Chapter 5       It was turning into a slow day in sick bay, much to Dr. Karen Rhodes' relief. A busy day in sick bay usually meant injuries or casualties. Going a day without either always made Karen feel better. She had decided to give Rafael the day off and the nurse, Rosie, was at dinner. This left Karen alone in sick bay for about one hour. With nothing better to do she gave the place a once over. She had checked all the examination rooms to see if they were fully stocked. Then she checked over the available crash carts to ensure they were ready to go at a moment's notice. It didn't take long, she had checked everything twice before. With her only patient that day being Lt. Mengele, she knew before she started that everything was the way it should be. Some might call it paranoia on Karen's part, but she had the time and the desire to check yet again.       With her latest check out complete, she decided to check inventory. She had only done it once today, and it was entirely possible she made a mistake. She was half-way through the bandage stock when the door to the sick bay opened. "Can I help you?" asked Karen as she turned around. There was no one there. "Hello?" No response. Karen looked about the infirmary a bit then decided to continue with her inventory. It was then that she thought she heard something. It sounded like typing. Karen made her way to the back of the infirmary, where the staff lounge and her office was located. She was positive there was typing - she could hear it clearly now - and it was coming from her office. Karen crept toward the entrance, trying to catch whoever it was by surprise. Abruptly, the typing stopped. Karen waited a moment outside the door. When it seemed like no one was going to come out, she peaked her head around the corner. There was no one there. She strode into her office. Nothing seemed out of place. There was the usual mountain of case files on her desk and her chair was exactly as she left it. However, her computer was left on. Karen peered at the screen and saw her own file open before her. "What the?" "Dr. Karen Rhodes?"       Karen spun to look behind her. Once again, there was no one there. "Stress." said Karen to herself. "Yes, that's it. Too much stress. I'll just contact Rafael, tell him to take over for me." "I don't have time for that." said an unfamiliar voice. "I'm just tired - no, I'm asleep. Yes, I just fell asleep at my desk again." concluded Karen. The door to her office sealed, apparently by itself. "Then again, maybe not." Karen felt a tap on her shoulder, "Over here." She turned around again. Only this time, there was someone there. Karen stumbled back into her chair, "How did you get in here!" "That's not important, Doctor. I need your help." said the man. Karen righted herself as she asked. "Who are you?" "My name is Sterling. Will you help me?" Karen looked him over. Though he wore an Exofleet uniform, she never recalled seeing him before. That struck her as unusual because her duties brought her into contact with pretty much everyone. "You're not a member of the crew, are you?" Sterling took a deep breath in and then released it. "No, I'm not. I don't have time to explain everything and I'm not sure that I even can. But I need your help." Karen began to calm down, her mind setting to work on the issue at hand. "So you"ve said. That was an interesting trick, the way you got in here. Tell me, have you been to the Jumptroop hanger recently?" Sterling waved away the comment with one hand. "Forget the hanger, I need your help." "With what?" asked Karen. "Someone is hurt, badly." replied Sterling. "Then bring them here and I'll do what I can." "Present circumstances make that an impossibility. I need you to come with me." Sterling offered his hand to her. "Just me?" asked Karen. "Yes, the less people who know, the better. I checked your file. You've got an excellent performance record. Now let's go." Karen didn't seem agreeable to the suggestion. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you're about. Can you give me even one good reason why I should agree to do this?" "Because someone will die if you don't." replied Sterling. Silence hung in the air for a few seconds. "I'll need to gather some supplies and get my medical glove first." Karen sprung from her seat and headed out into the infirmary. She fitted a complex looking device over her left hand and forearm then began to check over her medical bag. "What can you tell me about the patient's condition?" "Multiple lacerations to the right side, under the arm. Internal bleeding is a very strong possibility." replied Sterling. Karen nodded her head and quickly gathered up some extra bandages and few pain killers. "Okay, I'm ready. Where are we...going?" Karen turned to find an empty room. On the floor, was a scrap of paper with a deck and room number on it. "That is getting really annoying." commented Karen. She scooped up the paper and headed out of sick bay. * * *       "Elan!" Lt. Elan Morin Tedronai turned from his position in the dinner line to see Lt. Kristin O'Connor coming up behind him. "Oh, hey Kristin, what's up?" "Nothing, I just wanted to catch up with you so I don't have to eat alone. What's the special?" Elan shrugged, "Last I heard, it was chicken." "Sounds good. Hey, listen. I got this e-frame problem I can't seem to