Faces of Change

The sun glistened off of the puddle of water that crossed his path making it hard to distinguish the figure approaching him. He raises his arm to shield his eyes from the glare only to find out that the sun was only part of the source of the brightness. As the figure moved closer, the aura emanating from it seemed to get brighter then it diminished.



"Its not time yet" came a soothing voice "Go... go back. You have too much to do"



The figure turned and began moving away. Again the light brightened then in a flash of blinding hues of blue and white the being was gone and so was the light. Only an impression of the flash remained as darkness enveloped it from all sides until there was nothing but total darkness

§§§ Medical Facility – SS Megiddo §§§

The doctor on duty looked took one look at Drawdé and immediately started calling for medical support. Beaming Drawdé to any location was out of the question. The doctor didn’t want to take any chances with the pattern buffers messing something up. The Viper definitely was not a medical transport. The makeshift med-bed was adequate at best for someone in Drawdé’s condition. “We’ll take it from here Captain” said a Nurse as he pushed Steve out of the way.




Captain Sharp didn’t like being pushed for any reason but let the action by the nurse fall to the wayside due to the severity of situation, due to the condition his friend was in. Steve was about to say something to the nurse when the doctor stepped up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “Captain, We will do everything we can for him, his injuries are very bad as you well know.”




“I know doctor, I know….” replied Steve with a forlorn look on his face. “Hey Doc, If it weren’t for this man here….” Steve motioned to G’Nar to step closer, "I think the Admiral wouldn’t be with us today. He did the best he could with what he knew of D’s physiology.”




The doctor reached out to shake G’Nar’s hand. G’Nar responded in kind as the lev-bed on which Drawdé had been placed started to quickly move away. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, I am Doctor Stephen Radcliff, come with me I could use your assistance.” instructed Stephen. Steve stood in silence as his friend was ‘wheeled’ away.




The doors to the operating room seemed to slide open too slow for the doctor’s liking. Everyone in the room was bustling around getting things ready. Several of the nurses stopped and stared as Drawdé passed by them. A look of horror mixed with deep concern washed over their faces. “OK PEOPLE! We’ve got a job to do let’s stop gawking and get your jobs done!!” ordered the doctor. “Did anyone get a hold of Dr. Ripken?”




“We have been trying doctor but she recently left the medical field. She is now the Secretary of Colonial Affairs on the planet.” Replies one of the nurses

“Damnit. Alright someone get me Dr. Le’Raye on the horn right now!”

§§§ JS Medical – Jericho Sumaria Oupost §§§

"... the cause of death was clearly the drug known as Mist. From the decomposition of his temporal lobe and his pituitary gland, I would guess that it was a strain of the blue variety with a red Mist chaser." Dayton sighed as she continued her report this man, O'Neil from engineering was found after he missed several shifts. He was the fifth body she had to do an autopsy on. "Good thing the man was human, I would hate to see what blue could do to a Betazoid." Compiling the medical data, she forward it to Dr. Harrod who would hopefully have a few more ideas on how to stop it, or at least make it non-fatal.



A chirp from the console in the room brought her out of her thoughts. Walking over to the wall mounted screen she pulled off her gloves. Touching the interface, the familiar symbol of the Federation lit up against the black background. In a few moments she was facing a man in a starfleet blue uniform. "This is Dr. Le'Raye ... how may I help you?" She kept her tone friendly, even though she wanted to just go back to bed and forget the five faces she had to report dead.



"Hello, I'm Dr. Radcliff from Space Station Megiddo." Dayton nodded to the doctor as she noticed that he was sending her files. Quickly she uploaded them to a spare PADD that was on the table next to the viewer. "I'm sending you a file on Admiral D'rinax." Dayton's eyes opened wide as she looked back to Radcliff's face. She had worked with the Admiral when she was part of Admissions to Megiddo. Now that seemed like ages ago. "He was found by Kilo Platoon who was on a surveillance mission ..." Dayton's eyes read over the file as Radcliff embellished what was going on with Drawde.



