A/N: I apologize for the EXTERMELY loooong wait. This chapter is longer than the other ones...I think. Anyways be warned: this is a depressing chapter but it explains a lot .I also would like to apologize on most likely- but unintentionally- butchering an awesome Star Trek character.
Disclaimer: Me? Own Star Trek: TNG? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...no.
Soop's Lair...
The desk lamp flashed on with a 'click' and glared at its victim in the shady den that created a ...tolerable makeshift interrogation room.
The light adjusted its pose a tad to envelop the victim's face, making her eyes grimace.
Soop stood next to her electric friend and patted the top of its shiny metal head. Her lips were the only facial parts fully caressed by the edge of the light's essence. The brilliant energy vacated a minuscule compartment of her eyes tapping into and releasing the rage, jealousy and hate that had collected in her heart.
"So," she growled, "Bonnie dearest," her eyes narrowed, "let's chat, shall we?"
The victim stayed mute and plastered on an innocent, open minded, calm, façade.
Soop narrowed her eyes making her glare more sharp and deadly, "You know this new behavior doesn't suit your true character," Anger possessed the words and tone, "You've told everyone all about my 'positive' aspects! How about yours?!"
Soop crouched down edging closer but to the side so the light still blinded Bonnie's eyes.
The victim, herself, stared at Soop in a pitiful way, delving into her eyes, the doors to Soop's soul.
The Authoress kept her glare strong 'don't let her in,' the words in her head kept the beat of the tension as it built up.
But the brown deer-in-headlight-eyes insisted, exerting a more powerful force. The glint of light in her eyes was soft and gentle, beckoning Soop's guard to retract and be entranced with its imaginary whispered incantations.
'DON'T LET HER-'
A crude shadow of a wolf slid into the light, covering part of Bonnie's face. Mutely, it began howling at the moon with its malformed mouth.
Soop growled, rounding on MuseRyan who was so close that she could have assaulted him unintentionally. But because the shock of the distance between them, Soop had bent her body back quick enough to avoid collision. Even still, if she had in fact rammed into her muse, the glare she bestowed upon him unanimously would have been elected the harsher punishment.
"What?"his voice invented a new high octave MuseRyan shrugged his shoulders and removing his fingers from the light, "What did you expect me to do?! You said I could be the 'Bad Cop' and 'slap someone silly'."
"Well how 'bout that 'someone' being you?!" she hissed, "But if you turn down that offer, I'll be obliged to take matters into my own hands."
Ryan backed up slowly to the wall with Soop storming after him at the same tempo.
"AlfabetSoop!" The name made Soop shutter more than the deafening volume.
The demon bunny that rested on the swivel chair even jumped. His relaxed ears stood vertically as one spun back and forth like it was some sort of radar device. Ryan looked past Soop, eyebrows raised in shock.
The Authoress spun around expecting someone of more authority.
Nope, just Bonnie.
Her eyelids sunk a tad lower in a nonchalant way.
Bonnie's face was stern and her eyebrows were perfect diagonals, "All you do is pick on your friends and look where that's landed you."
She gestured to the lamp resting its yellow luminescent cape on the wooden chair burdened with the scratches, dents and bite marks of a thousand insane moments. Soop followed the hand wave to Ryan, who had now practically become a wall decoration, and then back across to the little furry monster gnawing off someone's remains.
The door slowly creaked open and a figure stepped through unbeknownst to Soop who was too busy squeezing her eyes shut, attempting to seal the water from flooding and barricading the truth of what she had done.
"Friends? First of all, they aren't my friends, wayto condemn them! And by the way, you can thank yourself for fueling my madness, all the times you've just tried to 'help me out'," Her voice hissed. Soop's stomach was already nauseated by just speaking it, let alone listening to her words and tone, "and you practically locked yourself in that damned closet thanks to your means of 'therapy'."
Bonnie seemed to be only half listening to Soop.
The Authoress looked at her wondering why, but Bonnie's verbal blow struck quickly, making her pass it by.
