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Chapter 1
As he rose, David D'Amico stared at the chronometer on the wall.
0800 hours. Two hours until his first appointment for the day.
For the past eleven months, Comdr. Keeler had been letting him handle the
easier counseling cases. He'd been on the Hood for almost a year
and already had his own case load. He contemplated how well his career
was developing as he sat at his desk.
"Personal log, stardate 47881.8.
I've participated in my first initial contact situation. Counselor
Keeler let me go along on the away team mission yesterday. Dernath
is a beautiful planet and it's inhabitants are absolutely marvelous.
We saw no evidence of social unrest as was initially reported by the advanced
scouting team that Comdr. Kane led three days ago. Captain Suma has
asked that I join the team working up the report for Starfleet Command.
We are beaming back down this afternoon to take a tour of one of the power
plants and a hospital. Lieutenant Burns is highly interested in the
unique manner in which the Dernathy have harnessed solar winds for solar
system travel. According to vice minister J'len, the Dernath have
a high rate of success rehabilitating mental patients. I am interested
to study their techniques.
"Jamie and I are having dinner tonight.
We discussed the details of the wedding and are planning on asking Captain
Suma to perform the ceremony. I've convinced her that we need to
wait until we return to Starbase 84 for the ceremony. Jamie doesn't
know it yet, but I've arranged for her parents and sister to be there.
Mother is taking a break from her teaching schedule on Betazed to attend,
and I've left word at dad's office, but apparently, he's not checked his
messages yet. Coreana and her husband are leaving their twins with
his mother so I'm excited about them making it as well. Ivan is another
story. I haven't heard from him since I was posted to the Hood.
Last time mom heard from him, he was vacuum surfing near the Bolaris system.
I haven't received a reply to my message asking him to be my best man,
but I am still holding out hope. Tim says that he'll stand in for
Ivan if he doesn't show. Jamie is going to ask Darce to be her maid
of honor. I hope that Darce doesn't decline because of our history.
I can tell that she is a little uncomfortable when I'm around, but I hope
to get a chance to talk to her about it soon. End log."
The morning went by rather quickly and Dave
found 1300 hours approaching rather quickly. He collected his tri-corder
and his personal phaser from his office and headed for transporter room
three. He knew that Comdr. Kane, the Hood's first officer, frowned
highly on tardiness, so he made it a point to give himself plenty of time.
He was passing by the arboretum when an inspiration hit him.
He stopped in, finding Maggie tending her plants.
"Maggie, you wouldn't have a rose to spare
in here, would you."
"Dave, you know I can't go giving these to
just anybody," she grinned while trimming some dead leaves off of the rose
bushes. She and Dave had become friends since
he had come aboard. They shared a love of cooking, especially from
fresh ingredients, something that was difficult on a starship. She
snipped off a peach rose 30 cm below the bud and handed it to him.
"Thanx, Maggie," he quipped as he turned to
leave.
"Just don't let Jamie find out that you've
been giving roses to your girlfriend," she said to him as he dashed for
the transporter room.
When he arrived, Counselor Keeler was talking
with Lt. Jamie Burns, her back turned to the doors. As he slipped
up behind her, he slid the rose under her nose as he covered her eyes.
"Mmmm, is that a rose I smell? Excuse
me, doctor, but I think I'm being swept off of my feet," she said as she
turned around to put her arms around the junior counselor.
"Careful, what if my boss catches us," said
D'Amico, smiling at the senior counselor.
"I know him pretty well, I could put in a
good word for you," replied the Betazoid. "Just don't let Comdr.
Kane catch you two like that. You know how he feels about that kind
of thing while on duty." The ship's number one had made it clear
to a couple of ensigns how he felt about on-the-job flirting when he caught
them kissing in a Jefferies tube. David had spoken with them following
the incident.
"Although I think that a little flirting is
acceptable, and Starfleet has no regulations against relationships between
officers, you should restrain your urges for off duty hours. Especially
when you know that the Commander is on inspection tour," he had told them.
Jamie took her arms from around his neck,
and not a moment too soon and Comdr. Kane walked into the transporter room,
followed by Dr. Leeds, ship CMO.