"It says here that he sustained, genetic degradation on his face?" Dayton looked up as she questioned the doctor. "Okay, I need you to pump him full of Katalase Inhibitor ... and you get him here as soon as you can. Medical one priority should get you the clearance for warp nine travel." Radcliff nodded. "Let me know the moment you arrive and we'll have him in surgery as soon as a shuttle can bring you down to the planet." Dayton paused for a moment as she looked at the pictures of the damage. "I'm sure you know this Doctor but no ... and I mean no transporters from there to here." Radcliff nodded again before the channel closed.

§§§ Colorado Springs, CO - Anthony Bott Subdivision - D'Rinax Residence §§§

"OOOUUUUCHH Mom!!! that hurts!!!"



"Well DD if you would have obeyed me this sort of thing wouldn't have happened." she replied as she applied some antibiotic ointment to the burns on his shoulder and neck.



"But all of the other guys are doing it, why can't I?"



"And I bet if you asked 'all of the other guys's' parents, they too would not have approved. Now... as soon as I get this all bandaged up, you... mister... are going to go and finish your homework!"



"Awwww mom!!! Sheeeze I hate homework." he replied as he winced in pain from the pressure his mother was applying to the bandage.



"I really don't care if you hate it young man, you WILL get to your room and you WILL do your homework, then when your father gets home, we will let him know what you did and see what he has to say." Lyn'Caro looked over her handy-work then ruffled DD's hair and says "Now off with you." DD slid off of the counter where he was seated and with a dejected look on his face, slowly makes his way to his room.

§§§ Two hours later §§§

"DD!!! Time for dinner!!!" Lyn'Caro yelled up the stairs only to be greeted by silence. "DD!!!" A few minutes passed and still nothing from the ever growing rebellious young man. "DD, You dinner is getting cold!!!"



"Do you want me to go up and see whats keeping him?" asked Mai'lliw.



"No honey you just eat your dinner, I'll check on him." she replied as she scooted her chair away from the table. Turning the corner to ascended the stairway she bent down to grab a pair of dirty socks off of the floor When will he EVER learn? she mumbled to herself. The door to DD's room was closed and music could be heard thumping through the walls. Lyn'Caro knocked on his door but got no reply. Knocking again with one hand she used the other to turn the knob on the door and slowly push it open. She saw DD resting his head on his text book and smiles. Thinking that he fell asleep she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder and started to say something but before any words could escape her mouth, the weight of her hand was just enough to cause DD's limp body to fall out of the chair and on to the floor.



Lyn'Caro screamed a blood curdling scream.



Downstairs Mai'lliw was just about to take another bite of steak when his ears were filled with the horrible sound. He dropped the fork to the plate, pushed himself away from the table and sprinted as fast as he could around the corner and up the stairs. Bursting through the door into DD's room he found his wife cradling their son. She looked at Mai'lliw with tears in her eyes and tried to speak.



He quickly comes to the aid of Lyn'Caro, checking DD's pulse. It was faint but still there. Keeping his fingers on DD's neck he calls for the computer.



"Computer, Three to beam directly to Penrose Main, Emergency room... NOW!!!" he shouts. In a swirl of blue and white speckles the three of them were transported to the emergency room of Penrose Main.



In all of the commotion, neither Lyn'Caro or Mai'lliw noticed the right side of DD's body until one of the Nurses took DD and laid him on the gurney. A terrible rash covered the side of his face and was rapidly moving down his body. Small welts began to appear as time went on.



Rushing down the hallway towards the examination rooms Lyn'Caro held tightly to DD's hand. Mai'lliw followed closely behind making sure to stay out of the way of the doctors and nurses that were bustling around.



The nurse and an aid lifted DD off of the gurney and placed him on a biobed. They slid the scanner over the top of the bed and began entering commands. On the screen above DD's head images and readings began to appear in different sections of the monitor. His heart rate, Brain activity, Oxygen levels and many other bits of information could now be seen.



