EIDOLON
by Avalon (avalon99@telusplanet.net)
http://members.dencity.com/avalon_online
J/C, PG-13, 6/7
EIDOLON VI
The phaser bolt caught him high on the left shoulder and Eidolon was flung backward, freeing Janeway. Dizzily, fighting to keep the phaser aimed on him, she dragged herself to her knees, leaning heavily on one hand, watching him through clouded eyes.
Guilt engulfed her. She had shot him. She had just shot Chakotay. But it wasn't Chakotay, she reminded herself once again. Trouble was, this time the arguments didn't work. It was Chakotay's body, and she had just had proof that he was still in there...somewhere. And she had shot him...
Janeway gave herself an inward shake. 'Don't think about it,' she told herself. 'Deal with it later.' If there was a later. It was taking all of her strength just to hold the phaser. As for getting the rest of the way up...her spirit quailed at the thought. And she couldn't seem to draw enough oxygen into her starved lungs. The world spun hazily.
Eidolon rolled over, clutching his shoulder with his right hand. Agony contorted his...Chakotay's... features, and the sickening stench of burned flesh wafted toward Janeway. Her stomach lurched once more, but fortunately there was nothing left in it to make a hasty reappearance. Nevertheless, she fought down the urge to retch. The way she felt right now, that would probably kill her. Of course, just sitting here could do the same...
Finally, Janeway gathered what little remained of her fortitude and attempted to stand. And failed. Try as she might, she couldn't seem to get to her feet. She just... couldn't. Gasping for air, she sank back to the ground. Slowly, reluctantly, her eyes began to flicker shut.
* * *
Chakotay returned to consciousness. As the darkness receded he recognized his surroundings. His prison. The part of his mind that Eidolon had banished him to. He was back. Damn. Damn, damn, damn! More curses sizzled through him as he tested the bonds that held him. The mental chains were still there, weaker now, but still too powerful. Frustration swept over him. He had thrown everything he had at the alien, had used all of his reserves. Nothing remained. He had failed her. She was going to die. I'm sorry, Kathryn, he told her silently. Forgive me...
* * *
Something made her open her eyes. Some part of her that refused to accept defeat as an option, that kept her fighting on when everything in her cried out to stop... Whatever it was, Janeway's eyes flickered open. She blinked and the grey fog obscuring her vision receded slightly. Eidolon still lay clutching his shoulder, conscious but unwilling or unable to move. His gaze met hers, the pain in them reflected by her own. Janeway looked away. Something ahead caught her eye. A flash of light. Janeway blinked again, not trusting her vision. But no. It was still there...a bright flare when she moved her head slightly, coming from the rocks just ahead. She squinted, trying to ignore the pounding in her head, the pain in her throat, and her desperate attempts to draw air into her labouring lungs. There. It was coming from an opening in the rocks...
"A cave." She breathed the word aloud. Eidolon frowned and, with a grunt of effort, twisted himself around to follow her gaze. Relief mingled with the pain on his features. Then slowly, holding his shoulder, he rose. Janeway watched him, a faint flicker of astonishment going through her. That bolt should have knocked him out, kept him unconscious for hours, if not days, done an incredible amount of damage to his system... Instead, the alien was setting out for the cave, moving slowly but surely away from her. She frowned. Human bodies weren't built to take that much punishment. How was he...? Wait a minute. He was moving away...
That was enough to bring her to her feet. Janeway hadn't gone through all of this just to watch this alien wander off with Chakotay's body. She wasn't sure how she did it, and she didn't really care, but somehow she found herself wavering on unsteady legs. She swallowed once, then focused on the retreating form ahead of her. Quelling the rather ridiculous urge to shout 'Hey, bring that body back at once,' she forced herself into motion.
* * *
Each of the hundred metres from the ravine to the cave were written in agony. Janeway had forgotten how it felt to not feel pain; her world had narrowed to a level of torment beyond anything she had ever imagined. Probably beyond anything anyone had ever imagined. 'Dante could have learned a lot from me,' she thought randomly, trying not to trip over the stones in her path. 'I wonder which level of Hell I've reached...' Nevertheless, she entered the cave only a half a dozen paces behind Eidolon. The alien did not pause, but plunged into the Stygian darkness. Janeway followed unhesitatingly.
* * *
It was like being in a starless void. After they had rounded the first corner there was no light at all. The darkness was almost palpable. Janeway slowed, trying to listen for the sound of Eidolon's footsteps, but a confusing barrage of echoes assailed her, and she quickly lost all sense of direction. Panic should have been coursing through her like water but the best she could manage was mild concern. 'Guess the human body has a finite amount of adrenaline after all...' Janeway slowed finally and came to a stop.
