Free ride pt. 3

Posted on Sat 6th Jul, 2024 @ 12:31pm by Izwyx 'Lo & Commander Geraldine "Geri" Severide
Edited on on Mon 8th Jul, 2024 @ 1:19am

1,942 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: The Phoenix Gamble
Location: SB109
Timeline: MD2

Previously… https://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/viewpost/2337

{Second Star- Blacked Out Wardroom}

Duke materialized inside the spacious room, rolling to his side on the floor groaning in agony. True to their benefactors word, a table with tools, and medicine had been left neatly prepared. However in their diligence to ensure the information blackouts conditions were maintained Duke had no way to tell them he was at deaths door.

Judah appeared, having chosen an adult Human male Starfleet officer as his form.

”State the nature of your medical need!” He shouted at the room upon futzing in.

Duke groaned, and Judah couldn’t smell the death in the room. He did however scan for vitals and noticed the massive infection in the mans forearm. With medical training from Akio their resident Mad Doctor and an EMH database powering his decisions the diagnosis and treatment was very clear. Duke had to lose that hand.

“Sir, I am a holographic program designed to assist! I have to perform an immediate surgery on the injured hand, you are experiencing acute infection and septic conditions are unacceptable for anything else!”

Duke continued to groan, he couldn’t hear a thing over the throbbing pain of his arm and feverish wracking spasms. In his delirious state he had tried to maintain composure but the slow necrotic progression of the wound on his hand and wrist had spread into his blood. He needed a bio bed, he needed surgery, he needed meds and a month of rehab before even considering a transplant hand.

Judah didn't actually have the emotional resilience of fortitude of a medical professional. The notion of using a laser and dermal segregator to remove a persons limb was revolting in some aspects. With little other option though, he waited for Akio to concur.

The old Kyoto born madman whispered always. Judah needed to apply sensors to harmonics to pick up the mans voice sometimes. The whispers confirmed it was the right choice. No regenerator can reverse necrosis, and the mans hand was completely mangled, burned and infected.

“I am sorry sir, I must sedate you, and create a sterile field. Please try to remain still-“

“NO MEDS!” Duke screamed, the pain meds he had overdosed on last week had taken their toll on him, he hated the itchy warmth and dullard cognitive processes. It was less pain, but life lost any form of merit or meaning, plus he feared chemical dependency. But even he had also reached his pain threshold, well demarcated by the point at which he might lose the ability to retain mission confidentiality. In the poor mind of this deranged spy, he worried about saying anything to compromise the mission.

“Give it to him anyway, you cant do this if he wont lay still.” Akio had less than ethical approaches rooted in pragmatism more than anything else.

“Sir, my name is Judah. I represent a real person in the med bay, but we are keeping our distance out of respect for your secrets. Right now they only see your vitals and bio scans. I need to sedate you.”

Duke refused, kicking the floor and scuffing his way to sitting. He looked, and saw the styles of a Starfleet vessel, the carpets smelled a bit though. “Why’d Reggie send me here?”

Judah knew Reggie was the other program, an AI or program from the other ship. “Our captain reached out, offered help to anyone in crisis.”

“We can save his hand, tell him.” Akio whispered again, Duke didnt hear a thing.

Judah was thrilled, even if he didnt fully grasp how Akio had determined this.

“We have to act fast sir, we can save your hand.”

Duke looked hopeful for a split second before reassuming his mask, “Reggie approved of this then?”

Judah nodded, eager to start. “And your Captain… name of Rohbards? Gave us a code word I think, “Snakebite?”

Duke calmed down immediately, “If you can save it…”

Amazed at the way the spy world worked, Judah assured him again and offered an hand. Duke struggled to stand, dizzy and weak as he did so. Staggering to the simple gurney he collapsed in great relief.

“We will return you to your ship at any time once we treat you ok? I am giving you the sedative.”

Duke gritted his teeth against pain but was still adamant, "Do not give me anything beyond antibiotics and basic analgesics. No sedatives no calmatives-"

Akio whispered, "I've loaded the vial to his wishes."

The medkit was able to be operated remotely and they both heard it click a vial into place on the mini- hypospray. Judah grabbed it, "Yes sir, the Dr. is listening via text transcription. Lay back, this will be uncomfortable to say the least."

Judah wished he felt excitement the same way but without a dry mouth or hammering heart, it was more like anxiety than anything else. Duke was about to be in a lot pain and blood was going to get all over the place without any surgical surface to work on. Duke was watching, and Judah was glad his hands didnt tremble.

"Ok, here we go..." Judah pressed the hypospray to Duke's neck and the man smiled, frowned, got intensely angry and then passed out.

"Akio!" Judah cried out in fear but the doctor didn't answer at all. Rather the doors flung open to the room and he came in with a bio bed.

He was happy to have the help but knew this was in defiance of their orders. "Akio the rules of engagement?!"

"Lives over secrets, always boy." Akio snapped at Judah while lifting Duke, the old man had great strength despite his small frame.

