The Enemy Within

Posted on Wed Nov 30th, 2011 @ 3:54pm by Commander Sakkath & https://starbase900.info/index.php/personnel/character/23

Mission: In Our Time of Need
Location: Piper Medical Center

The trip from his quarters on Deck 13 to the Piper Medical Center on Deck 361 was a long one, compounded by the frequent stops of the turbolift, though Sakkath did not mind. It provided him with an opportunity to order his thoughts and bring his emotions back under control... a task made easier by the burden Li had taken on herself.

As he was not required to report to duty today, he had donned a set of crimson robes with ornate black embellishment. As always, the Vulcan script that identified the trinity of rata, tafar, tapan was scribed in gold down his right chest - concept, discipline, process. Three qualities that were considered by his people to be useless apart, but that together formed a larger whole. It embodied the human sentiment that something could be greater than the sum of its parts.

Upon arriving at his destination, the Vulcan moved into Sickbay with a seeming of grace compounded by the flow of his robes, hands held folded on his abdomen. The first stop on his fact-finding mission had driven him here to find Doctor McKinney.

Connor was walking through from another direction, having come up from the Medical Labs. Spotting the Vulcan, he slowed as he approached him, "Sakkath, welcome back. Were the results of your mission satisfactory?"

The Vulcan paused briefly to consider his response. "The ship was returned without damage along with all hands. I shall endeavor to the say the same of all of my commands, and so I judge the mission acceptable," he said with an inclination of his head. "I understand that congratulations are in order, Commander."

"Thank you", Connor gave a small incline of his head in return. "Is there something I can do for you?" his brows coming slightly together.

"In fact there is, Doctor. I should like to discuss your findings regarding she who is my wife. Might we speak in private?" he asked, knowing the sensitive nature of medical histories and that he may require an examination of his own, having touched Li's mind.

"Of course, Sakkath. This way", remembering his own concerns, that he had wanted to speak to Sakkath on this matter, he lead the Vulcan down one of the many corridors within the main sickbay to a private exam room with several consoles along one wall, more than the standard wall console above the room's biobed.

His fingers went over a console beneath duo monitors; a brain-wave pattern appeared on each one. "The first one is your wife's hyperencephalogram", he explained, "It's a medical analysis of her brain-wave activity from her last physical, matching all her previous ones. It's 'as unique' to her as her fingerprints. This one..", he indicated to the second screen, "is the one I did while you were gone. There is additional resident brain-wave activity along for the ride..."

Sakkath regarded the two sets of neural activity. Though by no means a doctor, he understood electrical activity well enough, and it was quite clear that activity in Li's most recent scan was increased. "Are you able to isolate the anomaly," he asked, "for purposes of comparison?"

"Yes", and that's when Connor tensed up. Appearing as if he was pausing, lost in thought, images from when he had been pulled into Li's 'dream' went through him. He ordered the computer to separate the two brainwave patterns. Once done, he deleted Li's, and ordered up a comparison match from the Berkeley medical files. The search ended with one Rhys Balasz. It was a perfect match.

Sakkath's face was impassive. "Your intuition serves you well, Doctor," he said as he turned away from the screen. The spark deep inside of him that had wanted to wring the life from Rhys Balasz's neck back in the Jefferies Tubes on the Berkeley sensed a chance for new life, but he beat it back down. This was an academic enterprise. And how did you kill what was already dead?

"If I were human, I suspect an emotional response would be appropriate, but this result was expected." He kept his voice measured as he looked down at his hand, lifting it from his abdomen to regard the fingers as he opened and closed them around his palm. "I will require an examination."

"I agree. Sakkath...I was there, in Li's mind. I saw him," said Connor, his eyes surveying him as he walked over to the biobed. "He looked directly at me. It was as if he knew I was there. Either he didn't see me as a threat, or Iggy's challenge prevented it, for there's been no change to my brain circuitry pattern..." he stopped, remembering the dream again, how it began as one of eroticism, shifting into a nightmare. It had some lasting effects on Connor, even without Rhy's presence within his mind. "He's obsessed with her, and in his warp thinking, he plans on replacing you."

The Vulcan considered that. A part of Rhys would always reside within his mind, the lingering effects of their mind meld. But those would be the best parts of him, the shreds of hope that remained, the love he once bore. If the crystal had been able to hold on to more than that, if the negative emotions had found a means in which to enter his own brain, to manipulate the way he thought and acted at the most basic level...

"He will find me uncooperative," Sakkath replied, taking a seat on the biobed before lying down. As Connor went about his preparations, the Chief of Operations closed his eyes, recalling the images he had gleaned from Li during their meld. He exhaled deeply as the dream... no, it was more than that... played itself out.

As he opened his eyes, he turned to regard Connor once more. "Thank you," he said, somewhat stiffly. There were too many feelings flowing through him now to control easily, but he managed to keep them from manifesting in all but his tone.

Connor gave a slight nod back, and watched Sakkath lay back before placing a neurocortical monitor on the bone just below his ear, behind his lower jaw, "I'll be monitoring your neural activity throughout this test." He held onto the edge of the bed, looking away before leaning over him, "I'm not going to underestimate Rhys' intelligence. Although the Vulcan brain is very complex, if he has a good understanding of your physiology, he could burl 'n' manipulate this test. With your ability, as a Vulcan, to utilized a synaptic pattern displacement for the sake of your katra, he could completely control you. Sakkath..", his tone becoming more firm, "I have three Vulcan doctors on my staff. I want you to consider some assistance before trying to handle this on your own."

The Vulcan gave a short nod, careful not to disturb the apparatus. "Whatever is decided, rest assured that I shall have a physician present. I will not repeat the same indiscretion as my mate, however good her intentions." He knew Connor had been upset with Li, and rightly so. Sakkath had been upset himself... but now was not the time to dwell on such things. Closing his eyes once more, he retreated deep within himself, falling into an approximation of the Vulcan healing trance to limit his own neural activity.

If there was another pattern, another presence in his mind, it would have to work to hide.

__________________________
A joint post by:

Lieutenant Commander Sakkath
Chief of Operations

&

Lieutenant Commander Connor McKinney
Chief Medical Officer