Treason ch 5

Chapter Five


“Spock, how sure are you that Romulans did this?”

“Approximately fifty-seven percent confident.”

“Fifty-seven?  That doesn’t sound very ‘sure’.”  

“It is more than half.  However, I do not have enough facts to support my theory.”  Spock replied.  “It is mostly a lack of evidence that draws me to the conclusion in the first place.”

“The fact that we can’t find the ship.”

“Precisely.”

Kirk looked around at the destruction and dragged his hands through his hair.  Agitated he began to pace back and forth a short distance in the red sand.  He still had Spock’s walking stick in his hand and it was all he could do to keep from swinging it into the nearest object to work off some of his anger.  Fearing he was about to do just that Kirk handed the stick back over to Spock.  Spock took the offering and instantly put it to use supporting himself.  Kirk didn’t notice he went straight back to pacing.

“Captain...”

“Don’t say it, Spock.”  Kirk snapped.

“What is it that you believe I am going to say?”

“That if I hadn’t diverted the ship towards the Neutral Zone that we would have been here when the attack happened.  That if we hadn’t arrived late, two-hundred and seven people would still be alive.”

“There was no way to know that the attack was going to occur when you made the decision to change course.”

“That’s not the point, Spock.”  Kirk sighed.  “I made a decision, and it cost innocent lives.”

“It is regrettable.”  Spock nodded.  “However, if a Captain begins to question every decision he makes, and every possible outcome, he will become paralyzed.  Sometimes life or death can be decided by the smallest of actions, one thing in life very quickly leads to another.”

“The Butterfly Effect.”

“Exactly.”

“Only this time I am going to have to explain myself to Starfleet.”  

“You are not to blame for the attack.”

Kirk was somewhat comforted by Spock’s words only because he knew the Vulcan meant them.  Spock would not lie to protect his friend’s feelings.  Kirk looked around again and decided that he needed to take some sort of action.  

“Come on,”  Kirk said  “let’s see if we can find any clues as to what exactly happened here.  Maybe they had some advanced warning, or left a message of some sort.”

Spock nodded and followed Kirk into the heart of the wreckage.  The research station only covered about a square half mile of space on the uninhabited planet.  As they drew towards the center of the station the devastation became more complete.  Eventually they came to the edge of a blackened crater that was still smoking from the heat of the strike.  

“This is it, the point of impact.”  Kirk pointed out needlessly.  “Does the tricorder pick up anything else that can give us a hint as to who did this?”

“One moment, Captain.”

Kirk turned around and at first glance he didn’t see his First Officer.  Spock had knelt down on both knees in the sand.  He had his head bowed and the walking gripped firmly in both hands for support.  Before Kirk could even react Spock got back to feet, acting as if nothing had happened.

“Spock?”  Kirk rushed to his friend’s side.  “What is going on with you?”

“It is nothing, I am simply tired.  I will recover in moments.”

“You’re getting a rusty colored cast to your skin.  The last time that happened you were a few breaths away from death.”

“I assure you I can breath just fine.”  Spock emphasized his point by filling his chest with air.  “The red color is most likely just a reflection from the red sand.”

“We need to get you back to the ship, now.”

“No.  I can perform my tasks.”

Kirk took a breath to protest, but stopped himself as he heard the rest of the landing party approaching.  Spock glanced over his shoulder, noticing the approach as well.  Kirk growled in defeat, even though his palm no longer itched he still folded his arms over his chest having now developed the habit.

“Fine, I don’t want to argue about it now, however, I want you to report to sick bay for a full physical the instant we get back to the ship.”

“Captain, I am still recovering from my previous illness.  That is all.”

“I understand that, I just want to see how that recovery is progressing.”

“Very well.”

Kirk watched warily as Spock tried once again to find a way to use the tricorder with the walking stick still in hand.  Eventually he came back to the decision that the only way to deal with the situation was to hand the stick over again.  Kirk took it once more and stayed close in case he had to catch his friend.  

McCoy and the others walked up to give their report.  Bones took one look at Spock and turned a worried expression on Kirk.  Kirk shook his head slightly, but the doctor didn’t get the message.  He walked right up to Spock with his medical tricorder held out.

“Spock are yo...”  

“Not now, Bones.”  Kirk interrupted.

“But...”

“Not now.”  Kirk repeated more firmly.  

