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Danny ducked under a table in the mess hall, his heart pounding. He focused his energy and felt the tingling sensation wash over him as he turned invisible.
"Lieutenant McDonnell, Ensigns," a gruff voice greeted. Danny's stomach dropped. McCoy. "Any of you seen Ensign Fenton around? The computer says he's here, but I'll be damned if I can spot him."
Danny held his breath, willing himself to stay still and silent. He saw Kas's black Andorian eyes flick over to his hiding spot before darting back to McCoy. Her antennae twitched.
"Well?" McCoy pressed, folding his arms. "Out with it."
Kas shifted in her seat, her antennae twitching. "I..." She hesitated, her loyalty to Danny warring with her duty to her superior. "I think I saw him over there, sir." She pointed, her blue finger trembling slightly.
McCoy's eyebrow arched. "Under the table?"
Kas nodded, mouthing a silent apology in Danny's direction.
Danny's invisibility faltered as panic surged through him. He had to get out of here before-
"Fenton!" McCoy barked, striding over. His footsteps echoed like thunder. "I know you're under there. Come out this instant or so, help me. Your physical will be hell. That's an order, Ensign!"
Danny squeezed his eyes shut, trembling. Maybe if he just stayed quiet, McCoy would think Kas was mistaken and leave. He couldn't face the doctor, couldn't risk him discovering his secret.
Suddenly, a sharp pain lanced through Danny's core, stealing his breath. He clamped a hand over his mouth, muffling a cry. It felt like his insides were twisting, rearranging. Pressure built in his skull until stars burst behind his eyelids.
What was happening to him? Was this some new development with his ghost powers? Danny fought to breathe through the agony, to stay quiet and hidden.
Then, between one blink and the next, the world shifted. The table loomed larger, his clothes billowing around him like a collapsing tent. Danny tumbled into folds of fabric as a wave of dizziness crashed over him.
Footsteps approached again, slower this time. Measured. The hairs on Danny's neck prickled with dread.
"Guess Fenton skedaddled," McCoy drawled, his voice a dangerous rumble. "Left quite a mess though. Mighty suspicious, abandoning his uniform like this."
Danny froze, heart rabbiting in his chest. He was hidden in the shirt, but for how long? If McCoy found him like this...
"Maybe we should leave it alone," Daryl interjected anxiously. "The kid'll come 'round when he's ready."
Danny held his breath, not daring to move a muscle. The doctor had stopped right beside the pile of clothes, right beside Danny's pitiful hiding spot.
"Well now," McCoy murmured, so softly Danny almost didn't hear. "What do we have here?"
McCoy's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, caught the slightest of tremors beneath the abandoned shirt. His hand, steady from years of medical practice, reached down and scooped up the fabric, feeling the unexpected weight of a small, quivering mass inside. He set the uniform back down and peeled away the top shirt.
Mccoy let out a gasp as he peered within the folds of the garment. There, amidst the sea of cloth, lay Ensign Fenton—or rather, an astonishingly diminutive version of him—curled into a fetal position, his tiny chest heaving with rapid breaths.
McCoy's colossal face loomed above, eyes widening in shock as they fixed on Danny's quivering frame. "Sweet Jesus," he breathed.
Danny cowered, awash in primordial terror. It was like facing down a skyscraper with eyes ready to crush him underfoot. His throat closed up, heart stuttering.
"Is that... Ensign Fenton?" Daryl gasped, equally flabbergasted. "Doc, he's no bigger than my thumb!"
"I can see that," McCoy snapped. "Step back, Lieutenant," McCoy ordered without looking up, using his hand to gently usher Daryl away. "This is a medical emergency."
The giant reached for him again, and Danny scrambled back with a yelp, nearly tripping over the red fabric. But there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. McCoy's fingers closed around him with shocking gentleness, lifting Danny up until he dangled at eye level.
"P-please," Danny stammered, voice nearly inaudible to his own ears. "Don't- I can't-"
"Easy, kid," McCoy soothed. He shifted his grip, cupping Danny in his palms like he was made of glass. "I gotcha. You're safe now."
Safe? Danny almost laughed. Nothing about this was safe! He was completely helpless, dependent on the mercy of an irritable giant.
But as McCoy shifted the shirt to swaddle him like an infant, careful not to smother, a treacherous spark of comfort bloomed in Danny's chest. The steady thrum of McCoy's heartbeat pulsed through the thin cotton, and the doctor's firm hold promised protection, not harm.
