The resident chief medical officer had checked the young woman's vitals as she laid in the cryo unit; the medical equiment picking up on her faint pulse. He brushed a hand through his hair; not giving the young woman much thought as he knew that the cryo units would not be able to be opened without the correct passcode.
The PADD that he carried with him beeped twice; alerting him of the message that Admiral Marcus had just sent. A sigh escaped the doctor as he hadn't quite finished the research he was performing based on the young woman, but he knew that if he stalled then his research would be terminated or worse..he would be terminated himself.
He looked to the bright beaming message that flashed on the PADD's screen.
Dr. Lance,
Experiment 2XB will be awakened ahead of schedule. That is a direct order.
- Admiral Marcus
The young black-haired doctor glanced to the cryo tube that held an experimental human being that Admidral Marcus had requested be awakened ahead of schedule. 'That man..' was all the young male thought when he made his way over to the equiment that would ensure the experiment's safety when awoken.
The young woman was laid in her medically induced sleep; her features was of someone who had yet seen the harsh reality of the world but the doctor knew better as he knew well of the Admiral's brutality when it came to weaponizing anything. This experiment was just yet another of his tries to instigate war.
Dr. Lance began the repetetive motions of awakening someone from Cryo sleep; he touched the PADD several times to check her life support and her vitals as he continued his work. The last screen that he touched; caused the cryo tube to make a hissing sound as the glass top slid away.
The young woman chest began to lift as she unconsiously took deeper breaths of the newfound air that was now surrounding her. Her navy blue suit that clothed her skin changed colors signaling the doctor of her faster pulse and the higher activity of brain waves.
Dr. Lance just glanced over the young woman once more; her hair was a dark shade that seemed to contain several other colors 'Must be the other DNA sequenced into her own' While her skin was an almond tone that revealed the descent of the mother that had carried her into term.
Checking the report that beheld her medical history; he was intrigued to find out that her mother was of Asian decent which would explain the almond shaped eyes that were now opening.
The young woman had blinked several times as her arms moved on their own; picking her body up to sit halfway. Dr. Lance was still in shock as he hadn't expected the young woman to awakened till several days had passed; endless possibilities for more testing filled his scientific mind.
The opal eyes of the young woman focused on the figure that seemed to be blurry in front of her; raising her hand in a reflex motion that seemed to make the blurriness fade away which caused her to rub her eyes several times before looking back to the unknown figure.
The unknown figure smiled to the young woman whom hadn't yet comprehended the world around her. Feelings of wonder and curiousity gleamed in her eyes as she tried to copy the figure's expression "You're.." filled her ears.
Tilting her head in curiousity at the newfound noise; but her lips tried to form the words that she had just heard "Yoou'ee" alerted Dr. Lance of her intelligence. Dr. Lance knew of her newborn mind when they had first created her; they had cleared her memory on purpose as to allow the Federation to teach her to become the first controllable super soldier.
Dr. Lance knew that she would become curious and not very cautious of the things that she would soon learn; but the young woman who was now trying to stand but stumbled for a split second brought him out of his thoughts once more.
The young woman had saw how the figure was standing; so she wanted to try that also. A strength filled her perfectly designed muscles; her mind calculated the distance and the strength that she would need for every step before she literally took a step.
The figure had rushed to her, to try and help but she retailated with a sharp movement; she had incompacitated the figure. The figure fell to the ground gasping for breath as she had hit his windpipe; giving Dr. Lance the fright of his medical career.
"I am Dr. Lance, I am here to help you." The strong yet raspy words drew the woman's look to the figure who still clutched his throat. She stopped from her body from running; the fight or flight response being firmly controlled by her curiousity. "Help?" Her soft voice asked with a tilt of her head.
"Yes, I am here to help." Dr. Lance finally stood as he made his way to the young woman whom looked onto him with cautious yet curious eyes. The young woman nodded as she understood what he was trying to say; "O..K" She stated with a smile filled with triumph.
Dr. Lance nodded to himself; still in shock at how quickly she got up and walked when he hadn't anticipated her recovery time. He directed her back to the medical bed where her Cryo tube sat which the doctor quickly moved to the next bed bedside the many other medical equiment crowding his lab space.