figure out, you think after dinner you can give me a hand with it? You were a big help today." Elan smiled, "Very cute." "Excuse me?" asked Kristin. "I was a big help today, by not being there, right? Ha, Ha, very cute." explained Elan. "But you were there." replied Kristin. "You figured out the problem with your e-frame." Elan eyed her. "Don't you think you're carrying this one a bit far?" Kristin scratched her head, as if it would somehow make things clear to her. Suddenly Elan lost all interest in her as he stared intently at someone behind her. Kristin turned around to see who was there. "Apparently, there's a lot of weird things going on today." Lt. Crow Mengele entered the mess. He was wearing the helmet and chest plate from his exo-armor. It was the minimum amount of equipment required to run the visual enhancement package of his helmet. He began to carefully scan the room. "What's up with him?" asked Kristin. "I heard he lost it in training today." replied Elan. "I've got news for you, Elan. He has yet to find it again." "Well he is a ground pounder, maybe he made one drop too many?" suggested Elan. "Yeah, on his head." added Kristin. "Kristin, that's terrible...accurate, but terrible." concluded Elan. They both shared a chuckle then turned their attention back to the dinner line when they noticed Crow eying them.       Crow noted the laughter. He wasn't surprised. If the roles were reversed, he would probably be laughing too. But after due consideration, this seemed like the best way to prove his theory. Granted, it was the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack. But anything was better than doing nothing. Having looked over the mess, Crow was ready to leave when he noticed Captain Jose coming toward him. Instead of coming straight at him, he veered toward the exit nearest to him. He arched a finger at Crow. The intent was quite clear. "Oh no." muttered Crow. * * *       Once in the relative privacy of the hallway, Captain Jose turned on Crow. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Crow?" "I'm following a lead, Sir." replied Crow. "A lead?" said Jose dubiously. "There is no lead. I was contacted by Dr. Rhodes, its a medical problem." "She's not sure of that, sir." "That may be true, Crow. But what's the alternative? Phantom soldiers?" Captain Jose suddenly remembered Crow's gear. "Take that helmet off when I'm talking to you." Crow quickly removed it. "Look, sir, I know how it looks. But I just want to see if I can find that thing again. Or see if whatever happened in the hanger will happen again. Besides, with all do respect, sir. I'm off active duty. What I do is my own business." "That's where you're wrong, Crow." answered Captain Jose. "You're the XO of my outfit. So like it or not, the men look to you for guidance and leadership. And I don't think it does their confidence any good to see you chasing empty space." "I'm sure their confidence will recover, sir." answered Crow. "Will it? How many of them do you think will follow the orders of suspected mental case? Personally, even I would have a hard time with it." The Captain's voice softened a bit, "Look Crow, I'm not just telling you this as your CO, but your friend as well. Get your act together, and do it fast. Those who don't, won't last long in this line if work." "Yes, sir." replied Crow. "Good, I'm glad we had this talk." Captain Jose walked back into the mess to continue his dinner. "Yeah, I'm glad we had this talk too, Cap." And with that, he put his helmet on to continue the search. * * *       Ellen paced about her newly acquired quarters. On the bed lay Shanita. She wasn't looking too well. Her skin was quite pale, and though she was unconscious she seemed to be in a lot of pain. Ellen watched her for a while. Then she picked up her rifle and walked over to the bed. Leveling the barrel at her head, Ellen spoke. "I could end it for you, right now." Shanita said nothing. Whether or not she could hear the words was a mystery. "I'd like to end it for you." said Ellen. Her eyes took on an icy stare as he finger crept toward the safety. A soft click confirmed that it had been removed. Ellen gently wrapped her finger around the trigger and pulled it back slightly. The shot was perfect. The target was defenseless. All Ellen would require for the kill would be to move her finger back a faction of a centimeter. And yet, Ellen didn't pull the trigger. She released it and reengaged the safety. Ellen put her weapon down and sat on the edge of Shanita's bed. She picked up one of the washcloths she found in the bathroom and brushed Shanita's forehead with it. "Thank you." muttered Shanita. Ellen dropped the washcloth. "You're awake?" accused Ellen. "For a minute or so." stated Shanita. "Why didn't you say anything?" asked Ellen. "Wanted to see what you would do." Ellen frowned. "I suppose you're quite proud of yourself." "I am proud of you." replied Shanita. "Because of my Elt-loving tendencies?" concluded Ellen. "No, but I am glad they are there none the less. I felt pride for any being that chooses to save a life rather than take one." Ellen hung her head. "Thanks, I guess. Just don't tell anyone. Okay, wench?" There was no response. "Nita?" Ellen looked up to find her unconscious again. "Figures." * * *       Dr. Rhodes hurried through the Normandy to the room indicated