Chapter 3
"I can't get a lock on their signal!" Lt. Torres said.
"Narrow the confinement beam," Janeway commanded. "See if you can lock on to them that way."
Torres tried again. "No luck. I know they're down there, Captain. I know they're alive down there-"
"Keep trying, Lieutenant," Janeway encouraged.
"I can try the skeletal lock again, but I'll have to reconfigure the transporter directly from the transporter room."
"How long will it take?" Janeway asked.
"Half an hour at most," Torres said.
"Do it," Janeway said. "I'm not leaving anyone behind."
General Valko finished typing a message on a PADD before getting up to stretch his limbs. The tall Sorathian warrior walked the length of his makeshift office in an abandoned building and peeked through a set of sooty blinds to make sure the premises were secure. He hoped Faolan's negotiations with the Starfleets went well. It seemed these people from Voyager were their only hope for survival against the aggressive Order of Izaldin. This war had been raging for nearly a decade, and by the looks of things, Valko's men were fighting a losing battle. Their enemies were becoming more and more cunning by the week.
The doors at the end of the room opened suddenly. Valko reached for his sidearm, but relaxed when he saw one of Faolan's soldiers enter.
"Lykos," he said. "How did the negotiations go?"
The soldier dropped his gaze for a moment. "We were ambushed, General," he said. "Faolan is dead."
"But the weapons we requested?"
"Safe, for now. But I have something better."
Valko's ears perked up. "What is it, Commander?" he asked.
"I have something that would offer us some leverage against the Izaldin," Lykos said, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Borg technology?" the general asked.
"Telepaths from Voyager. One of them, at least. I don't know about the other we captured."
Valko bared his teeth menacingly and grabbed Lykos's baldric. "You fool!" he snarled. "You have compromised a possible alliance with these people by taking them hostage! What have you to say for yourself?" Lykos opened his mouth to speak, but Valko interrupted him. "You shall be reduced two steps in rank for your insubordination."
"But sir, you may find this telepath useful!"
"That is irrelevant. Get out."
"Sir, if I may speak freely," Lykos said. "This telepath has such mental discipline that I have never seen before. He has an incredible control over his emotions, that he didn't so much as blink when my men approached Voyager's team."
Valko scratched a half-bitten ear before he spoke. "Let me see him."
Harry Kim thought he saw a light. It was shining directly in his eyes. He winced as he covered his face, but the light still shone as brightly as ever.
Am I dead?
As Harry's vision came into focus, he found himself in a rather brightly lit room, lying down on a gurney of some kind. He turned his head and began to look around the room. Vorik was lying on a similar bed a few feet away, eyes closed, hands clasped in a meditative pose.
"Vorik?"
The Vulcan ensign cracked open an eye and looked over at Harry.
"Hey, you okay?" Harry asked.
"I am fine, Ensign," Vorik said in his usual calm, cool tone of voice.
Harry squinted at Vorik. How can you be fine? he thought as he sat up. "We've been captured by alien…werecoyotes and put in a strange hospital God-knows-where, and all you can say is you're FINE?" Considering their current circumstances, Harry felt far from fine. Oh Vorik, how I envy you.
"So, where do you think we are?" Harry asked.
Vorik unfolded his hands and sat up. "We are in an infirmary of some sort. That is the extent of my knowledge."
"You don't think Janeway knows we're here, do you?"
"I am uncertain," Vorik said. As the Vulcan turned to face him, Harry noticed a huge bronzy-green bruise around one of Vorik's eyes. Ouch.
"There was another like him...two telepaths. I was only able to capture this one." A pair of doors opened at the end of the room. The two ensigns turned to see Lykos enter the room with a gray-haired Sorathian with a half-eaten ear and a stiff, dark green uniform behind him. The four of them stared at each other across the room, at a loss for words.
"You're awake," Lykos said after a moment of awkward silence. He strode over to the two ensigns, and stopped in front of Vorik. "You are to come with us immediately."
"Where are we?" Harry asked. Lykos ignored him. The Sorathian promptly grabbed Vorik and pulled him out of bed.
"Hey!" Harry shouted. "I asked you a question! Where are we and what do you want with us?"
"Shut up, Starfleet!" Lykos barked. The Sorathian bared his teeth threateningly at Harry, who backed down. He began to walk Vorik (who stumbled as he walked) toward the doors.
"Where are you taking—"
Lykos turned around and clouted Harry across the head with his fist. "I said shut up, you puny human! We only want him."
"For what?"
The Sorathian moved to punch Harry again, but suddenly changed his mind. "That is none of your concern. Come," he said, grabbing Vorik's arm and leading him out the doors with the other soldier.
This can't be good, Harry thought. He was starting to regret calling Vorik a smart-aleck earlier. Harry swung his legs over the side of the gurney and stood up. He took a moment to make sure nothing was broken before trying to walk. His body ached so badly, he was sure his entire middle was black and blue. Man, these Sorathians are real bruisers, he thought as he made his way toward the doors.
Dim lights sputtered overhead as Vorik limped down a hallway accompanied by Lykos and a uniformed Sorathian soldier. Judging by his finery, Vorik assumed the creature was Lykos's superior. A field marshall or perhaps a general, he thought. The soldier was well older than his captor, his brown fur peppered with flecks of gray and silver, and his teeth were slightly duller.
The three of them reached a rather heavy set of doors, which creaked open as they approached. Vorik's head throbbed as the doors clanged shut behind them. He paused a moment to rub his temples, only to be yanked roughly by Lykos. The last time he had a headache this bad was nearly two years ago, when he went through the infamous pon farr…Vorik shook his head to clear the confused memories from his mind. But this was different. He had been beaten around by creatures much taller and much stronger than himself to earn a headache this bad.
