"Captain?!" A very familiar voice echoed distantly from the corridor.
Oh hell, Michael usually had good timing…
Zak and the other kids all snapped to the sound, and their confidence about having their hands on a weapon was eradicated and replaced by overwhelming fear.
"Who's that?" Zak whispered urgently, making sure that Pike was aware he had a phaser pressed into his kidneys.
How the hell did he play this one, lie and pretend he didn't know her? Tell these kids she was an outsider like he was? Both options had pros and cons but he didn't have time to think about it all properly; Zak was getting impatient so Chris decided to go with his gut.
"She travelled with me."
Zak and the kids shared a frightened look. He licked his lips and returned his attention to his bound captive. "How many of there are you?"
"Just the two of us. More may arrive later though." He added the last bit on incase more officers did beam down from the ship, he didn't want to be caught out in a lie when he was trying to earn trust.
"Hello is anyone down there?" Michael called out again; she was closer this time and on the same level if Pike had to guess.
Zak heard that Michael was getting closer too, so he pulled one of the kids over who almost landed in a heap across the Captain. "Cover his mouth, and make sure he doesn't make a sound." Zak ordered then moved to the center of the room and aimed the phaser at the doorway.
Without further warning the kid pressed his hand down over Chris' mouth harshly, effectively muffling the protest Pike had been about to make to a harrumph sound. With his voice stolen and his mouth blocked Chris breathed stressfully through his nose. He could smell the unpleasant stench of dirt and blood from the kid's hand. The only thing worse than the smell was the sudden appearance of a knife which was soon pressed against his neck, which of course just happened to nick the skin when it was placed under his jugular.
Chris looked up into the kids eyes and saw a very clear warning there; shut up or else. Pike swallowed back his protest over the treatment, not that he could have made one anyway with the kid's hand covering his mouth. He began listening intently for footsteps as did the rest of the room. All the kids carrying weapons took up offensive positions facing the doorway; Chris began to panic internally when he noticed how terrified they all looked and how their weapons shook in their hands. It was like watching a ticking time bomb, they all had short fuses and could go off any second turning this place into a massacre…
Michael's footsteps grew louder until she was almost at the door, that was when Zak open fired. The shot went wild and sailed through the open doorway smashing a huge burning hole into the wall opposite the doorway; it sent chunks of concrete flying in all directions just like the blast from earlier. Pike's heart shot into his mouth and his eyes went wide as he desperately watched the chaos unfold, he remembered trying to shout Michael's name but thanks to the hand over his mouth all that came out was incoherent muffling. Thankfully Michael sensed the shot coming and stepped back and away from the deadly blast, and she jumped out of the path of the destruction in the nick of time.
The kid that was covering Pike jumped when the blast went off and he was caught off guard enough to tumble backwards onto his haunches; the knife went with him and the hand pressing down on the Captain's mouth loosened significantly. Chris took his chance and yanked his head from side to side until the hand was out of the way enough to call out a warning.
"Burnham hold your fire! There's kids in here."
Zak's arms trembled which caused the phaser to shake in his grip; his eyes were wide and his mouth parted open in shock. The kid looked like he was drifting into shock and a full blown panic was threatening to cripple him as the situation continued to spiral out of control. Zak glanced from the smoking doorway down to Pike and back up again; he soon came to a decision when he heard Michael begin to shift on the other side of the wall.
"Pick him up, and bring him over here." Zak ordered frantically, waving his arms about but keeping the doorway covered with the phaser.
Two kids popped into his line of sight and Pike soon found himself being hauled upwards and backwards with surprising strength. "What are you-" He started to question the treatment when he was slapped on the back of his head right on top of the lump, interrupting his question and earning a surprised yelp.
"Captain?" Michael had an edge to her voice; it was shaking slightly giving away her anxiousness.
Chris was a little too busy to answer; he was currently fighting against gravity and the kids hauling him across the floor. He was dragged across the ground roughly and because he was so ridiculously tied up he couldn't get his feet or limbs to cooperate. Really this whole moving him thing was a really stupid idea. The kids grunted as they were forced to brunt his full weight and they seemed pissed off that he wasn't helping, but seriously how could he?
A couple of the older boys could see the pair were struggling with their cargo so they came over and hauled the Captain the rest of the way. They dumped him on his knees in front of Zak, and Chris had to fight valiantly to not topple over when his fragile balance was knocked. Zak stepped in close behind him; the phaser was out and pointing in the general direction of his head.
Knowing from this position that Zak was planning to use him as a human shield, Chris eyed the weapon warily and tried to reason with the kid. "Now wait a minute, you don't have to-"
Predictably the attempt did not go well.
"Shut up!" Zak hissed and pressed the phaser firmly against the back of Pike's head forcing his captive to face forward.
