SETTING: Minor spoilers: "Stigma"; "First Flight" and "The Expanse". Set after the events of "Savior".
FEEDBACK: Always! [email protected] DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the characters. I’m just borrowing them, and promise to return them safe and sound. The only thing I gain from this is some writing practice. SUMMARY: Everything has a price.
Chapter 28
* * *
“I don’t understand,” Phlox murmured. Archer turned on him. “What do you mean, you don’t understand? You’re the damn doctor, aren’t you? Aren’t you?” “Captain, please,” the doctor responded patiently – and tiredly as well. Archer was not placated in the slightest. He placed a hand on Trip’s forehead; a forehead which remained stubbornly hot and sweaty despite Phlox’s best efforts. The doctor would wrap the engineer in a cooling blanket, and Trip’s body temperature would obligingly decrease to near normal, only to shoot back up when the external stimulus was removed. “How can this be happening?” Phlox asked no one in particular. That’s what I want to know, too. “Could he have picked up a bug of some sort?” “No Captain. That is not the cause of the Commander’s troubles.” “Then what the hell is?” Archer was nearly shouting, but the faintest of whimpers from Trip caused him to lower his voice. “What’s happening?” He was afraid; terribly afraid, and that was when he tended to bluster the most. Phlox seemed to understand, for his responses had been quiet and calm. “It’s the nanobots.” The hell? "The what? The nanobots? But – but the Vulcans assured us they would be harmless!” “And they were – until recently.” Phlox peered up at the readings, whether to confirm his findings or buy time, Archer wasn’t sure. The doctor, sighed, and looked over at the captain. “They were devised to operate at a low level – under the body’s radar, so to speak.” “And now?” “Somehow, that has changed. And the Commander’s body is treating them as invaders, and responding in the only way it can.” This took a moment to sink in. “You mean, his body is rejecting them?” Phlox nodded. “Precisely.” “But why now?” “I don’t know, Captain. Something has obviously changed. However, that is of little matter right now. What we need to do is stop the rejection process itself. I could administer various anti-rejection drugs, but I think the most immediate and easiest way to do so is to simply turn the nanobots off. Once they are deactivated, his system should return to normal functioning.” “And then?” “And then we will see what we will see. We may be able to re-engage the nanobots, or Commander Tucker may simply have to have his broken bones mended the old-fashioned way. He’s already far ahead of schedule in that area as is.” Trip wouldn’t think so. But he kept his peace. He heard Sickbay’s doors open, and a quick glance over his shoulder showed Subcommander T’Pol standing behind them, calm and composed as always. “You requested my presence, Doctor?” “Yes, Commander. Thank you for responding so quickly.” She walked up to the bed, and her gaze swept across Trip. Archer thought he saw stony pity in her eyes, but when she spoke again, there was no trace of emotion of any kind in her voice. Soval would be proud of you, he thought sourly, then chided himself. She was not human and he had no right trying to force her to behave in a way that was both alien and distasteful to her. And after all, it was T’Pol who had suggested the Vulcan hospital ship, and T’Pol who had helped Trip with his nightmares. Actions outdid words every time. Better she be unemotional and practical, than to stand by Trip’s bedside displaying something that was foreign to her nature and do nothing at all. “But of course, Doctor. What do you require of me?”* * *
“Fascinating.” “I beg your pardon?” T’Pol, intent on the lines of code she was scanning, did not look up when Phlox spoke. “I said it was fascinating.” “Would you care to expand on that somewhat?” She pointed. “Here.” Phlox craned over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Subcommander. I have some familiarity with computer code, but not much. That is why I called you. But I assume that you have found something?” “Indeed. Someone has changed the part of the program that directs the rate at which the nanobots perform. Initially, they were set to promote bone growth at a rate of 1.5% above normal.” “Yes. That was felt to be sufficient, considering the Commander’s weakened state.” “Understood. But look here,” and she pointed to several lines of numbers and letters. “Someone has gone into the program, and rewritten that module. The program has been altered, so that the rate of production, if you will, increases every 36 hours by .5%. However, no upper boundary was set, which means that in theory the nanobots would continue to increase their rate of work for an infinite amount of time. Until they reached the point where they were no longer beneficial, but an actual threat.” “Precisely. And then the body’s natural defense mechanisms would respond to such a threat.” "So the nanobots would either go on until they burn out, or..." "… Or Commander Tucker's body does." “Who changed the program?” Phlox asked quietly, although he already knew the answer. “There are a limited number of people who would have access to this code to begin with,” she replied, just as quietly. “I don’t believe the Captain or yourself would make such a change without consulting anyone. So that leaves –“ “— Commander Tucker,” he finished, looking over to where the engineer was lying. He was unconscious, and the Captain was keeping watch over him. Archer was trying to sit quietly, but Phlox could see it was a strain; the Captain kept leaping to his feet and pacing around his partner’s bed. “It is a very impressive accomplishment,” she said. At his surprised look, she clarified: “He must have used a padd to rewrite the program, and some sort of signalling device – possibly a communicator – to rely the new commands to the nanobots. All done from his sickbed. As I said, impressive.” “Ah, yes,” Phlox agreed. “Mr. Tucker is a very clever fellow. Unfortunately, sometimes he is far too clever for his own good.”
| Back to Chapter 27 |
Payment in Full chapter listing |
On to Chapter 29 |
| To Pippin's page | To Main MEG Archive page |