Disclaimer: not mine
Doctor Martin and the two nurses beamed up with the kid, JT, as Pike had called him, and wasted no time in rushing him down to Medical, where Doctor Clayton was waiting with two more nurses. All were seasoned professionals, and showed no outward sign of reacting at the state the kid was in.
In a short time, they had him hooked up to the operating table, his stats displayed clearly above them. None of the numbers were reassuring to the doctors. His pulse was too low, his blood pressure was about to bottom out, he was clearly dehydrated.
Without wasting any more time, the doctors got to work, calling out instructions for the nurses as they went, requesting fluids, transfusions, and the like.
"Get me four cc's of… damn it!" Martin cursed as the monitor keeping an eye on the kid's heart rate wavered and then flat lined. The steady, unwavering tone filled the room, and everyone exploded into action, the nurses rushing to procure epinephrine, and ready the defibrillator. Martin and Clayton worked together with an ease that only came with a great deal of practice, trying to do everything they could to save this boy. Even beyond the fact that he was such a young victim, the manner in which they had found him suggested that this JT may be more important than they thought.
And over all their thoughts and their actions, droned that oppressing steady tone.
XXX
The rest of the day, Chris was distracted. He kept thinking about Jimmy, George's son, the boy he should have known as a nephew. His eyes, so haunted, so pleading. Accusing. He couldn't concentrate on anything else, knowing that Jimmy had been so hurt. He needed to know that Jimmy would be all right.
Halloway had Chris and Flynn join him as he went through the information they had been sent before their arrival to the planet. Mainly, they were studying the documents to try and get some sort of idea of who Kodos was, and where he might go. A ship had left orbit shortly before their arrival, and Navigations was trying to track it down, but they weren't having much luck.
Security officers were still searching the city and outlying lands, looking for survivors, but Chris could see that fewer people were being found as the day moved from late morning to early evening.
From what Halloway had found before Chris and Flynn joined him, a fungus had destroyed the plants and fields. The food stores had become contaminated, but what really made Halloway furious was the way Kodos had tried to solve the problem. He had used the racist, offensive, archaic profiling system of eugenics to decide which half of the colony could live, and which half to kill. From what they had found, many of the colonists that had been spared, had succumbed to starvation anyway. Other than the civilians they found living in the city itself, they had discovered several small groups living in the forests and mountains, and some of the rundown homesteads away from the city, but by far the largest was the group of children Chris and Flynn had discovered.
The total number of survivors climbed to somewhere in the vicinity of fifteen hundred by the end of the day, and based on the projected reports, he estimated that number to climb to somewhere between two and three thousand, give or take a few hundred, within the next few days. Already they had requested at least three more relief ships to help get the survivors off the planet. The three starships currently docked just outside the orbit of the planet would not be nearly enough to deal with almost three thousand civilians.
The rest of the day dwindled, as officers came and went from the command tent. Halloway disappeared a few times, leaving Chris and Flynn to continue their research. Security officers stopped by, as did a few nurses. The officers from all three ships currently on location mingled together as they worked to assist the survivors of this horrible tragedy.
Genocide. That's what it was, Chris thought ruefully. It wasn't a tragedy. It was a goddamn massacre.
A weight settled on his right, and Chris looked up, startled.
Halloway smiled softly. "Get back to the ship, Chris."
Chris furrowed his brow. "Is everything all right, sir?"
Halloway nodded. "You're exhausted. It's been a long day. You're off duty starting now. Go back to the ship, get some dinner, and then get some sleep."
Chris thought about protesting, but decided it really wasn't worth it. Now that he looked around, he realized that the tent was almost empty around him. Even Flynn had left, somewhere around half an hour earlier. The constant hum of voices that he had been hearing all day was muted now, indicating that the colonists, nurses, and doctors were settling down for the evening as well.
He looked back at Halloway. "Yes, sir," he agreed, setting down the PADD.
Halloway began to clear up the desk they had been working at. "There'll be a staff meeting tomorrow morning, 0900, right here. I'll see you then."
