Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: While I did create various alien races, neither House nor the Tomorrow People are mine.
Author's note: Now that you know some more about Chase, I'm sure you're curious to know what's going on with our heroine…
Chapter Eleven
Allison Cameron awoke with the worst headache she'd ever remembered having. It felt like someone had ground glass through her brain.
She moaned involuntarily, clutching her head in both hands. She didn't dare open her eyes, out of fear of making the pain even worse. Cameron knew she was lying in a bed, but it wasn't a very comfortable one, which led her scattered wits to believe she was in the hospital.
Which was amazing, considering the last thing she remembered was dying.
Cameron lay there, for how long she didn't know, waiting for the agony to fade. It did, eventually, and she was able to tell that it was centered on the back of her head. She ran her fingers through her hair, thinking that maybe massaging the area would ease it a little.
What she found there made her eyes open in shock.
Her probing fingers touched a bandage at the base of her skull. She didn't recall being injured in any way, but who knew what had happened after the attack on her mind?
Cameron gently removed the bandage, hoping to get some sort of clue as to what it covered. The adhesive caught a bit in her hair, but she managed to pull it loose.
It wasn't an injury.
She sat up, her heart hammering and her head feeling as if it was going to explode. But it was the strange, metallic thing on the back of her neck that held her complete attention.
Something had been implanted inside her.
Cameron wanted to scream, but choked it back. She looked around, even as her fingers explored the object. It felt almost like a plug of some kind; her pinky slipped into a small hole that was within the round shape. She resisted the urge to yank it out, her doctor self coming to the fore and stopping the insane impulse. She had no idea what it was, or how far in the thing had been implanted. She could be killing herself if she tried to remove it.
She gathered her panicked thoughts together. Cameron had to get out of there, and freaking out over this wasn't going to help her at all. Once she was free, she could get medical help to remove the object.
The room she was in wasn't in a hospital, not by a long shot. It was obviously in either a space ship or station, judging from the metallic walls and the small port that looked out onto blackness and far away stars. The only furnishings were the bed and a tiny chest, also made of metal.
The door itself resembled something out of a submarine, with a round locking mechanism and a raised jamb. If Cameron was looking at it correctly, then the door appeared to be unlocked.
She swung her legs over the side of the bed – more like a cot than an actual bed. She noticed she wasn't wearing the same clothes as when she was taken: this was a white body suit, covering her from ankles to neck, over which was a red poncho-like garment. Her feet were bare.
The pain in her head was easing, and Cameron decided to risk trying to call for help.
"John? Tim? Can you hear me? Danielle? Terry? Are you there?" She called out to every Tomorrow Person she knew, then waited, listening for any response.
There was none.
Cameron didn't know if it was the range, or if she was being blocked. Most likely it was the latter; whoever had kidnapped her must have known about her powers. She was pretty sure that was the reason she'd been grabbed in the first place.
The metal deck cold under her feet, Cameron staggered over to the door. She experimentally tugged on the locking wheel, and the heavy metal hatch actually pulled open fairly easily.
There was a corridor beyond the door. She glanced in each direction, but there was on one there at all. The place looked deserted, in fact.
Cameron stepped out, one hand against the wall to help with her balance. There was a faint vibration through the soles of her feet, which indicated there was some sort of engine elsewhere in this place. It still didn't give her any clue as to where she was, but she hoped she'd be able to figure that out once she'd explored a bit.
She did think it odd, that if she were a prisoner why she was apparently being given free rein to look around. Maybe her captors didn't think she'd be able to get away? Cameron tried to jaunt a short way down the hallway, but nothing happened, which just reinforced the idea that her powers were being dampened in some way.
Which way to go? Cameron supposed it really didn't matter. She turned right, moving slowly down toward…well, she didn't know what. She was terrified, but couldn't let the fear stop her from trying to discover what had happened to her.
The same kind of door that had been on her cell lined the corridor as she made her way along it. It was quiet, only the sound of an air recycler accompanying her on her explorations. Cameron had to wonder why she wasn't actually dead. She'd been so sure; she could vividly remember the feeling, as her mind had been attacked.
They had to be looking for her, John and the others. While she had no notion as to how long she'd been gone, certainly someone would have noticed she was missing. At least there would be questions when she didn't show up for work. And Danielle was supposed to come for lunch, so she'd know something was wrong.
Cameron had to believe they were searching for her even now.