McCoy turned back to Kirk.  He had a look on his face that was a cross between medical concern and personal insult.  Kirk knew how he felt, but right now he just wanted to get this mission over with so that they could get Spock back to the ship quietly.  Since being alerted that the crew was getting nervous over their Commanding Officers’ health he had become hypersensitive to the idea.

“What did you find?”  Kirk asked.

“A lot of death.”  McCoy sighed as he put his tricorder away.  “One thing for sure, these people had no warning.”

“How can you tell?”

“The ones that were killed by the edge of the blast by the heat and radiation are all at their posts, doing everyday things.  Of course those closer to the center are just gone, but I have the feeling that it was just another day at the research station when it happened.”

“That would be consistent with an attack where the attacker was only looking to destroy the target.”  Spock said.  “This strike was surgical.  If it was Romulan they may have lowered their cloak only long enough to fire and then left.”

“If it had been Klingons they would have probably announced themselves.”  Kirk added.  “A hit and run is not really their style.”

“They also have little reason to be on this side of the galaxy.”

“So, that’s where we are?”  Bones asked.  “Romulans?”

“It looks that way.”  Kirk said.  “Spock, get whatever readings you think will help.  The rest of you take some soil samples of the blast crater, and images to send back to Starfleet.  Then we’ll get out of here.”

“Aye, Sir.”  The men replied.  

McCoy looked at Spock again and took note of the reddish tint to the tips of his pointed ears.  Part of him wondered if it was just a trick of the light with all of the red sand that surrounded them.  He wanted to ask the Captain for permission to take Spock back to the ship, but he knew he wasn’t going to get it right now.  Kirk had wandered over to the edge of the crater and was staring vacantly into it.  

When Spock began to move off in the opposite direction Bones followed him.  Spock had his nose buried in the tricorder readings and didn’t seem to notice that he was being followed.  Like a lion stalking its prey McCoy made sure the distance between then didn’t get to great, but also hung back enough so that he wouldn’t be suspected of keeping a watchful eye.  

They walked further away from the others in a winding path through the destruction.  Just out of sight of the landing party Spock came to a sudden stop.  McCoy watch in concern as Spock started looking around like he was lost.  He dropped the tricorder which would have fallen to the ground it it wasn’t on its strap over Spock’s shoulder.  Spock turned his hands palm side up and stared down at them.

“Spock?”  

Startled Spock looked up.  It took him a moment to realize that he had to turn around to find the source of the sound.  Bones approached Spock cautiously knowing that his friend had proven to be dangerous when ill before.  As he got closer there was no doubt left in his mind that Spock was turning an unnatural color for a Vulcan.  Looking like he was having trouble thinking Spock stared at Bones.

“Come on, Spock.”  Bones said gently.  “Let’s get you back to the ship.”

“Doctor, I fear I may be about to fai...”

Spock didn’t get a chance to finish.  His eyes rolled back to white and he passed out.  Bones lashed out as Spock collapsed and was able to catch him before he fell.  With one hand on Spock’s ribs, where his heart was, Bones could feel the powerful organ pounding against its boney cage.  He wasn’t strong enough to lift Spock up so he eased him to the ground.

“Jim!”  Bones cried.  

“Bones?  Wha...”  Kirk stopped as he arrived on the scene and instantly pulled out his communicator.  “Scotty, get us out of here, now!”

Kirk rushed up to the pair.  Leaning down he gathered Spock up and lifted him out of the sandy dirt.  As he stood up Scotty complied with the order and the entire landing party found themselves suddenly back on the ship.  Kirk carried Spock towards medical with Bones close on his heels.  Arriving at sick bay Kirk laid Spock down on one of the padded tables while Bones started started diagnostics.

“Someone call, Uhura, she needs to be here.”  Kirk ordered.  

“Aye, Sir.”  One of the nurses responded.

“Bones, what happened?”

“I don’t know.”  Bones replied as he read the monitor.  “He just collapsed.  According to preliminary readings it was caused by low blood oxygen.”

“Hence the red.”

“Exactly.”

“Captain?”  The intercom called.

“Kirk here.”

“Captain,”  the new Communications Officer said  “Admiral Cooly is on sub-space for you.”

“Damn it.”  Kirk muttered.  “Bones, I have to go.”

“I understand.”

“Fix him.”  Kirk ordered.

“I’ll do my best.”