He murmured directions to her in which the young woman followed them without another glance to the young Doctor whom was checking over her body for any injuries or medical anomolies. She seemed to have stronger bone structure than humans; her muscle structure was lean but then her fat that surrounded her scientific engineered muscles created an almost protective layer that her extra strong skin had just reinforced.
Her eyes seemed to be able to see clearer and farther than regular humans while her hearing was extraordinary because during his examination she had asked of the whirring noise that was farther in the facility. He had explained that it was the air conditioning that seemed to cause her more confusion and curiousity.
Her height was average; the doctors that had a hand in her creation did this to allow her speed and agility to be multiplied than what it would have been if they allowed her genes to take over on her growth while her features were now more of Asian descent; the almond shaped eyes were the clearest feature that revealed her descent. But you could tell that she was only half Asian as her other DNA was of something that Admiral Marcus had yet revealed to the medical team.
Her lips were curled into a small meekful smile that she had practiced several times during her examination. "Dr. Lance, who am I?" The young doctor was in a flurry of worry as he did not how to answer that question. Due to her being born in a lab and being modified by scientists, she was only known as 2XB; the first of a new line of soldiers.
"You are 2XB. We at this labratory had yet to call you a name." But the look of sadness of the young experimental woman's face had clung to Dr. Lance's heartstrings and pulled them tight. "But you may choose a name for yourself, if you'd like?" He offered as a way to comfort the young woman who had taken a similar frown like his.
But her ears had perked up at the news that the man known as Dr. Lance had just said " May I?" Her eyes had wandered as her mind picked through the limited knowledge that she contained before her eyes had stopped on a framed poster of a nebula that Dr. Lance had traveled through during his younger years.
"What are those?" Her newfound voice was awe-filled as she leapt from the examination bed to across the room where her slender hands pointed to the picture where her eyes were drawn to. "Those are stars, well a nebula." The opal colored eyes of the woman stilled gazed at the stars contained in the nebula cloud.
The little shining flecks in the expanse of the sky drew her curiousity and wonder as she whispered "May I have a name that means stars at night.." Her direct gaze was now focused on the young doctor who knew that naming the young woman would be bad but..he just couldn't deny the eyes of this innocent woman even if she was an experiment.
He racked his brain for the name that would mean stars; he remembered a name from long ago when he was in secondary school when he had taken a mythology class for the fun of it before the knowledge of gods and goddesses was disproven by science, which was strange as religion still existed in this advanced world.
"Asteria..." He said quietly but the young woman's ears caught the world and a bright smile came upon her lips as she nodded several times "I like that name. May I be called this?" She asked with a kind hopeful tone. Dr. Lance couldn't help with the smile that came upon his stress-aged face ad he nodded twice.
"Asteria.. I quite like that name." She repeated her words but another look came upon her face as she glanced to the poster once more "Will one day...I travel among the stars?" Dr. Lance nodded as he knew of her fate as a soldier. Bit he contained the guilt itching in his stomach as he answered "Yes, one day you will."
Her expression was beautiful as she left the area by the poster; then walked all the way to her medical bed and took a seat on the rock hard bed. "I am ready to finish the examination, Dr. Lance." Dr. Lance couldn't help chuckling inwardly at her innocence to her situation but he had the feeling that her innocence would disappear with the knowledge that she would soon gain from experience.
The span of several months had passed since experiment 2XB or better know as Asteria to everyone in the facility. Asteria had grown in knowledge as her free times was quickly swallowed up by training and learning from the books that Dr. Lance had provided for her. She was well-known in the facility for her kind brave nature; one day she had saved a trimble from being experimented on, Dr. Lance still had taken the trimble away but she enjoyed the companionship that the ball of fur had provided even if it just minutes.
The guards and nurses had taken to call her Ash as her name was deemed too long for them to handle when she was caught trying to escape the facility several times due to the want to be amongst the stars. Dr. Lance was still on control of her learning; he provided many science and medical books that she quickly read and memorized. The engineering and advanced mathmatical books he then provided were soon gobbled up by her quick eyes as she just absorbed all the new knowledge.
But her physical training was where she excelled; each week that she remained in physical training, she mastered yet another fighting style. Her agility and strength grew until the point where she could carry a least ten-times her own size. Her last physical examination of her speed had clocked her at twenty miles per hour at a full run.
