Exorcising Demons (Closed - T'Ra)

[Sevoc]

(Science Lab)

Sevoc had been working on the long range sensors ever since the attack. At this point they were barely to get accurate readings a light year out.

He looked at the clock on the console and noticed it was nearly time for his first session with T'Ra to help rid himself of the lingering effects the virus had had on him.

He made his way back to his quarters to set things up.

(Sevoc's Quarters)

Sevoc dimmed the lights and donned his traditional Vulcan robes. He then lite the ceremonial candles in preparation for what was about to begin.

He tapped the comlink to let Commander T'Ra know he was ready.

"Sevoc to Commander T'Ra. The preparations are complete. When you are ready, please make your way to the place of meeting."=/\=

They had arranged to perform the meld in his quarters, however he did not wish for the whole ship to know what and where things would be.

[T'Ra Jones]

[Personal Quarters]

T'Ra had been meditating in her quarters. Though her eyes remained closed, she could sense the pulsing heat of the candle burning before her. A sudden, new warmth developed along her stomach as Evan slid his arms around her, whispering in her ear. "It's almost time for your engagement, Schatz." T'Ra could have snorted, and she was sure Evan was grinning from ear to ear, laughing at his own little joke.

Gently, she broke away from his grasp to stand. She tugged at the hem of her robes to smooth the lines, regarding her human companion with a tilted head. "You are free to accompany if you wish," she reminded him, at which he shook his head.

"There are some things that can only be resolved between Vulcans," he replied. "I would only be intruding." T'Ra dipped her head slightly, grateful for his understanding. As she stepped out into the corridor, Evan followed. "Just be careful." With that he set off, leaving her to follow a different path.

T'Ra made her way to the agreed location, pressing the door chime as she reached Lieutenant Sevoc's quarters.

[Sevoc]

(Sevoc's Quarters)

"You may enter," Sevoc responded.

T'Ra was the first person he truly considered a friend. Sure she was his superior, but in a way he felt that she truly understood much of what he had gone through. She too was a hybrid, so that helped.

He arose from his knelt position and greeted her as she entered his quarters.

[T'Ra Jones]

 [Sevoc's Quarters]

T'Ra entered when beckoned to find Sevoc already seated and waiting. Candles flickered, evoking a demure, meditative atmosphere appropriate for the session at hand.  T'Ra sat herself beside him with a deep breath, conscious of how important these sessions would be for her fellow scientist and Vulcan.

She was all too aware of the daily struggles these demons from the past could bring. Even just to keep them at bay took a tremendous amount of effort, diverting energy that would be better spent at work. But this was not why she was here. She could not forget the emotional turmoil and countless sleepless nights she had suffered. T'Ra wanted something better for Sevoc, who she was beginning to regard as a friend. He deserved some peace in his life. She regarded him with a cocked head and a neutral expression. "Are you ready to begin?"

[Sevoc]

[Sevoc's Quarters]

"I am. However, before we begin," Sevoc replied, "I would like to thank you for taking the time to help me. Many of our people would have just turned a cold shoulder, so to speak. Even after all these years, Vulcans still harbor a bit of distrust toward Andorians. The children I grew up with were less forgiving than humans can be."

His candor was easy when it came to his superior. She was a model example of what a Starfleet officer should be.

[T'Ra Jones]

T'Ra acknowledged the thanks with a simple nod. "I could have done no less," she replied. "Though our past experiences are not altogether the same, the underlying principles are close enough that I understand what you must be going through."

She too had experienced the animosity of the other Vulcan children, who seemed to enjoy nothing more than to taunt her for anything that made her different, not Vulcan. She had never understood it, not then nor now. It seemed illogical to resent another's differences.

But again, that was not why she was there, because they'd both had unpleasant childhoods. She was there because he was suffering, and he needed someone to help him through it. She had Evan, who stood by her through all her pain and struggles. Sevoc needed someone, and he seemed to trust her.

T'Ra let out a slow even breath, placing her fingers in the key positions before repeating in a soft tone, "My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts."

[Sevoc]

Sevoc could feel T'Ra begin to enter his mind. He decided to start at the moments before the virus struck him.

