Surefoot 72: Blue Sunshine

"What are you going to do?" Veid asked.

He ignored the youth as he set out his medicine kit... deactivating the miniature sensor blind and retrieving the objects hidden within.

The Betazoid was pacing slowly now, along one line towards the twin beds, before following the same line back, rubbing his hands together tightly. "This is crazy."

Heisenberg dropped C'Rash's combadge onto the table, passing his Exceiver unit over it to access the Security Chief's security codes, before using them on the adjacent desktop computer, giving him unrestricted access to the internal schematics of the ship... and more.

"I don't know why we have to be so secretive," Veid muttered. "It was just an accident."

"An accident involving illegal substances. An accident triggered because you and your scapegrace friends couldn't follow simple instructions. Sit down." He found the location of the Environmental Control Station, allowing a slight smile. "On this deck, and unoccupied at this time of morning, too. Dispersal will be much quicker if applied from a central source."

"We should have taken one of the escape pods, like that Caitian said," the Betazoid whined. "We could have been away without them ever knowing we had survived. You wasted our time trying to get one of their shuttles working."

"An escape pod is slower than a shuttle, and automatically transmits a distress signal to attract attention, both wanted and unwanted. Please stop trying to think, Mr Veid, it's not one of your strengths." He examined the current ship's manifest. "There's a wider than typical racial mixture here for a ship this size: Vulcan, Caitian, Bajoran, Bolian, Trill... species I've never even heard of. But approximately 44% are baseline human. That'll have to do."

"I need something. I need to calm down."

Heisenberg keyed in a few security codes of his own to prevent anyone from undoing what he intended to do. "Get yourself a nice mug of hot chocolate from the replicator. Maybe with some marshmallows-"

"I don't want some damn hot chocolate! I'm not a child! I want some White Rabbit! Or Purple Haze!" He pointed to Heisenberg's kit, moving towards it. "You've got them, right here-"

The human intercepted him, grabbing him by the wrist and twisting upwards, ice-blue eyes focused coldly on Veid. "You can't afford anything I've still got."

The Betazoid winced. "My mother-"

"-Is not here. And if she wants to keep her son out of prison, she'd better show her generosity when I get you back to Tandara." He released his hold and returned to his goods, selecting several vials. "It's already going to cost me a small fortune just to get away from the Fleeters."

"But if you give them the Blue, they'll go crazy, too! Try to kill us!"

He pocketed his diffuser and picked up the confiscated phaser, checking the settings. "Not necessarily. The interior volume and crew complement here is much larger here than on the Aquarius, so hopefully the effects will be less pronounced. Also, Starfleet has a stricter psychological vetting process than the private sector, so there's less chance of the Blue triggering psychotic breaks, just mild hallucinations or stupefaction."

He picked up several coloured vials, holding them up to the light to reflect the azure anaerobic liquid within. "What happens to them after we're collected, well... that's up to the Syndicate."

*

On the Bridge, Bellator announced, "The Longpaw has launched for the Aquarius, Commander."

"Hail them." As the viewscreen altered to show Lt Arrington, with the Klingon Dr Kline, Eydiir, and the personnel in the rear, T'Varik focused on the young human in the pilot's seat. "Lieutenant, your main objectives as Away Team Commander are to ensure the theta leaks on the Aquarius are shut down and internal decontamination procedures are initiated, and that the bodies of the crew and passengers are collected and placed in Stasis for when the vessel is eventually remote-launched back to Tandara Prime."

"Understood, Commander."

"I am aware that the likes of Ensigns Stalac and Kaldron, and Crewman O'Neill, are more resistant to radiation than most humanoids, but still, the health and safety of yourself and your Team is a priority. If you contract a lethal dose of theta poisoning and die as a result of carelessness on your part, it will have an adverse effect on your future career track."

He grinned. "Then I'd better not be careless, Ma'am."

She nodded. "Return safely, and soon, Giles, all of you. Surefoot out." As the viewscreen returned to the usual starfield, T'Varik turned to face Ops. "Lieutenant, what-" She paused and asked, "Is there a problem, Lieutenant?"

Bellator blinked, looking ready to question something, before seemingly thinking better of it. "Uh, no, Ma'am. Dr Shyrik is continuing the autopsy on the Aquarius crewmember's body they brought back. Captain Hrelle is observing this... but his revised appointment with Dr Auger is imminent, and I didn't want to, uh, presume to remind him-"

T'Varik nodded in understanding, glancing at the Bridge chronometer as she touched her combadge. "T'Varik to Hrelle: your appointment with Dr Auger is commencing in 2.3 minutes."

The familiar voice carried over the comlink. "Ahh. Well, maybe I could get it rescheduled-"

"Captain, if you do not leave immediately for your appointment, I will send a Security team to escort you there."

There was a pause, and then a response, "Yes, Mama. Hrelle out."

*

"Yes, Mama. Hrelle out." In the Isochamber of Sickbay 2, Hrelle shrugged. "Well, there goes my morning down the crapper."

Shyrik smiled as she hunched over the body, taking virtual as well as actual samples of blood and tissue as non-intrusively as possible. "Might be for the best, Captain. I'm not finding much yet to point to a cause for the behaviour of this young woman- what was her name again?"

Hrelle glanced at the PADD. "Aquarius Navigator Lucy Diamond."

"Yes, Ms Diamond..." Her antennae dipped as she paused. "Although..."

Hrelle was departing from the Isochamber, but now stopped. "Yes?"

The Andorian looked up at a viewscreen detailing a microscopic analysis of a fluid sample. "Ms Diamond's birth control implant was activated in the hours before her death. The model she had inside her has a sensor device to detect potential sexually-transmitted diseases, and take samples for possible analysis. It might shed some light on the state of her biochemistry then as opposed to now..." She looked up at him. "Do you really want your First Officer to send a Security escort, Captain, Sir?"

Hrelle took the hint.

*

Heisenberg used the security settings from C'Rash's combadge to override the lock on the door to the guest quarters, and mask his departure out and down the corridor to Environmental Control, relieved to find it unoccupied, as detailed by the security systems and shift schedules. The system itself, once the security firewalls were brought down, was straightforward... and the overrides provided by his Exceiver, an expensive but highly-purposive piece of hacking equipment from the Syndicate, did the rest.

He added the content of the vials and programmed the system for an immediate shipwide dispersal with the exception of the VIP Quarters, before returning... finding Veid about to inject himself.

Heisenberg reached him before he could complete the action, twisting the hypospray away and confiscating it. "You damn fool!" He shoved the youth aside. "I need you conscious for the pickup!"

Veid's hands were shaking. "Please, Walter! I need something! I can't wait for your friends to get here! Whatever it costs, my mother will pay double! I can't hold it together much longer!"

Heisenberg stared at him for a moment longer, before pointing to the bed. "I believe you. Lie down."

Gratefully, eagerly, the Betazoid complied, making himself comfortable as the Terran returned to his valise, preparing another shot, before joining Veid at the bed, quickly injecting him in the neck.

Veid made a sound almost like a cat purrying, offering a little smile. "Thank you, Walter, I knew I could count on you. So what did you give me? Ambizine? Sonambutril?"

Heisenberg stepped back. "Cyalodin."

The youth frowned. "Wha- W-Wait-" He tried to sit up, his face turning a sickly lavender hue as he reached up to his throat, gasping for air.

As if in response, C'Rash's combadge chirped. "Ensign Thykrill to Lt Shall: Please respond."

The doctor returned to his kit, packing up. "Try not to waste your final moments wondering why, Mr Veid. Suffice it to say that you made yourself more trouble than you're worth."

Veid was croaking hoarsely now like a fish out of water, reaching upwards in a futile gesture.

The combadge repeated, "Ensign Thykrill to Lt Shall: Please respond."

Heisenberg ignored the dying youth and checked his chronometer: Twenty-six minutes until the rendezvous.

Now the overhead intercom butted in. "Bridge to Lt Shall: Respond."

He checked the phaser again. They were moving faster than expected. Fortunately he had contingencies in place.

*

The first victim was Medical Crewman Toby Griffiths, sitting in the Enlisted Mess Hall, having worked himself into a sweat in the Gym, and was now determined to reward himself with a big breakfast of sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs, baked beans, fried mushrooms and golden-brown toast.

The toast grew legs and scittered out of his reach.

He reached for other pieces of his Big Breakfast, but they kept escaping him, rolling or snaking or hopping away from him. Even when he picked up his fork and began stabbing at them, he ended up striking at the tabletop.

"Hey!" he shouted at them. "Get back here! I'm starving!"

Toby looked around, about to ask for help in rounding up his truculent food, but people were busy falling asleep, or having problem with their own meals. Or the bugs on the walls.

Or the walls that were now eating the bugs.

And the bugs that were now eating the walls.

