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seren_ccdTitle: Standing in the Doorway - Chapter Five
Series: Going to Georgia
Ship: Chapel/McCoy
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
seren_ccd
Beta: The amazingfringedweller
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They are not mine. 'Tis a pity, really. The title is taken from Going to Georgia by the Mountain Goats. There is a quote in this that is not mine either!
Summary: The continuing tales of the Starship Enterprise and her CMO and Head Nurse.
A/N At the end of the chapter!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
"I beg your pardon?" Dr. Havers asked, his eyes wide and the color rising in his cheeks.
The scientist had only been in the captain's ready room for five minutes and Kirk was already restraining his urge to sigh. Havers had responded quickly to the request to report to the meeting and had been only slightly less confrontational than usual. However, Kirk wondered if that was about to change. He let Spock take over the questioning.
"Dr. Havers, we have evidence that your personal computer in your lab was in use at 2256 and accessed private medical data that is only privy to medical personnel," Spock said. "Can you tell us your whereabouts last at that time?"
Havers stared at the commander and then at Kirk. His face hardened. "Am I being accused of something? Of accessing medical files? Why on earth would I want medical files?"
"That's what we're trying to get to the bottom of doctor," Kirk said. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd answer the question."
"I was at a meeting of the Go game society," he said. "From 2000 to 2300 in rec room twenty-five on deck twelve. The entire society can corroborate. Now, would you kindly explain why I'm being interrogated?"
"Could you tell us if anyone on your staff possess the capability to retrieve highly protected information from the computer's memory?" Spock asked.
"Of course they do!" Havers said. "My staff is made up of the best and the brightest in their field. I honestly have no doubt that if any of them set their minds to it, they could access anything they wanted. Now, again, I'd very much like to know what this is all about."
Spock and Kirk exchanged looks and Spock simply raised his brow.
"Gentlemen, I assure you that despite my… protests, against this expedition," Havers said looking a bit calmer. "I am not willfully blind, not am I so bloody-minded that I would wish hardship on anyone. Two of my best researchers are in sickbay under serious medical care. I'd like to know what is going on."
Kirk studied the scientist and decided that perhaps it might be worth the potential risk to engage the man's intellect.
"In that case, Dr. Havers, we'd appreciate your opinion..."
McCoy walked briskly into the lab where Christine was setting up the freshly acquired tissue samples for a full analysis.
"Well, apparently Havers wasn't even in his lab last night, an entire society can vouch for him and everyone in his department is capable of hacking into stuff," he said leaning against the counter. "What have you got?"
Christine blinked and said, "Nothing yet, Dr. Grumpy. The slides are just now going in."
McCoy made a face and watched her delicately slide things into place and tap a complicated sequence of commands into the machine. His own hand twitched and he flexed his fingers and rubbed at the palm. Christine hit a final button and the machine whirred into action. She turned and noticed McCoy massaging his hand.
"Sore?" she asked taking his hand into hers.
"No, just a little stiff," he said. "It's been a while since I had to do that kind of procedure."
Christine nodded thinking about the surgery she'd just assisted on. McCoy's hands had to remain completely steady while he withdrew the tissue from both of the ensigns. Not once had his hands faltered. He'd extracted the samples cleanly and precisely.
"It was pretty impressive," she said her fingers smoothing over the surface of his palm and then massaging the webbing between his thumb and index finger. "Roberts and Simmons are quietly sleeping it off. It went very well."
"Why, thank you, ma'am," he said, his drawl slipping out. "I do aim to please."
Christine grinned over his hand and made even circular motions on the tense nerve in his hand. He winced a little.
"Oh, too hard?" Christine asked noticing the tightening of his hand in hers. She looked up and froze at the look on his face.
"No," he said.
"No?" she repeated faintly.
"It's not too hard," he said.
"Oh, good." Christine swallowed and told herself to look away. Look at the floor, at his hand, at the analysis, look anywhere other than into Leonard McCoy's eyes. She ignored herself.
Still watching her, he stopped her massage by turning his hand and sliding his fingers against hers. Christine's breath caught and something giddy and warm curled in her abdomen.
Leonard furrowed his brow and looked like he was going to ask her something, but instead he leaned forward. Instinctively, Christine did too.
