The Enterprise Parasite

The atmosphere in the lift was heavy with apprehension. Any time an attempt was made to say something to Kirk, who was standing ready at the door with his back to the others, his shoulders tensed, giving one the impression he was ready to lash out at even the kindest gesture. When the lift finally juddered to a halt, McCoy let out a sigh of relief and glanced sidelong at Chekov. However, Chekov was unable to return the knowing look before he was knocked over by his captain, who had begun throwing himself against the exit.

"It won't open—must be jammed. Bones, Chekov, I need your help," Kirk said, agitated and preparing to launch himself once more.

"Hold on, Jim. All of us pushing together would be more effective than you flinging yourself about like a madman," said McCoy with a hint of his old amusement, as if the predicament they were in was just some ordinary mission.

Inclining his head in acknowledgement, Kirk waited for Chekov and McCoy to position themselves before heaving against the damaged machinery with all his might. As the three of them strained to shift the heavy door, it gradually began to move—from the other side.

"Please don't let that be what I think it is," McCoy, eyes shut tight, whispered under the screeching sound of metal being bent with incredible force. When the din stopped, Kirk opened his own eyes and looked around for Chekov, to order him to have his phaser set to the highest intensity possible, but the ensign was nowhere to be seen. Hesitantly, Kirk tapped McCoy on the shoulder, not really wanting to help him realize what had happened to his patient.

"Oh, goddammit. Don't tell me he got taken again," said McCoy with a groan. He picked up Chekov's phaser, thrown loose when one of the parasite's powerful appendages had yanked the young man out of the lift, and charged up both the phasers he now had, one in each hand.

"Whoa now, cowboy," Kirk said, throwing up his hands in mock defense and trying to inject some humor into the situation, the way they usually did, in an attempt to lift both their spirits in the face of what was to come, only to earn a withering look from McCoy.

"Spock's in there with that monster, Jim. And so are Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov—the heart of your crew, damn it! Do you really want to joke around now?"

Kirk glanced down, not wanting to meet McCoy's severe gaze. Instead of the plain tiling of the lift floor, however, he saw a knobby…tentacle (that was the best he could describe it, afterwards) creeping, or rather, sliming its way across the tiles to the doctor's ankles.

"Bones!" Kirk pointed, firing as close to McCoy's feet as he dared.
McCoy yelped and raised his phaser, but the tentacle coiled around his ankles—so quickly neither realized it had even happened—and brought him crashing down. As McCoy was dragged out of the lift, phasers blazing, he said one last thing to his captain.

"Don't be afraid."