The Sea of People
Posted on Mon Oct 12th, 2009 @ 9:44am by Commander Curtiss Drake & Captain Elsie Halliwell
947 words; about a 5 minute read
Mission:
Shoreleave - Welcoming Old Friends and New
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: Current
ON:
The darkness enveloped his thoughts… Pitch darkness. As the Trill opened his eyes, he couldn’t fathom where he himself ended and where the space beyond him began. He waited, suspended somehow in the darkness, his feet touching nothing beneath him. As he came to his senses a little, a gentle wave broke lightly against his chest. And another. And then another. The intensity of pressure ebbing and flowing against his core intensified as the minutes ticked by and Lane himself felt as though he was bobbing uncontrollably on the surface of something warm and comforting. As the light broke around him, and his vision returned, he discovered that his head and shoulders jutted out of a surrounding sea. No land about him, only ocean.
Treading water as best as he could, Lane maintained his position (or so he thought) as she flicked his confused head from one side of his vision to the other.
Where was he?
The water around him seemed familiar at first, blanketing his naked body as he swam. But the further he swam, the choppier the waters became. At first he managed to swim up and over the rising waves, feeling the hollow in his belly churn as he mounted the crest and fell down into its dip. But the motion worsened and the waters grew colder, and Lane was forced to attempt to swim through the swelling surf, catching his breath as he broke out of the wall of water the other side. His thick arms tired the more he swam and fighting against angry ocean became futile.
“Allow yourself to drown�, whispered a voice in his ear. “Drown�.
The urge to do just that overwhelmed Lane, and as he took his final breath of air, his weary head sank beneath the surface.
He awoke with a start, his vision blurry and confused. “Where… Where am I?� he questioned the block of colour before his eyes.
Doctor Fox had been watching the computer panel along the wall of the bio-suite, watching the brainwave patterns of the Captain sail off the charts and turned around at the sound of his voice, approaching the side of the bed.
"You are on board the Archimedes. In the Sick Bay." Fox replied, surveying his reactions professionally, glancing slightly up at the computer panel to get another reading on his vitals.
“The Archimedes? No...va class? Am I right?�
As the Trill awoke, a flood of memories washed over him. All his, yet most unfamiliar. “Elzire? Where’s Elzire?�
"Who is Elzire?" Fox asked patiently.
“My wife, Elzire...� he continued, adamantly. “No, I – I don’t have a wife. I have a daughter. A daughter.�
"Calm down, Captain." Fox replied, pressing him back into the bed. "You've just gone through the joining process, it's going to take some time for your body and mind to adjust. Just relax and let things come naturally." he said.
The Trill seemed to struggle on the bio-bed, writhing gently as if in discomfort, not heeding the words of his saviour. Suddenly, his muscles relaxed and he slipped into a deep, replenishing sleep.
Sixteen hours later, Kerr stirred from his slumber and opened his eyes, finding himself still in the Archimedes’ sickbay. “Doctor,� he managed. “It worked, didn’t it? I feel so different... so strange. And yet, familiar to myself as a third person. Where’s Sonaata?� he asked.
"I'm afraid I don't know Sonaata." Fox replied.
“Sonaata, my friend? And where’s Rory? I want to see my daughter.�
The Trill sat up as his head spun a little, but refocusing on the graying man before he smiled. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced, Lieutenant.� Kerr said, raising his eyebrow. “I’m Captain Lane Kerr... Sorry, Coltan Kerr.� He held out his hand and his smile grew warmly. “Are you with the Symbiosis Commission?� he asked, disregarding his Starfleet uniform. “No,� he interjected before Doctor Fox could reply. “You’re my new Chief, aren’t you?�
"I am. Cailean Fox." he said, taking his hand, but still watching him professionally. "I'd like you to stay on the bed." he added as he turned around to grab a tricorder and flipped it open, quietly reading the scan.
"How do you feel?" he asked politely, though strictly out of professional interest.
“Strange,� came his frank reply as he lay back down. “I feel fine, but... I feel different, which,� he narrowed his look upon the doctor and smiled, “I guess is to be expected. I know that you’re probably going to try and keep me here to recover, but I would like to get up and about as soon as possible.�
Fox nodded as he continued to read his tricorder, finally snapping it closed and looking up at him. "You can use my office, Captain, to complete whatever important business you have but I have to insist that you remain in Sick Bay until I'm more confident that you're one hundred percent." he replied politely. "I would rather not have to pull regulations on you." he added with a smile, to head off any protests the Captain might be preparing.
“Then it looks like you and I are going to get very well acquainted rather quickly, Doctor,� Kerr replied, a brief smile fluttering across his jaw.
OFF:
Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer
USS Archimedes
Cailean Fox, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
USS Archimedes
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