Their foreheads touched and the giddy-warm something inside Christine leapt into her chest.
He tilted his head down as she tilted up and their noses brushed against one another. They both paused and then slowly, their lips touched.
Christine brought up a hand to clutch at his waist as he brought his to cup the side of her face. She made a soft sound in her throat at the feel of the warmth of his palm on her skin. The sound stirred something in him because he made an answering sound and traced the seam of her lips with his tongue. Christine wasted no time opening her mouth to him and suddenly it was heat and intensity and hands that couldn't touch enough skin and gasping breaths and tongue and teeth and dear god above, why had it taken them so long?
Absently, Christine came back to herself when she heard a beeping coming from somewhere. Leonard pulled away with a distracted expression, "What the...?"
Christine glanced over at the counter and said, "The analyses. They're done."
He followed her glance at the machine cheerily beeping away. "God damn things that beep. I swear..." Christine chuckled and disentangled herself (how the hell did he manage to get a hand up her skirt without her noticing?) from McCoy and after pressing few buttons, turned the machine off. She bit her lip and turned to look at him.
McCoy's hair was mussed and his lips were wonderfully swollen. He, unfortunately, had a sheepish look on his face.
"Christine," he said. "I really didn't mean for that to happen. At least, not here." He made a little gesture with his hand indicating the lab and possibly, the sickbay in general.
A corner of her lips quirked up. "Is that right?" she asked. "Well, I have to say, I'd like to see what you're like when you do mean it."
McCoy just stared at her. Then he murmured, "Damn it, woman," and both his hands were on her face and she was being deeply, thoroughly kissed again.
They probably would have continued on in such a fashion, and in truth, Christine was halfway to hitching her leg over McCoy's hip and letting him simply take her already, right there, next to the spare set of dermal regenerators, when the comm unit in the lab room chimed.
"Doctor McCoy," Uhura's voice said. "Doctor McCoy, the captain requests your presence on the bridge."
"He's dead," McCoy said as he tore his mouth from Christine's. "Dead as a goddamned... dead thing."
Christine laughed and pressed her face into his chest while he kissed the top of her head. They stood there for a moment with their arms around each other, breathing each other in.
"You'd better go," Christine said at last. "You know how he gets. The results from the analysis should have automatically been sent to your PADD."
"Yeah, thanks," McCoy said as he let her go. He smirked as he raked his eyes over her. "I like this look on you."
"What look?" she asked straightening her uniform.
"The look that says 'I just had someone's hands all over me and I liked it'," he said fingering a strand of hair that had fallen out of her neat bun. She batted his hand away.
"You're terrible," she said, but she was smiling and had the feeling it would be a while before she stopped.
"And you're gorgeous, have dinner with me?" he asked her.
Christine, surprised, looked up. "You do realize we have dinner together most nights?"
"I'm not talking mess hall dinner with PADDs and Jim stealing my dessert," he said. "I'm talking you and me, in a room, alone, with food."
"Okay," she said.
"Oh-okay? Really?" he asked raising his eyebrows.
Christine rolled her eyes. "Of course, 'okay'. Honestly, I don't know what took you so long."
McCoy's jaw dropped and when Christine simply grinned at him, he grabbed her by the waist and pressed a firm kiss to her mouth. When he pulled back, her grin was gone and she was breathing hard. "Okay, then. Tomorrow, 1900, my quarters."
"Tomorrow," she said swallowing hard. "But at 2000 in my quarters. I'll cook."
He smiled softly at her and Christine felt her heart stutter as he said softly, "This is going to work, isn't it?"
"Not if you get demoted for not showing up when the captain orders you to," she said battling the lump of emotion that had taken up residence in her throat. "But, yes. It is. Now get going."
"Yes, ma'am." McCoy kissed her forehead quickly and grabbed his PADD as he walked out of the lab.
Christine watched him go and pressed the backs of her hands to her flushed cheeks. She quietly and carefully put the samples away and recorded the results. Then, using the reflective surface of one of the other machines, she re-did her hair and gave up on trying to not smile.
The world was just going to have to deal with it. She was smiling, so there.
