HELIX: EPISODE 13"CRY HAVOC, Part 2: THE DOGS OF WAR" |
|
TEASER: A SIMPLE PLAN
TEASER: A SIMPLE PLAN As Vinigan made his way to the main conference room, the two Klingon guards stationed at the door quickly stood at attention and acknowledged their leader/employer. Vinigan nodded in approval, as the large blast door opened to a thundering slam. Inside, He observed the eleven alien beings, who sat round his large conference table. Ferengi, Klingon, Romulan, and outcasts from other races, quietly discussed the Alpha Quadrant’s current events, until they saw the door open, to reveal their leader/emperor enter the room. "As you were." Master Vinigan said with a smile, as He made his way to the large, empty seat at the head of the table. "Let’s get down to business. I have a meeting with Breen officials in the next hour, or so." He glanced around the table and watched all of his executives readying their message pads for the departmental reports. Vinigan turned to the Ferengi sitting closest to him. "Ophes, what do you have for me?" The Ferengi smiled. "Relief efforts for Cardassia have been increased by 22%, thanks to our anonymous donations. Almost half of the top officials have signed to accept our help in acquiring powerful positions. By the time the new government is in place, we should control a prominent number of it's officials." "Well down, Mr. Ophes." Vinigan said with a smile. "Our next step will be to initiate exposure with the Obsidian Order. Make it happen." The Ferengi nodded in agreement, as the next executive started his report. At that moment, the door to the conference room opened, to reveal a small human woman, with a message pad in hand. "Let us recess for five minutes." Vinigan said as He stood and made his way for the door. "I need to handle this." He approached the woman, who quickly directed him to a near by balcony. "Hello Agnes. What do you have for me?" Agnes handed him the message pad. "We just got a detailed report on the situation near the Romulan Boarder. It seems Chapel has decide to accelerated his plans with Team Helix." "But our projections showed he had another thirteen months before the next phase." "Something happened. Apparently, the operative he had aboard the Helix had an accident, which forced Chapel to act prematurely." Vinigan thought for a second. "Chapel tends to rely on his human senses too much. We cannot have him destroying everything we've work for." He handed the message pad back to her. "Do we have any ships in that area?" Agnes checked the message pad. "Yes. A Bird of Prey. All occupants under our control." "Divert it to Chapel's coordinates and have them contain the situation if possible. The human may be proving to be more trouble than he's worth. He needs to be reminded that the survival of our species may rest in his hands." ACT I: TOTAL RECALL The tears in Jann’s eyes finally started to pour down her cheeks as her head lowered in utter defeat. "By the Prophets, no." A whisper escaped from her lips, her eyes squinting shut to block out the reality of her situation. She was conned. She fell for the oldest trick in the book. It all made sense now. The personality shifts, Chapel’s strange interest in Team Helix… it all made simple sense. Now they were in the transporter room aboard Commodore Dimitri Andreyevich’s U.S.S. Atlantis, watching Section 31’s master plane coming to a climax. "This can’t be happening." She glanced over at Ian, who was frozen in fear by the revelation that Walter Chapel, was in fact, Gul Remmec, the man who was responsible for the death of his family and the year of torture He endured. "Do you want to me to handle them?" Eric Beckett asked his father. "No. I need you on the bridge." Chapel responded placing his hand on Eric’s shoulder in approval. "Alex Garret was an unforeseen complication. We’re gonna have to play this one by ear, and you have a better grasp on the situation than I do. I’ll get these two beamed over to our ship, and then join you on the bridge. And don’t worry about Dimitri, He won’t be threat." "Understood." Eric said quickly heading for the exit. "Eric…" He heard Jann Jaxa whimper, as the door slide shut behind him. He wanted to go to her, but He couldn’t respond. He couldn’t show any signs of weakness in this crucial time. He finally knew everything. The preservation of all they held dear was to be decided in a matter of hours, and He needed to be focused on the task at hand. He couldn’t let his heart get in the way. Not again… "Somebody, please tell me something?" Alex said as he, and his remaining crew members stared at the viewscreen full of Intrepid-Class Federation Starships. "I can hazard a guess, and say this was all a trap." Tash answered. "Somehow, they were able to get through the multiphase shielding and disable the warp engines." "Time to repair?" Mia asked. "The Nanites are already on it. ETA: 15 minutes. We'll just have to hold on until we're warp capable." Just then, the turbo lift opened and Mia entered the bridge and went directly to the science station. "We’re in trouble." She said. As the others gathered around her, She brought up communication data on her viewscreen. "I figured out how they were able to penetrate the shields. They had help." She accessed one the hundreds of file directories. "Every 37 minutes, the Nanite systems send out a tachyon pulse to analyze the hull strength and the immediate space around the ship, to keep the structural integrity at optimal levels. I accessed the pulse logs for the past four months and found this." Amidst the population of frequency waves, Mia isolated a small, thin pulse which was completely hidden. "That's not normal, is it?" Tash asked, bringing up the detail data on an adjacent screen. "It’s a carrier wave. It contains strategic data: shield frequencies, equipment schematics… everything we wouldn’t want the enemy to know. The data