Chapter Twenty-Four: Caught
"Captain," said the ensign seated in front of the helm as he glanced over his shoulder. "The Hydra has arrived at the coordinates."
"Thank you, ensign." Feeling a little nervous, Picard stood up and took a few steps towards the view screen. "Take us to a distance of one million kilometers from the Hydra and hail them."
"Aye Sir. Hailing frequencies open." Jean-Luc straightened his uniform and squared his shoulders.
"This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation Flagship Enterprise. Please identify yourselves." 'That must be the most standard greeting there is' he thought wryly. As expected, there was no response. "We mean no harm. Please respond." He intentionally made his voice sound a bit sterner. "Lieutenant Rhodes, power the phasers."
"Yes Sir." Experience told him they'd get a response soon now. He glanced to his right and looked into the bright smile of a holographic Deanna Troi. At the console to his left sat a holographic Data.
"Captain Picard." On cue the viewscreen showed the image of a young, hateful looking man. "I am Nizu Baites, how may we be of help?" Picard instantly disliked the man, whose piercing deep purple eyes were filled with pure hatred and arrogance.
"Are you the one in charge of the ship?"
"For the moment, yes." Jean-Luc resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead smiled.
"There's a matter of great urgency I'd like to discuss with you. I would be pleased to invite you aboard for a brief visit to the Enterprise." Nizu glanced to his right and appeared to be communicating with someone before he accepted the invitation.
"Please send us the coordinates and I'll beam over shortly."
"Ensign." Without any further explanation the Ensign dutifully transmitted the coordinates of the Enterprises Observation Lounge to the Bridge of the Hydra.
"We'll see you soon. Picard out." He didn't doubt that the man standing just outside the viewscreen's field of vision was the actual leader. With a satisfied smile he made his way to the observation lounge. When Baites beamed over Data would piggyback the Enterprise's transporter signal to the Hydra's, simultaneously beaming the away team when the visitor went back.
To leave nothing to chance, their visitor's DNA would be scanned before they'd meet to make sure the man wasn't an empath or telepath.
Sickbay to Picard: DNA is fully Oklion.
"Acknowledged." He'd barely tapped his communicator when the person materialised on the other side of the room. The visitor curiously looked around and was a bit surprised when he noticed that there was only one other occupant.
"Mr. Baites, welcome aboard the Enterprise." Picard motioned for him to sit down and lowered himself to a chair as well.
"Thank you Captain. Now let us come to the point. You needed my help?" Jean-Luc's face remained expressionless as he waited several seconds before answering. He noticed the satisfaction in the other man's voice but responded as courteously as he could manage.
"We do. As you may know Starfleet is looking for the leader of the Black Dragon organization."
"Yes, I've heard."
"He's wanted for," Picard purposely ignored his words, "crimes against humanity, weapon smuggling and I hold him responsible for kidnapping and torturing one of my crew members." He studied his 'guest' closely, trying to pick up every change in the man's handsome face.
"Oh yes, the empath." Their eyes locked and Nizu flashed an evil and devilish grin. "He was really pissed at having lost her and assured me that he'll have her back one way or the other." A rush of fury surged through Picard's veins but as always he managed to control himself.
"What is his name?" Nizu smirked as he leaned back in his chair.
"I don't know." At that Jean-Luc lost his temper, standing up and leaning threateningly across the table.
"The hell you don't!" Unimpressed by his moves, Nizu sweetly smiled back.
"If you don't believe me then why don't you bring in the pretty Betazoid? Surely she can tell whether or not I'm lying." Picard's mind worked at full speed. Technically it would no problem to make the Holo-Deanna walk into his Ready Room. But if she made the wrong assessment Baites would know that they were up to something. On the other hand, his willingness to face her suggested he was telling the truth.
"What *can* you tell me about him?" Baites shifted in his chair, seemingly willing to talk.
"Not much. He's a very private man."
"Where is he from?" A slight smile crept over Nizu's arrogant features.
"Cardassia, Earth." Upon seeing the Captain's confusion his smile grew wider. "You can determine in what order. Now what is it you want from me?" Picard studied his hands thoughtfully. The tone of his guest's voice made clear that he wasn't going to get any further information.
