Chapter Eleven: Indentity
Malcolm and Travis had to leave the compound before V'Shele and her search team returned.
When they returned to the cave they told Trip and Jon what had happened. They also gave them a flask of the serum to drink. Without Raijin's help, it took a lot longer for the parasites to move. She was a touch telepath and could create illusions once she established a link with someone's mind. Therefore, if she could touch the mind of an individual infected with the parasites, she could tell the creatures to go. That's what she had done with Travis and Malcolm. However, since she wasn't in Trip and Jon's presence, the serum had to work independently to expel the foreign invaders. But after several hours, they exited the men's bodies through their ears, nasal and navel cavities. They had been disgusted by the black, one to two-inch long, slimy creatures. But were glad to be rid of at least some of them.
After their heads began to clear, the men decided it was prudent to move to another hiding place. They knew the search party was out and about and they wanted to stay a step ahead. Besides, Trip needed to get back to the compound so he could look at the ship. As they trekked through the terrain, they were forced to take cover in a swampy area to hide from the guards searching the area.
While they were resting in hiding, they started to hear noises.
"What's that?" Jon whispered as they lay among the brush in the swamp.
"Oh no," Trip said after a few moments, for the sound was far too familiar. "C'mon guys, we gotta go!" He sounded panicked as he leaped to his feet.
"We can't go out there!" Travis replied.
"We can't stay here either," the engineer answered desperately. "We gotta get the hell out of here, now!"
"What is it?" Jon asked.
"Kai-yas!" he yelled as the screeching sound became louder. "This is a kai-ya swamp!"
The men all leaped up, as they all were well aware of Trip and Malcolm's ordeals with the kai-yas on Capella Prime. But before they could exit the swamp, they were attacked.
The kai-yas came seemingly from nowhere, and they were suddenly everywhere. The men kicked them and pulled them off of their bodies, hitting and swatting at the boneless, spineless, crystalline creatures that looked like stingrays back on Earth, as they tried to latch hold with their tentacle-like arms.
"Don't let them latch on to you!" Trip screamed. "Don't let 'em sting you in the chest or neck! They can… paralyze your…lungs… they can cut off… your ability… to breathe!" He gasped in terror as he fought off the creatures.
"Tell me…about it!" Malcolm shouted as he batted the swarm away as best he could. Of course, he'd had the unpleasant experience of being injected with kai-ya venom on Capella Prime. So, he had first-hand knowledge as to what they were capable of.
"This is insane!" Travis yelled as he fought against the creatures who had started to cover his lower body.
"Travis!" Jon yelled. "They're…they're covering… you!"
But suddenly, as if by some signal, the kai-yas all flew off of their victims and settled onto the ground around them. The men stood watching, panting, not knowing what was happening.
"What are they doing – what's happening?" Jon asked fearfully.
"I don't know, but I say we get the hell out of here while we've got the chance!" Trip said.
"I concur," Malcolm agreed, and went to step gingerly into a clear space in the swarm of white creatures gathered in front of them. "Nice and easy, mates."
But suddenly, the kai-yas did something neither Trip nor Malcolm had ever seen. They began to meld together. Then, several of them stood upright, as tall as their victims.
"What the hell!" Trip yelled.
"What now?" Jon asked.
"Run!" Malcolm shouted. And the men took off. But the creatures were astonishingly swift and agile, and moments later one of them leaped onto Jon and wrapped itself around him. He fell to the ground. Before Trip or Malcolm could get to him, Travis too was attacked. He fell to the ground, engulfed by the creature.
Malcolm and Trip glanced at one another, stunned and despairing, as the now "giant" ki-yas flew into them and covered them, hurling them to the ground as they squirmed and tried to get free even as the huge insect-creatures began binding them in sticky, tangling threads. More stings went home into their bodies even as the bonds went tighter and tighter.
Moments later, several of V'Shele's guards entered the swamp and started to shoot the creatures. The remaining ones scurried or flew away. The men then started to shoot at the cocoons the giant ones had the Starfleet officers entrapped in. The creatures screeched loudly, freed their victims and flew away.
But the men were all unconscious now.
The guards then lifted the officers and carried them back to the compound.
=/\=
Several hours Later: The Infirmary
"How are you feeling?" Dr. Yuris asked Jon.
He tried to sit up, but felt extremely weak, as if his strength had been zapped out of him. He leaned up on one elbow instead. "I feel like hell," he finally replied, looking at his arms, which looked like pin cushions. "Anybody else been awake yet?" he asked, looking around at his officers.
"Captain Tucker woke up for a short time, but I gave him a sedative. He was still in a lot of pain and still had a lot of swelling."
Jon felt his face. It felt puffy. "Are they…they gonna be alright?" he asked.