Chris nodded. "Yes, sir," he said again.
Halloway stopped him right before he walked out of the tent. "You did a good job today, Chris."
Chris felt his mouth twitch slightly in an attempt to smile, but he was just so exhausted that he couldn't manage it. "Thank you, sir," he replied, some of his fatigue seeping through to his voice.
With that, he headed back up to the ship. A glance at his watch told him that he had completely missed dinner, and he knew that Shay would most likely kill him later, but the truth was, he really hadn't noticed how much time had passed while he had studied those files. He knew that she would understand pretty quickly; after all, she had seen the survivors as well. Even if she hadn't seen the state of those nine prisoners they had found, the rest of it was more than enough to want to personally find and kill whoever was responsible.
When he beamed into the transporter room, Chris paused for a moment. He stepped off the platform, and headed for the door with a tired nod to the tech who was on duty that evening.
Once out in the hallway, he considered his options. He could go to the mess and get something to eat, but the thought of food right now just made him ill. He could go to his quarters and get some rest, but he knew he wouldn't actually be able to sleep. He could go to Shay's quarters and beg forgiveness, but she was surely asleep by now.
No, there was really only one place he really wanted to be right now. His feet carried him to Medbay without him being consciously aware of his actions. Before he knew it, he was standing in the doorway of the sterile space. There were several people bustling about, but the rushing madness of earlier in the day was gone.
No one had noticed the Lieutenant Commander, so Chris decided not to alert anyone to his presence. Instead, he just headed back to the CMO's office. The door was open slightly, so Chris walked in after knocking once.
All three doctors assigned to the Seymour were present, with Boyce and Martin halfway into a bottle of what looked to be a top of the line Scotch. Chris figured that Doctor Clayton was on duty for the night, which would explain why he wasn't drinking as well.
No matter where he served, Chris always made it a point to get to know the doctors on the ship. It was just good sense, after all, in case he needed any medical attention. These three men were good friends of his; he had gone to the Academy with Clayton, and Admiral Archer had introduced him to Boyce back when he had just graduated. Doctor Martin had treated him a few times when he had gotten into some situations while at the Academy, and they had struck up a friendship. The doctor had been completing his residency at Starfleet Medical at the time, volunteering at the clinic on campus during his off hours.
All three looked up at the intrusion, and without saying anything, Martin immediately picked up a third glass, filling it more than was strictly necessary for a single serving of Scotch, but Chris had seen the state of JT, same as him. He figured the Tactical Officer would need it.
Chris nodded thankfully, picking up the glass and downing the drink in one gulp, before he sat down next to Martin on the couch. He fiddled with the glass in his hands, remaining silent for a few more minutes.
"How is he?" he asked eventually.
Martin and Clayton shared a significant look, before Martin replied. "Alive."
A simple one-word answer that really didn't reassure Chris at all. He raised an eyebrow, and Martin sighed.
"It was touch and go for a while, and honestly, I'm not sure what'll happen in the next few days. A lot will depend on the kid's will to live. He's in a bad way, Chris. Multiple broken bones, second and third degree burns, lacerations covering roughly sixty percent of his body. He was whipped, beaten, drugged, tortured. Someone carved him up with a knife. He flat lined, three times, in surgery."
Chris felt his heart drop at hearing the doctor's report.
Boyce leaned forward slightly, seeing the emotions written clearly across his friend's face. "Chris, the key word there is alive. He's holding on."
Chris nodded, looking up at the CMO. "What about Tom?" Boyce looked confused, and Chris belatedly remembered that they hadn't known the kid's name when they had gotten him out of that prison. Apparently, no one had passed that piece of information on after they had learned it. He almost smiled. "The kid we beamed up first, with the head injury. His name's Tom. Apparently, he was JT's First Officer."
"XO?" Clayton asked curiously.
Chris actually did smile now, remembering the group of kids who were still so youthful, even after over five months of pain, hunger, and fear. "This group of kids we found. They had a whole command team and everything. JT was the captain, Tom the First Officer. There was an Operations Manager, Communications Officer, a CMO… it was rather well organized."
