CassandraSanders
07-04-2010, 11:32 PM
“Quickly children, this way,” Dr. Kingsley said. She hustled four of the children down a corridor, glancing behind her constantly.
The children were radiating alarm from every pore and the doctor could feel it. Their thoughts were screaming in her head. What’s going on? Why are they attacking us? Are we going to be okay?
She wished she could take the time to answer them. She wished she knew all the answers. But as she pushed them down the corridor, she knew they could read the thoughts she was having and realized that she was as in the dark as they were.
The attack had been sudden and swift. One moment they were going about their normal daily routines, the next moment their emergency shuttles were being destroyed from orbit, and groups of black-clad commandos were storming the research station.
“Come on children, into the lab,” she said. The four children in front of her moved quickly. Though they were all under the age of ten, they were physically far more developed and moved with a grace and fluidity that most people would need years to develop.
As she ushered them into the lab and locked the door behind her, the children followed her lead and found hiding places in cabinets and such, keeping out of sight.
“No, it’s not the crew of the Enterprise,” Dr. Kingsley said to an unspoken question. “I don’t know who these men are. Now please, I can’t talk anymore.”
She sat down at a terminal and pulled up an overview of the station. The Darwin Genetic Research Station wasn’t fit with many security devices, but they did have motion sensors for when the children were roaming around. There were blips showing up all over the station as more commandos stormed in.
She checked on their location. They were in a remote lab off the side of the station and it had been her hope that it would take them time to search the main parts of the station before they moved out.
The attack had been swift and deadly. Doctors and technicians were being transported or dragged out. Those who tried to offer resistance were shot. The children were dragged screaming and crying, shouting for the doctors, their parents, to save them.
Sara Kingsley didn’t consider herself much of a hero, but in her twenty-eight years this was the most important thing she’d ever done; she’d be damned before she let someone destroy her work and the lives of her children.
A blip on the screen showed a single life form heading down the corridor towards the lab she was hiding in. She picked up a phaser from a storage unit and got down behind a desk, ready to defend herself and the children as best she could.
The doors opened and a figure walked in. He was clad in a black commando uniform like the others, with a helmet over his head, obscuring his face. He looked around the room and her eyes widened in horror as his gaze stopped in the four places the children were hiding.
When he finally turned his gaze towards her, she pointed her phaser at him and fired. He flew backward into the door, but before she could decide what to do next, he pulled himself back to his feet. *He must have some kind of armor on,* she thought.
The man stood up and shook himself off, walking over to a shaking Doctor Kingsley. He unlatched his helmet and took it off. “You can put your phaser away Doctor,” he said in a quiet voice. “There’s no need for it.”
“NO!” came a small shrill voice from one of the storage cabinets. A young blonde girl, looking about twelve years old came rushing out and glared at the man in the suit. He suddenly flipped backwards over a counter and landed on the deck flat on his face.
“Amber!” Doctor Kingsley scolded. “You shouldn’t have come out.”
“He was going to hurt you!” Amber protested, looking at the man who was now pulling himself back up.
“Damn!” the commando said, slapping the counter and chuckling. “Kid has some punch.”
“Yeah not bad for an eight year-old,” Amber retorted.
The man’s eyebrows went up near his hairline and he folded his arms across his chest. “Doctor,” he said, “if I was wearing a hat I’d tip it to you. I’d read the reports on this place, but I hadn’t realized just how impressive your work was.”
“Is this some new form of interrogation?” Doctor Kingsley said. “Friendly chat before we’re dragged out of here?”
“Doctor,” the man said, “before you go taking the high ground remember that it was you who violated the genetic engineering laws.”
“And that justifies abducting innocent children?” Sara said, furious. “What have you done with them?”
“I haven’t done anything with them,” the man said, his voice hardening. He stepped closer. “I’m here to help you.”
Sara looked at him, and could hear Amber’s voice within her head, warning her not to trust him. “Help me how?” she said.
“I know a few places I can hide the children,” he said. “I’ve been able to pull three others away before they were caught. I can do the same for the four in here.”
“Three in here,” Sara said, attempting to correct him.
“Doctor,” the man said, his tone making it clear that he knew she was lying. “If you want them safe, give them to me.”
Amber stepped out again and stared at him but this time he was ready and crouched down, grabbing her bodily and lifting her up, spinning her around and dropping her on the floor, buying himself time while she was forced to get her equilibrium back.
“I have a ship in orbit,” he said. “I can beam you up and get us away before anyone realizes they’re gone.”
Sara thought it over. Four voices were shouting in her head giving their own opinions. Finally she put her hands over her ears and shouted, “QUIET!”
A hush fell over the room. The other three children slowly came out of hiding and walked over to the trio, standing next to Sara and Amber. “All right,” she said.
“Doctor,” Amber hissed.
Kingsley silenced her with a gesture. “Who are you?” she said.
“That isn’t necessary to know right now,” he said.
Amber’s eyes narrowed as she tried to read his mind, sweat forming on her forehead.
“That will do young lady,” the man said sternly. “Borg technology is a good mask for telepathy. Don’t give yourself a migraine. “He gave her a scolding look and tapped his combadge. “Admiral to shuttlecraft: six to beam up.”
