Bloody Hands (Part Two of Two)

Breathing just enough for a remorseful howl of despair. The abyss of guilt came through the tortured cry: "What have I done !"

Lieutenant Commander Lucas Taline was gone. His mind was trapped. His body, however, was able to perform. It was amazing how well one's body could perform under certain extreme and/or stressful conditions. He contacted the bridge.

[What is it, Lucas ?] Shale requested.

"Lieutenant Tyra's gone."

An awkward pause as the other end came to their conclusions.

"She's dead, sir."

Another awkward pause as the proper response was contemplated.

"I'll begin working on repairing the damage here. Once repairs are complete, it should be a few moments before we can get the power we need." Taline finished: emotionless. His body carried him to the tube where he immediately began assessing damage and the way to repair it, thoughtlessly. For all intents and purposes, Lieutenant Commander Lucas Taline was now a machine. His mind was gone. Everything he now did was a programmed response to an external stimulus. Nothing but responses to stimuli.

Though he sounded emotionless over the comm system, his thoughts were far from it. A torrent of rage and sorrow and regret and self-loathing.

*It was all my fault. The blood is on my hands. I can never be cleansed of this crime. Tyra is gone and it's my fault. An innocent slain by carelessness and petty emotions. MY carelessness and MY petty emotions ! It is MY fault ! And there is no way to bring her back ! What can I do ? What SHOULD I do ? A companion who I trusted and cared for is now gone forever ! ARRGGHHH ! Why can't I turn back the hands of time ?! WHY ! Damn you, Darwin ! You did it, you bastard ! You played off my self-consciousness and used it to get me to kill Tyra ! You...you...* His thoughts slowed before continuing. *No.* His thoughts stopped. Though they began again slowly, they snowballed, like an avalanche. *No, Darwin. No, it wasn't you. You weren't/aren't responsible for this. You aren't to blame. You have done much on this ship, yes. But not here... not this. This is my doing. I must find a way to make amends. But how ? How can I make up for...for this ? Is there no way ? How will this ship get back online ? Tyra was a beautiful, skilled member of this crew. Now I am without her. It was all my fault.*

The cycle continued, growing more and more intense each time. Repairs were coming surprisingly quickly, it was now possible to supply enough energy to basic life-support and internal communication systems. The hollow shell immediately went through the necessary actions to get the systems back on line. Returning to the tube, repairs continued.

"Lieutenant Commander....." A member of the crew rushed in. "Lieutenant Commander !" They jogged to the tube where the automaton was performing repairs. "Taline ! Taline !"

No response. He didn't even look up. "Lucas ! Luke ! Lieutenant Commander !" They continued to try to contact the engineer, but it proved to be of no avail.

It was then that they saw the body. "Oh, my God..." They took a few steps back and turned their head away, diverting their gaze to a less disturbing view.

"Taline is not responding to attempts at verbal communication. Should I try to get his attention physically ?" They asked over the comm system.

[If they are not responding, that could mean their mind is undergoing some great stress. I don't know if forcing him out is our best option.] Dr. Katts replied somewhat distantly, as the physical condition of Brayden required a great deal of attention.

Almost as if it were fated (and not purely coincidental), the ship's counsellor happened to be in sickbay. Sierra Devore had heard about Taline's possible "condition".

* Would she stay with her son, who hovered on death's door ? Would she try to pull Taline's mind out of the labyrinth of emotions that threatened insanity ? Could anyone help ?*