Hello everyone. Welcome to Lost in Darkness. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported me in writing this. And a special thank you to Darcy, your review made me come back to this story. If you're rereading you're going to want to start at the beginning, because I've changed a lot in the story. I hope you all enjoy reading this as much I have writing it. Reviews are treasured and every bit of criticism and brainstorming helps make this a better story. So thank you. So, without further ado…

Lost in Darkness: Found in Stars

When I woke up, I thought the world would be a better place. When I slept, I dreamed of peace, love, and the brotherhood of all of mankind. What I awoke up to was war.

When Aarini Noonien Singh was placed in to cryogenic slumber in the year 1997 she thought that the world would be a better place when she awoke. What she found was a dark shadow organization known as Star Fleet, bent on instigating a space war that would claim the lives of thousands and destroy the fragile peace that held the galaxies together. When her father is taken from her, Aarini is thrust into a world of danger and unknowns, where she can rely only on her strength and wits to keep her alive. Quickly lost in the darkness of the new century, Aarini fights against the organization hell bent on either destroying her or turning her into a weapon, as she searches for her father and her home in the strange and new world she finds herself in. But as unknown forces act against her and the clock begins counting down, the question is: how much time does she have left?

Prologue: Awake

Star Date: 2258.110

Star Fleet Base Foxtrot Whisky Alpha 51: Undisclosed Location

The scientist jumped as the automatic doors swooshed open unexpectedly. Dr. Urush was a nervous man; his shoulders eternally hunched as he hid behind his greasy curls, thick glasses, and wrinkled lab coat. He shuffled anxiously with the papers on his desk as he watched the ensemble enter the room. The guards were almost identical: burly severe looking fellows, dressed in all black with radios in ear and automatic weapons in hand. The man they were guarding, however, was quite different. He wasn't exceptionally tall, but he held himself in a way that commanded attention and respect—even with the intricate solid steel handcuffs keeping him prisoner. He was deathly pale, with a strange sharp bone set that, although harsh on the eyes at first glance, seemed to become more beautiful the longer one looked upon it. His hair was as dark as his standard issue prison garb, but it was his eyes that truly drew the young scientist attention. They were relatively small compared to the rest of his broad features, set deep into his face and gleaming sharply in the light. They were the color of summer storm clouds, twisting and every changing as one watched them. In a word: captivating.

"Dr. Urush!" A harsh bark broke the young scientist out of his musings. The Admiral, a frighteningly stern expression marring his features, entered after the group. His strides were long and purposeful as he moved, his keen eyes slicing across the room and settling on the table in the center. "Let's hurry this up shall we?"

"Ye…yes, of course, sir." The young man stumbled over his feet and began the sequence to awake the body on the table.

The young girl was eerily still in her frozen coffin. Her eyes were closed, her face completely blank of all emotion, dark hair framing her perfect features, and her chest still (not even breath moved her figure). The doctor doubled checked his numbers before quickly entering the sequence code into the chamber, the old fashion glass door sliding open as the process began.

For a long time nothing happened. This was to be expected, and yet the doctor felt sweat begin to accumulate on his palms. He could not even begin to imagine the horrors he would experience if this failed.

The changes in the body were so subtle they were practically nonexistent at first. Color rose slowly into the girl's skin. Like soot swirling to the surface of a pond when disturbed, the pigment was soft and subtle beneath the smooth features. She still did not move, but this stillness felt more temporary than the one that had come before. A dramatic pause in the midst of a movement rather than the end of the show itself. Then, finally, there was a sudden jolt as the young creature moved, her chest rising and falling again as the sound of her breathing filled the room. Her body picked up as if it had never stopped, the rhythmic cycle melting away some of the frozen tension in the laboratory.

The prisoner leaned over the girl, his face hovering above hers. He stared intently at her face, as if he could simply gaze through her lids and meet the eyes that rested there. His hair, too long and shaggy, fell, creating a temporary curtain around the two.

"Aarini?" He whispered the words too soft for the humans' ears to detect. "Aarini, wake up."

