Episode 151 : Part F

Chellick arrives on Level Red in search of the Doctor. Chellick: "I suspect young Dr Voje helped you escape." Doctor: "He had nothing to do with it." Chellick: "No matter. You're becoming far too troublesome. I'm going to have to deactivate your program."

Voje helps put Chellick onto a trolley-bed

As Chellick reaches for the controls on the Doctor's mobile emitter the Doctor suddenly seizes him, hurls him onto the desk and injects him. The Doctor calls out to Dr Voje for help. As he helps the Doctor heave Chellick onto a gurney Dr Voje is alarmed. Dr Voje to the Doctor: "What's wrong with him? What are you doing?" Doctor: "A little experiment in empathy." Dr Voje: "You told me you were just developing new treatment protocols." Doctor: "Single protocol actually." Chellick: "You're only making things worse for yourself." Doctor to Chellick: "As a matter of fact I'm making things worse for you. I'm going to make you a patient in your own hospital." Chellick: "What was in that injector?" Doctor: "A neural blocker combined with the same virus that afflicted Tebbis." Dr Voje to the Doctor: "I trusted you." Doctor: "And Tebbis trusted me." To Chellick: "You remember Tebbis, don't you, 'patient R12'? Maybe this will jog your memory." The Doctor pushes the trolley to the diagnostic panel which activates the Allocator. Dr Voje: "What are you doing?!" The Allocator: "Patient R12. Species: Dinaal. Identity: Tebbis." Chellick: "This is ridiculous. I'm not Tebbis!" Doctor: "But the Allocator thinks you are." Dr Voje to the Doctor: "How did you-" Doctor: "Simple. The Allocator identifies patients by reading blood factors. I altered Chellick's by injecting him with antigens from Tebbis." To Chellick: "Now, why don't we see if we can get your condition treated." To the Allocator: "Requesting one cytoglobin injection for patient R12." The Allocator: "Treatment denied." Chellick: "I order you to medicate me NOW." Doctor: "Ordinarily I would, but if the Allocator says no-" Chellick: "Is this some sort of revenge?" Doctor: "Not revenge. Leverage. I want enough cytoglobin to cure every infected patient on this level." Chellick: "We don't have an adequate supply." Doctor: "There's plenty on Level Blue." Chellick: "Where it's being used to prevent arterial ageing." Doctor: "Those patients will survive without it, but a dozen people on this level won't. I will not let them die!"

Voyager arrives at the Dinaal homeworld. Paris: "Entering orbit." Janeway: "Scan for the Doctor's signature."

Voje scans Chellick

Dr Voje scans Chellick and says to the Doctor: "He's dying!" Doctor: "As soon as we get the cytoglobin we'll be able to treat all the Level Red patients including him." Dr Voje, with increasing desperation: "You said it yourself: doctors heal, we don't make patients sick." Doctor: "I don't know any other way to help these people." Chellick, who is increasingly weaker, calls Voje to him who bends over him in order to hear the sick man's plea. Chellick: "Dr Voje, I need the medicine now." Dr Voje, wanting to help but feeling frustrated: "Sir, I only have a Level Red clearance - you know I'm not authorised!" Chellick: "Then find someone who is!" Dr Voje hurries into the lift.

On Voyager, Torres reports: "I've got him. He's aboard a vessel above the northern continent." Janeway: "Can you get a lock?" Torres: "It's not going to be easy. His program seems to be interfaced with the main computer." Janeway: "Hail the ship." Kim: "They're responding. Audio only." The Allocator, via comms: "This is hospital ship four-two, allocation module alpha." Janeway: "This is Captain Janeway of the starship Voyager. I would like to speak with someone about a member of my crew who is aboard your vessel." The Allocator, via comms: "Administrator Chellick is currently unavailable." Janeway, via comms: "Then may I speak with someone else?" The Allocator, via comms: "Only Administrator Chellick is authorised to communicate with alien species." Janeway throws up an arm to indicate her frustration and ends contact.

Dr Voje returns to Level Red. Dr Dysek arrives not far behind him. Dr Dysek: "Are we having a problem here?" Chellick: "Dysek, finally." Dr Voje to the Doctor: "I'm sorry, I had to tell him." The Doctor indicates by his expression that he understands. Dr Dysek scans Chellick. Chellick to Dr Dysek: "What are you waiting for? Give me the cytoglobin." Dr Dysek: "I don't think I can." Chellick: "What are you saying?!" Dr Dysek: "Cytoglobin isn't authorised for Level Red patients." Chellick: "Dysek!" Dr Dysek: "I don't want to break the rules." Chellick, desperately: "I made the rules!" Dr Dysek: "Then you should be pleased that I hold them in such high regard."

Chakotay leaves his seat and heads for the turbolift

Meanwhile, aboard Voyager, Torres reports: "I'm sorry, Captain, I can't transport him without damaging his matrix." Janeway: "Then you'll have to go down there and get him." Torres: "Aye, Captain." Janeway: "Chakotay," and he too leaves the Bridge.

Chellick: "Don't tell me you're allied to this defective hologram!" Dr Dysek: "No, but he has given me insight into some of the intricacies of our system. For example, did you know that if I don't request enough resources for Level Blue this month, I won't get what I need next month?" Chellick: "What are you talking about?!" Doctor to Dr Dysek: "You know, Doctor, one way to increase your allocation of resources on Level Blue would be to increase the number of patients. I know at least a dozen people who should be treated for arterial ageing. Saving their lives would be just a side effect." Dr Dysek: "Mmm, perhaps we should have them transferred to Level Blue." Doctor to Dr Dysek: "If you're looking for a second opinion, I concur." Dr Dysek: "Well, Chellick, what do you think?" Chellick: "Absurd." Dr Dysek: "We'd have to transfer you to Level Blue. You'd get your cytoglobin."

Chakotay and Torres beam into the room. transporter Chakotay: "Doctor." Doctor: "It's nice to see some friendly faces." Chakotay: "We're going to get you out of here." Torres: "Who do we talk to about accessing the main computer?" Doctor: "I'll be with you in a moment. I'm with a patient." He turns to Chellick: "Do we have an agreement?" Chellick: "Yes."

Later, once the Doctor's program has been disconnected from the Allocator and returned to Voyager...

In Voyager's Sickbay, the Doctor gives Seven her weekly check-up. Doctor: "You've managed to stay well while I was away. I'm giving you a clean bill of health." Seven: "You were only away 4 days." Doctor: "A lot can happen in 4 days: injuries, infections, malfunctions-" Seven: "As you said, I'm fine, thank you." Doctor: "I was wondering if you'd mind doing me a favour. I'd like you to give me a check-up." Seven: "Have you been experiencing problems?" Doctor: "No, but as you said, I've been off the ship for a while, interfaced with an alien computer." Seven: "Your program appears to be operating within normal parameters." Doctor: "Really? What about over the past several days?" Seven: "There's no indication of diminished capacity." Doctor: "No problems with my ethical subroutines?" Seven: "None." Doctor: "I see." Seven: "You seem disappointed." Doctor: "While I was aboard that ship I poisoned a man." Seven: "Deliberately?" Doctor: "Yes. I was trying to force him to let me treat patients who were dying." Seven: "You were prepared to sacrifice an individual to benefit a collective." Doctor: "No offence, Seven, but I don't exactly aspire to Borg ideals." Seven: "You were hoping your behaviour was the result of a malfunction. I'm sorry, but I must give you a clean bill of health."

For "The End" image I used a drawing of Gar's ship from TOSTFF.