"I've tried to help you Soop!" Tears treaded silently and elegantly, its remains outlining every curve of Bonnie's face, "We've all have and our reward? Pain. You're always shutting everyone out. I mean, you're so insecure you won't go anywhere without that stupid thing on your face!" she pointed to the sack.
The straw that broke the camel's back was divided into two long before in the argument. It was just that Bonnie never shut her fat trap, leaving Soop waiting desperately for the awkward pause to insert a dramatic exit. However that lengthy speech, the damned straw broke more than the camel's back. The poor little creature would probably be in a full body cast. (Metaphorically speaking, of course.)
Bonnie had turned everyone against her, Soop didn't care anymore. She knew people that were all on semi good terms with her, but her bitterness drove them far from what they could have been. Soop didn't care if Bonnie had the universe against her, but the mockery of the sack was the push.
Soop smelt death.
Beneath the sack she wrinkled her nose in disgust; she really did have to start buying real bunny food.
She began to laugh softly, then louder and louder, "You're funny. I suggest that if you want to become a better actress, you might want to put some feeling into it, like you mean it."
Bonnie sniveled loudly.
"Well, either way, her feeling's mutual," Lore stepped into Soop's view.
She turned, refusing to look at him. Soop's knuckles tested her skin's flexibility, and her stomach dropped in unison with her heart pausing, a little too long, "Well since everyone's against me," she kept her tone even, "Consider this a pre-holiday present."
She stormed silently to the opened door, "Merry Christmas!" her voice oozed hatred as her heart boiled hurt. Soop slammed the door. She found herself outside facing reality, (which she did little of).
The once gleeful sun darkened upon her as if to say, "Oh great, it's you."
She sulked to the elementary school down the street and dragged her feet on the swings that she once needed a teacher's aid to get up on.
Soop had questioned why she came there, where it only reminded her of Bonnie.
Memories flowed in with each pathetic swing she took. A sour mimick of the voice she once alone had owned spoke over the squeaking of the swing: "I'm only trying to help."
Soop felt her sack, squeezing it to release the unbearable movies in her head, she cried and shook. She was too tired to hold it all in.
"I'm only trying to help."
The 'conscience' of Soop, though younger in years, held a plastic mask out to another pair of tiny outstretched hands in Soop's mind's eye. And as in the fake mask came closer and its feel enveloped Soop's face in the memories, the sack lay lonely under the empty swaying swing in reality.
(Sorry for that sucky scene, here's the story .Confusing scene. Please contact me if it made no sense.)
Three days had past as did a fourth, but Joe didn't come. The eerie calm of the past days frightened Ryan. Joey's words created turmoil in him. And like the night time did to most of his thoughts, the darkness twisted the situation frightening. Luckily, it was only 20 hundred hours, so tiredness didn't fuel the monster.
"It's uncertain who's on who's side."
Who was there to trust? Could Joey's words even be trusted? Yes, she saved them but ever since she told them the Borg camouflaged with the rest of society, anything seemed possible.
And though at the time all the pieces were there in front of him, he was too shocked by the whole event to notice. Joey was one of them. She and the boy were both Borg spies.
She wasn't dead, but Ryan didn't know if that was good or bad thing yet. If she really did work on the other side, this could be difficult.
Ryan leaned on the side Jace's couch playing with Joey's backup message in his pocket.
Jace was fine, he did have to recuperate for two days though before, but Ryan felt the major pain was bestowed upon himself and Leah.
The staff asked a lot of questions but luckily Leah stepped in saying that they decided to search for Billie and got attacked by someone with a phaser. The three were to serve detention for a week for pulling something stupid like that off.
Not to mention the lecture they got from Joan, Leah's mom, who had come just in time to hear of the escapade.
Jace, still unconscious through all of these events, was later informed by Leah and Ryan about Joey's back up message and their punishment, which they ended their fourth day of, just an hour ago.
"It's been three days, more actually," Jace said staring up at the ceiling, lying on across the room on his tattered old sofa.
"Yeah," Ryan's stomach plummeted, "I know, but it's still early, she might still come."
Jace's grey eyes grinned a little, "You like her don't you."