Admiral Marcus was quite pleased with her progress and planned to place her in the academy where she would assimilate and be taught the same things he had learned of when he was in the academy. But what Admiral Marcus was worried about was her personality; he had observed the recordings of her and the facility's psych advisor whom informed Admiral Marcus of her kind yet brave nature.
But he knew that once she had faced the trials of life, she would become hardened and steel-like and willing to perform any mission he would order. She was the perfect weapon.
At the day of Asteria's leaving to the Academy; Dr. Lance had given her a PADD just for herself. "Here you go Asteria, this is just for you. I can communicate with you over your years at the academy." He handed to her and as she took in it in her nimble hands "May I modify it?" She asked with bright opal eyes as she turned the PADD over and over in her hands.
Dr. Lance glanced to her as he knew of her modifications to technology and usually the piece became much more advanced than she even planned for, she had done that to the energy core of the building which made Admiral Marcus request that she do the same to many of the buildings that he was control of.
"You may..But do not blow it up in the process." Asteria didn't hold back her laughter as she said "That was only one time Dr. Lance I have learned my lesson." Dr. Lance who had aged more by the stress and the long hours of his job had just smiled as he knew she was correct.
"Sounds good enough for me." He stated as he moved around her simple glass room; she watched him for a moment "Dr. Lance, will I be able to go amongst the stars after going to this academy?" Dr. Lance couldn't help as he stiffened slightly at her hopeful voice. He knew of the destiny that awaited her, the orders that Admiral Marcus had planned for her. But still he was under orders so he answered "Yes, you will so try your very best and graduate with honors." Dr. Lance had smiled to her.
She had just tilted her head; she knew more than she let on, she knew of her mysterious birth. She knew of the experiment that created her; but that did not define her fully, she was more than just a experiment. She was a human being even if her DNA was slightly tweaked.
The five years at the Academy had passed by very quickly; her field of study had varied over the years. But she grounded herself and now she was finishing her Doctorates in engineering and medicine, plus she had made several friends during her time at the academy. Leonard Bones was one of her friends that she had made when she was in the galatic anatomy class. Then in her physical training classes, she had met James Kirk who was a tad flirty with almost every attractive woman. While in Engineering class; she had met one of the ensigns whose name was Scotty, he had a particular accent that she quite enjoyed.
She had met some other wonderful friends, and during the holidays she had to travel back to the facility where Dr. Lance performed tests and physicals to test if she had grown in ability in any way. After all that she was now currently standing in front of the reflective mirror that was mounted on her wall.
She was dressed in the grey uniform that was quite flattering for some and not so flattering for others; the slender grey uniform gripped her slender body and and the color brought out her opal eyes. She was excited; happiness filled her as she twirled around in her dorm room. The door beeped once as it slide open; revealing Kirk and Bones.
They too wore the grey standard graduating uniform; they both looked very nice in their uniforms, Kirk cradled the hat in his hand while Bones wore his upon his head, hiding his darker waves of hair while Kirk strode into the room as if he owned the place.
"Gosh, Ash. You're more excited than a Niburian on Worship day." Bones commented as she finally stopped twirling around; she wasn't even dizzy which had always made Bones curious. "Bones, you can't tell me you're not!" She teased as she stepped forward; her steps steady and calm.
"I'm very excited but I don't dance around as if a phaser is shootin at me." Bones said with a slight amused smile at his dear friend. James T. Kirk was enjoying their banter as he walked around Asteria's little yet comfortable dorm room. "So what's your assignment plans? I recieved mine just this morning." Kirk asked curiously as he watched Asteria turn towards him.
"I am.." she tilted her head as she couldn't seem to say that she was now underneath Admiral Marcus's command and would soon be outfitted for the missions that he had explained to her. "Now a medical officer aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise." She admitted with a smile as they all looked to one another. "Really?! So am I" Bones said with a bright grin as he hadn't expected that the trio would stick together.
"Same, but I'm on the bridge." Kirk commented as he smirked; he could imagine all the beautiful women that he would soon encounter in his travels. Asteria turned to him and brought them both into her reach where they were rewarded with a warm comforting hug "I'm glad." They both just laughed and teased her about her caring nature.
