Counting the Stars

Three - The Problem and the Solution

The last thing I remember is Bones looking down at me with concern deep in his expression. "Taylor, are you sure you're okay?" He asked me. I could tell that he thought that I was most certainly not okay, but he wanted my opinion, I guess.

"No." I answer simply. I responded with the words, 'I'm fine, God dammit.' for the last 10 times he had asked me the same question.

"I'm gonna take care of you. It's gonna be okay, alright?" Bones's concern in his voice is seriously showing through now.

"Okay." I respond weakly. "It hurts. Bones, I need a first-aid kit or something. My neck...... It feels like it's getting worse. I'm losing too..." I gasp for some air, which is currently elusive to me. "much blood. I'm not gonna be okay, Bones. Don't even try."

Bones keeps scanning my neck, which is where I was punctured by the needle. Bones and I were running through the medical bay, and there were many tables that had exploded because of the dysfunction of the ship. I slipped on water, or maybe some kind of medicine, that was coating the floor, and I got punctured by a needle.

My knowledge of medicine extended to and included the feeling of most vaccines, at least when they were put into my neck. I could not familiarize the type of liquid that was injected into my neck with anything that I had ever tested or used on a test subject other than myself, and that worried me.

I asked Bones what he thought it was, but he said he picked up strange readings from the syringe that held the medicine. He could not decipher the readings with only his medical knowledge, and he did not have the equipment available to test it on something, like a tribble.

"Bones, I think I know what that vaccine was. I think I was injected with it another time, when I was 8. It's a vaccine, or not really, it's more like a poison. It can give people....." My voice trails off as  gasp for air, clutching Bones's hand as I try to sit up. If I suceed, I can allow more air to flow to my lungs, which would be great, in the situation that I'm in right now. "abilities." I finish my sentence, just barely, as I lay back down again, using Bones's arm as much of my support for my spine, considering the absence of a formidable 23rd century hospital bed.

"Abilities? Like what?" Bones, being a doctor, is obviously intrigued by our conversation's sudden turn.

"Well, I've found out about regeneration, teleportation through time and space, reading minds, super strength, and I've read about flying and super speed. I'm sure there's more, but I just haven't accumulated them or researched them." I reply.

"Okay, well, it seems like you're feeling better, so let's go find your dad and get him off this goddamn ship, alright?" Bones says while I realize that I am standing up, along with the chief medical officer of the Enterprise.

"Let's go." I say with the best poker face I can manage. It's not very good, since, on the inside, I'm still screaming with internal pain.

We start sprinting down catwalks and speeding at a steady 60 miles per hour on a few turbolifts, and in about 5 minutes, we eventually reach the bridge. I see my father with his 1st Officer at his post at the science station nearby, looking as distressed as a Vulcan could possibly look. They both look over at us simultaneously, and we are shocked to meet their gazes.

"Dad, what's the status of the ship?" I ask my father, who is seated with black and silver restraints, bining him to the command chair. He looks determined, and he is showing his expertise of not showing concern or fear, though I can read his expression. He is worried that he will never see the ship in its prime condition again, and, in his mind, it is clear that he consciously made that decision long ago.

"It's failing to maintain altitude, ma'am." Spock replies. The words can't even get out of his mouth before I rush to the helm, where the pilot of the Enterprise, Mr. Hikaru Sulu, is usually stationed. I begin begin pushing buttons and issuing commands to the many computers and the forward screen, as if on autopilot....no pun intended. After my brain is done with its hooligans at the helm, I get up to stand next to Bones again. He looks at me like he looked at the tribble injected with Khan's blood, rising to life. That was one short year ago, before the Enterprise was rechristened by my father himself. I look back at him, giving him a wry smile, and he scoffs and looks back to his friend, Jim Kirk.

"Jim, is there anything we can do to save you and the sh-" He is cut off by a loud whirring sound, and, to be frank, I'm pretty shocked, too.

"Course set away from collision. Manual override successful. Course set away from collision. Manual override successful." The ship seems like it's talking to us, over the loudspeaker system that is seemingly not damaged from the shots by the Romulans and Klingons.

My - well, Spock's, but I took it from him - transmitter beeps loudly in my hand. I flip it open and press a button that is flashing. "Hello?" I call into it.

"Aye, who is this?" A voice that seems a little too familiar came over the transmitter. My father snatches it out of my hand.

"Scotty? Mr. Scott, is that you?" He says into the speaker, leaning away from the ship-wide comm on the command chair. I am glad to see that he looks relieved to hear his chief engineer's voice. "Where are you?"

"Aye, it is me. I'm in the warp core and i dinna know how to get out of it. There's a door, but I cannae get it to open, and it's too wee for my figure to fit through. Any chance you can shimmy yourself down here to help me?"

"Sure, Scotty. I'll do what I can."

"Thank y-" "BEEP BEEP Call ended. Transmitter signal cut off." Gods, what is it with computers talking today?!  

"Get down to the warp core; try to save Scotty. I have to stay here to make sure the ship doesn't go down while we finally have it up again. Thanks for that, by the way, Taylor."

"No problem!" I shout out the turbolift as Bones punches in the code and level we want to reach.

"What are you doing here?!" Scotty's voice comes over Bones's transmitter now. "Where is the girl? The cheerleader?" That's not Scotty's voice. "Bones, if you can hear me, come to the warp core ASAP!" Scotty again. He sounds like he's in trouble. 

Just for some background, I was a cheerleader in my freshman year at Fountain Valley High School. This man, who I just recently heard over the transmitter, obviously wants me. My dad isn't here to save me this time. Spock stayed with Kirk at the science station to assist him with communications, navigation, and, of course, science stuff. I try to stand up straight, clutching my phaser with both hands. Bones, oddly, gets in the same position.

"Let's go catch this sonuvabitch." We say in unison. We then look at each other and smile. We each let one hand off of our phasers, and we give each other a high-five.

THE END OF CHAPTER 3! HOPE YOU LIKED IT! IT'S GONNA GET ALOT MORE COMPLICATED, SO BUCKLE UP.

REMEMBER TO VOTE AND COMMENT IF YOU WOULDLIKE TO SEE MORE! TTYL!

~Sylar