Open Writing

By the time Kirk and Spock arrived at sick bay, McCoy had the inert figure of the alien creature laid out on one of the examining tables. They approached the table cautiously; Chekov was not alone in half-fearing that the creature might awaken suddenly, but a closer look soon dispelled any such possibility.

The alien lay on its side, turned that way because of its tail and the shape of its head. It lay still, clearly dead, and as they watched, McCoy was working at the hammer-shaped head. Kirk leaned closer, and had to stop himself from recoiling at the sight he beheld.

The ‘face’ of the creature revealed the most formidable display of teeth that Kirk had ever seen. It had black, rubbery lips that were pulled back from the mouth, held in place by McCoy’s clamps, and some of its teeth appeared to be four or five inches long. But it was the inside of the mouth that grabbed Kirk’s attention.

McCoy had the alien’s mouth wide open, and was using a clamping tool to pull something out. The others watched, fascinated and repelled as the doctor slowly drew out a long shaft of bone, shaped like a square in cross-section. There were gasps around the table as it was revealed that there was a second set of jaws at the end of the shaft. Over both sets of teeth, heavy mucus dripped.

Kirk turned to Spock, and the Vulcan raised an eyebrow in a characteristic gesture. “Interesting,” he remarked. “It would seem that the creature has two lines of attack.” He looked across the table at McCoy. “Wouldn’t you agree, doctor?”

McCoy nodded. “Yep, that’s what it looks like to me. See,” he said, turning the alien’s head slightly, “when it attacks, its main jaws open and this little gizmo here slides out. Then, the second, smaller set of teeth latches on whatever it’s attacking and rips chunks out of…”

Kirk waved him to silence. “Yes, all right, Bones, we get the picture.” He looked down at the creature with distaste. “What else have you found?”

McCoy gave the captain a jaundiced look. “If you thought that was bad, then you’re gonna love this,” he said dryly. He pointed to the edge of the examining table on his side. “I tried to take a blood sample and… well, if you come around here you’ll see what I mean.”

Puzzled, Kirk walked around to the other side of the table and looked to where McCoy was pointing. At first, he could not believe what he was seeing; there was a large piece missing from the edge of the examining table, almost as though something had taken a bite out of it. Kirk stared at it incredulously, and said, “Bones, what the hell happened here?”

McCoy smiled grimly. “I’ll tell you what happened here. About half a cupful of this creature’s blood did that to the table, that’s what happened here.”

Kirk stared at him “Bones, that’s impossible. That table is made of Acticite.” McCoy nodded, and Kirk went on. “Acticite is just about the toughest material known, for God’s sake! Are you telling me that this…this…thing’s blood went through three inches of Acticite like hot water on ice? That material will resist the strongest corrosives known!”

McCoy was still nodding. “I know, Jim, I know. In thirty-seven years of practicing medicine, I’ve never seen anything like it. This thing’s blood just dissolved one of the hardest substances known, almost as hard as diamond.” He pointed at his feet, where the floor was blackened and discolored. “Luckily, it stopped before it reached the deck.”

Kirk was silent, and Spock observed, “I suspect we are fortunate, in more ways than one, that the creature is dead. Had it still been alive, I believe the acidic nature of its blood would have been even more volatile, and may even have eaten through the Enterprise’s hull.”

Kirk turned to his first officer. “Acid? Is that what this is? This thing has acid for blood?”

Spock and McCoy both nodded. “Looks that way, Jim,” said the doctor.

Kirk looked at the alien more closely. “What else have you discovered about it, Bones? Any idea how it breeds, for instance?”

McCoy shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Without observing a group of them, we have no way of finding out anything about them. Although,” he added dryly, “I know a few Klingons who’d pay real money to see its mating ritual.”

There was silence around the table, and then Kirk turned to his First Officer.

“Spock, any progress on the study you were carrying out? What have you found so far?”

The Vulcan nodded. “I believe I might have some answers for you soon, captain. I am conducting another investigation of my own that seems likely to provide us with at least some clues to this puzzle. I will be ready to present a preliminary report in a few hours.”

Kirk nodded. “Very well, Mr. Spock. In the meantime, Bones, you keep working on the alien. Try to find out more about it and its make-up, maybe try to deduce some of its habits. In particular, see if you can find out any of its weaknesses.”

McCoy nodded glumly. “I’ll try, Jim. But this joker doesn’t look as if he’s likely to have too many of those.”

Kirk turned and walked towards the door, then stopped and said, “I want everything you can give me, as soon as you can give it. We’ve got to know what they are, and how much of a threat they represent. But one thing is certain; benevolent, technologically advanced aliens they most definitely are not.” Then he turned away and walked towards the turbolifts, reflecting that they might not have much time to find the answers.

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