"Don't go crying on me yet Ash, we've still got to get through graduation." Asteria couldn't help the slight blush that appeared on her cheeks "Oh hush both of you. You're just jealous of my good mood." Kirk just shook his head as he couldn't wait to be in the stars; traveling among them was one of his dreams and he knew that it was one of Asteria's also.
Bones on the other couldn't help but feel slightly anxious as he hadn't dreamed of. But a beeping sound came from Asteria's PADD; drawing them all from their thoughts "What was that?" Kirk asked as Asteria put it away quickly; her opal coloured eyes flickered to his sea blue "An Alarm, the ceremony will start in about thirty minutes." They both nodded as they both offered an arm "Let's get going then." She smiled to them both as she looped both arms through their own as they soon left the dormitory.
The Graduating class was full of bright young men and women whom all had a hidden smile within their features as they all anticipated the moment when they would soon enter the real world and complete the mission that the Academy taught them so well.
Asteria sat in the front; she had graduated top of her class just like Dr. Lance had instructed her so she would be one of the ones that would stay and meet the other captains and commanders. Admiral Marcus was one of the commanding officers that she would 'meet' But she dreaded the moment when he would inform her of her transfer to be under his command.
She had looked around to meet the eyes of Jim, Bones and the other friends that she had made during her years at the academy. And in her heart she hoped to see them all once again, and one day be free of the control that Admiral Marcus had over her. Jim had winked at her while Bones wagged his finger at her and pointed to the podium as to tell her to pay attention.
She hid her smile as she turned her gaze back to the podium where Admiral Marcus had caught her eyes briefly and nodded once; dread filled her as she knew she would never be placed upon the ship where her close friends were stationed.
The ceremony was concluded with the speech that had seemed so repetive but no one cared as excitement filled their veins when that last word was finished; they had stated the oath that bound them to the Prime Directive which she knew some of the cadets would break but then again everyone broke the rules once in their lives.
The cadets cheered as the final word was spoken and they were all know ensigns in the Federation. "Finally!" Kirk cheered as he threw his hat up in the air; Asteria giggled as Bones had made his way to her "Yeesh only he'll act like a cowboy.." Bones commented in his slight southern accent. "Oh Bones.." she laughed lightly as then she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning she faced a young man who wore the the standard federation uniform "Ensign Asteria Sterling, the commanding officers wish to meet you." Bones gave her a curious look that she quickly said "Alright, I'll follow you. Bones, tell Kirk I'll be late to the celebration." Bones nods once but smiles comforting to her.
She just smiled warmly before she walked through the sea of grayness following that one lone red uniform that lead her to the delegation of officers that were eager to meet her. The young man introduced her to the officers "Ensign Asteria Sterling." She saluted them with a respectful nod to each of them. She noticed that some weren't human but that didn't draw her attention as she could see Admiral Marcus out of the corner of her eyes.
An older man with greying brown hair stepped forward "Captain Pike of the U.S.S Enterprise, pleasure to meet the top graduate here at the Academy." She couldn't hold back her blush at his complement "Thank you Sir, but I didn't get anywhere without alot of hard work." He chuckled as he said "Modest too, I'll be quite happy if you ever be assigned to the Enterprise."
"I would be honored to be apart of your crew, Captain but.." Admiral Marcus stands beside me "I have already enlisted this young lady under my command." Captain Pike nodded once but he gave Admiral Marcus a slight suspicious look before he nodded once to me "IF you ever decide to come abroad; you'll have a spot on my ship. Jim Kirk spoke good things about you." I tilted my head with my smile "You're the one who suggested StarFleet to him right?" I asked as I already knew the answer but it didn't hurt to ask.
"Correct, he's already assigned on the Enterprise." He answered with a proud smile as i knew he thought of Kirk as a son. Admiral Marcus touches my shoulder "Ensign Sterling, your orders." Admiral Marcus stated behind us; interuppting our conversation. I nodded once "of course Sir, Captain Pike." I nodded goodbye with a small smile before I followed Admiral Marcus as he walked away.
A/N- Hi Everyone who continued reading this, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Something Different. I had watched Star Trek Into the Darkness for the first time a weekend ago..I know I'm a tad late. But anyway; i will reasearch and try to get everything just right for the star trek fans out there. :) I used to watch this when I was younger but haven't for awhile so I will try to refresh my mind. :)