Title: "Erase/Rewind" Part Four
Author: Anna Rousseau <annadelamico@yahoo.co.uk>
Series: Interactive Fiction Part Four
Genre: ER/VOY Crossover
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Torres experiences the stabbing of Lucy and Carter in 'Be Still My
Heart' in a holonovelisation of ER and feels very un-Klingonly emotional
towards the events involving two photonic projections.
Disclaimer: All these characters do NOT belong to me...but if TPTB at WB are
reading, it's a month till my birthday...
Thank you for the brilliant response- this really helps me write, and as I'm
a newbie- it is very reassuring to know my fic is being read.
RESULTS
a) Torres leaves the holodeck and goes off to cry, panic struck. Then
returns to try and save their lives with 23rd Century gadgetry.
<1/2 a vote>
b) Torres reruns the programme and becomes obsessed with keeping Lucy and
Carter alive (a la Groundhog Day).
<8 votes>
c) Torres trys to create a miracle happy ending to the episode with the aid
of super whizz kid Ensign Harry Kim- holoprogrammer extrodinaire.
<1/2 a vote>
d) Programme doesn't shutdown properly, Sobricki steals the Doctor's mobile
emitter and goes on a killing spree on Voyager....hey, I needed a fourth
option.
<2 votes> thankfully outvoted- I would've had to do a pardody if it won, a
la 'The Katty and Camille Mysteries'(only my friends'll get this <g>).
PART FOUR - 'ERASE/REWIND'
=========================
Torres pulled open the door of the examinination room and rushed down the
eerily silent hallways of the holoprogramme, watching as certain photonic
projections faded without warning as the computer terminated the programme.
Her Starfleet issue boots made a sharp tapping noise against the 20th
Century linoneum as she hurried past frozen holocharacters: laughing,
dancing, chewing the mysterious blue cake - all oblivious to the fact that
two of their collegues were in a critical condition on the floor of a
deserted exam room, in pain and dying. It was almost painful to see their
carefree expressions and relaxed manner.
Torres shook her head and pushed past Dr. Dave who was in the process of
eyeing the backside of the receptionist someone had introduced her to
earlier called Randi. As she pushed the doors open, most of the ER faded
from around her and when she turned around to look back once she got to the
exit, no trace remained of the holonovel, just an unfamiliar feeling in her
stomach and a bitter taste in her mouth.
******************
Ensign Harry Kim and Lieutenant Tom Paris rounded the corner of the
corridor as they approached the holodeck. They were both kitted out for an
apres-night-shift game of hoverball on the holodeck and were conversing on
one of their favourite topics, even when Tom was 'attached', women.
"So," Tom asked, looking at Harry who looked back at him blankly.
"So, what?" Harry replied in the same probing manner.
"So you and Seven," Tom said with a laugh.
Harry sighed, exasperatedly, "What about 'me and Seven'?"
Tom opened his mouth, but never actually got any words out as B'Elanna
rushed oput of Holodeck 2 and brushed past him aggressively, nearly pushing
him over.
"Hey!" Harry called after her. "Fancy a round of hoverball?"
Torres never looked back, she just shouted over her shoulder at the two
officers vermently, "I've had enough of the holodeck for one day!"
Tom started after her, but gave up on the ground that B'Elanna's moods were
a hopeless cause, "What did I do?"
Harry smiled at Tom's face which was etched with perplexment, "Hormones,
Tom."
************************
Torres paced back and forth in her quarters trying to think what had gotten
into her. For heaven's sake, she could disembowel a Cardassian in two
seconds with her bat'leth without flinching, but a holoprogramme was making
her sick. At times like this she blamed her human side.
But this wasn't the first time.
She remembered how nauseaus and disturbed she had felt when Chakotay had
told her that all their friends from the Marquis had been killed. Torres
thought painfully back to the holorepresentation she had worked on when she
tried to reconcile her 'survivor's guilt', well that was The Doctor had
called it.
Torres headed out of the door, grabbing a tricorder from a shelf as she
went, also pocketing her phaser. She still had an hour until her shift
started and she certainly wasn't in the mood to get any sleep.
A few minutes later Torres found a free holosuite and stepped up to the
control panel and tapped the screen, "Computer, run programme Alpha Gamma
177121 section 06-13. Authorization Torres- Delta Psi Omega."
"Programme initiated," the computer chirped as the door opened.
Torres stepped into the snow, "Computer, initiate holocharacter
accessories: Emma Torres."