Chris tensed up immediately and he could feel how warm the barrel still was from when it had just been fired. He hated the fact that such a deadly weapon was in the hands of a kid and he hated it even more that the same weapon was resting against his head.
"You!" Zak shouted out into the corridor. "Come out where we can see you or we'll kill your friend."
Pike and the kids waited for a reply. Eventually they heard Michael take a few steps closer to the doorway and she called out in a calming tone. "I'm not here to hurt you, there's no need for that."
Michael was trying reason, but the problem was Pike had already tried that with these kids and they had refused out of terror. They were even more up against it now with another adult hammering at their door so their emotional stability was likely to get worse rather than improve.
"You've got 5 seconds." Zak shouted louder and Pike could hear from the slight tremor in his voice that he was becoming desperate. He shook Chris' shoulder roughly to emphasise his threat. "I'll do it!"
Michael must have also picked up on how panicked the kid was, and that he was just as likely to pull the trigger accidentally than actually do it on purpose. "Alright, I'm coming out!"
Pike closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. What a bloody disaster this was; he was damned if he did anything and damned if he didn't. All he knew was he didn't want these kids getting hurt; he wasn't sure if he could live with it. Unbelievably the tension in the room reached another level when Michael emerged through the smoke in the doorway; she cautiously treaded over the threshold whilst carefully avoiding the rubble from the blast. Pike noticed she still had her phaser gripped tightly although it was pointing down at the floor away from the kids.
Michael studied the room tactically and Chris saw her eyes widen in surprise when she noticed the age of all the occupants; he hadn't been kidding when he had warned her that the room was full of children. Eventually her eyes landed on him and he felt her scrutinising stare sweep up and down his body; she was checking over for injuries and frowned when she spotted the dried blood caking his face and head. He saw the unspoken question in her eyes, are you okay? He managed an imperceptible nod.
"That's far enough." Zak ordered.
Michael came to a sudden halt and warily eyed the primitive weapons pointing her way; even though they were only carrying knives and bows Michael and Chris understood that they could still cause enough damage to be lethal, they could still end lives. Michael assessed each of the weapon holders in turn and ended up focussing on Zak after deciding he was the biggest threat; well it was more about the phaser he was carrying that was the biggest unknown.
"What now?" She asked cautiously.
Zak licked his lips nervously then indicated with his head to her phaser. "Give us that."
Pike groaned inwardly. Now these kids had seen a shiny new toy they wanted their hands on as many as they could get. Michael smiled and tilted her head. "That's not going to happen."
Chris was pleasantly surprised by her resolve. Zak predictably was not. He grabbed a fistful of his captive's hair and thrust the phaser up and under his chin, pulling his head back painfully and damn near choking him with the gun. Pike couldn't help but grunt at the surprising aggression.
Zak shook his head roughly and pressed the phaser dangerously into Pike's throat. "Do you think I'm joking?" He shouted desperately.
Chris closed his eyes and rode through the discomfort, painfully aware that he was very close to death. One slip of the finger and this would all be over. He was growing more and more sure that Zak had it in him to do this. He had to keep reminding himself that even though Zak looked like a kid he had been through something on this planet that Pike would never understand; whatever it was had hardened these kids.
Michael's expression froze over and the warmth she exuded was replaced by a cold look; she dropped the kid gloves. "Do you know what happens to you if you do this?"
Chris felt Zak stiffen behind him and the phaser stopped shaking, he could imagine the kid blinking in shock. Eventually Zak steadied his nerves and replied. "You have no idea what we're prepared to lose."
The conviction behind those words shot straight through Pike's heart, he heard the truth there. Clearly so did Michael as she nodded thoughtfully and appraised them all in a new light.
She licked her lips nervously and glanced behind her. "How about I throw it over there? Then no-one can use it but we can talk." Smart, she was trying to edge the kid's toward diplomacy without giving them even more fire power. "That's what I'm here to do after all."
They were at an impasse for a while and Chris had to admit it was a marvel seeing the two immovable forces at play; they were just as stubborn as one another. Eventually Zak lost patience with waiting and clearly wanted the weapon out of Michael's hands, no matter how he had to get it that way.
"Fine toss it." He relented. "All the way in the corner though." He added as an afterthought.
Michael nodded then did as promised; she powered down the phaser and tossed it into the back corner, far away from anyone. Pike didn't miss the fact that she was still closest to the phaser, not that it mattered that much when Zak and the kids still had ranged weapons.
The only good thing about the tense situation was that Michael had just achieved what Chris couldn't and had started a dialogue with these kids; she had made them compromise and following that had inadvertently created a rapport. With any luck she could run with the momentum and continue to defuse the anger; and the undeniable fear in the room that was making the kids lash out violently. Something which Chris could attest to first hand regrettably.
