by Lance Hartcort
90504.11
After Stepping over Someone’s Grave
-=Away Team=-
90504.11
After Stepping over Someone’s Grave
-=Away Team=-
Lance walked slightly behind the two security officers as they made their way along the eerily quiet corridors of the Zenith. He held out the tricorder in front of him, allowing it to scan for any sign of life or any possible medical hazards.
So far there was nothing.
They small group continued their trek along the apparently abandoned corridors by passing sealed rooms and side corridors in route to their primary destination, Sickbay.
So far they had no evidence of anything malevolent laying in wait on the apparently deserted ship. Yet everyone was uneasy, waiting for an unseen danger to leap out of the shadows and carry them off to some unknown nightmare. Like the Zenith’s crew.
It seemed to take forever to reach the doors to Sickbay, possibly because of the overall size of the ship and possibly because of the brooding tension that has a habit of warping ones perception of time. In any case they had finally arrived.
The security officers pulled up short of the door and stood to each side as they waited for Lance to scan the room on the far side of the door. Lance stepped up between the officers and held up the tricorder and scanned the room on the far side of the room. There results were the same as the rest of the ship. No humanoid life signs.
“It’s clear.” He announced.
Both of the security officers nodded to each other them stepped into sickbay their weapons drawn and eyes sweeping the room before them.
“I said it was clear.” Lance mumbled under his breath.
Empty.
Lance stepped into sickbay and looked around.
“It’s clear sir.” One of the security officers reported.
“Ah, yeah. I kind of told you that.” Lance held up the tricorder and shook it at the man.
The Zenith's Sickbay was huge compared the Sera’s. More then capable to handle the ship’s crew as well as many more if needed. Lance looked around and took in the sight of the state of the art facility.
Then he shook his head at the plain tan walls and sterile environment.
“Place has no soul.” He commented as he began to walk around the room.
“Sir?”
Lance had forgotten about the security personnel in the room.
“Nothing, ensign. You two can begin sweeping this deck.” He ordered as he made his way into the CMO’s office.
Both security officers exchanged worried glances. Their orders were to escort the doctor to Sickbay and protect him from harm. Lance noticed their expressions.
“I’ll be fine, in case you have not noticed there is not much to fret about in here. Plus you guys will be on the same deck so if I scream out in horrendous terror at something you can come to my rescue.” He smiled. “Now get.”
Both officers slowly turned and walked out leave Lance alone in the very big, very empty Sickbay. Suddenly he regretted sending them away.
He shook his head and reminded himself that the room, as well as the entire ship, was deserted. He reached up and tapped his badge.
“Doctor Hartcort to Commander Salvek.”
[Yes doctor.]
“Sickbay is abandoned just like the rest of the ship. No crew, no patients, no one at all. I’m going to search the CMO’s logs to see if I can find anything that give us a clue as to what happened.”
[Very good doctor. Keep me informed of anything you find. Salvek out.]
Lance scratched his head as he moved around to the back side of the CMO’s desk. There was a long gone cold cup of tea sitting on the desk next to the terminal as well as a stack of PADD’s. He took note of the picture in a frame of two childern posing in front of a waterfall. He assumed they were the CMO’s.
He slowly sat down in the chair and activated the monitor.
“Computer, display CMO’s log beginning with last entry.”
^Access is denied.^ Came the prompt response.
“Access CMO’s log. Access code is Hartcort, Delta 7, 5, 4 Alpha.” Lance provided his Starfleet access credentials. As a fellow CMO he should be able to open all of the files.
^Access is denied.^
Lance blinked. That was not right, he should be able to open this file. Scratching his head he opted to take another approach.
“Computer display current crew medical files.”
^Access is denied.^
“Ah now come on. Why do I not have access?” He lamented out loud.
^Access to all crew and ship information is restricted to current crew and command personnel only. Only active medical treatment cases are available to outside medical personnel.^ The computer provided the requested information.
“Ok so what were they doing on this boat that was so top secret they had to secure all but the base files?” He wondered out loud. He thought of the Sera and the Alchemy and how tight security was.
He leaned back in the chair. “Ok Fine. Computer transfer all active medical cases and the supporting logs to a PADD please.”
^Transfer complete.^
Lance hopped up from the chair and grabbed the PADD activating it as he made his way to the main triage area.
“OK let’s see here. Bed three should have an Ensign Harrigan in it. A case of the Tagarian Flu.”
Lance stopped at the empty bio-bed. The sheets showed use but it was empty and monitors at the head of the bed flashed in alarm to warn the staff that they had lost signal to their patient. Lance reached up and silenced them.
He made his way over to bed six. “This should be a Lt. Maxu. He just suffered a broken arm in a fall on the holodeck while whitewater rafting.” He glanced up to see another empty bed. He noticed that the sheets, while now dry, showed the water marks from the mans wet buttocks as he sat on the bed.
A cart sat next to the bed. Lance picked up the bone regenerator that had been prepped to fix Maxu’s arm.
He looked back down to the PADD and continued to read.
“Oh no.” He murmured.
Shaking his head he moved around to the backside of Sickbay to one of the two operating rooms. He glanced in the room through one of the windows before entering. Instinctively he picked up a mask and placed it over his face as he entered.
Monitors wailed in alarm to the lack of input as he approached the empty table. Instruments and lights surrounded the table but no patient or doctors were in here, not now anyway.
The PADD said that Ensign Lauria was giving birth to twins, prematurely. Lance only hoped that where ever she and the doctors disappeared to that they were safe.
Lance silenced the monitors and turned off the overhead lights as he turned and made his was back into the main room.
He leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling. What happened here, what could take so many souls away with out leaving a trace.
With a deep breath of dread as to what else the PADD would hold for him he continued to read. The last patient in Sickbay was in the quarantine room. They were suffering from injuries sustained in an accident in engineering. Major spinal and neck damage as well as serious burns over ninety percent of his body. According to records the damage had been repaired but because of the burns to his body he was placed in the containment room to fend off infection. He was also placed in stasis until he could be transferred to a star base for further treatment.
Lance made his way to the tent and was shocked to find the man still in the tent, the stasis field still in place around his body.
Lance quickly tapped his badge.
“Commander Salvek, could you please come down to sickbay ASAP. There is something you should see.”
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Lance Hartcort
CMO
The Alchemy Project
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
Lance Hartcort
CMO
The Alchemy Project
USS Serendipity NCC-2012