Grasping the dagger tightly Sammy slit a large gash across her left palm before he could stop her. The blade fell noisily to the floor. She had underestimated the pain involved with slicing open one's palm. The heel of her right hand brushed away tears that threatened to well up.
What was wrong with this girl? Shinzon was shocked at her bravado and a little
confused. Where was she going with this self-mutilation? From the look on her
face she obviously hadn't counted on it hurting as much as it had. Instinctively
he made to catch her but she recovered quickly and pointed to the dagger with
a trembling finger.
When he had the blood-covered blade in his hand he looked up questioningly at
her. Her pale face reflected her pain. She shooed him to a dark corner beside
the door and without warning began screaming. It was an ear piercing death cry
that made him involuntarily flinch. Sammy knew that if this didn't work
they wouldn't have another chance at escape. She coaxed blood from the
wound and soon it was flowing freely. She bit her bottom lip and raised the
bloody hand to her chest. The liquid felt warm and sticky as she bathed herself
in blood. Tentatively she released her lip and went back to screaming.
Next she fell to the ground and she did it so convincingly that Shinzon nearly bolted to her side.
When she heard him move she turned her head and winked up at him. He stopped
and retreated silently into the shadows.
Roman walked into the outer chamber with a look of mild annoyance on his face.
This woman was becoming a nuisance and any idea he might have entertained of
keeping her for himself had now completely fled his thoughts.
When he saw her lifeless bloody corpse lying on the cell floor he lowered the force field without thinking and went to her side. He knelt beside the still woman and reached his long fingers out to her jugular to feel for a pulse.
The attack was quick and instantly lethal. Roman's full weight dropped
on top of Sammy knocking the air from her lungs. She felt his blood mingling
with hers and panicked. She desperately tried to move but couldn't. The
man's enormous girth had her pinned. She struggled to free an arm. When
the massive man was finally kicked off of her she rolled to her side and gasped
for air like a fish out of water. Her head ached and she was seeing stars but
she could breathe again. That was a good thing. Her burning lungs sucked in
the acrid air and she began to cough uncontrollably.
Shinzon raised a questioning eyebrow and held out his hand. She took it and
was swiftly brought to her feet. Just outside the cell was a computer station.
He handed her Roman's gun and went to the console.
"Watch the door." He commanded.
She walked to the doorway and poked her head out. The coast was currently clear.
He brought up the schematics of the ship and effortlessly found the shuttle
bay. Within seconds the sensors were fooled into believing the corridors were
empty. He smiled as he went over his shrewd plan in his head. They would walk
out of there unseen and be gone before the fools even knew what was happening.
A recent Captain's Log entry caught his eye. Maybe this would hold a clue
as to what these pirates were up to or be helpful in their escape. He played
it.
Red-hot anger coursed through his veins. He closed his eyes and took a moment to re-mask his emotions. His eyes, cold and unfeeling, returned to the screen. This woman's husband would not be rescuing her. No one from that ship would be coming. The log indicated that the moment she returned with him, her ship was "released". It was blown to kingdom come. He stopped the video playback and attempted to clear his thoughts once again.
There was no time to dwell on it. He pushed the scene from his mind and his focus returned to their escape.
Without thinking he picked up his dagger and placed it back in its sheath.
Sammy handed over the gun as he approached her at the doorway. His face was void of emotion and she wasn't sure why but it scared her. After looking both ways down the corridor he grabbed her right wrist in an iron grip and sprinted down the hall to the launch bay.
Damn these Romulan bastards! He was not going to leave without exacting some sort revenge. Revenge would make the feeling in the pit of his stomach go away. He was sure of it.
They arrived at the shuttle bay without any problems or resistance. Once inside the shuttle it was a different story. It seemed his day was not going to get any better. In order to open the bay doors someone was going to have to stay behind.
Sammy stared unblinkingly at the shuttle's display. How could this be happening? They were so close. They didn't deserve this. They were almost free. "I'll do it" she sighed. She turned and headed for the computer screens beyond the bay's inner force field.
His escape would be a hollow victory if he left her behind. He knew he wasn't going to leave without her but he didn't want to stay behind and watch her fly off without him either. His frustration with the situation was coming to a head. There was an inner turmoil, a virtual fight of good VS evil and he just didn't want to deal with it right now. He should think first and foremost about himself but no one was coming to rescue her. Once the crew found out that their captain had been killed she would be the next to die or she would indeed be sold to the highest bidder. There would be no second escape attempt for her. On the other hand his time was short. If he didn't get a complete Picard transfusion he was going to die anyway. He heaved a heavy sigh of resignation and headed after her.
"I'll do it." Did he say that? He couldn't believe his own ears and neither could Sammy.
When she stopped to look back at him in amazement he stomped past her and went
strait for the first computer screen. He entered the key codes necessary to
bring it on line and began searching for the routine to open the outer doors.
All was not lost yet. There was still hope. He struggled to believe that.
Sammy saw the determined look on his face and knew she wouldn't be able to sway
his decision. He masked what he was feeling rather well but she felt something
besides their escape was going through his mind. Approaching him now she imagined
that it was probably the fact that he didn't want to be the one to remain
behind. He just didn't seem the selfless sort. She wandered cautiously
closer.
He grunted something at the screen. She cocked her head in curiosity.
Was he adequately hiding his mixture of emotions? He hoped so.
"Go back to the shuttle and start the count down, now!" He was down right snapping at her now. Bastard!
She looked a bit affronted when he had just briefly caught a glimpse of her advancing up behind him.
"Damn it!" A sudden awful realization hit him hard.
"What" was her automatic reply.
"Nothing! Are you IN the shuttle yet?" His unbridled sarcasm was
being unleashed.
The bay doors were not going to open without the captain's code; a code
that was a complex logarithm if he knew his Romulan captors; a code that wouldn't
be broken in the next few months let alone moments. There had to be a way. Escape
was as close as the other side of those blasted bay doors. He was not going
to die today. His mind raced. There had to be a way to escape and if at all
possible, together. He slammed his fist down on the display in uncontrolled
rage. To his horror the Captain's last log entry and it's accompanying
video began to playback.
"What's wrong?" Sammy had not returned to the shuttle. She wasn't going to let this man tell her what to do. She wasn't his minion. He wasn't looking at her. He was frantically pressing keys and ignoring her query. She could see that his mind was working. His fingers were now flying across the display. Silently she stepped behind him to get a look at the monitor. He was trying to hide something from her.
The inner launch bay doors opened and it began to rain gunfire around them. She couldn't move. Her feet felt planted as if she were wearing cement shoes. The pit of her stomach had plummeted to her knees. Her heart was torn in two. She was utterly speechless and beginning to feel light headed.
Shinzon entered the last keystroke and smashed the display with the disrupter. Anal Romulan bastards! When he turned to head back to the shuttle he nearly collided with a stunned Sammy. She stood there frozen in shock. There was no time to think, he threw her over his shoulder and ran for his life.