[Last Round 2008] In a warm, tranquil place

[Salak]

((In a warm, tranquil place))

::Vojana opened her eyes. Sky was clean blue, with only few puffy white clouds…::

::She was laying in a green short grass, as puffy and gentle as clouds in a sky. Smell was strong but savory sweet. Gentle breeze brought warmth. Vojana got up into a sitting position…::

oO Home, what am I doing at home? How I got here? This is wrong, but why I feel so good here if it’s wrong? Oo

::Vojana got up and decided to go to the house. Everything was strange, there was always lot of people in the fields and around the house, and now there was no one there… or no, there was one figure there in the doorframe of the main entrance to the house…::

oO Wait, that’s wrong, too. He don’t belong here, he was never HERE…Oo

::Vojana looked at the man in a doorframe, and stopped her approach to house… after a few moments sat back in a grass.::

oO Have to think this through, last I remember was… Oo

::She trembled, suddenly feeling cold. She was frightened, not by anything here, HERE was good, warm and soothing, but her heart was bumping wildly, and Vojana knew fear is caused by her last memory before arrival here, in her safety valley.::

oO Pain, the pain was bad, really bad. That’s what I’m running from, hiding from. Oh… I was never good in enduring pain. Oo

::She smiled. And a smile as the last good thing they shared made her truly recognize a man in a doorframe.::

oO Par, Counselor Salen. Hmmm. If I’m running from something, presumably pain. Then here I am OUTSIDE… outside my mind, my body. Salen is there, he’s calling me back. If I get inside I’ll return to pain. Do I want it? No! I don’t want to go back… but what if he’s trying to tell me he removed pain? Oh, this is so hard. Oo

::Vojana watched Salen waving her for some time when decided to go and ask him what he is doing there. She jumped and run down the hill and to the… the. When was just a few meters from terrace the air became thick and despite all her efforts it was so hard to move, like walking through the water…::

Salen: Just a few steps more, just give me your hand and I’ll help you.

Satscher: What is this, what is happening with me?

Salen: Just reach and I’ll get you back…

::Vojana reached, but when touched Salen’s hand it was like a fire burning her whole body. She screamed. The pain was too much for her, she pulled her hand… and then everything was tranquil and warm…::

<<Part 2>>

((In a warm, tranquil place))

::Vojana opened her eyes. Sky was full of puffy white clouds, but two gray and purple made it look sinister.::

::She was laying in a green short grass, gentle but damp. Smell was strong, savory, sweet and somewhat tickling. Wind was warm but too strong to be delightful. Vojana got up into a sitting position…::

oO Home, what am I doing at home? How I got here? This is wrong, very wrong. Feels like déjà vie! Oo

::Vojana got up and went to the house. Again there were nobody in fields and around the house except one figure there in the doorframe of the main entrance to the house…::

oO Salen. He’s here to remind me of something. Oo

::Vojana looked at the man in a doorframe, and stopped her approach to house… after a few moments sat back in a grass.::

oO Have to think this through, last I remember was… Oo

::She trembled, suddenly feeling cold. She was frightened, not by anything here, HERE was good, not as warm and calm as first time but nothing so bad to be frightening.::

oO Pain, the pain was bad, really bad. That’s what I’m running from, hiding from. Oh… I was never good in enduring pain. Oo

::She smiled. That reminded her.::

oO OK! If I’m running from something, presumably pain. Then here I am OUTSIDE… outside my mind, my body. Salen is there, he’s calling me back. If I get inside I’ll return to pain. I don’t want pain. But… do I have a right to think like this? I’m a doctor, not machine. I don’t want pain, and hav a right to protect myself… Oo

::Vojana watched Salen waving her for some time when decided to go and ask him what he is doing there. She jumped and run down the hill and to the… the. When was just a few meters from terrace the air became thick and despite all her efforts it was so hard to move, like walking through the water…::

Salen: Just a few steps more, just give me your hand and I’ll help you.

Satscher: What is this, what is happening with me?

