Chapter Eleven
Mind over Matter
--Linell's POV--
I woke to the tune of fear. There had been little comfort in sleep and none in waking. I spent my hours alone in my cell, dreading the next visit that I would make to the chamber of stars. I knew when I returned there that the next feeding would begin…and so would another round of pain. I thought of my mother, what she must have suffered these past nineteen years. It was hard for me to fathom that she had been at their mercy since I had been five years old. How I wished to find her and make her safe again.
I wept only once, after Ralchezir left the first time. Since then I felt like stone, cold and hard. I did not know how much time had passed since my arrival here; there was constant light in my cell and no indication of day or night. My body ached all over from the trauma of the recent past, and the stress brought on by fear never left me. Never could I relax.
A few times I was fed a bread-like substance. It was tasteless, but it kept the hunger pangs away. When exhaustion or boredom told hold, I dreamt of the Enterprise. I dreamt most often of Spock and his beautiful eyes, so unlike the empty gaze of Ralchezir. In my dreams Spock would hold me close and make me feel safe. Sometimes he would tell me he loved me. Other times he would just smile, and the expression that was once so strange on his face became ever more natural and good.
After what felt like weeks, although it may have been only hours, I felt a tingle in my brain. The feeling grew stronger until I began to feel pressure, peeling away at the layers of my mind. Suddenly the pressure stopped, and a warm presence filled my mind.
We are coming for you.
The voice was not one that I recognized, and yet it was oddly familiar. It was velvety and strong, almost like a chorus of voices rather than just one. It filled me with a sense of peace.
"Who is coming?" I asked in return, my own voice sounding harsh and foreign in comparison to the one in my head.
Do you not know us? the voice purred. An image floated through my consciousness. Two small blue balls of fur were making themselves comfortable on Spock's desk on the bridge.
"Binx and Dexy?" I asked, incredulous.
Yes, the voice replied. We are coming to help you. We have seen into the minds of several of your captors and know where you are. Unfortunately, we do not have the level of connection with Mr. Spock that we do with you, so we are unable to speak to him as we speak with you now. We will do our best to bring him to you.
"Do not lead him into danger," I pleaded.
We will not use our powers unless it is necessary. For anyone other than you they mean certain death. We are ready to sacrifice the good to save you.
"No!" I cried. "I cannot let you do that!"
We are coming.
The presence faded as quickly as it had come. And I was alone. For the first time I realized that I knew very little about the creatures of the universe. I was not dealing with the tame animals I had once cared for on Earth. I was dealing with creatures that could think and reason like a human. I did not know whether to be encouraged or terrified.
I thought of my mother and hoped that I could find her before this was all over. I curled up tight in the blankets on my bed and stared at the ceiling. The waiting began anew. I only wished that I knew which fate I was waiting for…
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--Kirk's POV--
I watched as Spock made the final preparations. We were beaming down with a small team—only myself, two ensigns, and Spock. Bones had tried fruitlessly to accompany us. Spock had firmly refused, insisting he was too important to risk having injured. I sighed and listened to the rest of the rescue team discuss what to do should we be attacked.
It wouldn't matter if I was injured, I told myself. The only thing that mattered was finding Linell and getting her to safety. Only an hour before, Scotty had gone almost mad with frustration. He had tried so hard to locate her from the ship and simply beam her back to us, but he had had no luck. If she was in one of the Dreelith caves as we hoped, transport technology was not working there. I didn't want to think of a worse option…that she wasn't here at all.
Spock came to me carrying one of the mazipini. "Keep this one with you. Just in case we are separated. I'm not sure if it will make a difference, but it cannot hurt to take them."
I nodded and lifted the little guy into my pack. He meowed in protest but I just scratched him on the head between his two tiny horns. "So much destructive power in such a little guy," I joked, and the creature batted a paw at my hand. I frowned, trying not to pin my hopes on his help. I shouldered the pack and turned to Spock.
"Ready when you are, Captain."
He nodded solemnly, hoisting his own kitten-filled pack onto his back and gesturing to the young ensigns who had volunteered to accompany us. We all stepped onto the transport pad.
"Mr. Scott, we will be in touch as soon as we land to check with you on where it seems best to bring Linell for the return trip, since the cavesappear to be an impossibility."
Scotty nodded, his face bleak and worried. "I'll be waiting."
Next thing I knew we were standing on a windy plain about a mile from the cave openings. I heard Spock yelling into the communicator and then motioning for us to start walking. Up until now an unprecedented fear had been gnawing at me, but we were finally taking action and I began to feel my old adventurous self rising out of the despair that had gripped me since we had lost Linell.
We reached the caves more quickly than I had anticipated, but so far we had seen no sign of life. I took a deep breath as we surveyed the new setting. There were endless cave openings all up and down the stretch of rock that we were facing. There were hundreds of places that Linell might be kept. It seemed an impossible task.
