Natarak hovered above the bed that held Commander Koenig. The human known as Victor Bergman was sitting on a stool next to Koenig, his head resting on the edge of the bed, his arm lying protectively above the Commander's head on the pillow. These humans were an emotional sort, and not unlike the Bintossians from a millennia ago, when they were of carbon-based forms. Natarak could barely remember what it was like to be humanoid. To smell a flower, to feel the sun on her face, to make love to a man. It was too long in the past, and she could hardly remember. She wasn't even sure if she still desired those things. To exist as a mortal carbon-based life form, or to travel as a light across the universe, living forever. But then, she had to remind herself, that she was young when their species had ruined the air on their world, and had been forced to abandon their bodies, and live as beings of air and light. Peratha, Zentor and the rest had been significantly older, and had lived a long time as humanoids. She knew that Peratha and Zentor were still in love, even after thousands of years in their current form, unable to touch each other as living beings.

She looked down at Koenig; his brain was primitive. Natarak wondered if all of their minds would return to this once they were in their new forms. She moved slowly to touch his forehead, and immediately his temperature elevated, causing perspiration to break out across his skin. She could feel his heart racing in response to her touch, and knew the pain she would inflict upon him once she entered his body. Her transference to him, as it had been before, would only be temporary, for this man was meant for Zentor; but she needed to break his spirit, or there would be no hope for the old ones. Natarak would still exist for millennia in her current form, but Zentor, Peratha and the others would be dead soon enough.

Natarak plunged into Koenig's body, and he fought her with all his strength, which she noted, was considerably less than it had been before. She sent spears of pain across his head, pushing her will upon him.

"You will submit and be still, Commander Koenig. Do you think I enjoy sending shock waves of pain through you? But agony is what you will feel if you do not capitulate. Submit, Commander. Submit to my will."

"No......no....."

John's voice was weak, but it awakened Victor. Koenig was tossing in the bed, beads of sweat covering his face and chest. Bergman put a gentle hand on John's forehead, and it burned with fever.

"Shhh, John, take it easy."

Koenig whimpered in pain, and Victor felt sick to his stomach. There was nothing he could do but stand by and watch his friend suffer in agony, moving toward an uncertain end. Koenig reached out his hand, and Victor clasped it tightly in his. He sat carefully on the edge of the bed, wishing he could think of something to do.

"What you feel now, Commander, is only the beginning. This pain will get worse, much worse, until you are reduced to a mindless husk, not even worth the chemical elements that comprise your body. Submit, Commander, and I will make it stop. You must submit to me...."

Natarak pushed further into his mind, sending white blinding flashes of agony through him. And John Koenig wanted to die. He knew he couldn't submit to her, for that would mean the deaths of all Alphans; no, worse than death, indentured servitude to beings that would use their bodies until they expired. He fought against her as she pierced into his psyche with a hot light that burned his mind.

"You are losing ground, Commander, and you're getting tired. Why don't you just give in to me, and I will bathe you in a cool beam that will soothe you into a long sleep? Submit, John Koenig; submit and the pain will be no more."

Koenig's voice was a cry, "No.....no, I won't." His cries of suffering became so deep, they tore at Victor as surely as if he felt them himself, "I will not submit.... I will not!"

Bergman couldn't take it anymore; he looked over at the hypodermic loaded with a stimulant that would bring John out of sedation. He grabbed it, held it to Koenig's neck and pressed the release button. The light at the end of the tube indicated that it had ejected, and Victor set the hypodermic down, and sat again on the edge of the bed. Unaware of the war waging inside John Koenig's mind, Bergman gently shook the commander's shoulders.

"John, can you hear me? John!"

Koenig wailed in pain, grabbed Victor's arms tightly in his hands, and his eyes popped wide open with terror.

"Easy, John, take it easy."

Koenig fought to focus his eyes on the man he knew was sitting next to him. Victor gently pressed John back down onto the bed, reached over to the basin with water and a cloth in it, and placed the wet compress to Koenig's forehead. John's hands squeezed tighter around Bergman's arms, but the man's eyes were still unfocused, and unseeing.

Victor gripped Koenig's arms in return, "Shhh, it's all right."

His voice was soft and weak, "Victor?"

"I'm here."

Koenig closed his eyes momentarily, relieved that Victor was really with him, and not a figment of his wishful thinking, "Thank God it's really you...."

John flinched in pain, fighting once again as Natarak attempted to break his ability to communicate.

Victor took one of John's hands between the two of his and rubbed it, "Stay with me, John. Tell me what's happening to you."