"She was practically my little sister," Ryan stated clearly, "while her mom used to work, I would watch her. The last time I saw her, her dumb cat got loose. Not thinking at the time, I went to chase it leaving Joe alone. And two corridors later, we were being attacked." He took an uneasy breath.
"I ran back down to get her and then ran to the escape pods, like her mom always said to do just incase something like this happened. Then..."
Jace looked at him, "Then..."
Ryan frowned, "A beam fell on me...I can't remember the rest, it's all a blur. But from my memories of recuperating, they said they didn't find her, dead or alive. They said a lot of people's bodies were missing, sometimes fragments. The borg must've used the remains to create some of their spies that were already half organic, half robotic."
Jace's brow scrunched, "Ew, thanks Ry- now I have to taste my luch for a second time. It's not so appetizing when mixed with stomach juices."
Ryan smiled and shook his head.
The door opened and Leah crossed the room quickly, "Three day-"
"We know," the two chorused dully.
Leah frowned, "Soo...shall we go?"
Ryan frowned looking down disappointedly.
"It wouldn't hurt," Leah murmured softly in an apologetic fashion.
"Yeah Ry," Jace encouraged, "we're not really condemning her if we look at it."
"And if she is, in trouble, we might have some information on saving her."
"Uhh," he gave a sigh, they were right.
He pulled out the box and opened it up. Inside was a tiny folded letter and a chip.
Jace too lazy to leave the couch just watched him as Leah crept over to read with him.
Ryan opened the letter up deciphering Joe's scribbles:
Ryan,
By reading this I assume that you haven't heard from me. But I assure you I'm going to be fine. I know that sounds crazy but you'll understand with this holodeck chip. It contains memories of what happened to me, and memories that Lore gave me a while ago that explains why I survived the crash. It won't give you all the information I myself could have given you, but it will suffice. I know this sounds confusing, just please watch it. And be very careful. There are more Borg here than you think.
-Joe
Jace stared at them from his position, "Soo...?"
Ryan swallowed it down hard, "We have to go to a holodeck...now."
Ryan slowly pulled out the side panel, trying to make it look as normal as possible, he didn't want anyone to see them watching this. He clenched his fist, closing the panel. Hopefully it wasn't some kind of complex trap. That Joey was supposed to give them this and-
Leah stuck her head out of the holodeck door, "It's working!" she mouthed.
Ryan ran in before the door closed. As he walked in to join Jace and Leah, he did a double take.
They were in the middle of the woods, in the chill of autumn. Leaves swirled down the dirt path presenting to them three teenage girls laughing at something recently said. The girls looked younger than Ryan, possibly seniors in high school. They continued to walk side by side down towards Ryan, Leah, and Jace.
"Well it's true," laughed the tall girl on one end, her accent reminded Ryan of his uncle from Florida.
One girl laughed whole heartedly as the other one gave a weak smile.
They seemed to be looking straight at Ryan and the others. The two girls on the sides group froze with different expressions: disgust, and nervousness.
The girl sandwiched in the middle smiled, but no mirth radiated from it. She walked on about a step or two, disconnected with reality. Her hazel eyes brightened in curiosity, knowing something was up. She looked back at the other girls, then at the path in front of them, sighed and looked back at the two. Her eyes hardened with anger.
Ryan knew that face...but the personality seemed different, more subdued and sad.
Leah leaned on Ryan's shoulder, "D-do you think they see us?"
Footsteps behind them answered her question.
Ryan jumped to the side as he noticed the person who now stood beside him: Lore.
But there was something different about him. Ever since the Borg attacks, they were taught all they could learn about them. With the information he knew about Lore, Ryan pictured him as cocky and proud.
However at the moment, in the fog of anger in his eyes were specks of pain.
Ryan never learned what the android's past was like, before the deaths.
"So," Leah whispered- for no reason at all, "this must've been what Omicron Theta looked like before-"
"Shh!" the boys chorused.
"Hi," a barley audible sound came from the hazel eyed girl's lips.
A very little smile appeared on Lore's face.
The tall girl with the southern accent raised an eyebrow at her friend.
"Hi Emmy." He replied nonchalantly.