"Alright people. This is a routine facilities
inspection. Burns, you and Ensign Rames are going to the power station.
Leeds, you and D'Amico are scheduled to check out the medical facility,
while the counselor and I are meeting with the planetary science council.
Remember, we're here to access the Dernath social situation and that's
all. We are not consultants for their society. Understood,"
he stated as he stepped onto the platform.
Keeler, Leeds, Burns, D'Amico, and Rames
joined him on the transporter. Understanding was implied at this
point. Comdr. Kane, Comdr. Keeler, and Lt. Comdr. Leeds were all
experienced in first contact missions. The speech was for the benefit
of Rames, Jamie and himself, although they had all been briefed on first
contact protocol before arriving at Dernath II.
"Lt. Burns, you know the regulations against
introducing non indigenous biological plant life into a previously unexplored
eco-system."
"I'm sorry, commander?"
"You can't take that flower to the planet
with you. There's no telling what kind of biological impact that
plant could have. A pollinating fern wiped out over half of the shloam
crop of Celestra IV just eight years ago. Get rid of it, now!"
Burns jumped off of the transporter pad and
handed the flower to Ensign Chu.
"I'll put it in some water for you," he whispered
as she leapt back to the platform.
"Kane to Suma. We're ready for transport
here, captain."
*Proceed, commander.*
"Energize," ordered Comdr. Kane.
The shimmering beam engulfed them and the
six found themselves standing in the outer room of the ministers office.
Kane stepped forward and spoke with the humanoid creature sitting at the
desk who immediately stepped into J'len's office. The creature emerged
with a tall humanoid following it. J'len stepped over to Kane and
spoke with him for a few moments before addressing the group.
"Shoola, Dr. Keeler. Shoola, Dr. D'Amico.
It is a great pleasure to see you again."
"Shoola, J'len," said the senior counselor
as both he and D'Amico bowed slightly. Leeds, Burns, and Rames followed
suit. The tall minister stood still for a moment, then began to split.
That is the only way to describe the metamorphosis taking place in front
of them. He simply split into two beings, almost like a shape shifter
morphing into two shape shifters, the second being slightly shorter and
stockier in build.
"This is J'tol, he is our leading engineer
and will be guiding you on the power station inspection."
Then, the minister did it again. Another
Dernath split from the minister and stepped forward to greet the group.
This one was more slender.
"This is L'noth. She is our chief medical
doctor. She will guide you on your tour of out medical facilities."
After all introductions were made by the commander,
the group split and went on their separate ways. During their tour
of the medical complex, Dr. Leeds and Dr. D'Amico learned how the Dernath
treated their ill. Many diagnostic tools shared a similar technology
to their Federation counterparts. They were witness to several more
humanoid splittings and joinings and finally, D'Amico could contain his
curiosity no longer.
"L'noth, I am curious. When you join
with another, do you become one entity?"
"Not exactly, doctor. We merge and control
which parts of ourselves is shared. The appearance of the joined
body is determined by the elder of the joined. It is a process that
we are born with the ability to do, just not the experience. Physically,
an infant can perform a joining and often does with its parents, but it
needs to be taught how. The older we grow, the more adept we become
at joining. we use it for everything from communication to reproduction.
For instance, I can join with the minister and convey a complicated medical
procedure so that he understands it better, but at the same time, I am
able to keep the fact that we are having a surprise celebration in his
honor tomorrow to commemorate his ascension to power. Although he
would not be able to perform the medical procedure himself, he would have
a better grasp of the concept than if I were to just describe it verbally.
The only reason that our verbal communication hasn't faded from use is
the fact that we are not telepathic. I must have tactile contact
with another to communicate in that way."
"Fascinating," was all that D'Amico could
manage.
"Would it be permissible for me to take a
few non-invasive readings with my tri-corder of your body chemistry?" asked
Dr. Leeds.
"By all means, doctor," was the reply.
As the CMO took several readings of several
different Dernath, from patients in the hospital L'noth, the tri-corder
gathered all of the information for transfer to the ship's main computer
core upon their return to the ship. Dr. D'Amico had left his tri-corder
on the entire tour, using it as a video and sensor recording device.
