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Sorry about how long this took, but with back to school, and my other stories...well, you get the idea.

Chapter Three: What's with all the red?

Wow. There was red everywhere. He tried to move his head. No result. He tried to move his eyes. Same things. He tried to move at all, but he couldn't. It was like he was paralyzed. And the red was everywhere, the same shade as his uniform shirt. Then something touched him. A minute later, he realized someone was shaking him.

"Jordon, wake up!" a voice that sounded like Kalinda's said.

Jordon managed to open his eyes to see two faces and a red glow looking down at him.

"Wha...what happened? How did we get here?" he asked groggily, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position. He remembered voices, but everything else was a blur.

"I'm not sure." Jack said. "We were all standing in the clearing, then the plant attacked us. The captain and Mr. Spock were talking, then there was an order to beam up. But I guess we didn't."

Jordon was starting to remember everything now. The plant had killed them...or so he thought. "I thought Mr. Spock said we were dead."

"He did. But we have been assured by these red beings we are not." It was then that Jordon noticed they were in a cave surrounded by red beings. They were floating around the ceiling and standing in a circle around. Now that Jordon looked around, everything here was red too.

"What's with all the red?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. We weren't getting any answers until you woke up. They wanted to save by by only telling us once."

"Ah." Jordon would have said more, like let's get out of here because I hate ghosts, but just then a red (big surprise) light appeared in the center of the room.

"Hi!" Jack said. "How are you?"

"Fine. Now, I am here to answer you're questions for...ten minutes."

"What is this place."

"This is where I take all the innocent red-shirts who have died over the years. They go to one of my other planers to live another life, then come here as red lights to congregate and complain about their ships. There are many here from the Enterprise."

"Wow. So, why are we here, and not on another of your planets?"

"Because you aren't dead."

"Mr. Spock said we were."

"One of my guardian servants, the thistle plant, has a poison that simulates death. You were caught when he decided to rebel. He has been punished by death."

"But...we can't stay here! Because you live here, no more ships will come!" Kalinda said.

"I realize that. But the spirits and I have decided that your captain is too stupid to heed my warning, and will come back looking for the power source. He won't find the source, but he will find you."

"Thank you."

"Now, I must be going to collect another red-shirt. Goodbye!" And with that the guardian's light wavered and vanished, as did the other glowing lights, except one.

"I am here to guide you." the red-shirt informed him. "I was once a security guard named Kaplan on your ship, but lightning hit me on the planet Gamma Trianguli VI. I was struck by lightning and burnt to a crisp, but I was really upset when he left my friend Hendorf's body there."

"I know! He did that with out bodies! If he had just brought us up we could be alive and safe on the ship! The Enterprise might not even come back if something more pressing comes up!" Kalinda complained.

"Yeah. I bet his parents would have wanted his body! But he didn't even get my ashes or anything! And the situation wasn't very dangerous! He could have come to get us later, instead of leaving us for the wolves, or whatever was on the planet that passes for a wolf!" Kaplan complained. "And because I was ashes, I couldn't even get another life!" Jordon could see the entrance ahead.

"I know." Jack looked around. "Did you hear anything?"

"No." Kalinda said. "Why?"

"I thought I heard a rumbling sound."

Suddenly, as though Jack's words had called it forth, there was a loud rumbling. The rock groaned, and fell over the entrance, and behind them. It would have fallen on them, but Kaplan created a force field that surrounded them and made the rocks roll to the side. After five minutes, they sound stopped, and rocks stayed where they were.

"Just great! Kaplan, would you mind giving us some light please?"

"Sure, Jordon." A red light (another big surprise) appeared in the a foot above their heads.

"Well, let's try to move the rocks." Kalinda suggested. They tried, but they wouldn't budge. Jordon thought even Mr. Spock would have a hard time moving them.

"Unfortunately, I cannot move objects." Kaplan said. "I shall go find the Guardian and ask him to assist us. It may be a while, because I don't know where he is."

"Thanks!" Kalinda called after Kaplan as he floated through the ceiling.

"So what do we do now?"

"I have no idea." Jack said. "I guess all we can do is wait."

An hour later, they were beginning to get bored.

"I'm bored."

"I am too, Jordon." Jack said. "By the way, why do they call you Ensign Jordon instead of whatever your last name is?"

"Because my last name is Wynterrisquentiortin."

"Oh." That sat in silence for another minute.

"This boring." Jack complained.

"I know. We need something to do." Kalinda said.

"We could try the pile again."

"Why?" Jordon asked. "We tried it once, and nothing happened."

"We could try a new place."

"Hey, I'll help. Let's try the loose stuff on the top." Kalinda said, and she walked over with Jack to start straining against the rocks and loose rubble. They got a tiny hole, but that was it. Kalinda tried to move a rock under the hole. She strained, but it didn't budge. Then, suddenly, she ripped it free with such strength that she fell to the ground.

"Ow! I think I landed on a rock!" She looked behind her. "No, I didn't. It was just my pinball game." Jack tried the other rocks.

"It's no use." he complained. "We need the Guardian's help." There was no reply. "Guys?" But they were absorbed in the pinball game.

"Wow! My turn!" Jordon said. They played in silence for half an hour. Finally, Jack relented.

"Let me have a turn."

"But I thought this was the stupid, boring game." Kalinda said.

"Well, it was."

"I thought it was the game you wouldn't even play in a cave-in."

"Well, yeah. But that was before I was in an actual cave-in."

"What about the one when you were sixteen?"

"That's different!"

"How?"

Jack thought about that. "Well, it's not."

"And...?"

"And..." he sighed. "...I was wrong."

"Okay, you can play."

"Hey, let's have a pinball tournament!" Jordon said.

"Well, okay. There's nothing better to do." Picking up a sharp rock that had fallen loose when she had pulled the rock down, Kalinda wrote their names on the wall.

They played for half an hour, and at the end of that time Jack was ahead with 1400 points, then came Jordon with 1000, then Kalinda with 990. Just as they were about to stop again after a break, a cloud of rubble descended on them. They looked up, expecting to see the Guardian, but instead they saw......the prickly plant.

It zoomed down toward them...

A/N: Cliff hanger! I like to think the innocent red-shirts that have died get to go to this great place where all is red. It kind of makes up for them died in terrible ways while non-red shirts live. And I know, the pinball game was weird, but I was bored, and needed to get this posted.