The Sleeper Awakes!

Posted on 01 Mar 2016 @ 8:40pm by Commander Jayla Kij & Lieutenant Commander Temerant Bast

1,916 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Outbreak
Location: Sick Bay

Jayla chewed her lip as she watched the monitors on Bast's bio bed. If they were to be believed, he should be waking up at any moment. His Terazapine levels had finally returned to normal and she was anxious to know if host and symbiont were communicating. The only way to know for sure would be to ask him.

A beeping caught her attention and she looked up to see that she had forgotten to turn off the heart rate monitor. They'd been keeping him sedated for awhile, but now that it was safe for him to wake up, she didn't need to know that his heart rate indicated that he was nearly conscious. She reached over and pressed a button, turning it off. It was only a matter of time, now.

The silence had subsided. After the touch of the Vulcan, the symbiont had finally been able to rest, confident that now things would be all right. Temerant's physical wounds would heal, and the link between host and symbiont would grow back, and no doubt become stronger than ever. But the guilt, and the mental scars that Temerant would carry, would take a long time to heal. If ever. It would be up to the symbiont to help him through it.

It could hear the young Temerant regaining consciousness. The sound of his thoughts was starting to emerge.

Temerant slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the brightness of the lights. He felt groggy, and his lips and mouth felt parched and dry, and his whole body felt as though it had been trampled by a herd of wild Jaran'ya beasts.

His breath caught in his throat as he was hit by two simultaneous realizations. The first thing he realized was that he was no longer alone. The symbiont's presence within him was no longer silent. He could hear the symbiont again, and he remembered being Lamorra Bast. He remembered carrying Lamorra's children. He remembered giving birth to them, and the exhilaration he'd felt when her firstborn had wrapped the tiny fingers of his hand around her index finger.

He remembered being Wilem Bast. He remembered the pride at winning the Centaurian Prize in astrobiology. He remembered falling in love with his wife, the warmth of her smile, and the smoothness of her skin. And he remembered slipping from the rockface and the impact...

And finally he remembered Temerant Bast. And the things that he'd done. The second realization hit him even harder. The betrayal of Starfleet, the acts of sabotage, and the events on the freighter. He heard the voice of the symbiont in his head, trying to convince him that it wasn't his fault. But the voice wasn't registering through the initial shock.

There was a sudden surge of adrenaline as he could feel his abdomen contracting. The hairs on his arms stood on end, and his back felt as though it was suddenly covered in a sheen of cold sweat. He felt the bile rise in his throat, and before anyone could move, he rolled on his side, and vomited over the edge of the biobed.

To be perfectly honest, Jayla had expected such a reaction. Well, maybe not vomit specifically, but definitely horror at what he'd been coerced to do. She sighed and nodded to nurse Hurley, who knew exactly what she needed. He retrieved a hypospray full of an anti-anxiety medication. It wouldn't work long-term, but for now, it would do. She took it from him and he went off to get a mop and bucket.

Good old Hurley. He didn't mind cleaning up sick.

Jayla waited until Bast had finished, then reached over and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Temerant was panting, his mouth hanging open, looking over the edge of the biobed. He remained silent for long seconds, staring into the emptiness, trying to come to grips with everything.

"What have I done..." he said finally.

"It wasn't you," Jayla said firmly. "Just remember that. Someone else controled you. If you had been in your right mind, you would never have done it." She paused a beat. "Can you- feel Bast?" she asked gently, slightly worried. "I mean, is he there again?"

Temerant nodded. "Yes," he replied softly.

Jayla breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," she said. "That's good. "Come on, lie back, now. I've got some medicine for you."

Temerant rolled back on the biobed, and looked at Kij, noticing her seemingly for the first time. "Doctor," he said. "I'm Temerant Bast."

Jayla smiled gently, pressing the hypospray to his neck. "Good," she said. "We've met before. I'm Doctor Jayla Kij. Remember?"

Temerant frowned while he searched his memory. "Of course," he said finally, his voice weak. "I'm sorry, I haven't really been myself these past few weeks. And I'm afraid the truth is, I've been avoiding you since I came on board."

"I suppose that makes sense," she said. "I would probably have realized something was wrong after talking to you for a few minutes. That would have ruined the Consortium's plans, so they obviously went with the easiest option. Or did you have a personal reason for avoiding me?" she added teasingly.

Temerant smiled weakly. "I think your first guess wasn't far off the mark," he conceded.

"I'm not offended," she assured him. "But, if you keep on avoiding me, I might take umbrage." She pulled over a stool and took out her tricorder.

