Estranged Relations

Chapter 6: Plans within Plans

Shinzon sat in his office caressing the lock of Kat's hair he had received several hours before. The Doctor had confirmed it to be Kat's and now Shinzon was awaiting any type of communication from either planet on what the terms would be for Kat's safe return. As he was waiting fear seized him. Both the Romulans and Remans were known as fierce warriors, both could cause Kat severe harm. When he thought back to the memories of childhood, which had been an inheritance from Picard's clone, his anger deepened.

Shinzon paced his quarters impatiently. He hadn't felt such strong emotions since the day Isabelle died, and he was finding it hard to control them. He was making himself suffer by entertaining feelings of fear, anger, frustration, and sadness, which threatened to consume him. Shinzon reasoned with himself that they wouldn't hurt Kat anymore than what they had, if it was him they were after. After all, she was only a pawn in this game . . .a way to get to him. He also wondered why Alura had been taken. "What good was a teacher of his child's to them?" They wouldn't know her as anything else. The sexual encounters they had shared weren't even known to the crew of Voyager. As he was in deep contemplation, his communicator chirped.

"Ensign Clare to Captain Clearwater."

"Go ahead Ensign."

"Sir, I have a communication for you from Senator Chen."

Shinzon had Ensign Clare send the image of the Senator to his view screen on his desk. "What may I do for you Senator?" He calmly stated.

"Shinzon, we have news of your daughter."

Shinzon wasn't surprised by the news. Now he knew who was responsible, Romulans were always so obvious. "Please Senator any information you have would be of great value to me."

He was told that Kat was on Remus and that a Romulan had covertly inserted a tracking device and a communications device in her bed linens. Chen told Shinzon they were trying to infiltrate the camp further, but had lost contact with the operative a couple of hours earlier. He told Shinzon he would keep him informed of any progress and signed off.

Shinzon looked at all the data he had been given by Chen and started plotting his daughter's rescue. He knew this to be a trap, so he would have to make sure Chen didn't suspect anything. He called a meeting of the senior staff to give them the same information he had received from Chen and told them he had a plan to save Kat.

"Sir, has there been any word on Alura?" B'Elanna asked.

"No, I've not heard anything, but I'm glad you mentioned her. I want everyone to assume she has been captured as well. If there is any sign that she betrayed us, and is involved in Kat's kidnapping, I want her brought back to face me. Starfleet Regulations be damned!"

B'Elanna understood how he felt, if anything ever happened to either of her children she imagined she would react the same way. She knew Tom Jr. was very concerned for Kat's safe return and wondered if their relationship was more than friendship. She pushed these thoughts aside, and told herself that Kat's safe return was her priority. She stood up to go back to Engineering as everyone else headed back to their posts as well.

"B'Elanna, may I have a moment?" Shinzon asked.

"Yes Sir?" B'Elanna asked curiously.

"Your son was with my daughter when she disappeared, does he remember anything peculiar about the program?"

"No Sir. Tom and I have asked him repeatedly and he still can't fathom how it happened. He has re-run the simulation for us, but it ran normally."

Shinzon thanked her and B'Elanna left. As he pondered over the day's events he decided he would have to control his emotions and plot his actions carefully. "Kat hang in there baby, I'm coming to save you!" He thought angrily.

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Kat now feared she would never be rescued, or be able to get the communications device working. She didn't want to disable the tracking beacon, but she was feeling really desperate. It had the parts she needed to boost the comm.'s signal. It had been two days since she last saw Chen and a whole day since she had received any food or water. She found herself very lethargic; she was unable to stand without feeling waves of dizziness and nausea.

Chen walked into the room and instinctively Kat hid the devices and huddled into a corner. She balled herself up tightly hoping he would not be able to harm her the way she was sure the Romulans had hurt her father when he was young. Chen realized her fear and was empowered by it. "Little mouse, would you come talk to me if I gave you some cheese?" Chen looked at Kat with an evil grin as he said this too her then sat out some cheese, bread and water onto the table beside him.