Docking Ring - Starbase Columbus

Sevoc had been misinformed. Luckily he had his PADD and checked the locations. He saw that Dr. McConnell was in the medical bay. He made his way there promptly.
Medical Bay
He entered the medical bay and methodically looked over the room. His PADD had indeed been correct and he quickly spotted the doctor and approach her.
"Ensign Sevoc reporting," he said coolly. "How may I be if assistance?"
Jamie again nodded and her smile got wider.  "Well, it seems we're complete now.  Thank you for your help.  I'm Dr. McConnell but you can call me Jamie if you'd like."  She waved at the containment room where Dano and his team were at work reviewing all the viruses to see if they were stable.
"As you can see, the first transfer of viruses has been transported successfully.  This vault is coming from the USS Curie, but we have deliveries from the LeBlanc and the Eisenhower but their vaults will not be as big as this one....."
Suddenly the lights flickered from clear to a dreaded red as the Klaxons began to sound.  Instinct and constant emergency drills caused Jamie and her team to take action.  She reached out for the controls and automatically sealed them in there own little section.  It was a small lab area where she would be able to monitor the Vaults and the Hazmat team.  Her wide eyes then moved up to where Dr. Dano and his team was; only to the Betazoid man without his helmet grinning wickedly at her.
She turned on the speaker that put her in touch with the protected Vault room where Dr. Dano was.  "What is going on, doctor, why is your helmet off?"  Jamie wanted to cry, this was the worst possible scenario.  "Where are your other team members?  Where's the team, Dr. Dano?!  What's happening??"

"Mr. Tritter.  It is good to see you again.  And you Sevoc" Zex said to both men after she had been recognized by her superior officer.

Sevoc turned to Zex.

"It is agreeable to see you again as well," he replied before turning to Dr. McConnell. "When the time is right, doctor, then I shall lower the formalities."

Sevoc turned to the observation window and looked out to see what was happening. He began to feel something creep into his mind. It was not unlike that of extreme fear mixed with total dread. He began to, uncharacteristically, frantically search for the exit. When he reached the door, he found it was locked.

"What is going on?" he cried out. "I have got to get out of here. They're coming to kill us all!"

His Vulcan side was completely gone. The Andorian half did not know how to cope with any of this.

Then, without warning, he started to see a Le-matya. It was quite implausible given his location. Then he saw a horde of stinging centipedes, which was nearly as implausible. At the sight of these creatures, he ran toward the corner of the room and balled up, unsure of what was going to happen next.

[T'Ra Jones]

T'Ra was immediately hit by an intense, gut-wrenching sense of fear, an emotion so basic and primal that it was rooted deeply in the core of one's being. That driving need to survive that overpowered all else. Not even logic could weather such a storm, it too being forced to bend or break. But there was more to it than just fear, a sense of loss: of self, of logic, of control. And for one raised in the Vulcan way, there was nothing more debilitating, more agonizing, than this.

And before she could react, a le-matya sprang to the foreground, bringing to mind a harrowing experience she had had with one as a child. T'Ra became conscious that her breathing had quickened, and she forced it back to a slower, more even pace.

~Do not be afraid.~ she told him gently. ~You are safe here. You are in control.~ T'Ra had never lead anyone through a process like this, so she was unsure how to proceed. But it was her hope that if she could help him observe his memories, break them down, and see them logically for what they were, that he would be able to leave them in the past where they belonged.

[Sevoc]

This is not the worst, Sevoc replied with a slight fear in his voice. I have come to terms with this part. It is the next step in the journey that I believe is troubling me.

He allowed the words to sink in a bit.

Shall we go further down the rabbit hole, as the humans say?

[T'Ra Jones]

T'Ra shifted slightly as she sat, her breaths becoming deeper and slower as she readied herself for what was to come. The sense of fear was ever-present and beginning to mount, like a rising fever that one had to break before the body could begin to cool and heal. ~Let us progress, she acknowledged.

[Sevoc]

Very well, Sevoc replied.

[Medical Bay]

"Quarantine protocols have been engaged.   I think you just entered a contaminated zone.  We're not going to be able to leave until the threat has been cleared" Zex said to Howell.

Then the Deltan looked from Howell to Dr. McConnell.  "Should we sedate Sevoc?  What's the standard Dr. McConnell?" she asked.

A bead of sweat trickled down Jamie's forehead, down her cheek where she wiped it off with her shoulder.  A fury swept over her as she glared at the man, then held back the urge to scream as she responded to Dr. Zex.  "Sedate him and run an analysis on his brain function.  I'm sure you have scans of him, use those to compare to his current state so we can see what we're dealing here.  Right now he's our only subject because we can't get Dr. Dano out of there.

While his fellow officers started working on sedating him, Sevoc had another delusional fit.

"MURDERERS! ASSASSINS!" he cried out. "DON'T LET THOSE PINK-SKINNED KILLERS NEAR ME!"