*

In the Security Suite, Ensign Thykrill was double-checking the requisition reports for new phaser modules when an Alert flashed onscreen. The young Andorian female sat up, checked the readings. Security Crewman Graeme Wilder, sitting across from her in C'Rash's office, looked up from his PADD. "What's up? The Captain try to override the dietary blocks on the replicators again?"

Thykrill never looked up from the screen, her antennae dipping. "Lt Shall was with the Aquarius survivors in the Guest Quarters. Now she's in Environmental Control... changing the security settings."

Wilder wiped the sweat from his forehead, flicking back his charcoal hair as he looked up and around. "Why is she making it so hot?"

"It's not hot." She tapped her combadge. "Ensign Thykrill to Lt Shall: Please respond."

The human was sitting up now, tugging at the collar of his uniform, breathing more rapidly. "Seriously, Ati? It's not boiling for you?"

"It's always too warm when it's not Andor," she muttered, repeated, "Ensign Thykrill to Lt Shall: Please respond." She rose to her feet. "Ensign Thykrill to Bridge: Lt Shall has set up Security firewalls in Environmental Control, and she is not responding to my hails."

There was a pause, and Thykrill imagined them trying to reach the Chief of Security themselves, despite her already telling them she tried that without success, before Bellator's voice replied, "Proceed with a Security Team to the Guest Quarters."

"Acknowledged, Thykrill out." She moved to the door... pausing as Wilder continued to sit there, panting. "Come on! What's wrong with you?"

Wilder was shuddering, his mouth and eyes wide open, gasping like a fish out of water. "H-Hot-Hot-H-H-HELP!"

*

Valentin Dellaport lay in his bunk, his back to the rest of the Support Crew.

Nearby, Malala Jain was trying to focus on completing another optional course, Hylore Waro was assisting, Gyver Timbrel was on the floor, cross-legged and meditating, and Alison Pagan was at the other desk, working on another article for the Federation News.

But Malala kept stopping and turning in her seat to look at the silent, sullen human and ask something. "Val, would you like some breakfast? You didn't eat anything."

Dellaport didn't respond.

Hylore tapped the desktop, her black eyes wide inside her water-filled helmet. "Come on, Malala, stay focused, there's a time limit on taking this test." She made a sound barely translated through her voder. "Don't know why you'd be so interested in Hazardous Materials Storage anyway."

The Malurian sighed wistfully at her companion and faced the desktop screen again. "If I can pass it, I can take on additional handling duties in the Cargo Bays."

"Your ambition to better serve others does you credit, Mal," Gyver said encouragingly.

Malala grinned, wiping sweat from her grey forehead. "Thanks, Gyve." Then she frowned at the screen. "'What is the chief safety hazard to remember when storing barrels of quaratum thrusters pack fuel?'" She looked to Hylore.

The Argoan shrugged. "I'm not supposed to actually give you the answers."

The petite Support Crew leader looked to Alison, who grinned and shook her head, looking a little flush. "Not my expertise." She pointed her stylus at Dellaport's back. "Why not ask Mr Motormouth? If you can get a word in edgewise, that is?"

Dellaport still didn't react.

"Jeez, Valentin, keep it down," Alison teased, shaking her head. "Lucky Kev, he gets to go over to that ghost ship. The party atmosphere there will be lighter than in here."

"Please, Alison," Gyver chided gently. "Lives were tragically lost on the Aquarius, and jokes are not appropriate. And please do not tease Valentin; the news about his discharge from Starfleet must be difficult to bear."

Now Dellaport turned in place, glaring indignantly over at the Paladelian, sweat beading down heavily. "I don't need you to defend me!" He looked to the rest. "It's all your fault! Making complaints against me!"

Now Alison scowled. "Really? And what about all the complaints you made about the rest of us, you little prick? And all we ever did was try to keep you out of trouble!"

He sat up, swinging his legs out from his bunk, anger creasing his pink face. "You did this to me! You're in league with them! These Aliens!"

"What? You're crazy!"

"Guys," Malala urged, looking nervous. "Calm down, please, there's no need to get hysterical-"

But Dellaport didn't seem to hear her, his eyes manic. "They're going to wipe us out! Burn our world! And you're with them! YOU'RE ONE OF THEM!"

"Val!" Alison shouted back. "Calm the frick down!"

Malala rose, reaching for him, her voice low and measured, "It's okay, Val-"

But he lifted up a PADD from his bunk and swung out.

Alison shoved Malala aside to keep her from being hit.

