Something Of A Mystery

Posted on Thursday 3 June 2021 @ 11:31 by Captain Melody Jones & Lieutenant Nir’anyar

Mission: A Cry from the Darkness
Location: Sickbay - CMO Office
Timeline: MD8 1000
1443 words - 2.9 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

The data packet that had arrived from Commander Miller had been playing at the back of Anya's mind most of the day but given the workload, she had waiting for her had been otherwise occupied until now. She had once again pulled the data back up on her monitor after calling the Captain, asking if she could spare her a moment of time. She was thumbing through the pages when the doors parted and in came the Captain.
"I apologize for pulling you away Captain, please take a seat and would you like anything?"

Melody sat down opposite Anya. “It’s no problem doctor, in fact, there was something I wanted to ask you about from your report when you were planetside. What do you have for me?”

"I thought you should see this!" Anya turned the monitor so Melody could see everything on the screen in full.

“It’s from Caroline,” Melody said, her hope rising as she watched the data on the screen. “There a lot of information here, what exactly am I looking at Doctor?”

"I wish I knew Captain. I've only started to scratch the surface but it seems to be of a medical experiments nature... What has happened to Commander Miller?"
Anya asked, looking concerned for her friend, her colleague and her shipmate.

Melody shook her head. “We still don't know the full story. Someone knew enough about Caroline to get her onto a ship and then took off with her. We think it's someone connected to something Caroline worked on in the past.”

"That seems to support what she sent me... I will continue to pick my way through the information and report to you anything I find but some of this is beyond my ability... I could do with someone with more of a scientific background to help me sift through it all!"
She phrased it more a statement but hoped the Captain would agree and offer someone to help. Who knew, maybe the key to Caroline's location was someplace in the data packet.

Melody cast an eye over the information again. Lieutenant McPhee might be able to help you with this. I'll have him come down and have a look."

"Thank you Captain". Anya was grateful, especially if it meant she could help her friend, whatever this was she had gotten herself into.

"There was one other thing that's troubling me," Melody said. "I was reading your report when you were administering medicals down on the colony and Mirror Fox came in for an examination. Now at this point, you had no idea who she was and she started off by being fairly cooperative but by the end of the exam, she was threatening to kill you. What exactly happened? Did you tell her anything that made her react like that? She was risking exposing herself."

"Her lies were very transparent sir. I was able to pull apart everything she was saying with fair ease... She just came across as very angry. I reported it to Security but with everything that proceeded it all just got forgotten in the chaos!" Very matter of fact as it really didn't seem such a big issue now given this Fox woman had escaped and the virus had been cured.

Melody listened to Anya and took a breath. "I've had dealings with her in the past. I know Amelia Fox, the XO of the Andromeda, we've been friends since the academy. Mirror Fox abducted her and impersonated her for a short period before she was discovered. She was presumed killed when the shuttle she stole exploded. She's quite brilliant and cunning. Did you notice anything unusual in her medical scan? Anything we could use to predict her next move?" Melody thought back to her own recent encounter. "I spoke to her myself while I was enjoying her hospitality on the planet. Unfortunately, it seems her pregnancy has done nothing to change her nature," Melody shook her head and patted her own stomach for a moment. "Apparently, she assaulted one of the crew of the Andromeda and impregnated herself with his DNA."

"Given how pregnant she was Captain I would assume she would be trying to find a quiet little facility to give birth. One geared around Hybrid infants with a Vulcan and Human lineage".
Anya had started to manipulate the terminal in front of her, calling up the medical scan she had run on the women, now wondering if there was something she could devise that would allow them to see who was genuine and who was a mirror version of themselves.

Melody blinked. Wait a minute. "Vulcan? Did you say half Vulcan?"

"Yes sir. It was as clear as the ganglia on my breathing gil" Anya stated, looking a touch confused. Did the Babies genetic heritage really matter?

But Melody had not heard her, her mind was working. She had read the reports from Captain Reynolds and Amelia and only two people had been... had encounters with Mirror Fox as far as they could tell. Commander Datari, from whom she had stolen the DNA sample and...... Oh no!" The colour drained from her face as she realised the implications of this.

The Doctor could see the Captains mind wheeling at a million miles an hour, something had caught her off guard. "Captain, are you well?"

Melody collected her thoughts. "I'm fine Doctor. I trust you can keep this information in strictest confidence? As soon as Commander Miller is back with us, we're going to have to find Mirror Fox. For the sake of her unborn child if nothing else."

"Of course, I will restrict access to the file to just you and I" the Benzites confusion building but trusting in the Captains resolve.

"The Doctor onboard the Andromeda did notice some subtle differences of the DNA of Amelia and her mirror counterpart." Melody went on to explain. "Their DNA was not exactly identical."

"I shall endeavou to make contact with him and request a copy of his findings... Perhaps I could use the data to help us locate her... somehow!"
She stopped for a moment, remembering her own musings from earlier in the conversation. "I will also research the area and make a list of suitable locations that she could have gone to birth the child!"

Melody smiled. "Thank you, Doctor. I'll send Lieuetant Mcphee to assist you. While I'm here..." She patted her slightly swollen stomach "Would you mind giving the twins a quick scan, to make sure they're ok?"

"I was going to ask you when the last check up was... I'd be happy to do it now!"
The Doctor took up her medical Tricorder once more, pulling the wand from its holster and starting the scanning devise up. The gentle hum and whirling lights casting shadows on her hands as it moved slowly across the Captain's stomach.
"I have a pair of stuffed toys in my quarters. Someone gave them to me some time ago... a pair of Orgies I believe they are. One called Shrek and the other Fiona... I would like to gift them to you for the twins!"

Melody's face went bright red and she had to do a double-take. The mention of names however caused her to frown frowned for a moment. Sansa had introduced her to some 20th Century films, and those two names jogged her memory. "Ohhh, you mean Ogres, not orgies." Melody said as she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh... What is an Orgie in that case?" once again her grasp of Federation Standard failing her.

Melody's mouth fell open, wondering how to describe this to her CMO. Finally, she picked up a nearby PADD, brought up the information, and handed it to her. "Here! Read this."

Anya started to digest the information, her mouth falling open. "Oh my!"

Melody nodded. "Indeed. The Twins?"

"Oh..." she pulled herself from the information, her cheeks flushing a brighter shade of blue. "The twins are fit and healthy Captain although you are verging on Iron deficient so make sure to eat plenty of foods that would support a rise in this if you would please. Lots of lentils and beans, lean red meats, and the like!"

Melody's face lit up. "Don't worry Doc. It's not hard to get me to eat red meat. Thank you for the check up. I'll send Lieutenant McPhee to you as soon as I see him."

OFF:

●●●● Captain Melody Jones
Commanding Officer
USS Merlin


●● Lieutenant Nir’anyar
Chief Medical Officer
USS Merlin