Jeffrey Varnado

Former Ebay Sellers vs. Ebay, Inc.
2015-03-03 02:49:46 (UTC)

THE RESURRECTION RIDDLE Rich Vernadeau

THE RESURRECTION RIDDLE Part 1 by RICH VERNADEAU CAPTAIN'S LOG: Stardate _____ "In response to a distress call from Federation planet CORPUS 4, we are now in standard orbit around the planet where the messages we received describe a sudden outbreak of an unknown virus which has caused recently deceased inhabitants to become revived and mobile...the reports further describe violent attacks and "cannibalism". I am placing the planet under Federation quarantine while we attempt to locate a "specimen" to enable Dr. McCoy to study the virus and hopefully synthesize an antidote, cure, or vaccine..." SPOCK: Captain, a security team landing party is in the transporter room awaiting coordinates. KIRK: What's it like down there Spock? SPOCK: A scan of the capital city- as well as all other major metropolitan areas- reveals few, scattered life signs. As a revived corpse would give off no life readings, Captain, our sensors must be picking up surviving inhabitants not yet overtaken by this pandemic. KIRK: Uhura, any luck establishing communications with government personnel? UHURA: Negative Captain. No response. I've been attempting to pick up a signal- anything- there's nothing Captain... KIRK (pushing button on Captain's chair): Dr. McCoy, meet me in the transporter room. We're beaming down with a security team to the capital city...Spock, send coordinates to the transporter room... SPOCK: Yes Captain. The landing party consisting of Kirk, McCoy and three red-shirted security officers materializes in the center of the downtown area of the capitol city, an area now devoid of any traffic. No vehicles, no pedestrians. KIRK: Bones, are you picking up any life signs? McCOY, (looking at his tricorder): Faint signs in that building on the right there, Jim. KIRK: Let's go check it out. Security team, set phasers for stun, wide-field. Fan out, look for any survivors who need help, and watch out for those "things". Kirk and McCoy approach an automatic door which swooshes upon. The sign above it reads PLANETARY GOVERNMENT MINISTRY and a Federation flag waves atop the building. Upon entering, the readings on Dr. McCoy's tricorder become stronger. "Whoever it is, Jim, he's in that office there." Kirk and McCoy enter a small office and discover a bleeding man lying on the floor. McCoy points the tricorder down at him. McCOY: He's lost a lot of blood, Jim and he's in shock. I need to get him up to Sickbay right now. KIRK: Very well doctor, beam back up with him. I'll contact the security team... In Sickbay, Dr. McCoy has the wounded man (still unconscious) lying down as he watches the faint readings on the vital signs display above. NURSE CHAPEL: That's a humanoid bite mark on his arm, isn't it? McCOY: Yeah but what bit him is no longer human- not living, anyway. CHAPEL: Doctor, I don't understand... McCOY: That's quite allright, Chapel, neither do I. Whatever this thing is, it causes the recently deceased to become reanimated. Hopefully we'll get some lab results on the blood and tissue samples we took from this poor guy. Look at his readings- high fever, low pulse rate. Even after a shot of tricordrazine he's still unconscious... CHAPEL: Is he going to make it? McCOY: Chapel I'm a doctor not a prophet...keep an eye on this man while I go see what the computer's come up with on the tissue samples... The security team of three had made it half a kilometre away when the team leader's communicator beeped and Kirk ordered them to return to the building from which he and McCoy had discovered the wounded councilman. All three of them saw the two creatures moving towards them from between two buildings... CHANDLER: Fire phasers! All three of the security aimed a phaser blast- still on stun- at the first of the creatures. It did not become stunned, it just kept coming. CHANDLER: Fall back and spread out...The team quickly backed up and created a triangulated formation. Kirk heard the phaser fire from where he was standing (now outside the building) and drew his phaser and changed the setting to kill. He began running towards the noise.... (Back on the ship in Sickbay)... McCOY: I've never seen anything like this Chapel. It's a virus that reactivates... CHAPEL: Doctor, come quickly! The wounded councilman's vital signs flatlined.... McCoy attempted cardiovascular resuscitation to no avail. McCOY: He's dead, Christine...run a DNA identification on this man and then notify Starfleet. I'll contact Jim on the planet below myself.... CHAPEL: Yes, doctor.... McCoy moves over to a computer console with his back to the deceased man as Chapel walks into another room in Sickbay... (ON THE PLANET) Kirk, coming from behind the melee, aimed his phaser at one of the creatures and incinerated it instantly. Taking the cue from his Captain, Chandler changed his phaser setting to kill and followed suit with the other creature. KIRK: Everybody okay? CHANDLER: A little shaken but we're in one piece...Captain, what were they? KIRK: They used to be humans just like us, only now...(pulling out his communicator and opening it) Scotty, four ready to beam up... And in an instant they shimmered off the planet's surface and back aboard the Enterprise's transporter room. (SICKBAY) The deceased man on the Sickbay table suddenly began to slowly rise up, and the sheet McCoy had covered him with slowly slid down his face and chest. In his reanimated state, he stepped down off the table and stood up. Just at that moment the Captain's voice came through the Sickbay speaker, "Dr. McCoy, how's our patient doing?" McCOY: He's dead Jim. I did everything I could but- And before the doctor could finish his sentence, the reanimated corpse had snuck up from behind him and was biting his right arm... Nurse Chapel walked back into the room to see Dr. McCoy pushing the zombie away as blood was spurting from his arm. Kirk's voice burst through the Sickbay speaker: "Bones! What's going on!" Kirk turned to the security team still with him in the transporter room and told them "Let's get down to Sickbay on the double!" Nurse Chapel quickly retrieved a phaser from a desk drawer in Sickbay (already set on stun) and fired at the creature. Not stunned- but its attention drawn by the shot- the creature turned and began to move towards Christine. McCoy yelled "Set it to kill, Chapel!" She did what the doctor ordered, then fired again and the creature disintegrated. Kirk and the security team arrived at Sickbay just after Nurse Chapel had disintegrated the zombie. The door swooshed open and the first thing they saw was McCoy profusely bleeding from the arm. Chapel immediately moved toward him to render medical aid. KIRK: What happened Bones? McCOY: It bit me Jim. I swear to God the guy was dead just minutes ago...KIRK: Chapel, Bones is in your hands now...McCOY: Oh for crying out loud Jim! Chapel stopped the bleeding with a medical device and wrapped the doctor's arm in a bandage, telling him "You'll feel like brand new in about 30 minutes". KIRK: Bones, we don't know how fast this virus spreads...McCOY: I had started studying the computer analysis when our risen dead feller there bit me...I think with more study, Chapel, M'Benga and I can figure this thing out...KIRK: I've got to get back down there. There are more survivors that we can locate and rescue. I'm going to form a much larger landing party this time, some of us will go down in the shuttle. Those things don't give off any readings that our scanners can detect and the shuttle will offer advantages that beaming directly might not offer... Kirk moved to the intercom speaker on the wall and flipped a switch, announcing: "Spock, Sulu, Chekhov meet me in the briefing room".




Ad: