Chapter Twenty

Numerous voices whispered in her mind, like she was at a party … like the Christmas party or Em's birthday party. But the thoughts weren't warm and filled with good wishes.

No. Something was different. She could remember ... Malcolm. Her body flushed with the heat she remembered emanating from him and the desire she felt for him. The visions of what they were going to do washed over her as all of her senses heightened, picking up all of his thoughts -- the last of those thoughts, fear, then the blissful state of sleep.

She felt them, the overseers, in that split second and in that split second, terror and panic gripped her. Resignation that she was going to die overcame her, and as she fell into her slumber, she was able to say goodbye. Malcolm's thoughts were open to her and she took advantage of it.

Her hands and feet were bound now and no matter how hard she tried, she could not twist free. As she struggled with the bindings, the whispers became voices and the voices became louder. She could see nothing, as her eyes were covered with a heavy blindfold.

She focused on the rabble of voices, all of them thirsty for violence, blood, killing and torture. It's what they were driven to. It's what they lived for. Some were sad, coerced into this life by those more powerful. Then one thought caught her attention -- a voice that taunted, "I hope we get to fuck her before we harvest her. I can hardly wait to feel her screaming in my head."

A single tear fell from beneath the blindfold and onto her cheek, and she started praying for a quick death.

"It won't be a quick death, I'm afraid, my dear," shushed the old man who appeared before her, clearly in her mind. She was standing in the courtyard she had grown up in and was sitting on the grass, confused and staring around her as the man stood over her.

He knelt down in front of her, blocking out the sun, and grasped her chin. "You're the one with the gift of gab, Matthew and Mina's child," he said, surprised. "We always suspected that Mina was a telepath, but unable to confirm it no matter how many tests we ran on her. And you, my dear child, we had very high hopes for you, the first female child born into the program. Then your parents did a foolish thing and absconded with you. I always thought that a natural telepath was a myth, but your mother proved us wrong that night. She practically destroyed all manipulated telepaths within a five-mile radius. And now you've inherited her 'gift'. I really do regret having to harm such a perfect specimen, but it must be done.:"

Hoshi's sadness was evident as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "W-Why?" was the only word she was able to voice.

The man sat next to her and reached out his hand to stroke the black silk of her hair, leaning over to smell the clean scent, even though there was no scent in his mind. "For the sake of our kind, of course. Tell me Hoshi, did you ever have any girlfriends while growing up in the compound?" he continued, not really waiting for a reply. "Of course not. Why? Because, we were never able to harness the X chromosome for cloning purposes. The female fetuses would always terminate in the third month, whereas the success rate with the males was always much higher."

Hoshi sat on the grass, listening, wondering why she couldn't feel the sand underneath her hands or his hand stroking her hair.

"You're in my mind, dear. I wanted to talk to you... study you actually. From what I've gathered you've recently discovered your ability and harvesting you will benefit our program immensely," he stated in answer to her silent question.

More tears slid down her cheeks and the old man wiped them away.

"I would apologize for the pain we will cause you, but I have no remorse. In fact, I take great pleasure in your pain." He lifted his fingers, moist with her tears to his mouth and licked at them.

"I wish I were there to taste them for real," he stated wistfully. "But your sorrow and grief are enough to feed me for today."

Hoshi whimpered in the damp darkness surrounding her physical being, struggling against the bindings. Fear and hatred toward him seethed under the surface.

The old man rose and took a step back, smashing sand under his feet. Taking a handkerchief out of his pocket, he dabbed at the trickle of blood under his nose. "I can feel your anger. You might want to keep it in check; otherwise your friends on Enterprise will meet an untimely end, just like your parents. Forget collateral damage and Starfleet. My men would enjoy toying with them, before their deaths."

Hoshi shrank back into herself, trying to get away from the threat as dread filled her.

"That's better, pet. You behave, and we won't have to hurt them," he looked down at her with disdain, turned and walked away from her in a haze of smoke.

In the dark cell, Hoshi slumped over, despair and agony, her only companions.

He could feel her hands hesitate on his chest as he kissed his way down the slope of her neck. She shuddered in his arms as he nipped at the sensitive flesh of her collarbone.

Emboldened, she scraped her nails along the contours of his chest, earning a surprised gasp from him.

Her urgency poured over him and he pulled back uncertainly.

Soothing his brow, she reached for him again. "Please," she begged him. "Hurry."
Sensing the necessity of her plea, he lay back onto the bed, pulling her on top of him, resisting the urge to throw his head back in ecstasy as she sank onto him.

The dark curtain of her hair surrounded his face as she bent over and kissed him, stealing his breath. The consciousness of her around him permeated his soul.

"I love you too," he replied to her message so long ago, earning a sad smile from her.

She threw her head back and met her release, causing him to meet his.

She lie on top of him, sated in his arms. "I'm dead, Malcolm. Let me go."

He felt her disengage from him and melt into a cloud.

Malcolm woke with a start, grasping his chest as though his heart had been ripped out.

Hoshi could only lay there, a puddle of human flesh. Projecting to Malcolm and trying to convince him not to come for her had taken everything she had.