He lunged toward Zex in an attempt to wrestle the hypo away. In his delusioned mind, that hypo was a knife that was ready to be plunged into his heart.

"He's insane" Zex said.  "He either intended to release those pathogens on the station all along or has been possessed or something.  Don't listen to him Dr. McConnell" the Deltan encouraged.

Then she offered the woman a nod.  Sevoc was acting oddly.  Scary in fact and it was putting the otherwise anxious Deltan on edge.

"It get that that as soon as I've been able to sedate our friend here" Zex replied.  She went to a nearby cabinet and loaded a hypospray.  Hopefully the man would allow her to administer it.

"Sevoc, calm down.  I'm Zex.  You know me.  Give me your arm please" the Delta said as she slowly approached the man.

"KILLER!" Sevoc cried out.

He got up and started running around looking for an exit. He was so delusional that he forgot the doors were sealed. He ran headlong into the door, rendering him unconscious.

While he was unconscious, Sevoc's mind swam as the effects of the virus kicked into overdrive. In order to preserve his essence, he shut down his higher mental faculties and essentially went into a coma-like sleep mentally. In its absence, the virus woke up his motor and baser functions.

The now mindless Vulcan/Andorian hybrid arose. Feeling the restraints, the virus forced his arms apart and broke free. While Zex and McConnell were having their exchange, the body of Sevoc started to rush toward the pair. The hunger of the body became too much.

With a growl and a snarl, the mindless hybrid attempted to consume one of them.

"Oh my god" Zex yelled in surprise.  The man was coming right at her.  Her only defense was to drop to the floor and out of the way.

"Look out, Dr. McConnell" she called out.  She hoped to warn Jamie of the coming danger.  But perhaps she was too late.

With shaking hands, Jamie typed away on the control board of the medical monitor where she sat.  She was concentrating so hard that Zex gentle voice managed to spook her out of her thoughts.  Jamie stared at the Deltan with wide green eyes and tucked dark hair behind her tapered ears.  "I'm fine..."  She cleared her throat and tucked her hands under her arms to stop them from shaking.

"Well, lets see..."  Jamie narrowed her eyes and mentally reviewed what she had read about the Betazoid cure.  Commander Stafford had given her clearance to figure it out for he had no knowledge of this particular type of science.  That and she was pretty certain that the commander was pretty busy.    Dr. McConnell nodded and tried to explain.  "It's just like a cure to a virus, but instead of being injected intravenously its injected mentally."  She blinked several times and shook her head. "We will need..."  Jamie raked her fingers through her raven black hair, "....we will need someone with telepathic abilities that isn't crazy...."

The word barely managed to come out of her when she noted Howell jump and trip and Zex's exclaim.

Without thought Jamie jumped to her feet and in a move that had been drilled into her by her husband managed to push away, grab a hypospray and aimed for Sevoc.  The hypo contained enough sedative to bring down a raging Klingon and she was sure it was strong enough to cause the Andorian/Vulcan hybrid to go unconscious.

Jamie realized they needed to find a telepathic catalyst for a cure and she realized that Sevoc was the key and to a greater amount, she was too..."I think..."  Jamie said outloud, "...I have an idea for a cure."

Sevoc's mindless body staggered back a bit. The sedative knocked him out for a few moments. The body came back with a vengeance. He began gnashing his teeth at the two doctors.

Deep in his mind Sevoc found himself on a planet of both fire and ice. He was walking through parts of both Vulcan and Andoria almost simultaneously. He would definitely need to talk to a counseler if and when this was over.

The mindless shell kept coming with an unrelenting force.

Zex watched Sevoc go down a second time, but she kept her eyes one him this time.  Her focus was more on protecting herself than working on a cure.  But still she asked "what is your idea doctor?"

"Oh my god, he is getting up again" Zex informed the others in the room.  Her eyes darted in one direction in the other, hoping to find something to hide behind.  "Don't let him get me" she said backing away from Sevoc.

With zombie Sevoc pressing toward her, Zex had never been so scared in her entire life.  She held her hands out to block the attack and her innate fear response kicked in.  But instead of Sevoc seeing the Betazoid as naked, she was the Betazoid as a zombie.

Jamie could have sworn she had given Sevoc enough tranquilizer to bring down a herd of Klingons.  She supposed some people just didn't know when they had been knocked out.  She frowned angrily at the infected man and tried to mentally will him to stop.  Instead, she backed up and moved out of the man's reaching arms.  "Don't let him grab you.."  She warned her fellow crewmates.

