Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation.
Kelvin?
The crew was having an eventless day on the bridge. This made their second week of being pulled through space. Picard was in a relaxed frame of mind. In an instant, alarms started blaring. “Report,” Picard ordered almost jumping out of his chair. Data worked at his station. The voice of the Enterprise came over the intercom. “Cabin temperature 255 degrees Kelvin.”
“What cabin?” Data asked under his breath. Every touch he made to his console gave a resounding beep. Finally, he stopped, shaking his head. He turned to Picard. “My station has been locked.”
“Cabin temperature 249 degrees Kelvin.”
“What cabin?” Data asked in a normal tone of voice.
He got up going to the science station behind Mr. Worf. Geordi entered the bridge, joining Data. “We are having a massive coolant leak.”
“Is our temperature decrease radioactive?” Picard asked.
“Negative.” Came the computers reply.
“How is that possible?” Picard asked.
“Answer unknown.” Came the answer.
Again as Data tried to trace the source of the leak, the panel would beep. “This station has been locked as well.”
“Cabin temperature 244 degrees Kelvin.”
“Why are you reporting this?” Picard asked.
“A hazard was detected toward the safety of the crew.” The computer answered.
“Stop the leak.” Picard ordered.
“Destination undetermined.”
“Is it a mechanical problem?”
“Negative. Cabin temperature 238 degrees Kelvin.”
“The temperature is falling 10 degrees per minute.” Data spoke.
“Since when does 249 minus 244 equal 10.” Westerfield snapped.
“Degrees Fahrenheit.” Data answered.
“Cabin temperature 233 degrees Kelvin.”
“Geordi accompany me to Engineering, perhaps we can trace the source from there?” Data asked.
“Make it so.” Picard ordered.
“Cabin temperature 227 degrees Kelvin.”
“Cabin temperature.” Data scoffed.
Data and Geordi combed Engineering with tricorders.
“Cabin temperature 216 degrees Kelvin.”
“Is it doubling?” Geordi asked.
“No, we have been concentrating on our jobs. We have not been paying attention to the count down. Your mind blocks out what it deems useless.”
“Selective hearing.” Geordi raised his tricorder to a Jeffery’s tube hatch.
“Bingo.” Data joined him. Geordi took the plate off the control panel to the hatch.
“Phaser blast.”
“Someone set a phaser off and it did not set off any alarms?”
Data tapped his communicator. “Captain, we have evidence of an unauthorized phaser discharge.”
“Cabin temperature 205 degrees Kelvin.” The computer continued.
“I hope no one is in that cabin.”
“We can access this tube from Holodeck 2.” Data walked toward the holodeck. Inside the holodeck, he removed the plate covering the control panel.
“Someone didn’t do their homework.”
“Meaning?”
“We can get in this hatch.” They climbed into the Jeffery’s tube. Data went first staying a couple feet ahead of Geordi. They came to a fork in the tube. Data pointed the tricorder down the tube they were in, “this tube leads to Ten-Forward.”
Geordi pointed his tricorder down the tube creating the fork. “This way to crew quarters. There is a 0005 degree difference in ductwork.”
“Cabin temperature 194 degrees Kelvin.”
“Have you ever seen a personsicle?” Geordi asked.
“I take it you mean a person frozen into a popsicle state?” Data questioned. “A body so cold that when you touch it pieces break off?”
“Yes.”
“Yes. I have.”
“You aren’t in a good mood are you?”
“Being locked out of the Enterprise computer system is enough to create for me the equivalent of a bad day.” They came to another fork in the tube.
“Okay, now I am going to have a bad day. The tube on the right has the .0005-degree difference. The tube on the left has a .0001-degree difference.
“Cabin temperature 188 degrees Kelvin.”
“Let us follow the colder one.” He tilted forward rubbing his forehead.
“Are you okay?” Geordi placed his hand on Data’s shoulder.
“Yes, a little,” he thought for a moment to find the right word, “dizzy.” They continued their route through the Jeffery’s tube.
“The difference is gone.” He moved his tricorder back two feet. “It’s here.” He continued moving it forward until the difference was gone. “Where are we?”
Data pushed a couple buttons on his tricorder. “Above my quarters.”
“Cabin temperature 183 degrees Kelvin.”
Data tapped his communicator. “This leak is directed toward my quarters.”
“Your quarters?” Picard questioned.
“Yes sir.”
“The complicated part is going to be repairing the computer damage in order to stop the leak.” Geordi reported.
“Can that be done from Engineering?” Picard asked.
“We will attempt it.” Data answered.
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