Part IV.
Babysitting the Marines

Lt Commander Kudet

"Lt Cmdr Kudet, be prepared to stand by at a moments notice to gather information and study the alien once its trapped. Organise some isolinear tags so we can bag this beast."

Kudet nodded.

He turned and address them all.

"We will meet at the entrance to the Industrial sector in 30 mins. Dismissed"

The assembled officers stood and filed out, low murmurs coming from several. Kudet exchanged looks with both Sharas P'Trell and Woo. Their expressions seemed to mirror what she was feeling - frustration at Siit's insistence on putting himself into danger, and acknowledgement that each of the others knew first-hand what he'd be up against.

She tapped her combadge.

"Computer, one to beam directly to the Science department."

Shimmering into solidity on the far side of the labs from Ens Tel'Rashi, Kudet strode through to where Rinao was working with a young ensign.

"Rinao, I need some isolinear tags - plenty of them!" She wanted many spares so time wouldn't be wasted if any got dropped or knocked.

"I'll get any I find in next door"

Kudet walked into the research lab next door to the biolab. Things here were more physics-based and hadn't been used as much since Dravvin died. Kudet wished Dravvin were here now. The combination of their specialties might have been more effective in combating the alien. Gathering all the isolinear chips she could find, she re-entered the Biolab.

"Ok, thanks Rinao" Kudet told the bemused Bajoran "Don't ask" she replied when Rinao made to speak "If you get me started on what a pig-headed stubborn mule of a CO we have I'll...." She tailed off. "Don't worry, I'll return to cool efficiency as soon as I leave this room!"

Kudet packed half the tags into a secure container and programmed the computer to beam it to wherever it was requested to replicate transparent alluminium walls. The other half she packed into a similar container and kept them with her. She also prepared a top-grade tricorder. Her preparations made, she turned again to her staff.

"I'd like you two to beam yourselves directly to the Mall and stay there unless requested. If you have to go anywhere, you must be accompanied by an escort of Marines - is that clear? You're too valuable to risk."

Kudet looked at the pair, particularly at Rinao who she knew to be headstrong.

"Ens Tel'Rashi, if anything happens, you're next in command in Science after me. You are more valuable in that capacity than ANY other. Do I make myself clear?"

Rinao looked steadily back and nodded, but Kudet knew that she'd just have to trust Rinao no matter what. She also knew that Rinao would make up her own mind, and just hoped that it would be in agreement with Kudet's own.

Finally, she tapped her combadge.

"Kudet to Commodore Siit. Isolinear tags ready sir. Standing by to transport at your command. Kudet out".

Having heard nothing to the contrary, and wishing to be where those making the decisions were, Kudet beamed to the bridge. She took up the post at the Science console, and began to to check that the specifications for the replication of transparent aluminium 1 metre thick were available on the computer.

"Hmmm" she muttered

A few tweaks later and the existing data were adjusted to allow almost instantaneous replication of the material exactly as and how they anticipated needing it. It had been necessary to channel a greater availability of power to the holographic replicators, but that was now all under control.

All that was needed now was to put the plan into action.

Kudet looked around the bridge, filled with unease. This was indeed a high-risk strategy.

Game Master

It was in no hurry. It knew that the hosts were gathered in one area and it would not approach them.... not unless others were with it and stragglers were not available. That was not a problem....

It had made its nest/hive in the warm sections of the Industrial sector. The furnaces that bleeded off excess plasma and allowed antiquitated projects and hobbies, also kept the mean temperature slight higher regardless of environmental systems. It also was not the busiest section of the Endeavour... so it had plenty of options open for its nest- a dark, hot corner with infrequent personnel.... and one was now here.....

....Giles was a human male of 71 years. He worked in the Janitorial Department headed by Andy and had been plying his trade on starships for over 45 years. He was not a bright man and not one with grand ambitions, but he loved his work, it allowed him to travel and Starfleet had always been kind and generous. He generally kept to himself but was an incessant chatterbox, and people stayed away from him when he had an axe to grind. Yet Andy never complained as the old man was competent.

Giles didn't heed the warning of the alien on board or the orders that were issued.... "I haven't had a day off of work in 45 years and no alien is going to stop me now' he had snorted to himself. Now he was in the Industrial Sector fussing over this and that sweeping imagined dirt. The heat didn't bother him as he talked to himself 'So dirty, what would Andy and Starfleet do without good ol' Giles?'.

He continued his self oratory debate when he stepped in a puddle of viscous slime. He looked down and wondered what the heck it was... and more importantly what the heck it was doing on his clean floor!!!! The Alien was the furtherest thing from his mind. He saw more goo and something his mind couldn't comprehend all on the walls in the corner. He heard low moans and moved to investigate... then he heard the hiss...

It sensed the host moving closer and heard the noises it made. Of course it didn't care what those were.... only that the one more host needed for the birth of the reverent one was near. It moved in the gloom approaching it hissing.... there was no other hosts in the area. It would be easy....

Giles squinted in the gloom as the moans chilled his bones despite the heat. The hiss was nothing he had heard before... this he had to report to Andy. He was smart and tell him what to do.

"Andy... Andy... you there?" he shouted in the commbadge

Andy was organising his department in the Mall when the comm came through. He stopped and froze when he heard Giles... what's the old fool up to now??? he had been missing from the unscheduled meeting and when commed he had said he was too busy doing his shift. Now Andy had an uneasy feeling.

"Giles? I'm here, where are you Pops?" he started cheerily using the familiar nickname and hiding his frustration.

"Im doing my work here in the Industrial Sector where I should be" He snapped back "Young'en theres something real funny here"....

.... It moved with ease but not quickly and loomed out of the dark and into Giles vision. The old man at first didn't comprehend what was in front of it

"Hello??" He greeted cautiously...

... Andy stopped and blinked... who was he talking to???

"Giles? Giles?" He began to get very worried....

... Giles eyes went wide as he belated realised what it was

"OHHH SWEET JESUS HELP ME!!!!" He screamed.... then there was nothing....

.... Andy and a good deal of people in the immediate vicinity heard the scream and plead for help.

"GILES?????" Andy screamed back but got no reply....

... It had seized the old man on his chest squashing the Commbadge destroying it as if it was a peice of plastic. Giles was knocked into unconsciousness and it was just aswell as he was taken past the almost transformed Crewman Frost. The sight would have surely stopped his heart at seeing the human now nearly completely metamorphised into a Pod and the face hugger that was now nearly complete. Instead he was cocooned in resin a short distance off awaiting the return to conscious thought and the implanting of a new Queen.....

.... Andy wasn't sure what to do and who to tell about this. It could be nothing, but he had to be sure. He spotted a marine Sgt about to lead his team back out to find more stragglers

"Excuse me Sir" Andy approached Sergeant Ice "I believe one of my colleagues is in trouble. He is a Janitor and was in the Industrial Sector"

Chief Janitor Andy then proceeded to tell Ice about the Comm that he just had with Giles.

Sgt Ice

"Excuse me Sir" Andy approached Sergeant Ice "I believe one of my colleagues is in trouble. He is a Janitor and was in the Industrial Sector"

Chief Janitor Andy then proceeded to tell Ice about the Comm that he just had with Giles.

Andy: It had seized the old man on his chest squashing the Commbadge destroying it as if it was a peice of plastic. I was knocked into unconsciousness and it was just aswell as he was taken past the almost transformed Crewman Frost. The sight nearly stopped my heart after seeing the human now nearly completely metamorphised into a Pod and the face hugger that was now nearly complete. Instead he was cocooned in resin a short distance off awaiting the return to conscious thought and the implanting of a new Queen.....

Sgt Ice looked at Andy stunned..

Ice: my god... if we have a Queen borned on this ship.. we will have a massive problem..

Ice turns to Beta squad and waves his hand to tell them to come closer..they do so and using the panel on the wall Ice brings up and map of the area they are in.

Ice: Beta Squad..your mission is to seal this area up..I want all turbolifts,Jeffies tubes and ways of this deck around this area sealed is that understood ! when that is done I want you all out off this area..

As soon as this is done.. I want beta Squad to patoral the area outside this sealed area and be on the lookout for stragglers.

Now move out !

Beta Squad got busy and Ice smiled.. then tapped his commucator.

Ice to Colnel Samson : Sir ! We have a big problem..please meet me at the entrance to the industrial sector at once.. this is urgent sir.

Colnel Samson beams to the industrial Sector and waits with Commodore Siit.

Sgt Ice then beam's to there Loctain and walks up to both of them.

Ice: *salutes* Sir we have a problem.. then explains about what andy the chief jantior has told him and waited for there reponse.

Commodore Siit
Lt. Commander Kudet

Siit saw as Sgt Ice materialised near his location. He informed the CO of the disturbing news by Andy and Siit shook his head desperately wanting to move out and end this aliens murderous trek on the Endeavour.

"Thank you Sergeant. When the Colonel and Mr Woo arrive we will end this."

Siit tapped his comm "Lt Cmdr Kudet, when your team is ready please beam to our location"

Marisha tapped her combadge.

"Computer beam one to Commodore Siit's location"

As Kudet materialised she spotted Siit.

"Commodore - I have the isolinear tags here, and a second set ready to materialise with the transparent aluminium. Ens Te' Rashi is standing by in the Mall if needed."

Sgt Ice

Colnel Samson: Sergeant, you are to report to Lt. Bhat'lex and the Alpha squad. They are located in the transporter room. Be prepared to combat the Alien.

Sgt Ice: Aye Sir

Sgt Ice walks off to the transporter room and Grunts " Hell it is about time.. this Damm thing is killing us.. let's just kill the damm thing !

Ice Arrives in the Transporter Room and and await's the Lt to arrive.

Ice to Aphla squad: ok.. quiet down Marines and and wait for the Lt to arrive with orders. But Get Ready for battle and some Revenge.

The EMH

The holographic doctor listened to the unpleasant news in stifled silence. His first thought was that the janitor was as good as dead, and that they should take one of the markers right now and beam the transformed man off immediately. His program nagged at him, its Hypocratic dictates fighting to correct his destructive notion. He battered it down with the realization that allowing this one doomed man to exist meant the imminent destruction of the entire ship's populace.

A further realization that there was more to the physiology in question, and perhaps this was why the Commodore was eagerly waiting for the Science XO to arrive...

Commodore Siit

It had only been a few minutes since Siit had beamed to the entrance of the Industrial Sector, but he was eager to track this alien and implement his plan.

He was using his tricorder to scan the area. He didn't expect to pick up the alien, but he was here by himself and didn't mind admitting he was a little jittery. If the beast decided to show up now he was on his own. And he didn't fancy that..... nothing on the Endie went smoothly.... he wondered where Annie was. He tapped his commbadge

"Lt Arman, do you have a lock on my signal??? I will keep this link open"

Lt. Peter Arman

"Lt Arman, do you have a lock on my signal??? I will keep this link open" Came the voice of the commodore through Armans comm link.

"Absolutely sir." Replied Peter. "Myself and Lt Cmmdr Marchinko are standing by should we need to act on your order."

Game Master

Crewman Frost was extremely weak and clinging onto the last remnants of life. The drone's initial work was almost complete as Frost was almost transformed totally into the egg pod. Only his head remained visible...and that itself was not a pretty sight. His hair had fallen out in large chunks, one of his eyes was just a glutinous mess with the eyeball completely catarached.... a foul smelling yellow puss oozed out of several sores and one of his cheeks was nonexistent as his yellow stained teeth were clear visible through the gaping septic hole.

The newly forming facehugger was nearing completion and the host was not really relevant anymore. It had digested most of Frost's lower body and arms... only through releasing chemical agents was the unfortunate human still alive. Of course the Aliens didn't understand or recognise pain so naturally no pain inhibitors were released.... and Frost felt every agonisingly part of his body being transformed, liquefied, and now digested. He had stopped wishing for a release to death as mind numbing pain was all that seemed to mock him.... his cognitive functions were like jelly.

Every now and then the facehugger moved within the pod, seeming to rip the last shreds of Frosts muscles and bones violently. The result was Frost's head spasming with vile thick yellow puss spraying indiscriminately out of the sores and his mouth. A low almost inhuman moan escaping the once proud Starfleet officer's last vigilance of humanity.....

...Giles, the cocooned Endeavour Janitor awoke groggily and blinked reflexively to adjust his eyes. He wanted to rub them but instantly knew that was impossible as he was firmly immobilised. He swore, his usual complaining voice echoing his displeasure with this inexcusable treatment..... he had a right to of course, but noone was hearing him and he was unaware of exactly what was going to happen to him.... then he spotted Frost's head horrifyingly stuck out of something unnatural. In his 45 years onboard starships he had seen many dramas with red alerts and the odd battle or two, but the simple janitor had never before witnessed anything so terrifying and so wrong. He panicked and started to weep

"Help me, computer, tell someone....oh Sweet Lord Jesus I shouldn't be here...HELP ME!!!" he wailed over and over.

Frost was slightly aware of the sound... a human sound and he agonisingly looked to the source with his one dependable eye. Though the plea was one of abject terror, Frost took comfort that he was not alone in the final moment of his life. He tried to smile but a sickly yellow ooze threatened to choke him as it dribbled out of the corner of his mouth... the last thing he saw was an old man with terror in his eyes. It was enough as the already immense pain intensified and he knew that at last death would release him....

