her. She's suffering, I mean, can't you feel the pain? Something is going on we don't know. And I hate not to know. And I hate not to be able to find out. Why doesn't Keylor LISTEN to me?" Sean continued his monologue. Axa looked worried. "Sean, you need a break." she said slowly. "Seriously. You're burning out." Sean looked at Axa furiously. "I thought you would understand" he muttered. "Get the hell outta here" he added angrily. "I can do this myself. Go and check on Rodgers, he might need a hand with experience." Axa looked offended but turned back to the shaft. "Aye, Sir" she said, her back turned to him. "But Sean, I'm serious. Take a break, if we have coming what we've been told, you're going to be needed." and dissappeared down the ladder. * Rangi frowned.{Ok} she thought {If you wont come to me...then I'll come to you!} and hoisting her medcase firmly over her shoulder, she climbed into the jefferies tube and began to crawl along it. Minutes ago she had tapped her combadge and told the DCEO she wanted to see him. His reply had been brief ...and dismissive. Not prepared to stand in a hall way arguing via combadge with the man, Rangi had decided to find him where he was. She stopped. Coming towards her was another crawling figure. "Commander" The pretty Trill engineer sounded surprised to see another figure there."May I help you?" She smiled at the absurdity of her own question and Rangi smiled back. "Actually yes...I'm looking for Lt McTagart." Axas smile faded. She pointed back the way she had come."He's back there." she said. Rangi looked past her along the shallow tunnel that seemed to run to a distant point. "Second left...third right..." Axa directed. "Right...thankyou." The two women squeezed past each other and Rangi began to move off on her quest. "Commander? ....Ma'am?" Rangi stopped and glanced back. Axa, forcing a small smile and sounding apologetic said, "Ma'am...I think he should slow down...he's really been working too hard ...and..." The stilted words trailed off. Rangi smiled reassurance. "Dont worry....I'll see whats going on. " Axa turned and began crawling away. Rangi did the same in the opposite direction , her expression concerned. First the General and now the engineer...there must be something to worry them. Sean was scanning the sensor array without really paying attention to the results. Of course he knew this was pointless. Of course he was wasting time. But it had a purpose. Something was fishy here, and this level of fishiness wasn't possible without a purpose, without somebody covering something, doing something. And the Generals resistance to stop the ship, to run a full level diagnostic on the ships systems was... too suspicious. Of course neither Axa, nor anyone would understand. They hadn't spoken to the General, they didn't see his reaction. Sean was sweating. "God, I need more stimulants" Sean muttered. "Need to stay on top of things." he repeated like a mantra. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from the shaft behind him. "Axa?" he shouted behind his back. 'No' he thought to himself. 'She knows her way around. This is a more clumsy climb. I think there's finally something happening. I'm close'." Nervously, he grabbed into his toolkit and took hold of a phaser. "I'm ready for you, you bastard" he muttered under his breath, waiting for the person to appear in his sight. "You've hurt my ship for the last time" he added almost inaudibly. Rangi climbed the ladder. {I'm getting better at this!} she thought with irony,in reference to an unforgettable time she had spent crawling in Jerreries tubes on a starbase. The entire crew had been affected by a flowers pollen and she couldnt prevent a smile from touching her lips when she remembered the dubious pleasure of her imagined companion...a wooden chest with little feet. Her medcase clanged against the ladder and she paused, pulling the strap more securely on her shoulder.From somewhere above her a voice called a name. Clearing the top rungs,Rangi heaved herself onto the next level, moving forward once more.Soon approaching the next intersection she heard sounds of movement and vague muttering. Sean aimed nervously at the point where the person was approaching. Small pearls of sweat started to form on his forehead, as the noise grew louder and louder. Was it possible that they, whoever they were, could use this opportunity to get rid of him? Sean had his suspicions about what was going on, but he hadn't expected them to act on him this soon. Suddenly, he saw a blue collared woman approach and recognized her as the Chief Medical Officer. He thought his options over in a feverish speed. Was she one of them? Would they risk sending such a high ranking officer? Why now and here? With a swift movement he stove the phaser away and forced himself to smile, as she hauled herself over the edge and climbed into the shaft. "What do you want?" he asked dryly, not loosing sight of her movements and drying unconciously the sweat of his forehead. "Lieutenant...I want to talk to you" Rangi replied, moving nearer to his position."General Bretam asked me to check on you and I've examined your work pattern...you havent been off duty for over a week. Frankly I'm amazed you're still standing !" She looked at him steadily seeing the palor of his skin and bloodshot eyes. "Mind if I do a quick scan or two?" she asked and clicked open the medcase, reaching inside for her tricorder. "Do what you must, Doc" replied Sean illhumoured, picking up the tricorder again and crawling towards the next sensor array. "As long as you don't get in my way. I got a job to do" he added. She followed him, preparing her tricorder to perform basic scans.She said nothing but glanced at him in between times, catching his eye on her once or twice.The scans were soon completed and switching the compact machine off she said: "Well....I think you can guess what I'm going to say." She waited for his attention. Sean didn't bother to turn around, but waved with the tricorder. "Yes, and you can save your breath, Doc. I'm fine." he replied and crawled a bit further into the tube. "I'll tell you the same I told the General. I'll take a break as soon as I'm confident we're not gonna blow up in the middle of space." "You only think your fine because you're living on stimulants arent you?" She saw McTaggert pause his actions. "You're taking Delectovine...or something closely related to it. Do you know thats mildly addictive?...out of interest, where did you get them from?" Sean did a sharp intake of breath and started to sweat. "Doc" he said seriously. "It's not important where I got them from. What is important, is that I cannot stop. Not now. Not with most of my team lying low thanks to the inefficiency of certain Bragg bastards, and in the end, thanks to me, for allowing it." "You