McCoy read through the sample analysis Christine had forwarded to his PADD in the turbolift. He cursed inwardly at the sheer lack of anything physical that could possibly indicate anything other than a perfectly normal brain. How was that even possible?
He furrowed his brow and brought his hand up to rub at his chin. Unexpectedly, he caught a whiff of citrus and immediately, he was back in the lab with Christine in his arms, her mouth warm and pliant under his. He smiled to himself, then abruptly cleared his throat and lowered his hand.
"Get a hold of yourself, man," he muttered. McCoy read over the results again. The turbolift stopped at the bridge.
McCoy took a look around and headed straight for Kirk, Spock and Dr. Havers all looking at a viewscreen off to the side near Lieutenant Sulu.
"Gentlemen," he said greeting them. "I'm afraid the tissue samples I took were inconclusive. The analysis revealed nothing abnormal, either chemically or even physically."
Spock nodded. "Then we must look to other possibilities."
"What other possibilities?" McCoy asked. "We've eliminated all of them."
"We've eliminated all the obvious physical ones," Spock said. "As I believe a popular, fictional Earth detective would say, 'when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'"
"Alright then," Kirk said. "What are some improbable solutions?"
"Well, there's always the possibility it was something on the planet," McCoy said. He held up a hand to forestall Spock protests, "Simply, something we don't have the capability to scan for yet."
Spock ceded the point and nodded. "It is not impossible."
"May I see the scans of the neurological activity?" Dr. Havers asked. "The captain has been explaining the results, but I'd dearly like to see them for myself."
At Kirk's small shrug, McCoy said, "Of course, doctor." He pulled the files up and handed his PADD to the scientist, whose eyes widened almost comically.
"Oh, my," he said. "I've never seen..."
"Yeah, tell me about it," McCoy said.
"The structures, the activity," Havers said his fingers tracing the neural branches. "You realize that this is perfect evidence of advanced neural morphogenesis."
"Advanced - what?" Kirk asked.
"Well, morphogenesis is simply the way an organism develops its own shape," Havers explained. "This here is far, far more advanced than anything anyone's ever seen before. Gentlemen, something had to have caused this. The human brain does not simply grow like this. There must be an outside force acting on it."
"Okay," McCoy said nodding. "But what?"
Christine walked into the main room of the sickbay and immediately went to the two ensigns. She checked their vital signs and was pleased to see everything was normal as the two young men slept. The anesthetic administered earlier for the tissue retrieval procedure would keep them asleep for at least another few hours. After logging their information, Christine headed to check the duty rosters. As she walked around a tray table in the direction of the nurses' station, her foot hit something that made a metallic clang on the leg of the table.
She took a step back and looked down at the floor. She could see the handle of a tricorder wedged under the table.
"Oh, for... How on...?" she muttered as she knelt down and picked the tricorder up. She looked it over and pressed the button to scan.
Nothing happened. She examined the instrument and noticed its power casing needed recharging. Christine rolled her eyes and made a mental note that she was not people's babysitter, and that they needed to handle the medical instruments with care as she went into the supply room. She moved to put the tricorder in an empty charger station when she noticed a thin blue line running along the side of it. She frowned and inspected the tricorder again.
It wasn't one of hers. In fact, it wasn't a standard-issue medical tricorder.
Then it dawned on her. Christine shook her head in annoyance. This belonged to one of the ensigns, which meant it belonged somewhere in the science department. She headed to a nearby comm unit and dialed up the person in engineering who'd know best where it needed to go.
After only a second, Gaila's face filled the screen. She smiled immediately when she saw Christine. "Hey, you! You're still making brownies for poker night? Tell me you're still making brownies for poker night. I can't take anymore of Nyota's health food. Poker needs sugar."
Laughing, Christine said, "Settle down! I'm bringing brownies, don't worry. And they'll be so sweet your lips will pucker."
"Ooh, you tease," Gaila said with a wink.
"Anyway, the reason for the comm," Christine said. "I've got a tricorder here that belongs somewhere in the science department and I know you know about all the kit that gets created, so where does this belong?"
She held up the tricorder and Gaila squinted at it.
"Hmm, could belong to the crew on deck eleven," she said. "Where'd you get it?"
"One the ensigns on Commander Spock's expedition had it with him," Christine said.
"Oh, that'll be the physics department," Gaila said. "Dr. Davies. Very good with the micro stuff. Quiet, but kind of dishy."
"Good to know," Christine said wryly. "Do you know which lab?"
"Mmmm," Gaila scrolled her list. "Yep. Deck eleven, lab thirty-four."
"Thank you, sweetie," Christine.
"Anytime," Gaila said with a grin. "Bye, now!"
Christine waved and turned the comm off. She supposed she could just call Dr. Davies and tell him it was here, but she was due for a break and liked the idea of a brief walk.
Tricorder in hand, Christine alerted the other medical staff that she was off to deck eleven and would be back soon.
"Well, as Dr. McCoy previously stated, it could be something completely foreign to our knowledge," Spock said clasping his hands behind his back.
"It could even be some new chemical compound that we created by simply landing on the planet," McCoy said.
Havers looked thoughtful. "There is another possibility, but it certainly falls under the category of 'improbable'."
"By all means," Kirk said.
"Well, in my line of work, there have been some inroads made in proving the existence of a quantum field and its relationship with human consciousness," Havers said. "Specifically, the manipulation of said quantum field."
"You're referring to the theory of every living thing having a field that is heavily interlocked with our own human impulses and characteristics," McCoy said. "Forgive me, doctor, but hasn't the idea been heavily criticized in the past?"
"Well, yes," Havers said with an apologetic wince. "Which is why it's rather an improbable idea. But, you do have to admit the idea is rather intriguing. If the quantum field exists in our minds, what does it mean for the creation of artificial intelligence?"
"A highly intriguing concept," McCoy said with a nod. "But, how is that applicable here?"
"Stick with me for just a moment," Havers said, his eyes brightening. "What if you could manipulate this field so that it actually causes changes in the brain to occur? What would those changes look like? We already know that it's possible for organic structures to give rise to complexity, but how what would the behavior of such complexity look like?"
"Captain," Sulu said turning in his chair. The men turned to look at him. The pilot looked very serious. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you were discussing the possibility of a forced morphogenesis on quantum fields?"
"Yes, Mr. Sulu," Kirk said. "You know something on the subject?"
"Well, not exactly, but I did read something about some experimentations about to take place in the field of botany," he said. "The results he hypothesized were kind of out there, but the scientist claimed he would achieve an effect on the plants."
"Really?" Spock said. "How fascinating."
"In fact, I thought the scientist who posited the theory was on board," Sulu said. "In the physics department."
"Oh, you mean, Dr. Davies?" Havers asked.
Christine exited the turbolift and walked down the corridor, counting the numbers on the doors as she went.
When she came to lab 43, she palmed the chime for entrance. The door slid open. Hesitantly, she entered the lab.
It was warm and humid, like the greenhouses on deck fifteen.
"Hello? Dr. Davies?" Christine called. She walked further into the lab. Her eye was caught by a large aquarium on low table where several sponges and brightly colored coral filled the tank. She admired an intricately woven coral with bright blue tendrils. Then she straightened up and walked on, calling out again, "Dr. Davies?"
The humidity increased as she got close to a long table filled with potted plants and flowers. Christine smiled a little at the multitude of colors and patterns. One plant in particular had entwined itself with the plant next to it. Christine stepped closer to take a look.
Then she frowned.
The plant hadn't just entwined with its neighbor, it was connected to it. The vines had merged with the others, actually grown into each other. As her eyes scanned the plants, more and more odd patterns came into light. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach.
The bright red of one plant drew her eyes. She tightened her grip on the tricorder in her hand. The petals weren't simply petals, they were complex branches of red, which swirled and interconnected in ways that she had never seen before.
Except once.
On the brain scan of an ensign currently lying in sickbay.
The sound of a footstep behind her broke the silence. "Nurse Chapel, isn't it?"
Chapter Six
A/N: dun dun DUN. Well, they kissed. Finally. I hope it was worth the price of admission and you enjoyed it as much as I did! Do let me know what you think! Andfringedweller had Davies pegged from the start and therefore deserves all the finest bagels in the land and gets to drink from the keg of victory! Woo!
