The Sky's The Limit Part 6

"But that doesn't make any sense. We could make whatever they needed with our replicators, as long as we have raw materials. There's no reason to attack us to get supplies."

"Look, you know that and I know that, but I don't believe they know that. We haven't been able to communicate with them for whatever reason. They don't know what we can or can't do. Worrying about how to deal with them is the captain's job. Our job is to deal with the injured. When security takes control of engineering, we'll be right behind them to render aid to both sides."

A sudden shout in the corridor drew Pulaski's attention. Before she could move, the familiar sound of a phaser being discharged rang out, followed by the sound of a body striking the wall hard. The door to the sickbay opened and shut on its own. Then, before the disbelieving eyes of the medical staff, one of the intruders walked through the closed door as if it weren't there.

The intruder appeared reptilian to Pulaski and her staff. Its dark purple eyes stared at the various people in the room, its lack of pupils making its already inhuman features even more p.r.o.nounced. With an air of extreme confidence, it seemed to dismiss them as unworthy opponents as it walked through the room.

One of the orderlies dove at the intruder as it pa.s.sed, but to everyone's surprise, he pa.s.sed straight through the alien's body and slammed headfirst into the wall. Another technician rushed toward the alien only to fly backward, landing awkwardly on the floor. He grimaced in pain and wrapped his arms around his chest.

Pulaski grabbed her medical tricorder and headed toward him. Probably has a couple of broken ribs from the way he's holding his side. Then, to her surprise, the alien raised its arms and made a shoving motion at the air, before turning toward the supply room.

That doesn't make sense. How could it hit Rizuto before it raised its arms? It's like seeing a replay...Of course!

As she watched, the door to the supply room opened and closed before the alien arrived, which confirmed her suspicions. As he reached the door, he seemed to disappear right through the solid structure. Pulaski headed toward one of the smaller supply cabinets.

Grabbing an aerosol anesthetic, she rushed toward the supply room, wedging a pin into the dispenser as she ran. Just as she felt her left hand beginning to go numb from the spray, she opened the door and tossed the dispenser inside. Hitting the override, she locked the door and waited.

The sudden commotion inside the room told her she'd gotten the intruder's attention. The door shook under the a.s.sault of the alien trapped inside. She barely got out of the way as the door came smashing off the wall. Before anyone could react, the creature continued to beat against the nonexistent door while a thud was heard several feet away. One of the technicians. .h.i.t the fans to vent any remaining anesthetic fumes out of the area, while everyone moved away from the bizarre intruder. After a few moments, its motions grew sluggish and it stumbled forward and collapsed where the noise had been heard earlier.

The medical staff was buzzing with questions and speculation. Two of the technicians lifted the creature onto a table and began examining it. Pulaski hit her combadge and called the bridge.

"Picard here."

"Captain, we've captured one of the intruders. It broke into sickbay. Apparently, they're vulnerable to our anesthetics. I recommend we use that in engineering."

She could hear some m.u.f.fled orders on the bridge, and then La Forge's voice crackled over the communications link. "La Forge here, Captain."

"Mister La Forge, Doctor Pulaski has determined that the intruders are vulnerable to anesthetics. Is there any way of restoring the intruder control system from your current location?"

"Negative, Captain. The breach in the hull threw the entire system off-line. We're going to have to do something else."

"Geordi, if we transported sprayers into the middle of engineering, do you think that would work?" Pulaski asked.

"Good idea, Doctor. Yes, if you could have O'Brien deposit them in some specific spots on Decks 32, 34, and 39, we could flood the engineering section with the gas."

Pulaski did a few mental calculations, then tapped her combadge again. "Whoa, whoa! How much anesthetic do you think we have on board? It'll take a while to synthesize that much."

There was a pause, then Geordi's voice came back on-line. "Okay, how about enough for Decks 32 and 34? If we can secure those areas, we can cut off any stragglers from their ship."

An unfamiliar voice broke in on the channel, cutting off Pulaski's reply. "Lieutenant La Forge, what about the aerators we were going to drop off on Lennix IV? They're meant to spread liquid fertilizer over a couple of hectares. It wouldn't take much to convert those things for the doc."

The relief in Geordi's voice was obvious. "Great idea, Duff. Can you get those to the transporter room?"

"Consider it done. I'll meet the doc there."

Captain Picard came back on line, his voice conveying a confidence that Pulaski certainly didn't feel. "Mister La Forge, Doctor Pulaski, sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Keep me informed with your progress."

"Captain, before you go, there's something else you need to know."

"Yes, Doctor?"

"The aliens, they're not where we see them. It's like we're seeing them in time delay. When we captured the intruder, we heard his body hit the floor several meters from where he was at the time. Advise security to set their phasers on the widest beam possible."

"Time delay?"

"I think we're seeing afterimages, like with a distant star. We don't see where it is, just where it was. Same with the intruders, although I can't tell you why yet. Maybe our examination will turn up something."

"Mister Worf will pa.s.s that on to security. Good luck with your mission, Doctor."

With your shield or upon it, eh, Captain? Fine. Pulaski pointed to a couple of the technicians in the sickbay. "You two, start working on synthesizing more anesthezine. Blake, contact main sickbay and have Ogawa get started making some up there. Bring it to transporter room 2 as soon as you're done. I'm going to go ahead and see what I can do to help with those aerators."

Pulaski stood by one of the portable monitors that had been brought to transporter room 2. They'd jury-rigged a visual feed from engineering, and La Forge was helping them decide where to send the aerator for his section.

Chief O'Brien flipped a switch on the transporter console, activating the voice communicator. "Lieutenant La Forge, we're ready to begin transport. I'd advise finding an emergency oxygen mask unless you want to wake up with a heck of a headache."

"Understood, Chief. Good luck."

"Thanks, sir. Energizing in thirty seconds."

As the countdown commenced, Pulaski shook her head as the engineers congratulated themselves on the conversion of the aerators into gas bombs. The lieutenant in charge grinned like a kid who'd just made his first model s.p.a.ceship. He didn't seem like the kind of engineer Geordi would trust with a major task, but she had to admit that what he lacked in decorum, he made up for in skill. He'd stripped and rea.s.sembled the aerator faster than anything she'd ever seen.

Chief O'Brien's voice cut into her reverie. "Energizing."

Pulaski held her breath as the first aerator was surrounded by a nimbus of flashing light and then disappeared from sight. Turning to the monitor, she could see it appear near the breach. The top of the machine began spinning slowly, then gained speed with each revolution.

The aliens didn't seem to notice anything at first, but it wasn't long before their movements became disoriented and then they began slumping against the bulkheads and engineering stations in a vain attempt to remain upright.

Geordi's voice crackled over the communicator, m.u.f.fled by the mask he had pressed over his mouth and nose. "Doctor Pulaski, it appears to be working. I can't see any of the intruders awake from my position."

Pulaski nodded as she watched the second aerator wind down to a halt on Deck 34. "Keep an eye out, Geordi. We're still trying to see if it's having the same effectiveness on Deck 34. I'll contact the captain to let him know."

Pulaski started as Picard's voice broke in on their conversation. "No need, Doctor. I've just heard Mister La Forge's report. Good job, both of you. We'll need to get security in there before it starts wearing off."

Nice of you to let me know you're listening in, Captain. "Affirmative, Captain. We'll be going in right behind to tend to the wounded."

Before Captain Picard could respond, another shudder rippled through the Enterprise. "Mister La Forge, what is going on down there?"

"Captain, we've had a rupture in one of the plasma conduits. It was probably weakened in the earlier explosion. A section of the bulkhead has blown out into the engineering compartment. Some of our people and the aliens are trapped beneath the rubble and we've got a plasma fire going. We need help now."

Pulaski gritted her teeth as Captain Picard ordered Lieutenant Worf to alert damage control and get them to engineering.

"Captain, we need to get my EMR team in there now," she said, when the captain came back on-line.

"I agree. How long before you can get them a.s.sembled?"

"Too long, Captain. We need to use the technique from earlier today. I'm certain it'll work this time."

Riker's voice cut in, his earlier annoyance noticeable. "I'm inclined to disagree, Doctor. With the rupture of a plasma conduit, your energy supply is even more unstable than it was earlier."

Geordi broke into the conversation with a note of triumph in his voice. "Actually, no, it's not."

Picard's voice cut in, overriding both Pulaski's and Riker's questions. "Explain yourself, Mister La Forge."

"I took the liberty of establishing an independent power backup for an emergency like this. It should be more than sufficient for what the doctor has in mind."

Pulaski caught herself standing there with her mouth open. "When did you do that?"

"Right after our meeting. I told you I had something I wanted to try. I just didn't think it would be this soon."

Pulaski shook her head in bemus.e.m.e.nt. Could today get any stranger? "Captain?"

"All right, Doctor. Initiate your plan."

She knew it killed Jean-Luc to give that command, but now was not the time to rub it in, so she merely tapped her communicator. "EMR Team, Alpha One. Engineering."

Before she finished that short phrase, she saw Chief O'Brien beginning to initiate the point-to-point transport. She moved next to the terminal where he was working. "When you get them to sickbay, let me know. I want you to transport me into engineering with them."

Miles looked at her in surprise. "You, Doctor?"

"Yes, Chief. I am the most experienced medical officer on this ship. If the damage is as bad as Mister La Forge said, I'll be needed."

The young engineering lieutenant stepped over next to her. "Better set this transport for two, Chief. I'm going with her."

"Excuse me, Lieutenant..."

"Lieutenant Duffy. Look, Doc, they're going to need help to get that fire out. Especially if most of the on-duty engineers are unconscious."