He hadn't even thought of asking for permission, but quickly cleared the
procedure with their guide.
They moved from the maternity area of the
medical complex to the mental health ward. As they passed several
rooms, D'Amico noticed that all of the patients were physically restrained.
When he asked about it, he was told that until rehabilitation was complete,
the patients were too dangerous to roam free.
"A primitive method of control, but the patient
is rehabilitated as soon as possible and returned to his or her life,"
was the explanation.
They returned to the minister's office at
the end of their tour to find that Comdr. Kane and Dr. Keeler had finished
with the science council, but Jamie and Ensign Rames had not yet returned
from their power plant tour. Minister J'len joined with L'noth, then
assured them that the two officers would be back shortly and offered the
four an opportunity to sample the local cuisine. After confirmation
from the doctor that the Dernath food was edible by humans, the four tasted
some to the most exquisite food they had ever tried.
Suddenly, a Dernath male rushed into the room
and joined with Minister J'len, then just a quickly, split and rushed out.
The look on the minister's face was grave.
"Commander, I have just received some disturbing
news. Apparently, a militant faction calling themselves the Dreen
have taken the power station by force and are holding your officers hostage."
"What do they want," exclaimed D'Amico, forgetting
protocol as well as his superior officers, concerned only with the well
being of Jamie.
"At ease, doctor," stated Comdr. Kane flatly.
"Kane to Hood. Can you get a transporter lock on Lt. Burns and Ensign
Rames?"
"I'm sorry sir, their signals are being blocked,"
came the answer from Ensign Ali Chu.
"I would like to be briefed on the situation,
minister. Would you excuse us for a moment, I need to contact my
ship."
"By all means, commander. As soon as
you are done, I will escort you to the security office where we will hold
a full briefing," the minister said, exiting the room.
"Leeds, Keeler, D'Amico, I want you back on
the ship. Kane to Hood."
*Hood here. What is your situation,
commander?* came Captain Suma's voice.
Kane briefed the captain on the situation
and advised that a security detail be beamed to the planet.
*Commander, I don't have to remind you of
the implications of dispatching an armed security detail to a non Federation
planet. Without their request, it is a direct violation of the Prime
Directive,* came Suma's response. *Keep Counselor Keeler with you,
send Leeds and D'Amico back, and contact me when you get through with their
briefing.*
"Commander, permission to remain on the planet?"
begged D'Amico. After considering his request and looking at him
for a moment, as if a visual inspection might reveal something new about
the young junior counselor, the commander tapped his comm badge once more.
"Captain, Keeler and D'Amico are going to
remain here. I'm sending Dr. Leeds back to prepare for possible casualties.
Kane out."
Kane looked at Dave intensely. "You
don't speak unless I ask you a question. You are a fly on the wall,
got it?"
"Yes, sir. And sir, thank you."
"Save your thanks until we get Jamie and Rodney
out of there. Now let's go," the commander said as he left to find
the minister, the two counselors in tow.
After a tactical briefing on the situation
at the power station, they were informed that an armed force would be re-taking
the power station. Although this disturbed the Starfleet officers,
they were assured that the Dreen would not harm their comrades for fear
of retaliation from the Federation. As the Dernath security personnel
left to oversee the operation, the three were left at the security office
with Minister J'len to wait and worry.
All communication channels were silent, in
case the Dreen were listening. Dave watched out of a window into
the night, praying that Jamie would be all right. Just as he was
getting tired of watching the un-changing darkness, it changed. He
could make out dark shapes weaving toward the building. He continued
to watch as the shapes got ever closer. Suddenly, Comdr. Kane appeared
next to him. Experience had taught the first officer to know when
one of his people was concerned. Just as D'Amico was about to open
his mouth, the commander broke in.
"I see them counselor. Kane to Hood,
four to beam up." There was no response from the communicator.
"Minister, where is the armory?" said Commander
Kane as he and the two counselors drew forth their personal phasers.
"Two levels down, but most of it was emptied
for the assault on the power station."
"We'd better get down there and see what's
left."