"They will be fine. It will take several days for the pain and soreness to go away from having been stung by the creatures all over. But, no permanent damage. I was able to reverse the damage to each of your lungs quickly before there was any scarring. Commander Mayweather was stung in the throat, but because the guards responded so rapidly he sustained no permanent damage there either. He just may not be able to speak clearly for several days. Captain Tucker's legs were badly stung, so walking will be out for him for a few hours. Captain Reed, however, suffered quite a bit of blood loss. Those things are blood-suckers as well. The kai-ya that attacked him sapped much of his strength, and he will likely be extremely exhausted for several days."
Jon frowned for a few moments, still concerned for his men. Then he realized who he was talking to. "I understand you were kidnapped as well," he said, remembering Malcolm and Travis' conversation about the doctor and his plight.
"Yes, six months ago."
"We'll get you…get you out of here…when we go," Jon said as he slowly lay back down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.
=/\=
The Starfleet officers were still recovering from being attacked by the kai-yas. They had never encountered the giant ones and had been stung pretty badly all over their bodies. They had been rendered unconscious for hours, but now they were fully awake and feeling the effects of the swelling and the stings. They had been treated in the infirmary and placed in a new location.
Having had them break out of the dungeon, V'Shele wouldn't risk putting them back there until she could figure out how they had escaped. But she still didn't know about Trip's extraordinary strength, so the jail cells used to hold and transport criminals did not prove strong enough either. When they were all back to full strength, Trip was able to break them out, and once again, they went on the run.
=/\=
V'Shele was beside herself. She examined the bent bars of the prison cells with her confidante and advisor. Her face was beet red as she was barely able to contain her anger. Her companion simply walked along beside her with his hands clasped behind his back with no expression on his face.
"How is this possible?" the Romulan asked as she looked at the bars running her hands along them.
"Did not your video surveillance reveal anything?" the Vulcan male asked.
"This a very old compound," his comrade replied. "We continue to experience energy fluctuations periodically and have not been able to prevent complete shut downs in certain areas. Unfortunately, the cameras shut down but were only off for a short time, less than fifteen minutes I'm told."
"That explains why no alarms went off when the captives went roaming through the corridors and traipsing across the grounds. But what of the guards in the tower?"
"They report having seen nothing unusual, no one coming or going," she replied.
"And the whole thing seems not odd to you?" her companion asked with a tone.
V'Shele thought for a moment. "What are you suggesting?" she asked with a sneer.
"That there is more going on that meets the eye Mistress. That the prisoners had help- that there may well be a traitor among us."
"A traitor!" V'Shele shouted. "The power went out and the bars were bent! How does that equate to a betrayal?"
"How is it that they just happen to make their escape during the power failure, when no alarms would sound and no surveillance cameras could alert the guards? Don't you think someone had to have tipped them off. That they should attempt such a move during this time?"
"But who?" she asked. "And what about the jail cells? The only ones capable of bending those bars are Zeus and Apollo," she snapped. "And they wouldn't have done it. They are loyal to me."
"Yet they are dull creatures," her compatriot replied. "Perhaps easily persuaded by a shiny trinket, a toy or food." She did not respond so he continued. "Mistress, please allow me to impart something else to consider," he said with a slight bow.
She thought for a moment, then nodded her head. "Go ahead," she replied.
"You are most gracious," the man said, then went on. "When the prisoners are recovered, and they shall be recovered. Separate them. Do not allow them to be housed in the same place or close proximity. Then conduct a test to determine how the escape was engineered. My guess is that someone gave the captives the information regarding the facilities' propensity for power failures. Perhaps they have been biding their time until such a failure would occur and then one of the captives used his cunning to entice one of the giants into assisting them. Administer the proper incentive, and I am certain one of them will tell you what you want to know. Then allow me to deal with the culprit."
She smiled a sinister smile. "What you suggest has merit," she said. "I will administer the test, then- the guilty party is yours."
"My purpose is to serve," he said, and they exited the room.
=/\=
The men had settled into yet another hiding place. Luckily they also had a tracking device that allowed Gannet to locate them. The next day, she was able to sneak out of the compound and find the men.
It was awkward for Travis to have her around, and he still didn't trust her. When she first arrived, she found Jon and Travis alone, and burst into tears of relief on finding Travis safe and well. Then the three of them settled down to wait for the rest of the party to return before making plans.
Trip and Malcolm were surveying the surrounding area for their next hideout, not wanting to stay anywhere too long.
The two officers combed the terrain, being very careful in case the guards were on the prowl.
When suddenly, walking around a stand of tall bushes, Malcolm was stunned as he came face to face with… himself. That's right, it was his exact replica. Another Malcolm Reed, a 5 ft 9 inch, muscular 165 pound, black haired, grey-eyed, completely naked, Malcolm Reed staring them in the face.
"Bloody, freaking hell!" The real Malcolm stifled a yell only with difficulty – making any loud noise could be suicidal, but really it was almost impossible to be calm in such a situation. "Who are you? Where did you come from?" But the frightened man scuttered away like a rabbit.