Vorik's gaze swept the room they had just entered. A row of chairs was bolted to the floor in the center of the room. The Vulcan's adrenaline jumped suddenly. He struggled to stifle it by turning over a few meditative thoughts, but it wasn't working.
"Sit down," Lykos growled.
"What is this for?" Vorik asked.
"We would like to run a few tests, if you don't mind," the elder Sorathian said. It was the first time Vorik had heard him speak. If the gray hair hadn't given away the creature's age, his husky voice certainly did.
Yes, I do mind, Vorik thought. How do I know you did not bring me here to interrogate or torture me? He was not willing to get beaten up again by Lykos, much less by his superior. There was no knowing how much better at fighting this older one was...
Lykos shoved Vorik extra hard, forcing him to sit in the nearest chair. The soldier then proceeded to strap him down.
"What will these tests entail?" Vorik asked.
"Speak when spoken to, Starfleet," the elder Sorathian growled. "You are telepathic, are you not?"
"Why do you wish to know this?"
"ANSWER THE GENERAL'S QUESTION!" Lykos barked.
"My abilities are limited," Vorik said, trying to keep the nervous edge out of his voice.
"That is a yes, Starfleet?"
Vorik shut his eyes, ashamed that he had given away that information. He had never been interrogated before. What else are they going to ask me? I can't give away information about Voyager or her crew…
"Yes..."
"He'll have to do, Lykos...if you're that desperate."
Lykos then forced Vorik's head back against the head rest, and attached some sort of metal ring around the Vulcan's head. He then began to attach several wires to the ring and a computer console.
Harry Kim's breathing was short as he hurried down the hallway. The searing pain in his chest did nothing to help. He had picked up what looked like a crowbar along the way, hoping it would help him if he ever had to fight (which he was hoping he wouldn't have to. He did not like the idea of having to face something that big again, even if it did mean saving a fellow crewmember's butt).
A heavy set of doors greeted Harry as the lights flickered. His instincts told him to approach them. They remained closed as he got closer. Harry began to search the walls for a console. He found one on the wall just a few feet away. He typed a few buttons on the control panel.
Access denied.
Harry tried again, but with no luck.
"Come ooon..." Taking the crowbar, Harry pried the console off the wall and began to examine the circuitry underneath. If I had my tricorder and a toolkit with me, it'd make things a lot easier, he thought as he began to fiddle with it with the tip of his crowbar.
Still access denied. Harry was sure the panel was mocking him. Standing back he swung the crowbar at it. Sparks shot every which way as the young ensign took his frustration out on it. It was then that he heard the clang of doors opening. Harry turned and rushed through them to find himself in what looked like an interrogation room-bare, save for a row of chairs with what looked like a medical computer console against the wall. Vorik was seated in one of the chairs with something attached to his head. His eyes were closed, as if he had been sedated.
"YOU!" Lykos's voice rang out across the room.
"Yeah, it's me," Harry said, his nerves ebbing away slightly. He felt like he was back on the holodeck with Tom Paris playing The Adventures of Captain Proton and rescuing holo-characters. He brandished his crowbar like a sword. "What have you done with Ensign Vorik?"
"Your friend is perfectly fine—" General Valko said, but he was cut off by Lykos.
"You fool!" Lykos barked. "You should not have interfered! I should kill you!"
"Lykos!" Valko said, "You are out of line—" But before the old general could stop him, Lykos had charged toward Kim, ready to fight. Harry braced for a mauling, and swung his weapon at the soldier. The Sorathian grabbed the crowbar, yanked it clear from Harry's hands, and hit him clear across the head with it.
Nooo, not again…he could hear the elder soldier berating Lykos. His head spun as he tried to stay conscious.
"No, General," he could hear Lykos say. "I have a better idea. Strap him to that chair. I'd like to test if this device really works before we begin the procedure."
"Torres to Janeway!"
"Go ahead," Capt. Janeway said.
"I've finished reconfiguring the transporters. I'm going to try the skeletal lock on them."
"Do it, B'Elanna."
B'Elanna tapped a few buttons on the transporter console, praying that she could get a lock. The console beeped in the affirmative.
YES!
Sliding her hand across the controls, B'Elanna Torres prayed for a successful transport.
Ensign Vorik's mind swam as he lay there, semi-conscious. He could barely feel his feet or his hands. Perhaps they tied me down too tightly, he thought absentmindedly. Memories swam in and out of his consciousness, mixing with bizarre subconscious thoughts that he was not sure were his...
His mother was scolding him for staying out late again, telling him that he was supposed to look out for his brothers. His brother Taurik put his hand on his shoulder, asking where he had been for the past five years. Stuck in the Delta Quadrant. You're joking, Vorik. I don't tell jokes, Taurik. I am Vulcan. Are you? You've been stuck with humans and other aliens who do not follow the path of Logic—
Something was happening. Panic gripped every fiber of his being. He could feel emotions fighting to slip out and take over. Nooo! Stop! Please stop! I have to be in control!
The next moment, he felt as if he were being torn apart. Silver sparks swam in front of his eyes.
A transporter beam? It couldn't be.
B'Elanna's hands were sweating as she watched the forms of Ensign Harry Kim and Vorik slowly materialized on the transporter pad.
She tapped her comm badge. "Torres to sickbay!" she shouted when she saw how badly bruised the both of them were. "I need a medical team up here stat!"
Harry Kim found himself staring up at the ceiling of what he thought was Voyager's transporter room. And was that B'Elanna Torres's voice he heard just now? Oh God, it felt so good to be back. He did not notice that the pain in his chest had mysteriously disappeared. The Doctor's voice came over the comm link, but Harry was too tired to pay attention to what he was saying. His head was throbbing so badly…