(USS Hood )
"Captain, we've lost transporter lock and
communications with Comdr. Kane's team."
"Well, get it back, Lt. NOW!"
"It's no use, sir. There's a dampening
field blanketing the entire city."
"Mr. Bayless, prepare to take a security detachment
in a shuttle down to the city. Lt. Prowell, advise Starfleet Command
of our current situation."
"Aye, sir."
(Dernath security office armory):
"Sir, there are shots being fired in the stairwell."
"I can hear, Mr. D'Amico. Minister,
is there another way out of the building?"
"Yes, Commander, but it is back up on level."
"Then, I guess we go up one level," said the
first officer as he headed for the stairwell. He yanked open the
door and fired three quick phaser shots up the stairs before ducking back
into the hall to avoid the rain of fire from above.
"Commander Kane, are they using proton projectile
weapons?"
"Yes, Lieutenant. But you are still
as dead if you get hit by one. Now keep you head down and concentrate
your fire up the stairwell when I open the door. Ready. Fire."
They fired up the stairs, stunning the three assailants that had kept them
pinned on the lower level.
"Let's move," led the commander. They
proceeded up one level and into a back room. As J'len and Kane accessed
a hidden passage, D'Amico and Keeler watched the hall for more intruders.
As they opened the passage, however, they were met with the points of gun
barrels. The hidden corridor was filled with Dreen.
"Counselors, lock your weapons and put them
down," ordered Kane. D'Amico and Keeler locked their phasers, slowly
placed them on the floor, and slid them toward the armed men. Suddenly,
Keeler's phaser exploded, taking most of the armed contention with it.
D'Amico awoke several minutes later to find more terrorists pouring into
the room through the hole left in the wall by the explosion of the phaser.
As he was drug to his feet, he saw that Commander Kane and the minister
had been killed by the blast and Counselor Keeler was in pretty bad shape.
Something dripped into his eye and he wiped at his forehead, discovering
that it was blood. Still stunned, all he could do was watch as the
men in black scoured over the building. Keller was placed on a table,
then left to die. D'Amico looked at one of the men guarding him.
"Do you have a medical kit, I need to treat
him?" he asked.
The man scowled at him, then turned away.
D'Amico stood and walked to Keeler. The counselor had a gapping wound
in his side and his right leg was pretty badly torn up. Noticing
that his comm badge was crushed, Dave removed his own, placed it on Keeler,
and activated it. With any luck, the Hood would be able to beam him
to sick bay before he died.
Suddenly, Dave was spun around and drug through
the opening in the wall. As he was shuffled through, he watched as
a man placed his weapon on Keeler's temple, and fired. Dear God,
if this is what they do to prisoners, what have they done to Jamie?
The thought of the woman he loved at the hands of these animals was paralyzing.
They bound his arms and placed him in some kind of aircraft as it swept
noiselessly into a mountainous region near the city. They reached
their destination and Dave was given some kind of injection before being
placed in a dark, wet cell.
With the low light levels, it was hard to
estimate the time, but he assumed that it was no more than a few hours
before they came for him. He was strapped to a table in an interrogation
room. He studied the wicked looking instruments on the table as he
was led in. Why was it that no matter what planet one visits or what
civilization one studies, the instruments of torture always look the same.
They asked him no questions, they simply tried to break his will.
No one came to him to find out what he knew, no one came to seek information
about the Federation, or the ship in orbit. After what seemed like
an eternity, the took him back to his cell. Barely conscious, he
realized that he was not alone in the room.
"Stay away from me...!" was the plea from
the other side of the room. Instantly, he knew who it was.
"Jamie......" was all that his body could
manage before he lost consciousness. When he awoke he found her dabbing
his forehead with a wet cloth, his head in her lap.
"There you are. Feeling any better?"
"I'm O.K. How are you? What have
they done to you?"
"I'm all right." she winced as he touched
her arm. They had already tortured her, broken her arm and one eye
was swollen shut. "They'll be back for me soon. Rames is in
the corner. I don't know how much longer he'll last. Dave,
I want you to know that I love you."