And then the lights came on. Janeway nearly fell over as her pupils contracted painfully, tears forming on her lashes. Blinking hastily she managed to restore her vision...to a certain extent. The world was still swimming in several directions at once around her, but she found if she half-looked at things from the corners of her eyes, she could make out her surroundings. Just.
She seemed to have reached her limits for surprise too. The technological masterpiece she found herself in should have had the scientist in her doing handsprings for joy. Right now, though, she wouldn't especially care if someone announced they had found a way to punch up Voyager's speed to Warp twenty, and make Neelix's food edible as a side effect. Just staying on her feet was triumph enough...
The cave was large and full of...something. Janeway found herself in the middle of what looked like the most intricate computer/communication/transportation system she had ever seen. And that was just the parts she recognized. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the rest of it did. A console bristling with technology stood in the middle of the cavern, with some sort of...energy lines...built into the cave floor, walls, and roof. Janeway peered a little closer at the one she was standing on. Pulses of power, or something else altogether, ran through it at various intervals, synchronized with the rest in ways that she couldn't even begin to fathom. On the console, tiny multicoloured lights flickered across its grey surface, like stars in a cloudless sky. Overall, the effect was as if someone had crossed the intricate inner workings of an computer with a Christmas tree. For a moment, Janeway forgot her body's debility as a wave of admiration for the builders swept over her...
Eidolon's voice interrupted her musings. Janeway turned her head,
wincing at the pain in her neck. He stood a long pace to her right.
Somehow she had followed him step for step through the darkness.
He was rapping out a long string of commands. Even as he spoke, the
pattern of the lights began to change, becoming more synchronized, less
random. Janeway tightened her jaw. Whatever he was doing, she
had to stop him. Time was running out...
"That's enough." For a moment, her voice sounded confident and
assured. Never mind the fact that any minute she was going to fall
on her face and never get up again. Eidolon glanced at her but did
not stop. It took all of her remaining strength but Janeway managed
to raise the phaser one last time. A fleeting look of contempt flickered
through his eyes, even as he shifted his grip on his left shoulder.
'You won't do it,' the look said, with certainty.
He was right. She couldn't shoot him again. Even set on stun, another phaser bolt would almost certainly kill him, given the amount of damage Chakotay's body had already sustained. She couldn't do it. Defeat in her expression, she lowered the weapon. 'I'm sorry, Chakotay.'
* * *
Chakotay saw the Captain surrender, felt the distant surge of Eidolon's triumph, and steeled himself once more. This wasn't over yet. They were still alive. He would not give up until he saw the Captain lying dead on the floor, or felt the alien push him the rest of the way out of his body. Until then, he would keep fighting. Once again, he sawed at the bonds surrounding him.
* * *
When the voice came, Janeway did fall over. By this time, the random lights had coalesced into a single stream of pulses and a faint golden glow had lit the main console. A disembodied voice spoke and the Captain jumped, toppling to her knees. At that point it seemed easier to just keep going and she ended up sitting on the cavern floor, still clutching the phaser in fingers she could no longer feel.
"Identify yourself," the voice said. Janeway struggled to form her customary response, but the voice hadn't been addressing her. Eidolon replied:
"I am...a traveller. I am seeking the Shay'anari."
"The Shay'anari have left this place."
"Where?" His voice was sharp.
There was a brief pause, then the voice continued. "They do not wish to be found."
Frustration coloured Eidolon's voice. "What does that mean?"
Sitting on the cold cavern floor, Janeway interrupted. "Who or what are you?" Her voice was little more than a faint whisper.
"I am the last representative of the Shay'anari and the Guardian of their knowledge."
Eidolon shot her an annoyed glance then returned his attention to the console, which flickered and twinkled in the gloom. "Answer my question. Where are they?"
"Scattered. They do not wish to be found."
"Why?" Janeway asked.
"They felt responsible for..."
Eidolon interrupted hastily. "Never mind that. Just tell
me where they went. I grow tired of repeating myself."
"This System has been programmed not to release that information."
"I don't give a damn about your programming." Eidolon took a threatening step forward. "Tell me what I..." Abruptly he stopped, a look of agony crossing his face. He clutched at his head with his good hand and swayed.
* * *
Chakotay pushed harder at the bonds holding him. It was working. Eidolon was weakening.
