Apollo woke a start. It wasn't quite light yet... only one of Centaurus' three suns peaked up over the horizon. In the time he spent at this retreat in the past, Apollo had gotten to know every single sound and nuance issued from the wilderness around him. The one that woke him was definitely not one of them. He slowly rose from his place in the recliner, cringing slightly as his back protested briefly. He rubbed it, and moved slowly toward the doorway, opening the door.
He then launched himself quickly backward as a bright orange beam sizzled millimeters past his face. The sound of it striking the far wall, and of Apollo solidly hitting the floor, woke the other two from their slumber. Circe was immediately in a defensive crouch. He didn't see where she got it, but a phaser was resting comfortably in her hand. "Stay down!" she barked, more for Anna's benefit than her commander's.
Apollo got up and started to head out the back way towards the runabout. The instant he took to erect his defensive shield was the only thing that saved him, as another orange beam struck him square in the chest. His forcefield protected him, but the force of the beam sent him flying backward. "Apollo!!" yelled Circe, forgetting her bearing. She quickly regained it when she hurried over to him. "Admiral! Are you all right?" She got a partial answer when she moved to put her hands on him, and got shocked by his forcefield.
"I'm fine. How about you?" he asked wryly. She should know better than that, he thought.
She shook her head to clear it... then, after taking mental stock of herself, she nodded. Picking up her phaser again, she crawled toward the back door. "I see one out by the runabout. Obviously, he's meant to keep us from leaving."
He nodded and moved toward the front. "Then I guess his partner's just here to take in the sights." He scanned the area in front of the cabin. "I only see him, though. Only two people? That doesn't seem right. These guys had to have done at least some homework." He opened the front door again, and another beam found its way in. However, the man expected whoever came out to be standing... the beam passed harmlessly over Apollo's head. "You two keep down. If need be, concentrate on taking out the guy in back. I'll handle the front.
Anna watched as Circe reached up into a cabinet and took out a dull black case. Opening it, she took out the remaining phaser and the spare packs, and handed the phaser to Anna. "Won't Admiral Racer need the phaser?" Anna asked.
Circe smiled at Anna. "He won't need it," she replied.
Anna's attention was drawn back to Apollo. He had crouched as though to pounce... then he was gone. Anna didn't see him anywhere outside. Suddenly two blue energy bolts came down from the sky and struck a spot on the other side of the river. A man jumped and started running in the opposite direction. Then Anna understood both why she didn't see him and why Circe said he didn't need a phaser, as Apollo swooped down and sent another pair of energy bolts from his eyes to strike his opponent squarely in the back. This display apparently unnerved two other people from hiding. They began running toward a skimmer they kept hidden behind some shrubbery. Apollo flew by, tripping one of them, sending him rolling head over heels. The second one he gave a good shove. The man flew out past the embankment and fell into the river.
Then Anna suddenly heard a cry from out back, and Circe hissed, "Yesss," telling Anna that Circe had gotten her target. The Andorian cautiously moved outside, but no one else fired upon her. She made her way toward the runabout to check on her fallen adversary. Anna stood and went out past the front porch to the overhang, where she saw Apollo flying over the river. He had two men, one in each hand, and they were getting a thorough dredging in the river.
Finally, he made his way to the cabin, where he dropped the men with a loud, wet splorch. Looking at Anna, he said, "Keep an eye on these two while I go get the other one." He flew off again. The two men looked up at Anna, holding the phaser on them. She seemed to think they knew her... they didn't say anything, but they glared at her. Apollo dropped the third guy down between the two, as Circe came from around the corner, dragging her captive.
As soon as she set the fourth man down, Apollo turned one of the wet ones over. "Now, would you care to tell me who you are and what you're doing out here? Hunting of any kind is out of season, and a serious violation."
The man looked from one person to another, and said, "I'm sorry, Admiral. I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
"Ehhhhhh!" Apollo said, mimicking a game show buzzer. "Wrong answer." He shot the ground between the man's legs, singing the material near a very sensitive spot. "Care to try me again?"
The man thought it over. "Let's see... what's the antiquated term you're used to? Ah yes. 'I plead the fifth.'"
Apollo hovered there, glaring at the man for a long moment. Finally, he tapped his commbadge. "Admiral Racer to Commodore Ryan's office, New Athens Spaceport."
It was a second or two before he heard, "Commodore Ryan here. Go ahead, Admiral."
"Commodore, have you been having any trouble with any paramilitary-type groups... wearing a kind of black leather uniform?"
"No, I can't say that I have. Why do you ask?"
Apollo snorted. "I have a few individuals here who fit that description... they're all wearing black leather uniforms, so I figured they were part of some group giving you hassle. At any rate, they seemed to think that my cabin and the occupants inside would be ideal for target practice."
"I... I don't know what to say. Do you want me to send someone to pick them up?"
Apollo raised an eyebrow. He thought it strange that though Ryan didn't have anyone to do a murder investigation, he had the ability to send someone to a remote part of the planet to pick up prisoners. "Nnnno, That's okay. We were heading back to the spaceport anyway. We'll drop them off when we get there."
"If you insist. Commodore Ryan, out."
Apollo looked at the men lying on the ground for a moment. Then he looked across the river at the skimmer, and back to the men. Let's try one more time to shake them up. He landed just in front of the porch, his back facing the men. He didn't need to worry... Circe and Anna had their phasers trained on them. Apollo stared at the skimmer for a moment. Then he closed his eyes, held his arm out, palm up, and concentrated, slowly raising his arm.
The group heard a creaky groan and rustling of bushes. They looked toward the sound; Circe gasped, Anna's eyes widened, even the men were entranced. For on the far bank, their skimmer had risen above the ground. As soon as it cleared the bushes, it started drifting toward them. Circe hadn't expected to be surprised... she had seen her commander move things with just his will, but never something so big.
When the skimmer had crossed the river and was again over dry land, Apollo slowly lowered his arm, and the vehicle softly returned to the ground. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and once again turned to the men. "Are you sure there's nothing you need to tell me?"
The group's leader had apparently gotten over his surprise, for he said, "Look, I don't care if you're a Q. There's nothing I can or have to say to you."
Apollo sighed. "Very well. Commander, replicate some manacles for our prisoners. Anna, keep an eye on them while she places them on their wrists. You men are under arrest for firing upon Starfleet officers, and for firing energy weapons in a restricted zone, namely this wildlife preserve." While he walked over to more closely examine the skimmer. When Circe finished cuffing the prisoners, she walked over to the admiral. "Do you think you can handle this?" he asked her as she approached.
"I'm fairly certain, sir," she replied. "It looks like a standard transport skimmer. The spaceport rents them out."
He prodded a couple of buttons on the control panel, studying the readouts. "Good. I'm going to put the prisoners aboard the runabout. You and Anna follow me back to the city in the skimmer." She nodded acknowledgement, and he returned to the cabin. "Well, gentlemen, we're going to take you for a little ride. Get up." At first, they refused to budge. He sighed again, rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Suddenly, one of the men leapt up in the air... he had the presence of mind to put his feet under him before he was dropped, so that he remained standing. "Now, we can do this the easy way, meaning you can walk to the runabout under your own power, or we can do this the easier way. That means I can pick all of you up and move you there myself. It's your choice."
The men looked at each other. Finally, the other three stood, and they began walking toward the runabout. Apollo looked back at the two ladies. "See you back at the Spaceport," he said, winking.
On the way to New Athens, the leader said, "I don't know what you plan to accomplish by taking us in."
Apollo raised an eyebrow. "Now there's a switch. I actually know something you don't," he replied sarcastically.
"You don't even know what you're getting yourself into."
He spared a sidelong glance at his captive. "I'm starting to think I know a little more than you think I do." The leader didn't respond to that, and the conversation died.
They reached New Athens and hovered inside a hangar to land. Ryan and a contingent of security were waiting for them. As they exited their crafts, he said, "Well done, Admiral. I thank you for bringing them in."
"My pleasure. I wanted to make sure they didn't think they could get away with shooting at us. Maybe some time in your brig will... excuse me, what are you doing?"
What Apollo was questioning was the fact that Ryan's men were releasing the prisoners from the manacles. "Oh, they won't be needing those anymore," Ryan said, grinning.
Circe's eyes flashed in anger. "What in the Nine Hells!! You're with them?!"
"Of course," replied Apollo, and Circe looked at him just as incredulously. "When I was examining the skimmer, I noticed one or two details that didn't quite fit, so when I was aboard the runabout, I did some checking. The skimmer was rented out by Ryan's office." He then looked to Ryan. "You also confused me at first when you offered to send some men to pick them up. You had to call in a starship because you didn't have the manpower to run an investigation right here in New Athens. Yet you have the personnel to go almost halfway across the planet to pick up some fugitives? Something smelled rotten in Denmark." Oblivious to the guards who had just pulled out phasers, Apollo walked over to Ryan until he was looking down upon him. "You mind telling me just what the hell is going on, who these men are, and what you're involved in?"
"I'm afraid I can't, Admiral."
"You WHAT?!" He started pacing. "Do you realize who I am?! I'm an admiral... Head of Starfleet Intelligence! If something's going on, I damn sure have a right to know about it, Commodore! Now you're going to tell me..."
Once again, Apollo's forcefield protected him. One of the guards fired on him, sending him skidding across the landing pad. Circe instantly had her phaser out. She was avoiding blasts, but at the same time, she had to protect Anna. She found she couldn't do both, as an energy beam struck her in the chest, spinning her around. She landed face first, unconscious. Anna stood there, wide-eyed in shock and horror, as Ryan started to approach her, his own phaser leveled at her. "Now... to take care of you." As he pulled the trigger, a blur rushed past, taking Anna out of the path of the energy beam. This blast carved a deep furrow in the surface of the landing pad... it was definitely not set to stun.
They looked around for a moment, then spotted Apollo hovering in the air, Anna in his arms, clinging to him for dear life. Apollo looked for an escape route, but the runabout and skimmer partially blocked the opening. He couldn't go through the doors into the building, as more men poured out of them. "Admiral," Ryan called out, "you may as well bring her back. If we stun you, she'll fall to her death anyway. And there's no way out. You know nothing of what's going on here. Please give up before you make a big mistake."
"The operative phrase in that statement is if, Commodore. And I guarantee that once I'm free, that rank will be temporary."
Ryan finally got frustrated at him. "Bring him down," he told his men. Suddenly the air above the ground was alive with phaser blasts. Apollo dodged and weaved, but with Anna in his hands and limited space to maneuver, he knew it was only a matter of time before they got him. In fact, they had already grazed him a couple of times, causing his aura to glow. Finally, one of them made his escape route for him. A blast had hit a viewport, melting it. Apollo wasted no time in powering his aura up a couple of notches... he slammed into the hole, instantly widening it and allowing him to escape. In no time at all alarms were sounding and men were running out of the building, shooting wildly at the admiral. But he had long since flown out of their range.
He flew out of the city limits, then plummeted toward the ground. As soon as he landed, he checked on Anna. She was scared stiff again, but she appeared to be unharmed. Apollo knew that in his present state, his energy signature would give them away. So he rushed her behind a building near the outskirts of the city. She looked at him, puzzled, as he stood there and concentrated. She saw his blue aura again, but this time, something different happened. It darkened, went all the way down into the deepest, darkest purple. Just when it was about to turn black, it disappeared. Then the light in his eyes began to fade... as it dimmed, they somehow changed until they looked like normal eyes, only someone who got a good close look at them would tell that the irises sparkled with a light of their own.
She still gazed at him with a questioning look when he explained. "My aura gives off a specific energy signature. They'd be able to track me as though I were radioactive. So what I did was I changed the frequency of my protective aura. Now it's more like a cloaking device. I'll blend in with the population more easily."
He started to lead her back into the city when she stopped. "Wait a minute, where are you going?"
"Anna, the last place they'd think to look for me is in the city. Though he's smart. He'll be watching all traffic out, so back to the cabin is out of the question."
She nodded. "You might want to lose the uniform then. That would be another giveaway."
"You're right. While there's plenty of Starfleet personnel here, there are very few of flag rank." He removed his jacket and rank insignia, replacing his commbadge on the burgundy tunic that was underneath. Folding the jacket so none of the telltale ornaments were showing, he tucked it under his arm. "Let's go."
They walked a short way until they found exactly what he was looking for... a small shop that sold clothing. They entered, and he purchased a change of clothes for both of them, and a duffel to carry them. Their next stop was a dining facility... they stepped into respective restrooms and changed. When they emerged, Anna was wearing a form-fitting purple tunic and black slacks. Apollo's garb was a deep blue tunic with khaki slacks and a brown jacket. He stuffed the clothes they once wore into the duffel, then they sat down for a bite to eat. Neither of them said much through their meal. Anna looked around casually. Once or twice, she had seen guards in black leather uniforms walk by the restaurant. One pair stopped in, but after a minute, they walked back out. The couple times she looked at Apollo, he seemed intent on his meal, but the look on his face also told her that his mind was rapidly sifting through ideas.
"I have to know who these people are," he said quietly. "I have to know what authority they follow that they can so blatantly turn against a high-ranking officer. And we have to get Circe back. They have to be expecting at least that much from us."
As soon as they finished their meal, they returned to the streets, wandering around like a couple of tourists. The whole time, they always saw at least two teams of guards looking around. What Anna couldn't understand is why they just couldn't recognize the two of them by appearance alone. She wondered if he could make both of them look different as well. Several times, she tried to look at her reflection in a store window, or a pond, but she still looked the same.
Finally, Apollo said, "You won't notice any change, except for my eyes. But the guards won't see us. They're looking specifically for a woman with a Starfleet officer with glowing eyes. I have... certain mental abilities. One thing I can do is make a mental suggestion to them that we're not really here. Their vision will kind of slide off of us, compelled to look elsewhere rather than where we are. But I don't know how long I can fool them. We need to take advantage of the time we have before they catch on... to find a place to settle in for the night." She nodded in agreement.
They knew precisely when Apollo's little trick wore off. As he had said, the guards would scan the walkways, pausing at each individual, but they always seemed to just pass the two of them up. Suddenly, a pair did a double-take, and looked at them as though the men swore they didn't see the couple there before. Apollo managed to lead Anna into a crowd and lose themselves just as the guards started to head towards their position.
"That's it," he said. "I couldn't hold up the illusion any more. If any of those men know what to look for, they'll find us."
As it was getting dark again, he managed to bring her into an alley. The sides of the buildings on either sides were lined with containers that looked like refuse bins. She tugged at his sleeve. "I think we should split up." He looked at her as though she had suddenly grown a third eye. "They're looking for two people."
"So what do you suppose we do?"
He looked around, trying to find a place to hide. He eyed one of the bins against the building. The things I have to do... He opened one of the bins and sighed in relief when it was empty. Normally, refuse bins would be odd in a time when anything can be recycled, but replicators to shove used materials are just not always available. Hence the smaller cans in the parks, which are emptied into the refuse bins during the day, which are then emptied to cargo chuttles which travel to industrial replicator centers where the trash is dumped for base matter. "You hide here. I'll go out and try to draw them off. Maybe I can take a few of them out, and they'll be so busy tending to their own that the pressure can ease up from us for a while."
He didn't like it, it wasn't a good plan, but for now, it was better than constantly wandering around. And she was starting to look tired, even to the point of sagging a bit... in fact, she even looked a little sweaty... so he figured this way she could rest. Remarkably, she agreed to it. They opened the top of one of the bins, and she climbed into it, first making sure it was relatively clean. He gave her the duffel to maybe use as a makeshift pillow. "I'll be back shortly," he said. They shared a smile, and he closed the lid. As soon as he did that, he flew to the top of the building and perched on the roof, looking out over the city. The lights were just beginning to turn on.
Suddenly, Apollo saw something that merited closer attention. Leaping down from the roof and making a soft landing, he jogged over to a spot in a nearby park and shook his head. The markers were gone, the commpanel replaced, but this was the very same spot where this whole fiasco began for him. Even the outline where the young man's final moment had been was gone. He backed a couple of steps and leaned against a tree, then stood just as quickly. He had placed his hand in some of the tree's sap. This was the same tree he leaned against before, except... That was a couple of days ago... wouldn't the sap have dried by now? He brought his hand up under his nose and sniffed. It didn't smell like tree sap. Apollo rubbed his fingers in the substance, trying to determine what it was. He had the inking of an idea, though without a tricorder, he couldn't be certain.
He heard voices getting nearer. Without hesitation, he leapt straight up and perched himself on one of the branches in the tree, as two guards walked underneath. "I'm tellin' ya, Murphy, I swore I saw someone standing under this tree just a minute ago."
"Ah, this whole search is driving us all buggy. First we get reports that people appear where they weren't there before, and now yer yappin that there was someone there that isn't there."
Apollo tensed. It'd be so easy... just jump down on top of them. His landing alone would incapacitate one of them, and he'd be able to take the other one out just as easily. He was about to leap when he saw another group of four a little further away, walking across the park. They'd see him for sure, and they'd call out reinforcements, and right now, being away from Anna, he couldn't take the chance... once they were on his tail, he wouldn't be able to return to her location. If only the Highlander were here... if only Sam were here... He sighed, then slapped his hand over his mouth and looked down, fearing he'd been heard. While his aura was configured to avoid detection, it wouldn't stop phaser blasts. But the men below had walked off, to join the others.
He relaxed and sat there in the tree until it was dark. As soon as the last of the sunlight left the sky, he slowly and carefully rose up through the top of the tree. He glided away from the park, away from the lights. Touching down on the ground, he made his way as swiftly as he could to Anna's hiding place. Apollo opened the lid, expecting to see her stretching herself awake. But the bin was empty.