Uh-oh, We Have a Problem "
By: Jeff Westfall, Tactical Officer, [PST]
Ian Hunter, Commanding Officer, [PC]
Giuseppe Silvio, Chief Engineer, [RNPC]
Maxine Lucinda Tapert, Computer Specialist, [PC]

Stardate: 58206.15 1330

--Bridge--

Silvio sat at his console on the bridge and watched the warp drive harmonics. The ship's systems were funcitoning but not at the levels that Silvio would have liked. He really needed to get her back to QulTuq for repair. Silvio fought the urge to nod off, he had not allowed himself to sleep much and he was feeling the fatigue.

"Captain Hunter, I've got power fluctuations at main plasma coupling from Deck 10. I've run a level one diagnostic on the control sub-system, and everything's within specification, so it's a real problem. It's about five minutes old".

"Deck 10?" replied Hunter turned to Silvio, "Chief?"

"Ensign Tapert please report to the bridge immediately" Westfall paged.

"Tapert 'ere. On m'way." Maxine responded immediately.

"Sir, we've just lost communications to Holodeck 1. Doctor Dane, Commander Wright and Blitzer are in there. Damn it. Safety protocols are off-line as well".

"Computer Emergency over-ride Engage Holodeck Safety Protocol Westfall Gamma Gamma two one seven Zulu".

Unable to comply, the over-ride protocol is off-line

"Captain we have a "Safeties Off" condition in Holodeck one--Emergency over-ride protocol is off-line, and I don't understand how or why".

SIlvio scanned deck 10, "Captain, I confirm that the holodeck is malfunctioning." His fingers moved accross his console, "I will try to shut down power to the holodeck." Silvio paused as he waited for the results of his scan.

"Main power, has been shut down captain, but the holodeck has backup fusion generators for use in emergency situations." He looked for a way to shut them down, "It's totally self contained, we cannot shut them down from here."

Hunter nodded, "Okay, see what you can do, keep me posted."

Suddenly, the main view screen filled with the now all too familiar face of Birkoff. The image laughed, "I have you again. I am buried so deep in the system you will never get rid of me."

Maxine had stepped onto the bridge a moment before the main view screen came to life. "Oh bullocks.." she muttered and stepped forward. "Tapert reporting as ordered."

Silvio grabbed his tool kit and headed for the turbolift. As he walked past Max he said, "Please come with me Ensign, we are going to go down to deck 10 and see if we can get them out from there."

"Rioght... Erm.. *Them*? Get who out of where, sir?" Maxine asked as she followed the Engineering Chief.

"Commander Wright, Doctor Dane, and that Marine pilot called Blitzer," said Silvio, "Birkoff apparently had another virus planted. It has taken control of the holodeck."

They rode the turbolist to deck ten and headed to holodeck 1. At the entrance Silvio tapped a few keys on the console. THe computer responded with a rude series of beeps. "So much for the easy way," said Silvio.

Silvio moved down the corridor until he found a jefferies tube. He opened it. "I am going to see what I can do to shut down those fusion generators," he said, "see if you can get back computer control."

"Rioght, sir..." Maxine nodded and hooked up her PADD to the holodeck's computer console. "Krystal, execute infiltration program maxim-one."

The little hologram that had materialized when they arrived at the holodeck disappeared as a poof of gold pixie dust and zipped into the computer console at Max's command. It was a moment later when she was literally spit out with a high-pitched squeal and a much bigger spray of dust at her angry shake.

"It looks like he has used some sort of encryption on the program to keep us out," said Silvio as he climbed into the tube.

"Aye sir..." Max watched Krystal with a quirked brow. "It looks like that's just what t'blighter did," she agreed. A frown of concentration formed on her brow as she attached the console herself, her fingers fairly flying over the keys as she worked.

"It looks like layers of encryption, sir," Maxine called out to Silvio. "Let's see if I can distract the computer long enough t'isolate the system from t'mains. Maybe we can get Krystal inside t'holodeck."

"Great," said SIlvio as he made his way farther down the jefferies tube. His plan was to deactivate those fusion generators and casue the system to shut down. He came to a bulkhead door and pucched in his access code. The doors opened and he continued on his way. Finally, he reached the correct junction. SIlvio removed an access panel and got to work. If he could establish a conneciton to the holodeck emergency generators he should be able to tell them to power down. That was the theory anyway. THe problem was that it was going to take a bit of time.

Maxine kept the comm. line open between her and Silvio as she worked. "'e's a crafty devil, sir," she commented. "M'good, but the blighter's got moves I've never seen before.... Encryption on top of encryption on top of encryption. And each one is linked to t'next..." she rattled on. "M'down a couple layers... M'going to try and get Krystal in now, sir... So 'eads up..." she warned.

SIlvio pulled several isolinnear control chips out and reinserted them in a dofferent order., "Ok, Max. Let me know if it works. I am not having much sucess down here."

"Roight sir... m'sending her in now..." Max announced and nodded to Krystal. The Pixie hologram waved goodbye, sparkled into a shower of golden pixie dust and slipped into the computer console.

"She's in, sir... Not sure for 'ow long. The 'olodeck's fighting 'er and trying t'spit 'er back out..." she told him as her fingers flew over the computer controls. "M'tryin' t'distract it."

"He must have installed some sort of AI then," said SIlvio through their comm link, "Perhaps you can take a page from his book and set up some security to keep him from rejecting Krystal."

"Workin' on it now, sir," Maxine agreed whole-heartedly with the Engineer. "We're building a puzzle," she grinned. "'e won't be able t'get through the layers unless 'e 'as the right order. And at the moment I'm more concerned with 'im *absorbing* 'er and rewriting 'er programming... which 'e *shouldn't* be able t'do anyway."

"Good," replied Silvio trying to hide his frustration. Every time he got close to the generators something in the holodeck rerouted him away. WHen this was over he was going to reccomend that Captain hunter purge the Zion's memory core. This Birkoff was way to clever. What if this had happened during combat. SIlvio closed the access panel, "I'm coming back to you. This is not going to work."

Silvio turned himself around and headed out of the Jefferies tube. Silvio closed the hatch and then walked over to where Max was working, "How is it going," he asked.

"I think I've just about got it..." Max glanced up at him. Krystal faded into view and then popped back out again. "You're right about the AI. It keeps spittin' her back out," she nodded to the disappearing hologram. "But m'just about t'put the blighter in an endless loop every time 'e tries t'circumvent my encryption," she assured him.

"I'M IN!!!" Krystal squealed and clapped her hands as she popped fully back into view looking like a drowned rat. "It's wet in there," she told them and then shook like a dog, spraying holographic water droplets and pixie dust every where.

"Avast ye landlubbers!" she exclaimed when she was done and poofed into a little pirate outfit complete with eye patch, thigh-high boots, and wielding a cutlass. "Shark off the port bow, Skipper!"