Experimenting With People

Posted on Wed Feb 23rd, 2011 @ 5:56pm by S'anra & Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Mantell

Mission: Hippocratic Hijacking
Location: Makeshift Science Lab, Braken Administrative District, Braken III
Timeline: A while after "97%"

S'anra checked the vitals of each of her new "patients". They were four of the most terminal patients in the treatment area. The medical staff had told her that none of them would survive without immediate treatment. As a side benefit to her, they also had the absolute highest concentration of the virus in their systems, which meant that their responses would be the most noticeable. They were in a drug-induced coma, partially for their comfort, and partially for her sanity. She had the computer monitoring each of their vitals, and recording anything unusual.

She called over one of the nurses, and asked him to contact the first officer for her. She vaguely recalled something about him wanting to be aware of their progress. Shortly after the nurse had finished the "...to Commander Mantell" part of his message, S'anra snatched away his commbadge. The nurse looked like he was about to protest, but she gave him a deathly glare, upon which he turned and scurried off.

"Commander, this is S'anra. Please report to the science lab," S'anra stated, before pressing on the commbadge to disconnect it. She would return it to its owner later, she supposed.

"You rang?" the small form of the XO said, appearing in the doorway a few minutes later. He looked over the small enclosure, even now beginning to reek of the stench of disease. In true fashion of his species, the boy pulled his shirt collar up to his nose. Breathing through the makeshift filter, he wrinkled his half-covered nose and squealed through the cloth, "Eww, it reeks in here!"

S'anra nodded, "Indeed. We have made some progress. I have identified the virus."

The boy peered at the Romulan woman with wide eyes, "You did?"

S'anra handed him a PADD, "It is a mutation of a virus found exclusively in the Romulan Empire. Your medical database had no records of it. "

"Romulan," Jack mulled it over in his head. His fatigued brain slowly did the math, "Wait, does that mean that... I knew the other woman had something to do with it!"

"What woman?" S'anra asked, her interest immediately piqued, "There's another Romulan on Braken?" Her instinct was to also ask why she was not informed, but it didn't take a scientist to realize it was because they didn't trust her.

"The Romula-oh," he stopped himself, realizing his mistake. The Miran's cheeks flushed a bright pink and he lowered his eyes to his feet, scuffing the ground with one toe. "Umm, nevermind."

S'anra took an additional step forward towards the boy, "This could be very important. I have four terminal patients here, and this person might know which of these treatments is going to work."

"I-uhh," Jack took an instinctive step back, "I don't know. She's onboard the Arizona right now." He blinked, wary of the woman's threatening demeanor.

"What do you know about her?" S'anra inquired. If this woman had been still on the planet, she would've insisted on seeing her immediately. But for now the youth's knowledge would have to do.

"Nothing," the boy admitted. "She's sick, that's all I know."

"Then these four are up to chance," S'anra stated, looking back briefly at the four beds behind her, "I'll need to speak to your Captain as soon as the ship returns."

Jack peered warily beyond the woman's figure. The looks and smells of the four patients returned to him, each more terrifying than the last. Something seemed off about these four, however. Even though he was no doctor, the boy didn't think the four colonists looked like the other sick had. With the shock all too apparent on his face, the Miran turned back to S'anra, his voice barely rising above a whisper, "What did you do to them?"

"This is an advanced stage of the virus. All of them are terminal, without treatment, they'll die soon," S'anra replied, "There's two treatments for the virus, but since its mutated, I don't know if either will work. The two on the left have received one treatment, the two on the right have received the other."

The boy's eyes widened for the third time that night. "But...two of them are going to die!"

"All of them," S'anra stated, "would die without treatment. And all of them may still die. Your ship will only be able to synthesize enough of one drug to treat the colonists in time. If either works, I should know by tonight."

"You're insane!" Jack pitched his voice high and loud. The woman called herself a scientist. If that's what passed for science among Romulans...he shuddered to think of what monstrous experiments the Romulans performed on each other in the name of progress.

"Do you have a better alternative?" S'anra asked, "Your captain authorized me to do whatever I needed to cure this plague. This is the best option."

"This isn't an option. It's murder by Science!" The boy breathed heavily, taking another step back toward the entrance. He brought his hand up into view and was surprised to see that it was shaking. Quickly he looked back to S'anra, then to his hand and then flew his hand to his chest. His fingers fell upon the silver and gold device affixed to his chest. "Commander Mantell to," he paused, his chest heaving, "to Security. Get over to the Science lab, now!"