The three doctors chuckled as well. Boyce glanced over at his now closed door, thinking about the kid he had operated on, feeling the amusement leave him. He looked back at Chris. "He took a phaser blast to the head. Honestly, it's just sheer dumb luck that he was still alive when you found him. A couple centimeters to his right, and he would have been killed instantly. As it is, there's nothing I could do for the eye. I cleaned the wound and started him on some serious antibiotics for the infection, but he'll have a nasty scar. But I'm a little more optimistic about his condition then JT's."
Chris nodded. Focus on the positives. Both kids were alive. "Can I see JT?" he asked hesitantly.
Boyce considered. Technically, he probably shouldn't allow it. But he could see that Chris wouldn't be able to rest until he saw with his own eyes that the kid was still breathing. He let out a deep sigh, setting his glass down on the desk as he stood up. "Come on," he replied as an answer, leading the Lieutenant Commander out of the office.
Chris followed quickly, keeping half a step behind the CMO as he was led to the back of Medbay. There were private rooms set up there, for the more serious cases, or special circumstances. Boyce hesitated briefly when they arrived at one closed door. He looked over at his friend. "Chris, it's not pretty, I won't lie to you. Just focus on that steady beeping. That's his heart rate, and that beeping means he's hanging in there."
Chris nodded, steeling himself for what lay beyond that closed door.
Boyce pushed it open, and then stepped aside, letting the younger man gain entry.
Chris stopped just inside the threshold. Behind him, Boyce shut the door, leaving Chris and JT all alone.
Boyce was right, Chris thought ruefully. It wasn't pretty. He saw three separate tubes leading from various bags into JT's arm. There was a tube sticking down his throat. Chris figured that his condition must be serious enough to warrant some more old-fashioned medical attention. Normally, doctors shied away from constant medical drips, preferring to use hyposprays. And inserting tubes to help patients breathe hadn't been used regularly in about a hundred years, though he knew that it still was a viable medical practice, in extreme circumstances.
JT's chest was bare. In the harsh overhead light, Chris could easily see bruises peaking out from underneath the sterile white bandages that covered most of his torso. The blanket came up to his waist, hiding his legs, but his arms were resting on top of the linens, showing more lacerations. These already looked like they had undergone the dermal regenerator, and appeared several weeks old. His left wrist was in a cast, making Chris wonder why they hadn't started healing the broken bones with modern day medicine.
There was a chair conveniently located by one wall. Chris dragged it over to the bed and almost collapsed into it with a sigh. "Hey, JT," he said quietly, not really sure why he was speaking, or what he should even say. He had read a few medical articles that debated the idea of whether or not people who were unconscious could hear those who spoke to them. He didn't know if JT could hear him, but he figured it couldn't hurt. A glance behind him showed that the door was still closed.
Still, wary of any potential eavesdroppers, Chris leaned forward, his voice dropping in volume even more. "Jimmy. I don't know if you can hear me, though maybe that's what's making this easier right now." Chris let out a half snort, weak chuckle. "It's Chris, in case you don't remember. But I'm sure you probably do. I could tell how special you were, when you were younger. You used to call me Uncle Chris." Chris sighed, feeling the threat of tears sting his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jimmy. I should never have let your mom force me away. I wanted to be there for you and Sam, and I failed."
He stopped talking then, and settled back in the chair. One hand found its way to JT's, resting gently on top, mindful of his injuries. The steady beeping in the background was soothing to Chris, and without really thinking about it, he let the sound lull him to an exhausted sleep.
XXX
It was Martin who found him the next morning, shaking him awake with a small smile on his face.
Chris blinked groggily, moaning at the crick in his neck, a pain that could only come from sleeping in a chair all night. "What time is it?" he mumbled, rolling his neck to try and alleviate the stiffness.
Martin chuckled. "0800," he replied. "I thought I should wake you up before the staff meeting, so you could get some breakfast. I know you didn't eat dinner last night."
