Star Trek: The Predicament About Demons

15

"Doctor!" Leonard whipped around in alarm, only to relax as he realized who it was.

"Damnit, Scotty, don't scare me like that." He sighed and looked around their surroundings. "Engineering is an absolute ghost town. What happened?"

"An invisible beast came at me and my team while we were trying to reconfigure the override manual for the warp core. It killed at least a third of everyone down here." Scotty frowned, a pained expression on his face as he explained.

It was no surprise to Leonard how many people these invisible hellhounds killed. "You hurt?"

Scotty shook his head. "Just a few scratches, but other than that, I'm fine. Though there are a few lasses who need tending to." Leonard followed him as quickly and silently when they reached a part of Engineering that was mostly closed off—a spot that could easily be overlooked by anyone if you weren't looking close enough.

As they slipped through, Leonard saw that there were at least ten people crammed together. One by one, Leonard treated each person, wounds varying as he went. He was in the middle of applying gauze to someone's eye when his comm buzzed. The doctor sighed, close to not being able to answer it in time when Scotty answered and held the device for him. "Thanks. McCoy here."

"Bones," came Jim's voice, "did you get to Engineering yet?"

"Yeah, I'm in Engineering with Scotty and a few others. I've got my hands full at the moment." He sounded a little perturbed. "How's benny?"

Jim softly sighed. "She healed quickly—right now she's resting. Look, Bones, Sulu and Chekov were able to track the hellhound's energy signature: it's the last one and it's right where you guys are."

Leonard nodded, even if Jim couldn't see him. He finished up on the ensign's eye and hurriedly put away the medical equipment. "All right, I'll get on it." He took the communicator from Scotty and snapped it shut. "Scotty, come with me."

Scotty and Leonard both walked up to the exit with their phasers. "Got anything sharp on you?" The ginger raised a brow before pulling out an old-fashioned screwdriver from his tool belt he kept while working. "Thanks." Leonard took the tool into his free hand, turning it between his fingers before firmly gripping it.

"Not as sharp, but if you plan on using it against that thing, it might work."

Leonard nodded in response before slowly poking his head out of the exit, looking around until he spotted it: there it stood, right as it turned the corner, disappearing behind the warp chamber. "I'll run out to get its attention. As soon as I start shooting, you run out and shoot it." Scotty nodded in compliance and Leonard ran out, passing the hellhound.

It barked and howled, and with its long legs, it came bounding, just how Leonard knew it would be like with any other predator in a game of chase. Leonard spun around and began firing, the hound howled in pain, but it still kept on coming. Scotty took his cue and ran out and fired at it. Leonard then ducked behind a corner. But instead of turning around and going after Scotty, it kept its eye on and continued to pursue its original target. "Shit!"

With it being his only option, for the time being, Leonard jumped up into the air and hovered over the hound. Once the creature thought it useless to go after him, it spun right around and ran straight at Scotty. "Scotty, dodge to your right!" The engineer was a second too slow because when he began to lunge away, the hound rammed its head into his abdomen and sent him flying into the wall with a loud clang.

Leonard huffed and dropped down to the floor. And with one swift move, he dashed towards the hound and stabbed it with the tool. The hound howled and ran around in circles, dragging Leonard with him as he continued to hold onto the screwdriver. Scotty, after getting his bearings, found a piece of scrap metal. It was a difficult attempt for him to get the hound in a corner. So when he was given the chance, after briefly hesitating—because he couldn't see where he would be hitting—he stabbed the piece of metal deep into its neck. The hound then slowly went limp and collapsed.