The corridor met up with another one, a shorter one that led to other hallways that ran parallel to the one she was in. Cameron decided to keep to her own, and continued on.
She'd gone past that connecting hall a few feet when she felt she was being watched.
Cameron turned. Staring at her was an alien, of a race she wasn't familiar with.
She – and it was obviously a female – was only about four feet tall, with a frail-looking build. She also wore a white body suit, and it almost faded into her white skin. Her hair was also white, but had yellow streaks in it that matched her eyes and the poncho. She was looking at Cameron, her narrow head cocked to one side in curiosity.
Cameron smiled. "Hello. I'm Allison."
The female looked puzzled, then spoke in a language Cameron didn't recognize. And, with her powers not working, she couldn't even try to interpret the alien's brain patterns…if that worked at all. Sometimes it didn't.
The female must have realized that she wasn't being understood, because she held out one small, three-fingered hand. Cameron stepped forward, taking the proffered hand. The woman glanced at it, apparently taking note of the differences between it and her own, then led Cameron away.
She pulled the human woman down one of the side hallways, and then down another corridor. This was exactly the same as the one Cameron had just left, with hatches along the walls. The difference was that these were open, and more of the aliens were milling about. They all stared at Cameron as she passed, and the curiosity was mutual.
The female stopped near a group of three males: two of them had black streaks in their hair, and black eyes with the matching poncho; and the third had brown. Cameron's guide spoke to the brown male, and he nodded once, motioning the taller human to kneel in front of him.
Cameron wasn't so sure this was a good idea, but didn't really have much choice. She had no idea what she was dealing with, and didn't know how these aliens would react if she refused the silent request.
So she knelt in front of the male. His delicate fingers gently caressed her face, tracing the lines of her eyes, nose, and mouth as if trying to memorize her features. She stopped herself from doing the same, contenting herself to put up with the attention.
Then the male touched her forehead lightly.
And what felt like an electric shock traveled through Cameron's brain.
She cried out, jerking away from the touch. She went back onto the deck, pain causing tears to run from her eyes.
A gentle hand touched her once more, and Cameron didn't have the strength to jerk away. The pain faded away, replaced by a warmth that spread from her frontal lobe all the way back to her shoulder blades.
She blinked the tears away. Another female was leaning over her, this one green. "The pain is gone now." She spoke, her voice slightly accented.
"I can understand you!" Cameron was surprised, to say the least. Without her powers – or a translator – she shouldn't have been able to.
"That is my doing." The brown male came into focus above her. "Languages are my gift, and I have made you able to speak ours."
Cameron let the aliens help her up. "I'm Allison," she introduced herself.
"My name is Shardan," the brown alien answered. "And these are my people, the Castalii…or what is left of them."
"What do you mean by that?"
Shardan sighed. "We are a dead race. Those of us here on this ship are the last. We were taken from our world a very long time ago."
"I'm sorry."
"There is no need to sorrow, Allison. It will be a relief for us to finally pass, although I feel much pity for races such as yours when we are gone."
Cameron was confused. She'd never heard of the Castalii, but then she wasn't at all familiar with a large chunk of the races in the galaxy. "What do you mean, Shardan?"
"When we are no more, then the Magestrin will have no one to power this spacecraft. They will need to replace us. That is why you are here."
Fear lodged deep in her chest. "I don't understand."
Shardan said nothing, he just turned his back to her. He lifted his long hair away from his neck.
There was a strange device implanted at the base of his skull. It resembled nothing so much like a socket, a place where something might be plugged in.
Cameron's hand snapped up to her own neck. Her fingers touched the metallic object there, telling her it must be just like Shardan's own.
"Yes, Allison," the Castalii replied to her silent question. "You are here to replace one of my own people. You were chosen for your telekinetic ability, after the Seer discovered you on your home world."
"I have friends," she managed to stammer. "They'll come for me."
"I am sorry, Allison, but your friends will believe you are dead."
No… "How can that be? There won't be a body or anything!"
"Yes, there is a body." Shardan looked sad. "It is a clone of you. Your planet's science will not be able to distinguish it from your own."
A clone? Cameron shook her head, denying what the man was telling her. "How can a clone be grown quickly enough?"
"I must apologize once more. That would be my people's doing, however we had no real choice. We are prisoners here, as are you."
Cameron looked around at the Castalii surrounding her. Every one of them held the same sad look as Shardan. They were a variety of colors, each one distinctive from the others.