Kat looked at Chen warily thinking how wonderful any morsel of food would be. She saw Chen hold out his hand for her to grasp and she warily stretched forth her own hand. "There, now see, I'm not going to hurt you, only pets which don't behave are punished." He guided her to the table and the food he had brought in with him. He also opened a bundle containing hygienic supplies, a couple of changes of clothing and a few field rations. Kat waited for Chen to say more or even hurt her, but Chen continued to gaze curiously at her. After an hour of neither of them moving, Chen stood up to leave. He pulled Kat to her feet and she struggled not to fall or pass out. Chen stroked her cheek with a loving touch and said, "Good night little one, may the gods smile on your sleep." Then he left. Kat scrambled to the table and ate every morsel Chen had laid out for her.

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Chen walked confidently down the hallway. When he reached the fifth door; he paused, keyed in an access code and walked it. Sitting at a table in the center of the room was Alura. Upon seeing him enter the room she lowered her eyes to the table.

Chen found Alura to be a very interesting amusement. In fact, that is why he made sure Shinzon chose her as Kat's teacher. Alura was a very talented actress, and she was bound to him forever as a sex slave. As he walked over to the small table and poured himself some Romulan ale, he continued to gaze at Alura. He sipped at the drink while thoughts of her in his bed intruded upon him. When he had finished his first glass, he poured another and drank it.

Alura had been brought to this cell upon arriving on the Reman's home world. She knew it well and had lived here for several years before Chen had decided to send her to Earth to become Kat's teacher and Shinzon's confidant. She played Chen's game and succeeding in capturing Kat, but she also knew that she had to return Kat to Shinzon and make peace with him in order to maintain any humanity she had learned while on Earth. Chen had a very powerful hold over her, and she knew her place, but as these last few days had left her to ponder her actions, she knew it was time to leave him forever.

Alura knew she could never take Isabelle's place with Shinzon or Kat. She also realized while sitting here waiting for her next order to be issued from Chen's evil lips, that she did care for them both deeply and had resolved herself to bringing them back together even if it cost her everything, including her own life.

Chen turned to Alura; her eyes were still focused on the table. He walked up behind her and grabbed a fistful of her hair. He noticed the differences in her hair and Kat's and was amazed at how different human hair could be from individual to individual. Alura had remembered her training, and this pleased him very much. Kat was less subordinate right now, but she would learn in time. He pulled Alura's hair until she rose from her seat. She didn't move to face him, and she kept her eyes constantly on the table even though she was now feeling severe pain.

Chen loosened his grip on her hair and turned her towards him. He fingered the bruised on her face from that morning's beating and whispered to her, "Why do you pretend to behave when I know you so well? Now, I have need of your talents." He pushed her into his sleeping chamber and down onto all fours. She whimpered as he removed her clothing. She was glad he couldn't see the disgust she had for him as he pleasured himself. When he was finished he left her humiliated and alone.

Her guard waited outside the chamber door for her to make herself acceptable again. Hours later when the guard fell asleep, she took some flour from the makeshift kitchen and decided that she would no longer take Chen's abuse. She lightly blew the flour onto the access panel and found the prints she needed. She lightly touched the keys hoping it was in sequence. She was rewarded when the door opened.

Alura listened to the sounds in the corridor hoping to find the way to Kat's. She heard two guards walking her way and quickly hid in an alcove. When the guards had passed, she walked back in the direction, which they had emerged. When she was almost upon the fifth door, she saw a guard asleep in a chair. Chen's staff was exhausted from this endeavor, and it was starting to make them careless. She walked over to the access panel, blew a little more flour over it and keyed the buttons the way she thought they should be keyed. The door opened and she saw Kat whimpering in a corner. She wedged the door shut with the table from the room and went over to Kat. "Kat, its me Alura, are you ok?"

Kat looked at Alura in disbelief. She told her she was ok, but wanted to get out as soon as possible. She showed Alura the hidden items and they worked on the communicator. Alura couldn't believe how gifted this little girl was; she realized there was hope of escaping her life with Chen after all.

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Kat's communications signal did reach Voyager. Ensign Clare patched it through to Shinzon as they tried to lock onto the signal's location. Shinzon talked to Kat and found out how she was doing. Kat told her father that Alura had also been captured and was with her now. Ensign Clare signaled Shinzon that they had a lock on their bio signs and Shinzon told her to transport them immediately to sickbay and then leave the Star Empire's space as quickly as possible.