Chris raised an eyebrow, standing up and hiding the wince as he felt every bone in his body pop. "How do you know that?" he asked curiously.
Martin's expression grew serious. "I don't think anyone who went down there yesterday ate anything. I know I couldn't, not after seeing what those colonists went through."
Chris nodded, understanding. Truth be told, he really wasn't that hungry now, but he knew that he needed the nourishment. He looked over at JT. The teenager looked a little better this morning; there was some more color in his face, and even with a tube, he seemed to be breathing a little easier.
Martin jerked his head towards the door. "Come on," he said, leading the Lieutenant Commander back out into the main room of Medbay. "We've got some food in Boyce's office, you can join us."
Chris smiled his thanks, and he and Martin joined Boyce for breakfast. Clayton was nowhere to be found, so Chris assumed he was off duty now, and probably catching up on some much needed rest.
"Why haven't you done anything about JT's broken bones?" Chris asked curiously as he picked up a bowl of fruit and served himself, before grabbing a piece of toast. He figured something light might settle his stomach more than the pancakes and bacon he saw sitting untouched on the tray. He smirked internally. Apparently he wasn't the only one thinking that way.
Martin sighed. "Chris, I've treated you enough to know that you know what osteoregenerators do. It's not a magical cure, they basically force the body to heal the bone in a condensed amount of time. Until the kid's more stable, we can't risk putting his body through that amount of stress. For right now, we've set the bones and casted the arm to start them on the healing process. Once he wakes up and gains some strength, we'll proceed to heal the bones, but for right now, it's the best we can do."
Chris nodded, feeling bad for putting his friend on the defensive unintentionally. "I get it, and I'm sorry for sounding so demanding."
Martin smiled a little. "It's all right, I know you're worried."
They finished breakfast in silence, before Chris left with Boyce to beam back down to the planet for the staff meeting. Martin would have to remain behind, as Clayton was off duty, and Boyce, as the CMO, needed to be at the meeting.
Materializing in the middle of their makeshift tent-village, Chris looked around him with interest. There was a mess tent set up off to one side, with many colonists packed inside or sitting around it, eating breakfast. The medical tents were closed off, but Chris knew that they were pretty full as well. He glanced over to the tent he had left JT's group at yesterday. He didn't see any of the kids, so he assumed they were either in the mess, or still in bed.
He and Boyce were early, as they entered the command tent. It had changed a bit since Chris had left last night. All of the temporary desks had been pushed to one side, and in the middle of the tent there was a large table set up. Halloway was already seated, staring at a PADD with a look of concentration on his face.
Chris separated from Boyce with a nod and a half smile, and slipped into a seat besides Shay, who was seated next to Flynn, as representatives of the Navigations department on the Seymour.
Shay ignored him as he sat down, and Chris winced. Yeah, he deserved that. "Hey," he whispered, shifting in his seat so that he was facing her more head on. She didn't reply. Chris sighed. "I'm sorry about last night," he tried. Still nothing. "I lost track of time, and it was really late when the Captain found me still going over files down here."
Shay let out an inaudible breath of air. It was so hard to stay mad at him when he used that tone of voice. "You weren't in your room last night," she shot back, her voice just as quiet.
Chris sighed, folding his hands in his lap. "I went to Medbay to check on the kid we found, and I fell asleep by his bed. I really am sorry, Shay."
It was Shay's turn to sigh. Damn her mild empathetic abilities. One of the rare gifts of Argelians were psychic capabilities; as a half Argelian, she had inherited a mild form of the talent, in the ability to read cursory emotions. Chris was feeling guilty, and worried, and afraid.
She reached over and grasped his entwined hands in hers, squeezing gently, glad that their hands were out of view under the table. She smiled at him. "It's all right, Chris. I'm all right. I know yesterday must have been hard for you."
Chris nodded, feeling a knot in his chest come undone as he relaxed slightly. Any reply he would have made was cut off by the arrival of several more groups of people.