I turned to ask Spock where he thought we should begin, but he was already walking east, his eyes following something on the ground. I jogged a bit to catch up, finally noticing that he was following his mazipini. I was hesitant to trust the strange creature. The way it seemed to know things was eerie and unnatural. His companion lay still in my pack and I wondered if it was simply lurking until its time should come.
I traded a glance with Spock as we walked, keeping one hand on my blaster. The kitten stopped in front of a cave opening and turned to look back at us, his eyes glowing in the shadow of the cave.
"What do you think we'll find?" I asked Spock.
"I don't know."
As I returned my gaze to the cave-opening a figure appeared. I squinted and then my eyes widened in surprise. It was Linell. She smiled when she saw us and ran towards me, closing the distance quickly and throwing herself into my arms.
"Oh Jim," she murmured softly. "I knew you'd come for me. I've been so afraid." Her fingers slid into my hair and I held her tight. She was okay.
Just as she began to pull away the mazipini in my pack burst out, flying over my head and onto Linell, screeching angrily and clawing at her face. Within an instant a blaster had shot through her skull and she lay dead at my feet. I looked up at Spock with an open mouth, his hand was still raised from where he had shot the fatal blast.
"It wasn't her," I whispered in disbelief.
"No," said Spock. "It wasn't her."
I gulped. I would not make the same mistake again. I now understood firsthand what kind of game we were playing.
"There will be more," Spock said. "We must be careful." He turned and headed toward the cave where two small kittens now sat, watching us with intelligent eyes. As we drew close they scampered into the darkness. We had no choice but to trust them.
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--Linell's POV--
We are here.
I scrambled up, running over to the door. "I'm here! Help!" I called.
Silence. You are not safe yet.
I grudgingly grew quiet. I so desperately wanted to get out of here.
We sense your urgency, but you must be patient. Much is at stake, including the lives of your friends. You have asked us not to kill them at your expense, but we will do what we must. Be patient.
I wanted to cry. So much had gone wrong. I just wanted to feel safe again. As I sank back onto the bed I realized how weak I was. I knew I had lost some blood, but I was afraid to think how much, afraid to think about it at all.
The door opened just as I felt the tears welling in my eyes. Ralchezir walked in, leaving the door wide open behind him. For a moment I contemplated dashing past him and making a run for it, but I was told to be patient, and I wouldn't have gotten far in my condition.
"How are you feeling today?"
I looked up at my captor. His greasy dark hair hung to his shoulders and his hollow eyes stared out piercingly from his sallow face. A sneer appeared on his lips when I did not answer.
"I have news for you. Your friends have come."
I tried not to show any response, but I was afraid this meant that he had already caught and disposed of them.
"They can handle you," I retorted angrily.
"My pack is seven strong," he replied smoothly, "Even with one of our number dead we can easily take your sorry excuse for a rescue party."
Only seven of them. I was glad for the information. I retreated into my mind, hoping to find the mazipini and relay the information to them.
What is it? the voice snapped.
There are seven of them.
Thank you.
"If you hurt them I will kill myself and you will lose me," I threatened.
Ralchezir only laughed. "I would turn you into one of us before I let that happen. Then I'll force you to finish them yourself."
I backed away in horror. Come quickly. I pleaded.
And quickly they came. Before I knew what was happening Ralchezir was dead at my feet, a blast through his heart. I looked up into Spock's face, rejoicing to see him here and alive. Binx sat at his feet, looking pleased with himself.
"Kirk has gone after the other mazipini. They split up a few minutes ago and we did not know which one would lead us to you."
"He is being led to my mother," I said, relaying Binx's message.
"Your mother?" Spock repeated.
"Yes. I will explain later. But we must go. There are still six others and we are always in danger of being deceived by appearances. We can trust no one unless they are with Dexy."
Spock nodded. His eyes were full of worry, but I knew he was relieved to have found me. "Can you walk?"
"I'm not sure," I murmured truthfully. Spock did not hesitate, picking me up in his arms and ordering the young ensign who accompanied him to be prepared to shoot. The three of us fled down the dark hallway after Binx.
I snuggled close against Spock's chest, closing my eyes and trusting him and my guardian cats to get me to safety. Even though my eyes were closed I knew when we had burst out into daylight. Spock immediately set me down and was on the communicator with Scotty.
"We're out of the caves. Beam Linell up now. I'll wait with Ensign Gordon for Kirk and Ensign Ellis."
"No!" I protested, squinting up at his face from the sandy ground. "I'm not leaving until I know they are safe. Not until I see my mother…" Spock looked down at me, his face impassive. "I want you safe aboard the Enterprise without delay. I am your Captain and you will obey my order. In fact, you don't have a choice."
"It's on your conscience if anything goes wrong!" I shouted just before I left the planet's surface and returned to the Enterprise transport pad in a heap of trembling limbs.
Review and let me know how you're feeling about the story. Soon as everyone gets back on the Enterprise expect some romance action to begin!!! yesssssss