Borg That Go "Bounce" In The Night

Posted on Thu Aug 4th, 2011 @ 8:02am by Commander Michael Evans M.D. & Lieutenant Thelin ch'Rassa M.D.

Mission: Episode 2.2 - "Resistance"
Location: Main Sickbay, USS Pandora
Timeline: MD-04, 16:30hrs

ON:

[[USS Pandora, Main Sickbay, MD-04, 16:30hrs]]

A borg corpse lay in the surgical alcove behind a shimmering forcefield. The vacuum of space tended to preserve bodies remarkably well, and this one was still intact. Two gold-uniformed officers with phaser pistols holstered stood in a formal 'at ease' nearby.

"Ok," Dr. Evans said, "I've got the scanners activated and the remote-function tricorder is in position. We've got the nanoprobes in an infusion module for injection at any time." He turned to the nurse. "Cutbirth, you'll record for us?" She nodded an assent.

"I think our friend here was an interlink drone," Evans remarked tangentally as he activated the displays. He looked up. "I think we're ready."

Stepping forward with his surgical scrubs on Thelin fought back his rush of feelings before the event started. Reading over the biosensor screen he called out the current information for the recording. "Current sensors show Subject A is deceased by our medical definitions. Cellular decay is at thirty two point seven three percent, necrosis has yet to fully set in."

"Infusing the first batch," Dr. Evans said. The display screens scrolled information and the graphic displays highlighted changes in the corpse. "Looks like the nanoprobes are regenerating various key tissues," he noted. "Neurocytes, cardiac and certain skeletal myocytes, osteocytes are all affected."

Cutbirth noted the findings appropriately on her PADD.

"Regeneration appears to be quite rapid," Evans noted with an eyebrow quirked, "...but limited," he qualified. "Looks like it's tapering off already." He made a few notations on the graphic displays for future reference, then looked at Dr. ch'Rassa. "Shall we push on with the second series?"

Running his own Mark X medical tricorder over the Borg the Andorian doctor nodded in agreement. "Let's introduce the second series but slow down the transfer rate by zero point six two percent. Let's see if infusing them over a longer period of time makes a difference." Thelin said as he watched with dread and curiosity.

"Second batch of nanoprobes are infusing," Dr. Evans reported. "Curious," he said, looking carefully at the new data. "These seem to be repairing and reinforcing the cybernetic neural junctions; strengthening the links of the cybernetic implants with the biological tissue."

"The question now is why? It's focused on the machine and not the person. Could it just be for harvesting instead?" Dr. ch'Rassa wondered aloud. Stepping next to his counterpart he made a few more scans and then readings from the biosensors. "Let's begin a third batch same infusion rate, Doctor."

"Third batch of nanoprobes infusing," Evans reported. "I can't quite... Cutbirth, see if you can increase the resolution of that thoracic scanner. There," he said as she made the adjustment, "that's better." His brow furrowed. "Looks like these nanoprobes are ignoring the biological tissue completely. They're repairing the borg components!"

Nurse Cutbirth's eyes widened. "Do you think we should try to stop it, Doctor?" she asked, looking a little panicked.

"No," Evans shook his head. "I don't think..." Suddenly a metallic spear shot out of the cranium of the borg corpse and expanded like an umbrella across the skin of the gray head; simultaneously some of the integrated borg components writhed and reformed into another sort of device.

Cutbirth let out a little shriek and backed into a corner.

The two security officers quickly drew their weapons and poised themselves for combat.

A flood of memories hit Thelin like an iceberg. It was if he had been slammed into a wall ten inches thick and frozen at the same time. He wanted to order the security team to shoot the Borg where it lay but the words could not escape his mouth. Instead he stood there slightly shaking, his antennae arched back and his mouth agasped in a look that read fear and amazement.

"No, wait," said Dr. Evans. As suddenly as the two bits of activity started, they stopped and the borg corpse lay silent. Michael poked a few buttons on the console. "It's ok," he said with a forestalling hand raised. "That was just the nanoprobes. They've stimulated the hardware to reconfigure," he explained. "That seems to be," he said, scanning remotely using the biobed's integrated sensors, "a communications node, and a circuit reintegrator. Interestingly specific, but not too surprising considering this is an interlink drone," he said with a half shrug.