Kirk reached out and placed his hand on Spock’s shoulder momentarily before leaving to deal with the Admiral.  Nurse Chapel stepped up and started to run blood work.  When Spock took a turn for the worse the monitors began wailing their warnings.  Swearing McCoy snatched the tablet out of Chapel’s hands that was reading off the blood level results.  

“Nurse, go get all the compatible Vulcan blood we have.  I managed to get my hands on a few pints when I was on Natala.”

“Yes, Doctor.”  

“Hang on, Spock.”  Bones demanded.  “This might not ‘fix’ you, but it should give you some more time.”

“Spock!”  

Bones looked up as Uhura hurried to her husband’s side.  Nearing her due date she was having some difficulty walking let alone running.  She took Spock’s hand in her own and brushed his cheek.  The rosy color to his lips would have been a good sign in a human, but for a Vulcan it was a sign of trouble.  Tears spilt down Uhura’s face as she stared up at Bones for answers.  

McCoy wanted to be able to reassure her but Chapel returned with the blood and there was work to be done.  Bones quickly got the transfusion started and watched the monitor anxiously.  As the fresh blood hit Spock’s system his oxygen levels instantly began to spike.  Half way through his normal pale pallor began to return.  It went against McCoy’s medical training to look at a patient lose color and see it as a good sign.  

Although Spock began to stabilize after only two units of the bright green blood McCoy ordered one more unit in case there was some form of internal bleeding that his sensors weren’t detecting.  Uhura stayed quiet through the whole thing, not wanting to interrupt the doctor.  Spock’s oxygen levels returned to normal, as did his heart rate, but the readings were still showing signs of major distress.  Every organ seemed to be working too hard.

“Uhura, he’s not in any immediate danger anymore.”

“Thank you.”

“He’s stable, but something caused this and something is still very wrong.  What has Spock’s health been like lately?”

“He’s been so tired.  He gets off a shift and just sleeps.  I should have told you, but he kept assuring me it was just part of his previous illness.”

“He might be right.  Spock went through a lot the last time, some of the damage might not be reversible.”

“So you don’t know what’s wrong with him now?”

“Not yet.  His red cell, or rather green cell count is dangerously low.  It’s like he’s not producing blood properly.”

“What would cause that?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I promise I’ll find out.”

“He has been acting strangely as well.”  Uhura admitted.

“Acting how?”

“Distant, withdrawn...”  Uhura whispered as tears brightened her eyes once more.  “...cold.”

“Sounds like Spock.”

“Not around me, not in private.”  

“So he does have a human side.”  McCoy smiled sadly.

“Not anymore.”

“When did this start?”

“He hasn’t been quite the same since leaving Natala.”  Uhura sighed.  “However, over the past month and a half it has gotten worse.  He also...”

“Uhura?”  McCoy asked when she didn’t continue.

“He wakes up emotional.  Actually he doesn’t wake up anymore.  I have to wake him, and it isn’t always easy.  He even sleeps through Anubis jumping up on his chest, something that always used to wake him.  I am so sorry, I...I should have come to you with all of this a long time ago.”

“No.  It was Spock’s decision to not tell me he was falling ill.”

“He’s afraid of losing his position in Starfleet.  He sees this ship as home.  He’s worried that if he’s not the picture of health they’ll put him behind a desk somewhere.”

“They might.”  Bones admitted.

“It would kill him.”  

“I don’t doubt that.”  

Uhura looked down at Spock and began crying in earnest again.  McCoy came over to her side of the exam table and put his hand on her shoulder.  Uhura turned towards him and embraced him in an awkward hug with her large belly in the way.  Unsure how to react Bones just loosely returned the comforting embrace and let her cry against his chest.  She suddenly pulled away.

“Uhura?”

“I’m going to be sick...”

“Nurse.”  Bones called.

One of the near by nurses came and escorted Uhura to the washroom.  Bones could hear her retching and found himself fighting tears himself.  Nurse Chapel was visibly upset as well, but she stayed by McCoy’s side.  Bones turned his attention away from the noises coming from the washroom and looked at the monitors again.

“Come on, Spock, give me something to go on here.”  Bones sighed in frustration.  

“Doctor?”

“Yes, Nurse?”

“Did you see this blood work?”  Chapel held out the tablet.

“Of course I did.”  Bones snapped irritably as he took the tablet from her.  “I see the anemia, I just can’t find a cause for it.”

“Doctor...he’s Vulcan.”

“So they tell me.”  Bones grumbled.

