Carpathia IV: Episode 134 - Condition Orange
Space, NCCS Shadowdancer-A
Amenaru sprinted down the corridor, paying no mind to the befuddled glares cast at him from the crew members that he passed. Somehow, the lifts seemed farther away than they had before and all the way, he wondered if he'd be able to reach the call button. Halfway there, another devastating thought went through his head. He was walking. Running, even. The moment he started thinking about how his legs and feet must be moving, his stride collapsed calamitously.
Amenaru: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
He only managed to stay upright for a few seconds after that before tumbling to the ground, rolling several times and coming to rest against a bulkhead wall. A nearby crew member did a double-take, probably wondering if she was hallucinating that the cat which just passed her spoke.
Not that Amenaru had time to care what any of the crew thought. With a shake of his head, he picked himself up and gingerly stepped forward again. It was slow-going, hesitant, for none of it felt natural to him. He discovered, over much trial and error, that the less he thought about it, the better he could move. Easier said than done, of course, but he finally managed a brisk trot before another thought crossed his mind.
What if he was carrying some sort of disease and was now spreading it around? In his panic, he hadn't considered calling the doctor to come to him. By now, he was more than halfway to his destination, so he decided it would be better to continue rather than turn back. Only a minute later, he arrived at the lift door.
Not wanting to waste his time doing a little dance to try hitting the lift call button, he took a flying leap at it with all his momentum. Fortunately, this time there was nowhere nearby to see him splat his body onto the lift control panel, but his effort worked with the lift light activating.
When the doors opened, one crew member exited and gave a befuddled expression to the furry critter that took his place inside. Fortunately, the lift was empty and Amenaru waited until the doors were closed to declare his destination.
Amenaru: Deck 12.
The lift began its descent, giving Amenaru a little time to catch his breath. Fortunately, it did not stop until it reached Deck 12. The doors slid open and, from there, it was just a quick sprint to the sick bay doors. With a little more confidence in his balance, he managed to open the doors with only two hops and he darted inside.
Right away, Darius noticed him and Amenaru, with a heavy pant by now, struggled to get words out.
Darius: Doctor? A cat just came in. Do you know who it belongs to?
Amenaru: Doctor! I need help!
Darius froze, eyes wide, ears stiff, and tail erect. With haste, Doctor Teagan rounded the corner with alarm on her face.
Sorchae: Who was that? It sounds urgent!
Darius said nothing and just pointed at Amenaru.
Sorchae: Oh, whose cat is that? We're supposed to give a check-up to all pets on board.
Amenaru: I'm not a cat! I mean, I am, but I'm not...
Sorchae scrunched up her face, wondering if she heard what she thought she'd heard.
Sorchae: Lieutenant Pendergast?
Amenaru: Yes! I mean, I think so... Honestly, I'm not even sure anymore.
Sorchae stepped forward and kneeled on the floor.
Sorchae: This is certainly new. How do you feel? Headache? Nausea?
Amenaru: Nothing, really. Just that I'm a cat now. I bumped and fell a lot trying to get here, though, and I feel like I might have a couple of bruises.
Sorchae whipped out her communicator and tapped one button.
Sorchae: Tamati, prep the lab.
Tamati: On my way, Doctor.
Next, Sorchae directed her attention to Darius.
Sorchae: Darius, until we know what's going on, sick bay is emergencies only. Set the notifications at all stations.
Darius: Understood.
Darius rushed off while Sorchae reached out and scratched behind Amenaru's ears. Not the first time, but the experience was somehow different this time. More intense. As such, he was perfectly primed for the doctor to gently scoop him off the floor and carry him to the lab.
Sick bay had several labs, the largest of which was just off the reception area, was equipped with all the latest tools, scanners, and analysis devices. Just as good, even better in some respects, to the labs on Polaris Deep. It was a perfect place to bring perhaps the most perplexing patient in medical history. It was a vast room, big enough for at least ten patient beds, but there was only one in the very center, surrounded by all manner of things with screens and blinky lights.
Amenaru could only imagine what any of them did. He only hoped that none of them contained anything pointy. For now, he stood on the bed in the center of the room while Darius waved the scanner around him and Sorchae massaged his belly.
Tamati: Where shall we start, Doctor?
Sorchae continued the massage with a consternated scowl on her face.
