All Nano Things Must Come to an End. "
By: Ian Hunter, Commanding Officer, [PC]
Giuseppe Silvio, Chief Engineer, [RNPC]
Maxine Lucinda Tapert, Computer Specialist, [PC]

Stardate: 58206.16 0730

Silvio had retrieved the altered isolinnear chip and was not on his way back to Auxiliary Control. It had taken him much longer than it should have for him to get it. He had not slept well since he started having his nightmares. He considered talking to Patia about them. She had been there for him on the first night he started having them and was sure she would be there for him again, however, he did not want to put her in a bad situation.

Silvio walked in to find max putting the access cover back on the main control station. "All done," he asked, handing her the chip he had recovered.

"Aye sir," Maxine nodded as she took the chip and sat before the PADD she'd been using to activate them. "The scan's finished. This is the last one," she indicated the chip he'd given her before she plugged it in. Like the three active chips before it, the payload was dumped and its operating system erased in the span of a few seconds. "Amazing..." she murmured as she watched it work. "'e's a bloody genius," she told Silvio as she accessed the code.

"Who does this one target," asked Silvio.

"Looks like our Security Chief, Lieutenant Jarvis, sir," Maxine answered.

"That's odd," said Silvio, "She was not even here when he took over the ship. Are you ready to go see the Captain."

"Aye sir," Maxine nodded and began gathering her things. "Perhaps 'e 'as a grudge against the Lieutenant and knew she was t' be transferred 'ere," she offered as she stood. "Or perhaps 'e arranged 'er transfer 'imself. Ready."

"Let's go," he said as they left for the bridge.

***

Silvio and Max stepped of the turbolift and walked onto the bridge. Silvio checked and found that it was not the Captain sitting in the command chair so he crossed the bridge and paused in from of the Captain's ready room. Reaching out with his left hand, Silvio rang the Captain's door chime.

"Enter," said Hunter.

Silvio and Max entered and found the Captain at his desk. "Hello Captain," said Silvio forcing his fatigue away and focusing on the task at hand. Silvio found it was getting harder to do that. "We have a report for you on the Birkoff infections."

Hunter frowned slightly, "Good news, I hope."

Max stood quietly with an 'at ease' posture as the Lieutenant addressed the Captain. She was confident that they'd found all the Birkoff chips. But to her mind the question had been raised; Where and how did he get them?

"Yes sir," said Silvio, "We have discovered how Birkoff could keep infecting our systems." Silvio looked at Max. "Go ahead Ensign."

Maxine nodded and stepped forward. "With these, sir," she placed one of the isolinear chips on the desk in front of the Captain.

"It's how 'e kept getting back in after we'd succeeded in purging 'im." She stepped back to stand beside Silvio. "Lieutenant Silvio discovered it after I 'it a dead end trying t' trace the point of infiltration," she went on to explain. "The chip is equipped with a nano computer, sir. They were set t' trigger after a pre-designated span of time, dump their virus and then delete their own operating systems. After the Lieutenant found that one, we re-calibrated the scanners and did an in depth scan of the entire computer system. We found three more that hadn't been triggered yet and the ones that had."

Hunter picked up the iso-chip and turned it over several times as he examined it. "A nano computer..." he shook his head and tossed the chip back to Silvio. "Aren't those mostly theoretical?"

Silvio grimaced as he wanted the captain toss the delicate computer around like a rag doll. "Not really sir, but it is not employed very often anymore."

"Where did he get them do you suppose?"

"He probably wore them," suggested Silvio, "We do not really scan for them."

"You are certain we have found them all," asked Hunter.

"Yes sir, m'sure of that," Max nodded, positive they'd located every last one of them.

He stood up, "okay, copy Intel on the report. He nodded, good job, that's all for now, dismissed."

Silvio and Max exited the captain's ready room. "That went well," observed Silvio.

"Aye sir. M'just glad we're finally rid of 'im for good," Maxine agreed. "I was starting t' get a complex."