The tall girl scoffed, "It knows you."
Emmy turned to the side keeping the girl in her icy view, "Yes, and I know him. He's my friend, and neighbor. I'd be a little concerned if he didn't."
Ryan smiled, confirming the person: Joey's mom. The hazel eyes had been a big tip off, but still, the sulky silence...
The pit of Ryan's stomach fell, remembering the stories.
Oh...yeah.
The silent girl grinned, grayish blue eyes released from fear as Nessa stared coldly at the ground.
Lore smirked.
Emmy walked closer to him, then turned to her friends, "You guys can go on if you'd like, I'll catch up."
The quiet friend nodded, "See you 'round Em."
Emmy nodded, watching them walk away.
Lore waited a moment to the two girls to create enough distance to have a private conversation. While waiting for it, he gave Emmy a skeptic look.
She broke her trance from her other friends until two minutes later when the girls were hidden behind trees thanks to the scoliosis of the path.
Emmy turned and smiled at him smiled at him.
His glance stayed the same.
She frowned uneasily, "...What?"
"Are you feeling ok? I've never seen you act that way before."
She tugged uneasily at her hair, "Yeah...you mean with Nessa? Geez, she drives me insane, but what she said was really uncalled for." She scrunched her face a little, "Then again...what I said-"
"She treated you with the same indecency last week!" Lore cut in, grabbing her shoulders.
Emmy's eyes moved to the side of her lids and back to him, "...and?"
"You said nothing, became hurt by it but said that the truth isn't always nice. She's not the only one who insults me. I'm used to it."
"First of all, I am dumb beyond reason. Secondly, I believe that if you'd stop scaring people and all of your other insane pastimes to wreak havoc, it might not happen. But what she said was something different; it seemed to have nothing to do with that."
He smiled weakly, "It's not the first time a colonist has been jealous of my superiority."
Emmy shook her head and laughed, "One of these days this planet's gravitational pull will change, the question is: will it revolve around your ego, or Nessa's?"
Lore smiled but then shook his head, "But that's besides the point. You've been acting weird for a week and a half. What's wrong?"
Emmy looked away, "Nothing, just not the best week and a half I've had,"
She sighed, "Look, all I wanted to say was that I got your message and I can't hang out with you tonight." She removed his arms off her shoulders and rubbed her forearm.
The pitch of her voice became weak, "I'm busy."
"Where are you going?"
"Babysitting." She said coldly.
Lore stepped closer, his voice hardened, "Who then Em?"
She took a breath closing her eyes. Emmy opened her mouth to speak.
"Emmy!" the voice came from her pocket. She pulled out a comm. Badge and pressed it.
"Hi mom," she turned to the side away from Lore who looked at her skeptically.
"It's almost time for dinner, get home soon."
"'K, bye mom." Emmy hit the comm. Again, "I better go."
She gave him a nod and ran off.
"Emmy wai-" he tried to grab her
But she was already gone.
Ryan noted a glimpse of concern in Lore's eyes right before every thing darkened.
"Crap," Leah muttered.
Ryan smiled recalled his sister's fear of the dark.
The place light up a tad but most things still weren't that visible. All Ryan could tell was they still were in the woods.
Then they saw it: A dim light in the distance, a little ways in front of them.
They followed its welcoming, silent call.
Ryan felt Leah hold his hand.
"Careful where you step," she murmured as if anyone else other than Jace and Ryan could hear her.
"Leah," Jace whispered mockingly, "This is a hologram. They can't hear you!" The loud echo of the last phrase bounced all around them."
"Oh," she whispered, "Sor-" she cleared her throat, speaking up, "Sorry."
Weeping harmonized with the night animals's melody.
The group walked faster to the light, plants they harmed in their hurry scolded them.
The arms of strong bushes and small treelings lashed at the trio.
They were close; Ryan stepped through a bush into very small clearing following Jace, Leah behind them.
The trio spread out, walking to the lighted corner.
Silence muffled the crier.
Ryan looked up to see who it was, but it was too late. He already had an idea though.