Akio worked fast hooking up the taps and obtaining real data. He found what he was looking for and proclaimed, "He was trying to make a phased disruptor. Fool."

Judah asked, the mechanics of the situation a mystery to him despite the computer banks vast knowledge.

"His forearm and hand has been exposed to a disruption pulse. He was holding the weapon at a distance so the damage is localized. The proximal distance, energy signaures, blast residue all support a disruptor exploded in this mans hand. Embedded Nadions from the phaser beam scorched the skin, burning like coals to perpetuate the disruption effect, even energizing it."

Judah tried to understand, "And the whole arm is damaged but not his body?"

Akio frowned, "As I said, the inverse square law saved him from total body exposure. After ten centimeters or so the energy effects are mildly annoying at best. Within that sphere however..."

When Judah didn't reply Akio looked up. There was a stern faced alternate version of a Starfleet officer standing there.

Akio was confused, "Judah?" He asked hoping the lad was swapping avatars.

When the hologram which was once Judah sneered the hairs on Akio's neck raised. It spoke in a calm menace, "Akio Itachi."

To his credit he didn't stop working, "Where is Judah!" He commanded in a very loud voice.

The new hologram replied evenly, "We made a deal. I wouldn't fire on your vessel if he allowed me to see why this mans vitals dropped."

Akio let his eye leave the hand for a moment, "Surely in such a desperate state you don't have weapons capacity. Our lives for your secrets is hardly the mark of an ethical organization."

"You have about as many secrets as I do, and a few bodies in both of our past. Recent pasts."

Akio returned to his work, "We needed a bio bed and experienced hand to perform this surgery. If the disruptor particles interact with a charged nadion it spread the damage further."

Reggie stood over Akio trying to determine if the man was lying. Akio gave away little conclusively in biometrics, and the scans confirmed his diagnosis and treatment.

"Proceed then. No further questions. And... Thank you."

Akio performed the amputation in a series of slices to maximize the grafting sites for a prosthetic. The arm ended in a complex containment chamber, a glove of transparent crystal holding the flesh in cryogenic suspension. Several tense moments passed as the filters in his bio-bed caught foreign contaminants and he worried about his patients myriad other symptoms causing systemic shock. Kidneys and liver showed advanced stages of toxicity and had practically shut down. The immune response was fighting the gangrene and losing, causing fever and infections in other minor wounds to grow unabated. Bedsores were minimal due to what was likely a very painful exercise routine.

"If this man is indicaie of the others on board I can treat them too." Akio finaly spoke after nearly twenty minutes of silence.

Reggie shook his head, "They'll be fine another day."

Disgusted, Akio retorted, "This man is malnourished and in renal failure. What kind of cruelty is this?"

Reggie narrowed his eyes, "With meeting Judah there is a complete picture of your crimes. We are now aware of you. I'd suggest to keeping quiet and hoping this thorn comes out easy and the lion chooses not to eat you."

"Judah is my son, my family. I care more for him than any of his blood kin ever have!" Akio refused to apologize for saving the boys life. Judah had been left in a paralyzed vegetative state, but Akio was able to restore brain function in a fluke of science yet to be recreated. Locked in, the boy had found a new world digitally to explore, and recently learned to project himself using holograms. To the Federation this was gross human experimentation, and Akio was branded a criminal for it.

The bio-bed chirped, and they both saw the response, his blood was now free of antigenic compounds. Akio very quietly followed up with, "He will live, and his arm is well prepared for a prosthetic. The containment glove will prevent pain and infection. He will awaken within the hour and likely be in a fair amount of pain still. I am sending a package of herbal supplements and ration packs with you."

Reggie considered for a moment before speaking, "That will help tremendously. You don't present a threat to the Federation if your experimentation ends with the miracle that is Judah's recovery. Your research on brain stem regrowth and neural regeneration has been added to our database and will be seen by Starfleet Medical. I have decided to leave your name out of it. If you choose to remain silent on this encounter, and never perform experiments on living beings again."

Akio feared Reggie finding too much if he looked. Judah was probably keeping the top level secrets from view but Reggie was another being of equal capacity. There was no way of knowing how successful Judah could defend them, the vaults, the temporal space, Borg technology, just a few of a dozen other instant red flags to any Starfleet operation.

"I have not done anything wrong, but given the circumstances have had to flee my home and reputation. I saved a life, I do not regret it."

Something inside Reggies programming clicked on, sensing truth from the old man Akio suddenly upgraded to a recruit. "Why are you doing it then. Burning your life for this boy."

Akio didnt realize he was nailing his interview, "I was his doctor. I never stopped trying to save his life."

Reggie nodded with finality, "Thank you Akio."

Reggie disappeared, Duke disappeared, the bio-bed with it. Akio made sure to remember to tell Fala to get a state of the art brand new one to replace it.

Juda re-appeared, "We have to see the captain!"

-TBC-

 

RSS Feed

Comments (1)