Sorchae: I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't rightly know. All I can think of right now is to give him a standard feline exam until we get the scan results.
Still massaging, Sorchae leaned to her side and stole a peek at Amenaru's hind end.
Sorchae: I see he hasn't been neutered yet. Perhaps we should start there?
Amenaru's eyes widened and he ducked his head down between his front legs. Alas, he could not see what the doctor was seeing, yet he knew good and well what she was seeing. After flipping his head back up, he plopped his rear on the bed.
Amenaru: Not funny!
Tamati cocked his mouth to the side and gave the doctor a mild admonishment in the sort of tone one might display to the parent of an annoyed teenager.
Tamati: Doctor...
Sorchae: Just checking that he's still him. How is your mind, Amenaru? Do you know how this happened? Any gaps in your memory?
Amenaru lowered his head and pondered. All he knew was that he woke up as a cat. He hadn't considered when it happened.
Amenaru: Besides my body, I still feel like myself. I think I have all my memories intact, but I don't know when this happened. All I know is that my alarm went off and I was like this. I was completely fine when I went to bed.
Darius: Scan complete, Doctor.
Sorchae eagerly took the scanner and checked the readings. As she scanned the screen, scrolling through the results, her brow became more and more wrinkled.
Sorchae: Now this makes no sense. No human DNA. No nekomi DNA. According to this, you are 100% Earth-type felis catus. Tortoise shell, specifically.
Amenaru's ears twitched. There was a scratching noise coming from somewhere and it seemed to be in the vicinity of the entry doors to sick bay. It was a small, staccato burst, then silence, and then another. The others appeared to notice too, for their eyes briefly darted in that direction and then back to the issue at hand.
Tamati: Any pathogens?
Again, another burst of scratching which, just like the previous two, lasted no more than a second.
Sorchae: That's what I'm looking for now. None that I can see. Just the usual sort of bacteria you'd find in and around a carnivore.
The scratching continued as though punctuating their conversation and Sorchae decided it could no longer be ignored.
Sorchae: Tamati, go see what that is.
Tamati gave a quick nod and marched into the reception room.
Sorchae: Darius, what do you think?
Darius's ears flipped up straight, managing only a single, stammered word in response.
Darius: M... me?
Sorchae: I don't think it is a big secret that we're in completely uncharted territory here. In cases like this, ideas can come from any source.
Darius grinned sheepishly and did his best to compose himself for a professional reply.
Darius: Ohhh, maybe we could...
Before Darius could even get started, they were interrupted by a phenomenally girly squeal coming from the reception room.
Tamati: OH MY GOD! KIT IS SO CUTE!
Everything that was happening in the lab stopped dead. Amenaru, especially, leaned to his side, trying to get a peek out of the lab door. There was Tamati, standing with his hands clasped over his mouth, looming like a giant over a teeny little blonde bunny with one straight ear and one bent ear. A bunny that was already shaking with fright and now burst into tears.
Kit: WAAAAAAAHHHH!!! I'M A BUNNY!!!
Amenaru: Kit!
With her usual lighting reflexes, Sorchae caught Amenaru by the scruff of his neck just as he took a flying leap from the lab bed. He did not like this one bit and squirmed relentlessly trying to break Sorchae's steel grip.
Amenaru: Let me go! I have to go to him!
In the meantime, Kit backed himself to the corridor wall, huddling himself into a little ball and shaking while Tamati sat on the floor trying to entice him to come to him. Sorchae held Amenaru close to her face and blasted him with her sternest, soul-melting glare.
Sorchae: Listen. You are a predator. Kit, if he's anything like a regular bunny, is an adrenal gland with hair. You could literally scare him to death if you rushed out there looking the way you do.
Amenaru stiffened and it took a few seconds for Sorchae's words to land. When he understood, he allowed his body to go limp.
Amenaru: Yes, Doctor. I understand.
Sorchae: Try not to worry. Tamati will take good care of him.
Amenaru nodded and Sorchae placed him gently back onto the bed.
Sorchae: Darius, go to the console and order Condition Orange for the entire ship. I don't know if this is an epidemic, but I'm not taking chances. I imagine Captain Valro will contact me immediately once you do that, but if he doesn't get him on the comm and patch him in here.
Darius: Yes, Doctor!
Commissioned art in this episode from:
AvareonArt
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
Falke2009