Now that he looked around, he realized that the tent had filled up quite a bit in the last few minutes. He recognized Commander Grisk, the head of Communications and First Officer for the Seymour, and Lieutenant Commander Cragen, the Chief of Security. There were several nurses and doctors that had taken charge of the health of the colonists. The new arrivals appeared to be representatives from the Yorktown and the Endeavor. He recognized Captain Mercer from the Yorktown, and nodded a greeting, which was returned in kind. He also saw Lieutenant Vilsom and Ensign Perry from the Yorktown, and jerked two fingers up in a facsimile of a wave.
Soon enough, everyone was seated, and Captain Halloway called the meeting to order. "All right, let's do this in an orderly fashion, shall we?" There were a few nods from those seated around the table. Mercer and the Endeavor Captain, Donaldson, focused on the PADDs in front of them, looking over the information Halloway had shared with them yesterday.
Halloway cleared his throat. "First things first. Doctor Karakas, what's the status of the colonists?"
Doctor Karakas shifted in her seat. "Most of them are suffering from malnutrition. There are a few more grievous injuries, but overall, nothing too serious. The more complicated issues are arising between those survivors who were found in hiding, and those who were still living in their homes. There seems to be some resentment. We're still trying to identify all the colonists."
Halloway nodded, touching the screen of his PADD a few times. "Teams from Communications are on it, but I've just sent you two lists, Doctor, you should be able to use them for identification." He paused for a moment, before sighing and deciding to go for broke. "Several of you are already aware of this, but before our arrival yesterday, we were sent a packet of information that had detailed plans that appear to have been formulated by former Governor Kodos himself. Everyone here is now under Starfleet Order Twenty-Three, Section Two. Discussing anything spoken about inside these walls with anyone will see you dishonorably discharged and brought up on criminal charges, is that clear?"
Everyone nodded seriously, understanding the seriousness of the situation. Order Twenty-Three was effectively a gag order with serious repercussions if broken. Enacting it truly impressed upon them the gravity of the moment.
"Among that file were two lists. Using eugenics, Kodos split the colony in half, and executed roughly four thousand colonists that he deemed unworthy to live. From the numbers we're getting, many of those who were spared in the massacre died of starvation anyway." His voice sounded tight and angry. "Some of the other files indicate very detailed plans. From what I've read, I believe that Kodos knew what was happening before it actually happened."
"But why?" Lieutenant Commander Cragen asked, trying to keep the disgust off his face. "If he knew there was a problem, why not do something to combat it?"
Halloway sighed again. "I have no idea. Commander Grisk, how are we coming with the trace of the data? Do we know who sent it?"
Grisk shrugged a little helplessly. "Honestly, sir, I'm not sure how much further we'll get. We traced it back to a computer at the Governor's Palace. Whoever sent it to us covered their tracks well. All of the security cameras have been wiped, so we can't use that angle. I don't think we can get any more specific than what we've already got."
Halloway nodded. "Keep trying, and let me know if you find anything. Navigations, how are we coming along with the trace of that ship that left orbit before we arrived?"
Flynn grit his teeth, looking frustrated. "We can't find it, sir. It headed off towards the Delta Quadrant, but beyond that, we can't trace it."
Halloway nodded again, frustrated. "Someone, please give me some good news."
Captain Mercer chuckled humorlessly. "I spoke with Admiral Archer last night, we should have three more relief ships here by tomorrow morning."
That was sort of good news, and Halloway desperately needed something positive. "I'll take it," he replied drearily. There were a few more chuckles at that, indicating just how raw most of them felt. It really wasn't that funny, but seeing the tragedy around them was rubbing them the wrong way.
"Doctor Boyce, report?"
Boyce looked at his Captain. "They're all stable for now, and I expect a full recovery for most of them."
