#11 To Believe
2259.14
U.S.S Enterprise, somewhere above Atlantis
Before, everything had been a buzz of activity. Everyone had been desperate to know what was going on, if there had been contact from the Spitfire Dawn. Now, however, things had changed for the worse. The crew was silent and morose, lingering on the most recent death…that of Rahnek. They still had five days left and only Chekov and Relda still remained.
Chekov…
Jim sighed heavily. They were sitting here doing nothing. Was Starfleet not suspicious that they hadn't returned after five days? The crew was frustrated, stretched to breaking point. The last thing they needed was a tragedy to deal with – or a double tragedy if you considered the circumstances.
Pavel Chekov, mild-mannered navigator turned murderer. How did that even work? Jarred had not been willing to describe how Chekov had killed Rahnek, and yet there was no doubt that it was the truth. There had never been any lies before. Jarred had prided himself about the fact that everything said was the truth.
"What am I supposed to do, Spock?" Jim's voice was hoarse from disuse, his eyes bleary, "How can I be a good Captain if I can't even save my own crew?"
"The blame cannot be placed squarely on your shoulders." Spock was as logical as ever. "It's Jarred Medwin's fault that this whole…"
Jim's hands clenched into fists of rage.
"I know, dammit! But don't you see what he's doing to us? Rahnek is dead. Chekov is a killer. Relda…who knows? Who knows what he's done to her?"
Spock had a troubled look about his face. "Relda is strong and most types of torment would not harm her. However, considering the circumstances and the fact that Relda is a seventeen-year-old girl and much less physically able than Jarred…"
Jim's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Speak English, Spock. What are you saying?"
"There is a chance that Jarred Medwin has used physical methods to degrade Relda."
Jim screwed up his face. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Bones, who had entered and was standing behind Spock with his arms folded, sighed heavily.
"It means he could have raped her."
Jim's head shot up immediately. "What?"
"There is a probability, however slim," Spock was attempting to reassure now; "Jarred is very good at predicting character. Relda would be very hard to break and once he realizes this he may resort to drastic measures to cause her harm. The chances are slight, though. It shouldn't be a prime concern…"
"So I could be dealing with a murderer and a rape victim?" exploded Jim, his eyes blazing, "What if she gets pregnant, huh? How do I explain to Starfleet that a teenage crewmember is going to be a mother?"
Bones frowned and then threw Spock a reproving glare. "Jim, calm down. He said it's possible. He didn't say it would have happened. You're overreacting. For all we know, Relda's…"
"Fine?" Jim laughed harshly. It was a horrible, mirthless sound. Spock and Bones exchanged a look. It was fast becoming obvious that their Captain was suffering guilt over what had happened. He was turning into a man neither of them recognized. "Don't ever say that. Five good kids are dead. There is no chance in hell that this sick bastard hasn't hurt Relda and Chekov."
Uhura had walked over when she heard Jim ranting. There was a worried look in her dark eyes and she glanced over her shoulder at Sulu, who simply shrugged. No one was quite sure how to react to the fact that their Captain was breaking down.
"I can't say it will be fine." Uhura's voice was almost soothing. "But there's one thing we have left and that's faith. We have to believe."
Spitfire Dawn
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The noise was insistent and completely irritating. Rahnek unglued his eyes and peered around him. He tried to turn his head, but there was a sharp pain and he desisted before realizing there were needles in his arms, legs and neck. The last thing he remembered was taking the cyanide pill…but wait, he was supposed to be dead! Beginning to panic, Rahnek tugged at the needles pinning him down, ignoring the searing pain and the blood that spattered to the white plastic on the ground. Everything in here was white and sterile…it made him feel claustrophobic.
The smell of blood was everywhere. His, or someone else's? In the distance, Rahnek could the high-pitched screams of a girl. Relda. Someone else was shouting loudly and they sounded incensed. Chekov. There was also cruel laughter, and Rahnek's hands clenched into fists. Jarred.
He was confused now. He'd taken cyanide. How was he not dead? He felt himself die…but it appeared that things never went as planned. For a horrible moment Rahnek wondered if Jarred had found a way to resurrect him just to torment him some more, but he passed that off as ridiculous.