stream was so small, that the security systems didn’t pick it up." "Where did it come from?" "I ran a trace and found it originated from the Medlab’s main terminal." "Medlab? Not Jann? " Kyle exclaimed. "No. This wasn’t your everyday transfer protocol. Whoever did this had to have years of Starfleet computer systems training. Just to evade the system safeguards, this person would have to be able to…" "…cross-patch the systems, to bypass any and all security lockouts." Tash finished her sentence. "The same way Eric did the access panel to transport himself off the ship." They stood in silence for a few seconds. It was all falling into place. Eric’s past was a complete mystery. Months ago, He volunteered for medical training, giving himself total access to the medlab terminal. He was working for Chapel all along. Kyle braced himself against one of the control stations. "By the prophets, this is all my fault." He whispered. "I fought to bring him aboard. I didn’t know I was playing into Chapel’s hands." Mia patted his shoulder. "This whole situation can’t be this cut and dry. There’s more to this...." She paused for a moment. "Not to get off track, but have we received word from Jann and Ian?" "No." Kyle replied. "They should've reported in almost an hour ago." They all slowly glanced at the armada on the screen. "Anyone wanna guess where they are?" Alex sighed. Mia shook her head. "Well, so much for the great escape..." The bridge of the Atlantis was dead silent. All eyes were fixed on the two visitors, Walter Chapel and Eric Beckett. And they watched the viewscreen, which had an exterior view of the Helix. "Beautiful, isn't She?" Dimitri said to Eric. "If they even knew the sheer power they had in their possessions..." "..they'd be a bigger threat than they are now." Eric finished. "No one should have that much power." "Except for us, of course." They both smiled, while Dimitri, sitting in his command chair did his best to ignore them. Eric motioned to Chapel and they walked to a corner of the bridge, apparently out of earshot of the others. "We have everything we need from them. Why are we still sitting here?" Eric whispered. "Because I was hoping we'd be able to retrieve the Helix for our own purposes. But that doesn't matter anymore. Everything we need to complete the mission is in your pretty little head." Eric smiled. "Photographic memory: you have to love it. So what now?" "My hunch says, they'll try to make a run for it. And when they do, the fireworks will start." Chapel smiled and motioned to Eric to follow him. "Commodore Andreyevich." He said heading for the turbolift. You have gone above and beyond the call of duty to complete your mission, and I'll be giving you and your crew and glowing recommendation in my mission log. At this time, We are returning to the command ship. You are ordered to leave this sector, and head for the nearest Starbase for debriefing." "Understood." Dimitri replied without hesitation. "Good luck with the rest of the mission." Chapel and Eric nodded in agreement and the turbolift closed behind them. "Good luck, my ass." Dimitri said under his breath. He turned to a smiling David Gerard. "Anything, yet?" David sighed. "Just so you know, I've spent the last couple days playing cloak and dagger in Starfleet Security's databanks. Officers have been court-martialed for far less." "Less whining, more information." "The analysis isn't complete, but judging from what we know, we should have enough info to prove that Chapel's been altering secured data for a number of years. We'll have enough to put him away for good." "Good. Let our 'friend' know, and instruct him that he's authorized to to make his move." He turns his attention to the navigator. "Helm, take us out of here, warp 2. You what to do after that." "Alex" Tash called out. "The Atlantis just left at warp speed." The Captain sighed. "They were our only insurance that Chapel wouldn't try anything." "What now?" Kyle said. "As much as I want to go after Jann and Ian, we don't have much of a choice. We have to make a run for it." ACT II: CHASM "This is it, isn't it?." Eric asked Chapel as they stood on the bridge of the Normandy. "Looks like it." He replied with a smile. "Hail the fleet." The communications officer open a signal and signaled his commander to go ahead. Chapel took a deep breath. "Task force fleet, this is Deputy Director Walter Chapel. Starfleet Security appreciates your unwavering duty in the apprehension of these criminals and will note all of your efforts in it's report to Federation headquarters. At this time, I'm relieving you. All hands are ordered to report to the nearest Starbase and wait their until further notice. Remember this was a sensitive operation and needs to be kept secret for security reasons. I will rendezvous with you in day for debriefing. Chapel out." "So, what happens now?" Eric asked. "Well, if the team is as predictable as they've been in the past, they'll cut their losses and make a run for it." Chapel smiled.