They materialized inside a cramped runabout, three children already huddling in the corner. When they saw Doctor Kingsley they stood up and moved to her quickly.
Kingsley quickly shushed them and pushed them into seats in the vessel before sitting in the copilot chair next to the Admiral. “You swear you can keep them safe?” she said.
“I’ll do everything in my power,” he said, bringing the engines online and swinging the shuttle away.
“How did they not detect you?” Kingsley said.
“Hiding over one of the magnetic poles,” Markus said. “Old trick.”
They were suddenly reminded about the downside to old tricks: everyone knows them. The shuttle rocked as one of the enemy ships fired upon it, Markus’ flying reducing the shot to a glancing blow.
He spun and dipped, avoiding shot after shot as the ships chasing him fired. “Can they do anything?” he said to Kingsley, nodding back towards the children.
Kingsley shook her head. “Flipping over a person is far different from moving a Starship. It’s thousands of kilometers away. They’re not magicians.”
“All right,” Markus said, bringing the ship about. “If we can’t hurt them, we’ll scare them.”
“Are you insane?!” Kingsley shouted, finally seeing just how large the ship that was chasing them in fact was. It wasn’t a design she’d seen before, but it most definitely wasn’t Federation. *So who is this man?* she thought once again.
They sped faster towards the alien ship, watching it grow in the viewscreen. The children were screaming, Sara Kingsley was ready to, but Markus just stared calmly at the front. As the ship approached the enemy’s shields, Markus suddenly dipped down underneath the enemy ship and out of range of its weapons.
The enemy ship spun around quickly, trying to catch the shuttle in its sights, but the shuttle was more maneuverable and was keeping out of range.
“They could have fired on us,” the little blonde girl said.
“They wouldn’t waste the energy at such close range. They’d just let us hit their shields and destroy ourselves.”
“How did you know they wouldn’t move?” she said.
“They want us dead. Moving out of our way wouldn’t accomplish that,” Markus said simply.
Amber digested that and nodded slowly. “Now what?” she said.
“Now we get away,” Markus said. He spun the shuttle around again, taking it between the nacelles of the pursuing ship. As the ship moved and made a tight turn to follow them, he stayed with it, letting the ship’s own engines mask them. When they had a clear path away, he fired the engines to their limits and they sped away.
When they had gotten a fair distance away with no further encounters, everyone relaxed.
“What’s your name?” Amber said.
“Markus. Admiral Markus,” the man said. “And yours?”
“Amber Jones,” she said.
“Good to meet you Amber,” Markus said. “Ever thought about serving on a Starship?”
The children were radiating alarm from every pore and the doctor could feel it. Their thoughts were screaming in her head. What’s going on? Why are they attacking us? Are we going to be okay?
She wished she could take the time to answer them. She wished she knew all the answers. But as she pushed them down the corridor, she knew they could read the thoughts she was having and realized that she was as in the dark as they were.
The attack had been sudden and swift. One moment they were going about their normal daily routines, the next moment their emergency shuttles were being destroyed from orbit, and groups of black-clad commandos were storming the research station.
“Come on children, into the lab,” she said. The four children in front of her moved quickly. Though they were all under the age of ten, they were physically far more developed and moved with a grace and fluidity that most people would need years to develop.
As she ushered them into the lab and locked the door behind her, the children followed her lead and found hiding places in cabinets and such, keeping out of sight.
“No, it’s not the crew of the Enterprise,” Dr. Kingsley said to an unspoken question. “I don’t know who these men are. Now please, I can’t talk anymore.”
She sat down at a terminal and pulled up an overview of the station. The Darwin Genetic Research Station wasn’t fit with many security devices, but they did have motion sensors for when the children were roaming around. There were blips showing up all over the station as more commandos stormed in.
She checked on their location. They were in a remote lab off the side of the station and it had been her hope that it would take them time to search the main parts of the station before they moved out.
The attack had been swift and deadly. Doctors and technicians were being transported or dragged out. Those who tried to offer resistance were shot. The children were dragged screaming and crying, shouting for the doctors, their parents, to save them.
Sara Kingsley didn’t consider herself much of a hero, but in her twenty-eight years this was the most important thing she’d ever done; she’d be damned before she let someone destroy her work and the lives of her children.
A blip on the screen showed a single life form heading down the corridor towards the lab she was hiding in. She picked up a phaser from a storage unit and got down behind a desk, ready to defend herself and the children as best she could.
The doors opened and a figure walked in. He was clad in a black commando uniform like the others, with a helmet over his head, obscuring his face. He looked around the room and her eyes widened in horror as his gaze stopped in the four places the children were hiding.
When he finally turned his gaze towards her, she pointed her phaser at him and fired. He flew backward into the door, but before she could decide what to do next, he pulled himself back to his feet. *He must have some kind of armor on,* she thought.
The man stood up and shook himself off, walking over to a shaking Doctor Kingsley. He unlatched his helmet and took it off. “You can put your phaser away Doctor,” he said in a quiet voice. “There’s no need for it.”
