**** Authors Note: OK back to the old format. And like I mentioned in Ep. 1, these are first drafts so there could be stuff to polish up and get more detailed but I am horrible at doing that (I'd never get it done). Anyway, hope you enjoy 
P.S. Might be a little profanity, once or twice ****
ACT I
(premise - Arnie's weekend off turns crazy as the crew is infected with the Psi 2000 virus.)
Stardate: 1704.3
I woke up with a start. My ever so perfect roommate wasn't making any effort to keep quiet. He knew I had the day off! Couldn't he have even attempted to left me take a little advantage of it by sleeping in?
"You're in a chipper mood." I commented groggily as I saw Roy finishing off the imperfections in his uniform. "Tell me Roy, how is it possible that whenever we break open a bottle of alcohol you're not even phased the next morning while I get my butt completely kicked?"
Roy chuckled. "That's because my friend, I always stop at drink number three."
I let out a single laughing breath. "Whatever, we polished off that half bottle of Romulan Ale last night."
Roy looked at me and grinned. "Actually you polished off that half bottle."
I attempted to recall last nights events. While they were a bit fuzzy, I could still remember them and low and behold, he was right. I never noticed it before but Roy never goes past his third drink.
"You S.O.B.! You've been contributing to my delinquency without contributing to your own!" I accused, only partially joking.
Roy laughed and shrugged in mock helplessness. "It's not my problem you can't hold your liquor."
"Thanks a lot! We'll see if I ever drink with you again!" I replied jokingly.
We both laughed, him more so than me though since the throbbing in my cranium prevented any extraneous movement.
"Where are you off too?" I asked, noticing he was equipped for a landing party op.
Roy smiled proudly. "You are looking at the lead crewman for landing party two to go down on the surface."
"Surface? Surface of where?" I asked. I didn't realize we had entered orbit anywhere.
Roy shrugged. "Some nowhere place called Psi 2000. Evidently there's a research station here that we were assigned to check out."
"Ooh research station. Think there be any hostile aliens?" I asked.
Roy whipped out his Phaser and stood in 'ready and shoot' stance. "I certainly hope so."
"Well, good luck and don't get killed." I replied.
Roy flashed his trademark wink and tongue click. "You know me, I'm invincible!"
"Uh huh." I replied unconvinced. "See you on the flip side."
And with that, Roy dashed out of the room like some Phaser wielding, red shirt wearing superhero. I however, went back to bed to see if I could sleep off the effects of this Romulan hangover.
******
I managed to get a few more hours of sleep but the hangover was just too powerful and I had a massive need to get some water in me. I got up, did my morning constitutional and stumbled half awake and half hung-over down the corridor to the mess hall. Some synthetic food cubes and coffee would work wonders. Or so I'd hoped. On my way I came across Lt. Sulu, shirtless and brandishing a sword.
Well, as you might have guessed, that's not 'normal procedure' for a senior officer. Coupled with some other strange stuff that was going on, I finally decided that I wasn't quite fully recovered from the effects of that ale last night and I was seeing things.
I shrugged it off and made my way to the mess hall where I ordered a nice morning breakfast of food cubes and a double helping of coffee. I made no attempt to pay attention to the strange actions by the other crew since they were only hallucinations brought on by too much drinking. If I didn't have an excuse to go sober, I did now.
I found an empty table and sat down to enjoy my breakfast in peace. But just as I was about to take my first sip of coffee, a hand slammed down on the table, threatening to spill the hot beverage over its rim and onto my lap.
"What the hell!" I remarked, annoyed.
I looked up to see who the offending person was. Great. It was Crewman Hardin. I knew this 'confrontation' would come. I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon.
"Hinkle," He began in a rather angry tone. "I have a few words to say to you."
"Look Josh, I'm sorry about the whole 'confining you to quarters' thing, OK? I was an idiot and drunk with power." I replied apologetically.
"That's not good enough Hinkle." He said and slapped the cup of coffee from my hands and onto the floor.
I looked down at the coffee spewed all over the floor, then up to Crewman Hardin in shocked amazement. "Are you crazy Hardin!"
"It's time you get a little of your own medicine." Replied my shipmate.
Josh grabbed me by my shirt and lifted me up to a standing position with more strength than I thought he had. It was that moment when I knew things were going to get messy. Hardin's right fist crashed into my face with a sickening crunch. My head flew back and I sprawled onto the ground.