"Will he infect us?"  One of the technicians asked as he reached for another hypospray and tried to inject the infected Sevoc.
"No..."  Jamie responded quickly as she made her way towards the door where she thought she saw someone on the other side.  The windows of the medical room were made of reinforced plasteel and transparent, but as strong as any metal wall.  "....he can't infect that way, but he may tear you limb from limb."  The end of her response came out loudly as she realized that there were several security people outside.  Would she risk opening the door to more infected?
Jamie quickly thought about it.  On one hand they needed security, on another, it would increase their chances of catching another type of illness.  "Inoculate yourselves, I'm going to open the doors, we need he with the ensign!"  With that she slammed the controls, keying in the security code quickly and allowing the doors to open.
Security crewmen swarmed in led by a tall brooding dark haired man.   "We've managed to clear an entrance to this room, doctor."  His deep voice resonated with calm which made Jamie sigh in relief.  At least someone wasn't losing it in all this chaos.   "I'm Security Crewman Benitez..."  The man's dark brown eyes were already eyeing the infected Science Officer.  "I am sure I can  be of assistance!"  With that he threw himself at the deranged Sevoc and two of the security men joined him.
Jamie had her medical technicians pass out the innoculations as their quick minds calculated enough for their species, weight and even gender.  Fortunately the medical hyposprays were brilliant for that type of calculation.  She grabbed one and inoculated Dr. Zex before recalculating for herself then she ordered the Deltan, "Replicate enough for the security officers."  Jamie instructed, "We can't have them falling ill...and if they had already started, the innoculations may reverse the effects.  Quickly now...."
Dr. McConnell watched as the security officers dealt with Sevoc, "Don't kill him!"  She ordered, "I'll need him for the cure......"  Jamie grabbed the hypospray she had been working on before the infected Sevoc had attacked and gripped it until her knuckles went hard.  There was only one person that she knew with a Telepathic genealogy that was not deranged with infection....and that was Jamie herself.  So with very shaky hands, Jamie injected her neck with the Hypospray containing the cure for the Telepathic Virus.  She only hoped she was strong enough to cure the others...

The baser part of Sevoc suddenly halted his attack on Zex. The Deltan no longer appeared as a Deltan, but as one that was already infected.

It was in the brief halt that allowed the security to restrain him to the ground. Internally, Sevoc was crying out to anyone telepathic enough to hear him. The Andorian part was beyond terrified. Nothing like this has ever happened, not was there any precedent that he was aware.

The mindless body was putting up a struggle that would do a Klingon proud. The body flailed about trying to get a limb.

Zex had closed her eyes in preparation for an impact with Sevoc.  When none came and she heard what sounded like the man being tackled, she finally opened her eyes.  "I'm ok, I'm ok" she said starting to hyperventilate.

The slight pinch of the hypospray was enough to pull the Deltan out of her state of shock.  "Yes Ma'am.  Right away" she replied as she wiped a tear from her eye.

Zex had been scared.  But now that she had a task to perform she could focus her thought on that.  Still she kept a watchful eye on Sevoc as she went over to her work area.

Jamie watched as the Security Team and the other medics struggled with the crazed science officer.  The scene played out almost as if she were watching it from her couch and it was one of Cayden's old holomovies that he was so fond off.  It did not seem to belong to her life at the moment and she felt a certain calm possess her.

Jamie watched as the tall dark haired security officer, Crewman Benitez, restrained Sevoc as the medical technicians injected him with more tranquilizer, but that was wrong.  She didn't want the science officer unconscious.  She needed to treat his conscious mind, suddenly she realized what she had to do and she had to do it quickly.  So without further thought, Jamie knelt besides the infected Andorian/Vulcan hybrid and took him by the temples as the security officers prevented Sevoc from attaching her.

"Your mind to mine."  Jamie said, almost in a trance, as if it wasn't her that was talking.  She took Sevoc gently by the face, her hands on his cheeks as she went forehead to forehead with him.  In that state her mind dove into his and began to search out the telepathic virus and inject the cure through her mind.  Jamie infused Sevoc's mind with the cure, almost as if the cure was taking over her mind and doing it for itself.  She only hoped that it would work and that Sevoc could be cured.  If he was then he could spread the cure and so on and so forth but it all would start right there with the two of them.  "Your mind to mine....."

This is where I believe things started to get mixed up, he speculated.

[T'Ra Jones]

T'Ra wasn't entirely prepared for the intensity or longevity of the scene that played out before her. As she watched, she couldn't help but feel as if she were fighting an overwhelming emotional battle on two fronts, with Sevoc as he struggled against his most basic nature and imagined demons, but also with herself as her own troubled past fought desperately to push to break through to the surface of her thoughts.