Giles kept on screaming but the computer did not acknowledge his existence - his commbadge destroyed. He saw the last valiant effort of the crewman look at him and then he became silent as something which was not possible happened...

The facehugger instinctively knew that it's host was prepared and waiting and it's only function can be completed. The Pod encasing it opened and it crawled out and up the face of the now dead crewman Frost. It settled allowing it to take in its surroundings and the acidic placenta to fall away. It knew where the awaiting host was and after a while it slowly crawled down the now useless pod and approached the host of the future queen....

Giles saw the crablike creature and didn't know nor could he, the function of it. When it moved he was reminded of a huge spider with a long tail, its spindly arms invoking memories of giant tarantulas as the legs pulsed and moved with grace... it moved towards him, then an inkling of realisation dawned on him.

"GET AWAY...COMPUTER... GET ME OUT OF HERE" Giles screamed as if trying to scare the thing.

It didn't have a concept of fear and therefore the shouting had no affect. It reached the cocooned host and began to climb up the body... it was like a scene from an old earth holo-movie with a giant spider slowly approaching a helpless victim.....

...Giles felt the thing on him and he continued to shout. It didn't matter to him anymore that noone heard him. In his 71 years of life he had always plenty to saw and the very act of shouting seemed to allow him to handle the situation. As the creature crawled up he felt the first spindly legs make contact with his face and he protested more... even as the facehugger's tail wrapped around his neck he didn't stop his protests. When it reared up and saw the creatures tubelike proboscis coming to him he finally understood his destiny.

"Sweet Jesus, I commend my body and soul to thee"

With that the facehugger settled on the old man's face forcing the tube down his throat, releasing the muscle and cognitive inhibitors. And the gestation of a new Queen began......

Commodore Siit
Counselor Dayanair

Siit was getting frustrated as he continued to scan with his tricorder still expecting nothing. He was eager for Samson and Woo to arrive and set out after this….. Siit stopped in mid thought as he thought he heard something. Through the continual low hum of the Endeavour's power systems he believed he heard a voice…in distress… it was indistinguishable and he could not make out words, just a low drone and the edge of his hearing… he squinted trying to focus as well as looking at his tricorder.

As Day tried to communicate with Annie telepathically....she stopped her thoughts when suddenly a voice flowed through her mind....the same one she sensed earlier, "Help me, computer, tell someone....oh Sweet Lord Jesus I shouldn't be here...HELP ME!!!"

She shook violently as this mans fear overwhelmed her senses. Her hands flew to her head...wanting to block it out of her mind....there was nothing she could to help him.....then he wailed again, "GET AWAY...COMPUTER... GET ME OUT OF HERE

She couldn't stand it any longer, {Why isn't Annie responding to me?!} with shaking hands she hit her commbadge, "Commodore Siit...." trying to keep her voice steady, "It's Dayanair."

The El-Aurian's frustration was growing. He couldn't pinpoint the source or make out what it was… then his comm chymed with the Chief Counselor. He still tried to focus on the distant sound

"Yes Counselor, what can I do for you" The CO said half concentrating. Maybe it is imagined he thought

"Sir, the latest victim of the creature, he was just...." she stopped in mid sentence to gather her composure, " ....screaming....begging...." again she stopped when Giles last conscious thoughts flowed through her mind, "Sweet Jesus, I commend my body and soul to thee"

Her hand went instinctively went to her throat as the thing obviously overtook his body....she tried to speak calmly, "....Sir, he is now in the same predicament as was Private Limrii."

The sound was no longer heard and Siit had a frightening realisation that maybe what he heard and what the counselor was saying was somehow related. He yet again cursed in his El-Aurian tongue forgetting the comm-link was still open.

"Thank you Counselor, I believe that I may have somehow heard the cries. It was very faint but I feel I am close. When Annie and support arrives we will formulate a plan"

Siit logically thought that as with Private Limrii they had some time before…. He frowned thinking of the gory scene in the quarantine chamber. The alien was the main priority at the moment.

"Anything else Counselor?" He asked uneasily not very comfortable speaking to her.

She felt uncomfortable speaking to Siit....but she couldn't stand the unknown any longer....she also heard his cuss words....snorting slightly....because she was about to do the same herself...but reframed,

"Yes, Commodore...." she knows he is uncomfortable speaking to her also....but no matter.....the crisis is the priority....not their measely problems, "...these plans you have....do they include using yourself as bait?"

Here we go again Siit thought "The alien has to be drawn out Counselor" he began remaining calm "A plan will be put into force and I will not subject anymore crew into doing something I am not prepared to do myself"

Thinking about the brave marines on the Waklev, the marines on the flight deck and now the missing personnel he spoke slowly through clenched teeth

"Too many crew have fallen victim to this thing already"

"Yes Commodore, I agree..." she spoke with no feelings now.....she was starting to feel numb and devoid of all feelings, "...I felt those victims die Sir, you don't have to explain your reasons to me...." she still isn't convinced Siit understands what he is about to come face to face with......but she knows he has lost all respect for her and her words are meaningless to him now,

"Sir, this creature your about to face, it does not feel what you feel....it lives only to ensure the continuation of its kind.....and it will kill to ensure that....and you...." she choked slightly, "God be with you Commodore." then she broke the link and started to cry...not just for Siit...but for everyone she has felt die.

The link broke and Siit wasn't given the chance to respond. Lt Commander Dayanair and himself were certainly going to sort this out one way or another, even if it meant transferring her to another post elsewhere on Endeavour… yes it would be sorted after the current crisis was averted. The he thought about Dayanair's last comments and amended "if" things went as planned. He shook off thoughts and set about trying to refocus on the duty yet to come….. damn, where were Annie, Woo and Samson's team???

Commodore Siit

The air shimmered and Samson, Barton, Woo and Flynn materialised. The former three having in their possession what looked like carbine weapons. Siit knew that the Colonel would have given strict orders on their deployment and use so he was not overly concerned.

Siit greeted all four with a quick nod then proceededd to inform them of the latest developments that he and Dayanair had just discussed. At the end he set firm his opinion

"From all reports regarding Private Limrii, we have a good few hours if not more before a birthing occurs. I believe that our immediate goal is to contain the alien and get it off the ship. After that we will find the missing crew" Siit paused and reiterated what he knew they were all aware of

"I don't pretend that this is going to be easy, but we have to be smart, those weapons are a last resort, we don't know the impact of spilling so much molecular acid onboard. Again, it's a last resort"

They nodded as they heard yet another Commodore Siit long-winded speech. But generally what he said was logical and necessary.

"Any questions?"