Halloway glanced around the table and saw some confused looks. "This falls under Order Twenty-Three as well." His voice was even graver than it had been before. "Upon searching the Governor's Palace, Lieutenant Commander Pike, Lieutenant Flynn, Lieutenant Vilsom, and Ensign Perry discovered nine prisoners being held in the lowest level. We've spoken with many colonists, but no one can give us a good picture of what Kodos even looks like. Communications tried to look through security footage, but as Grisk said, all tapes have been wiped, so we have no way to identify Kodos or his guards. These prisoners appear to be the only ones who can positively identify the former Governor."
"Do we know why they were incarcerated in the first place?" Captain Mercer asked curiously.
Halloway sighed yet again. He had been doing that a lot lately. "No," he admitted. "Doctor Boyce, have any of them told you anything?"
Boyce shrugged. "A couple of them told me they were imprisoned for stealing from the official stores of food, or causing trouble with the guards. I think it's similar for all the adults. The kids, I'm not sure, but something tells me there's a different story there."
Halloway nodded. "How are the kids?"
Boyce shrugged again, this time a little helplessly. "JT and Tom are both holding on, but they're pretty seriously injured, so only time will tell. I will keep you updated, sir."
Halloway spared a small smile for his CMO, before he turned back to Doctor Karakas. "How are the kids on the planet?"
The doctor shifted in her seat. "They're all asking for Tom and JT," she admitted. "I wasn't sure what to tell them, so any information you can give me would be really helpful."
Boyce nodded. "We'll talk after this meeting," he assured her.
She looked a little better at that. "The little boy, Kevin, hasn't said much. He's definitely one of the worst injured of that group. Mostly we're just dealing with malnutrition. One of the older ones is too weak to walk, but he should make a full recovery. They're all sticking together, not interacting with any of the other colonists."
Halloway sighed, yet again. "Lieutenant Commander Pike, what do you think?"
Chris looked at his captain, confused. "Sir?" he queried for clarification.
Halloway raised an eyebrow at his chief Tactical Officer. "You were part of the team that found those kids. What do you think about their lack of interaction with others?"
Chris bit his lip, considering. Underneath the table, Shay squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Don't force it," he advised. "They've been through a lot over the last few months, and being with each other is comforting. I think they'll all feel a lot better once they know JT and Tom are all right. Those kids formed a really close knit group, and those two were their leaders, so I think it's pretty natural for them to be worried."
Doctor Karakas nodded her understanding. "They're all pretty resilient," she observed. "But they're clearly worried about their friends. I think if I tell them JT and Tom are OK, they'll calm down."
Halloway leaned forward. "The little boy, Kevin, is he still with them?" Karakas nodded again. "He's a witness, maybe we should consider moving him to the Seymour, with the other eight."
Karakas shook her head. "I'm not sure that would be the best idea, sir," she admitted. "Right now, he's getting comfort from the rest of their group. If we move him, it might just be detrimental to his health."
"But he could also be in danger," Halloway argued. "He's seen Kodos' face, and we haven't cleared the whole colony yet. Until we know where all the guards, and Kodos himself, are, we have to prepare for the worst."
"Why don't we ask the kids?" Chris asked. He almost laughed at the way everyone turned to look at him, as if they hadn't even considered the idea of asking the witness what he thought. Chris elaborated, "I think we can all agree that Kevin is not just a young child any more. He's been through a lot, I think the least we could do would be to ask him what he thinks. And the rest of those kids would probably protect him with all they've got, they deserve to be informed of the dangers."
Halloway appeared to think about it for a few moments, before he nodded. From there, the meeting moved on to various other topics, such as continuing relief efforts, organizing the evacuation of the planet, and contacting family members for any orphaned minors; once more, conversation lingered around the group of kids, as they didn't know last names for most of them. Chris debated with himself about telling them he knew who JT was, but couldn't make himself do it. Not until he talked to the teenager when the kid was actually awake and able to contribute to the conversation. He felt so guilty for just letting Winona push him away, he knew he would do anything to make it up to the boy. And if Jimmy asked him not to say anything, he wouldn't. He wouldn't tell anyone that the son of their beloved Federation hero, the son of his best friend, had witnessed the genocide and madness of former Governor Kodos. He had heard some officers calling him the Executioner the day before. It definitely fit.