She watched as the lab coat appeared around her, and her starfleet
regulation top morphed into a crimson turtle neck. Torres stepped forward
into the holoprogramme, then stopped, drew her phaser and shouted into the
cold air.
"Computer, disengage safety devises," Torres asked as she trudged forward
again.
"Command over-ruled," the computer reported.
Torres sighed as she shouted back, "Over-ride, authorisation Paris- Gamma
Epsilon Alpha."
"Safety features offline."
She hurried to the door, and pushed it open,bracing herself for what she
had to do.
**********************
Dave Malucci grabbed a handful of nuts and chewed them in an undignified
way. Carol Hathaway grimiced as she shouted at him above some loud rock
music, "God, Malucci. Could you shut your mouth, geez."
Dave opened his mouth even more as he chewed, which aggravated Carol even
more, "That is gross. Kate eats like a finishing school graduate compared to
you."
Dave spoke at her, his mouth still full, "Well, I'm not Kate, am I!" Half
chewed nuts flew at Carol, and she wiped them off.
"Malucci! No you're not, thank god!" Carol felt sick as she examined her
top. Dave smiled and walked away a happier man for annoying the charge
nurse.
As he walked to the lounge, a young woman in a lab coat ran into him,
"Ouf!" The young woman exclaimed as she collided with him, cursing something
under her breath.
Malucci took a step back, and held his hands in the air in a peaceful
gesture, "Whoa! I'm sorry!"
The brunette scowled at him, "Watch it, Malucci!" She grunted as she pushed
past him.
"People call me Dr. Dave," Malucci shouted above the music as he tried to
place her face with no results. "But Dave will do."
Malucci lent forward and stared at her ID tag- Hmm, never heard of her. But
she
did seem familiar.
He pulled her around and started to dance with the attractive woman, "Med
student, eh? Well relax, no patients at the moment."
The woman scowled at him again before she disentangled herself and rushed
down the hallway, "Not now, Dave!"
Dave stood there dumbstruck, "What is with everyone today?"
******************
Torres pushed open the door and pan over to the side of the middle gurney.
Lucy
was already laying there, blood was beginning to clot in her hair. Her lips
moved
slowly mouthing words, a faint gurgle could be heard in her throat. Torres
saw a
bloody laceration near the base of her neck.
Her heart plunged. She had let it happen again. Suddenly she heard a sound
behind
her, the attacker was behind her, his knife poised and ready to be forced
into the ridged
skin of her back.
Torres drew her phaser quickly from her side and the shrill sound of its
fire soon echoed
around the deserted room. A dull thud marked her success at stunning the
attacker, yet
she felt no accomplishment. Lucy was still going to die.
"Computer," Torres barked, "restart programme."
**********************
Dave Malucci grabbed a handful of nuts and crammed them into his mouth in
an undignified
way, trying to guess how many he could fit in there before he stopped
breathing. It was a sort of
project he had going on. Carol Hathaway grimaced as he started to choke, his
body racked with
splutters. She shouted at him above some loud rock music, "God, Malucci.
What do have- a death
wish or something."
Carol sighed as she performed a Heimlich manoever on the resident, nuts
popped out of his mouth
as she gave him a lecture on the proper consumption of nuts, "That is so
immature, so that one day when
medically trained staff are around you and you could end up dead.
Dave coughed and gave a sarcastic expression, "Oh yes, death by nuts...I
can see the bill boards now,
thank you for that, mom."
Carol rolled her eyes, "I'll see you later then, as you get rolled in on a
gurney, choking to death..." her
voice grew louder as she tried to put her point across, Dave was already
walking away.
"OK, OK, OK! Geez, lighten up Carol, it's a party!"
As he walked to the lounge, a young woman in a lab coat ran into him,
"Ouf!" The young woman exclaimed as she collided with him, cursing something
under her breath.
Malucci took a step back, and held his hands in the air in a peaceful
gesture, "Whoa! I'm sorry!"
Dave was hit with the uneasy feeling of deja vu. He guessed it was the
result of
the choking incident.
The brunette scowled at him, "Watch it, Malucci!" She grunted as she pushed
past him
"People call me Dr. Dave," Malucci shouted above the music as he tried to
place her face with no results. "But Dave will do."
As he made a grab for her for the next dance, she slid over on a wet patch
on the floor,
taking Dave over as she fell to the ground.
Dave smiled as he looked up to her dazed face. She was unusually pretty,
latino- like him.
"Oh, this is so sudden!" He quipped, "Miss...?"
The woman rolled her eyes, "Torres!" She picked herself off from on top of
Malucci and started
down the corridor, not even giving him a backward glance.
