XLVIII

"The same deep blue. I knew it."

It was amazing how much she reminded him of her. It made little sense, of course, for Lydia Reed had really looked nothing like the red-haired Starfleet officer that lay before him. Lydia had been much taller, almost as tall as he, and she had always been rather proud of it. Sometimes, she would wear heeled shoes in her off duty hours, just to be a little taller than him. He never minded, for he was not so vain. Also, the hair…. Lydia had been blessed with naturally blonde hair, almost golden in the right kind of light. She had worn it pixie-short when they first met, but over the first years of their marriage it had grown to a beautiful wavy length. And her physique! It was not even close. His beloved Lydia had always been an athletic type, for she loved to run and swim, and her feminine curves had always been subtle, muted. This woman was like a cartoon drawing of the hour-glass figure. No. They were nothing alike.

Yet, hadn't Lydia always slept on her stomach in the same manner, with her arm cradled under her chest just so? He was sure of it. Yes, he remembered that! And he was certain that this woman wore her uniform the same way, with the top of the turtleneck just barely unzipped for comfort. Lydia had always hated the restriction of those uniform turtlenecks….

Narok Reed bent over and pressed his face into his hands. His groan would have been audible had it not been for the relentless hum and banging of the Lurian engines. The room was dim, stifling with heat, and moist like the inside of a badly designed kitchen. Beads of moisture clung to the walls and dripped down one by one. Lurians, those enigmatic traders with skin like rock, preferred it this way. Their appearance was so formidable and alien that he had expected them to put up more of a fight when he took their vessel, but looks can be deceiving. They cowered under his disruptor and did not even beg.

A loud bang issued from the far wall, forcing Reed to look up finally. The engines were straining, but he did not care. They only needed to last a bit longer, and then he would hardly need them. His eyes fell on the woman again, whose still form was sprawled out on the hard bunk surface. Had she been placed that way, or had she made her own unconscious sleeping position? He was sure she must have moved. Buel and Connor would not have placed her in such a comfortable state.

Reed stood suddenly and pulled the stool from under him. He placed it closer to the bunk, much closer, and retook his seat. Yes, she did remind him of her! Her shape, her face, her hair were all so different, and yet her skin was just as flawless, like polished ivory. He had even removed her clothing just to make certain.

Anna lay with her face toward the wall, and the first thing she was conscious of was that her shoulder ached. It happened sometimes when she fell asleep with her arm under her pillow, and so for a few seconds she imagined she was in her bed in her quarters. She wondered what time it was and if she was late for her shift, but that lasted only a few moments. She lay perfectly still, hoping in her half conscious mind that she was dreaming about something.

Reed looked over her perfect skin again and almost smiled. Lydia had always been so vain about her skin, never letting herself get too much sun. The only other thing he could think of was the eyes. What color eyes did this woman have? He could not remember, and reached forward to pull her eyelid back.

Anna twisted around in a violent start, slapping his hand away from her face. It took but a fraction of a second for her to realize that she was completely nude, and she scrambled back into the corner of the cot. There was no mattress, no sheet or pillow. She tried pathetically to cover herself with only her arms.

Reed watched this entire display as if he was viewing some animal behind a glass wall. He never flinched or moved back, but actually leaned forward as if to get a better look. "Ah…." He muttered as he leaned closer, "The same deep blue. I knew it."

"Get away from me!" Anna screamed as she moved still closed to the wall. Her heart was beating so that she could hardly breathe. She kept her eyes locked on Reed's still hands while at the same time trying to get some idea of where she was. Beyond the lamp that hung over them, the room was so dim that she could hardly make out the far wall. Shadows of piled equipment wiggled under flickering lights, and she could just make out the frame of a large door.

"There's no need to be jumpy, Anna. It won't help anything." Reed said.

"Where am I!" She demanded. Her anger was beginning to rise beyond her initial shock, and she glared at him with the most suspicious contempt. She continued to hide herself behind her own arms.

"A Lurian freighter. I know. It's hot and uncomfortable, but it can't be helped."

"Is that why you took my clothes!"

The corner of Reed's mouth lifted in a dismissive smile, "No. Do you know why you're here?"

Anna scoffed at him, for what could she say to such a ridiculous question. He had brought her there! Instead she demanded, "Where are you taking me?"

Reed rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. He had the condescending air of speaking to a child, "He loves you, Anna. That is why you're here."

Anna fumbled in silence and drew back. She looked away from him, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a bad liar." He scoffed, "But I would expect as much from an El' Aurian. They speak so little, why should they be any good at lying ―"

"I want my clothes!"

Reed blinked, surprised, "Amazing. You have her temper too."

Anna starred at him with cautious horror. The man was insane, and she could see no way out. Instinctively, the back of her eyes grew painful and she could feel the frustrated tears welling up, but she refused to cry. Not in front of this monster! "Where…are you taking me?"

