Chapter Five: Out Of The Frying Pan. In which our protagonist must confront abusive colleagues. Torres is now the protagonist in the Doctor's holonovel, and we see her here experiencing Chapter Five of it. She is in Sickbay. A holo-crewmember enters. Holo-crewmember: "I'm here for my physical." Torres: "Why don't you have a seat, over here." The door opens and the holocharacter Lt. Marseilles enters. "Doctor, you'd better get down to Engineering." Torres gives a little smile when she see holo-Marseilles' moustache. "What's wrong?" Holo-Marseilles: "A plasma conduit just exploded. At least ten people are hurt." In the doorway Torres finds that her character's holographic matrix breaks up so she cannot go beyond the exit. Holo-Marseilles, scornfully: "Hey, genius. Forgetting something?" When Torres looks blank, he says impatiently: "Your mobile emitter." Torres: "Oh right." She looks round. "I don't see it." Holo-Marseilles points to the large object on the trolley behind her. Torres: "That's my mobile emitter?" As he helps her on with it: "This thing must weigh 50 kilos." Holo-Marseilles: "You should be glad we let you out of your cage at all. Now get going."

Torres enters engineering. There the holographic chief engineer, Lieutenant Torrey, who looks like Torres except that she is human and has black hair, is at a console looking at the work of one of her staff. Holo-Torrey: "I'm impressed." Holo-crewman: "Really?" Holo-Torrey: "Absolutely. I haven't seen a dilithium matrix this far out of alignment since I served aboard a Ferengi garbage scow." She pushes the holo-crewman aside. "I'll fix it myself." Torres: "Excuse me." Holo-Torrey: "How many times have I told you: engineering is off-limits to holograms. Torres: "Maybe you should waive that restriction during emergencies." She reminds the other: "A plasma conduit exploded." Holo-Torrey: "Does it look like anyone here is covered with plasma burns?" Torres: "Lieutenant Par- er Marseilles told me there was an accident." Holo-Torrey: "Looks like your auditory subroutines are malfunctioning, again. I'm surprised a matrix as primitive as yours can function at all." Torrey: "Maybe you should be a little nicer to your shipmates. You never know when you might need their help." Holo-Torrey shoves Torres backwards and says nastily: "Get one thing straight: you're not one of my shipmates, you're a tool, like this hyperspanner, and tools can be replaced. So why don't you go back to Sickbay before I start doing a little re-programming."

When Torres returns to Sickbay she finds the place in darkness. Torres: "Computer, lights." The room lights come on. She disturbs the holo-crewmember who had arrived for her physical and holo-Marseilles - they are making out on the primary biobed. Holo-Marseilles leaps up and confronts Torres. Holo-Marseilles: "Didn't I tell you to go to Engineering." Torres: "Oh, I get it. Interesting plot-twist. You get me out of Sickbay so you're free to give my patient a tonsillectomy." Holo-Marseilles: "If you even think of mentioning this to my wife, I will purge your memory buffer, do we understand each other?" Another female crewmember enters and says: "I'm here for my physical." But it is clear she is there for the same kind of 'physical' that the other crewmember had come for! Holo-Marseilles smiles broadly at Torres.

Chapter Six: Duel In The Ready Room. In which our protagonist faces an inquisition.

The holo-captain, called Jenkins, has a Ready Room identical to Janeway's except that there is a collection of guns of various kinds mounted on the wall, and the coffee table is of a different design. Holo-Jenkins aims the pistol she is cleaning at Neelix. Neelix is now the protagonist in the Doctor's holonovel and we see him in Chapter Six of it.