"Don't you worry, Ensign," McCoy declared. "We'll get you sorted out." He tucked Danny against his chest, shielding him from prying eyes. "Should've come to me straight away 'stead of pulling a vanishing act. Lord knows what caused this, but I'll get to the bottom of it." To any passerby, it would appear that McCoy was simply holding a balled-up uniform,
As McCoy strode away, muttering under his breath about transporter malfunctions and alien viruses, Danny finally let himself relax minutely into the unexpected sanctuary of the doctor's hands. The fear remained, pulsing beneath his skin with every rabbit-quick beat of his heart.
The swaying motion ceased abruptly, jolting Danny from his daze. The cloth covering him was pulled away.
Danny gasped as he was lowered onto the cold, hard surface. He stumbled back,
This was worse than any nightmare. Danny was no bigger than three inches tall, a tiny speck compared to the enormous doctor. Dr. McCoy's face loomed above him, impossibly vast and furrowed with concern. Danny froze, terror seizing his lungs in an icy vice.
Panic seized him, and he bolted without thinking, his tiny legs pumping furiously across the vast expanse of the table. He didn't get far before a gigantic hand suddenly blocked his path. Fingers the size of columns curled around him, scooping him up before he could react.
Danny thrashed, wild with fear. "Let me go!" he cried, voice shrill and pathetic to his own ears. "I can't-- I don't--"
"Easy there, kid," Dr. McCoy rumbled, his deep voice booming around Danny.
Danny's heart pounded against his ribs as the fingers curled around him, trapping him in an inescapable grip. He was brought up close to Dr. McCoy's face, the giant blue eyes boring into him.
"I'm not going to hurt you," the doctor continued in a softer tone. "Just try and stay calm. I need to make sure you're not injured."
Danny shrank back against the warm skin. It was hard not to panic while being held prisoner in a giant's hand.
Dr. McCoy sighed, his breath ruffling Danny's hair. "I know this is scary, but I promise I'll be careful." His voice dropped into the gentle, soothing tone he used with frightened children.
Despite his fear, Danny felt himself relaxing slightly, lulled by the doctor's calm demeanor.
Danny took a shuddering breath, trying to calm his racing heart. Dr. McCoy's hand shifted, his fingers curling to form a protective cradle around Danny's tiny body. The doctor's skin was warm, the steady beat of his pulse thrumming through his fingertips.
Danny pressed back into the doctor's palm and focused on what was around him. He could hear the doctor's strong heartbeat and slow, deep breathing. Gradually, Danny's own breathing synced, his panic subsiding.
"There you go," Dr. McCoy murmured. "Just try and relax. I've got you."
"Alright, let's get you more decent," Dr. McCoy grumbled. McCoy gently set Danny down and replicated a tiny medical gown for him to change into.
McCoy gently deposited Danny onto the biobed, the cushioned surface feeling more like a vast expanse beneath his diminutive form. The doctor loomed above him, tricorder in hand, scanning Danny with a concentrated furrow in his brow.
*This is so weird,* Danny thought, shifting uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny. *I feel like a bug under a microscope.*
"Hold still," McCoy instructed his voice a deep rumble from Danny's perspective. "I'm trying to get a clear reading on your vitals."
Danny obliged, his body tensing as he fought the urge to fidget. The whirring of the tricorder filled his ears, the sound amplified by his heightened senses.
After what felt like an eternity, McCoy pulled back, studying the readouts with a critical eye. "Your heart rate is elevated," he noted, concern lacing his tone. "And I'm detecting some unusual energy fluctuations around your chest area."
Danny's hand instinctively flew to his chest, his fingers brushing against the fabric of the tiny gown.
"It's... it's complicated," he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not... I'm not exactly..."
McCoy's gaze snapped back to Danny, his eyes narrowed. "Not exactly what, Ensign?" he demanded, his tone brooking no argument.
Danny swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. He'd kept this secret for so long, But now, faced with the piercing stare of his doctor, he found the words tumbling out before he could stop them.
"I'm not exactly human," he blurted, his voice cracking on the last word. "I'm... I'm half ghost."
McCoy blinked, his expression unreadable. "Half ghost," he repeated slowly as if testing the words on his tongue. "Care to explain what exactly that means, Ensign?"
Danny took a deep, steadying breath, gathering his courage. "I'm... I'm a halfa," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Half human, half ghost. It happened in an accident back home. I was... I was inside my parents' ghost portal when it turned on."
McCoy's eyebrows shot up, his expression a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "A ghost portal?"
Danny nodded. "Yeah. It infused my DNA with ectoplasm. But I'm still alive, still human in a lot of ways."
McCoy hummed thoughtfully, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of this new information. "By all medical standards, you're very much alive. Your heart beats, your lungs breathe, and your cells divide and regenerate.
Danny hunched his shoulders. "I'm still a freak, though."
