Because ff writers who write about sensitive topics are being sued left and right atm by abusers convinced their anonymous stories are really talking about them-
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT FROM THE GUILTY PARANOID LITIGIOUS FREAKS OUT THERE... NO RESEMBLANCE TO ANY INDIVIDUAL REAL OR IMAGINED IS INTENDED. ANY SUCH SIMILARITY IS PURELY COINCIDENCE. THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. NONE OF IT IS TRUE. SUING PEOPLE FOR WRITING ANONYMOUS FAN FICTION ABOUT SENSITIVE TOPICS MAKES YOU LOOK GUILTY- AND CRAZY.
End legal crap-
I'm very honored that I've been asked to do this. I've gotten a lot of fan fiction requests in my time, but nothing like this, and dare I say nothing as deserving as this. I only hope that I do this story justice, because it deserves it.
Some of you may recognize me, those of you who have been in the ff community for years. I haven't been able to log back in so all my stories of old are just going to remain as they are.
I'm so grateful for those of you who have been commenting and sharing your time and thoughts with me. Reviewing work you've read has become a dying art. Those who don't write themselves can't understand how critical that communication is to a writer. I'm a crap writer. I know it. I never pretended to be anything else, but for some reason you lovely people accept me anyway. Thank you!
Fan fiction is a wonderful forum that has always allowed feedback and discussion between author and reader, well before social media. It can help shape a story, and being human, a thoughtful review or even a heartfelt comment can truly make a writer's day.
As to why I'm here writing this- I've been requested to. I've been told this story by a beloved warrior friend, who wants to see her story in writing, finally, after being in her head for so long.
In my absence from the fan fiction community I've been doing almost exclusive intensive work with trauma victims/survivors. War refugees,captivity, rape, domestic violence, sibling abuse, intimate partner violence as well as working extensively with the criminals who commit these crimes. Oh so fun, that last bit. I've also worked with family members who want their daughters to shut up about the crimes committed against her by their son, or father. Honestly the way family members "support" victims within their families (hint they really support the family perpetrator) makes me sometimes long to work with the perpetrators instead.
And based on my specific knowledge about trauma I will say this- there will be no trigger warnings or bleeped out words. It's been shown time and again that when trauma victims reach out for support or tell their stories and put Trigger Warning in front of it, they get far less support and validation than if they did not preface their statement with Trigger Warning. Not sure if there's been a scholarly publication on this or not, but there should be. So if you need trigger warnings, or haven't already picked up on that this is gonna be one hell of a dark story...you may need to skip this one, friend.
Basically, be compassionate, don't be an asshole. And if you have to make excuses for why you don't want to hear someone's story, you're likely being an asshole.
I wondered how to start this story, but finally decided to start it exactly where my friend started it. For those who can read between the lines this story is going to be as horrific as it is amazing. And having heard this story in its entirety from my friend, and after asking to hear it again and again it's really the story of a child's strength and ability to survive when no other tools at all were available to her.
I will occasionally put my two cents in during the story, and change elements if needed, but this is her story, not mine.
Just when you thought what the hell does this have to do with Deep Space Nine? We begin-
"Security alert! Unauthorized transport in the Infirmary!" Kira's sharp voice cut through the relatively sedate quiet of Ops and made everyone jump as the klaxon of alarms sounded.
Sisko turned in her direction and barked to raise shields but Kira was already doing so.
"Where is the ship? Where did the transport initiate?"
Dax had taken a seat and was scanning all vessels and every area of space.
"The transport didn't come from any ships that are docked, and I'm not detecting any other ships or vessels in the vicinity."
Sisko was already moving to the turbo-lift Her work done, Dax shrugged a shoulder and moved quickly to follow him. It could be interesting. Or, it could be deadly, she realized as she jumped in and was whisked away with Sisko, also realizing that it might have been smart to bring a phaser. She consoled herself and squelched her worries reminding herself that Kira had ordered security to the area.
He'd muttered, "No one breaks in on my station!" Just before going to the lift. In all honesty, Dax knew he was just as bored at the moment as she was. They'd both been contemplating a game of chess together and making plans for their next holosuite visit when Kira's alarmed voice stopped their conversation.
She turned to look at Benjamin and smiled at him as his eyes met hers. "Better than chess?"
Sisko laughed aloud. "I knew I should have kept my mouth shut."
He was still laughing as the lift stopped and they stepped out onto the Promenade. They'd gotten there fast enough that Dax was able to see the tail end of the line of security guards making their way to the infirmary.
Wordlessly the two followed.
As they entered simply following the crowd of security ahead of them, it was clear that it had already been established that there was no threat. They could see the security guards backing up towards them, which they veered around, and Odo standing back, looking surprised.
Through the bodies there was Julian Bashir looking as annoyingly capable as ever in spite of his less than professional attitudes towards the women on the station, standing next to a bio-bed.
As they moved closer and the crew moved back they saw the form of a little girl laid out, sleeping. Or dead. But a quick glance at the monitor confirmed that much at least. She wasn't dead. But looking at her, nothing but more questions came to mind.