"Jamie, I know. I love you too.
Don't worry. Captain Suma will get us out of this."
At that moment, the door burst open and light
from the hall flooded the room, blinding the Starfleet officers.
Two men entered and took Lt. Burns out with them. Dave collapsed
on the floor, unable to stop them.
They brought her back some time later.
She was in worse shape than he was, not even conscious. It's probably
better that way, thought Dave. She would be in so much pain if she
were awake. Not long after, they returned for him. Taking him
back to the interrogation room, he had decided to fight them, no matter
what they did. But as soon as they strapped him down, they left.
He was alone in the room for almost an hour before he heard footsteps coming
down the hall. His interrogator entered pushing a large machine.
It was connected to some of the monitors on the wall, then positioned over
David's head. Once activated, Dave suddenly felt as if every nerve
in his body would explode. He could hear the fly crawling on the
window, he could see the bristles on its legs. He could taste the
sea water on the wind, he could smell the nectar of the flowers outside.
And he could feel the air currents move about him. The experience
was more than he could stand. The sensory overload was too much and
he collapsed.
He awoke back in his cell. Jamie was
next to him, asleep of unconscious, he couldn't tell which. She rolled
over and opened her eyes at the sound of his movement.
[Dave, can you hear me?] The words entered
his thoughts, but her lips hadn't moved. Dave nodded his head.
[Yes, I can," he replied. "What's going
on?]
[Whatever they did to me, it has activated
some kind of telepathy. I can read your thoughts and project mine.
I don't think that they know what's happened. I could read some of
their thoughts and they seemed un-aware of it. Rames isn't well off.
He needs medical attention badly. These people are radical isolationists.
They believe that Dernath should remain alone and not get involved in inter-planetary
relations. They were opposed to all of the Dernath space research,
but didn't really think that it was much of a danger. That is, until
we came along. Once they discovered the existence of many other races,
an entire federation, capable of space travel to their world, they decided
that all outsiders needed to be kept out. They think that by creating
a hostile environment, they will create a dis-like of their culture by
off worlders. Scare tactics.]
[How'd they do this to you?]
[A machine. At first, it elevated my
sensory perception, sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, all were increased.]
[I know, I just came from that treatment.]
[Well, after the fourth time, I was able to
read their thoughts. I scanned them to find out why they were doing
this. That's when I learned about the isolationists. They don't
fully understand human brain patterns, and so I think that this is an unexpected
side effect of the torture. When they come back for me, I think that
I can mentally stun the guard and get us out of here.]
[Be careful.]
Shortly, a guard entered to retrieve Jamie,
and she simply stared at him and he went limp, collapsing to the floor.
[Did I kill him?]
David nodded as he checked the man.
There was no sign of life about him. They picked up Rames and slipped
down the hall. They made sure to keep silent, not wanting to give
themselves away. As they neared a corner, voices could be heard from
around the corner. They slipped into the first unlocked door that
they could find, finding themselves in a storage room. They
waited to see if the voices would pass, but the seemed to stop just outside
of the room. Obviously, they were going to need another means of
egress from the complex. Looking around the room, Jamie spied a ventilation
grate near the top ot the wall.
[Dave, do you think that we can make it through
that vent?]
D'Amico peered at the vent and nodded.
They quietly stacked a few boxes and climbed to the vent. Removing
the grill, they found that they could probably fit through. They
hauled Rames up and Jamie went in first and drug him along. Just
as Dave was getting ready to jump in, a rattling was heard at the door.
He quickly slapped the grill on the vent and jumped down, moving a couple
of the boxes over to remove suspicion from the vent. As the guards
burst through, he put up a bit of a fight, but was quickly subdued.
"Where are the others," he was asked.
"Lt. David D'Amico, Starfleet serial number
4589874."
As he was led away, Jamie watched in horror,
hoping that she would be able to help him. She pulled the unconscious
form of Rames through the ventilation system for two hours before finding
an outlet. Unfortunately, the opening was covered by a giant fan,
three meters tall. The fan was currently running, so she decided
to wait to see if it shut down during the night. As night fell, the
fan powered down as she had hoped. She pulled Rames around the last
corner and to the fan outlet. As she pushed his limp form through,
she saw the blinking red light that indicated the silent alarm that she
had missed. The silent alarm that she had already tripped.