"Geez!" Malucci exlaimed, "What is the matter with every one!"
**********************
Torres opened the door and gave out a loud sigh. There was the man
leaning over behind a
gurney, his patient's gown spluttered with blood.
She raised her phaser and pressed the button absentmindedly, the
attacker fell to the floor.
Third time was apparently not lucky for Lucy.
Behind her the door opened and she came face to face with Dr. Carter. He
looked at her face,
then at the phaser and back to her face, "Who are you?"
Torres grunted in annoyance and yelled above the music pouring through
the door, "Computer, restart
programme!"
***********************
Dave Malucci grabbed a handful of nuts and chucked them into his mouth in
an undignified
way, half of them missed their target and ricocheted off the desk and
computer. Carol Hathaway
grimaced as one hit her in the face. She shouted at him above some loud rock
music, "God,
Malucci. For once, try and get them in your mouth."
Dave picked up another handful of nuts and threw them aimlessly into his
mouth, which
aggravated Carol even more, "That is gross. Kate eats like the Queen of
England compared to
you."
Dave spoke at her, his mouth still full, "Hey, I'm a twenty-somthing, I'm
allowed to do this, its
what I live for." Half chewed nuts flew at Carol, and she wiped them off.
"Euh, Gross!"Carol felt sick as she examined her top. Dave smiled and
walked away a happier
man for annoying the charge nurse, with his dazzling display of profficient
projectile spitting.
As he walked to the lounge, a young woman in a lab coat ran into him,
"Ouf!" The young woman exclaimed as she collided with him, cursing something
under her breath.
Malucci took a step back, and held his hands in the air in a peaceful
gesture, "Whoa! I'm sorry!"
He thought he'd seen her before, but a lot of the last five minutes seemed
like a de ja vu...a few too many of those candy hearts, Dave presumed.
The brunette scowled at him, "Watch it, Malucci!" She grunted as she pushed
past him
"People call me Dr. Dave," Malucci shouted above the music as he tried to
place her face with no results. "But Dave will do."
She didn't even turn around.
"Geez!" Malucci exlaimed, "What is the matter with every one."!
Dave headed towards the reception, determined to have a good time, if no
one else was. Where was Lucy, she might be up for a bit of fun. Malucci
decided to go chat up Randi, he had plenty of time to dance with Lucy,
afterall, she was coming to the bash at the Jazz Note after their shift.
Suddenly he stopped.
Was it his imagination or was that brunette carrying a gun?
******************
Torres pushed open the door to the examination room. It was still dark and
she swung her phaser in front of her, checking behind the door. She breathed
a sigh of relief as she saw the young blonde, Lucy Knight, watching over a
patient as she sat on a stool, talking agitatedly to someone on the other
end of the phone.
"Yes, Sobricki," Lucy sighed, not noticing Torres' presence. "S O B R I C K
I."
She spelt out the letters slowly and clearly so not to confuse the person
on the other end who obviously had the literacy capability of a kindergarden
student.
Lucy looked heavenward and noticed Torres edging closer to the bed, "Emma
Torres, third year," B'Elanna said as way of identification. She held her
phaser in the folds of her lab coat, still ready for anything out of the
ordinary.
"No, I can not come up," Lucy rolled her eyes, "no...wait..." Lucy cupped
her hand over the receiver and whispered to Torres, "Can you watch him while
I go get a consult?"
"Sure," Torres replied as Lucy confirmed comething over the phone.
Lucy hung up and headed out of the door with a chart, "I owe you one."
Torres was about to reply when she felt a sharp pain in the lower part of
her back. It throbbed and increased, spreading throughout the area. She
turned around to see the attacker, lunging at her viciously with a large
butcher's knife.
She reeled back, loosing her balance and becoming faint. Her skull collided
painfully with the floor. Fear racked her body as the patient came up to
her, hovering the point of the blade at her abdomen. Torres raised her arm
slowly and took aim, cautiously, so not to aggravate the pain in her back.
She pressed the trigger with all her force, willing it to work. The phaser
remained silent, he was edging closer and closer with malice etched across
his face. The phaser pack was dead from the earlier round of phaser fire.
Torres dropped the phaser and her hand went limp.
Her entire body lost any will and in her mind she slipped into darkness.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
a) Tom and Harry drop in from their game of hoverball to find ER crew
working on Torres.
b) Janeway turns up to see why Torres over-ruled the safety protocols, and
she is whisked to the sickbay for some 23rd century trauma work.
c) What do you think should happen next?
Votes back via ATEC
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e-mail <annadelamico@yahoo.co.uk