Michael held out her hands submissively to show she was no threat and let her features slacken and relax; although a small frown appeared as she noted the strain on her Captain's face. He had to admit having his head bent back like this was becoming rather uncomfortable and the phaser was started to restrict his neck.
"I've done what you asked, how about you let my friend breathe a little easier?" Michael kept her tone light and unthreatening; her pleading expression naturally made Zak guilty and made him see his captive as a person rather than just an enemy. Pike had said it before and he'd say it again; Michael Burnham was incredibly smart.
Chris was yanked harshly back into the moment, and he winced when the hand in his hair tightened like Zak had reacted to the words automatically. Zak for his part finally realised what he was actually doing, and the uncomfortable position he was putting the Captain in.
It could have gone either way but after a few seconds of Michael's puppy dog eyes Zak couldn't refuse. "Okay." The Captain felt the phaser lift away from under his neck and he resisted the urge to gasp now his throat wasn't restricted. Instead he swallowed and tried to ignore the burning feeling.
Zak slowly unfurled his hand from Chris' hair and let go completely. Chris closed his eyes in relief and slowly returned his neck to a normal position, stretching out the cricks as best he could without the use of his hands. The instant relief was magical and he nodded gratefully to Burnham. He hadn't realised how painful the position had become; his neck would be sore for weeks at this rate.
"You better stay where you are though." Zak interjected quickly and the panic reared its ugly head again. He placed the phaser against the back of Pike's head in warning.
They were back to where they had started, but Michael was doing well earning Zak's trust and getting the kids to at least listen to her; not to mention this position was a hell of a lot less painful than having his head yanked back like that.
Michael held up her hands fully and smiled reassuringly, her eyes kind and exuding trustworthiness. "Okay, sure. I'm not going anywhere."
Chris felt the tension behind him loosen and he breathed easier knowing that Michael was making progress, even if it was baby steps. He heard Zak mutter nervously. "Good, good."
Pike felt the phaser back off slightly. He was sure it was still hovering close by but the pressure had decreased indicating Zak was de-escalating. Michael had made him believe he was in control and he had all the power which was exactly what he needed to not freak out.
Zak suddenly stopped fidgeting and he cocked his head to the side. "Where did you come from?"
"She's from out of town like me." Pike interjected before Michael blew their cover, he didn't want Michael to destroy the trust she had built. Better he take the hit, literally as it turned out.
Zak swatted him round the head. "I was asking her." He complained.
Chris winced but held his tongue from any further outbursts; his purpose was complete and Michael now knew what he had told the kids so she wouldn't get caught out in a lie.
"We came here to help." Michael started carefully trying to turn everyones attention to her. "What happened to your city?"
Zak clammed up almost instantly and went on the offensive. "No-one can help us." He glanced suspiciously between Michael and Pike. "What I don't understand is how the two of you are still alive."
Michael's face didn't waver too badly but Chris caught it, he supposed he had known her long enough now to pick up on the slightest change of expression; like right now she was in the dark and trying desperately to connect the dots from incomplete information. Michael hadn't been with Zak and the kids when they had been questioning Pike, she didn't have the information that Chris had about something happening to all the adults. Surprisingly Michael cottoned onto the mystery far quicker than Chris had and with much less information.
"All the adults were the one's who died in the invasion weren't they?"
Invasion, what had Michael found out? Perhaps she had had better luck on her search, well she hadn't ended up attacked and held hostage by a bunch of kids so yeah she definitely must have.
"How do you know about that?" Zak frowned heavily; he scratched the side of his head and indicated with the gun to Chris. "He doesn't seem to know anything."
It was true, Chris didn't know a damn thing. He'd been trying to get answers ever since he woke up but the kids here hadn't been very forthcoming, only giving away snatches amongst their paranoid questions and ramblings. They had been much keener on hitting him.
Michael smiled and took a slow step forward; more confident now she knew she was on the right track. "I know it happened some time ago and that after the aliens left people fell ill, they started disappearing."
"One minute everything was fine…" Zak's eyes glazed over and his voice cracked as he relieved the distressing memory. "...my parents, everyone who had reached adulthood they just burned away. To nothing."
The entire room fell silent as Zak opened himself up and put his emotions on display; Chris finally understood what Zak had meant when he had proclaimed he had seen things that Pike wouldn't believe. This was the reason these kids were hardened like they were, why they were suspicious of newcomers and violent; they had lost everything and been left alone on this world.
Chris ran the words over in his mind and thought about the full implications to Zak's confession and Michael's intel; some time ago an invading force had caused what could nearly be described as genocide. Zak's description of the deaths was particularly distressing, his voice had shaken when he finished the sentence showing he was struggling with the memory of watching his family burn away. It would certainly explain the lack of bodies in sight and why for all intents and purposes it looked like the inhabitants of the city had just disappeared, but what could cause something like that to happen?