Colonel Samson

"No sir, ready to move out when you are." Drew said knowing that he wasn't speaking for the others but he was sure that they wanted to get the alien off the ship as soon as possible.

Seeing that Lt. Flynn wasn't carrying a weapon. "Counselor can you sense the crewmen? Also you'll need to stick close to us" Drew said.

After seeing the condition the extraction team was after they came back from the alien mission, the Colonel held little hope that the crewmen were still alive.

Commodore Siit

Butterflies were forming in Siit's stomach as he thought of the real risk to his life. Many years of combat training had taught him that fear was not a thing to squash, but it honed the senses. Only foolish and egotistical people have a 'no-fear' attitude, and they usually fell in battle. Over a century ago someone had told him that the butterflies were natural and fighting against them would cause great harm ... so the advice was "Ensure the butterflies fly in formation". Siit smiled to himself and closed his eyes and settled himself. After a few seconds he opened his eyes more focused and he tapped his commbadge.

"Lt Arman, keep this commlink open, we are preparing to move out. Commander Kudet, please have your team standby"

He looked at the assembled fellow officers... Damn he was proud of them... he would ensure that the current plan would succed... for them, other officers, and the dead. He looked at Annie and thought of the ordeal she had already been through. He admired her willingness and courage.

"Colonel, keep Annie and yourselves safe. Keep at a respectable distance, we don't want scare this creature off"

Siit nearly laughed at the irony of the last statement, but instead moved out into the Industrial Sector.

Colonel Samson

Drew nodded his head, having spent his entire adult life with the Marines, Drew knew the meaning of taking point.

Having walked point before, Drew knew how nerve racking it is. "To walk point, is to take the responsibility for the lives of your platoon into your hands" Drew said to himself, when he remebered the days back when he was a grunt.

"We'll stay 30 meters behind you Commodore, Commander Woo keep an eye on the Commodore. Lt. Flynn and Captain Barton will be in the middle of the column and I'll take the rear and watch our backs" Drew said as he watch the Commodore proceed inside the industrial sector.

Commodore Siit

Siit walked lightly on his feet with little weight on the heels.... he intended not to get caught flat footed. He was cautious moving further into the Industrial Sector and was not happy with the light levels.

"Computer, increase lux capacity of lights" Siit calmly asked

It did brighten but not appreciatively so and Siit knew that this section was always more gloomier.... he didn't understand why .... he intended to find out later... The low hum of the Endie systems became highly noticeable as he honed his hearing into anything out of the ordinary. His eyes wider to allow maximum light in but not moving too quickly as to confuse the peripheral vision.

He reached a junction and looked down both corridors. It was eerie seeing no personnel decking the corridors.

"Heading Left into Sector 1-1-2. All quiet so far" Siit said into the comm

He also felt a mixture of utter vulnerability and false bravado looking for a known horrifying murderous creature.... essentially alone and unarmed. The Comm was his lifeline as he continued to speak.

The El-Aurian moved on just walking the corridors his mere presence acting like a beacon screaming "take me, kill me, I dare you" It was one heck of a gamble.

Game Master

It was moving purposefully through the Indusrtial Sector. The furnace gave off heat but it was unaware nor cared, all it wanted was hosts. What it did notice was the sudden rise in illumination and it's head tilted to one side. It halted and seemed to scan its surroundings and beyond and gave a hiss as it sensed new hosts above it.

With a new purpose it headed towards them. The Marines and Security departments had excelled in their duty in rounding up the crew, and individual stragglers were becoming less frequent. It moved faster sensing a group and a straggler in front of them. They were the next prey.

Entering a jefferies tube it's excellent orientation and now familiarity with it's surroundings enabled it to quickly traverse to a junction that contained a ladder up to the next deck. With perfect ease it didn't merely climb the ladder but catapulted up with the agility of pouncing cat. sensing the closeness of the hosts it targetted the straggler.... moving ahead it flanked them all with ease and exited the jefferies tube around 50m ahead. It was not stupid, it would now wait for the hosts to come to it and assess the best strategies.

It sat on the ceiling blending in the best it could and waited ... it even hissed what could have been in anticipation....

.... and the party that was approaching it didn't know what they were in for. But they would soon find out.

Commodore Siit

Siit came up to another junction and stopped. The following support team expected the Commodore to say which direction he wished to go but he didn't. Siit looked left and then swiveled his head right and it lingered there. Something jumped out to him that proceeding right was the way to go. His El-Aurian senses screamed out to him something ... but he wasn't sure what.

He did NOT want to go right, though that's where he knew he should be going. He was not a telepath or empath in even the most liberal sense but at times his El-Aurian senses was like a beacon and he had learnt to trust them. He could not pinpoint anything but an overwhelming sense of forboding and darkness. This time he would have given anything not to trust them and carry it through.

The Commodore crouched on his haunches ... he was scared... this creature threatened his resolve but he thought of all his crew and the ones already sacrifised... Siit calmed himself with a new inner strength and though he knew this was the most terrifying thing he was about to face, he stood back up and straigthened up his uniform

"Turning right Section 1-5-4. Keep frosty, we are close" The nervous Commanding Officer boldy stated.

He set off down the corridor knowing that somewhere in the distance the goal was near.

The EMH
Lt. Commander Kudet

The latest utterance from the open comlink to Siit came through Kudet's combadge. She was waiting with the JAG officer and the Holodoc in Transporter room Two, having been sent there by Siit before he took off on his lunatic wanderings.

"The man is mad to do this" she muttered under her breath.

Kudet turned to her companions.

"I've programmed one set of isolinear tags to materialise with the transparent alluminium when it's called for, but here's a second set as backup"

Marisha handed the second set to the Holodoc.

"Good luck - you're going to need it. Looks like things will be happening soon. I'm just thankful that this thing can't hurt you - there've been more than enough people hurt already, I wouldn't want to see that happen to anyone else."

She thought for a moment.

"It can't do anything to you, can it? I mean unless it can affect your programme....?"

The EMH stepped off the transporter pad. "Actually, holograms cannot be transported. You must transfer us and transport the isolinear tags separately."

He handed Kudet the tags with a smile as the holo-JAG officer followed suit.

"However, if you advise us of the exact coordinates, we can transfer ourselves to that precise location on your mark."

Kudet accepted the tags, feeling somewhat embarassed that she'd made such a basic mistake. However, she was glad that the Holoofficers were safe. All she had to worry about now was Commodore Siit, Security, Annie, the Marines, oh, and herself. If she could avoid involving any more Science staff she'd do her best to do so.

These organisms were among the most chilling she'd ever studied, and certainly the worst she'd ever had personal experience of. She was getting nervous now - she'd hidden behind her duties until now. But no longer - from now on it was waiting...or action!