Aboard the Helix, Alex was going to prove Chapel right. "All systems ready and waiting." Tash called out. "Kyle?" Alex asked. Kyle K'Nar did a final check on the weapons systems. "Phasers are shot, but we have 5 quantum torpedoes, ready to go." "Good." Mia added, from the engineering station. "A second before we go into warp, we'll fire a full spread of torpedoes to disorient the fleet." "What fleet?" Tash said motioning toward the viewscreen. They all watched as the three Intrepid-Class starships that accompanied Chapel, were pulling away and disappearing at warp speed. "What the hell is going on?" "Chapel." Alex said, with conviction. "He's getting rid of the witnesses." "Good." Mia said. "That means more torpedoes for him." She adjusted the mission plan. "We'll direct all weapons to Chapel's ship as a diversion. Then we'll proceed at Warp 5 to this nebula cluster a few light-years away. We should be able to hide there long enough to give the nano-repairs systems to do their job." "Is it just me..." Tash said to Alex. "Or does this seem a little too easy?" "We really don't have any other choice." He replied. "Steer us 180 degrees. Kyle, ready weapons and fire on my mark." "Here we go." Chapel said watching the viewscreen as the Helix made a sharp turn away from them. Eric smiled. "Whatever you do Alex, don't fire torpedoes." "Fire torpedoes!" Alex ordered. Kyle ran his fingers over the weapons console with the swift accuracy of a seasoned warrior, and then turned to the viewscreen to see the fireworks... ...but there were none. "Kyle?" Alex said turning around. The Trill warrior glanced at his console in confusion. "I enabled a full spread, but something isn't..." Before he could finish his sentence. The console in front of him exploded with sparks and shrapnel. Kyle was sent flying into Mia and they both hit hard on the engineering console. Suddenly the power on the bridge started to falter. "This isn't good! " Alex yelled, rushing to his fallen teammates. Tash tried to isolate the problem. "Some type of forced feedback loop in the system!" He investigated further. "It's Eric! He did something to the systems." "What's the damage?" "We've been fried! I'm reading shipwide damage! Too much to pinpoint. 'WARNING. WARP SYSTEMS DAMAGED.' the computer sounded. Kyle and Mia made it to their feet. "I've got to get to Engineering!" Mia said stumbling to the turbolift. "No." Alex ordered. 'You won't make it in time. Tash and I will handle engineering. You and Kyle try to get us functional again!" As Alex and Tash exited through the turbolift, Kyle made his way to the nearest console. "Mia, can you give me some type of power?" Mia checked her systems. "I can route life support, and secondary power cells from the medical bay. That's all!" "Do it. I have to find a way to..." That's when Kyle found an even graver problem. "Uh oh." "What?" "One of the torpedoes tried to launch, but got caught in the launch tube." He turned to look at her with concern. "It's still active!" "No, no, no, no...." Mia had to think quick. "Try to deactivate it! I've diverted power and erected a forcefield around the area just in case it...." Without warning, the torpedo detonated. The forcefield was strong enough to prevent the full destruction of the ship, but not enough to keep the aft section of the ship intact. The blast engulfed He entire ship and covered it with hot orange plasma flames. Chapel and Eric watched the destruction on their viewscreen. The small ship, spun out of control with a trail of flames and debris spiraling outward. "I love it when a plan comes together." Chapel said to Eric who was still transfixed on the viewscreen. He expected to see a look of satisfaction on his partner's face, but what He saw was a hint of concern. "Don't go soft on my now, soldier." Chapel whispered to him, hoping the others didn't hear. "I'm just wondering if all this was necessary." The young apprentice replied. "It was. Believe me when I say there was necessary." "It would be a lot easier if you told me the whole plan. I've dedicated two years of my life to this. The least you can do is come clean... father." Chapel heard the sarcasm, and had to smile. "So, you're getting your memories back? When did you figure out I wasn't your father?" "Just before we left the Atlantis. The headaches from the flashes are getting worse." "Don't worry. Once the mission is complete, the doctor will fix up nicely. And speaking of finishes, it's time for the fat lady to sing." He turned to his communication's officer. "Open a channel." Chapel stood and slowly walked closer to the viewscreen. "Damaged vessel, this is Deputy Director Walter Chapel of Vector Fleet. Your ship has been disabled and there is no escape. We’re reading your life support systems have been destroyed, and we’re willing to offer assistance, to go along with your unconditional surrender. Please respond. I repeat..."
"We’re reading your life support… <--------static----------> unconditional surrender <--------static--------> respond." Called out the crackling voice. "Computer, status report?" Kyle K’Nar called out above the sound of sparking consoles and the hissing of ruptured system pipes. He had forgotten that voice-activated systems had been damaged in the last melee. He knew the concussion had something to do with his lapse in memory. The ship’s inertial dampers had been knocked off-line, so the ship tilted at a slight 7 degrees, just enough to keep the smoke and fire from filling his part of the bridge. Ignoring the repeated hails from the figure on the damaged viewscreen, Kyle stepped over Mia’s lifeless body and stumbled to the science station. He wanted to run a diagnostic on all the damaged systems, so He routed power from the life support systems and drew up a schematic of the ship, with an overlay of the effected areas. He almost laughed, as He watched the entire schematic light up in bright red, signifying ship-wide damage. "We’re screwed." He whispered to himself with a wide smile. "Thanks, buddy." He grew extremely lightheaded and his field of vision was being overtaken by blackness. He flopped into the nearest chair. He knew there was only one thing left to do. Before He could finish his transmission, the ship was rocked by another blast. The Helix pitched 10 more degrees off axis, causing Mia’s body to roll onto the foundation of the captain’s chair. At that moment, the viewscreen image changed from their enemy’s face to an external view of the fleet of Starfleet attackers. Four ships were in view, all four, Intrepid-Class Starships. And as another ship arrived on the scene, decloaking and turning toward them, Kyle could do nothing else, but ask the question. "Why? By the Prophets, why?" The Starship fired it’s phasers….