Each department was given different tasks, and the meeting broke up shortly after.
Chris went with Halloway and Doctor Karakas to speak with Kevin and the other kids. They were worried for their young friend, but adamant that they would take care of him.
Halloway didn't seem too pleased, but he accepted their decision, and left to return to the command tent.
Doctor Karakas moved off to help a nurse who was having a problem with another colonist, leaving Chris alone with the kids.
"Do you know anything about JT and Tom?" April asked quietly, fear evident in her eyes.
Chris smiled tightly at the girl, knowing that his expression probably wasn't putting them at ease. "They're both hanging in there," he replied. "I can't tell you much more than that, but they're doing all right."
There was a collective sigh of relief from most of the kids, but April, Kieran, and Cory didn't look completely convinced.
Chris made a halfhearted excuse, before he turned around and left the tent.
"Wait!"
The Tactical Officer turned around, surprised. April, Kieran, and Cory had followed him outside; they stopped in front of him, looking even more nervous than he felt.
April bit her lip. "What weren't you telling us back there?" she asked bluntly.
Chris raised an eyebrow. April shifted her weight and crossed her arms. "Look, Mister Starfleet man, I understand you wanting to spare the younger kids, but we're old enough, and we need to know the truth."
Chris sighed and nodded. His posture slumped slightly. "They're both… pretty bad," he admitted. Cory sucked in a breath, but none of them said anything. Their fearful expressions spoke louder than any words could. "I think the biggest concern with Tom is the infection. He took a phaser blast to the head, and the doctor says he will lose the eye permanently, but he really is holding on. They've got him sedated for now, I don't know when they're planning on trying to wake him up."
"And JT?" Cory asked softly, almost afraid of the answer.
Chris sighed again, wanting to comfort this boy who had already lost his sister, and might lose his cousin as well. "I think the doctors are more worried about him," he replied honestly. "He's pretty badly injured, but I think he'll be fine."
"Really?" Kieran asked, hope coloring his voice.
Chris smiled again, this time a little more naturally. "I saw him this morning, and I really think he's improving. I'm not a doctor, so I really can't give you any technical jargon, but try not to worry too much. You've got others depending on you, and they need you."
They all nodded, understanding, and returned to the medical tent and the rest of the kids, while Chris went back to work. He was still tasked with going through the documents they had been sent for any information, while Flynn had been reassigned to the Navigations team, having been brought up to speed by the officers in his department who had already been working on the problem of tracking what they assumed to be Kodos' ship.
Chris was alone for most of the day, reading through the reports. He suspected it probably wouldn't have taken as long if he hadn't had to take multiple breaks, just to get away from the mind of what was clearly a sick individual.
It was long passed lunch when Chris stumbled upon a short document, labeled 'special handling'. It was attached to the same section of the file as the two lists of colonists that Kodos had made, but easily overlooked in the face of the length of the other two, and did nothing to lesson the tension curling in his stomach. The writing was rather disjointed, reading more like random notes rather then a put together essay. Swallowing harshly, he read.
Needs a more delicate approach… trained well under me, but he still thinks too much about the lesser civilians… found a fungus… starting to get suspicious… will be a problem… causing trouble for patrols… with the right effort, he can be broken… will be a commendable asset… he will answer to me and me alone… cares too much about others… weakness… will be his downfall… I will break him…
There was a line break, and then more writing.
Too much effort… not worth the time… he will suffer for his terrorism… he will pay…
Chris had to stop reading. He set the PADD down harshly, drawing a few pairs of eyes to him, but he ignored them. Suddenly, the tent felt much too small.
With a shaky breath, he stood up, taking the PADD with him as he left the tent, needing some air.
He had some answers, and even more questions. Was Kodos talking about Jimmy? What did he mean, that Jimmy found a fungus? And what suspicions? God, Chris needed Jimmy to wake up. He wasn't doing too well, and he needed to reconnect with the kid he had once thought of as family. One of his only remaining links to George.
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