Commodore Siit

Siit walked further down the corridor and passed many doors. He was extremely cautious that the thing could suddenly materialise out of one of them but it seemed highly unlikely. The hardest part was passing open archways that could easily hide the thing.

While he would continue on this plan, he suddenly felt that he had left things incomplete. If he was to fall, there was no last testament prepared, no messages to be sent on.... but then he thought that there was no one to send it too anyway. He was a Starfleet officer after the death of his family he had turned duty and the Federation into his family... but besides duty and Starfleet he was lonely. If he did fall, he would be buried and the Endeavour would go on.... his material effects and possessions were only relevant to him....

"Damn" he shouted out loud forgetting the commlink was open.

He chastised himself and brought himself back to the problem at hand. He cursed himself for the letting slip one of the most basic edicts of Command training at the Academy ..."Complacency is a killer"

The sense of impending wrongness was still strong but he swallowed doubt and turned to his confidence in his ability. And took another step closer to the alien....

Though a Starfleet uniform was designed for comfort and moderate temperature, Siit felt himself perspiring. His tricorder had been stowed and his free hands felt clamy and slick. He moved slowly scanning the full vector range. Siit had learnt early in his life that all strategy revolves at least in a 3-dimensional spatial realm ... those who thought anything less, were soundly beaten. Especially in the huge vastness of space.

Whilst having slowed his pace forward, his eyes were scanning every inch in front the side and up on.....

Siit froze not quite sure what his senses were seeing... it was out of place but none the less still very inconspicuous. Ahead 15m and on the ceiling was a crouching ... thing.... Siit knew this was it, and before he could cognitively understand the nightmare.... it moved its head and hissed at the commanding officer.

The El-Aurian still frozed swore that he had never heard anything so terrifying in his life. The butterflies in his stomach threatened to abandon him and make exit through his mouth bringing his lunch with them. Yet Siit took a deep breathe and the next incidents seemed like a blurr to him......

Game Master

It waited patiently clinging to the ceiling... it did not know why it was able to defy gravity and literally beome a fly on the wall, or as now the ceiling... it did not care either, it just accepted and exploited its ability. Right now it was more concerned with the straggler moving ahead of the other hosts .... and moving towards it.

It sensed the lead host stop and instinctively knew that it was located.... it did not care either way and moved it's head in what could have been a gesture of 'looking', if it had eyes. It let out a hiss and decided that the it was time.... It unfurled itself and neatly dropped to the floor.....

Siit was horrified... the 7 foot tall beast was indeed as gripping as Annie and the reports had indicated. He felt no illusions of any success in an empty hand-to-hand confrontation with it, but Siit felt he had the intelligence stakes one. He breathed once then isued a string of commands

"Mr Woo Contact made !!! ... Computer engage Kudet program 1... Section 1-5-9"

Lt Commander Kudet's pre-programmed 1m thick transparent aluminum wall materialised 15m behind the alien..... the job was half complete, but he did not have time to finish issuing the order for the entrapment..... the alien extended its arms and in a burst of speed charged.....

On the balls of his feet, Siit awaited frightened but calmly as the nigthmare charged. Timing his movement, Siit shifted his weight first onto his left foot then pushed off, bending his knees and dropping his body weight down. Virtually diving to his right the alien's talons missed intercepting him by a whisker and after Siit rolled he immediately rolled to his left.... it took but a moment as Siit thought he was safe.... the alien's spiked tail grazed across the El-Aurian's chest slicing through the uniform and cutting into the underlying skin.

Siit rolled and stood up having gained most of the distance to the Transparent aluminum. The sting burned unnaturally and he felt his muscles begining to tingle and become numb... the alien seemed momentarily confused as Woo was just over 25m away with the alien trapped between him and Siit and the transparent aluminum.

"Computer engage Kude..." Siit began dazed but was swiftly knocked flying into the wall as the alien's tail swung wildly and made contact.

Siit tasted blood in his mouth and he saw the alien moving to finish him less than 2 meters from him directly between himself and Woo in the distance. He knew that Woo and Samson would now guarantee the removal of the alien.... and instead of being frightened... The El-Aurian Commanding Officer grinned his usual petulant grin and thought it was fair.... if carried out properly from here on in, he would have guarnateed the safety of his crew.... and would willingly succumb to death and be again reunited with his El-Aurian family.

The Alien moved in not for capture but to kill .....

Colonel Samson

Private Thomas turned and called for the Colonel as he watched in horror the Alien appear before the Commodore. As the Alien attacked, Thomas ran foward.

Drew stopped and turned as he heard the Private calling him. Running foward to the front of the line Drew watched the Alien attack, the Commodore.

Drew quickly checked the assembled group and not finding the Private, Drew knew that he had broken rank and was heading in the direction of the Commodore. "Stupid Marine, if he lives I will kill him myself." Drew said in clenched teeth.

Drew then turn to see Woo, bringing up the weapon, bearing his sights on the Alien. "Commander, please wait. Listen the Alien blood is very caustic. To fire the weapon now will cause damage to the Commodore and to the ship as well." Drew said.

Woo looked at Drew and agreed that maybe it wasn't time to fire the weapon. Drew turned and ran towards the direction of the Commodore.

Remembering the plan, Drew tapped on his Comm. badge "Computer, this is Colonel Samson complete Kudet program 1 Section 1-5-7". Drew said.

Just as the 1m thick transparent aluminum wall materialised sealing both the Alien and the Commodore inside, The plucky and courageous marine screamed a battle cry as he pummeled into the alien.

Momentarily distracted from the Commanding Officer it turned to face Thomas who seemed to have gone berserk in his futile attempt to save the Commodore. He just gritted his teeth as he hugged the beast close to him avoiding the lethal fangs.

Thomas held on for dear life and was rewarded with seeing Siit move away from immediate danger. The alien was not perturbed, but bent its legs dropping its body weight then catapulting back straightening his legs. Thomas' body slammed into the side decking and his ribs smashed and blood dribbled out of his mouth. As his grip on the alien loosened he looked back at his Colonel

"For the Endeavour Corp" The brave Private gurgled. The alien broke free and viciously buried its inner jaws into the Marine.

Drew, Woo and the rest of the team finally reached the Commodore, only to witness the gruesome death of Thomas. "Samson to Lt. Arman transport the Commodore, to my location" Drew said as he watched as the Alien turned his attention to the Commodore.

Just as the Alien jumped foward to kill the Commodore de-materialized from the make shift aluminum prision, and materialized next to the team.

Lt. jg Carlos

Carlos was just behind Woo as the drama unfolded. In several brief seconds, it seemed all hell had broken loose. Yet Siit's plan had clearly worked. The creature was now trapped within it's aluminium cage, unable to smash through.