"Anything?" Jann calls out to Ian, who was trying to use his food tray to short out the defense barrier which held him. "No. It was a long shot, anyway. Maybe if we…" Before He could answer, the entranceway opened and revealed Eric Beckett and two armed security guards entering the room. He could barely look at Jann’s trembling face. He could tell what She was expecting to happen next. He took a deep breath. "Alex and the Team tried to escape. We used a counter-contingency, which disabled the ship." "Are they dead?" Jann said with a cracking voice. "We don’t know. We’ve tried to hail them, but there’s no answer. We’re sending a boarding party over right now." "And if they’re still alive, what are we going to do?" Ian added "Chapel has all the information He needs to move ahead with the operation. That means you two, and Team Helix is expendable. My orders are to take care of it." A tear fell down Jann’s cheek. "You mean, to kill us, right?" He signaled for one of the security guards to deactivate the cell barriers. "It probably doesn’t make any difference, but I didn’t want to do this." He tried to approach her, but She retreated. "I didn’t know about any of this, while I was with you. I was programmed not to remember." He closed his eyes. "And I wish I still didn’t know." "You’re right, Eric." Jann answer. "It doesn’t mean a damn thing." Just as the two prisoners closed their eyes in anticipation, the room shook with a thundering boom. Eric was thrown to the floor. When He gathered his senses, He saw that Jann and Ian had already sprang from their cells, and attacked the guards. He knew Jann was an expert at hand-to-hand combat, but He had never seen Ian move so fluently with hand-to-hand expertise. Before the security guard could gain his composure, Ian sent an axe-kick to the guard’s fists, which sent his phaser rifle soaring across the room. Eric watched it land a few yards from his grasp. He quickly scrambled to grab it. Meanwhile, Jann used a standing-sidekick to her captor’s chest to send him flying into her jail cell. His head collided with the backwall, knock him unconscious. She turned to Ian who had just used an elbow swing to knock his guard off balance. "Where are the rifles!?" Jann yelled scanning the ground for weapons. That’s when they heard the quiet hum of a rifle’s power being activated. They turned to see Eric standing, with the phaser rifle raised and ready. "Looking for this?" Eric said with a nervous smile. "Don’t move." Jann raised her hands. "Eric, don’t do this." She slowly started to inch toward him. "Stop!" He interrupted, gripping the phaser tightly. Tears ran down her face. "I… I love you." She said with a whimper. "I know the man I love is still in there somewhere." Eric’s sweaty palms grew weak around the rifle. "The man you knew never existed." "Yes He did! He still does! You’re the man I love." Eric closed his eyes. "And I guess I love you too." But when He opened them, they were cold and stern, "And I’m sorry I have to do this…" He began to squeeze the trigger, when the entranceway slid open. A startled Eric turned on instinct, just in time to see a phaser beam hit him square in the chest. He fell lifelessly to the floor. The door swung shut, as Sorann stepped into the room and lowered his phaser. "Greetings Jann Jaxa and Ian Rojeti. Commodore Andreyevich wanted me to relay a message to you." "What’s that?" a stunned Jann asked. "He wanted you to know, that the cavalry has arrived."
ACT III: VOYAGE TO ATLANTIS "What was that!?" Chapel screamed. The science officer frantically, gathered information. "It’s the Atlantis, Sir! It’s just decloaked and fired on us: wide dispersal pattern! I’m registering major damage to our navigation and weapons systems!" He turned in surprise. "We're stranded!" Chapel slammed his fists on his command console. "Andreyevich, you’re a dead man! Return fire!!!" Dimitri leaned back in his command chair. "Report?" "Registering direct hits on all targets!" Commander Krag replied. On the viewscreen, they watched the Normandy, which was alongside the Helix, slowly drifting uncontrollably in space. That was just before they saw the photon torpedo streaking back at them. The Atlantis jolted hard. Dimitri smiled. "I don’t think Chapel’s too happy with these turn of events. I really don’t think He’s gonna like what happens next either."
The Vulcan tapped his combadge. "Sorann to the Bridge." "Chapel here, go ahead." Came the reply. "The two prisoners are taken care of. I await your orders." "Report to the bridge." "What is wrong?" " It seems the Commodore has had an attack of conscience. I need you at tactical ASAP." "Understood. Sorann out." Jann and Ian stood in amazement. "So you’re on our side?" Ian said in shock. "Yes." Sorann, replied checking the security control panel "According to the sensors, Chapel’s deploying troops to designated areas. We’ll make our move, once the corridors are clear." Ian grabbed a phaser rifle from the floor and maxed out the power settings. "We’re not going anywhere until you tell us who you are. "My apologies. I am an undercover officer for Starfleet Security, I was sent to infiltrate and uncover a secret plot involving Walter Chapel and Section 31. We have been aware of Section 31’s movements within the Federation for years. But we have not had the proper evidence to bring them to justice. My role was to gather incriminating evidence." He grabbed the remaining phaser rifle from the floor and handed it to Jann. "I voiced anti-Starfleet views to gain Chapel’s attention. And after faking the assassination of a criminal, I was singled out by Chapel and brought into the Section." "So it was a rouse from the start?" Jann asked. "Correct. My orders were to arrest Chapel before He could order the elimination and mass murder of THE PROGRAM." "So, Chapel had Cynthia killed?" "Correct. Unfortunately, He did not bring me in until after the massacre. As horrible as it was, we knew He had to continue with the investigation." Jann slowly made her way to an Unconscious Eric Beckett and knelt beside him. "How did Eric fit into this?" "Unfortunately, He was manipulated as much as anyone else. The process of reprogramming a human brain was very difficult. The doctors had to put him through the test over two dozen times. I doubt if He will ever fully recover from the process." "How can anyone agree to have this done to themselves?" "Unwillingly, I’m afraid. Young Eric was forced into the process. He’s no more than just another puppet." Jann gently stroked Eric’s forehead. "No, Sorann. He’s more than that. He’ll always be more than that."