Unfortunately, as much as I would like to say I wasn't phased in the slightest and I got immediately back up to show my impudent crew mate what for, the truth of the matter was I was out. When I regained consciousness, the whole mess hall was in a giant brawl like some old western holovid bar fight.
I would have thought it was still part of the hallucinations I was having save for the blood trickling down my nose. That's when I finally realized that what was going on with the ship was not just me. I ducked and dodged a few time as crewman combatants tumbled passed me. Food cubes and polymer plates were flying all over the place.
I scrambled to my hands and knees and made my way carefully to the exit. I had almost made it when I heard Hardin's voice scream at me from behind.
"HINKLE! YOU AREN'T GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!"
Josh barged his way through the other tussling crew. He had fire in his eyes and he was out for blood. That much was quite evident.
My mouth dropped open and I tried in vain to crab walk backwards to the door. I couldn't quite see Hardin charging for me for the images of my life were flashing before my eyes. This wasn't no friendly brawl, people in the Mess hall were getting seriously injured. Blood and teeth were flying everywhere and it wasn't just limited to the guys either. The women crew were going at it just as viciously, scratching, biting, pulling of hair and kicking of man parts.
It was official, the entire crew of the Enterprise had just gone crazy.
******
I closed my eyes and prepared for the coming blow, but it never came. I cracked one eye open to see the familiar blue form of an Andorian female pummeling Hardin's head into the deck plating. It was Crewman Kim Hughes and she had quite possible just saved my life.
Kim stopped herself once Hardin was out, well, maybe a bit after he was out. She rushed over to me with concern in her eyes.
"Arnie!" She cried. "Are you OK?"
"Yea." I replied slowly. "Thanks to you."
"Oh good." Kim said. "I was so worried!"
This statement caused me to frown because she said it in a way you would say it about a family member or close loved one. But me and her were just co-workers...
Whatever. She saved my life and I wasn't going to look that gift horse in the mouth.
"Come on." Kim continued in her oddly over-worried tone. "Let's get you to sickbay."
"What about the others?" I inquired as she lifted me up like I weighed nothing.
"They can find their own way." She huffed. "My only concern is you."
On the way down to sickbay I wondered if I had just jumped from the frying pan and into the fire.
P.S. Might be a little profanity, once or twice ****ACT I
(premise - Arnie's weekend off turns crazy as the crew is infected with the Psi 2000 virus.)
Stardate: 1704.3
I woke up with a start. My ever so perfect roommate wasn't making any effort to keep quiet. He knew I had the day off! Couldn't he have even attempted to left me take a little advantage of it by sleeping in?
"You're in a chipper mood." I commented groggily as I saw Roy finishing off the imperfections in his uniform. "Tell me Roy, how is it possible that whenever we break open a bottle of alcohol you're not even phased the next morning while I get my butt completely kicked?"
Roy chuckled. "That's because my friend, I always stop at drink number three."
I let out a single laughing breath. "Whatever, we polished off that half bottle of Romulan Ale last night."
Roy looked at me and grinned. "Actually you polished off that half bottle."
I attempted to recall last nights events. While they were a bit fuzzy, I could still remember them and low and behold, he was right. I never noticed it before but Roy never goes past his third drink.
"You S.O.B.! You've been contributing to my delinquency without contributing to your own!" I accused, only partially joking.
Roy laughed and shrugged in mock helplessness. "It's not my problem you can't hold your liquor."
"Thanks a lot! We'll see if I ever drink with you again!" I replied jokingly.
We both laughed, him more so than me though since the throbbing in my cranium prevented any extraneous movement.
"Where are you off too?" I asked, noticing he was equipped for a landing party op.
Roy smiled proudly. "You are looking at the lead crewman for landing party two to go down on the surface."
"Surface? Surface of where?" I asked. I didn't realize we had entered orbit anywhere.
Roy shrugged. "Some nowhere place called Psi 2000. Evidently there's a research station here that we were assigned to check out."
"Ooh research station. Think there be any hostile aliens?" I asked.
Roy whipped out his Phaser and stood in 'ready and shoot' stance. "I certainly hope so."
"Well, good luck and don't get killed." I replied.
Roy flashed his trademark wink and tongue click. "You know me, I'm invincible!"
"Uh huh." I replied unconvinced. "See you on the flip side."