The two security guards 'stood down' and reassumed their initial positions.

Cutbirth crept timidly from her corner, and bravely resumed her record-keeping.

"That was not expected nor something I wish to relive." Thelin spouted as he finally regained his composure.

"I'm just glad the active 'lifespan' of those nanoprobes is so short," remarked Michael. "Probably due to their small size." He sighed with a slight shudder. "Shall we procede with the fourth batch?"

"Against my better judgement we need too." Thelin said with resignation. "Professionally I can not wait to see what happens yet personally I want to stop this now. Hell you owe me a drink after this Doctor Evans."

Michael smirked at his colleague. "You got it," he said. Then muttered, "'Cause I'll need one, too." He turned back to the task at hand.

"Fourth batch of nanoprobes infusing," Evans reported. "Odd," he said. "These have an abnormally high energy output for such little buggers. Makes 'em easy to track though." He followed their courses through the body as displayed by the console. "They seem to be moving to key positions in the body; along the spinal column, in the brain, at the cardiac organ, and near some key components... But they don't seem to be doing anything."

There was a barely-noticeable flash of light and the sensetive sensors around the biobed were temporarily overloaded. Then the borg sat up with it's eyes opened, scanned its surroundings briefly, and began approaching Cutbirth but was stopped short by the force field.

Though she was protected by the force field, she shrieked and retreated into the lab.

The security officers both drew their weapons again, ready for anything.

His antennae arched this time not in fear but in surprise and anger. Stepping forward with his tricorder, Doctor ch'Rassa grabbed the type one phaser from the surgical table and stood next to Michael.

Michael's eyes were wide. "This shouldn't be happening," he said coolly, though internally he was crawling out of his skin. He grabbed his tricorder and approached the drone who was methodically bouncing off the field like a wind-up toy.

The security officers both glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes, confirming with each other that this was indeed weird and that they were indeed both ready to wet themselves.

Evans ignored them as he stopped inches from the bouncing drone and began scanning. "I'm not detecting any life signs," he said. "It appears that everything is being controlled by his implants," he poked a few buttons on the tricorder and scanned further with a deeply furrowed brow, "...and some new nodes that weren't there previously. They seem to be in the same locations as the nanoprobes were that we injected."

"What we are seeing is almost like what you Humans refer to as a Zombie, I believe, Doctor. Regardless of its life signs or not we have a fully functional Drone that seems like it is ready to go back to work." Thelin said as he waived his tricorder over the Borg much in the same manor his colleague just had. "So do we leave it alone to see how long it lasts or shall we end this experiment now?"

Evans hesitated for two seconds, then said, "Half a moment. Anyone notice anything odd?"

"I'm not coming out to look!" declared Cutbirth from her hidey-hole in the lab.

"Well at least one of us is smart," came the muttered reply of the Andorian doctor.

One of the security officers suggested wryly, "We're not drones yet?"

"Precisely," said Evans. "We're not drones yet." He glanced around, seeing the odd look from the security guard and from Cutbirth who was peering around the corner from the lab. "I mean, he's still inside the force field," Evans clarified. "He should have adapted by now and come at us."

Sure enough, the drone was still bouncing mindlessly against the force field. Though he was starting to smoulder slightly from the repeated contact with the high energy barrier.

"So it's a dumb zombie meant to mindlessly fight until it get's plowed down. Weakened and not able to adapt, their key strength is gone. So do we call it a threat or half a threat?" came the inquiry from Thelin as he finished his last series of notes onto the padd they had set aside on the surgical table.

Michael glanced at him out of the corner of his eye with half a smile. "I guess it depends which side of the force field you're on," he said.

OFF

A joint post by:

Lt. Cmdr. Michael Evans, M.D.
2XO/CMO
USS Pandora

and

Lieutenant Thelin ch'Rassa, M.D.
Medical Officer
USS Pandora