Deranged Sanity

Posted on Sun May 17th, 2020 @ 4:54am by Captain Shran dh'Klar & Lieutenant Commander Deanna Celes & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard

Mission: Unto Darkness, Light
Location: USS Washington

Sickbay was in chaos seldom seen outside of a massive emergency, and yet the upheaval was primarily caused by a single individual, the captain. It had taken 2 doctors working together just to pacify him for the time being, and though he wasn't be violent at the moment, he was still talking in delirious riddles, at least that was what it seemed.

Celes on the other hand was not violent; in fact she wasn't conscious. She was finally outside the danger zone with neurotransmitter levels, but the solution devised to get her to this point was at best temporary. Time was of the essence to find the source of her issue, which was perceived to be linked to the captain's issue, and eliminate it.

Jon had been called in to speak with Dr. Howard regarding the situation. The two were in her office discussing the matter.

" The crux of the matter is we don't know the true cause of what's going on, either with Celes' or with the Captain." Sam explained, bringing two brain scans up on her workstation and swivelling it around for Jon to see.

Jon looked at the two scans, "What exactly am I looking at Samantha?" He asked as he studied the two scans.

" There's a definitive correlation in the neurotransmitter levels, but that's all we've got so far. The captain's talking gibberish about guards and flowers and we had to sedate Celes' to protect her higher brain functions." Sam sighed, rubbing her eyes with a mixture of fatigue and frustration.

Jon sat across from her, his eyes on occasion would flick to where the Captain and Celes were both restrained on bio beds. His eyes and attention returned to Samantha. "No idea what brought this on? Just out of the blue?" He asked, "How is that possible Sam? I mean there was no warning, no red flags to indicate something was wrong at all that I am aware of."

Sam shook her head sagely, glancing at her two patients. " All we know is it's related, Deanna's neurotransmitter levers were so high her emotions were effecting those around her, including myself. Once we used the neuro-inhibitor though, our symptoms eased. The captain's however didn't. "

"Any chance of this spreading, to the rest of the crew?" Jon asked the CMO. Thinking if this was like the old cold or flu, the ships crew was in danger.

"I don't 'think' so, the rest of the humanoid staff here showed no signs after the inhibitor started working. This may be unique to certain brain physiology. I'll call all other telepathic and andorian crewmembers for a checkup." Sam mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully before addressing Jon again.

" Can you do me a favour? Scan the space we're in, and what we've just travelled through for anything unusual. Passing ships that may have telepaths on board, random spatial fluctuations that have weird energy signatures. I'll keep trying to find a medicinal reason and treatment here" Sam tried to think of all the thousands of different thinks that affected telepaths in different ways - it made her head hurt.

"Of course." Jon answered quickly. Tapping his combadge he contacted the bridge. "Grayson to bridge start scans of this area of space we're traveling through. Look for anything out of the ordinary no matter how insignificant and report it immediately to the CMO." Getting an acknowledgement from the bridge, Jon looked across the desk at Samantha, "What else can I do for you?"

"Replicate me a bucket of coffee and wish me luck?" Howard quipped with a wry smile. "Any information you find in the scans would be helpful. We will get to the bottom of this" She tried to reassure him with a certainty she don't quite feel herself.

"A bucket, I'll replicate a barrel for you and fill your office with four leaf clovers." Jon answered with a tight grin.

Lying in a biobed Shran awoke, aware of his location. He attempted to get up only to run into a restraining field. It drew the attention of a nearby nurse. Once again he attempted to get up, again stopped by the restraining field. He then adjusted his arms and pushed his hands against the field keeping the field visible as he and the field struggled for dominance, the field apparently winning but the Andorian continuing to press against it undeterred This caused the nurse to cry out, "Doctor Howard!"

" What the...." Sam didn't have a chance to finish the sentence as the nature of the urgency became apparent. The captain was once again aggressive and unpredictable.

As Samantha and Jon both approached Shran continued to press against the restraining field, and despite the obvious pain it was causing him he was apparently, somehow, beginning to win the battle. It wasn't possible, and yet everyone in the room was seeing it nonetheless. At last, an explosion of energy around the biobed before Shran stood up, free once more and standing face to face with Jon and Samantha. He wasn't threatening, rather he looked like he definitely recognized them both. He smiled and then said in a jovial tone, "Must get purple poppies. Only hope to stop Red Guards. Come, purple poppies await."

Sam grasped the hypo that was pressed into her hand by one of the nurses in case words didn't work.

"Captain, explain to be about the purple poppies, where are they? " She tried to play into his so called delusion in order to learn more about his condition. "

Shran looked at her, almost as if he were studying her. "On the planet. But must be careful. Poppies cause sleep, and Red Guard won't like it if we seek out the purple poppies. We must prepare for the flying monkeys again."

"Poppies? Jon whispered to Sam, "Red Guard? Flying Monkeys?" Just what was the Captain trying to tell them?

" I got nothin'" Sam shrugged her shoulders, the motion pulling on the stressed tight muscles around her upper back and neck. She look at Jon with a question in her eyes.

Out of the blue, almost from distance, the weak sound of Deanna's voice could be heard, "You must hurry Shran. They are so powerfu..." her voice trailed off and she was once more unconscious, her readings erratic.

Sam eyes widened - this was getting weirder by the moment. Either they were sharing the same delusion, or there was truth in the incoherent babblings.

"Keep him talking Jon..." Sam whispered as she went to tend to Celes' who's vital signs echoed someone under severe trauma.

Celes began to stabilize as Samantha injected her with another hypospray. Shran looked at Grayson, "Must get the purple poppies now. They will come soon. Mindwalkers, they'll attack your shared sister next. Poppies will save us."

"These Mindwalkers will come after Sachzny next Captain? Is that what your saying?" Even as Jon spoke he was thinking of an old vid he had watched, one with poppies and people going to sleep. It was called the Wizard of...Oz. He took a chance, "Do we need to find the wizard sir?"

Sam looked over from beside Deanna's bed, keeping an eye on her vital signs to make sure they didn't fluctuate too much again.

"This is just too weird..." She whispered to herself.

"Samantha." Jon called to the CMO, "Could the Captain's er suggestions have anything to do with an old movie called the Wizard of Oz? It had poppies in it that put people to sleep. The girl wore ruby slippers and there were flying monkeys in it. I just don't know what it all means."

Shran began to speak once more, his tone a mix of laughter and frustration, "Flying monkeys are coming soon, just like last time. Dangerous, chaotic, ruinous. Need purple poppies to stop them, break the spying. Must obtain from planet. So says the wizard."