Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie - Deploy the Virus

[Addison MacKenzie]

(( Makeshift Command Operations Building – Kobyar Capital, Galaris IV ))

Bancroft: Captain MacKenzie – I know you’re wearing about twelve hats right now, but I need you to dust off your stethoscope for one more. I’d feel a hell of a lot better with Doctor MacKenzie administering this test and watching my vitals.

 

MacKenzie pursed her lips.

 

MacKenzie: Let’s proceed, Doctor. There isn’t much time.

 

Kexxin: Good luck Musta– Doctor.

 

Samantha turned to Imril, ready to help him set up a containment field. 

Richards: Let’s do this.

She turned to Bancroft, opening her tricorder, before offering a sarcastic quip.

 

MacKenzie: I’m pretty sure I can figure out how to monitor your vital signs, but you’re going have to tell me what I’m watching for to know what these readings actually mean…

 

Bancroft: ::earnestly:: Thank you. If this goes correctly, you should start seeing readings that look consistent with a rush of platelets heading through my body and into my eyes. Unless something goes wrong, I’ll be able to communicate what I’m experiencing with you. The biggest risks as I see them are if I’ve gotten the necessary frequency wrong – if I have, either nothing will happen, or you’ll start seeing readings consistent with stroke, thrombus, infarction…

 

MacKenzie nodded to both Imril and Bancroft.

 

MacKenzie: Go.

 

The wind continued to whip against the outside walls. Inside, an eerie silence fell on the room as Dr. Bancroft stood alone, away from the others, hypospray in hand. When the field was ready, MacKenzie nodded to Imril.

 

Imril: Activating EM field. Good luck.

Richards: Let’s hope this works… 

General Kexxin gave the pregnant redhead a side glance.

Kexxin: It has to. If it doesn’t… I don’t know what else we can do.

Bancroft: Alright, then. Imril, 1.1 terahertz… hit it.

MacKenzie opened her tricorder as Bancroft raised the hypospray to his upper arm, and thumbed the release. Expecting the familiar hissing sound, they were instead met with silence. Bancroft frowned, dissatisfied with the device’s underperformance, then smacked the base hard. Still nothing. Until finally, he jiggled the cartridge and tried once more, this time met with a hiss as the vial emptied.

Bancroft: ::grimacing:: That was unnecessarily overdramatic. 

MacKenzie: Detecting increased platelet levels.

General Kexxin spoke aloud, his question directed at no one in particular.

Kexxin: Is… Is he okay? 

 

Bancroft: ::calm, clinical:: Injection site nominal. Systemic response kicking in – slight elevation in pulse. Vision holding–

 

Then, suddenly, an alarm from Bancroft’s own tricorder. On its display, the words “BIOHAZARD CONTAMINANT DETECTED” flashed on the screen, angry and red.

 

Kexxin/Richards: Response 

 

He tossed the ration outside the invisible barrier of the EM isolation field and the alarm silenced immediately.

Bancroft: ::deadpan:: Death by Ration Pack Number 5. I knew it would get me one of these days.

MacKenzie continued to monitor the readings on her tricorder as Bancroft relayed verbal reports of his experience.

 

Bancroft: Latency window’s longer than expected. No vision changes yet… ::pauses:: Unless I just injected myself with saline. That’d be awkward.

She wondered whether or not it might work, but Bancroft’s tone shifted.

Bancroft: ::softly, voice tightening:: Light visual distortion. Peripheral drift… and here we go.

It seemed sudden.

Bancroft: Total vision loss. Imril, Dr. Richards, Major Oolwi, General Kexxin – is everyone else in the room alright?

 

Oolwi: ::Looking at the other Kobyar:: No Kobyar casualties, at present.

 

Imril: ::Spotting the wrapper:: Uh, yeah. I’m good.

 

Richards/Kexxin: Response

 

MacKenzie: ::checking the tricorder:: Aside from your vision, how do you feel, Dr. Bancroft?

Bancroft: Captain MacKenzie, aside from the obvious physiological responses to being blinded – I imagine my pulse and blood pressure are off the charts right now – how does everything else look? I assume I still have a mustache?

MacKenzie: In pristine condition, Doctor.

 

Richards/Kexxin: Responses?

Bancroft: Alright, quick test. ::looking around aimlessly, pointing at a decorative shrub:: Dr. Richards is presently recoiling, for reasons undetermined, at being called ‘Dr. Richards’. ::swiveling to point at an empty equipment rack:: Imril, you’re… eating the ration pack I threw? Really, at a time like this?

Imril: Reponse

 

MacKenzie raised an eyebrow.

 

Imril: Actually, I’m doing something very clever with the wrapper. 

 

Richards/Kexxin: Response

 

Bancroft: Excellent. ::grinning faintly:: I think that’s the first time I’ve failed a test and can call it a resounding success. No residual vision at all.

Bancroft’s posture straightened.

Bancroft: Pupillary response untestable without a mirror, but I’m assuming I still look sensational. ::beat:: Someone please laugh, I can’t see the awkward silence but I can still feel it. ::beat:: Imril, kill the signal if you please. The nanoparticles should begin dispersing back through my bloodstream, slowly – hopefully – restoring my eyesight.

 

Imril: ::Tapping controls:: Signal disengaged, aye.

 

Richards/Kexxin/Bancroft/Oolwi: Response

 

MacKenzie kept an eye on her tricorder, watching as Bancroft’s blood pressure started to lower. The rest of them looked on, waiting to see what the results might be.

 

Imril sat silent as Bancroft’s experiment came to a complete close. 

 

MacKenzie: Dr. Bancroft?

 

Bancroft: Response

 

Richards/Kexxin/Oolwi: Response

 

Imril: Not to interrupt, but I think I may have a solution to any further drone attacks. The salvaged firewall device is designed to interface with an engineering computer to authorize access to drone internal components for maintenance cycles. Through it, I can send power reallocation confirmation commands to enemy drone docking clamps. Trick the drones into shutting down for maintenance.

 

MacKenzie: I think we’ll need every trick at our disposal, Ensign. Proceed.

 

Richards/Kexxin/Bancroft/Oolwi: Response

 

Imril: Biodata downloaded and incorporated. We’re ready to transmit.

 

MacKenzie: How long will we have to act once the virus is transmitted?

 

Oolwi/Richards/Kexxin/Bancroft/Imril: Response

 

She exchanged a long look with each of their officers, wondering if they were pursuing the right course of action. …for the time being, there didn’t seem to be any other options immediately on the table.

 

MacKenzie: Very well, then. Proceed.

 

Oolwi/Richards/Kexxin/Bancroft/Imril: Response

 

 

 

 

Tag, and TBC!

---
Fleet Captain Addison MacKenzie, M.D. Ph.D., FASFS
Commanding Officer
USS Artemis-A
Captains Council Member at Large
V239601AM0