Quickly, she got herself and Rames through, then, with all of her waning
strength, she threw the man over her shoulders and made a dash for the
trees. She reached the forest as the outer alarm went off.
She knew that she didn't have a chance with Rames on her back, but she
wasn't about to just leave the man for the Dreen. She made a quick
search and found a hollowed out area beneath the roots of one of the larger
trees. She deposited Rames there, hoping to be able to return for
him with a search party from the Hood. She stumbled through the dark
forest, falling every fifteen feet or so. She finally reached a river
and followed it for several kilometers to an old looking shack. As
she approached and peered in the window, she saw a young man sitting at
an old table reading what looked to be an old book. She needed help
badly and decided that she had no other choice. She mounted the porch
and with the last of her strength, she knocked on the door.
(Prison)
The guards took D'Amico into the interrogation
room and strapped him down. He watched his interrogator enter the
room, followed by two guards, dragging the limp form of Ensign Rames.
As they stood him up in front of Dave, the third man approached him.
"Where did the other one go?" he was asked.
"Lt. David D'Amico, Starfleet serial number
4589874."
"Very well." And with that, the antagonist
injected Rames with a hypodermic. The young ensign snapped awake.
"Ensign John Rames, Starfleet serial number
5012285," he blurted out. The interrogator then had Rames strapped
into the sensory mechanism that had been used on himself and Jamie.
As the machine was activated, the power was increased until Rames' body
was shaking with the overload on his nervous system. As the man watched
his monitors, he slowly lowered the power.
"Where did the other one go?" he asked Rames.
The young man could barely speak.
"I... I.....I don..... don't........." was
all that he could manage. The Dreen suddenly increased the machine
to full power. Rames simply came apart. Nerve endings protruded
from his skin, blood and brain matter dripping from his eye sockets.
But, he was still alive, and conscious. As he looked at Dave, the
desperation in his eyes was evident. Then, he simply gave up, a final
breath easing from his lifeless body.
(Elsewhere)
Jamie awoke with a start.
"Where....." she started.
"Easy, you're O.K."
"How long have I been out?"
"Not more than fifteen minutes."
"I need to..."
"You don't need to anything. You're
pretty badly beaten up. What happened?"
"It's a long story. Do you have any
kind of communication equipment?"
"No, I'm sorry. I like to stay pretty
isolated up here. Listen you rest for a while. I'm headed into
the settlement at sun-up and you can ride with me. The roads are
too treacherous at night. We can contact anyone you need to then.
Are you from the space ship?"
"Yes, but I was captured by a militant faction
called the Dreen. I have to contact my ship. I have fellow
officers still held by them. We have to get them out of there."
"There's nothing that we can do tonight.
You need to rest. Sleep now and I'll wake you as soon as we are able
to travel."
Jamie agreed and settled down to relax.
She soon fell asleep, but awoke shortly, and heard voices from the
other room. As she peered past the crack in the door, she saw the
young man standing in front of a viewscreen, talking with the Dreen who
had tortured her. A viewscreen that was concealed behind a wall panel.
"....Sedate her and I'll sent a hover pod
to retrieve her."
"Yes sir, perimeter post three out."
The young man reached into a drawer and then started toward the room she
was in with a hypo in hand. She had to think fast. She slid
behind the door and took up a chair sitting there. As her 'rescuer'
entered the room, she struck him on the back of the head as hard as her
beaten body could manage. He collapsed to the floor. Had she
killed him? She checked and found him still breathing. She
almost wished that she had. She hurried into the outer
room and studied the viewscreen, hoping to use it to contact the Hood.
She tried a few of the controls and opened what she hoped was a transmission
channel.
"Burns to Hood, Hood come in." No answer.
"If this transmission can be heard, I am an officer on the Starship Hood,
orbiting the planet. I am being held in an underground compound in
a mountainous region. Please send help. I am being held with
Lt. D'Amico and Ensign Rames. If anyone can hear me, please contact
the authorities."