For now at least.

It was thrashing wilding, snarling at it's captors. Carlos took his first look at the creature and started to understand Flynn and the others terror. It was like nothing Carlos had ever seen and he was in no rush to see if he could dispath it as he had done with the Borg.

"Woo to Transporter Room 2; We are ready for the EMH and JAG and the isolinear tags."

Carlos looked over, as he heard him make arrangments to beam the creature away and carry out the next stage of Siit's bold plan.

The alien, as if sensing the conspiracy against it, slammed it's powerful tail against the aluminium in another futile attempt to escape. Carlos practically jumped, instinctively grabbing his phaser rifle for protection. He stepped further back from the aluminium..........against this creature he would be taking no chances!

Counselor Annie Flynn

Annie noticed the huge gash across Siit's chest. That couldn't possibly be good. She then looked straight out as Day's voice echoed in her head.

{Siit's injured, I'm going to take him to Sickbay,} she said. "Commodore, Woo, Samson, and Kudet can continue from here," she said. "I'm getting you to Sickbay." She tapped her badge. "Computer, emergency medical beam out." She and Siit disappeared in the blue sparkles of a transporter beam.

The beam deposited them in Sickbay.

The EMH

With a wisp, the two holograms materialized into the containment area. At the other end of the long area was their captive. Its large, long black head seemed to contain no eyes. And yet, it appeared to have caught sight of them instantly.

"Well, it's bigger than I thought," the EMH noted.

It snarled fiercely at them with two sets of jaws.

The holodoctor turned to holo-Captain Louvois. Her eyes were large. Had he not enjoyed the company of the newborn earlier, no doubt his reaction would have been the same.

"Their unique physiology fools not only ship's tracking sensors, but defy forcefields as well. In fact, our own magnetic containment fields pass through the creature as though it doesn't exist. It might afford us a strategic advantage..."

The holoJAG smirked. Apparently, she was not impressed.

Maybe he needed to show her. "Allow me to demonstrate," accommodated the EMH. He turned and began to jog towards the creature. His intention was to run a lap in the small area, presumably passing through the invader twice while his magnetic containment field remained on its default setting.

As he advanced closer, the holographic doctor couldn't help but be impressed with its great height, the elaborate details of its shiny black skin. The mucousy saliva he could have lived without. It angrily growled at him, obviously enraged by his audacity to approach with nary a twitch of fear. Suspicious but still growling, it took a step back.

The EMH was right on it now, and half-expected to see the back wall of transparent aluminum. Instead, he bumped into the creature full brunt, staggering them both. Startled, his eyes grew large. Apparently the adults of this species had greater control over their phys-

A large, black arm came up and swatted him. The doctor was sent sailing through the air, until he slammed against the other end of the blockade. He slid into a heap at holo-Louvois' feet. "All right," he mumbled laboriously, "so much for THAT approach..."

Looking with disdain at the alien, she coolly remarked: "Striking a Starfleet officer is an offense under the Federation JAG articles 224."

The holodoctor moaned.

Game Master

The new hosts, were NOT hosts!!!! It sensed that immediately. It was unable to explain why so it didn't even try. For the moment it was encased and it needed to break free. It paid little attention to the two things with it.

It approached the transparent aluminum barrier furtherest away from Woo and his team and began studying it. Tilting its head it moved closer, and ran a taloned hand over the smooth surface. Then with a magnificent display of violent force, it extended its inner jaws and clattered into the barrier. A chunk of aluminum flew out and a crack formed. However the 1m thick barrier was still impenatrable... for the moment.

With a frenzy of activity, it lowered its elongated head and repeatedly butted the small crack. Opening slightly but not appreciatively so, the alien snarled and hissed at the barrier and then looked for another way.

Turning its attention to the more pliable duranium side decking, it began to scan... instincts taking over. If the things in with it approached, hosts or not, it would attack them....

The EMH

Oh no! It was compromising the barrier! Its powerful claws managed to chip off a tiny piece of transparent aluminum and start a crack in that area of the shielding.

The EMH, having barely gotten up to dust himself off, dashed again for the creature. He leapt as best he could - having been deprived of athletic subroutines - with his hand outstretched...

...The doctor's arm plunged into the back of its long head up to his elbow. Solidifying his hand within, he grabbed at what he could. The thing screamed in pain and shook its head, slamming the EMH into the sides of the barrier. Although he was not programmed to feel pain, the constant pummeling was still a jarring ordeal and MOST unpleasant.

The thing was angered but not incapacitated by the holographic doctor's attack. In fact, it seemed to be using him to further weaken the sides of the barrier, slamming his solid body left and right with great force. A gasp could be heard from the marines over beyond holo-Captain Louvois.

Seeing as how the current maneuver was counterproductive, the EMH disengaged from the alien and dropped to the ground, crawling back to the other end, allowing claws to pass through his back without connecting. Louvois helped him up, this time wearing a slightly worried expression. No doubt she shared his concern over the beast's seeming invincibility.

Just then, at their feet, the isolinear tags materialized.

"It's about time," he grumbled. He could hear the creature resume its assault on the cracked aluminum.

Lt Commander Kudet

Kudet was angry - despite her careful programming, the isolinear chips had not materialised at the same time as the aluminium walls, and now the creature had managed to crack them before the tags had even arrived.

However they were there now, ready for the Holodoc and JAG officer to attach them to the beast.

She'd set up her tricorder so that as soon as the creature was tagged, she ought to be able to get more information about it. It was imperative that they discover more about it's metabolism before beaming it off the ship, otherwise Commodore Siit, and anyone else who may have been caught by the creature during its sojourn on board would be doomed.

Calling to the two officers encased with the alien Kudet tried desperately to scan through the walls.

"We need to get the tags on as soon as possible!"

Marisha grimaced to herself 'talk about stating the obvious' she thought to herself.

"If it's at all possible I need a sample of the exudate from the glands in its tail..." she stopped, knowing that they had enough to do to get the thing tagged at the moment, without her rattling on, but she wanted to analyse the toxins - see if they were purely chemical or enzymatic.

All she could do for the moment was scan and wait....

The EMH

The EMH raised an eyebrow and just looked at Lt. Commander Kudet as he stood on the other side of the wall of clear metal. He looked down at four tags in his hands, then held them up with a smirky smile before turning his back to her and handing a pair to the holo-JAG.

"Ladies first?" The holodoctor bowed slightly, with one hand gesturing towards the alien, which was alternately snarling at them and slamming itself into the walls. Despite his cavalier manner, he was not pleased. He didn't like the actions of that creature one bit. If it didn't break down the wall, its broken skin from this constant trauma was sure to unleash a deadly acid and burn a hole through the deck. This had to end, and end quickly.