Hooded sweatshirt withheld the identity. But the arm leaking red fluid explained the tears. On the edge of the realm of light was a knife, dressed partially in blood.
With the commanding 'click,' the light hid, leaving the trio in the dark. Leah's cuss was their only company.
"Emmy?"
Leah jumped away from Lore who stood elbow to elbow with her. She landed on Ryan's big toe.
"Ow!"
"Shh!" Jace hissed.
There was a rustle accompanied by quiet sobs.
Ryan confirmed that Lore must've had some kind of nocturnal vision. He never heard him on the way up here, and he also walked across the clearing without running into things, flashing on the light, a circular object of energy.
Lore was crouched down, lifting up Emmy's head and looking in her eyes coldly. Emmy's face was as red as her arm.
Lore looked a little shaky.
Emmy attempted to speak but the overwhelming tears forbid it, she tried to not look Lore in the eyes.
He pulled her up, and she picked up the knife and the light.
"Come on," he hissed, dragging her past the trio.
A grumble from Leah ended the scene with the darkness surrounding them again once more.
Ryan's heart began beating again, a moment of shock was convicted the culprit. And the shocking part about him being shocked, was that even thoughhe alreadyknewit was going to happen, his heart still leapt.
The scenery switched, they were now in a lab. Lore was working away on a computer on one side.
The door opened across the room from the trio revealing a healthier looking Emmy.
She peered through the doorway and then crept in slowly.
Lore didn't turn around, but he had stopped what he was doing and looked to the ground.
"Hi, I've been meaning to talk to you for days but after-"Emmy paused, "it's hard to do anything without being constantly monitored. I finally convinced my parents to let me come over," Emmy's voice wavered; she shivered a little staring at her sleeve covered arm.
Lore still didn't look at her, "To be truthful, after that episode, I didn't expect you to be living this long."
The icy words made Emmy tense up and drop her head.
"You have yourself to thank. If you didn't show up, I don't know what I would've done."
Lore turned around and glared at her, "What the hell Emmy? What was so wrong that you had to go and cut yourself like that?"
Emmy kept gazing at the ground, "You're right. There was no real terrible reason. My parents are good ones, got great friends. They said it was the depression medication I was taking."
She smiled a little, "How ironic is it that something that's supposed to stop your depression actually-"
"Emmy you know it's more than that. You wouldn't have done that if you didn't want to."
He stood up and walked towards her.
Emmy refused to make eye contact, "That was the first time I ever cut, I swear. My anxiety usually stops it. But-"
"Stops what, your self loathing?"
She nodded but then shook her head, "No, it just prevents me from actually hurting myself."
He sighed heavily, crossing his arms, "How ironic is it that someone so nice to people, and who's liked by everyone can hate herself?"
She laughed and looked up at him, "Just as ironic as someone who claims to be superior to the entire colony but is concerned for an extremely inferior idiot like me."
Lore clenched his fists, "So you're saying, that all people who disregard the fact someone's different and befriends them are idiots?"
"No, that's not-" she sighed in frustration, "You think I'm upset because I'm still here? I never meant to kill myself; I hated myself all week and I just had to-"
Her eyes glistened and she paused, "I'm really scared. I've had that feeling in me before but I never acted upon it. And when I did think about it, I was in a completely different mind set. But with my anxiety and all, I never though I'd reach that point."
Lore crossed his arms angrily.
"I'll probably end up killing you first if you keep acting like this."
She smiled trying to wipe away the tears.
"I better go, before my folks start looking for me."
Emmy turned to the door.
Lore looked frustrated. He grabbed her shoulder, "Emmy, wait."
She turned around, "what?"
He pulled her closer and kissed her, she pulled away, pink in the face.
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid."
She gave him an uneasy look, "But Lore I am-"
"Emmy."
"Promise," she muttered
She leaned forward shyly and kissed him lightly, the color of her face reddened.
"Bye," she smiled brightly leaving the room.
He nodded smiling at her.
The scene once again faded into darkness.
A/N: Ok, sorry if this seemed sappy and pathetic. As always please notify me if these chapters are confusing and make no sense. Happy Holidays! Soop.