With some effort, T'Ra managed to shove her memories back into the corner of her mind, though she was finding it increasingly difficult to keep them there. Something about Sevoc's experiences struck a chord with her in a way she was not expecting. His anxiety as he searched frantically for an exit from sickbay was her anxiety as she searched maddeningly for a way to escape the jefferies tubes in which she had been trapped, the transformation of his crewmates into unknown killers was the transformation of her fellow crewmembers into her captors, crawling behind as they made their way through the jefferies tubes on the Shran.

Once again, her breathing had become quick and shallow, and again T'Ra was forced to breathe deep until the racing of her heart had slowed. And then she sensed a change in the atmosphere of Sevoc's mind, as the image of Doctor McConnell reached to place her fingers along Sevoc's face, as T'Ra was doing now. It was a most unusual thing to watch. ~She's giving you the cure...~ she marveled. Though she could not forget how the doctor had yelled, "Don't kill him! I need him for the cure."

[Sevoc]

Correct. However, neither of us expected the side effects.

[Starbase Columbus Medical Bay]

Sevoc's mind felt something. He heard Jamie's voice. He made his way over to the sound.

"I'm over here. Help me," he cried out. "I have failed my culture and my planet."

While is consciousness was searching for what little bit of familiarity he could, the vaccination was working. The telepathic antibodies were attacking the virus. His consciousness was so preoccupied with making a connection that he didn't notice the effects the vaccination were beginning to take hold.

Jamie's only experience with Mind Meld had been with her father and it was safe to say that he was very experienced in it.  She, on the other hand, had never had training and if it weren't for the cure that seemed to be taking over her mind, Jamie would have probably messed up by now.  Instead, she went towards the voice that had a tinge of panic in it and tried to sooth it.  "It's alright, I'm here...."  Her voice sounded as peaceful as she felt and continued, "...Everything is going to be alright, Sevoc."

Dr. McConnell began to spread the cure over the man's mind like soft butter over hot toast.  Soon it would sooth the virus that was burning through his frontal lobe and cure him.  Jamie only hoped that there hadn't been too much damage done but she would have to observe Sevoc for the following days, not only him but all the infected.  She hoped that the cure would work, "You will be fine, Lieutenant."  Jamie continued to sooth and spread, "Just fine."

Jamie slowly slipped out of the meld as smoothly as if she had done it a hundred times.  She couldn't help the UN-Vulcan smile that pulled at the corners of her lips as she studied the blue skinned man before her.  It was Zex, however, who had called her attention and she turned to the Deltan with a relieved sigh.  "I think it's working, and I'll need to try it on another patient and Sevoc will also spread the cure.  I think....I think it spreads naturally."

Jamie's voice was indeed soothing. He did see the doctor and her associated memories and knowledge. The Andorian side began to subside. The Vulcan side began to regain control of the emotions and then slowly the higher functions.

He noted that although she appeared a novice in the ways of the mind meld, for whatever reason, be it the cure coursing through his brain or his own guidance, Jamie seemed to be very astute in the discipline.

His senses had returned and he began to look around. He saw the security and other medical personnel holding him down.

"You no longer need to restrain me," he said coolly. "I am myself again."

He turned to Jamie and spoke to her.

"Thank you doctor," Sevoc began, "I seem to be getting back to a more logical state of mind. The cure you have developed is functioning as intended. I would also like to commend you on your quick ability to grasp the mind meld. Is there anything you would like for me to do to assist in getting this to anyone else who may require it?"

Some of her memories bled over and I began to recall things of hers as part of my own.

[T'Ra Jones]

T'Ra could sense how the two minds mingled, the lines between them becoming more blurred. But oddly, it was in these moments that T'Ra experienced the most depth in clarity in Sevoc's memories since beginning the meld. And as an observer, she saw the events in a more objective light. ~I am not certain what is troubling you about this moment,~she told him.

~But perhaps I can help you find the good in it. You have come to know the most basic, most primal aspects of your being. The Katra is not defined by logic alone. This experience, however traumatic, gives you a unique perspective on life. We spend too much time trying to distance ourselves from our emotions to the point that when we are forced to face them, we do not know how.

You were helpless, beyond your own control. Yet here you are and all is once again as it should be. The humans have a saying, that from the ashes of disaster grow the roses of success. There is no way to change what has happened, so do not dwell on this. Use what you have experienced as a stepping stool to learn and serve others. It's going to be ok.~