"Sir, repair teams are working on the shields and weapons, but the damage is extensive." The communication's officer said to Chapel. "Casualties?" "Minor reports, nothing major." Chapel wasn't going to give up so easily. His eyes and anger fixed on the Atlantis, slowly approaching them on the viewscreen. "This isn't over, Dimitri. No one crosses me." He looked around the bridge. "Where the hell are Sorann and Eric?" The communications officer, scanned the ship. "I can't find them anywhere, Sir. They seemed to have disappeared." Gazing back at the Atlantis in the viewscreen, Chapel finally put it all together. "No..." '5 MINUTES UNTIL WARP CORE BREACH.' the computer sounded in engineering. In the far corner. Tash pulled himself along the floor, dragging his mangled, broken leg behind him. He tried his best to use the Vulcan tolerance exercises He learned as a kid to control the pain. But He had a bad concussion. And He could barely remember where manual override controls were '4 MINUTES UNTIL WARP CORE BREACH.' the computer sounded. "Oh, will you please shut up!" He yelled as He propped himself up at the engine core console. He tried to focus his vision on the console. Since He had done this over a dozen times since the built the ship, He could do the shut down process in his sleep. His finger went to work... 'WARP CORE HAS BEEN DISENGAGED. BREACH HAS BEEN AVERTED.' "Score one for the good guys." Tash said to himself, scanning the room for Alex. He found him on the otherside of the room. Apparently, He had been thrown from the upperdeck onto warp core railing. He was impaled in the shoulder... Tash dragged himself over to his captain, and felt for a pulse. It wasn't good news. "Come on, Cappy. We just got you back! Don't you die on me!" A wave of dizziness hit him and He found himself laying face-up on the floor. At that moment, his eyes rolled in the back of his head, just as three transporter signatures materialized in front of him. "Hey! Can you hear me?" Kyle heard those words pulling him out of the blackness. At first He thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but then He heard the medical tricorder pass over him. "Come on, old man. Come back to us." Kyle slowly opened his eyes, and a blur of colors and motion, mutated into the lovely face of Lt. Shelly Casey. Kyle looked up surprised. "Wait, let me guess.. I'm under arrest... again." Shelly smiled. "Not this time, Old Timer. We're here to help. We got repair and medical teams onboard." "Mia" He tried to sit up, but the dizziness was too much. "My crew..." "Mia's hurt pretty bad. We beamed her to the Atlantis in critical condition." "What about Alex..." Shelly tapped her badge. "Shelley to Dr. Zhivago. What's the situation?" "We've found Tash and Alex. They're both being prepped for transport. It looks like Tash was able to stop the Breach before He passed out. So, everything's locked down, over here." "Good. I'm beaming Kyle over now. The repair teams will stay here to salvage what they can. Shelly out." She directed her attentions back the Kyle. "They have him." Kyle smiled. "Jann, Ian... What about them?" Shelly shook her head. "We have someone taking care of that, as we speak."
"Clear." Sorann called to Jann and Ian, as the last of the guards swept out of the corridor. "Sorann, your a master strategist."Jann whispered with a smile. "A very astute and logical assumption, Dr. Jaxa." The Vulcan replied emotionless, yet with great comical timing. The main door to the shuttle bay slid open and the three saboteurs quickly made their way into the darkened room. Jann and Ian hurried toward the Betty's main door, while Sorann made his way to the command console. "Once I initiated the shuttle bay's door sequence, we will have less than 30 seconds to clear the ship's defensive capabilities." "I'm afraid you'll have much less than that, old friend." A voice called out from the darkness. As Sorann quickly altered the consoles functions, the lighting fixtures flickered on, to reveal a cadre of arm security gourds lying in wait. From the Betty's main entrance, Jann and Ian filed out with their hands up, and followed by an armed Walter Chapel. "I'd advise you step away from the console, Vulcan." Chapel called out to Sorann as three guards closed in on him. He slowly raised his hands, and then was directed to stand alongside the others. "Where is Eric?" Chapel asked. "Unconscious, in the security room." Jann replied. Ian sighed with a smirk. "I think this is the part of the plot when we say: You won't get away with chisel." "This is no time for levity, Mr. Rojeti." Sorann said, his eyes still fixed on Chapel. "We're about to die. I'd say it's a good time for everything." "On the contrary, Mr. Rojeti." Sorann whispered. "We're not dead yet." After assigning guards to check on Eric, Chapel approached his captives, his face stern and rigid. "You people have no idea what's going on." He started. "We wanted nothing more, than to give you what you've fought to achieve since your creation: peaceful coexistence." "We?" Sorann asked. "You are referring to Section 31?" Chapel shook his head with a grin. "The Section is, but a small picture in the larger frame. We aren't a Federation, or Empire. We are much, much more." He made his way toward Jann. "All we wanted was your ship. All the marvelous wonders inside it. The melding of Borg technology and our own processes would give us a wondrous advantage against our enemies. But Alex Garret returned. He turned you people against me. But no matter. The ship may be lost to me, but it only means that the final solution will be delayed for a short while..." "Well who the hell are you?" Jann asked. He stood infront of her and gently brushed her cheek. "Simply put, child. We are the final solution..." Suddenly, the armband the Vulcan was wearing beeped twice, and if he had any emotions, he'd be smiling. "Thank you, Mr. Chapel." Sorann said with conviction. "That is all the information that we need." Suddenly, the cargo bay's command console executed the Vulcan's automated command. At that moment, as if on instinct, Sorann, Jann, and Ian attacked the closest guards and confiscated their weapons. "There is no escape!" Chapel yelled as He watched a dozen transporter signatures appear throughout the cargo bay. Commodore Dimitri Andreyevich was the first man He recognized. "Walter Chapel!" Dimitri yelled. "By order of the Starfleet, I here by place you under arrest for crimes against the United Federation of Planets. Have your men drop their weapons and surrender unconditionally" Without warning, phaser streams ignited from both sides. A massive web of gold, and pink energy beams bounced back and forth, while troops scurried through the middle. Jann watched two Starfleet officers get struck down. As She raced toward the Betty, She caught the sight of Ian at the ship's entrance. He tried to yell 'behind you', but it was too late. She felt the impact of a phaser rifle's butt, slam into the back of her neck. She heard Ian scream her name, but it all happened so fast. She turned onto her back, to find Chapel standing over her, his rifle raised over his head and ready to swing down on her. "It ends now!!!" He screamed as He swung the gun's frame at her. She braced herself for the fatal blow. But in that instant, She heard a familiar voice scream her name, and then She watched a phaser beam hit Chapel in the chest, send him flying across the room. She looked up, and through the massive chaos of fighting soldiers, She saw a battered Eric standing next to her. "Eric..." She whispered. "You need to get the hell out of here!" He yelled without looking at her. His eyes were fixed on Chapel who was back on his feet. "Traitor!" the Section Chief cried and fired a shot. Eric ran for cover, but was struck in the back. He toppled into a stack of canisters, which then rained down on him. "Ian fired a number of shots in retaliation, but Chapel quickly made his way through the exit. "He's getting away!!!" Ian cried out. Without hesitation, streaked out of the Betty and after Chapel. "Damnit, No Ian!" Jann screamed, pulling herself up. She turned to Dimitri. "You got this covered, Commodore?" He nodded. "It's under control. Go get him!" Jann raced after Ian.