Her eyes snapped open, pupils dilating wildly as they adjusted to the blinding white lights. Green eyes locked onto those above her for a moment, holding the gaze before sweeping the surrounding area.

The girl quickly took stock of her body, perplexed by the foreign numbness she found in some of her extremities. She moved her lips first, opening them, as if to speak, before closing them again. Then, she moved her fingers, joints in her right hand groaning like unoiled hinges as she forced movement upon them. Feet were next. She pointed and relaxed them quickly, the sharp pain down her legs an easy tell that something was amiss. She stilled after that, focusing on her breathing and inner being for a moment. The air traveled coolly and smoothly through her lungs, filling her with life and energy. Her blood felt simultaneously burning against her frozen body and cool compared to its normal temperature. She felt as if she were getting a fever as her body temperature rose to its normal operating point.

She suddenly sat up, her body quickly losing its residual stiffness as the warmth of the air seeped into her skin. The doctor began to ramble about how that wasn't a good idea, but the girl didn't bother to tune in, her focus shifting outward as she examined her surroundings.

Her eyes skimmed over the room before resting on the prisoner, who stared at her with an indescribable look of tenderness that looked out of place on his features. "Hello, Aarini." He greeted her, holding out a hand to help her out of the container. She accepted it, his hand burning hot in hers. She climbed out, suppressing a shiver as her bare feet found purchase on the hard metal floor.

Once she was steady the young girl (who looked to be significantly shorter and younger than her companion) stepped forward, threading her arms around the man's torso and pressing her cheek against his chest, content to listen to his beating heart. Her voice was weak and hoarse, her mouth dry and tongue thick, but she forced the words out anyway. She needed to say them.

"Hey, dad."

Chapter 1: Escape

One Year Later

Star Date: 2259.55

Star Fleet Base Foxtrot Whisky Alpha 51 Prison Block: Undisclosed Location

The lights hummed and buzzed for a moment before flickering to life, their noxious florescent rays illuminating the room. The walls and floors were a dark dismal shade of grey, the type that seemed to absorb all sources of color in the room. There were no windows, only a thick stainless steel door against the far wall. A set of heavy duty chains hung from the ceiling. Each link was about three inches of solid metal, and the end was attached to a pair of handcuffs.

Long, delicate, pale fingers—calloused by hard work and long hours—were attached to boney slight wrist, covered by metal cuffs. Aarini's hand were suspended above her head, her shoulders bent back at an awkward angle as her toes skimmed the ground.

Her sleep had been light, and the brightness awoke her instantly. Her head hung forward as her loose black curls brushed against her cheeks. She kept perfectly still as she waited for something—anything—to happen.

The sound of clicking echoed in the room before the door swooshed open, and then closed again. Footsteps echoed in the small space as a pair of heavy boots made their way across the floor.

Only one? Interesting.

Suddenly, a meaty hand grabbed a fistful of black hair, jerking Aarini's head back with a snap. She let out a fake cry of confusion and pain, blinking her eyes open and looking up. He was one of the guards that had been assigned to her all those months ago when she had awoken in this hell hole of a century.

His skin was leathery and rough, his face twisted by the lewd grin that showed a set of yellowed slightly crooked teeth. His hair was buzzed short, but somehow it maintained a slick greasy look. His muscles rippled under his shirt as her grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"Well, what do we have here?"

My ticket to freedom.

"Ple…please, don…don't hurt me." She said, drawing tears into her eyes. Her body trembled slightly as she subtly stretched her legs out to gain a bit of purchase on the ground.

"The great Khan Noonien Singh's daughter reduced the begging. I wonder what he would say if he could see you now?"

"You'll shut your fucking mouth if you know what's good for you." She spat out, her glare murderous. Her lips were drawn back to reveal a set of perfectly shaped razor sharp teeth.

Calm down and control yourself! She could practically hear her father berating her.

