Star Trek: Starfleet Academy by Diane Carey

Author:Diane Carey
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, Fiction
ISBN: 9780671015503
Publisher: Star Trek
Published: 1997-02-19T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

As I struggled to my feet, skidding on the laminated charts, a gout of toxic green smoke boiled from the electroscopic analysis chamber, and a sign over the door flashed Danger! Contamination! Do Not Enter!

“Sturek!” I coughed his name and scrambled toward the electro chamber, just as behind me the main door opened and Kirk and Sulu walked in.

No time for formalities—I ignored them.

I heard Kirk’s voice— “Toxic! Keep back!”

He might’ve been shouting at me, or at Sulu. It didn’t matter—I was already inside them green cloud, holding my breath and keeping my eyes clamped shut.

“Sturek! Can you hear me?”

The desire to open my eyes was overwhelming, the need to take a breath even worse. I knew neither would do me any good and forced myself to move by feel, faltering with every step, holding my breath until my lungs screamed.

Just when my lungs turned to scrambled eggs, my hands bumped a recognizable form on the deck. I shoved my fingers into the fabric and flesh, closed them like claws, and hauled away.

Sturek was limp at first, then stirred enough to get one leg under him and together we shoved ourselves our feet.

A forced cough bolted out of my chest—I couldn’t help it—and acrid chemical smoke surged back into my lungs. My head instantly swam, and I gagged. My guts turned inside out.

Dragging Sturek, I scraped back the way I’d come, hoping luck would bring me to the invisible doorway.

“This way, Forester!”

I angled toward the sound. Good thing—I’d have run headlong into a wall if he hadn’t called out. A surge of heat scored my left cheek—fire!

Flames nipped at my elbow and shoulder. I pivoted Sturek away from them and tried to straighten up.

The wall skimmed the top of my head, and flames licked at my left elbow and hip as I turned and dragged Sturek, both of us choking, out into the main lab. My eyes burned and watered, and at my side Sturek grew heavier and slipped to the floor, pulling me to my knees.

“David—” he choked. “Proof—inside!”

“What proof?” I gagged back.

“The attacking ship—Bicea—” He tried to speak, and was thrown into a fit of coughing.

Thick hands grabbed me and pulled me farther from the green smoke, then all the way out into the corridor, while alert klaxons bellowed around us. I twisted hard, trying in a fit of incoherence to get back in there to pull Sturek out, but captain Sulu appeared in my way with Sturek firmly in tow.

Sulu put Sturek down beside me, leaning against the far corridor wall, and Captain Kirk knelt at my side while I hacked out the bad air.

Seconds later, the corridor rumbled with footsteps and a hazardous materials team thundered past us and into the lab, dressed in full-body protective suits and fire control gear. They’d lock it down….

“What happened?” Kirk demanded.

“Explosion, sir,” I rasped as sparks floated past us from the lab.

Sturek grasped my arm. “Proof—”

I looked at Kirk and blinked the hot sting out of my eyes.

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