Nightshade - Laurell K. Hamilton [82]
Geordi didn’t need eyes to see this. It was behind his eyes, inside his head where the visuals were coming through. He spoke very softly, unwilling to disturb the link. “What do you think, Doctor?”
‘It’s amazing.” Her voice was as soft as his own. The link felt fragile. Whether it was or not, Geordi couldn’t say.
‘You are in link-up?” Veleck’s voice was jarring. Geordi and Crusher turned as a unit, startled.
‘Yes,” Geordi said. “We’re both inside the engine.”
‘Good. I will stay with you to make sure there are no ill effects. if you feel any discomfort, you must say so and I will break the link. It was not designed for aliens.”
‘We know that, Veleck, but thanks for your concern,” Geordi said.
The big alien gave a massive shrug, that poured a flush of heat through his body. “I simply do not wish you to risk yourselves in a futile effort.”
‘If we can save everyone on board this ship, we don’t believe it will be futile,” Crusher said.
‘As you like,” Veleck said.
Crusher made a humph sound. Geordi had to agree. The Milgian’s pessimism was getting on his nerves. It made him want to prove Veleck wrong, not exactly a diplomatic attitude.
Turning back to the control panel, he was aware of Veleck like a frowning mountain to his left, but Geordi had no trouble blocking him out. The link with Crusher and the computer was overwhelming. The world narrowed down to pulsing energy fields. Liquid coolant shooting through artificial veins. The multicolored lights brightening and dimming as the engine “breathed.”
‘There, stop.” Crusher’s voice was soft, inside his head, or so it seemed.
‘What?” he asked.
‘There.” His eyes saw her hand move, but it was like seeing something from the corner of your eyes. All his real attention was inside the engine, only part of him was aware of Crusher’s physical form. She was pointing but her hand seemed to move through the pulsing tissue to a darker area. The bright pastel colors were darker here, a livid purple with edges of black. The artery was swollen. As they watched, liquid began to leak in small droplets. They floated through the interior as if there were no gravity, solid beads of black liquid.
‘What is that?”
‘It’s a foreign body. It’s been placed inside the artery. It’s the source of the immune system damage.”
‘Can you remove it?”
‘I think so,” she said.
Geordi was staring at the blighted area. “Engine, where did this substance come from?”
It did not speak in words like the computer on board the Enterprise, but images flashed through his mind. Veleck’s face, his desire for an experiment to test stress limits. The engine was like an eager, cooperative child. Veleck assured it that he would fix the damage before it reached critical.
‘He tricked it,” Geordi whispered. He pulled himself away from the pulsing world of the engines and turned to stare at Veleck.
‘You sabotaged the engine. You let your own people die.”
‘Yes.” Veleck’s deep voice was as soft as it could get, a distant echo of thunder. He slammed his palm flat against the panel nearest him.
Pain lanced through the wire in Geordi’s skin, tore burning holes through his skull. He heard Crusher scream.
‘You are having an unfortunate accident,” Veleck said.
The pain was eating through Geordi’s face. It felt like his skin was burning away. He fell against the control panels, and the colors went wild. The world was full of burning pain and a kaleidoscope of colors.
The engine was worried about him. Was he well? “No, get help, get the captain!”
Veleck shoved Geordi to the floor. “No, no!” He had released his hold on the panel. The pain vanished instantly, leaving Crusher and Geordi gasping on the floor.
Bebit appeared in the engine room. “The engine alerted me to an accident?” He stared at the two humans still shaking on the floor. “Are you well, Geordi, Dr. Crusher?”
Geordi stared up at the young Milgian and glanced at Veleck. “I am now.”
Veleck whispered,