Malcolm and Trip took off after him. They caught up to him, and Malcolm in the lead jumped him, hurling him to the ground. They rolled around struggling for a moment, and just as Trip caught up to them in the brush he could hear his friend screaming. It seemed the duplicate had deployed some kind of charge and was either electrocuting the real one or stinging him.
There was no alternative but to release the prisoner, who scuttered away so quickly that Trip didn't have time to go after him. Besides he had to see about his friend.
"What did he do to you?" he asked anxiously.
"I'm not certain," Malcolm answered weakly, "but it bloody hurt. I think it was stinging me or … seemed to be generating some type of electricity."
"You okay?"
"I'll live."
"Who the hell was that?"
"Buggered if I know," Malcolm replied, for once battered out of propriety. But suddenly they were confronted by another visitor – a six-foot-tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, speechless, screeching, naked Trip.
"You gotta be kiddin me!" Trip shouted. "What the hell are you? Are you human?" But duplicate Trip screeched at his counterpart a few more times, threw a large rock at him, and then ran off. Trip ran after him for a while, but the duplicate was twice as fast and soon shot up the side of a mountain, losing him altogether.
A few moments later Trip rejoined Malcolm, whose face and hands had started to turn red from being stung.
"Didn't catch him?' he asked the engineer, though he already knew the answer.
"He was fast as a jack-rabbit on steroids. What the hell is goin' on, Mal?"
"I don't know. But we need to get back to camp, let the others know what's happened."
"You need something for those stings too."
The Brit nodded grimly.
Trip and Malcolm walked back to the camp, about a mile or so. By the time they got back, Malcolm could neither speak nor move his right arm.
"Were you able to find anything?' Jon asked, then noticed Malcolm's face and hand. "What the hell happened?"
"Looks like you guys got attacked by another herd of kai-yas," Gannet said worriedly.
"Hey Gannet," Trip said. "Not exactly, kai-yas this time. You're not gonna believe it when we tell you. But Mal here can't speak right now. We got anything to treat these stings with?"
"I'll see," Travis said, and went into the cave to check the supplies that Dr. Yuris had provided for them.
"What happened to him?" Jon asked again as Malcolm sat on a nearby rock, shaking and weak, his eyes unfocussed.
"We're not alone out here," Trip began. "V'Shele musta found a way to clone some of us…'cause…'cause Mal and I just ran smack into our exact images out there!"
Jon raised both his eyebrows at that.
"Honest to God, that's what happened! They were our exact duplicates! They couldn't speak mind you, they just made this screeching sound. The other Mal attacked him, stung him all up, now he can't speak or use his hand!"
"Trip that sounds…crazy!" Jon said.
"Here," Travis said, handing Malcolm an ice pack and a hypo. He took the items with his other hand and administered the treatment to himself, grimly determined.
"Not really," Gannet said. They all turned and looked at her. "Look, a few days ago, you guys got attacked by the kai-yas, the giant kind, right? The ones that stood up and engulfed you, caused you to pass out?" The men all nodded. "Well, those things can sting you to death if they want, or…they can render you unconscious and…take your form."
"What!" Trip said incredulously. "Seems I remember you tellin' us that story on Capella Prime before. You said it was a joke!"
"That's what I thought," Gannet replied. "I mean, I thought it was just one of the legends about the planet. But apparently it's not a legend here on Capella Prime II. Those giant kai-yas can take your form, but don't worry, they're not sentient. From what I've seen, and from what Yuris says, they're just mindless blobs that live for a couple of days then go away somewhere, turn to ash and die. No harm done."
"No harm done!" Trip shouted. "Gannett! He looked just like me!"
"It wasn't a "he" Trip, it's just a thing. It has no mind."
"How do you know that?"
"Because…V'Shele has been trying to…to use them to perfect the cloning process for some time. With no success." The young woman looked away.
"She's used you as a test subject?" Tavis asked.
"She's used all of us," she replied. "She just keeps replicating everybody, over and over again."
"That's sick," Jon said.
"Not quite everyone," she continued. "It doesn't seem to work on Raijiin; V'Shele thinks it's fascinating and Kaitaama thinks it's funny. Dr. Yuris claims not to have any emotion about it, but I know better."
"So, what do we do if we encounter more of these replicates out there?" Jon demanded.
"It's best to put them out of their misery right away," Gannet said sadly. Travis made a disgusted sound and walked away.
"Just kill em?" Trip snapped.
"It's better that way," she snapped back. "Better than to watch one of them wither up and die or listen to one of them whine and make that screeching sound half the night till they choke on it!" She then put her hand over her eyes a moment before checking her weapon. "Look, I'd better get back before I'm missed. I'll check on you tomorrow if I can. As soon as I can, Trip, I'll get you the parts you need for your ship. V'Shele's search team is still looking for you along the river, so keep to the mountain range unless I tell you different." Then she turned and ran into the forest.