I do not own Star Trek, nor am I making any cash from this fic. Enjoy!
Prologue: Best served cold.
It was cold. Unbearably cold. That was the first thing she noticed. Icy metal pressed against her; then she noticed. Every part of her was exposed to the elements, the metal, the air conditioning. Goosebumps rose on her skin. Her mind was stuffed, pressed against her skull in an unrelenting pressure. Sluggishly, she unfolded her arm from underneath her body, crying out as pins and needles punished her flesh viscously. Then she became aware of the ache. Blood pumped back into her arm, pushing through the paper thin slices through her arms. Frightened sobs burst from her mouth, broken, harsh, guttural. She pulled her arm back to her chest, rivers of red staining her creamy skin.
Her chest shifted unevenly as her honey colored eyes darted around the small room. Metal boxes and cages were stacked everywhere. Fluorescent lights flickered from the smooth ceiling, swaying with the air from the vents. The wall in front of her had a white door with no handle, only a small blinking console next to it. There was nothing else in the room. Nothing live, nothing dead. Just her and the storage containers. Blood began to pool underneath her. Swallowing, she slid backwards, her eyes never leaving the door.
Had she been kidnapped? Attacked by someone? Captured even? Her back pressed against the cool wall. If she didn't know better, it was even colder than her position on the floor. Throbbing stemmed from her waist and the tops of her thighs. Looking down, her fingers traced the black bruises on her ribs, then drifted down to her thighs, smearing the thick red liquid from the matching cuts. What in the world happened? Repetitive booming caught her ear. She was sure there was no one else in the room. The thuds continued, passing the door. Whoever they were, they were outside. Her shivers returned in full force, this time it had nothing to do with the cold. Were they going to come in? Did she even want to shout out to them? No, she didn't know who was out there, let along whether they were friends. The steps continued on, not pausing in front of the door. She heard a distant murmur of voices.
Drawing her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her. How did she get into the room? What happened to her? Where were her clothes? The questions brought nothing but a headache and blanks. She tried to remember what she had for breakfast, the last thing she did, who her parents were, anything. But there was still nothing. She began to panic again. If she couldn't remember those...? Her heart thundered. Then she tried the most basic of questions. Her name.
The door swooshed open. Bright light filled the room. With a pained cry her arm flew up, droplets of blood hit the floor. What was happening? The light cast a silhouette of the person in front of her. The being shifted, bringing their arm up to their chest. "I found her, alert medical bay."