Ben drew closer to the bed, as if drawn to it. And indeed in part he was. He didn't know who this child was, but the familiarity of her clothing seemed to indicate a degree of connection, where none had existed before.
Bashir spoke before he could, knowing the questions he'd have.
"She just appeared, sir, out of nowhere. She was standing, then collapsed.
"Did she say anything?"
Julian shook his head, his dark eyes betraying confusion and concern in equal measures.
"She has a concussion, a fracture across the skull", his eyes scanned the tricorder he held open as he spoke, "and various other injuries."
Automatically Ben's hand moved to gently brush across the girls forehead. She looked young. Younger than Jake.
"How old is she?"
Bashir's answer already told him, he'd gotten a preliminary scan completed, "Her dental scan indicates an age of approximately nine to 11 years of age."
Julian and his staff continued to work as Benjamin moved closer. He reached out two fingers to grab at a corner of the dirt encrusted pants the girl wore,rolling the dark fabric between his fingers he announced , "denim."
"Sir?"
"Nothing, just the clothing she's wearing..." he let his voice trail off. There wasn't anything else to say.
Her clothing was in tatters. Most of it torn so much that is was more as if the child had patches of fabric arranged on her body rather than a full set of clothing. The dirt encrusting her clothing, he belatedly realized wasn't dirt. It was blood. And the shirt she wore...
"Isn't that-" Dax's voice was in his ear. He hadn't noticed her move forward, being aware only of the strange child, intently focused on her.
"It's a baseball shirt," he answered, confirming it. After all, Dax had seen his collection of baseball memorabilia enough times to recognize the tell tale signs of the sports insignia.
Looking down again, his eyes met where Julian's hands were hovering with an instrument. He was pulling shards of wood out of the girls abdomen. Instinctively, Sisko reached for one, as if knowing, somehow, having knowledge of this bizarre clue.
"May I?" He belated asked, as Bashir deposited one of the pieces into his open palm.
Ben Sisko took it between his fingers and held it up, as if his eyes could tell him more than Bashir's instruments could.
"It's organic material," Bashir was eyeing his readout, "a solidified piece of-
"Wood," Ben announced. "It's shards of wood from a wooden baseball bat."
"You have no way of knowing that," Jadzia chided him.
"This is from a baseball bat," he repeated. "This child has been hit,beaten, with a baseball bat!" The thought of it sickened him.
When Bashir didn't immediately confirm it he added, "Re-scan her body, I guarantee you that at every injury location you will find traces of this same material."
Having removed the foreign object from her abdomen, he scanned her injuries again more closely.
"You're right," he announced allowing the surprise to show in his voice.
He continued scanning, his gaze turning dark before he closed the device. He was moving to another spot in the room but Benjamin wasn't aware of it. He must have said something that Sisko didn't hear because the next thing he was aware of as he stared at the girls face was Dax grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him away.
"Benjamin!" She hissed.
He looked at her confused. She looked pointedly at Bashir now at the foot of the bio bed, working with nurse Wadi to bend the girls legs into a 90 degree angle.
He must have watched Bashir dumbly for a long time before realizing what was going on. 'Oh!" He exclaimed, and quickly moved with Dax to a more discreet part of the room, pretending to be interested in a wall panel and pretend that Julian wasn't doing what he was doing to this small child.
In mere seconds Benjamin heard Bashir ask for the device he'd been using to extract the shards of wood from the girls abdomen. When he realized that the baseball bat- he was sure without knowing why he was sure, that it was a baseball bat used in this crime, had not only caused the obvious external injuries to her head and appendages, but to the area Bashir was now examining, he felt a new sick knot of rage forming in the pit of his stomach.
His exam done, removal of any foreign matter done, Sisko and Dax were free and comfortable to watch as Bashir did what he'd done millions of times before, made use of dermal and bone regenerators to heal the injuries he saw.
"That's odd." Julian's voice broke through the quiet of the room and echoed.
"What is it?" Dax asked.
"None of these instruments seem to be working."
Jadzia immediately stepped toward him and took the tool out of Julian's hand.
Without waiting for her diagnosis, Julian added, "I don't mean that they are not working," he corrected himself. "What I mean is, none of these instruments are working on her."
"Call O'Brien," Sisko's voice was terse. "Make sure this isn't some elaborate hologram or transporter trick."
"Who would make this up?" Dax questioned him, but Ben Sisko already knew that this was no technological feat. The child before them, however she had arrived there, was completely human.
End of Chapter 1
I told my friend my writing is crap, and is likely worse now, but she insisted. I suppose for her, having her story told is more important than having it eloquently told by someone with real writing skills.
Reminder the victim will be reading the comments, and also other victims. So when you comment be kind, compassionate, and don't victim blame. If you can't manage that don't comment at all.
And remember this story, as presented was actually created by a ten year old child. I tried to preserve as much of that as possible. And with my writing being so rusty that works out.