She knew that her time was short. She
gathered what few supplies that she could find in the small building and
headed for the woods again. She hadn't gotten fifty feet when a hovercraft
appeared. She had hoped that it wouldn't spot her, but when it veered
toward her position, she knew that her hopes were wrong. As she ran
through the trees, she knew that if she didn't find a hiding place soon,
they would catch her. Her strength just wasn't going to hold out.
As she searched desperately for a place of concealment, she heard the hovercraft
approaching. It had landed and deposited a search part in a clearing
that she had passed a few hundred meters back. Finally, she found
what she was looking for. A gully, washed deep by years of rain,
with large tree roots to obscure her from sight. She swung down into
the gully and found a low, dark hole to hide in, underneath a giant, broad
leafed tree. There, she sat and listened as the search party drew
closer. They were at the top of the gully in no time. Four
proceeded ahead while two broke off to explore several gullies nearby,
one being the very one that she was hiding in. As she watched from
her place of concealment, one of the Dreen soldiers entered the top of
the ravine that she was in. He proceeded slowly, looking at all depressions
and holes carefully. He would pass her shortly and she must be ready
to strike. He walked past her sanctuary without noticing her, and
she probably should have just let him go on, but the adrenaline in her
system was already at critical mass. She leapt from her perch, grabbed
his head, and spun it around, quick and hard, just like she had been taught
in her martial arts course at the academy. He dropped without a sound.
She took up his weapon and quickly searched for the other guard.
Caught unprepared, the other guard was easy prey. She shot him in
the chest as he approached. Fearing that the sound of the weapon
would bring the others, she quickly ran for a thick area of brush nearby.
The last sound that she heard was the discharge of the gun. As she
fell, the only thought she had was that of failure. She had failed
Dave and John, failed to bring help.
(Interrogation Room)
Dave had been connected to the machine for
four hours, of course, time ceased to have any meaning for him. The
intense pain blocked out everything. When he awoke, his first realization
was that he was no loner in pain. As he looked around, he saw that
he was still tied down to the table, but the sensory mechanism was attached
to another 'subject'. As he heard the screams, he realized that it
was Jamie.
"Ah, you're awake. Good, very good."
"Wha... what... what is it that you want of
us?" asked the desperate lieutenant.
"In time, you all will be made clear," was
the answer he was given. Then, in the back of his mind, he heard
something. At first, he thought that it was just the residual screams
of the woman he loved being tortured. Then, he noticed that the sound
had words, had meaning. As he concentrated on them, he could actually
decipher them.
[Dave, please, end this.]
[Jamie, what can I do?]
[You know what you have to do, darling.]
[No, I won't, I can't.]
[Dave, you have to. I can't take this
any longer. Please....]
[Jamie, please don't ask me to...]
[Dave, do...]
Dave could hear the interrogator increasing
the power on the machine and at that moment, Jamie's pleas were more than
his soul could bear. He was doing to her what he had done to Ensign
John Rames. He couldn't let that happen, no matter the cost.
Dave steadied himself and concentrated on Jamie again. He could hear
her body thrashing about on the table. He could feel the erratic
jumping of her heart beat. She was in so much pain. Then, he
slowly reached out and found the area of the cerebellum that controlled
her heart. Without even knowing how he had done it, he relaxed her
pulse rate, calmed her nerve racked body. Then, in a moment born
out of desperation, Dave simply stopped her heart. Another few minutes
on the machine and she would have died anyway, he simply spared her the
anguish that he had seen Rames suffer. The only consolation for him
was knowing that he would be joining her soon. As soon as she was
gone, Dave lost consciousness again.
When he awoke, he saw that he was again connected
to the hideous mind torture device. A considerable deal of time must
have passed for the sun had set and darkness could be seen outside.
That and the fact that the pain had returned. Dave immediately turned
his attention on himself. Gradually, he slowed his pulse rate.
