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Chapter 10
"Do you see that?" Khan asks and he nods in front of them.
"An old woman with a cat?" She rolls his eyes at him and he shakes his head briskly.
"No. There." He points, "Star Fleet."
She shrugs: "just a cadet."
"Is he?" He challenges. Meira glances at him and then back to the cadet.
"Yes," annoyance creeps into her tone. "Here, why don't you stay here and play special ops. I'm going to find out where my sister is."
"And just how do you plan on doing that?"
"I am fluent in multiple languages—coding just so happens to be one of them."
"Coding?" He cocks his head to the side. She was hacker? This woman had more secrets than the best of them.
"Yep, come on."
"Where are we going?" He walks after her but to his irritation, she doesn't answer him.
After a few minutes, they leave the city limit and find themselves at the abandoned section of town. A few house sporadically dot the barren landscape and still she doesn't stop.
"Meira?" He questions.
"Almost there."
"And where is there?" He hates this: not knowing what is going on. For all he knew, she was leading him straight into a trap.
"My office."
"Office? You?" Her furrows his brow and he watches her hide an amused smile. His annoyance at her fades.
"Shut up." She turns away from him. "Here we are."
This was it? Really?
It was an old, dilapidated warehouse. Electrical cables were ripped from the roof and sparked weakly. The metal walls were dented, rusted, and warped. Dead potted plants attempted to lift the mood but, 'surprisingly' didn't make him feel any better.
She worked here? This was here safe haven? Their miracle solution to saving their loved ones…? This was pathetic. No, this was worse than pathetic—this was insane.
"You coming in?"
"That depends." He eyes the structure.
"On…?"
"Whether or not the building wil collapse upon you opening the door?"
She laughs. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."
"How comforting," he says sarcastically before following her in. Inside, at least, was different. There were dozens of computers flashing expectantly at them. The room was cool, the walls clean. The support beams seemed structurally sound.
"Take a seat and prepare to be amazed." She sits down at the center terminal and immediately gets to work.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm connecting to the Network. From there, I search through the compiled data base. If need be, I break-and-enter."
"Excuse me?"
"The 'Network' is a hot spot for hackers where we exchange information and targets. I can ask around and see what other people know. 'Breaking and entering' refers to hacking into someone else's computer and copying all their data onto my device. I can get in and out without getting detected…usually."
"How many hackers are on this network of yours?"
"Billions from all over the galaxy."
"Any from Star Fleet?"
"Any person from Star Fleet found here is instantly attacked with a virus that steals all of their data and renders their device permanently inoperable. We red flag them and then it's a feeding frenzy. That's if they're lucky. If they're admiralty or on a Star Ship, they usually don't survive. People hack into the ship itself, turning off their life supports or taking them into enemy territory."
"That's a little cruel, isn't it?" He blinks in surprise. How could she go along with this? Where were her morals?
"I don't go along with it, but it keeps the number of spies to a minimum."
"Perhaps Marcus will try to join." Khan suggests hopefully.
"Nope. Too smart." She says and Khan agrees inwardly. The man was a lot of things, but he wasn't quite that foolish, no.
"So, now what?"
"I search. What else?"
While she searches, his mind wanders. He wonders just what had happened to David Stone, the man who had saved him. Had his death been an accident like the news had claimed or had he been right about an air strike? And why had he helped him when no one else would? What made him care? What made him risk his life and that of those he loved?
And had it been worth it?
Khan was a monster in nearly every form of the word. He killed people and he enjoyed it. He killed people without feeling a single once of remorse and saw humans as inferior beings that deserved annihilation.
Yet, he mourned David Stone's death and had vowed to save a human girl, whom he had never even met. So, what was he? Was he the monster Marcus molded him to be or was he more than that? More than the darkness of his past?
…
'Here,' His hand had reached through the force a hole in the force field. 'Take it. You need your strength'.
'Why?' Khan had questioned. 'What do you want from me'?
But he took the food from Stone. To this day, he can't figure out what had made him do it. What had made him trust the man. Maybe it was his eyes, kind an honest. Maybe it was the way he looked at him as if he had mattered, his look void of pity.
Or maybe it was the starvation…
'Nothing'. The man—Stone—had promised him. 'I can't just sit here and do nothing while they kill you more and more every day. There's a rebellion. People are fighting for you to live. It's not your fault we're so…flawed. You know, we hate your kind because everyone things you tried to kill us through genocide, but how of those have we created to kill those of our kind'?
'You're not making any sense. Explain yourself'. He tried to sit up by his body refused to cooperate. Groaning, he admitted defeat silently and glared up at the man who clamed to want to help him.
'No. I'm sorry, but I have to leave—they can't catch me here. Just stay strong, alright? Save your strength and pretend to go along with what they say—just for a little while. I'm going to get you out of here. I promise'.
'And the catch'?
'I don't know,' the man shrugged and Khan took a bite out of the bread. His hunger re-awoke with a vengeance and he quickly took another. 'Take your family and go somewhere safe. Just don't nuke Earth, I guess'.
'They'll kill you,' his voice was flat. Emotionless.
'They'll certainly try. Good luck, my friend. Stay strong'.
'Wait! Who are you?' Khan suddenly couldn't stand the thought of being alone. He knew it was weak and selfish but he wanted—no, needed—that man to stay there just a bit longer. It had been so long since he had heard a kind word or had a normal conversation not involving war or the death of his family…
Stone merely smiled sadly as if sensing Khan's thoughts: 'I am truly sorry. Really, I am, but now is not the time. Good bye'.
He vanished into the shadows.
'Good bye…' Khan whispers sadly and he finishes the meager meal in one quick gulp.
…
"Got her. You coming?" Meira asks and Khan blinks quickly.
"Yes."
I know, this one was a bit slow. Next one should be better. Well, goodnight.