Chapel was almost out of breath, when He reached the Captain's Yacht situated at the bottom of the ship. He quickly punch in the access code, and the entranceway swung open. He was ready to make his escape, when a familiar voice called out to him. "Chapel!!!!" He turned to see a battered Ian Rojeti standing ten yards away, with a phaser in hand. "It's over. You lose." The sinister man smiled. "Over? My child, the game hasn't even started yet." He watched Ian draw closer. "What are you going to do? Shoot me? Kill me in cold blood?" "That's the plan." "No. You won't shoot me. You can't shoot me. Because if you pull that trigger, that would make you just... like... me..." and last thing you want to me is just like me." He smiled. Ian smiled back. "Too late..." He squeezed the trigger and the pink phaser stream rocked toward Chapel... but was met my a defense barrier. Chapel looked surprised. "I'm impressed, Ian! You do have the killer instinct. It's what I was conditioning you for, you know!" He stepped into the Captain's Yacht, just as Jann appeared in the hall. "Maybe you two are strong enough for the ascension. Maybe someday we will find out." Ian fired another volley of shots, but the defense barrier yelled steady, as the door to the yacht closed behind Chapel. That's when all hell broke lose... 'WARNING! 'SELF DESTRUCTION IN FIVE MINUTES.'
"Captain on the bridge!" an ensign called out as Dimitri and Lieutenant Shelly Casey entered from the turbo lift. "As you were." The Commodore called out as He made his way to the Captain's chair. "Status." Security officer Krag spoke up. "Chapel's troops have been taken into custody." "What about Chapel?" "Sensors report that the ship's Yacht launched two minutes ago." "Position?" "Unknown. He used some type of cloaking technology to allude us. It's also effecting our ability to get transporter locks on the escape pods in the area." "But that's the worst." Shelley called out. "Sensors indicate that the ship's self-destruct has initiated. We got 4 minutes until a warp core breach!" Dimitri stood and focused on the viewscreen. "Then we'll have to worry about Chapel later. Use everything we got to get all the escape pods out there away from the blast radius. And patch me through to Jann Jaxa..."
"Dimitri to Dr. Jaxa." He called to Jann's combadge. "Jann here." She replied as She and Ian raced through the dying ship's corridors. "There's some type of interference preventing us from transporting you out of there. But we'll find a way..." "Don't bother." Ian chimed in. "We're a minute away from the shuttle bay. We'll be on the Betty and out of here in no time." "Well make it quick. You got less than 4 minutes to clear the blast radius." "Understood." The shuttlebay doors opened and the two Bajorans raced, full gallop into the room. 'WARNING' the computer called out. 'SELF DESTRUCTION IN THREE MINUTES.' After almost a decade as a team, they each knew their roles automatically. Without hesitation, Ian continued his dash into the Betty's cockpit. Jann made a 90 degree turn toward the bay door's console and activated the bay doors. With a thundering slam, the six story door started to rise into the ceiling. The Betty's engines sprang to life. "All those who don't want to be blown to a million pieces need to be aboard now!" Ian called out over the loudspeaker. Jann started to head for the ship, when She caught a lifeless arm protruding from a giant mountain of canisters.. She stopped in her trax when She realized it was Eric's arm. She made her way the canisters and preceded to unbury him. Ian poked his head out of the ship. "Jann let's go!!!" 'WARNING' the computer called out. 'SELF DESTRUCTION IN TWO MINUTES.' When She didn't move, She quickly ran to her side. "Jann, we're out of time!" He said grabbing her arm. Then He looked down and saw who it was. "Is He alive?" "Yes." "Jann, he's the enemy." "He saved my life!" She called back. "You saw it Maybe we can still...." "Damnit Jann..." "He saved my life!!!!" She blurted out, almost hysterically. And they both stood there, staring at each other. 'WARNING. SELF DESTRUCTION IN 90 SECONDS.'