have to stop...simple as that." Rangi said in a quiet and reasonable tone."Sooner or later...sooner in your case..your body wont cope. Stimulants or not. Your glucose metabolism is thirty three percent down on a normal level. Believe me..that is 'too' much. Lieutenant...you have to stop... you have to sleep...there's no question about it. I'm not interested in any excuses." "Listen" Sean finally turned around and sat down, his back resting on the low wall of the tube. He looked at the Doctor, feeling completely exhausted, physically and mentally. "Let me ask you this. Say you are operating a patient. You have very delicate and long interventions to perform and you are the only one qualified to do it. Would you interrupt the operation, only because you are tired? Would you jeopardize that patients life, just to get a moment of sleep?" He waved at the starting protest of Summers. "I know what you're going to say, but let me tell you this. If I was certain somebody else could take over, I'd leave in a heartbeat. You and I aren't too different, Doc. You would do whatever is necessary to save a life. I am doing whatever is necessary to save the lifes of a whole crew and a good piece of machinery on top. Considering what is at stake, which no one else seems to be understanding, I can't afford to let go for even one moment. If I do, people will die. And I don't want that on my conscience." He leaned back and remained for a moment in silence. Rangi regarded him, sighed a long breath and moved closer. "Look.." she said. " I DO understand what you're saying. I know that being a deparment head makes you feel somehow..indispensible. But you're not and neither am I. Oh..I know we both feel we are." she added, cutting short his responce "...honestly, I've felt the same as you at times, but you're no use to the crew...to yourself..to Chimera...to anything in the state that you're in right now." She stopped, her concerned expression willing him to believe it. " When a person becomes tired to extreme, they cant mentally function properly. Insufficient rest adversely affects the frontal cortex's ability to access memory....to solve problems. The brain's ability to problem solve is greatly impaired, decision-making abilities are compromised, and the brain falls into rigid thought patterns that make it difficult to generate new problem-solving ideas. Dont you see?...you cant think clearly, no matter how hard you try to...or indeed how much you think you are. Lieutenant...if a solution jumped out and bit you, you wouldnt recognise it. You have to rest." Sean laughed sourly. "Doc, you might be a good Physician, but let me tell you one thing. I wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't think clearly. There's something going on here. I still can't put my finger on it, but I know something is fishy here. My lady is not behaving as she is supposed to, and not only, or probably because the mods. There is something else, and I have to find out what it is. I've got almost all of the engineering department working on it, even if they don't know it. Some of them have the same gutfeeling though, and trust me, I will find out. I will. Meanwhile, don't tell me I'm not indispensable, cuz it's not me, it's the basement that is indispensable. And the basement is at the limit of its capabilities, menwise." Sean took breath, visibly annoyed. "I'll cut a deal with you though. You're the ships doctor and I will follow your advice... as soon as I have my engineers back on the job, which I think wont happen before we reach the march. Once my team is back to numbers and we've performed the level 5 diagnosis, I'm willing to take a nap, and you can watch me if that pleases you." he concluded. "That's the option, take it or leave it. Meanwhile, let me do my job, ok?" Rangi shook her head. "No. I'm sorry but you're in no fit state. Mr McTaggert..there are others who can take your place...albeit temporarily. Lt. Quayle perhaps...." She looked down for a moment wondering how to reason with the unreasonable. "Look...understand ...the consequences of sleep deprivation include physical effects, mental impairment, even mental health complications if you go to extremes. Inadequate rest impairs our ability to 'think'... to handle stress...even to reason." "Nonsense" muttered Sean angrily and tapped on the tricorder again, turning his back to the ships doctor. She saw she was getting no where and tried one last appeal. "Lieutenant... Total sleep deprivation is fatal.... lab rats denied the chance of resting will 'die' ..keel over...dead...finished. I'm asking you to be reasonable..I'm even willing to make a deal. Take twelve hours...put Quayle in charge of whatever it is you're doing " She glanced at the open panel and back at the engineer. "Come back to it refreshed...please." "Listen, Summers" Sean turned back and looked Rangi straight in the eye, visibly furious. "Don't you talk to me as if I didn't know what I'm doing. Don't tell me how to run my department or who to place in charge or what to do. If I feel I cannot do my job, I will step back without any need of advice from a shortsighted healer wannabe. Now GET OUT of my working space!" he ended up yelling and turned back to the tube. He was furious with Summers, furious with Bretam, furious with himself for seeing his hand trembling slightly, a sign of weakness in his own eyes. Rangis lips tightened to a line of displeasure. {Very well...you leave me no option} she thought watching him clench and unclench a fist. She said nothing but reached back for her medcase, half lifting, half pulling it to her side. She bent forward, reached in and lifted out a phial and empty hypocase. Flashing a quick glance at McTaggert she clipped the two pieces together and saw the 'ready' indicator flash.She checked the dosage and gripping the hypospray, crawled after the now retreating figure. She knew the Anesthezine would have immediate effect. "Lieutenant?" she said calmly and saw him stiffen, doubtless with anger to know she was following. She stretched her arm towards him and as he began to turn, pressed the hypospray against his neck and heard the hiss as the sedative was administered.. Sean didn't see it coming. With a low moan, his limbs relaxing, he fell into an almost comatose sleep as the drug started to affect his body. In his dreams, he found himself tied to an asteroid, as he watched the Chimera dissappear in a huge explosion. Rangi tried her best to steady his body as he relaxed into a heap against the wall and slid slowly toward her. +Taps+ Summers to transporter room. Emergency transport to sickbay.+ "Sorry...no alternative" she said looking down at McTaggerts face ...and a blue light enveloped them both. *** End Log *** Lieutenant Sean McTaggert DCEO USS CHimera (npc) & LtCmdr Rangi Summers CMO/2XO USS Chimera