And they all had a tired, haggard look about them, as if they'd been worked to exhaustion.
Would she look like that after being here for a while? Would whatever they were doing affect her as badly?
"Can't you try to escape?" she asked, trying to hold on to the last of her hope.
"In the beginning, yes. We tried," Shardan answered. "However, it proved to be impossible. The implants also prevent us from most independent action."
"Do they…are we actually plugged into the ship?" The idea was abhorrent to her, even though she suspected that this was the right track.
"I am afraid so, Allison. Each of us has a purpose on this ship. As do you, now."
"But why me? Why choose me?"
"You are from a primitive, non-Federation world. No one will miss you overly much."
Cameron doubted that. Would John – or any other Tomorrow Person – realize that she wasn't dead? She was well aware of how it felt when a TP died. And this clone…would it have felt the same? Would there be questions? Wouldn't Danielle have sensed something?
She knew John. He'd investigate, even if he believed she was truly dead. She couldn't give up hope.
Someone would come for her. She felt it.
A loud gonging sound echoed through the corridor. Cameron started, looking at Shardan in confusion.
"That is the signal for our work shift to begin. You must come with us now, Allison. Please." Shardan held out his hand to her.
She reluctantly took it. She had no wish to find out just what her duties on this ship would be. Cameron was terrified, if possible more than she ever had been in her life. She had a piece of alien technology imbedded in her brain; she was on a spaceship with no clue as to where that ship was; and it was entirely possible that her friends and family thought she was dead.
Cameron was alone.
Her and her escort headed down the corridor, heading toward what she didn't know. All Cameron did know was that this situation was bad, probably one of the worst she'd ever been in.
The corridor ended in a large foyer-like room. Perhaps two-dozen Castalii were there, waiting for them to arrive.
"This is the where we must part, Allison," Shardan said. "I must go to my own station. Yours will be beyond, in the engine room. Marqa will show you." He indicated a woman, also wearing a red poncho and having red streaks in her long hair. Crimson eyes looked at Cameron in pity.
"Please come with me." The woman took Cameron's hand from Shardan, and gently pulled her toward a set of huge double doors on the other side of the room.
"What's going to happen?" Cameron was a little ashamed at the fear in her voice, but there wasn't anything she could do to hide it.
"You shall see." The Castalii female led her through the doors.
Beyond them was a large space, filled with various pieces of equipment. A large barrel-shaped device took up the entire far end of the room, and Cameron guessed that that must have been the ship's engine.
There were five cubicles lined up against one wall. Red Castalii were staggering from them, being helped by a couple of greens. They looked far gone, and Cameron's practiced eye recognized how close to exhaustion they were.
She had the feeling she'd be in the same condition after her "shift."
Marqa led her to one of the cubicles. Cameron could see it was somewhat padded, with a headrest that would hold her immobile. A prong stuck upward from the back of the rest.
Cameron wasn't normally claustrophobic, but that cubicle looked far too small for her to fit. Sweat broke out on her face. "I can't get in there."
"Yes, Allison. You can." Marqa was trying to calm her.
It wasn't working. Cameron was ready to panic. The last thing she wanted to do was to set foot in that cubicle. Her imagination went wild and she could see herself never leaving it once she was inside.
She tried to pull away from the Castalii. Marqa held onto her hand, stroking it softly. "Please, Allison. You must calm yourself."
It was her worst nightmare: her power being exploited by an unscrupulous individual for personal gain. Cameron tried her hardest to break whatever was dampening her powers; all she wanted to do was jaunt away from there. She needed to get away.
"Allison!" Marqa's voice broke through her panic. "Listen to me!"
Cameron looked at the alien woman. Marqa's expression was worried, and terrified.
"Allison, if you do not get inside, all of us will suffer! Please, I know you are afraid, but you must get into the cubicle!"
The Tomorrow Person gathered her courage in both hands. She couldn't let others be punished for her sake. She nodded, acknowledging the female's words.
"I will be here when the shift is over," Marqa added. "You will be all right."
The device loomed like a demon over her. Cameron swallowed, hard, and took her first step into hell.
Marqa helped get her situated. "Stay still. There will be a moment of pain, and confusion, but everything will be well. You will be connected directly to the ship. Once there, you will know what you need to do."
The headrest held her perfectly still. She could feel the plug touch the socket at the back of her head.
Then the plug snapped into place.
And Allison Cameron screamed. Whether it was physical, mental, or both, she couldn't have said.