"60 seconds until detonation. " Lt. Shelly reported to Commodore Dimitri Andreyevich. "All the escape pods have been retrieved, Sir." "Good job, Leuitentant. Helm, back us off. Engineering, keep trying to get a lock Jann and Ian. " He ordered. As the Atlantis started to pull away, they could see the Valkyre-Class Betty exiting the ship at full impulse. Within a matter of seconds. The doomed starship erupted with four massive explosions. "Raising Shields." Commander Krag said, as the Atlantis lightly shook from the blast's shockwave. "Hold on!" Ian as the Betty was tossed by the massive shockwave, which sent them toppling end-over-end. The flames swirled around them as Ian did his best to regain control of the ship. After a bought of uncontrollable spiraling, the ship settled onto it's proper course and raced past the blast radius. Ian sighed in relief. "We got some massive damage to the aft shields. But it's nothing we can't handle." "Good." Jann replied. "Hail the Atlantis and tell them we're coming in." She then turned to look at the unconscious passenger they had restrained in the back. Ian glanced over and saw the look on Jann's face. "So, what are we gonna do with him?" Jann didn't answer... EPILOGUE: PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE
"You know our doctor released you guys, under the condition you'd all stay in bed for a few more days." Dimitri said as He stood, flanked by Alex and the team in the transporter room. "Sorry Commodore." Alex replied, shaking his hand. "But sickbay is for Starfleet officers." "Yeah.." Kyle chimed in. "We're just lowly grunts in the scheme of things." "No you're not." Dimitri got serious. "You good soldiers. You fight the good fight, even when the odds are against you. Believe it or not, you embody everything that's suppose to be Startfleet..." "All right, Commodore." Mia smiled. "There's no need to be insulting." Dimitri made his way to the transporter pad. "So, what will you do now?" "Hang back and lick our wounds for a while. Then, we'll go after Chapel." Jann answered. "We'll give it a few more weeks to get the ship is back to 100%." She gave Dimitri a hug. "I'm sorry for the things I said about you." She whispered. He smiled as her. "Already forgotten." He turned his attention to Alex. "After we're gone, make your way toward one of the M-Class systems we programed in your databanks. The radiation levels in those sectors should shield you from Starfleet's sensors, at least for a while. When we get back to Earth, I'll try to explain the situation. I'll do everything I can to clear your names." Alex nodded to Ian, and a transporter signal washed over Dimitri. In a matter of seconds, He was gone. That's when everyone notice the pain from their wounds. "Is there anyone in this room that feels as bad as me?" Ian asked. "All right, let's go." Jann said, clapping her hands. "The nanite repair systems are taking care of the ship, so it's sickbay for everyone." "For once..." Alex said, heading for the door. "... I agree with the doctor. I think I'll take good long, 3 day nap." "Where are you going?" Ian asked, as the other filed out the room. "I have some unfinished business to attend to..." Ian paused. "Maybe I should come with you just for..." "I'll handle it." Jann interrupted, heading for the turbolift. "The kid's got a point." Kyle said from behind. "I'm not feeling that bad. Maybe I should..." She turned to him with a stern face. "This.. is.. my... responsibility..."
Jann Jaxa stood at the entrance to Helix's security holding facility. She took deep breaths, trying to slow her heart from beating out of her chest. In the span of a couple hours, the man on the otherside of the door went from being her first love, to her enemy, and now.... Now She didn't know what to think. A couple hours ago, She would've had not problem in killing him. She could've drawn her phaser and vaporized him without a second thought. The man She had grown to love, and the man who planned on killing her and Ian were totally separate. The man She loved was dead. Hell, the man She loved never really existed... did He? "Get a grip, girl." She thought to herself. "Be strong." She took one last, deep breath. "Computer, release maximum security lockout. Authorization: Jaxa-7-9-4-6-omicron." 'ACKNOWLEDGED'. The computer responded, and the small entranceway slide open to a darkened room. Jann slid her hand down to her thigh, and released the safety strap on her phaser holster... just in case... She enter the small holding bay, which was dark, except for the spotlight, shining down from the ceiling, to a space in the center of the room. It was as if the darkness stretched for infinity, and the only source of light belonged to the prisoner, named Eric Beckett. There were no walls to contain him, but a cylindrical defense barrier surrounding his 5x5 prison. She walked toward him and flinched when the doors slid closed behind her. Eric sat on the ground, Indian style, his face barried in his hands. Jann stopped at the edge of the barrier and stared at her former friend. "Ironic, isn't it?" He said, keeping his face hidden. "What?" She asked, her voice more timid than She wanted. "How quickly the tables turn." He slowly stood up to face her, eye to eye: his cold stare burning a hole through her. "A couple hours ago, you were in the cell, and I was coming to kill you. Not the other way around." "Who said I was coming to kill you? I have no intentions of killing you." "Then you're more stupid than you look." He replied with a wide smile. "I mean, if I were you, and I knew what type of person I was, I'd pull the trigger in heartbeat, girly -girl." "And what type of person are you?" With his cold stare, still fixated on her, Eric slammed his palm onto the electrified defense barrier. The charge surging through his frame was meant to deter, not kill. But there should have been some type of painful response from him in the ten second He kept his hand on the barrier. But there was none. Jann watched as his body trembled, his hair stood on-end, and his teeth chattered from minor convulsions, but his eyes never faltered. They never darted away, blinked, or squinted from pain. They stayed transfixed on Jann's face. "Stop it!" She grew nervous. The wide smile, again covered his face, and He pulled his hand back. "O.K." He replied. "What was that suppose to prove?" He walked to edge of the defense barrier, He nose just inches away. "That I'm not your boyfriend. He never existed. He was a figment of someone's imagination." "Then why'd you save me in the shuttlebay. Chapel was about to smash my head in, and you stopped him. You betrayed your own father to save a woman you were suppose to kill." "A momentary weakness, baby. The final remnants of Chapel's little mind job. But believe, that's over and done with." "I don't believe that." She whispered, trying to keep her fear in check. "Then prove it." He looked around his prison. "Shut down the defense barrier, and let's see if true love really prevails, huh?" "Just because I have hope, doesn't mean I'm an idiot." She smiled. "Nice try." He laughed outloud. "Oh well. A had to try." He walked back to the center of his cell and, once again sat Indian style. "It doesn't really matter. Sooner, or later, I'll find away out of this cell. And when I do..." He licked his lips. "...best believe you'll be the first one to know." Jann turned and started to walk toward the entrance. "We'll see, Eric. We'll see." The doors opened to a flood of light and washed over Eric for a second. When they closed, He cold stare, was reduced to maddening look of confusion. Thousands of conflicting memories raced through his head at any given moment. All He could do was rely on instinct to get him through. And right now, instinct was telling him, the only thing standing between him and freedom was Doctor Jann Jaxa. Eric Beckett gave in to the madness. :"We'll see..."