He could almost feel the threads of his life, the weave that made up his
mind. Just as he was about to take the final step, the guard came
to take him back to his cell. He felt his world ignite with a fire
that swept out of the pit of his being and consumed him. As soon
as his hands were free, he struck. Without even knowing how he did
it, his mind leapt at the two guards, frying the synapses in their brains,
killing them instantly. He had no fear for there was nothing more
that they could do to him. They had taken his beloved, taken his
very sanity. As he freed himself, he heard the man who had been making
his life a living hell shout at the guards near the door.
"Kill him," was his order as he made an adjustment
to the panel in front of him before running for the door. As he heard
the machine power up, he realized that the man was going to kill him the
same way he had killed John and Jamie. Dave reached down and retrieved
the weapon from one of the fallen guards. He reached out with his
mind and struck down the man as he ran away, making sure not to strike
too hard. He then shot the two guards at the door. In less
than a minute, David D'Amico was the only one left standing in the room.
He pulled the connections off of his body, and rushed to Jamie's side.
He unstrapped her and eased he to the floor. Kissing her forehead,
he rose and walked to his antagonist. He picked the man up and placed
him on the very table that Jamie had been on. Attaching the sensory
mechanism to the Dreen, he reached into the man's mind and pulled him out
of unconsciousness. The being snapped awake, staring into the eyes
of a man gone mad.
[Why?] Dave projected the thought directly
into the man's mind. He would extract the information that he desired
from the man by whatever means necessary.
[Because you are an infection, a disease on
my planet.]
As the man's eyes got even wider, he realized
what Dave was doing. As Dave went through each part of the man's
memories, he extracted the information that he needed, discarding anything
that was irrelevant, destroying the man's mind as he went. As soon
as he was done, he reached and turned on the machine. As he lifted
Jamie's body and left the room, he could hear the man's mind screaming
and the sensory mechanism slowly killed him. From there, he proceeded
to the armory of the complex by way of back passages that were less traveled.
Passages that he knew well now that he had gotten a complex layout from
the mind of his interrogator. Reaching the armory without incident,
he placed several fusion charges, set the timers, and left.
Dave wasn't sure how he made it out of the
complex carrying Jamie's body in the shape he was in, or even how he made
it back to civilization. Most everything was a blur for several days.
He regained coherent consciousness four days later. He felt like
he was walking through a cloud, he was still pretty groggy. Physically
he was in pretty good shape. Apparently, the medical facility that
he was taken to on Dernath was very adept at healing his physical wounds,
but the emotional ones were ones that would never heal. During he
de-briefing by Starfleet, he kept to himself the facts of Jamie's death.
With the information that he gave the Dernath security force, they were
able to arrest several members of the Dreen who had escaped the explosion.
He was questioned extensively about the details of the explosion that consumed
the entire Dreen complex as well as a significant portion of the mountain
that it was in.
"A formal inquiry will be held by Starfleet,"
his captain had explained.
"Sir, you'll have to conduct it without me.
I am resigning my commission, effective immediately."
For the entire trip back, Dave stayed in his
quarters, refusing to talk even with Tim Meecum, his best friend on board.
Darce came to see him and he talked with her for a little while, but in
the end, it all seemed like meaningless chatter. All of his thoughts
were muddled and he found that he couldn't concentrate. He was even
having trouble thinking about Jamie for any length of time. He was
picking up the thoughts of every person on the ship at one time and he
couldn't filter out even one. And worst of all, he didn't care.
When the Hood arrived at Starbase 84, Dave
was met by both his family and Jamie's. Even his twin brother, Ivan,
was there. He had come to be his best man at the wedding. They
were all there for the wedding and instead, all they could do was mourn
the loss of a beautiful soul. They held a memorial service, but Dave
couldn't bring himself to pack her possessions. He simply had them
packed and placed in his station quarters. He tried talking to his
mother about what was happening to him, she was a counselor after all.
She tried everything that she could think of and eventually contacted some
of her colleges on Betazed. They recommended that she take him to
Vulcan so they were scheduled to leave in a few hours. Dave had had
his possessions, included the boxes with all of Jamie's things, transferred
to his mother's personal shuttle. Darce and Tim stopped to see him
before he left. They talked for a while and promises of keeping in
contact were made. As his departure time approached, they walked
him to the dock.