"Listen, Danny," McCoy said, his tone firm but understanding. "In my line of work, 'freaky' is a relative term. We don't turn our backs on each other over... biological oddities."
"The Ghost Zone, where ghosts live... they're not traditional spirits," Danny continued. "More like energy beings from another dimension."
"Energy life forms, huh?" McCoy mulled over the information. "That's not unheard of. There's a whole universe of strange out there, kid. You're not alone in being different."
Danny tensed, his heart hammering in his chest. "So... so you don't think I'm a freak? Some kind of... of abomination?"
Danny gave a small yelp as the doctor scooped him up. "Absolutely not," McCoy said firmly. Mccoy raised the tiny ensign level with his eyes. “And I don’t want to hear you talking about yourself that way, ya?”
McCoy placed a fingertip under Danny's chin, tilting his head back to meet his tiny eyes. “Does being half-ghost give you any extra abilities?”
Danny pulled away from the giant finger, drawing his knees to his chest. His voice was tinged with embarrassment as he whispered, "I can do a bunch of things... like turning invisible."
"Is that so?" McCoy's eyes narrowed, a stern glance cast upon the diminutive figure. He exhaled sharply, the warm gust rippling across Danny's tiny form. "You little brat... I suppose that's how you've managed to dodge me?"
"Maybe," Danny muttered, avoiding eye contact.
"Can you demonstrate it now?" McCoy's tone was a mix of curiosity and irritation.
Swallowing hard, Danny focused on the ability that once came effortlessly. He closed his eyes, willing himself to vanish, but instead, his body flickered like a faulty light bulb. A sharp jolt of pain shot through him, causing him to gasp and wince.
"Hey, steady there." McCoy's large fingers provided a stabilizing presence. "That doesn't look normal. Where does it hurt?"
Danny feebly pushed at the finger supporting him, his breathing coming in short, rapid bursts. "That's not normal," he managed to say, his voice strained with pain. "The pain... it's coming from my core."
"Your core?" The doctor's voice was laced with concern and intrigue. "What exactly is this core of yours?"
"It's... well, it's like a ghost heart, sort of," Danny stammered, sensing McCoy's genuine interest but feeling vulnerable disclosing something so integral. "It's what makes me, me—like DNA, for ghosts."
McCoy's eyebrow arched skeptically as he peered down at the minuscule figure in his hand. "That's quite the vague description for something so vital," he said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to resonate through Danny's tiny frame.
"Because it's private," Danny snapped back, a defensive edge to his voice. "In my world, you don't just go around telling people about your core. It's... personal."
"Son, when you're sitting in the palm of a doctor, 'personal' becomes a matter of health." McCoy leaned closer, his gaze inspecting.
Danny squirmed uncomfortably, feeling vulnerable under the doctor's scrutinizing eyes. The warmth of McCoy's hand was a strange comfort, but the bigness of everything else made him feel exposed, like a specimen under a microscope.
"Look, I really shouldn't—" He started before a sudden shift in McCoy's grip interrupted him.
The large fingers curled gently, coaxing Danny into a seated position within the cavernous curve of the doctor's grasp. Lifted slightly, he found himself level with McCoy's piercing blue eyes. The doctor's face, usually stern or scowling, now held a softer expression, one that beckoned trust.
"Ensign Fenton," McCoy's voice rumbled, "do you want to be part of this crew?"
"Of course I do," Danny answered quickly, his voice barely more than a whisper. The earnestness in his eyes spoke volumes about his desire to belong.
"Then trust has to go both ways," McCoy continued his tone firm but not unkind. "I can't help you if you keep me in the dark. And believe me, kid, I want to help."
Danny took a deep breath. "Well, I'm not sure if you'll even be able to detect my core like this. In my human form, it's located right under my heart."
He shifted again, acutely aware of how vulnerable he was. "When I'm like this, my powers get kind of wonky. I'm not sure I can even go ghost right now. The last time I shrank, it really messed me up."
He tilted his head, scrutinizing Danny closely. "Well, for now, just try to stay calm. We'll run some tests and see if we can get you back to normal."
Danny nodded, though anxiety still twisted in his gut. He knew the tests were necessary, but the idea of being prodded and scanned in his weakened state did not thrill him.
McCoy's eyes narrowed as a thought occurred to him.
"Hold on now...you said, 'last time you shrank.' Are you telling me this has happened to you before?"
Danny winced. He had not meant to let that slip.
"Uh, yeah," he admitted. "A few times, actually."
McCoy looked incredulous. "A few times?!"
He dragged a hand down his face in exasperation. "Kid, you've got a lot more explaining to do. How the blazes does someone get shrunk 'a few times?'"
Danny squirmed under the doctor's intense stare. "Well, you see...”