"Oh, so she speaks." He taunted, leaning in so that his putrid breath ghosted across her face. Her eye twitched involuntarily as she fought back bile. "And you've got a mouth on you too. Let's see if we can put it to better use…"

The fight was over in less than three seconds, it really wasn't even a contest. He leaned in, his hot muggy lips pressed up against hers as his slimy tongue tried to slither its way in. She reacted quickly and efficiently, kneeing him in the stomach and hissing as he pulled out a chunk of her hair. He doubled over in pain and she kicked up, placing her legs around his neck in a stranglehold. Her struggled against the vice around his neck, his hands scrambling for purchase against the denim covered muscles that were currently crushing his windpipe. But, in truth, he didn't have a chance. She grunted as he suddenly turned into dead weight, her hand cuffs digging in painfully. She held on for another moment, to ensure he wouldn't be awakening any time soon, before letting him drop to the floor with an ugly thud.

She looked up at the ceiling and bit her lip as she coiled her legs in the air and sprang up, grabbing the chain. She easily climbed up the chain, crunching her body up so she was handing upside down with her feet planted firmly on the ceiling.

One, two…

The metal gave an ominous groan before it snapped. Aarini barely managed to right herself and land on her feet. She wasted no time, knelling beside the unconscious figure and quickly rifling through his pockets for his keys, gun, and anything else of value she could use to get out of here.

It took some maneuvering, but she managed to unlock the cuffs from around her wrist—ridding herself of one huge inconvenience. She slipped his phaser out of its holster, quickly examining the device before sliding it into her back pocket. She also took his jacket, cap, and shoes, clipped his ID card to her chest, and took a piece of the strange multi colored gum he kept. Now all she needed was the finishing touch.

Aarini had never really been one for gore. Horror movies, haunted houses, battle fields…never quite had been her forte. That being said, she wasn't squeamish around the stuff. How could she be? Blood, guts, fire, pain…it was all part of the business. She had accepted it, and grown quite adept at her trade. That didn't mean she had to like it.

All the same, in her own meticulous manner, she slipped her fingers into the eye socket of the unconscious guard, removing his eyeball from its confines in his skull. She made a face at the squishing sound and sticky feeling of blood coating her fingers, but otherwise didn't complain about it. She was just doing what needed to be done.

The first door (the one that had kept her from making her escape earlier) was easy to open. The guard had left it unlocked so that he could slip in and out, unnoticed. The hallway stretched out in front of her for about two hundred feet before she was met with her first real obstacle. This set of doors was not as thick as the one that had kept her imprisoned, but still impossible to open by sheer force. She walked up, swiping the stolen key card through the machine, and cursing as a number pad was revealed. Ten numbers, zero through nine. 9,000 possible combinations, assuming it's a traditional four digit system.

She growled and leaned down, examining the device for a moment. Then, she reached her hand forwards, nimble fingers removing the metal covering and revealing the bare technology beneath. She played with the indecipherable mess of wiring for a moment before finally connecting the two ends she wanted, smiling as the door hissed and slid open in response.

Aarini stepped into the next hallway, surprised to see a bright well lit corridor. There were about a dozen or so doors, identical to the one she has just exited from, numbers on them in black paint. A prison block then. She hadn't noticed any cameras, but really that meant nothing. She was going to have to work fast if she had any hope of getting out of here before they noticed she was gone.

So, left or right?

She chose right, heading towards the beginning of the numbers. She could only hope that that would be the exit.

She arrived at the door, swiping the card again and fishing the freshly caught retina out of her pocket for the scanner. She stepped out into a circular room. Two doors in addition to the one she had just exited from adorned its walls and a large desk with three computer monitors took up the center of the room.

Aarini walked over, sliding into the chair and touching the key pad, bringing the technology to life. It had taken her a bit of adjusting, but after living in the 23rd century for a year she knew more than enough to navigate their technology and ways. It was different than things were back home, but people were the same no matter where (or when) you went. Life wasn't that hard to figure out.

The two side monitors were live video feed of the different cell blocks. Most were empty, the others simple set ups where the criminals were asleep safe in their beds. It must be night…how appropriate. The only image of any interest was the bloody body she had left in her own cell. It too a moment, but she quickly figured how to manipulate the image to repeated the same vision of her, asleep in her prison.