DD's breathing became more labored and it appeared that whatever was 'attacking' him at this time had reached several of his vital organs.



Just then the door to the examination room burst open and in rushed another doctor and a couple of more nurses from the pediatrics wing.



"Whats his condition?" asked the doctor



"We have a young Talaxian Male with an unknown rash that has effected his entire right side. Talaxian physiology is sparse to say the least, Starfleet Medical is transmitting any and all data they have on the race as we speak. His breathing is labored and I can't make out these readings that we are receiving from the scans... everything is all over the spectrum."



The Medical computer chimes in "All data received from Starfleet, closing channel"



The Doctor began reviewing the data that was just obtained making mental notes of things that were similar to human physiology.



"ALERT, ALERT... PATIENT IS IN CARDIAC ARREST, CHARGING TO 350" Informs the computer. "CLEAR!" A pulse of electricity surges through DD's body causing it to arch on the table.



Everyone began rushing around the room. DD's parents were quickly escorted out by one of the nurses.

----------

Swirls of blue, yellow, red, and green filled the air. It was as if one was traveling through a tunnel of brilliant colorful lights. Falling soundlessly. Brighter and brighter the colors became until they melded together into one solid source of painfully white light then, in a flash, complete and total darkness. "Why can't I move? Where am I, What happened?"



"You are safe, just relax Admiral and everything will be fine" came an answering voice the voice was soothing and pleasant to hear. Drawde could not recognize it right off but it did seem familiar.



"Why can't I see anything?"



"Oh but you can. You just have to try, believe you can and it will become so."



"Where do I know you from"



"Do not concern yourself with such petty things right now Admiral just concentrate and all will be answered." the voice replied.

----------

All the readings on the equipment were nowhere near what is supposed to be normal for a humanoid. Brain activity was off the scale yet the functions of the respiratory system were non-existent.



"CHARGING TO 400" Informs the computer. "CLEAR!" Everyone stands back as the computer releases another dose of electricity through the body of the little boy on the table. DD's body arches once again. "Sir we have something... hold one... yes, there it is... we have a heart beat!" exclaimed an excited nurse.



DD's readings were now returning to normal, or what the doctors 'thought' were normal. The doctor watched as DD's heartbeat rose to a normal level, the brain scan readings dropped and other vital levels returned to a more manageable state.



One of the nurses was instructed to leave the room and let DD's parents know that for all intents and purposes, DD was alright for the time being.

§§§ JS Medical – Jericho Sumaria Oupost §§§

"Gods above ... charge to 400." Dayton shouted. She had been half way through her procedure and she was getting close to loosing her patient. "Clear." She shouted again as she pressed the paddles to D's chest. "Come back." Her eyes moved to the panel and watched his vitals. After what seemed like an eternity she heard the beat of the computer tapping out his heart beat. She sighed slightly, "thank the Gods."



The procedure was turning out to be a huge mess. No sample DNA for his skin remained intact, so she had to make do with what she had. At least Telaxian DNA was compatible with Terran. Her attempts at grafting the human tissue that she could replicate were successful and after some minor tweaking she had managed to work around D's skeletal structure. Unfortunately, he looked human and not a outside trace of his Telaxian heritage. Dayton's hands worked quickly as she continued to move her autosucher over the last of her incisions and closed up the last of the wounds on his face. "End of surgery ... 2000 hours." Dayton said into the computer's recorders. "Nurse Hatheway, please take the Admiral to post op and inform me the moment he wakes." She ordered as Dayton turned and left the surgical bay. After she left the room her hands moved to the cap on her head and took it off with a tug. She had reports to file and Ashli to visit before D would wake up.