"Don't worry, there's not much chance of that," replied Bast. He glanced at the far end of the room, where the Andorian guard was still keeping watch. "Though something tells me I won't exactly be able to come visit whenever I choose. I have a feeling my days on this ship might be numbered."

"Not necessarily," said Jayla. "We have hard evidence that you were coerced. We found a substance in your blood stream that made your terazapine levels plummet. T'Lura did a mind meld, too. She will probably testify for you. And everyone believes Vulcans because they don't lie."

Temerant frowned. A Vulcan mindmeld... He'd had very weird dreams while he was unconscious, and the image of a Vulcan female kept popping in and out of his consciousness. But there was a warm comfort in her memory, and a strong calming presence from the symbiont inside of him to confirm it.

"I hope you're right," he said simply.

"I am," said Jayla confidently with a grin and a wink. "Feel up to sitting up?" she asked.

Temerant nodded. He rolled to one side, and tried to push himself up on one elbow, gently sliding his legs off the bed. He pushed with his arm, and sat on the biobed.

Jayla pulled out her tricorder and took a few more scans. "Still feeling okay?" she asked.

"A little woozy," he said, as he could feel his head spinning a little. He took a few deep breaths, and the sensation subsided. He nodded. "Better."

"Good," said Jayla. "Okay, I want you to try standing, but be careful! You broke your ankle and it might still be a little weak."

Temerant nodded again, and pushed himself up gently from the biobed. He tried putting weight on his left ankle, but hissed as a sharp pain lanced up his leg. He instinctively lifted his foot, putting his weight on his right foot.

"That's what I was afraid of," sighed Jayla, heading over to a cupboard and pulling out a cane. "Ankles are tricky. You'll have to use this for a couple of days until it heals properly," she added, putting the cane in his hand. "I want you to take a walk around Sick Bay so I can make sure there's really nothing else I can do for it. Come on, I'll help you."

Temerant looked at the cane for a second before taking it into his hand. "I think this is just going to cramp my style," he said sarcastically, before using it to stabilize himself. He took a few careful steps, trying to learn when to support his weight with the cane.

"Actually, I think it makes you look rather dapper," said Jayla. "Or, well, as dapper as it's possible to look while in hospital clothes."

He chuckled. "I suppose I should just be grateful to be wearing something that actually closes in the back."

"I never use those pointless gowns," said Jayla with a grin. "They're too short and they don't close properly. I have no idea who invented them, but I hope he was shot for it."

"I always assumed doctors and nurses used them for the eye candy," he replied with a wink, finishing up his short walk around the room.

Jayla grinned. "That would probably be accurate if we hadn't already seen everything you've got while treating you," she replied. "How's it feel?"

"Like you've got me at a disadvantage."

"If it'll make you feel better, I could lift my shirt for you," she joked.

"I'll take a raincheck, if you don't mind," said Bast, finishing his walk around the room. He sat back down on the biobed, and stretched his injured ankle on the bed.

Jayla grinned and pulled out her tricorder and scanned his ankle again. "Everything looks good," she said. "We'll let you rest for a bit and then try again. And also, I'd like to keep you another day for observation." She leaned a bit closer and said quietly, "but mostly because I think they'll want to keep you in the brig once you leave here."

Bast hung his head low, suddenly reminded of the reality of the situation. "Yeah," he said simply.

He looked out the corner of his eye, and saw the Andorian security guard looking straight at him.

Jayla glanced at the security guard. "Don't worry about it," she said, sitting next to Bast on the biobed. "We'll get it all straightened out. I'll bet that after the inquiry, they won't even bring charges against you."

"I hope you're right," replied Bast. He clenched a fist, and his face hardened. "And I hope we can make them pay for it."

"If I ever find out who is responsible, I will," said Jayla darkly. The idea of someone interfering with the bond between host and symbiont was so repulsive to her, it could almost be considered sacrilege. "Anyway, rest up a bit and I'll be back in about an hour to make you walk some more," she said, her usual cheerfulness back. "Sleep if you want, or," she added, pulling out a PaDD, "there's some games on here to keep you busy."

Bast took the PADD, and looked at it blankly. He could feel the anger swelling Inside him, and outrage at the assault and mental rape that had ensued.

"Thank you, Doctor," was all he could think to say.

"You're welcome," said Jayla with a kind smile. "Try to get some rest," she said as she turned. Hurley approached with a tray on which sat two slices of toast, a bowl of fruit and a cup of tea. He was the best nurse she'd ever had. She thought he deserved aa award of some sort. Well, as soon as they invented a "Nurse of the Year" award, she was nominating him.

Hurley set the tray on a rolling cart next to Bast's bed. "If you're still hungry after this, let me know," he said and turned to tend to other patients.

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