Post 308: Old Fashioned Holodeck Cuttin' Part Two

Stardate: 70715.1645
Title: Old Fashioned Holodeck Cuttin' Part Two
Author: Dabin Reece
Scene: Jeffries tubes beneath holodeck four/corridor
Time: Following Part One
---------------------------------

Zanh Liis waited, hand poised over her transceiver to call for the evacuation. "What's that?"
----------------------------------

"I have entered the Plak Tow." Salvek confessed. "It is entirely possible my judgment may become compromised. In that case, I suggest you relieve me of duty."

In perfect stereo, Zanh Liis and Dabin Reece spoke to the Vulcan. "You've got to be freaking kidding me."

Zanh Liis put her call in to the bridge to order the evacuation. Reece switched off his torch and grabbed Xhian by the wrist. "Dude, we need to talk."

"What is the matter, Sir?"

"Your boss over there, yeah, he and I go way back. I've seen this before and let me tell you right now, if what he says is true, there are more hormones coursing through his veins then in an entire Freshman class at Starfleet Academy. So before you and I finish this," Reece gestured to the half-cut supports.

"I'd really like you to reassure me one more time that YOU know this is going to work. Because if it doesn't, I'm going to get squashed flat and my sweetheart is going to be royally pissed at you when I get mailed back to Trill in an envelope instead of a runabout."

Xhian removed Reece's hand from his wrist, and turned his torch back on. "Commander Salvek is not in error. This will work."

Reece and Xhian returned to their work. K'Pajek joined the huddle between Salvek and Zanh Liis further down the tube. "Do we know what happened to the holodeck, Captain?" K'Pajek asked. Zanh Liis tried to sum it up as quickly as she could.

"Its a virus, looks like it was planted by some Bajoran resistance xenophobes. It was supposed to enter the network through the holodecks and then spread to more secure systems so it could destroy the ship. But when you reworked the firewalls, Salvek, you cut off the virus's attack route. Whoever designed the virus must have done so before the upgrades, or didn't know about them."

"Have you figured out a way to stop it yet?" K'Pajek asked the acting captain.

"No, the firewalls have it confused, but not entirely stopped. It is trying to adapt, our time is limited. Fortunately Xhian and Stratton found a way to temporarily get the safeties in the Holodeck back up, or we wouldn't be talking right now. Suggestions?" Zanh Liis shot her gaze to Salvek.

"If the virus is attempting to seize control of the critical functions of the ship, I suggest we give it what it wants."

"I told you he was crazy!" exclaimed Reece. After a moment, the meaning of Salvek's words began to sink in, "Unless, we were to duplicate command functions in an isolated section of the computer core, and leave them unprotected. The virus would seize that area of the core, then we could isolate it."

"Trapping the virus." Salvek finished his thought.

"Kind of like me on this ship." Reece sounded annoyed. As he finished his thought, he and Xhian completed their cutting. K'Pajek slid the live power relay out of the way between the freshly cut supports. After receiving word from the bridge that the evacuation was complete, they quickly cut out the duct section. Within moments the face of Ashlyn Trind was peering down at them through the hole in the holodeck floor.

"Are you OK?" Xhian called up through the floor.

"Its about time! We've got injured up here!" She replied.

Lair Kellyn stepped past Trind, and leaped right through the hole into the Jeffries tube.

"Salvek! Where is Arie?"

"Safe with Mr. London. She has some bruises but nothing serious. He is taking her to our quarters."

Kellyn threw her arms around him, and he returned her embrace.

Salvek nodded towards Ensign Xhian "Xhian, I would like to thank you for your efforts."

"Its OK sir, I'm just happy you are safe. We are not out of trouble yet, though. There is still the matter of the virus."

"I hate to break up the reunion," said Zanh Liis, "But you three have work to do on the computer core. Get moving. K'Pajek, Reece and I can handle the rest from here."

At the Captain's orders, Xhian, Salvek and Kellyn made their way out of the Jeffries tube.

"So, Salvek, why are we going to the computer core?" asked Kellyn.

**********************************************************************
Commander Dabin Reece
Science Officer/Guest Trill
USS Independence