The corner of the PADD connected with the corner of Hylore's helmet, smashing the hydrographite visor and sending pieces and liquid flying.

The Argoan crewmember collapsed from her chair, the oxygenated liquid pumping out from her suit onto the carpet, as she desperately tried to cover the hole, coughing and sputtering as she tried to breathe.

The rest of the Support Crew reacted in panic, Dellaport looking like he was light years away, drowning in panic as he staggered over the others and went out the door into the corridor.

Malala rushed to Hylore. "Ali! Gyve! Get Hy's bed open!"

But Alison was falling backwards. Eyes wide open in alarm, seeing things, falling over chairs and onto the floor beside her, crying out as she swatted at nothing.

"What's going on?" Malala exclaimed, looking around, appearing confused now.

"I do not know," Gyver admitted, "Quickly! Hylore needs our help!"

The Malurian nodded distantly and reached for her fallen friend, as Gyver moved to Hylore's bunk, retracting the top to reveal the deep pool of sleeping water, kept continuously clean and oxygenated. "We have to- We have to get out- we're trapped- trapped-"

Gyver helped Hylore into the water, before looking up at Malala again, the equinoid reaching out. "Mal, what is it?"

She didn't seem to see or hear him now, curling herself into a tight ball. "Trapped trapped trapped trapped trapped..."

Gyver rose up to the wall intercom. "Crewman Timbrel to Sickbay: We have a Medical Emergency!"

He heard the sounds of chaos at the other end of the comlink.

He checked on Hylore again; she was floating on her back just below the surface, catching her breath again, with a few flecks of dark Argoan blood rising from cuts on her face. "Hylore, when you've recovered, retrieve your spare helmet and assist Malala and Alison, they are experiencing hallucinations. I have to go help Valentin."

Hylore gave him an incredulous look, clear even underwater.

*

In Engineering, Chief David Sakai stepped out from his office, beaming at the Morning Shift as he strode by the manned workstations, ignoring the sweat beading on his face. "And how are we doing on this bright and sunny day, my friends? Ready for Adventure?" He turned to the Vulcan male at the Inertial Dampening Field board. "Mr Nalack! Would you care to split a pastrami on rye sub with me?"

The Assistant Chief Engineer straightened up, flinching. "Thank you, no, Chief. Beyond my vegetarian preferences, I would question the appropriateness of a submarine sandwich this early in the morning... unless of course this is the preamble to another practical joke of yours."

Sakai grinned at him. "Oh? Have they stopped being funny to you?"

"Admittedly not, Chief... as they never started."

The human started rubbing his chin in a gesture of profound thought. "I will get you to crack a smile, Mr Nalack, if it's the last thing I do." Then he frowned as an Alert appeared on Nalack's station. "What's that?"

The Vulcan looked. "What is what, Chief?"

Alarm rose on Sakai's features as he drew closer. "My God! The IDS has had a Cascade Failure! If we go to warp, we'll be ripped to pieces! I have to shut down the engines!" He reached out and keyed in his Engineering Override, nodding. "You've done it already, Nalack! Good work! I'll go double check the secondary relays!"

Nalack stared at his station again as Sakai returned to his office, frowning in open bewilderment as he rechecked the readings. "There is no Cascade Failure. And I did not shut down the engines, it was a Security Override. Not even the Chief would instigate a practical joke on such a scale." He reached for the controls.

And kept reaching.

And kept reaching.

And kept reaching.

Time seemed to dilate into a needle-thin compression, as his ears... his mind... filled with the sounds of the thoughts around him, from the dozens of beings surrounding him on the ship, their voices: systems Failure warp core breach fricking Cardassians are back gotta kill them kill them all why does he have to always be like that pastrami Gorn move total the particle energy of mass m, will product of a particle. A constant the square Surefoot TURNINGINSIDEOUT-

He dropped to his knees, illogically pressing his hands against his ears, as if it could keep out the cacophony of thoughts that invaded his mind, unbidden...

*

"Commander," Bellator reported. "We are receiving reports of simultaneous incidents of irrational behaviour from Main Engineering, the Shuttlebay, both Mess Halls, Crew's Quarters, Security-"

T'Varik rose from the Captain's Chair and faced them, aware of a pressure behind her eyes. "Initiate Contagion Alert Three! All personnel to remain in their present locations, all doors locked, transporters shut down, security forcefields in place in all sections!"

The Red Alert strip glowed around the Bridge, the computer announcing the restrictions, and the klaxon filled the air, as Bellator's hands moved over their controls. "A disease?"