Series: Going to Georgia
Ship: Chapel/McCoy
Author:
seren_ccdBeta: The amazing
fringedwellerRating: PG-13
Disclaimer: They are not mine. 'Tis a pity, really. The title is taken from Going to Georgia by the Mountain Goats. There is a quote in this that is not mine either!
Summary: The continuing tales of the Starship Enterprise and her CMO and Head Nurse.
A/N At the end of the chapter!
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
"I beg your pardon?" Dr. Havers asked, his eyes wide and the color rising in his cheeks.
The scientist had only been in the captain's ready room for five minutes and Kirk was already restraining his urge to sigh. Havers had responded quickly to the request to report to the meeting and had been only slightly less confrontational than usual. However, Kirk wondered if that was about to change. He let Spock take over the questioning.
"Dr. Havers, we have evidence that your personal computer in your lab was in use at 2256 and accessed private medical data that is only privy to medical personnel," Spock said. "Can you tell us your whereabouts last at that time?"
Havers stared at the commander and then at Kirk. His face hardened. "Am I being accused of something? Of accessing medical files? Why on earth would I want medical files?"
"That's what we're trying to get to the bottom of doctor," Kirk said. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd answer the question."
"I was at a meeting of the Go game society," he said. "From 2000 to 2300 in rec room twenty-five on deck twelve. The entire society can corroborate. Now, would you kindly explain why I'm being interrogated?"
"Could you tell us if anyone on your staff possess the capability to retrieve highly protected information from the computer's memory?" Spock asked.
"Of course they do!" Havers said. "My staff is made up of the best and the brightest in their field. I honestly have no doubt that if any of them set their minds to it, they could access anything they wanted. Now, again, I'd very much like to know what this is all about."
Spock and Kirk exchanged looks and Spock simply raised his brow.
"Gentlemen, I assure you that despite my… protests, against this expedition," Havers said looking a bit calmer. "I am not willfully blind, not am I so bloody-minded that I would wish hardship on anyone. Two of my best researchers are in sickbay under serious medical care. I'd like to know what is going on."
Kirk studied the scientist and decided that perhaps it might be worth the potential risk to engage the man's intellect.
"In that case, Dr. Havers, we'd appreciate your opinion..."
McCoy walked briskly into the lab where Christine was setting up the freshly acquired tissue samples for a full analysis.
"Well, apparently Havers wasn't even in his lab last night, an entire society can vouch for him and everyone in his department is capable of hacking into stuff," he said leaning against the counter. "What have you got?"
Christine blinked and said, "Nothing yet, Dr. Grumpy. The slides are just now going in."
McCoy made a face and watched her delicately slide things into place and tap a complicated sequence of commands into the machine. His own hand twitched and he flexed his fingers and rubbed at the palm. Christine hit a final button and the machine whirred into action. She turned and noticed McCoy massaging his hand.
"Sore?" she asked taking his hand into hers.
"No, just a little stiff," he said. "It's been a while since I had to do that kind of procedure."
Christine nodded thinking about the surgery she'd just assisted on. McCoy's hands had to remain completely steady while he withdrew the tissue from both of the ensigns. Not once had his hands faltered. He'd extracted the samples cleanly and precisely.
"It was pretty impressive," she said her fingers smoothing over the surface of his palm and then massaging the webbing between his thumb and index finger. "Roberts and Simmons are quietly sleeping it off. It went very well."
"Why, thank you, ma'am," he said, his drawl slipping out. "I do aim to please."
Christine grinned over his hand and made even circular motions on the tense nerve in his hand. He winced a little.
"Oh, too hard?" Christine asked noticing the tightening of his hand in hers. She looked up and froze at the look on his face.
"No," he said.
"No?" she repeated faintly.
"It's not too hard," he said.
"Oh, good." Christine swallowed and told herself to look away. Look at the floor, at his hand, at the analysis, look anywhere other than into Leonard McCoy's eyes. She ignored herself.
Still watching her, he stopped her massage by turning his hand and sliding his fingers against hers. Christine's breath caught and something giddy and warm curled in her abdomen.
Leonard furrowed his brow and looked like he was going to ask her something, but instead he leaned forward. Instinctively, Christine did too.