As the doors closed behind her, Jann was met by the rest of Team Helix. "What's the verdict?" Kyle asked. "I don't know." She replied, trying to keep her composure. "Chapel really did a number on him... whoever He is. I can't even be sure this persona is his true one. He's gonna need help." "So we just keep him in that cell until we do?" Mia asked, with Tash nodding in agreement. "Whatelse can we do?" Alex replied. "He's still one of us. We can't just abandon him." "What happens if we can't cure him?" Tash asked, directing the question to Jann. She took a deep breath and looked at the others with a stern face. "If my Eric is dead, I won't have that thing walking around in his body... I'll put him out of his misery."
AT THAT MOMENT... The Romulan Warbird decloaked as soon as it picked up the Ambassador's Yacht, Santa-Maria as soon as it dropped out of warp. Normally, a Federation ship in Romulan space would be considered a threat. But this was no ordinary ship... or at least, it had no ordinary passenger. A broad, green tractor beam engulfed the small ship and pulled it into a cargo bay, just as the Warbird re-cloaked. Section Chief Walter Chapel exited the Santa-Maria and and made his way toward the small group of colleagues near the cargo bay's entranceway: one Klingon, and two Romulan ambassadors. "Greetings, Sir." The Klingon said calmly with lowed head. "Sorry for the delay. The the nearby nebula made it difficult to detect your presence." "That was the idea." Chapel replied turning to the Romulans. "I didn't expect any support for another four days." "Master Vinigan heard of the situation and dispatched us to assist you in containment. What has happened?" Chapel sighed. "We've had a minor set back. It appears that Sorann and Eric have been coerced by Garret and his team." "I told you we should've made them hosts." The Romulan woman replied, devoid of emotion. "Implanting them with our brethren would have ensured their loyalty to our cause." "The odds of Starfleet discovering us would be far too great. After Jean-Luc Picard uncovered our initial plans, Starfleet security created safeguards for detecting us. We rank high enough in our military organizations to be excluded from these tests. The others would not have been so fortunate." The Romulan male stepped forward. "Did you obtain the data?" "Unfortunately, no." Chapel replied as they all ventured into the main corridor. "Alex Garret's return was an unforeseen problem. He's given the rest of the team focus, even after all the work we put into training them to be hosts." "What of the data?" "We basically have all the data we need to utilize the 'other-worldly' Borg nano-technology. We just don't have the key elements to reproduce them." "And where are these key elements?" Chapel sighed. "Inside the mind Eric Beckett. His photographic memory is extraordinary. He's survived more than 28 mindwipes intact, and still has the brain capacity to absorb countless amounts of visual data." "But Alex Garret still has him?" "A minor setback." He smiled as they reached the entrance to the Romulan medical bay. "Sooner or later, Team Helix will come after me. And I will make sure they'll be able to find me." Inside the medical bay, the large room was occupied by two people. The primary doctor who was in the storage area, and the Starfleet officer strapped to medical table. Chapel and his entourage approached the bound man. "You're a Starfleet officer!" the man on the table yelled. "I order you the release me, soldier!" "I'm sorry I can't do that, Admiral Castanza." Chapel replied with a smile. "What is this all about?" the admiral asked, obviously shaken. They all watched as the doctor brought in a small container. "It's about change, Admiral. It's about a new way of life. It's about a new stage of consciousness." Chapel nodded to the doctor to proceed. "What do you want with me!?" "We want what everyone else wants." The klingon smiled. "Peaceful coexistence." "You see, it is impossible for you and the others of this galaxy to achieved it on your own. We are your only hope. We are the final solution. After your successful campaign against the Dominion, you've been promoted to the upper ranks of Fleet Command. This is a position we haven't been able to infiltrate... until now." The doctor opened the container, and using a small pair of tongs, gently lifted a small flesh colored parasite into view. "What that..." the Admiral screamed. "Get that away from me!" "Don't be frightening, Admiral." The Romulan woman said. "It will be over soon." The doctor placed small parasite on the Admirals cheek. "For God's sake, don't do this, soldier." He screamed at Chapel. "You can't do this! You're still a Starfleet officer!" "No Admiral..." Chapel replied watching the parasite wiggle its way into the Admiral's ear. "I'm much much more." The parasite quickly disappeared into Carl's ear. He screamed and started to violently struggle on the table. The doctor made his exit, while the others just stood and watched. After about a minute of squirming, Admiral Carl Castanza's sweaty body went limp. Chapel motioned to the two Romulans to untie him. As the latches around his arms fell to the floor, Carl slowly sat up. He opened his eyes, as if for the first time, and then smiled at his newfound comrades. He opened his mouth and spoke. "...peaceful coexistence."
THE END
NEXT: An Alien being loose on the ship! Eric Beckett out of his celll! Jann Jaxa caught in the middle! .
EPISODE 12: "The Thrall Part I" |