How the Time Flies

Chapter 18

I curse under my breath. Could there really be a intruder on board or was this a malfunction? Either way I didn't have a computer interface near me or any sort of tools. Wait. There's a service hatch behind the counter! I get up and head over to where Guinan is and crawl till I find the hatch. "Where are you going?" She asks. "I'm going to make my way up to the main control room. All I have to do is type in my command code from there. If that doesn't work, I'll turn the systems off and on again." I reassure. "But aren't all the hatches from here to there going to be bolted shut by the bulkheads?" She counters. "I'll be able to get through them. Don't worry." I say. She nods and I crawl into the Jeffery's tube.

*Meanwhile in the infirmary*

"Aghhhh!" Julian says trying to open the door. "It's not going to work." Felicia states. "Your right....I just thought...never mind." He says. "You got a phaser in here?" She asks. "This is an infirmary. Not the armory." Julian points out. "Right." She mutters sitting there. "The airs getting stale." Julian states. "That must mean the main systems and the back ups for life support aren't on." Felicia states. "We have 3 hours of oxygen left in here between the two of us." Julian states. "Oh 3. I thought you were going to say 1 for a minute there." She says sarcastically. "The whole ship, with 1,000 crew members...we have 6 hours till we all suffocate to death." Julian adds."That's....just great." Felicia says. "Sorry. I tend to say what I'm thinking in these sort of situations." Julian mutters. "It's alright. Max is normally running through the calculations as well." Felicia says. "I bet Max is already working on a way to fix all this." Julian says reassuringly. "Or she's freaking out because she's in ten forward and can't get to the bridge." Felicia points out. "I'm hoping I'm right no offense." Julian says sighing. "I hope so to." Felicia mutters.

*Max Pov*

I get to the main junction and pull the hatch open to the next section. "I really wish I had a phaser right about now." I mutter seeing that there was a bulkhead right behind the door I just opened. I am just gonna have to do this the hard way. I open a side panel near the door and mess with the wiring for a minute. The bulk head still doesn't budge. I frown, sigh, and cross my arms."I guess I'm gonna have to use plan C." I say uncrossing my arms and making my way back to ten forward. Guinan just gave me a look like I told you so and then helped me out of the Jeffery's Tube. "Did I miss anything while I was gone?" I ask her. "No, although some of your crew is getting a bit uneasy. You should talk to them." She says. "I don't...that's not really my thing." I stutter. Guinan raises an eyebrow at me. "What I'm just....I'm not good at calming people down...comforting them. That's Dax's job or heck even Julian is better at it than me." I point out. "Alright alright. Got any other ideas?" She asks me. "I'm gonna work on bypassing the system and over riding he door mechanisms." I say. "With what? A replicator and some kitchen utensils?" She asks confused. "You'd be surprised what I can do with only that." I say running into the kitchen and grabbing what I need.

*Nog and Ezri on the bridge*

"I'm sure Max will fix this shortly." Ezri says to Nog. "Well. Something's wrong. She would have it fixed by now." Nog points out messing with the panel near the main computer systems. Finally something pops up on the screen. "I managed to make a dent in the Captain's program. A very small dent." He says getting up and looking at the screen. "That's not good." Ezri states. "You think?" He mutters worriedly. A screen asking for the Captain's password to shut down the program was being shown. "I don't suppose you know the Captain's password?" Ezri asks hopeful. "Not a chance. I do remember her telling me it was at least 20 digits long. It had something to do with dates." He mutters. "Did Max ever tell Jadzia her codes?" Nog asks. "Nope. Trust me. I'd remember. I'd love to help. But computers aren't my thing." She says.

*Back in Ten Forward*

"I got it! I actually-" I say stopping because I was to excited. There was a small crack between the doors. I grab one side of the door and have another ensign help me. When I get the door open all the way I tell everyone to stay in Ten Forward for now till I know it's safe then head to the turbo lift door. I just have to reboot the main system of the turbo lift and should...work. The turbo lift starts up and makes a soft humming sound. "This seems to easy." I mutter. I get up to the bridge but the door won't open. "Hello?" I ask banging on the door. "Captain?" Nog asks. "Can you uh help me pull this open?" I ask. "Certainly sir." He says. We get the door open and Dax and Nog are standing there. "Where's everyone else?" I ask. "We were in between shifts when it happened." Dad explains. I nod. I walk over
To the main computer and see the screen flashing that it wants my password. I quickly type it in, "Password accepted." The computer says. I look around the doors weren't opening. All of a sudden a alarm sounds, the self destruct sequence activated. "That's not good." Nog says. "It's the next phase of the lockdown. By by passing the doors to get up here the computer saw it as a breach in security and put the computer in self destruct mode." I state. "How long do we have? I mean can't you shut it down?" Dax asks. "I didn't see the time before the screen shut off. And I can't shut it down, the whole system is on lockdown now. It won't accept my commands." I state to them.