Their foreheads touched and the giddy-warm something inside Christine leapt into her chest.
He tilted his head down as she tilted up and their noses brushed against one another. They both paused and then slowly, their lips touched.
Christine brought up a hand to clutch at his waist as he brought his to cup the side of her face. She made a soft sound in her throat at the feel of the warmth of his palm on her skin. The sound stirred something in him because he made an answering sound and traced the seam of her lips with his tongue. Christine wasted no time opening her mouth to him and suddenly it was heat and intensity and hands that couldn't touch enough skin and gasping breaths and tongue and teeth and dear god above, why had it taken them so long?
Absently, Christine came back to herself when she heard a beeping coming from somewhere. Leonard pulled away with a distracted expression, "What the...?"
Christine glanced over at the counter and said, "The analyses. They're done."
He followed her glance at the machine cheerily beeping away. "God damn things that beep. I swear..." Christine chuckled and disentangled herself (how the hell did he manage to get a hand up her skirt without her noticing?) from McCoy and after pressing few buttons, turned the machine off. She bit her lip and turned to look at him.
McCoy's hair was mussed and his lips were wonderfully swollen. He, unfortunately, had a sheepish look on his face.
"Christine," he said. "I really didn't mean for that to happen. At least, not here." He made a little gesture with his hand indicating the lab and possibly, the sickbay in general.
A corner of her lips quirked up. "Is that right?" she asked. "Well, I have to say, I'd like to see what you're like when you do mean it."
McCoy just stared at her. Then he murmured, "Damn it, woman," and both his hands were on her face and she was being deeply, thoroughly kissed again.
They probably would have continued on in such a fashion, and in truth, Christine was halfway to hitching her leg over McCoy's hip and letting him simply take her already, right there, next to the spare set of dermal regenerators, when the comm unit in the lab room chimed.
"Doctor McCoy," Uhura's voice said. "Doctor McCoy, the captain requests your presence on the bridge."
"He's dead," McCoy said as he tore his mouth from Christine's. "Dead as a goddamned... dead thing."
Christine laughed and pressed her face into his chest while he kissed the top of her head. They stood there for a moment with their arms around each other, breathing each other in.
"You'd better go," Christine said at last. "You know how he gets. The results from the analysis should have automatically been sent to your PADD."
"Yeah, thanks," McCoy said as he let her go. He smirked as he raked his eyes over her. "I like this look on you."
"What look?" she asked straightening her uniform.
"The look that says 'I just had someone's hands all over me and I liked it'," he said fingering a strand of hair that had fallen out of her neat bun. She batted his hand away.
"You're terrible," she said, but she was smiling and had the feeling it would be a while before she stopped.
"And you're gorgeous, have dinner with me?" he asked her.
Christine, surprised, looked up. "You do realize we have dinner together most nights?"
"I'm not talking mess hall dinner with PADDs and Jim stealing my dessert," he said. "I'm talking you and me, in a room, alone, with food."
"Okay," she said.
"Oh-okay? Really?" he asked raising his eyebrows.
Christine rolled her eyes. "Of course, 'okay'. Honestly, I don't know what took you so long."
McCoy's jaw dropped and when Christine simply grinned at him, he grabbed her by the waist and pressed a firm kiss to her mouth. When he pulled back, her grin was gone and she was breathing hard. "Okay, then. Tomorrow, 1900, my quarters."
"Tomorrow," she said swallowing hard. "But at 2000 in my quarters. I'll cook."
He smiled softly at her and Christine felt her heart stutter as he said softly, "This is going to work, isn't it?"
"Not if you get demoted for not showing up when the captain orders you to," she said battling the lump of emotion that had taken up residence in her throat. "But, yes. It is. Now get going."
"Yes, ma'am." McCoy kissed her forehead quickly and grabbed his PADD as he walked out of the lab.
Christine watched him go and pressed the backs of her hands to her flushed cheeks. She quietly and carefully put the samples away and recorded the results. Then, using the reflective surface of one of the other machines, she re-did her hair and gave up on trying to not smile.
The world was just going to have to deal with it. She was smiling, so there.