"Help me catch him." Nizu's head snapped up.
"Are you crazy?! *No one* betrays him!" Jean-Luc frowned, surprised by the man's outburst.
"If you help us we'll protect you until he's imprisoned." To his amazement Baites began to laugh hysterically.
"You *are* crazy Picard; he cannot be imprisoned. This conversation is over." Nizu Baites stood up and stepped back. "Baites to Hydra; get me back." There was no acknowledgement from the vessel and for a moment Jean-Luc thought Baites' order hadn't been heard, but then a strange yellow light enveloped the man and he disappeared.
"Computer: is the Away Team still aboard?"
Negative Satisfied, he walked onto the Bridge and sat down in the comfortable chair in the middle. He tried not to think of what could go wrong, but instead tried to figure out what his talk, with Nizu Baites had taught him.
~*+*~
The Away Party materialised in one of the empty crew quarters. "Computer: seal these quarters. Authorization: Gamma-three-four-red-Trialka."
Quarters sealed.
"Lights." The lights obediently turned on. A pleased Captain Troi glanced around. Even fully lit the room still seemed very dark and impersonal. The quarters were about half the size of those on the Enterprise and far less comfortable.
"All right, let's get this over with." She muttered just loudly enough for the others to hear. Data quickly entered the access code Deanna had obtained and began to create the files and new authorization codes that would allow them full access to every part of the Hydra. Deanna and Jaka studied a detailed map of the ship to determine the safest course of action to capture the leader without triggering the security systems.
Three hours later they were ready to execute their mission.
~*+*~
He woke up sticky with sweat and breathing heavily. It took him a few moments to separate his dream from reality, to realise where he was, and with whom. This was about the twentieth time in the past two months he'd dreamt about her. He looked at the woman at his side to see if she was still asleep. Fortunately she was.
Tonight the dream had been pleasant, and looking down at himself he admitted that it had been a little too pleasant. When the dreams had started two months ago they had been nightmares, ones so real that it took him hours to calm down.
In those nightmare he saw Deanna, her body bleeding, her eyes a luminescent green. She was pinned against a wall; her arms and legs were tied against the hard surface with iron chains. In front of her stood a tall man, cloaked in darkness.
All he could see were the piercing red eyes that always turned sapphire blue near the end of he dream. The man was holding a sharp knife and stroked it over Deanna's nude body.
The fear showed in her eyes and even though he was a couple of meters away he saw her trembling. Next the man began to cut into her flesh with the point of the knife, closely watching the features of the beauty in front of him. But Deanna refused to scream. Soon her entire body was covered with cuts and blood, and still she refused to scream.
~Will! Help me! Please!~ Her plea brought him out his trance and he began walking towards her, but every time he was close enough to reach out and touch her something dragged him back to his earlier position. The other man began to kiss her and Will wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't.
Clenching his hands into fists, Riker willed he image out his mind. Careful not to wake the woman at his side, he slipped out the bed and quickly dressed. He left the house and headed for the woods.
He'd had the nightmare six times and each time he had to watch how the man injured and assaulted his Imzadi each time, except for the last. At the end of the sixth nightmare Deanna broke free from her chains. The dreams he had experienced since then were pleasant, usually a memory with an erotic twist.
Will lay down on the ground and focussed his gaze on the stars. Right now he was too proud to admit it, but he missed his life among the silent observers of space. He missed running around the Enteprise ordering his officers. He missed the discussion with Geordi, he missed Data's attempts at humour, he missed Jean-Luc's strong presence and he even missed Beverly's sharp tongue. But most of all, just like the little voice in his head had warned him, he missed Deanna.
He wondered what she was doing, how she was coping. The last months he'd been thinking more and more about her, and about the way he had left her. And he had never felt like a bigger jerk. As he looked up at the stars a single tear rolled down his cheek, but Riker didn't notice it as his mind wandered off to the Enterprise. Instead he wondered who would be First Officer now and what would happen when he returned. When, not if.
~*+*~
Through the window she had watched him leaving for the woods. Like the nights before he thought she was asleep but she had only been pretending. He seemed restless lately, distracted and unhappy. She wondered if it had anything to do with his so-called sister, Deanna.