The center monitor was a blank desktop, the same programing that had been used on the devices Khan and Aarini had been given to work with on the Admiral's little "projects," which made it easy to navigate. She easily called up the Star Fleet search site, browsing the data for what she needed.

Khan Singh. She typed in. Search.

Your search – Khan Singh - did not match any documents. Please specify or redefine your search.

Aarini Singh. Search.

Your search – Aarini Singh - did not match any documents. Please specify or redefine your search.

She growled, trying to think of a key word that would lead her to her father.

Project Alpha Gamma Charlie. Search.

We're sorry. These documents are marked as classified. To view them please enter your ID number.

Damn it! Her fingers drummed restlessly as she stared at the blank screen. What would they leave unclassified?

John Harrison.

45,000 results found.

She sighed, clicking the first link and glancing over the document. It was a report for "John Harrison" to be transferred from here to research in the Star Fleet base in London. Section 31. So he was on earth. That was…problematic. An inconvenience at the very least.

Suddenly, one of the doors opened and a guard, his face buried in a PDA, walked in towards her. Aarini reacted instantly, jumping from her seat to take him out in one easy motion. Her hands found purchase on his chin and forehead as she jerked his head to the left, snapping his neck instantly.

She felt the hot turning sense of illness bubble up inside of her as the body fell to the ground, but she couldn't focus on that now. She needed to get out of here. She cleared the desktop and rose, moving quickly out the door and down the next hallway. She was wandering mostly blind, her knowledge of the base limited to the layout of the laboratories they had been forced to work in and the room she had stayed in prior to her time in the kinky prison suite. That being said, she did at least have some idea of the way these things were designed. She just needed to find her way to the transporter room or the laboratories.

She jumped at the sudden blaring alarm that filled the hallway, the lighting turned from white to red in the blink of an eye. Guess they found her little surprises. She started running, not even worried about discrepancy at this point. She slipped the phaser out of her pocket and let her finger rest on the trigger, ready to fire.

Her muscles were surprisingly stiff as she ran, but she paid that fact no mind as she watched for any indication of where she might be. She decided her best bet would be to reach one end of the ship and work her way around from there. She didn't have much time, but she was running out of options. A door beside her opened, suddenly two unfamiliar faces dressed in Star Fleet medical uniforms stepped out into the hall.

There was a slight hitch to her movement as she hesitated to harm two innocents. In the end she simply knocked them out, hoping that her superior strength didn't cause any serious brain damage as she hit the two fragile human skulls together. She didn't hear a crunch or see any blood, so she kept moving. Her gait became longer as she ran, her feet barely touching the floor as she flew through the ship.

Aarini saw them before they saw her, but by then it was too late to hide. She paused for half a second at the turn she was about to make, looking at the powerful phasers and angry faces that awaited her, before changing direction suddenly. She doubled back the way she had come, making a different turn down the identical hallways.

She could hear footsteps and voices following her, meaning she had less time than she had originally thought. She quickly ducked into one of the open doors in the hall she was in, slipping through the recreation room to the next set of doors on the other side. She took a deep breath before opening the doors, thanking every deity she could think of that no one was waiting for her on the other side.

She turned right and kept running; keeping her pattern of turns and rooms sporadic and spontaneous so that they couldn't predict where she was going. Finally, she began to recognize some of the rooms she was ducking into. She was getting close.

Just as she saw the familiar doors, marked LAB DELTA 3, she heard footsteps not too far off. They would be on her any second…

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH" The cry was surprise more than pain. She was, after all, trained to endure much greater quantities of agony than phaser burn. Aarini fell to her knees as another blast hit her side. She feel onto her side as black army issued boots filled her vision.

She grit her teeth, refusing to let out the small whimper bubbling in her throat, even as they shackled her with thick industrial strength cuffs. A dull roar filled her ears as they hauled her up, icy hopelessness seeping through her limbs. She wanted to fight, wanted to honor her people and their spirit, but her limbs refused to obey. Suddenly, a needle pinched the skin of her neck, a painful burning sensation spreading from that point through the rest of her body. She had just enough time to wonder what type of needle they had found strong enough to pierce her skin before the world became hazy and dark.

Then everything faded to black.