McCoy read through the sample analysis Christine had forwarded to his PADD in the turbolift. He cursed inwardly at the sheer lack of anything physical that could possibly indicate anything other than a perfectly normal brain. How was that even possible?
He furrowed his brow and brought his hand up to rub at his chin. Unexpectedly, he caught a whiff of citrus and immediately, he was back in the lab with Christine in his arms, her mouth warm and pliant under his. He smiled to himself, then abruptly cleared his throat and lowered his hand.
"Get a hold of yourself, man," he muttered. McCoy read over the results again. The turbolift stopped at the bridge.
McCoy took a look around and headed straight for Kirk, Spock and Dr. Havers all looking at a viewscreen off to the side near Lieutenant Sulu.
"Gentlemen," he said greeting them. "I'm afraid the tissue samples I took were inconclusive. The analysis revealed nothing abnormal, either chemically or even physically."
Spock nodded. "Then we must look to other possibilities."
"What other possibilities?" McCoy asked. "We've eliminated all of them."
"We've eliminated all the obvious physical ones," Spock said. "As I believe a popular, fictional Earth detective would say, 'when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'"
"Alright then," Kirk said. "What are some improbable solutions?"
"Well, there's always the possibility it was something on the planet," McCoy said. He held up a hand to forestall Spock protests, "Simply, something we don't have the capability to scan for yet."
Spock ceded the point and nodded. "It is not impossible."
"May I see the scans of the neurological activity?" Dr. Havers asked. "The captain has been explaining the results, but I'd dearly like to see them for myself."
At Kirk's small shrug, McCoy said, "Of course, doctor." He pulled the files up and handed his PADD to the scientist, whose eyes widened almost comically.
"Oh, my," he said. "I've never seen..."
"Yeah, tell me about it," McCoy said.
"The structures, the activity," Havers said his fingers tracing the neural branches. "You realize that this is perfect evidence of advanced neural morphogenesis."
"Advanced - what?" Kirk asked.
"Well, morphogenesis is simply the way an organism develops its own shape," Havers explained. "This here is far, far more advanced than anything anyone's ever seen before. Gentlemen, something had to have caused this. The human brain does not simply grow like this. There must be an outside force acting on it."
"Okay," McCoy said nodding. "But what?"
Christine walked into the main room of the sickbay and immediately went to the two ensigns. She checked their vital signs and was pleased to see everything was normal as the two young men slept. The anesthetic administered earlier for the tissue retrieval procedure would keep them asleep for at least another few hours. After logging their information, Christine headed to check the duty rosters. As she walked around a tray table in the direction of the nurses' station, her foot hit something that made a metallic clang on the leg of the table.
She took a step back and looked down at the floor. She could see the handle of a tricorder wedged under the table.
"Oh, for... How on...?" she muttered as she knelt down and picked the tricorder up. She looked it over and pressed the button to scan.
Nothing happened. She examined the instrument and noticed its power casing needed recharging. Christine rolled her eyes and made a mental note that she was not people's babysitter, and that they needed to handle the medical instruments with care as she went into the supply room. She moved to put the tricorder in an empty charger station when she noticed a thin blue line running along the side of it. She frowned and inspected the tricorder again.
It wasn't one of hers. In fact, it wasn't a standard-issue medical tricorder.
Then it dawned on her. Christine shook her head in annoyance. This belonged to one of the ensigns, which meant it belonged somewhere in the science department. She headed to a nearby comm unit and dialed up the person in engineering who'd know best where it needed to go.
After only a second, Gaila's face filled the screen. She smiled immediately when she saw Christine. "Hey, you! You're still making brownies for poker night? Tell me you're still making brownies for poker night. I can't take anymore of Nyota's health food. Poker needs sugar."
Laughing, Christine said, "Settle down! I'm bringing brownies, don't worry. And they'll be so sweet your lips will pucker."
"Ooh, you tease," Gaila said with a wink.
"Anyway, the reason for the comm," Christine said. "I've got a tricorder here that belongs somewhere in the science department and I know you know about all the kit that gets created, so where does this belong?"
She held up the tricorder and Gaila squinted at it.
"Hmm, could belong to the crew on deck eleven," she said. "Where'd you get it?"
"One the ensigns on Commander Spock's expedition had it with him," Christine said.