* * *
Janeway blinked foggily. Then realization hit her like a laser blast. Chakotay was fighting back again, giving her time...to do what? She frowned, then spoke hastily.
"Guardian...this man has stolen my First Officer's body. Is there any way to reverse this?"
The lights on the console flickered, as if with surprise. "Identify yourself."
Janeway straightened her shoulders slightly, and managed to say fairly steadily: "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. And I want my First Officer back. Now." She injected a note of command into her tone.
Twin beams of light suddenly shot out of the far wall and engulfed both Janeway and Eidolon. The alien tottered, still clutching his head, then froze. On the ground, Janeway found herself unable to move so much as a fingertip. Every muscle seemed to have turned to stone. Which wasn't much of a loss, she decided, given that she hadn't been able to move much before... A second ray swept over her, leaving her skin tingling in its wake, then both vanished, and she fell forward, catching herself on one hand. For a moment she considered trying to get up but decided to stay where she was. 'I can talk just as well from down here, anyway,' she thought incoherently.
A similar ray ran over Chakotay's body and vanished, but Eidolon remained
imprisoned within the beam of light. Fury twisted his features as
he fought to free himself. "Release me!"
The Guardian ignored him. "This System has identified you as
the criminal, Eidolon d'Vrath. You have been accused of stealing
a host's body. How do you plead?"
"I refuse to have anything to do with this...charade. I command you to release me."
"Your voice authorization has been revoked. Please answer the question."
"Innocent! I'm innocent, damn you." He was almost shouting. "Chakotay gave me this body. He willingly agreed to let me share it..."
"Liar," Janeway said with venom. "He took it and tried to kill me."
The computer turned its attention to her. "Captain Kathryn Janeway, do you formally charge Eidolon d'Vrath with stealing this host's body?"
"I...Yes. And I want it back."
"Eidolon d'Vrath. My analysis indicates that you are lying. You have stolen a host's body without permission. Furthermore, you have defied your sentence of exile. For these crimes, Shay'anari justice demands your instant and immediate death. Prepare yourself."
Fear flickered through his eyes, then was gone. "You can't do that." The Guardian did not respond. The lighting in the cavern began to dim. Hastily, Eidolon spoke to Janeway.
"Help me, Kathryn."
She stared at him tiredly. "Why?"
"Because if you don't, this body will be destroyed, and Chakotay will
die too." He paused. When she said nothing, he continued hurriedly.
"I lied. He's still alive. Help me and I'll return him to you."
Janeway stared at him, sighed briefly, then turned to the central console. "Wait."
There was a long pause, then: "Yes, Captain Kathryn Janeway?"
She wet dry lips. "What exactly has he done?"
"Eidolon d'Vrath has committed several crimes against both the Shay'anari and their hosts, including the theft of a host's body and the destruction of that persona."
"A...host?"
She could swear that the computer sighed. "The Shay'anari share corporeal existence with willing hosts in order to learn and travel. Eidolon d'Vrath violated their laws. He was sentenced to exile for his crimes, never to return upon pain of death."
Eidolon interrupted, desperation in his voice. "Don't believe it, Kathryn. It's not true. I never killed anyone. Please..."
"Shut up." She took a ragged breath. She was going to have to hurry. "Guardian -- What about Chakotay? What will happen to this 'host'?"
There was a long pause.
"Well?" She continued. "Look, I don't especially care what Eidolon has done in the past, and I certainly don't care what you do with him now, I just want my First Officer back. Can you do that?"
The Guardian paused again. "Yes."
"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?"
The Guardian answered, but there was a note of hesitation in its voice. "Captain Kathryn Janeway, as injured party here, you have the right to request the immediate return of this host's body. However, the chances of this host being alive are remote."
"He's still alive," she whispered firmly. "I'd know if he weren't."
"There is more. This System's scans indicate that you have been infected with a virulent poison. This poison can be eradicated."
"Er...what?" Fog seemed to be rolling through her mind. Did it just say...?
"It is within this System's ability to cure you."
Wild hope surged through her. "Then do it. Return Chakotay and cure me."
"I am afraid that is not possible."
"But you just said..."
It was probably an illusion, but it almost sounded like there was a note of regret in the computer's voice. "Unfortunately, given the extreme length of time that this System has been operational, there is insufficient power available to perform both procedures. As injured party, it is your right to choose."
Choose? What was it saying? Choose between her life and Chakotay's? How the hell was she supposed to do that? For a moment she felt dizzy from more than just the effects of the Gwari's poison. Her head spun, and the nausea returned with a vengeance.