“NO!” came a small shrill voice from one of the storage cabinets. A young blonde girl, looking about twelve years old came rushing out and glared at the man in the suit. He suddenly flipped backwards over a counter and landed on the deck flat on his face.
“Amber!” Doctor Kingsley scolded. “You shouldn’t have come out.”
“He was going to hurt you!” Amber protested, looking at the man who was now pulling himself back up.
“Damn!” the commando said, slapping the counter and chuckling. “Kid has some punch.”
“Yeah not bad for an eight year-old,” Amber retorted.
The man’s eyebrows went up near his hairline and he folded his arms across his chest. “Doctor,” he said, “if I was wearing a hat I’d tip it to you. I’d read the reports on this place, but I hadn’t realized just how impressive your work was.”
“Is this some new form of interrogation?” Doctor Kingsley said. “Friendly chat before we’re dragged out of here?”
“Doctor,” the man said, “before you go taking the high ground remember that it was you who violated the genetic engineering laws.”
“And that justifies abducting innocent children?” Sara said, furious. “What have you done with them?”
“I haven’t done anything with them,” the man said, his voice hardening. He stepped closer. “I’m here to help you.”
Sara looked at him, and could hear Amber’s voice within her head, warning her not to trust him. “Help me how?” she said.
“I know a few places I can hide the children,” he said. “I’ve been able to pull three others away before they were caught. I can do the same for the four in here.”
“Three in here,” Sara said, attempting to correct him.
“Doctor,” the man said, his tone making it clear that he knew she was lying. “If you want them safe, give them to me.”
Amber stepped out again and stared at him but this time he was ready and crouched down, grabbing her bodily and lifting her up, spinning her around and dropping her on the floor, buying himself time while she was forced to get her equilibrium back.
“I have a ship in orbit,” he said. “I can beam you up and get us away before anyone realizes they’re gone.”
Sara thought it over. Four voices were shouting in her head giving their own opinions. Finally she put her hands over her ears and shouted, “QUIET!”
A hush fell over the room. The other three children slowly came out of hiding and walked over to the trio, standing next to Sara and Amber. “All right,” she said.
“Doctor,” Amber hissed.
Kingsley silenced her with a gesture. “Who are you?” she said.
“That isn’t necessary to know right now,” he said.
Amber’s eyes narrowed as she tried to read his mind, sweat forming on her forehead.
“That will do young lady,” the man said sternly. “Borg technology is a good mask for telepathy. Don’t give yourself a migraine. “He gave her a scolding look and tapped his combadge. “Admiral to shuttlecraft: six to beam up.”
They materialized inside a cramped runabout, three children already huddling in the corner. When they saw Doctor Kingsley they stood up and moved to her quickly.
Kingsley quickly shushed them and pushed them into seats in the vessel before sitting in the copilot chair next to the Admiral. “You swear you can keep them safe?” she said.
“I’ll do everything in my power,” he said, bringing the engines online and swinging the shuttle away.
“How did they not detect you?” Kingsley said.
“Hiding over one of the magnetic poles,” Markus said. “Old trick.”
They were suddenly reminded about the downside to old tricks: everyone knows them. The shuttle rocked as one of the enemy ships fired upon it, Markus’ flying reducing the shot to a glancing blow.
He spun and dipped, avoiding shot after shot as the ships chasing him fired. “Can they do anything?” he said to Kingsley, nodding back towards the children.
Kingsley shook her head. “Flipping over a person is far different from moving a Starship. It’s thousands of kilometers away. They’re not magicians.”
“All right,” Markus said, bringing the ship about. “If we can’t hurt them, we’ll scare them.”
“Are you insane?!” Kingsley shouted, finally seeing just how large the ship that was chasing them in fact was. It wasn’t a design she’d seen before, but it most definitely wasn’t Federation. *So who is this man?* she thought once again.
They sped faster towards the alien ship, watching it grow in the viewscreen. The children were screaming, Sara Kingsley was ready to, but Markus just stared calmly at the front. As the ship approached the enemy’s shields, Markus suddenly dipped down underneath the enemy ship and out of range of its weapons.
The enemy ship spun around quickly, trying to catch the shuttle in its sights, but the shuttle was more maneuverable and was keeping out of range.
“They could have fired on us,” the little blonde girl said.
“They wouldn’t waste the energy at such close range. They’d just let us hit their shields and destroy ourselves.”
“How did you know they wouldn’t move?” she said.
“They want us dead. Moving out of our way wouldn’t accomplish that,” Markus said simply.
Amber digested that and nodded slowly. “Now what?” she said.
“Now we get away,” Markus said. He spun the shuttle around again, taking it between the nacelles of the pursuing ship. As the ship moved and made a tight turn to follow them, he stayed with it, letting the ship’s own engines mask them. When they had a clear path away, he fired the engines to their limits and they sped away.
When they had gotten a fair distance away with no further encounters, everyone relaxed.
“What’s your name?” Amber said.
“Markus. Admiral Markus,” the man said. “And yours?”
“Amber Jones,” she said.
“Good to meet you Amber,” Markus said. “Ever thought about serving on a Starship?”