“That means that his levels for iron and copper should be reversed.  Vulcans are as sensitive to iron as we are to copper.”

“I’m such an idiot.”  McCoy snarled at himself.  

“I just noticed it myself.”

“Iron poisoning mixed with a copper deficiency.  Get the chelation serum, we need to get the iron out.”

Uhura came out of the washroom looking weak.  The nurse was supporting her and looked to the doctor for further instructions.  Bones ordered her to take Uhura to a quiet room to lay down for a moment.  Uhura protested at first, but in the end she followed doctor’s order.  

Bones turned back to Spock and got to work on removing the toxic heavy metal from his system.  Having done all he could for the moment he switched his attention back to the read outs in an attempt to figure out what was going on.

“There is no reason for him to have a copper deficiency.”  Bones muttered.  “Human diet is low in copper, but he knows that.  He has a special supplement just for it.  I know, I prescribed it to him.”

“He must not be taking it.”  Chapel suggested.

“I find that hard to believe, but it must be the case.”  Bones agreed and furrowed his brow.  “But where did all this iron come from?  This is more than anything he could get in a regular diet, even a human one since Vulcans don’t absorb iron very efficiently.”

“Something in his environment?”

Bones was still thinking hard about what in Spock’s world could cause so much iron to get into his system when the Vulcan began to wake.  To McCoy’s shock when Spock opened his eyes he smiled brightly and chuckled.  It was the first time Bones had heard anything even close to a laugh from his stoic friend.  Spock looked surprised as well and bit down on his lip to stop himself from making any further mirthful sounds.  He quickly composed himself and looked up at the doctor.

“Spock?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Do you know where you are?”  Bones asked the standard question to test Spock’s orientation.

“I am in the medical bay aboard the USS Enterprise, Captain James Tiberius Kirk, I am First Officer, you are Chief Medical Officer Dr. Leonard McCoy, the Stardate is 543...”

“That’s enough, Spock.”  McCoy smiled.  “How long have you been feeling ill.”

“Eight months, three days, and an unknown number of hours.”

“Eight months?  You mean you haven’t been healthy since the initial events surrounding the Vulcan black hole.”

“Yes.”  Spock nodded.  “I apologize for being less than truthful about my health.”

“It’s okay, I understand what’s at stake.”  Bones said softly.  “Spock, why did you stop taking your copper supplement?”

“I take it daily.”  

“Really?”

“Yes, I have in fact been taking twice the amount prescribed for the past six days.”

“Why?”

“I have been craving talus root, a Vulcan plant that no longer exists.  Craving talus root is often a sign of copper deficiency.”

Bones thought about this new information.  Still tired Spock closed his eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep.  McCoy was starting to get a theory, but he didn’t want to believe it.  

“Nurse, can you go get Spock’s copper prescription?”  

“I need the security code for his quarters.”

“5269874.”

Chapel nodded and left.  While waiting for her to return McCoy checked in on Uhura and found her sleeping fitfully.  He ordered the nurse to stay with her and went back out to Spock.  It didn’t take Chapel long to return with the small bottle of blue pills that held a label with Spock’s name on it.  Taking the bottle he opened it and shook one of the pills out into his hand.  The bright blue color came from the copper sulfate that it was made of.  He ran his tricorder over the pill and swore.

“Doctor?”  Chapel asked in concern.

“This isn’t copper.”

“It looks like a copper supplement.”

“That’s because it’s been coated in copper to mask the iron flavor.”  Bones broke the pill in half and revealed a chalky white center.  “This pill is eighty-nine percent iron.”

“But that means...”

“I know what it means, Nurse.”

Looking horrified the nurse was speechless.  Bones wasn’t sure he could find words at the moment either.  Needing some time to think about this he ordered her away.  Seconds later the Kirk came rushing into the room.  He looked angry at first, like he’d just had an argument with the Admiral.  However the instant he saw that Spock was still unconscious his anger degraded into worry.

“Captain...”

“How’s Spock?”  Kirk interrupted.  

“He’s going to be okay.  We should have him back on his feet and healthy in a few days.”

“Thank you, Bones.”  Kirk said with a sigh of relief.  “What happened to him?”

“He...um....”  Bones hesitated.

“Doctor?”

“Spock has been poisoned.”

“Poisoned?”  Kirk repeated in shock.  “Accidentally?”

“No, Jim, I don’t think so.  This looks intentional.”