A Theory Without Substance

Posted on Fri Oct 31st, 2014 @ 7:30pm by Commander Rylie Cattmor & Lieutenant Jensen Foster & Lieutenant JG Heather Quinn

1,217 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: What Dreams May Come
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Right after "Do You See What I See (Part 3)"

She stood there on deck twelve for a couple of minutes, garbed in just her plain peach silk sleepwear, her legs shaking slightly, moving slowly up her back and into her core as the adrenaline suddenly hit her system hard. She'd breezed over the afternoon's reports before attempting to turn in for the night and noted that a few others, not many, but enough of the crew were experiencing some strange goings on to make her think this was not some freak one-off occurrence. She thought she was barely thinking straight, but what she was thinking, was that she had to get some answers.

Three people sprung to mind for something like this. Commander Michaels was an obvious choice; as her commanding officer, she should be made aware of the situation, and any possible shortcomings in either her or the crew's performance if the last few hours were anything to go by. Being half-Vulcan, she would also be in a prime spot to offer help and advice on how to deal with this and attempt to work through it. On the other hand, to deal and work through what? What if she were crazy? It wouldn't be the first time a Frian telepath with her level of ability were to go off the rails, and she'd seen many succumb to the madness provided by her so-called gift.

That led her to consider the Counsellor, Morai Keen. A few of her best friends had been with the counselling department, but she also felt that they were almost an unnecessary add-on to the compliment of the crew. She held nothing toward Keen personally or professionally, but despite having hallucinations, and seeing the effects before on Athera, she wasn't exhibiting any of the standard symptoms of losing her hold on reality, and dripping into the consciousness of insanity.

That just left someone she already had unfinished business with, another apology to make, and his professional services could be the first to provide answers going back through her options -- the doctor. "Computer, locate Lieutenant Foster, please."

"Lieutenant Jensen Foster is in his quarters." came the obedient reply.

She accessed the wall panel and called up a display, having left her com badge in her quarters, it was the only way to use the comm system. "Cattmor to Lieutenant Foster."

Standing near his replicator, in a pair of his favorite, blue PJ’s, getting ready to order a hot chocolate, Jensen heard Cattmor's voice over the comm system.

"Lieutenant Foster here; what can I do for you, Commander?"

"Please meet me in sickbay, immediately."

"On my way." Forgetting his hot chocolate, Jensen grabbed his com badge and then quickly exited his quarters before walking down the hall to the turbolift. Once inside he said, "Sickbay."

As soon as the channel was closed, Rylie took a breath and re-entered the turbolift, "Deck five."


// Sickbay

Rylie walked into a quiet and darkened sickbay just before Foster walked through the doors. "Doctor," she started, her body instantly tensing up with Jensen being alone in the same room again, "First off, I need to apologise for some of the things I said to you over on the Edmorn. You've probably noticed that a lot of the crew have been on edge and unable to keep their emotions in check, or fully under control. Yours truly included." She paused a second but went on without giving Jensen much of a chance to speak up, "I shouldn't have bitten your head off like I did."

Feeling just how she felt, Jensen responded, "It's quite all right, Commander, I realize that I breached protocol, that was entirely my fault. I've already made sure that it won't happen again - empathic and emotional circumstances aside."

Cattmor unclasped her hands and attended the main biobed in the alcove to get down to business. "It also can't have escaped your attention, there's something going wrong here. It seems to have started with dreams, but I've heard..." silently questioning whether to mention it or not, "and I've had visions, very real hallucinations that have come close to bodily harm."

Coming over to the Frian woman, he quickly cast a glance over her face. He'd felt the shift in the crew's emotional states the moment the first dreams had started. Now, that it was confirmed that he wasn't the only one having hallucinations, it was beginning to click into place. "I have had a few hallucinations myself as well, Commander. And I've already had some of the crew come to me for sleep aids for their dreams. Even Doctor Quinn has had her fair share of those seeking help due to visions."

"I thought as much, but I'm not after any such aid to go to sleep, I don't much like what I see when I do get there so I'm in no hurry to return to it at any point. But before I go to the Counsellor to find out if I'm crazy, and ultimately Commander Michaels to advise that this ship could be in extreme danger, I need to know in absolute certainty that there is nothing medically... off about me or my brain chemistry that might explain any of this." she said with a hint of nervousness as she propped herself up to sit on the biobed.

Walking away for a few seconds, Jensen went to the main console and grabbed a medical tricorder off of it. Yes, he knew he was supposed to keep them stored in the wall console by the main doors, but he just didn't like that, when in the middle of the room they were at hand and you didn't have to walk far to get them.

Returning to Cattmor, he opened it and began to run a preliminary scan of her brain. After a few seconds, he responded, "There is something off, but it's not with your brain exactly. Hmm... give me a second." He then turned the instrument on himself, scanning his own brain. Another few seconds passed and he finally closed the tricorder.

Rylie silently breathed a sigh of relief--she wasn't going crazy. She'd seen, and known several of her people going down that route, and the results were never pretty; dementia, schizophrenia, severe and debilitating paranoia leading to hallucinations, and auditory psychosis were just a few examples, but everything eventually led to brain aneurysms, clotting, and finally death.

Turning his dark gaze upon Cattmor again, he said, "It seems that, based on preliminary scans, our brains have been affected neurogenically, almost as if they've come into contact with a neurogenic field of some kind." Pausing, he turned and went to the main console, quickly tapping away and finally pulling up the information he was looking for. Quickly scanning, he muttered to himself, "It doesn't make sense. Especially based on this data."

Pausing a second, he addressed the computer, "Computer, where is Lieutenant Quinn?"

"Lieutenant Heather Quinn is in her quarters."

He then tapped his com badge, "Foster to Quinn, please come to sickbay as soon as possible."

The response was almost immediate, "Be there in five, sir."

Once the connection was over, Jensen turned to Cattmor and responded, "I have a hunch, Commander, but I need another set of eyes and another head to be sure."


...to be continued.

 

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