"Ohniaka Three."

Anna gasped sharply. It was too fast for her to conceal.

"Ah…." Reed leaned back and glared at her, "You know it, then. Tell me, do you know how he killed my wife?"

Anna turned away from him, but she said the first words that came to her mind. Even she knew they were untrue, "He didn't kill your wife. It was the Bor ―"

Reed lurched forward with his hands out and slammed Anna's back against the wall. His hand was fixed firmly around her neck. "It was him! Those Borg were his puppets, and he watched them murder every person on that outpost! You…you defend him!" His grip tightened, and Anna struggled with both hands against his grip, but his Vulcan strength was too much. She desperately reached for his eyes as she felt her face becoming bloated with blood.

"No!" Reed slammed her back a final time before he released his hold. He stood back, clenching his fists in an attempt to calm them. He couldn't kill her yet. No, that wasn't perfect enough.

Anna fell onto her side and struggled to fill her lungs in short, desperate gasps. The tears she had been holding broke loose and streamed down her reddened face. Determined to hold her last bit of dignity, she lifted her head and glared at him, unashamed.

The large bay doors across the room opened, and quick tapping steps moved into the room, "Reed, the engines can't take much more. If we don't slow…."

Anna turned away, but continued to watch from her perifrial vision. It was the Bajoran woman, Buel, and she was starring at Anna's nude, shaken form. After a moment, Buel forced herself to look away.

"I don't give a damn about the engines!" Reed howled. "Run them to the break, for all I care, just get us there!"

Buel shot another furtive glance at Anna and took a step back toward the door, "If we don't find some way to extend the plasma mixture, we're never going to get to Ohniaka Three. I…I don't really understand this engine design ―"

"Worthless!" Reed kicked the small stool across the room. It stopped halfway to the door, where it struck a glittering forcefield before being pushed back. "I'll do it myself!"

He flew past Buel, who backed away like she was avoiding a swinging door. She moved to follow, but her feet objected, and she shuffled in place. Buel Kala had done some horrible things in her life, but her own twisted logic had always argued that there had been a purpose; latinum, information, trade routes, but this! She glanced at Anna, naked on the hard metal bunk, and felt sick to her stomach. She never thought she would be doing this.

Anna met Buel's eyes for only a second, but there she saw some kind of hope. It was miniscule, but Anna looked up sharply, and when Buel moved to leave Anna stepped down from the bunk, "Please!"

Buel stopped at the door. Her head hung in front of her like a weight.

"Help me." Anna pleaded. Her voice was calmer than she expected.

Buel's chest heaved and she could feel her face growing hot. Sympathy was for the weak; wasn't that what she had always told herself? She took another step forward, but halted again. Damnit all!

Anna crossed her arms over her chest and stepped back as Buel spun around suddenly. She flew her eyes over the room for merely a second, until she saw a shadowy pile of black and purple cloth atop one of the metal cabinets. She scooped up the pile and approached the force-field. Pulling her weapon from her holster, she pointed it at Anna and managed to work the wall panel with her arms full. The force-field blinked out, and Buel tossed the pile onto the floor of the cell. Anna's uniform and boots scattered across the deck.

"Just…just do what he says, okay!" Buel reinitialized the field and holstered her weapon.

"Why are you doing this?" Anna called behind her. Once again Buel stopped, "You have a weapon, you could do something—."

"I can't do anything, human!" Buel leaned her hand against the doorframe and looked into the corridor, "He resets the auto-destruct every hour, and he's the only one who knows the codes. He has me, just like you. You…you might survive this. He's just using you to lure your android."

Anna coughed a bitter, angry laugh. "I think you know that isn't true."

"What do you want from me, Human?" Buel spat back, her expression at once embarrassed and angry. "Did you ever think that maybe you had this coming? That android of yours is a mass murderer, but don't humans find it so easy to ignore things when they aren't convenient! Just look the other way and keep playing with your holodecks and your food replicators and your shiny damn starships!" An image, one which Buel had not thought of in many years, appeared before her. She was at the Bajoran refugee camp where her grandparents settled after fleeing an occupied Bajor. A Starfleet ship had come and left some blankets, a few medical kits. They had said they would be back. They never returned.

Anna crossed her arms tighter and seethed. "How many people have you killed, pirate? How much of an argument did you make when Reed tried to murder nine hundred people aboard my ship?" Her words were beginning to shake, but anger gave her all the fortification she needed. She narrowed her eyes at the woman and saw only a collaborator. "Maybe you'll deserve what happens to you when Lore comes to get me."

Buel slammed her hand against the wall panel and left the room, the massive doors falling shut behind her.

Anna dressed and stood next to the bunk where she had lain. Despite the stifling heat of the room, she felt a debilitating chill run down her spine. For the first time in Anna Hall's optimistic life, she did not feel that everything would be okay.