on the scrape of paper given to her. She rounded the corner and ran smack into thin air. Karen rebounded off apparently nothing and fell to the floor, her medical case landed next to her. "Sorry about that." said a voice. The man from her office - Sterling was his name - slowly emerged from thin air. He picked up her case and offered her his hand. "I didn't expect you so soon." Karen took his hand and he helped her to her feet. "What did you expect? You said someone was hurt." "True. Right this way." She followed him down to the appropriate door. "I have to tell you, Sterling, I'm not all that comfortable with this situation." "I don't expect you to be. But if it makes you feel any better, you're about to make medical history." Karen shot him a quizzical look. "Maybe this will help." Sterling pushed the door release and the door opened with a swoosh. Karen peered inside. There was someone else in the room, a young woman, a jumptrooper by the look of her. Then she noticed the...thing on the bed. It looked humanoid but its skin was light lavender and it had long white hair. Karen's mouth hung open, "What is it?" "That," answered Sterling, "is my friend and she's going to die unless you help her. I'm guessing you may have also noticed that she is an alien."       Sterling ushered Karen into the room and closed the door. "Their anatomy is roughly the same as a terran's. So that should help you get oriented." explained Sterling. Karen stared dumbfounded a moment longer. "Hey, get with the program, Doc. If the wench dies, I'll never get home." The redhead's remarks snapped her out of it. "Will our drugs work on her?" Sterling shrugged his shoulders, "I think so." Karen dropped her case near the bed and kneeled down to get a look. As she removed the makeshift bandage, she noted the three deep, jagged cuts in her side. She waved the palm of her medical glove over the wound and noted the readings she got. Karen flipped open her medical case and removed two vials and a hypospray. She inserted the first vial and pressed the unit to the patient's neck. A hiss later, and the drug was administered. "A broad spectrum antibiotic." remarked Karen. She administered the second vial. "A pain killer." Karen extended the laser scalpel on her medical glove and went to work cauterizing each wound's bleeders. "Blue blood." commented Karen. "Do these aliens breath oxygen?" "Yes, but their bodies don't use hemoglobin to bind it, hence the blue color." answered Sterling. Karen finished with the first cut and moved onto the next. "What do they use then?" "A compound structurally similar. But the metal at the heart of the compound's molecular structure is not iron, as it is in humans and Neos. Instead, it is a metal native to their home planet." Karen had finished with the second cut and moved onto the third. Sterling continued with his explanation. "They recycle most of these molecules, just like humans do with hemoglobin. But their recovery is on average far more efficient. Just to insure that they don't become anemic most of them take vitamin supplements."       Karen finished with the third cut and went back to the first, this time with another component of her medical glove - a cellular suture. As she closed the first cut - literally binding the tissue of Shanita's body back together on a cellular level - Sterling asked, "How's it look?" Karen continued on the the next cut. "So far, so good." Sterling hovered over her as she worked. He was clearly concerned about the patient's well being. His shadow blocked Karen's light. "Look, I realize this is a friend but you're going to have to back off or I'm going to have to ask you to leave." "Sorry." replied Sterling. He stepped away and took a position next to Wright. A few more minutes passed as Karen worked. Sterling noted when she finished with the suture. She removed some bandages from her case and some iodine solution. She cleaned the outer surface of the wound and carefully wrapped it. With the bandage taped into place, Karen looked over her shoulder at Sterling. "That should do it. I'd like to start her on an IV to keep her from dehydrating, and I'd like to continue with the meds." "That won't be necessary, Doctor." answered Sterling. "In another hour, she will most likely wake up and take care of the liquid problem herself." "But..." started Karen. "Hold on, Doctor. You're not dealing with a human patient, remember? She heals slightly faster than a human. Once she wakes up she'll be able to use a device that will help her heal extremely fast. In a week, she'll have nothing but a sore side to remember this by."       Karen understood what he was saying and let the point go. Ellen looked from Shanita to Dr. Rhodes. "Well, now that that's taken care of we don't need her." She shifted her gaze to Sterling. "Want me to whack her?" "What!?!" yelled Karen, who could scarcely believe what she was hearing. "You're a security risk." responded Wright. "It's not like it will be painful. One shot, to the back of the head, over in a second." Ellen smiled devilishly. Sterling shot her a scathing glance. "Not to worry, Doctor. That's just her odd sense of humor at work. We won't harm you." Karen seemed to relax with the reassurance. "But she is right, you are a security risk. Until we figure out what to do next, you'll be staying here." On to Chapter 6