Salen: Just reach and I’ll get you back…

Satscher: Last time you hurt me.

Salen: Life is pain, get used to it.

Satscher: You’re wrong. Life can be joy. Pain is wrong.

Salen: Pain reminds us of our duty. Get back and do what you have to…

::Vojana reached, but when touched Salen’s hand it was like a fire burning her whole body. She screamed. The pain was too much for her, she pulled her hand… and then everything was tranquil and warm…::

…

::Vojana opened her eyes. Sky was full of dark cold clouds, all was dark and sinister…::

::She was laying in a field, on a wet cold soil. Vojana got up into a sitting position…::

oO Home, what am I doing… Oo

::Vojana got up and decided to go to the house. There was one figure there in the doorframe of the main entrance to the house…::

oO Déjà vu! OK, I’ve done something wrong. Oo

::Vojana looked at the man in a doorframe, and stopped her approach to house… after a few moments sat back in a grass.::

oO Salen there have to remind me of something, what is it? Have to think this through, last I remember was… Oo

::She trembled, suddenly feeling cold. She was frightened.::

oO Pain, the pain was bad, really bad. But pain have to remind me of something. Oo

::Vojana watched Salen waving her for some time when decided to go and face her fears…::

Salen: Just a few steps more, just give me your hand and I’ll help you.

Satscher: Help me with what Par?

Salen: Just reach and I’ll get you back…

Satscher: Why would I want to go back? What will you help me with?

Salen: You asked me to help you through it, didn’t you?

Satscher: To help me through?

::That was something new. Yes she remembered asking him to help her through. help her through the contraction, through attack of pain.::

Salen: You needed help…

Satscher: Yes but… ::Vojana knew she’s missing something, just couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She reached toward salen but it was still hard as reaching through the water and she pulled her hand back.:: No, this is wrong… If weather is indication I don’t have time to try again. have to figure it now.

Salen: You have to go back, and soon… ::With those words he disappeared…::

Satscher: Don’t leave me… ::She felt sudden attack of fear. Her heart sunk.:. No girl, don’t do that. You have to think, cannot lose time on mourning your fate.

oO Have to backtrack everything before collapsed. Oo

::And she did. Remembered young looking chief engineer entering Lab with fingers looking extremely weird, obviously broken. ::

oO That made me lose hope but it was not THAT important, next was, oh yes arrival of Somers and resident doctor from Tiger. Was anything about them significant? No, before that…Oo

((flashback))

Satscher: The pain is starting after no more than 30 minutes, and get unbearable after 45. I know I cannot become drug addict but I need to be able to work. You're good with medicaments, choose something else that can help, just keep it coming Doc.

Salen: Hmmmm...Ok, I can see that you aren't going to rest, let me see what I can come up with that won't sedate you or drive you mad, maybe we can just mainline it to you, put in a central line, start an IV, you would be all set.

Satscher: My muscles are contracting wildly, something connected with nervous system is wrong… ::Vojana leaned and grabbed her knees hard, got almost surprised when contraction ended as fast as started.::… help me through this.

::Par grabbed her frail form, steadying her, whispering softly to her, soothingly.:;

Salen: Shh… it’s ok, I have you, relax..I am here for you, Doctor.

((back))

::Vojana smiled… realizing that nothing that happened was significant but something that passed by the periphery of her vision. It was a reading which occurred on a monitor on science station, overlooking process of heating viruses while Salen was holding her… helping her through that pain attack.::

oO …help me through this. Hehe! Mind sometimes work strange ways! Oo

:: Now she knew no vaccine will help. This virus was created as a chain, a combination of viruses. But as that he can be effectively attacked and beat with protease inhibitor capable of cutting apart viral protein chain to individual proteins.::

::Vojana entered house…::

::Pain was strong but not nearly as strong as she expected it to be. Vojana opened her eyes, her throat was soar, what made her whisper.::

Satscher: Help me here…

Lieutenant J.G. Vojana Minerva Satscher

Chief Medical Officer

USS Tiger NCC-52199