Holo-Louvois looked down her nose at him, as though she found it distasteful for doctor to even consider that she'd soil her hands with such a menial task. Outranked, the EMH wasn't in a position to object. He took a deep breath and looked towards his target - again. Placing one isolinear tag in each hand, he stood facing it in a stance which was reminiscent of High Noon. Even the marines were silent for that moment of truth.

They stood face to face, separated only by a few meters. The holographic doctor focused his gaze on the creature in the vicitnity one would expect eyes to be located. He faced it calmly, but with an intensity in his dark eyes which caused it to stop what it was doing. An unnatural silence lingered, both within and without the containment area.

It was the Science XO who broke the silence. "I recommend that we beam this thing out as soon as possible - it's just too risky to leave it here" Kudet announced, "let's just get it tagged and get rid of it"

The doctor shifted his eyes to the side as the words registered, and he raised an eyebrow. Talk about stating the obvious...

...and with that abrupt statement, the thing started growling and drooling mucous again. The doctor's eyes darted forward with the sound. Having regained his attention, it snarled louder, but then lowered the din when the hologram suddenly allowed his lips to curl up one side.

Suddenly, the EMH launched himself into a run. The creature growled fiercely, with both sets of teeth bared. He jumped to slide onto the mucous, in a stance where he held up his left hand by his head, and extended his right arm out to the side.

At the right moment, the holodoctor dematerialized his upper body and left arm, allowing himself to pass through the creature in his slide.. The first isolinear tag met with resistance against the life form's chest. Once in back of it, the doctor spun around and - with only his right arm cohesive - slapped the second tag onto its lower back in a location it could not access with its tail, which kept passing through his body with frantic swipes.

He heard the sound of clattering; it must have pulled the front tag off. Oh great.

There was only one thing which could be done at this point.

And it took two...

"Captain Louvois! I need you!" came the EMH's voice from behind the beast. "I'll distract it long enough for you to tag it in the front. Try just below its jaws; it might have trouble reaching there long enough..."

Woo, Kudet, and the marines saw the expression on the holoJAG officer lose its arrogance. There was a job to be done, and Phillipa had to do it, otherwise there would be nobody who would have need of her services... Imperatives aside, she placed an isolinear tag in the palm of each hand, just as she had seen the EMH do earlier. "I'm ready!" she called out. "Let's get this over with!"

The holographic doctor allowed himseld a moment to roll his eyes before he jumped up and - as before - dematerialized his hand and allowed it to pass through the back of the creature's skull. He solidified his fingers and it screamed, head thrown back.

Bracing himself along the base of its tail with his legs and free arm, the EMH worked on preventing himself from being slammed into the walls again. It started to thrash its arms wildly, unable to reach back to where he was. "NOW!" he yelled.

The holoJAG officer lunged at the creature, slapping an isolnear tag in what must have been its equivalent of an armpit. Arched back by the EMH's hold, it was unable to reach that area to tear it off. When it snarled at her, Louvois chucked another one against its neck, then stepped back.

The creature staggered forward, and the EMH's ankles unraveled. It crouched suddenly, sending the holodoctor over its head and into a puddle of goo. While on his back, it stared down at him from above, both jaws baring sharp teeth. How very unpleasant, he thought.

Then, he sensed something against his hand. Could it be? He grabbed the object. When the thing snarled at him again, he made his move...

...and jammed the fourth and final isolinear tag between both sets of jaws as hard as he could. It drew back in agony, furious that its jaws were stuck.

The EMH wasted no time. "COMMANDER! INITIATE TRANSPORT!" he cried out.

Lt Peter Arman

By now the bridge crew had all given up on running the usual tasks of the bridge and were all listening to the comm link for the battle group that Ensign Roberts had turned up for them all to hear. Arman was far too engrossed now to be giving out anymore reprimands.

The crew stood there on the bridge all listening to the struggles of the EMH and Jag officers battling it out with the alien! Then as the battle seemed to be reaching its highest point the words were shouted that the bridge crew had been waiting for.

"COMMANDER! INITIATE TRANSPORT!" Boomed the voice of the EMH. Without hesitation Arman hit the waiting transport button and initiated the transport of the deadly creature off the Endeavour and into the harsh vacum of space. There was a slight delay as the computer completed the transport and then the confirmation appeared on Armans screen.

"Sorry you had to leave so soon!" Muttered Peter under his breath sarcastically. As he locked onto the aliens location and switched the viewscreen to show it. The crew stood there momentarily watching it thrive around there frantically, obviously not pleased with the turn of events.

"So what do we do with it now?" Asked Arman, although he was pretty sure what P'Trells answer would be.

Lt. Commander Woo

Turning around, (after ignoring the holograms in the trap... oddly enough appearing to soothe some injuries) he glanced at Lt. Carlos and Lt. Carter, beckoning them silently to follow. If he had opened his mouth, it would not have been a pleasant tone of voice, given his mood at the time... hence, some restraint was called for.

He had overheard the Colonel's discussion with Lt. Cmdr. Dayanair about the crewman... yes, the custodian was the latest casualty... unfortunately, there was no way to track him... no way to find him except through direct observation and search...

"Woo to all security and marine personnel... be on the lookout for another host... the custodian, rather... if in doubt on whether or not you have spotted him, just remember that he vaguely looks like... well... to be blunt, a cadaver. Make sure you take all chances to stop him... as far as we're concerned, Andy the Custodian is already dead."

The EMH

He lay on the floor in the muck for many moments.
Just a moment of respite, where there was no alien's jaws, millimeters away from his face, no snarling or fetid breath.

"Doctor? Are you all right?" came Lt Cmdr Kudet's voice over the comm on that side of the barrier.

Still lying on his back, he tapped his combadge and responded. "Yes. I'm fine." And with a quick command to the computer, he transferred over to where Kudet, HoloCaptain Louvois, Woo, and several marines and security personnel were situated.

"I'm sorry - whatever samples from its tail were left in there when I transfered my program out." He pointed to the puddle of goo he had lain in.

Just to his side, Woo made an announcement: "Woo to all security and marine personnel... be on the lookout for another host... the custodian, rather... if in doubt on whether or not you have spotted him, just remember that he vaguely looks like... well... to be blunt, a cadaver. Make sure you take all chances to stop him... as far as we're concerned, Giles the Custodian is already dead."

The holographic doctor looked almost wearily at him, then to the Science commander. "Another one?"

Captain Barton

P'Trell looked over toward Lt. Arman. Everyone had a hunch what the answer would be.

"Ensign Sanchez, lock onto the isolinear tags with a full spread of quantum torpedoes. Prepare to fire on my mark." Sharas said coldly, looking at the flailing creature on the viewscreen.