Holo-Jenkins: "This time you've gone too far." Neelix: "Captain, I'm not sure what you mean." Holo-Jenkins waves her PADD at him and tells him it is: "An inventory of your holomatrix: 50 gigaquads of memory devoted to music, 42 for day-dreams, another 10 to expand your sexuality." Neelix: "I'd no idea holograms could do that." Holo-Jenkins: "These extra-curricular subroutines don't belong as part of an Emergency Medical Hologram. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Neelix: "Er, of course I do. I don't think these subroutines are trivial, Captain, they help me be a better doctor, and a better person." Holo-Jenkins: "But you're not a person. You may be programmed to look and act human, but that doesn't make you one. These subroutines are going to be deleted immediately." She activates her combadge. combadge "Mr Tulok." Two holograms enter: one looks like Tuvok except that his ears are less obviously Vulcan and he has a beard, and the other, called Kymble, looks like Kim but is a Trill and his hair is harshly sleeked back. "Take the EMH to the hololab for reprogramming."

>

Chapter Seven: The Escape. In which our protagonist is aided by his only ally.

A turbolift comes to the place it has been summoned to. The door opens and Kim, now the protagonist, enters, followed by holograms Kymble and Tulok. We are seeing him during the time when he experiences Chapter Seven of the Doctor's holonovel.

interior of (empty) turbolift in vertical motion (pop-up window) (93Kb. Approx. download for 56K modem 18 seconds)

Holo-Kymble: "I'm not sure we should be doing this, Commander." Kim: "Listen to him, he knows what he's talking about." Holo-Kymble: "Quiet! I'm not talking to you. If we start tinkering with his matrix, how do we know we won't accidentally delete some of his diagnostic subroutines?" Holo-Tulok chuckles. "Afraid you'll catch something on your next away mission, Ensign?" Holo-Kymble whines: "There must be millions of viruses in this quadrant that no one's ever encountered before. With my luck I'll probably end up catching half of them." Kim to himself: "Great, my character's a hypochondriac." The turbolift stops and the doors open. A holocharacter that looks identical to Seven, except that she is a redhead, has darker eyes, and has no Borg implants but wears a necklace whose flashing lights indicate some electronic function and a bracelet bearing what look like intricate controls. Holo-Three of Eight: "I'll escort the prisoner from here." Holo-Tulok: "Our orders are to take him to the hololab." Holo-Three of Eight: "I've been ordered to perform the procedure." Holo-Tulok: "Your sympathies for the EMH are no secret, Three of Eight." He and holo-Kymble aim their phasers at her. "Step aside."

She does so, but once they are ahead of her she activates controls on her bracelet.....
.....and holo-Tulok and holo-Kymble slam into a forcefield.
Holo-Three of Eight attacks holo-Tulok and grabs his phaser from him.
Kim turns at the commotion. She throws the phaser to Kim, calling, "Run, Doctor!"
Kim runs.....
.....but is stopped by a forcefield. He runs in the opposite direction.....
.....but two holo-security guards chase him....
.....and seize him.

Chapter Eight: A Tragic End. In which our protagonist learns his fate. In Sickbay the EMH is divested of his mobile emitter. The EMH protagonist is now Janeway. She has experienced the Doctor's holonovel and here we see her experiencing the final chapter. Holo-Jenkins: "I've tried to do this the easy way but it's clear you're not going to be reasonable. Your matrix will be decompiled and re-initialised. You'll remain offline except for emergencies." Holo-Torrey: "Ready." Holo-Jenkins: "Do it."  Holo-Three of Eight: "Wait. He has the right to expand his program." Holo-Jenkins: "He's a piece of technology. He has no rights." Holo-Three of Eight: "But he should. One day the EMH and others like him will be recognised for what they are: intelligent individuals with a passion for life. Make no mistake, Captain, we may be thousands of light-years from home but one day people will learn of the crime you're committing here today." Holo-Jenkins: "Nice speech. Now decompile the program." As the EMH program is decompiled, Janeway's view of her surroundings melts away. What you've experienced here, protagonist, is a work of fiction, but like all fiction it has elements of truth. I hope you now have a better understanding of the struggles holograms must endure in a world controlled by organics. Computer: "End of program." As the Doctor's holonovel ends, Voyager's deactivated hologrid appears.   Janeway activates her combadge. combadge "Janeway to the Doctor. Report to my Ready Room NOW."

 

Thanks to Tickie's Web Page Themes for the background set Celestial Swag and for customising it for me. For this page set Tickie was voted first place in September 2000's Imagination Unlimited competition.