Seek and ye shall find part 2

Posted on Thu May 1st, 2025 @ 4:11am by Lieutenant Commander Callie Raven-Grayson & Commander Jonathan Grayson & Commander Samantha Howard & Lieutenant Commander Deanna Celes

2,315 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Genetic Purity
Location: Sickbay

— Previously —
Viviana rushed over. Looking at the monitors, "You have to be joking. I think they are in a telepathic loop."

— Now —

Callie stood in a blank space, no clouds, nothing at all, but not for long as Deanna appeared beside her. “Deanna? What’s going on? I fell asleep, at least I think I did, and now I’m here. Where are we?”

Looking around, a large room began to materialize filled with old filing cabinets and multiple steel doors. "I believe we are in my mind, part of it anyway. I suspect we are still linked together somehow, and for some reason my mind has sequestered us here. Of all the places though, I wish I knew why here. I would've much preferred one of the more beautiful and tranquil places in my mind."

“I don’t understand this, unless it’s the trauma. It could be that my trauma overloaded your mind, as a result we’ve both been pulled in to protect our joined consciousness.” Callie looked around. “Question is how do we get out of this?”

"I suppose. Whatever happened, here we are. As for getting out, that is a mystery at this point" Deanna replied. "I suggest you stay behind me and don't touch anything. I'm guessing this is the intelligence portion of my mind, and who knows what sort of traps are in place."

Callie nodded. “Understood. I’m glad it’s not my mind, there are things rattling around in my deepest depths that you wouldn’t want to see, let alone experience.”

Deanna made a very uneasy face. "Yeah, I think that is exactly what I am concerned about you seeing in here."

“I’m a Counselor, confidentiality is a thing for me” Callie offered a smile. “I can feel Jon, he’s terrified! I wish there was a way I could let him know I’m okay. Though I guess we’re not okay in the real world, we have to find our way out of this.”

"We got out of your mind, so we can get out of mind. We just got to be careful. Let's proceed. Let me check this door" Deanna said as she moved towards a door to the left. Opening the door a battle scene from the war was playing out, with phaser and disruptor blasts flying around. Deanna closed the door and looked back at Callie, "So, not that door. Unless of course you want to trapse through one of the deadliest battlefields I ever saw."

“No thank you!” Callie shook her head. “Something easy preferably. Maybe if you think of a good memory, something that puts you at ease might just prove to be our way out.”

"Well, three more doors to pick from. I'm sure one of them is a viable option. Suppose we can just check the doors in a clockwise order" Deanna replied. She walked over to the next door and looked back at Callie, "Alright, stay back. Here we go." She opened the door. Looking at the scene that was playing out, she quickly closed the door and looked at Callie, her face red in embarrassment. "Well, good memories in there, but not exactly something I'd like to share."

Callie couldn’t help but grin at the look on Deanna’s face. “Well it’s good that it was a good memory. What do we look for to get out of here? Since we didn’t plan this meeting of minds, we don’t have a goal in mind for getting back to the real world.”

Deanna considered the situation. "Well, Jon had to search a labyrinth to pull you out of your trauma, so I suspect we need to go through some sort of maze. Then again, maybe we are inside the mental equivalent of a panic room at this point."

“So it’s me holding us here? My trauma is causing this?” Callie sighed with frustration she was starting to feel trapped and it didn’t help. “We have to figure this out Deanna! I can’t…” she shook her head.

Deanna was quick to respond, "Let's not jump to conclusions. Jon guided you out of your own mental defensive minefield, and we will figure out a way to untangle ourselves." She walked over to the next door and then turned and looked at Callie, "Time to go. Let's check out this path." She opened the door more, showing a corridor that looked a lot like the corridors on the Washington.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself Callie nodded and followed Deanna. “Sorry Deanna, with everything that’s happened I’m more than a little unsettled.”

"It is understandable. Don't fret, we'll get out of this little mental quagmire" Deanna replied. She continued to walk through the corridor as it began to have turns. "You know, I remember just after the war ended, our ship was docked at DS9, and everyone was celebrating. The doctor there, Julian Bashir, he told me a story about using medical equipment to locate certain information he needed. He described it as something similar to this, walking along corridors until they finally found the correct door. I think it might be that easy for us."

Callie nodded. “That’s right, in cases of nightmares and debilitating dreams I’d normally advise patients to use directed dreaming. To have a symbol they recognise in mind, that way if they see it they know they’re dreaming and they can control it. This isn’t quite the same, but the method is sound. We just need to find the right one.”

Deanna nodded in agreement as they continued this mental trek. "I remember hearing about directed dreaming before. It is an interesting concept. I believe Admiral Janeway discussed it as something her first officer used to save Voyager at one point while they were in the Delta Quadrant. I would be very happy if we could have something like that happen here." They came to a point where they needed to make a choice in direction, "My instinct tells me for us to go right. What do you think?"

“It’s your mind Deanna, I think we should go with your instincts” Callie smiled feeling more comfortable falling back into her Counsellor role. “I do tend to use directed dreaming quite a bit, it’s a useful tool and it works.”

They continued down the corridor until Deanna stopped in front of a door. She looked at the door intently. Nothing was special about it from a visual inspection, it looked like any other door you would see on the ship. Despite that, Deanna stood transfixed on the door. "Something about this door is different" she said aloud, her voice soft, just above a whisper.

“What? What’s different about it?” Callie paused wondering what it was Deanna was finding different.

"This is the exit, I'm certain of it" Deanna stated assuredly. She hit the panel button to open the door, and the door opened with a flood of light that engulfed the two of them.


*Sickbay*

Jon looked between Sam and Viviana, "A telepathic loop? How do we get them out of it? Can we call on Imik? She has psychic abilities as well."

"I don't believe we want to bring in another telepath to add into this mix. I think we just have to let them free themselves at this point. We can treat any physical maladies in the interim. They are both showing severe taxing of the telepathic centers of their minds. We can treat that, and hopefully it helps" Viviana replied, looking at Sam to see if she agreed.

Jon nodded. "Okay, you are the medical professionals. I'm just the XO and I feel useless."

"They're showing exactly the same neural activity” Sam indicated on the nearby monitor, "It would be fairly safe to assume that they're experiencing the same thing."

"Look at the psilosynine levels in the paracortex. Levels that high are normal for full Betazoid telepaths, but Lt Cmdr Grayson isn't a full Betazoid" Viviana noted as she looked at the sensor readings.

"Callie is an extremely powerful telepath." Jon pointed out. "I can vouch for that through our bond."

"Yeah, that's a bonded telepathy though" Sam pondered. "It's not a question of bring a powerful telepath, it's about the damage in her brain and how it's working to sort itself out" she watched the readouts like a hawk. "I'm loath to interfere lest they be trapped in there."

"What about using synaptiprol to fortify their telepathic centers while reducing any damage to those areas" Viviana suggested.

"Goebbels played mind games with Callie. It is why she withdrew into her mind to protect herself. She put her trust in me that I would find and bring her out and she was correct. So, why can't we use something that Deanna and Callie both trust and have faith in?" Jon questioned the doctors.

"You are discussing us using another telepath. I think Dr. Howard was correct in saying that would be risking just compounding the situation. We just need to let them work this out I think" Viviana offered.

"No." Jon said firmly, "I'm not. I'm talking about giving them something they trust, an aid, a guidepost. Something other than sitting here and talking about it."

"I can't let you go back in there." Sam knew what Jon was implying, if this goes pear shaped you have a family to look after" she said gently, unwilling to risk a further potential victim.

Jon bit back an angry retort. He understood and respected Sam's position. "They also need their mother Sam." He replied simply.

"But at the moment they have a father" Sam held her ground on the matter. "We will do everything in our power to make sure she comes back to us, but ethically I can't let anyone else go in there to help them. I'm sorry Jon"

"Uh huh." Jon answered. he wasn't happy with San's decision. This was his wife along with one of his friends they were talking about. However, lashing out at Sam wouldn't help retrieve Callie and Deanna so, he simply kept quiet. His disappointment evident.

"Talk to them, guide them. I can tell you that they can still hear and understand us" she said soothingly, a hand in his arm. "Don't feel helpless, there is plenty you can do"

Jon nodded at her suggestion. "I can do that" and began talking, "Hiya Callie, Deanna, listen we're out here, waiting to have a party but you two are holding up the show by not being here. I've heard of being fashionably late, but this is a little ridiculous. So get a move on and get out here or by the time you two do arrive there won't be anything to eat." He bantered hoping his keeping everything light would help Callie and Deanna return safely.

Jon continued, "Callie? Deanna? Time to come ladies." He spoke to both of them again.

Deanna opened her eyes, "You make a decent beacon to hold onto, but never joke about a lady being late to a party" she mumbled as she began to come around.

Viviana was at her side and began scanning frantically. "She appears to be fine now. I'm no longer reading the elevated readings in her paracortex. I believe the telepathic loop has been untangled."

Jon smiled at Deanna's comment. "I promise Deanna, never again." He quickly moved to Callie, "Callie? Callie love, can you hear me?"

Deanna slowly sat up. "I certainly hope not. I've had quite enough telepathic bonding for one day" she grumbled. "I would very much like to go back to my quarters if that is possible."

"Suppose that is up to the boss" Viviana said as she looked towards Sam. "Though I would still like to monitor you. Would you consent to wearing a cortical monitor?"

Callie slowly opened her eyes offering Jon a big smile. “Hi handsome.” She looked around giving Deanna a warm smile. “Thank you Deanna.”

Jon smiled brilliantly at her, "Hi beautiful. Welcome back. You two had us concerned."

Sam wandered over to Deanna and gave her a quick once over with the tricorder for good measure and nodded. "You're good to go with a cortical monitor. Make sure you come back immediately if you feel any dizziness, nausea, telepathic bonds..." Sam smiled with relief before turning to Callie. "You my dear, get to stay with me for a little longer till I'm 100% sure you're not gonna pull anything" she gave Callie the eye in jest.

Deanna put the cortical monitor on. "Wish you people would make these things a bit more comfortable." She looked back at Callie, "I wouldn't worry Sam, she'll be fine now. We just had to sort out the excess telepathic soup. Give her some time to rest, maybe something to relax her, and she should be right as rain." Deanna strolled out, leaving all the chaos behind.

Callie smiled grateful to finally be back in the land of the living. “I’d like to go home Sam, at least there I can properly relax. I’ve got a certain someone here..” she motioned to Jon. “who will make sure I behave.”

Jon nodded in agreement. "I promise I will make Callie behave Sam. Scout's honor." He grinned as he said it.

Sam looked dubious, considering the ordeal that had just unfolded before her eyes. She reached for a cortical monitor and took a few more specific readings with her tricorder. "I want you back in here if you so much as sneeze the wrong way...got it?" She said firmly.

“Got it” Callie nodded and smiled. “Thank you Sam.” Looking at Jon she smiled happily. “Let’s go home.”



OOC: I leave it to you ladies to wrap this up as you see fit.

 

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