Her large deep brown eyes shifted to the photo next to his side of the bed. He had told her that it showed his closest friends. But she knew that behind that photo there was on of Deanna. When she was cleaning the frame a few weeks ago she had accidentally hit the tiny button at the bottom and the photo had appeared. She knew by now that Deanna was not his sister.
The nightmares and dreams he had been experiencing since about two months ago had made her wonder and she had asked her brother who worked for the government to check Will's background. From his information she learned that he didn't have any siblings. In addition she had been doing some research on Deanna Troi and had discovered that she had closed her office almost six months earlier. Both Deanna Troi and her associate Beverly Crusher seemed to have disappeared.
Lyana shivered from the cold as she crawled back in bed knowing that Will would stay outside until just before sunrise. She decided to talk to him soon just before drifting back to sleep.
~*+*~
As casually as they could manage the three Enterprise officers walked through the corridors of the Hydra, exploring the ship and seeking her captain. According to the computer he was on the Bridge, so they would just have to wait until he returned to his quarters.
Using the newly entered access code the party entered the cabin. In there they could do nothing but wait. To kill the time the officers moved around, trying to learn a bit more of their soon-to-be hostage's personality. They already knew he was arrogant, selfish and evil, but some of the objects in the room triggered their curiosity.
A trombone, obviously one that hadn't been used for a -long- time, fake flowers – to Deanna's surprise, Betazoid flowers. Several sculptures, a Klingon Bath'Let, several knives and ancient Earth books. But apart from the Bat'Leth and knives all the objects were covered in dust.
Troi ordered Data to try and hack into the personal files of the man they were looking for while she and Lt. Fko surveyed the room to decide from which points it would be best to attack him.
~*+*~
On the Bridge of the Hydra...
"Sir. Sensors show two lifeforms in your quarters." An evil smile crept over the features of the leader as he whispered "I've been expecting them."
"Sir, the scan indicates one human/Betazoid and one Oklion." The smile on the leader's face widened and his eyes sparkled wickedly.
"Excellent." As he muttered the instructions to the helm a plan began to form in his head. A plan that would finally make her his.
~*+*~
"He's coming." Troi's hiss was just loud enough for the other officers to pick up and they quickly took their places. Data assumed a position on the right side of the entrance; Fko on the left and Deanna stood further backward, which allowed her an open view on the doors.
An eerie silence enveloped the cabin while they waited for their prey to arrive; their hearts beating rapidly and the adrenaline rushing through their bodies. Troi focussed her senses on their target, suddenly realising that he was no longer approaching them, but there was someone else who was.
"Don't move!" Her command reached the other two officers just before the doors slid apart and a short, broad-chested man entered. He took a few steps into the room and then halted. 'They're onto us!' The warning shot through Troi's mind. The enemy knew of their presence. There was no way she could warn the others.
Had Beverly been with them she could've sent her a telepathic message, but Deanna was thankful she wasn't. She fixed her gaze on Lt. Fko; hoping fiercely that the woman wasn't going to jump on the man who'd just entered for he was *not* the man they were looking for.
After an eternal minute the man turned around and locked his gaze onto someone outside. The Betazoid sensed the message he conveyed with nothing more than a look and barely contained a gasp when she realised whom was standing just outside. 'How could I have missed it?!' She questioned herself; shocked by the undeniable truth.
She sensed the man's emotion shift from anxiety and caution to resolution, understanding and self-satisfaction. In the blink of an eye he called out "Lights!" and a bright light temporarily blinded her.
Quickly he threw something to Data and then to Jaka and a mere second later a yellow light enveloped them and they disappeared. Deanna instinctively activated her commbadge and waited for beam-out.
Only it never came.
"Welcome home Sweetheart." The male voice came from outside the quarters and carried so much disdain, hatred and lust that fear gripped her heart. Almost in panic she tapped her badge again.
"Troi to Enterprise!" And when there was no response she reached for her phaser but before she had a chance to draw it a single green beam came from the corridor and hit her square in the chest. Deanna flew back against the wall from the force of it and sagged to the ground. Before she surrendered to the blackness she heard the voice.
"Sweet dreams Imzadi."
~D~