After a minute or so, John's eyes opened again, the agony in them abundantly apparent. Victor could barely look into the tortured orbs of blue, but knew that he owed at least that to his old friend.

Koenig's voice was a whisper, "Victor... running out of time. Bintossians want our bodies. Want to transfer--" John screamed in pain as Natarak tried to quiet him, but he looked again at Victor, "transfer....."

"Into our bodies?"

Koenig nodded, "Must prevent anyone from going...."

Victor's eyes grew wide, "But the landing party has already gone and come back..."

John looked at him in panic, "Must stop them...."

In response to Koenig's cries, Helena stirred, fighting off the sedative that Victor had given her as she slept. Bergman looked at her, then back at Koenig. He stared into the wide blue eyes, not knowing if what he was hearing was truth from his most trusted friend, or the ravings of a man gone mad.

"Victor, please, not much time..... must believe....."

Natarak struck into Koenig's brain stem, sending a tidal wave of torment through him that shot him halfway off the bed. Victor caught John in his arms, and pulled him tightly against himself. He could hear Koenig's breathing becoming ragged, and the distress of his body weakening him. And John knew he couldn't hold out against Natarak. There was only one option left. He forced his eyes open, and air through his lungs and up into his vocal chords.

"Victor...."

Bergman gently eased Koenig back against the bed, "Shhh...."

John fought to get the words out, "End it Victor." Koenig saw the shock and sadness in his friend's eyes, and knew Bergman had understood. "Please, Victor. Do it."

Victor stared at his friend, "John, I can't."

"You have to. It's the only way." His breath was raspy as he pushed to continue, "Plan will be harder without me....and we'll be out of range soon.....then too late."

Victor held John's face between his hands, "And it will be too late for you as well."

"I can't take anymore, Victor. Can't hold out. Please, help me...."

Bergman's eyes filled with tears, "John, don't ask me to do this, I can't."

Tears streamed down Koenig's face, "I need you, Victor...."

"Do you know what you're asking of me, John?"

"If you love me, Victor, you'll do it. If I give in, they'll use me against Alpha." Another wave of pain pounded through Koenig and he screamed, grabbing Victor's hand tightly. "Oh God, no more.... please no more...."

Tears ran down Victor's face as he prepared the hypodermic. He sat on the edge of the bed, and looked into John's eyes.

Koenig nodded at him, and tried to smile, "Don't grieve, old friend...."

Victor placed the hypodermic to John's neck, "It's all I'll have left."

The old professor's hand began to shake, and he closed his eyes trying to summon the strength.

"Victor...please....hurry...."

Helena bolted awake in time to see Victor holding a hypodermic loaded with enough Dexetrol to kill an elephant, to John's neck.

"NO!"

Dr. Russell threw herself at Bergman, knocking the hypodermic out of his hand, sending it to the floor. Koenig's eyes closed in despair.

"You cannot survive this test of wills much longer, Commander. Submit to me. Submit or watch Dr. Russell and Professor Bergman die."

"No, please don't...."

"Then do as I instruct....."

Helena shoved Victor away from the bed, and turned to Koenig, running a soft hand down his face, "John? John, can you hear me?"

She turned on Victor, "What in the hell were you doing? You would have killed him, don't you know that?"

Bergman couldn't answer her. He couldn't speak. The grief welled up inside of him, and he couldn't look at her.

Helena's voice was full of anger, "Answer me, damn you!"

Victor stood silently by as tears rolled down his cheeks. John stirred, and Helena leaned over him.

"John, take it easy, honey, you're all right."

His voice was weak, but not filled with the distress he had displayed earlier, "Helena?"

"Yes, I'm here," she sat down next to him and caressed his face, "I'm with you, John."

"Victor.....he tried....."

"What, John?"

Koenig's voice was filled with fear, "He was going to kill me."

Victor looked up at John, the words of accusation striking him as surely as a blow. Helena looked at Bergman, disbelief in her eyes.

"Helena, it's not what you think..... it's not what he says.... They're controlling him."

"Who's controlling him?"

Victor realized that what he was about to say would not be accepted by Helena, and would further find him judged mentally incompetent. He looked away.

"Victor, I need an explanation from you."

His voice grew soft, "There isn't one, Helena." He looked into Koenig's eyes, and knew it wasn't John. "Not one I can tell you about anyway.....I'm sorry."

Helena pointed a stun gun at him, "I'm sorry too." Victor started to move, but she shot near him, "Don't make this any harder than it already is, Victor." Helena reached for the wall panel, and pressed a button, "Paul, this is Helena. I need security to the Med Lab immediately. Victor Bergman just tried to kill Commander Koenig."