And with that, Roy dashed out of the room like some Phaser wielding, red shirt wearing superhero. I however, went back to bed to see if I could sleep off the effects of this Romulan hangover.
******
I managed to get a few more hours of sleep but the hangover was just too powerful and I had a massive need to get some water in me. I got up, did my morning constitutional and stumbled half awake and half hung-over down the corridor to the mess hall. Some synthetic food cubes and coffee would work wonders. Or so I'd hoped. On my way I came across Lt. Sulu, shirtless and brandishing a sword.
Well, as you might have guessed, that's not 'normal procedure' for a senior officer. Coupled with some other strange stuff that was going on, I finally decided that I wasn't quite fully recovered from the effects of that ale last night and I was seeing things.
I shrugged it off and made my way to the mess hall where I ordered a nice morning breakfast of food cubes and a double helping of coffee. I made no attempt to pay attention to the strange actions by the other crew since they were only hallucinations brought on by too much drinking. If I didn't have an excuse to go sober, I did now.
I found an empty table and sat down to enjoy my breakfast in peace. But just as I was about to take my first sip of coffee, a hand slammed down on the table, threatening to spill the hot beverage over its rim and onto my lap.
"What the hell!" I remarked, annoyed.
I looked up to see who the offending person was. Great. It was Crewman Hardin. I knew this 'confrontation' would come. I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon.
"Hinkle," He began in a rather angry tone. "I have a few words to say to you."
"Look Josh, I'm sorry about the whole 'confining you to quarters' thing, OK? I was an idiot and drunk with power." I replied apologetically.
"That's not good enough Hinkle." He said and slapped the cup of coffee from my hands and onto the floor.
I looked down at the coffee spewed all over the floor, then up to Crewman Hardin in shocked amazement. "Are you crazy Hardin!"
"It's time you get a little of your own medicine." Replied my shipmate.
Josh grabbed me by my shirt and lifted me up to a standing position with more strength than I thought he had. It was that moment when I knew things were going to get messy. Hardin's right fist crashed into my face with a sickening crunch. My head flew back and I sprawled onto the ground.
Unfortunately, as much as I would like to say I wasn't phased in the slightest and I got immediately back up to show my impudent crew mate what for, the truth of the matter was I was out. When I regained consciousness, the whole mess hall was in a giant brawl like some old western holovid bar fight.
I would have thought it was still part of the hallucinations I was having save for the blood trickling down my nose. That's when I finally realized that what was going on with the ship was not just me. I ducked and dodged a few time as crewman combatants tumbled passed me. Food cubes and polymer plates were flying all over the place.
I scrambled to my hands and knees and made my way carefully to the exit. I had almost made it when I heard Hardin's voice scream at me from behind.
"HINKLE! YOU AREN'T GETTING AWAY THAT EASILY!"
Josh barged his way through the other tussling crew. He had fire in his eyes and he was out for blood. That much was quite evident.
My mouth dropped open and I tried in vain to crab walk backwards to the door. I couldn't quite see Hardin charging for me for the images of my life were flashing before my eyes. This wasn't no friendly brawl, people in the Mess hall were getting seriously injured. Blood and teeth were flying everywhere and it wasn't just limited to the guys either. The women crew were going at it just as viciously, scratching, biting, pulling of hair and kicking of man parts.
It was official, the entire crew of the Enterprise had just gone crazy.
******
I closed my eyes and prepared for the coming blow, but it never came. I cracked one eye open to see the familiar blue form of an Andorian female pummeling Hardin's head into the deck plating. It was Crewman Kim Hughes and she had quite possible just saved my life.
Kim stopped herself once Hardin was out, well, maybe a bit after he was out. She rushed over to me with concern in her eyes.
"Arnie!" She cried. "Are you OK?"
"Yea." I replied slowly. "Thanks to you."
"Oh good." Kim said. "I was so worried!"
This statement caused me to frown because she said it in a way you would say it about a family member or close loved one. But me and her were just co-workers...
Whatever. She saved my life and I wasn't going to look that gift horse in the mouth.
"Come on." Kim continued in her oddly over-worried tone. "Let's get you to sickbay."
"What about the others?" I inquired as she lifted me up like I weighed nothing.
"They can find their own way." She huffed. "My only concern is you."
On the way down to sickbay I wondered if I had just jumped from the frying pan and into the fire.
