One Small Step: Gateways

Dr. McCoy joined the captain and Spock to prepare for transport. The transporter wasn't one of his favorite pieces of technology, but this time he was almost eager to be split into a billion bits. Anything to get off this blighted dustball and back to civilization.

He had been forced to sleep in the dirt last night, but at least he had been on top of it rather than under a tomb of rocks, like Senior Geologist D'Amato. Their rescue had been close -- none of the landing party had had a sip of water for nearly twenty-four hours. He, for one, was ready for a hot meal and a long sonic shower.

Sulu also took his position in the proscribed circle for transport. He was holding his arm again, in pain from the injured shoulder. Dehydration had aggravated the wound.

McCoy tensed, anticipating the familiar tug of the transporter.

The chamber seemed to sparkle and fade. But it was only for a moment. Then they were back again, inside the Kalandan station.

"The joys of modern technology!" McCoy exclaimed. "How can anyone trust these things?"

Kirk flipped his communicator open. "Enterprise, what happened?"

"Sir!" The voice of the transporter operator wavered. "The automatic sequence was interrupted by a biofilter alert. There is an unknown organism in your systems."

McCoy unslung his medical tricorder. "It must be the organism that the Kalandans accidentally created."

Spock also began to scan the chamber. Security Guard Joe Reinhart, a big, stocky man, looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Pulling out the tiny medical scanner, McCoy checked Reinhart. "Go ahead and breathe. It's already infected all of us."

"Fascinating," Spock murmured. "There are several unusual parasites on this planetoid."