Pulaski looked at the young man's earnest face and nodded. "Make that a transport for two, Chief."

Miles looked up at the ceiling as if hoping for divine a.s.sistance and then released a deep sigh. "Aye, ma'am. Adjusting transport for two additional personnel."

As the familiar whine of the transporter faded, Pulaski unclenched her teeth and glanced down to ensure she was still in one piece. Convinced she'd beaten the cosmic c.r.a.ps table yet again, she a.s.sessed the damage in engineering. The plasma fire cast strange shadows as the flames jetted from one of the bulkheads. She hadn't spent much time in engineering when it was intact, but clearly it had seen better days.

The EMR team split up into two groups. Technician Johannson led her team toward the collapsed bulkhead with the arriving security personnel. They began triage and helped extricate the wounded from the debris. Technician Peters took the remaining members and began searching for any injured away from the blast. Pulaski spotted Geordi coming down a ladder to the main floor and went over to join him.

"Well, you certainly know how to throw a party here, Lieutenant."

Geordi gave her a quick grin before turning serious. "We've got to get this fire under control. We're losing power to the warp core."

Lieutenant Duffy stepped forward. "Just point me in the right direction and I'll take care of it for you."

"Kieran, good to see you. Grab the first people you find and stabilize that power. You've got to give me time to get that fire under control."

"You've got it, boss. Drinks are on you in Ten-Forward tonight."

"You've got it, Duffy. Now get moving."

As Lieutenant Duffy sprinted toward a bank of controls, Geordi moved toward the jet of purplish flame that gouted into the room. Pulaski tapped her communicator and linked into the main sickbay.

"Sickbay, this is Pulaski. We'll begin moving the injured into auxiliary sickbay in a few minutes. I need medical team 5 to join us there. We'll keep main sickbay as a reserve for now. There may be more casualties than we know about, so stand by."

"Understood, Doctor. Dispatching team 5."

Pulaski gave silent thanks to the Starfleet personnel officer who ensured the Enterprise had an outstanding medical staff. She hurried toward Technician Johannson's team to lend a hand when she saw Mister Worf and other security personnel enter and begin securing the invaders. She smiled, knowing how disappointed Worf was going to be with all his foes unconscious.

A piece of debris shifted on the other side of the fire. Pulaski peered through the flames and saw movement behind the collapsed bulkhead. Shading her eyes, she barely made out the shape of four people trapped there.

Tapping her combadge, she contacted the transporter room. "Chief O'Brien, this is Pulaski."

"What can I do for you, Doctor?"

"We've got four people trapped under debris behind the plasma jet. Can you get a lock on them and get them out of there?"

A few tense seconds went by before O'Brien's voice returned. "Negative, Doctor. Too much interference. Can't get a good fix on them."

She paused. "All right, Chief. Can you get a reading on me?"

"Aye. It's faint, but I have you."

"Good. I need you to transport me about eleven meters from my current location due aft. There's a gap between the collapsed bulkhead and the far wall. I'll be able to reach them from there."

"Are you crazy, Doctor? I'm having enough trouble holding your signal. If I try to move you farther into the interference, I could materialize you inside the bulkhead."

"Chief, that was not a request, that was an order."

Will Riker's voice broke in, surprising her. She hadn't realized the bridge was still monitoring her transmissions. "Doctor Pulaski, I have to side with the chief on this one. It's too risky."

"With all due respect, Commander, you're not the doctor here. Energize as soon as you're ready, Chief O'Brien."

She waited with held breath, wondering if the transporter chief would side with her or the first officer when she heard a familiar whine and the universe became fuzzy. When it came back into focus, she found herself about eight centimeters away from the far wall. Ignoring the blistering hot air, she turned around and examined the situation as she pulled out her medical tricorder.

No way to dig them out without the rest of the wall collapsing. All I can do is make them comfortable and treat what I can reach. Come on, Geordi, your turn to be a miracle worker.

She knelt down and began examining the first casualty. The young technician seemed to be stable, but Pulaski recognized shock when she saw it. "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here."

She weakly smiled up at Pulaski. "Thanks, Doctor. I think my left leg is broken."

"The tricorder agrees with you. Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Bruises, b.u.mps, nothing serious, I think. Bill is hurt a lot worse than me."

"I'm going to give you a shot and then I'll check him out next. Try to relax. The damage control teams will be here in a moment."

The lieutenant sighed as the painkiller hit her system. "Thanks for coming after us, Doc."

"What? Your old doctor didn't make house calls?"

The engineer gave a lopsided smile before drifting off to sleep. As Pulaski concentrated on the other casualties, she glanced up from time to time and could see Lieutenant Duffy over at the console making frantic gestures to a young female engineer who'd joined him. Together, they manipulated the controls almost as one person, while Geordi's damage control team fought the plasma fire.