----------

From his vantage point high atop the mountain range, things just didn't look as he remembered. Sitting there on a boulder he fiddled with a small twig he had picked up on his way to this spot. Random thoughts fleeted through his mind as a lone Eagle circled above tracking its prey. Peace and tranquility surrounded him, Evergreen trees swayed in the light breeze, their scent permeating the air around him. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, smiled and thought Now this is the life!



"What are you thinking about?" came a voice from behind him



Slightly startled he opens his eyes and replies "Nothing really but all kinds of things too."



Mai'lliw places his hand on DD's shoulder and takes a seat next to him. "Beautiful isn't it? I remember when you were just a little boy how we used to come here and sit for hours talking about everything and nothing at all."



Smiling again as he looks down at the ground in front of him he replies "Yeah, I was just thinking about that too. Things sure have changed since then haven't they dad?"



"They sure have but a lot of things have stayed the same too."



"What do you mean?" asks Drawdé with an inquisitive look on his face.



"Take this area for instance, This boulder we are sitting on hasn't changed since the last time we were here, our campsite is relatively unchanged, the way we feel when we come here is DEFINITELY the same!" he says with a big smile on his face. "and plenty of other things as well!"



"And some things have changed considerably, like..." Drawdé points casually at the town below "... Leadville there, I remember when it was just a small speck in the terrain, now its a pretty large town"



"Yes it is but I bet if you go into Leadville you will see that even though the shape and size has changed... the feel is still the same, the people still treat you the same and things like that."



"What are you getting at Dad?"



"What I am trying to say is... Change is a good thing. No matter if the initial perception or result is bad... the change was made for a reason and that reason is... ultimately... good. Like the old earth addage 'The more things change, the more they stay the same'."



"Getting kinda philosophical aren't you dad?"



"I don't thinks so DD... I am just trying to make you realize that sometimes in your life you will be forced to experiance a change, its how you handle that change that defines who you are and remember.. no matter how much things change.. you will ALWAYS be you.



Drawdé turns to where his dad is sitting but there is none there. It's as if Mia'lliw just vanished. Drawdé looks around and realizes that he is alone and has been for the whole time.

§§§ JS Medical – Jericho Sumaria Oupost §§§

13 Days Later

Dayton entered the recovery room as soon as Nurse Bishop signalled her. It had been a thirteen hour procedure all said and done. In fact Dayton hadn't left JS Medical since she started the surgery and only had small breaks while skin grafts were settling down on the Admiral so she could go in and finish the job. She pressed her tiredness down when she entered the room and smiled as Drawdé was still waking up.



"Good Afternoon Admiral." Dayton said joyously as she brought over a chair and sat down next to the Admiral's biobed. She felt her eyes dry and she pressed it down. "How are you feeling today?" Dayton said as her eyes momentarily moved over the Admiral's new features. "Before I show you ... the work that I have done ... I need to tell you that your accident has ... some side effects. The damage to your face, made it so I had to create skin grafts that would cover .... where you needed skin on your face." Dayton paused so that D would have a chance to let it sink in. "However ... the genes in your face ... the code that controls skin development has been degraded ... and we had to find other ... grafts to fix the damage. In short, we had to use human skin because Telaxian ... we didn't have any other donors."



I am telling you this to prepare you ... for what I am about to show you. When you look at yourself in the mirror ... you will look human ... not Telaxian." Dayton said softly as she lightly pressed her hand on D's to give him some support.



Drawdé took the mirror and watched as Dayton unraveled the bandages that covered his face. Already he could tell that something had changed, the gauze was coming off slowly and small pieces of it stuck to his face causing him to wince in pain. He noticed that the color of his skin had become more... uniform... there weren't any of the normal Talaxian "spots".



As the last piece of the white fabric was removed it was if he was looking at a comm panel talking to someone different. He moved his eyebrows and began making different expression and faces. With each facial change the reflection mimicked him.



Drawdé lowers the mirror to his chest and closes his eyes. A familiar voice speaks to him within. it was his dad's voice "...remember.. no matter how much things change.. you will ALWAYS be you.... "