Seeing that she was finally getting Zak to open up, Michael took another slow step forwards only halting when the bow and arrows snapped up again. "I'm sorry this happened to you. If you let us we can try and help."
The words seemed to snap Zak out of his daze and the frown reappeared on his face. He glanced at Michael suspiciously as something clicked into place, and he tightened his hold on Pike's shoulder powerfully.
"Did this not happen where you came from? Why haven't we heard from anyone until now? It's been 9 years!" He all but shouted as the familiar anger and paranoia returned, he started to tremble as a side effect and once again aggressively pressed the phaser into the Captain's head.
Dammit. Chris had thought that Michael was getting somewhere; that she had finally broken through Zak's suspicion and earned enough trust to get him to open up and listen, but here was all of the paranoid questions resurfacing. The worst thing was Pike knew that he and Michael didn't have the answers that would satisfy him, not without telling him the truth about who they were…
For the moment that option was out of the question, this planet was still a pre-warp society and like it or not they couldn't tell Zak and these kids the truth. Chris doubted they would believe them anyway.
Now that his head wasn't thudding so thunderously Chris found he could think straight again, so when he replayed over the conversation he understood where most of Zak's suspicions must have come from. 9 years was a long time and if there had been surviving adults on the planet with tech like Pike and Michael had been carrying, then logically it wouldn't have taken them this long to come to the capital of all places. Michael knew this, Chris knew this, and worst of all Zak knew this.
Michael took a deep breath and tried to salvage the situation. "We've been-"
Her efforts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, not only footsteps but multiple sets of them which were moving fast indicating the people were running. Both Chris and Michael tensed and met each other's eye, surely it was too soon for Discovery to have sent down additional personnel?
Pike watched the rest of the room become rigid and still; fear and a small amount of panic began to rise in the space again. That was until a whistling sound echoed down the corridor which sounded almost like a bird. As soon as the kids heard the sound they all breathed a sigh of relief as one and one or two kids even cracked a smile. The fear and panic vanished and the weapon holder's turned their undivided attention back to Michael and Chris; the one and only threats. The sound must have been a signal of some kind which indicated those approaching were friendlies, which explained why Chris and Michael received such a rude welcome.
Even though the room seemed calmer and most of the kids looked pleased by whoever was approaching, Chris felt that Zak didn't take the same sigh of relief and the pressure on his shoulder and against his head actually increased after the whistle. Zak was clearly still feeling the pressure of the mysterious newcomers, of the people with weapons that shot fire like magic.
It didn't take long for the footsteps to reach the doorway and a trio of boys came bounding into the room; excited and boisterous. Chris only had a microsecond to study them before it all went to hell, well more to hell than the situation they were in now.
The boy at the front of the group was the oldest kid Chris had seen down here, his mind supplied he was the leader because of the age and the way the other kids followed and looked at him. By looks alone he would have guessed he was either 17 or 18, so he was almost an adult. The other two were lanky teenagers and all three of them were armed with sharp axe-like implements and bow and arrows.
As soon as they saw the situation in the room all three boys froze and their previous joy evaporated, their expressions fell and their eyes bulged like they weren't believing what they were seeing. The three boys all stared from Michael, to Pike, to Zak, and finally to the weapon he was holding with jaw-slack expressions as their mouths hung open in shock.
"Ravok!" Someone called out exuberantly clearly happy about the arrival of their leader. Pike committed the name to the face.
"What the hell…" Ravok, the leader of the newcomers muttered, his eyes were still bulging and uncomprehending.
Ravok soon realised what was so wrong with the picture and after his brain restarted he noticed there were adults among them. He instantly raised his bow and arrow and ordered his companions to do the same.
Michael hadn't moved one muscle since the interruption, she had likely been assessing the new threat and trying to keep one eye on all of the weapons and where exactly they were pointing. Chris could see her hand twitching and knew she was missing the phaser which was now closer to the newcomers than her; there was no way she would reach it without being shot down.
The tension in the room rose for the second time and Michael and Pike stiffened again when even more weapons pointed their way. Michael had been making at least some headway with Zak, but now that was all ruined by the new arrival and the power shift. It didn't help that the newcomers looked to be even more trigger happy than the kids Michael and Pike had already been dealing with, their fear and confusion over seeing adults for the first time in 9 years was clearly taking over. They all looked like they were a hairs width away from releasing their arrows and embedding them in Michael and Pike.
Michael obviously came to the same conclusion and saw how close they were to setting off this powder keg. She held her hands up and took a few slow steps away from the boys; giving them the space they desperately needed. "We're not armed, and we're not here to hurt you."
Michael's soothing voice helped to hold the newcomer's hand but only just; he blinked a few times and after a few seconds seemed to process the scene better. The initial shock of the Michael and Pike's presence was finally wearing off.
Ravok turned to Zak angrily and growled. "Zak, what the hell is going on?"
