Title: No particular place to go (An inside story) Author: Rising Sun E-mail: jag@lucianstuff.every1.net URL: http://www.geocities.com/jagrslc Rated: G Summary: Using the human body as the backdrop, the story is literally that - the story from the inside of what happens to Mac as she avoids hitting a child and her vehicle flips. Disclaimer: JAG characters portrayed belong to JAG, CBS and Paramount Television. No copyright infringement intended. All other characters depicted are purely fictional and any similarities to actual people are purely coincidental. Authors Note: This one REALLY stretches the imagination. Can you keep up? Feedback: If you want. Story Written 2001 ============================ THURSDAY 2200 NEARING MACs APARTMENT All Mac could think about was that with one day to go her holidays would start. Amen and hallelujah! As she day dreamed about holidays and Harmon Rabb Jr. she never saw the ball but she saw the child dart out after it. Mac pulled hard on the steering wheel and the vehicle flipped. Mac was knocked cold. THURSDAY 2200 NOT OF THIS WORLD As Brain relaxed in the spacious chamber of the skull she marveled at how automatic driving could be. Mind you there were times when all facilities had to be completely focused to the matter of hand and eye coordination not to mention listening to the radio and having the correct foot on the correct pedal when hand and eye needed it. There were times, however when everything just hummed and the vehicle virtually drove itself. This was just such a time and Brain relished these calm moments. Now she could mission plan on getting Harm. Suddenly (isn't that always the way it happens?) there came a call for a "RED ALERT!" from Eyes. "Panic/panic. Panic/panic. Panic/panic." The heart rate jumped from seventy beats per minute to one hundred and forty bpm. With every beat Heart sent out the message, "Panic/panic. Panic/panic. Panic/panic." As Blood passed through the chambers she became infected with the message and carried it to all corners: "Panic/panic. Panic/panic. Panic/panic." The nervous system carried the message even faster and the representative of the network finally arrived in the Brain to find out why the alarm. What she found sent another surge of adrenaline through the system with the message "Panic/panic. Panic/panic. Panic/panic." Brain had taken a look and there ... in the middle of the highway was a child! Still on the high of the adrenaline all systems went into overdrive. They hauled the car to the extreme left and faced a utility pole. They hauled hard to the right and the vehicle flipped. Once, twice, thrice and stopped upside down. "Status report!" Brain barked. "As she clamored out of the debris." The information soon began to flow. Brain read the report. "Well here is the obvious, we have sustained a head injury." "No kidding" Nerves snapped. Brain ignored the sarcasm "Add to that numerous cuts, bruises both internal and external, a compound fracture in the right leg, multiple breaks in the left arm, cracked ribs with a couple of those ribs applying pressure to the left lung and internal bleeding." Nerves observed. "We are in a bad way, Now what." "Well there is no spinal injury just yet." Brain observed. "Can you hear the Outsiders trying to get us out? If there is to be spinal injury the good Samaritans out there will cause it." What Brain and Nerves did not realize that soon there would be a crisis to deal with that would refocus their concern from spinal injuries to life and death. The first indication of the situation soon arrived. "Why is the circulation of blood slowing down?" Brain asked. Blood supplied the answer: "There is a tear in the artery leading to Heart. With every beat that pumps me through some of me stays behind in the tear and the passage is getting narrow." The Standing Operation Procedure was automatic: adrenaline. Adrenaline groaned, "For most of the passing days and weeks I get ignored then suddenly BOOM! Adrenaline we need you! So, Brain where do I go now" Brain gave her the necessary instructions and off she went, "Panic/panic. Panic/panic. Panic/panic." With every beat of the Heart, Adrenaline headed for the clot, "Panic/panic. Panic/panic. Panic/panic." She soon returned and shook her head. "No can do. This clot is stubborn and will not melt." Adrenaline reported. "Listen" Nerves, said, "Heart is slowing down. It is below seventy bpm." "And slowing further." Blood agreed. "The passage in the artery will close shut soon." The three just looked at each other. "The passage is blocked" Blood announced. "What now." Nerves tried to keep the panic out of her query. "Heart will struggle to beat but without me passing through with oxygen..." Blood left the rest unsaid. Nerves received a report as Blood was speaking. She gulped "We have more problems." She announced. "Lungs are beginning to fill up with fluid. It is as a consequence of the Heart crisis. We may drown in our own body fluid." "Heart is also breaking down. Cells are dying and once dead they cannot be replaced." Blood too was fighting panic. A Heart attack was not a nice thing. "We are moving can you feel it?" Nerves said. "I never even noticed that the Outsiders had pulled us out from the wreck. We must be on our way to the Hospital." "They had better move it." Brain mumbled. "I can feel the strain and fear in Lungs." "I hope they have some sort of de-clogging medicine at that place." Blood said. "That passage needs to be opened like yesterday." ====================================================== I think that we have arrived at the Hospital "Nerves observed. Blood began a commentary "They just injected us with something. I can feel it moving through me." She paused then smiled "It's working. Hey I don't know what they used nor do I care but the clot broke down in the face of it. I can flow again." "Listen." Nerves said, "The heart rate is increasing." "We lost about half a million cells though. Those we will never replace." Blood Reported. "Well that was that." Nerves heaved a sign of relief. "We need to start cleaning up this place." "Indeed." Brain agreed, "Blood!" she commanded. "Collect your spilt self and go do what comes naturally - flow through veins and unclogged arties." "Yes ma'am" Blood smiled only to glad to do as requested. ================================================= Nerves began to pulse. "What is wrong?" Asked Brain. "One of the Heart muscles is pumping out of sync with the rest." Nerves whizzed. "If it continues this way Heart's whole system will unravel." Brain groaned "This thing of Heart having it's own generator can have its drawbacks and this is one such time." She took a deep breath and sent another wave of Adrenaline. This constant use of Adrenaline was getting monotonous, she thought. Just as before the wave had no effect. The renegade muscle could not be realigned. Brain knew exactly what was about to happen. The room rocked and sent her lurching across the chamber. "Electric shock ... one." She counted. "What is going on!" Nerves demanded. "An electric shock." Brain explained, "We are in Cardiac Arrest and the Outsiders are trying to shock us back." Before there could be any comment the room was rocked again. "Electric shock ... two." She continued to count. "If four minutes pass and the Outsiders cannot resolve the heart issue then I will begin to die." Brain stated. "You think they will shock Mac again?" Nerves asked. "I do." Brain replied and on queue the body lurched for the third time. "That muscle was hard but finally Heart took control." Blood had returned. "Hey did you realize that every time they shocked us Heart stopped dead in its tracks?" "That was to give her time to realign all muscles." Brain explained, "the shock treatment was not the remedy but the assistant to the remedy and not too soon that four minute mark was coming up fast." "Well that should be that! After all there is only so much that a body can take." Nerves sighed. "Marine Colonel or no." "We have some serious injuries that must now be taken care of." Blood stated. "Of course we have to slip her into a coma." Brain stated. "You think the Titans met?" Nerves whispered. "Oh without a doubt. Mind Body Heart and Soul have to meet," Brain replied "and as the clean up unfolds they will decide if we are to emerged from the coma." "You are telling me that we could still die? After all that ... we could still die?" Blood could not believe it. "Indeed." Brain replied. "Well we have no particular place to go while the Titans debate the higher philosophies of life ... I suggest that we had better go start the healing process." Nerves resigned herself to a clean up campaign. "Indeed." Brain replied. "Indeed." ==================================== 2200 LOCAL BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL BETHESDA, MD Six months later Mac opened her eyes. THE END