"STOP! PLEASE, JUST STOP!"
The words rang through Rahnek's head and he realized that it was Chekov pleading. Relda was half-screaming, half-sobbing. Jarred said something Rahnek couldn't understand as the Vulcan dragged his numb to the door and reached for the handle. Jarred must know he was alive, or else he would have been buried. He fiddled with the knob, and sure enough, it was locked. He cursed under his breath.
Jarred's next words were cold and calculating.
"Well, if she won't break, perhaps you will."
"NO!" Relda's horrified cry rang out, followed by something that sounded like a hard smack to the face. Chekov hissed in anger, as Rahnek slammed his frame against the door. He glanced around the room, looking for something…anything. His friends were suffering and he was trapped, listening to what was happening. That was worse than any torture.
"How much can she take before you give in, Chekov? I know you people. You care more about each others' lives than you do your own. So bear witness: I will make you fall to your knees. I will bring Starfleet down."
Relda's laugh was croaky. "You're mad."
Rahnek was not a medical officer for nothing. He hurried across the room, pulling open the drawer and sorting through vials. Jarred was certainly not lacking in chemicals onboard the Spitfire Dawn. Upon finding something he could use, Rahnek grabbed the vial in his hand and threw it at the door handle. It smashed and the metal hissed ominously. Triumphant, the Vulcan headed towards the door – but then a written file with his name on it made him stop in his tracks.
Moving across to it, he flipped it open and bore witness to his miraculous survival. Jarred was very old-fashioned if he was still writing notes. Rahnek couldn't help but gape as he ascertained the truth for himself: …cyanide apparently does not affect Vulcans as severely as it does humans. Instead of death, the Vulcan is in a comatose state and it is unknown if or when the subject will wake up.
Rahnek felt sick. Unlike Bones, who used his medical research for good, Jarred had a medic who saw the current situation as a fascinating experiment. Jarred himself had been a red-shirt security operative, like Relda was now. He was lethal and dangerous, and incredibly intelligent.
Abandoning the file, Rahnek kicked open the door and stormed down the hallway towards where his friends were being tortured. He allowed himself a smirk as he realized that Jarred didn't even have an access code…just a button to be pushed. Shaking his head at the young man's arrogance, Rahnek pushed the button and entered the fray.
It was a gruesome scene. Chekov was being restrained by two human guards. A trickle of blood ran down his head as if he'd been hit there and his blue eyes were wild and yet terrified as he glanced across the room. Rahnek followed his gaze and saw Relda, curled into the fetal position. Her face was marred with blood and tears. His stomach plummeted as he recognized the bloody cuts on her face to form the letters JM. He felt bile rising in his throat and forced himself not to be sick. Jarred had marked her in the worst way possible. The hated man himself stood over her, holding a knife and bearing a wicked smile.
"Rahnek!" Relda's exclamation was full of something Rahnek recognized as hope. Her eyes lit up with wonder, wonder that he was alive, and he realized with numb disbelief that she thought he could save them. He felt that a heavy burden had been pressed down on his shoulders – but he also felt that bit lighter, that someone believed in him.
Rahnek moved fast. Vulcans were faster and stronger than humans, so the guards holding Chekov prisoner stood no chance. Even medical officers possessed some martial arts skill, it appeared. Chekov staggered when he was free of their grasp, but then he was overcome by determination as he marched towards Jarred. Adar stepped forward, raising his gun and firing a shot. Relda screamed piercingly in horror, just as Rahnek shoved Chekov to the ground and kicked the other Vulcan in the face.
Jarred wasn't human – he was Atlantian. He pulled Relda roughly to her feet and pressed the knife to her throat. Rahnek froze in his tracks. Relda was bleeding and badly injured. She was barely able to stand herself – in fact if Jarred hadn't been holding her, he thought she might have collapsed.
"If you move, I'll cut her throat."