The Andorian took absolutly no pity on the beast. It and its kind were responsible for at least nine deaths among Endeavours crew, and possibly at least two more. Pity was the last thing it would recieve.

"Fire."

=^=In the Industrial Section=^=

Barton and the team walked resolutly through the dimly lit corridors, searching for the aliens nest before another one could arise from the ashes like the mythical Phoenix.

The rest of the teams had been called in, and were combing the underdeveloped part of the ship desperatly. This was truly a life or death struggle, and they could not fail.

"And to think, I could have stayed on the Renegade. But no, I had to take reassignment." Barton mumbled under his breath, eyes squinting against the darkness.

Captain Phillipa Louvois, Holographic JAG Officer

This mission was not exactly what the Holo-JAG officer Captain Phillipa Louvois was programmed for. However with her brusque, icy and stoic demeanour, she had perservered. The JAG officer was grateful for her holographic distinctiveness, she was not sure her organic role model would have belayed the absolute terror and vulnerability the alien exuded.

Now she stood with the rest of the posse having being transfered with the EMH. She maybe photons and a computer program, but she had the memories of the alien and it was not comforting.

However she stood with her chin held high "If there is no further need of my presence, I would appreciate being deactivated until I am required again for a matter 'relevant' to my programming!!!"

There was no objection to the feisty stern Holo-JAG officer and without a smile or acknowledgement she disappeared.

Lt. jg Carlos

Following Woo and Carter, Carlos noticed how quickly his heart was beating and made an effort to slow it. He had watched the dramatic confrontation as the two holograms struggled to tag the alien. Having succeded, the creature was ushered away by the transporter seconds after and now, it seemed that order had been restored. But not for long.............

"Woo to all security and marine personnel... be on the lookout for another host... the custodian, rather... if in doubt on whether or not you have spotted him, just remember that he vaguely looks like... well... to be blunt, a cadaver. Make sure you take all chances to stop him... as far as we're concerned, Gile's the Custodian is already dead."

Woo was issueing orders and he strode alongside his commanding officer. Catching his breath, Carlos regained his composure before he spoke. "So we need to find this guy - who's carrying another of those things inside him - before it hatches?"

"That's just about it Carlos." Woo replied grimly.

"Well, I'm no expert.......but the last one of these things hatched pretty quick. Remember that marine in sickbay?"

"How could I forget? I was there."

"Then I'm guessing that it can only be a few hours before this new one hatches now. Then we're cleaning what's left of Mr Gile's off the bulkhead while another of these thing's run's riot!"

"My plan is make sure it dosent get that far..." Woo said with great determination.

"I aint complain'!" Carlos exclaimed. "But this time, we arent looking for the alien.

We know that our sensor's cant track it anyway..........but we need the find the PERSON thats carrying it, NOT the alien this time. Surely the computer could locate him wherever he is on the ship? Then we just gotta go and..........."

His voice trailed off as the three realised what would come next, a dark shadow running across the situation.

The EMH

The EMH listened to Lt. Carlos & Lt Cmdr Woo as the group walked through the corridors of the Industrial sector. He and Lt Cmdr Kudet look at eachother while the other two rambled off their speculations.

"Uh - excuse me," said the hologram. The two stopped for a moment and turned, unaware he was still around. Nevertheless: "You'll find that Giles' bioreadings will NOT show up on sensors. Having had first-hand experience with these creatures, I can assure you that by now his body's physiology has been altered and his own lifesigns undetectable by conventionally configured tracking equipment."

The two looked at eachother, then to the Science XO. Lt. Cmdr. Kudet nodded in confirmation.

The EMH continued: "Depending upon what stage in its incubation will determine whether it may still be located with recalibrated sensors, or -" he hesitated "- the same method used to locate the adult. Lt. Commander Kudet here has the frequency modulation."

Lt jg Carlos

Carlos threw Woo a look of frustration, flicking his eye's to the ceiling in typical fashion for the Karrlito.

"Holograms......" he growled under his breath.

Realising that now was not the time for verbals, Carlos reeled himself in and tried to be productiove.

"Okay....obviously I've spent too much time in the Mall rather tgan dealing with the acid faced ugly. But with time against us - we have to find this guy before the next alien emerges - I'm saying maybe we should make things a little simpler?"

"Enough already!" Arman boomed down the comm link. "As much as it is fun to stand up here listening to y'all think of a brainy super intelligent technobabbly way to find what you want there is a simpler and quicker way to do it you know? I mean Carlos's idea was good, but we've tried that the comm badge must have been destroyed or something, it's not registering. Computer! What was the last known location of Janitor Giles before his comm signal was lost??"

A few seconds passed until he was clearly given the answer..........

"There you go! Its over in 1-5-6, thats like 60 meters from y'all. So off ya go, enjoy it wont you. I mean I'd love to be there with you but I'm just soo busy up here sorry. But don't worry we'll all be listening and rooting for you. Good luck!"

"Well surely I get brownie points for the ideas?!" Carlos protested.

"Of course sweetie! It was fabulous." Arman replied happily. "You havent been ODing on the tech mannuals have you? You'll start spouting endless technobabble at the drop of a hat........come to think of it, you'll fit in quite well round here at the moment!"

"Speaking of technobabble, are we just going to drop the bio-readings and do as Peter says? Just flush this thing out the old fashioned way?" Carlos asked, looking at Kudet, Woo, Carter and the EMH. "I mean, my ideas may have been as effective as a disco in the vacum of space but I still had a point!"

"Oh God.........." Arman sighed over the comm ot himself.

"I can still hear you Peter!!!"

"Oh plop! Is this thing still on?! Oppps!!!"

Carlos subdued his growl and pressed on. "Yes, I did have a point! We're running out of time..........if another of these things get loose, we'll have to go through all this again. And I'm not looking for an encore peformace! Peter was right......lets make this as simple as possible and just find the damn thing before it's too late!"

He took a slight pause and waited for someone to poke another hole in what he had said...............

None came.

'Thank you God........' Carlos sighed to himself.

The EMH

The EMH was blessedly out of the verbal confrontation. His supplemental interactive orientation prior to reinstatement into Starfleet Medical Corps. made him extremely adept at letting others do the talking when the need called for it.

Mister Carlos' reference to a "disco" mystified the hologram; was it some sort of coin-shaped life form?

What he didn't understand was the fact that they knew where the janitor's last known whereabouts were, but lacked the common sense to advance towards those coordinates. It was a certainty that had Mister Giles been attacked, he would not have gone anywhere after that.

But who said organic humans practiced common sense when they were gripped with fear?

He wished they'd make some progress just the same. This bickering between them was pointless.