* * *
'NO!' Chakotay shouted silently, futilely. Don't leave it up to her...he knew how she would decide, what she would choose... No, Kathryn! Don't do it, don't... He redoubled his efforts against Eidolon as the alien's grip on his mind continued to weaken.
* * *
In the end it wasn't a difficult decision. Janeway only had to ask herself if she could live with the knowledge that she had traded another's life for her own. She didn't even have to consider the depth of her emotions for her First Officer. The answer was easy.
"Return my First Officer." There was no trace of doubt or hesitation in her voice. "Do it now."
"Very well," the Guardian replied. "Kathryn Janeway, do you stand as witness?"
'Only if I can do it from a sitting position,' she thought irreverently, trying to ignore the fact that she had just, in essence, committed suicide. She nodded. "Yes."
"Eidolon d'Vrath, as representative of the Shay'anari, I hereby carry out your sentence..."
* * *
Suddenly Chakotay found himself toppling forward, back into his body. Shock and astonishment rippled through him. The wraith...was gone.
* * *
At the last possible moment, Eidolon leaped. He didn't leap physically. Chakotay's body remained firmly a prisoner in the light's grasp...but the essence that was Eidolon abruptly vacated that body, and dove straight into Janeway's. She had no warning and no strength left with which to fight. There was no struggle. One minute, Janeway was in control. The next, she wasn't.
Chakotay drew a deep breath. He blinked and tensed his muscles against the Guardian's hold, ignoring the sudden onslaught f pain from his injuries that crashed over him. For a moment disorientation swept over him, then he saw Janeway climbing to her feet, the phaser aimed at the console. And he knew where Eidolon had gone. No! "Guardian, release me!" Chakotay yelled aloud, part of him revelling in the fact that he could do so. "He's taken Kathryn." The light around his body wavered, as if the computer were bewildered by the sudden shift in personalities. The energy pulses along the floor and walls flickered as if with confusion, then the invisible chains holding him vanished. Chakotay launched himself at his Captain.
Eidolon was obviously better able to withstand the effects of the poison than Janeway. Hearing Chakotay, he whirled. Suddenly faced with a phaser aimed at his heart, Chakotay nevertheless continued his headlong rush toward her...him. Eidolon fired...and missed. The phaser bolt sizzled past Chakotay's side, but he did not pause. He hit the alien in a flying tackle and together they crashed to the ground, the phaser skittering away across the cavern floor.
For the second time since their arrival on this planet, Janeway's fists connected solidly with Chakotay's jaw. Stars exploded behind his eyes, but he shook off the effects of the blow, and concentrated on pinning her wrists to the ground. His efforts to restrain her without hurting her were hampered by the waves of pain flowing through him as he jolted his injured shoulder. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, he managed to pin the struggling woman beneath him. And in that instant he knew how to save her.
"Guardian!" he shouted, "Now!" Instantly a cascade of pure white light hit them both. It didn't affect the Commander, beyond burning white spots onto his retinas but, beneath him, Janeway's body stiffened as the alien inside her screamed in mortal agony. Chakotay closed his eyes and his ears to her cry, fighting to keep Eidolon from rolling aside out of the light's path. It seemed to last forever...and then it was over. Beneath him, Janeway slumped back limply.
Cautiously Chakotay eased his weight from her, prepared for any tricks. There were none. She was dazed, only half-conscious. He looked up. The lights in the cavern were dimming as the energy pulses randomized again then began to fade one by one. Even as he watched, he became aware of a low rumbling coming from the ceiling. Shards of rock began to fall.
"Guardian?" he asked hoarsely, trying to protect the Captain with his body as larger stones rained down on them both. There was no answer. The last few pulses in the ceiling winked once or twice, then vanished altogether. The light began to fade.
Chakotay didn't hesitate. With a muffled groan, he reached down
and dragged the Captain upright, flinging her over his good shoulder.
Steadying her body with one hand, he rose, turned, and headed for the entrance
at his fastest pace. Behind him, the console was rapidly being buried
in an avalanche of rocks and stones. He cast one last look at it
before diving forward to avoid an enormous boulder that crashed down only
inches behind them. And then they were at the exit...and safety.
Chakotay stumbled forward into the sunlight and collapsed, retaining only
enough presence of mind to cushion Janeway as they fell to the sandy ground.
Behind him, the entrance to the cave vanished in a hail of rocks and dirt.
Slowly, the rumbling subsided.