"Oh, that'll be the physics department," Gaila said. "Dr. Davies. Very good with the micro stuff. Quiet, but kind of dishy."
"Good to know," Christine said wryly. "Do you know which lab?"
"Mmmm," Gaila scrolled her list. "Yep. Deck eleven, lab thirty-four."
"Thank you, sweetie," Christine.
"Anytime," Gaila said with a grin. "Bye, now!"
Christine waved and turned the comm off. She supposed she could just call Dr. Davies and tell him it was here, but she was due for a break and liked the idea of a brief walk.
Tricorder in hand, Christine alerted the other medical staff that she was off to deck eleven and would be back soon.
"Well, as Dr. McCoy previously stated, it could be something completely foreign to our knowledge," Spock said clasping his hands behind his back.
"It could even be some new chemical compound that we created by simply landing on the planet," McCoy said.
Havers looked thoughtful. "There is another possibility, but it certainly falls under the category of 'improbable'."
"By all means," Kirk said.
"Well, in my line of work, there have been some inroads made in proving the existence of a quantum field and its relationship with human consciousness," Havers said. "Specifically, the manipulation of said quantum field."
"You're referring to the theory of every living thing having a field that is heavily interlocked with our own human impulses and characteristics," McCoy said. "Forgive me, doctor, but hasn't the idea been heavily criticized in the past?"
"Well, yes," Havers said with an apologetic wince. "Which is why it's rather an improbable idea. But, you do have to admit the idea is rather intriguing. If the quantum field exists in our minds, what does it mean for the creation of artificial intelligence?"
"A highly intriguing concept," McCoy said with a nod. "But, how is that applicable here?"
"Stick with me for just a moment," Havers said, his eyes brightening. "What if you could manipulate this field so that it actually causes changes in the brain to occur? What would those changes look like? We already know that it's possible for organic structures to give rise to complexity, but how what would the behavior of such complexity look like?"
"Captain," Sulu said turning in his chair. The men turned to look at him. The pilot looked very serious. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you were discussing the possibility of a forced morphogenesis on quantum fields?"
"Yes, Mr. Sulu," Kirk said. "You know something on the subject?"
"Well, not exactly, but I did read something about some experimentations about to take place in the field of botany," he said. "The results he hypothesized were kind of out there, but the scientist claimed he would achieve an effect on the plants."
"Really?" Spock said. "How fascinating."
"In fact, I thought the scientist who posited the theory was on board," Sulu said. "In the physics department."
"Oh, you mean, Dr. Davies?" Havers asked.
Christine exited the turbolift and walked down the corridor, counting the numbers on the doors as she went.
When she came to lab 43, she palmed the chime for entrance. The door slid open. Hesitantly, she entered the lab.
It was warm and humid, like the greenhouses on deck fifteen.
"Hello? Dr. Davies?" Christine called. She walked further into the lab. Her eye was caught by a large aquarium on low table where several sponges and brightly colored coral filled the tank. She admired an intricately woven coral with bright blue tendrils. Then she straightened up and walked on, calling out again, "Dr. Davies?"
The humidity increased as she got close to a long table filled with potted plants and flowers. Christine smiled a little at the multitude of colors and patterns. One plant in particular had entwined itself with the plant next to it. Christine stepped closer to take a look.
Then she frowned.
The plant hadn't just entwined with its neighbor, it was connected to it. The vines had merged with the others, actually grown into each other. As her eyes scanned the plants, more and more odd patterns came into light. A heavy feeling settled in her stomach.
The bright red of one plant drew her eyes. She tightened her grip on the tricorder in her hand. The petals weren't simply petals, they were complex branches of red, which swirled and interconnected in ways that she had never seen before.
Except once.
On the brain scan of an ensign currently lying in sickbay.
The sound of a footstep behind her broke the silence. "Nurse Chapel, isn't it?"
Chapter Six
A/N: dun dun DUN. Well, they kissed. Finally. I hope it was worth the price of admission and you enjoyed it as much as I did! Do let me know what you think! And
fringedweller had Davies pegged from the start and therefore deserves all the finest bagels in the land and gets to drink from the keg of victory! Woo! 
