The Other Torres | A Star Trek Fanfiction *Book 1*

Phage-Chapter 15

Harry, Amanda and Chakotay hold Neelix down on the biobed while the Doctor scans him. "Get the blood-gas infuser." he said, Amanda looked confused "the what?" she asked "equipment storage unit two, second shelf on the left. Now!" said the Doctor. Amanda goes for the equipment. "Hold him still." the Doctor said to Harry and Chakotay. The Doctor tranquillises Neelix.

"What's happening, Doctor?" Harry asked "he's going into a coma." said the Doctor, Amanda returns with the small device. "The infuser will keep his oxygen levels stable for the next hour or so, but after that he'll die. His lungs have been removed." said the Doctor.

Amanda and Harry look at each other with worry. A little later, Tom is moving equipment around and Janeway is being brought up to date. "By the time we got to him he was unconscious." said Chakotay "how could anyone remove his organs so quickly?" Janeway asked "the Doctor says whoever did this used some kind of transporter to beam the lungs directly out of his body." said Amanda adding onto the conversation when Kes enters "what happened?" she asked, Amanda goes over to her "it appears that Neelix was attacked. We don't know how it happened, but someone has surgically removed his lungs." Amanda said, Kes goes to Neelix's bedside.

"Did you find any evidence of the life sign that Neelix reported?" Janeway asked "no." sighed Chakotay "Captain, I've analysed the sensor logs from Neelix's tricorder. The bio-scanner picked up a single class three humanoid organism." said Harry. "The blood gas infuser will keep him alive for another forty seven minutes. The only chance for his survival I see at the moment is to get his own lungs back." said the Doctor. "Can't we fit him with a pair of artificial lungs?" asked Janeway "his respiratory system is directly linked to multiple points along his spinal column. It's too complex to replicate. I may be able to surgically reattach the organs if we get them back. In the meantime I'll have to search for other options." said the Doctor, "Commander, I'm taking an away team back to the planet. You're in charge until we return. Inform Mister Tuvok I want three armed security detachments to accompany us. Issue type three phasers." said Janeway.

Janeway, Chakotay and Harry leave. "Mister Paris, did they teach you how to run a respiratory series in your bio-chemistry classes at the Academy?" asked the Doctor, "no, I'm afraid they didn't." said Tom. 

"They taught me" said Amanda softly, Tom, Janeway, Kes and the Doctor look at her "I was chief medical officer on DS9 for six months before being transferred to engineering where I was made chief engineer for six months before arriving on Voyager, it's in my file" said Amanda explaining.

"I'll pull up your file later, right now Paris and Torres you two are going to be working in here for the time being" said Janeway. "Amanda will run it, Get me a pulmonary scanner." said the Doctor to Tom, he turns to Kes "I'm going to have to ask you to leave." he said "I'm not leaving." said Kes stubbornly "all right, just keep out of the way." said the Doctor.

"Here it is. This is where Neelix was standing when he was attacked. According to his tricorder log he was scanning this rock face when he detected the life sign." said Harry in the cave, "Neelix said there was a life sign two metres behind this wall, but my tricorder says there's nothing but solid rock for another fifteen metres." said Janeway. "Sounds like our tricorders aren't giving us the real picture behind what's going on here." said Harry. "Wait a minute. The rock is warmer here." replied Janeway scanning a different rock face, Harry walked over to her "you're right, Captain. There's a two degree differential in this section of the wall." he said. "There are no natural geological phenomena that could be creating this heat source." said Tuvok, "let's make a little heat of our own." said Janeway. The four line up in the cavern entrance and fire phasers at the rock face. The tunnel appears. "There was a highly sophisticated forcefield in place." said Tuvok. "There's a chamber down this corridor." said Janeway.