Relda managed a painful-sounding laugh. "That's so cliché, Jarred. Picking on the girl, using her as the victim to make her look like a damsel in distress…"
There was a muffled cry of pain as Jarred pressed the knife down harder. Blood started to trickle down from underneath the blade and Chekov's blue eyes widened with horror. Jarred was smiling cruelly as he stepped backwards, dragging Relda with him. Suddenly, the girl's eyes were gleaming as if they were on fire and she jabbed her elbow back hard so that Jarred hissed angrily and released her unintentionally. She leapt forwards and glowered at Jarred, gingerly touching her throat.
Then Rahnek uttered the word he'd only ever dreamed of having the liberty to say: "Run."
Jarred laughed darkly. "You can't escape me. If you try and get the Enterprise I will order it gunned down. I know Atlantis like the back of my hand. I will find you if you escape."
Relda forced a smile. "Good. I always loved hide and seek. Come get us."
Then the three of them were running, faster than they had ever run before.
Atlantis
They had managed to flee Jarred, but in all honesty, he hadn't really tried to stop this…and this made their victory hollow. He was so confident that he would find them and they didn't doubt him. The three of them had managed to find an island in the vast ocean that was Atlantis and they have situated themselves in a small cave, hoping they wouldn't be found.
Rahnek had checked Chekov over for wounds – apart from the nasty gash on his head, he would be alright…it was Relda he was really concerned about. The girl had retreated into her shell, curling up into the fetal position and staring off into the middle distance. Where had the brave Relda Bennett gone, the one who talked back and defied her enemies? Rahnek had cleaned her face and neck from the blood that had been spattered there, but he hadn't the heart to tell her yet that the JM carved into her cheek would scar. All the while, he had been explaining how he survived his own suicide in a comatose state.
"Do you really think he will find us?" Relda's voice was little more than a whisper.
Chekov looked over at her, but she buried her head in her arms.
"Don't look at me!"
He was confused and he walked over to her. "Why not?"
She lifted her face and he could see that she was on the verge of tears. Relda defiantly tossed her fringe out of her eyes and lifted her chin.
"You can see what he did to me. I am scarred because of him. How can you even want to look at me? If I was pretty before, I'll never be pretty again."
Chekov felt a surge of pity for her. He could still remember the nightmarish situation and he doubted he would ever forget: Relda pinned against the wall by Jarred, who had been grinning sadistically as he cut his names initials into her cheek. The wounds weren't extremely deep, but they were bad enough to leave scars.
Chekov crouched down in front of her, his eyes very serious as he reached out and touched the JM on her face. She grimaced and made to turn her head and he found himself tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
"You will always be pretty in my eyes, Relda. Besides, it's what's in your heart that matters."
She gave him a strained smile. "That's so cliché, Chekov."
He smiled back. "I know."
Rahnek, who had been standing over the other side of the cave and staring out into the openness that surrounded them, had suddenly turned rigid. When he turned back to face them, his eyes were full of horror. Relda jumped to her feet, swaying a little because of her injuries.
"What is it? Are they here already?"
Rahnek shook his head fervently. "No, this is worse. Much worse."
Relda's eyes narrowed and she planted her hands on her hips.
"I doubt there is anything in this universe that could be worse than Jarred Medwin…and I have the scars to prove it."
Chekov was concerned. "Rahnek, what is it?"
Rahnek was stiff as he faced them, his eyes trying to mask the terror within.
"I knew it would be coming soon…it happens every seven years, but I certainly wasn't expecting it now…it normally starts around the age of nineteen or twenty…"
Rahnek was beginning to sound completely irrational and Relda frowned and folded her arms. Chekov, meanwhile, had gone incredibly pale. He knew exactly what Rahnek was talking about, because he'd overheard Spock talking about it before.
Rahnek gave the navigator a meaningful look.
"I'm experiencing my first Pon Farr."
Relda frowned. "What's that and how is it so bad?"
Chekov looked anywhere but at Rahnek or Relda. He knew precisely what this meant, but he didn't want to be the one to acknowledge it. When no one spoke though, he sought to ease the tension as best he could by giving an answer.
"It means he must mate with a female within the next five days."
Relda would have laughed, but she realized the situation was deadly serious…and that she was the only female present. She wrapped her arms around herself self-consciously.
"And what happens if he doesn't?"
Chekov turned to face Rahnek, who simply said: "Then I'll die."
