Thank you for the review so far people. Here's the next chapter.
Chapter 24
Q2 sat on the cement floor of the sewer system shaking like a leaf. He had run the two blocks trying to get away from the Nietzscheans. The teenager was now panting heavily. Q2 felt like a coward for not staying to help Harper, not that Q2 believed there was anything he could have done to help.
Q2 decided he had to do something to help Harper and began to formulate a plan. Being a member of the Q Continuum had its advantages in that he was no ordinary Kludge teenager. Q2 knew he would need some help and decided to try to find a resistance group, hoping he could get the Kludges to trust him.
Q2 rounded up the few cans of food still left at the lair, planning to trade them to the resistance members in exchange for their help.
Harper was tossed into a police transport vehicle and taken to a detention center similar to the one Harper went to with Paris. But this one was smaller in fitting with smaller population. However, treatment by the Nietzschean police was the same for Harper. The leader of the Nietzscheans who arrested Harper decided to get a little exercise by smacking Harper in the face with a nightstick.
"Well I can see this is going to be a fun little trip to the station eh Uber?" Harper retorted.
The Earther was greeted with a nightstick to the stomach. Harper was now wheezing as he tried catching his breath. He his left side felt like it was on fire and every breath he took made the pain worse.
Minutes later the police vehicle slowed to a stop and Harper was dragged out of the vehicle and hauled into the police station. Harper was grateful Q2 had been able to escape. Being caught with stolen food had only one penalty, summary execution.
During the next half hour Harper was booked and a sample of his DNA was taken. Seamus Harper was officially a Nietzschean prisoner. He knew there would be no trial; Nietzscheans didn't bother with trials for Kludges who were caught red handed.
Harper was then taken to a room with two chairs and a table. Two Nietzscheans were seated in the chairs. A guard shoved Harper towards the opposite side of the table. The engineer put on a blank face as he stood in front of his interrogators.
One of the seated Nietzscheans looked up from a flexi and eyed Harper. "My name is Pavlov and I see that you are Seamus Harper. We are certainly pleased to have you back in the fold. We do not take kindly to Kludges leaving the refugee camps and causing trouble for their benefactors."
Harper kept his blank expression as he studied Pavlov. "You have a very strange definition of benefactor Boss Pavlov."
The guard whacked Harper on the back of the knees with a nightstick, sending the engineer kneeling on the floor.
"You have been away from your Nietzschean protectors too long Kludge; you have forgotten to remain silent until spoken to when in the presence of a Nietzschean," Pavlov remarked as he lit a cigar.
Harper rose to his feet before the guard could hit him again. He stood there and waited for Pavlov to begin the interrogation.
"Now it appears you are ready for me to ask you some questions," Pavlov remarked. "What is the name of the boy who was with you?
"You mean the kid that got away from your patrol?" Harper retorted, knowing it would annoy the Nietzschean. The guard brought his nightstick down on Harper's back, but the engineer stifled a yelp of pain.
Pavlov looked on the engineer with a nonchalant expression. "Now Kludge, tell me the name of your young accomplice and the rest of your gang of Kludge ruffians."
Harper looked down at the floor and remained silent as he prepared for the next blow he knew was sure to come. Pavlov nodded his head at the guard who then struck Harper in the back with the nightstick several times. Harper dropped to his knees then fell to his side on the floor.
"Now speak up and give me the information I have requested from you before my patience runs out," Pavlov warned.
"You're wasting your time Uber. I'm not giving you any information," Harper informed.
Pavlov puffed on his cigar and smirked at Harper. It was the kind of smirk that made the engineer's stomach turn. Pavlov stood up and approached Harper. The smirk never left the Nietzschean's face as he brought the cigar up to Harper's left cheek. Pavlov shoved the hot end into Harper's cheek. The engineer grunted as the burning cigar seared his tender flesh.
All three Nietzscheans chuckled in amusement. Pavlov pulled up Harper's shirt and pressed the cigar butt onto Harper's stomach. The engineer flinched and stumbled back but was caught by the guard.
Pavlov grabbed Harper's hair and pulled the engineer's head back. "Now Kludge, you will change you attitude and give me the information I have requested. I don't have much patience for you pathetic attempt at being noble and protecting your accomplices."
"Save your breath Uber, I'm not telling you anything," Harper replied.
Pavlov circled the engineer and sighed. This Kludge was more persistent than most of his kind. Nevertheless Pavlov would make the young man talk. Pavlov stopped on Harper's right side and put the cigar centimeters away from the Earther's dataport.
"You must be a smart little Kludge to have a dataport; smart enough to know you might as well save yourself the trouble and tell me what I want to know right now. It will save you a good deal of pain," Pavlov reasoned as the smirk reappeared on his face.
Harper spat on Pavlov's leather tunic in defiance. The Nietzschean calmly took the nightstick from the guard and began beating Harper with it until the Earther passed out on the floor. The Guard dragged Harper in to one of the small cells and dumped the engineer onto the ground.
At dinner Lieutenant Torres briefed everybody on her team's progress in finding the reason behind Voyager's loss of helm functions. "I'm afraid we've come to conclusion that somebody had deliberately tampered with Voyager's controlsWe found that the circuits had been rerouted from the helm."
"I'm disappointed that one of my crew would deliberately sabotage this ship," Janeway remarked in disbelief.
Valentine had been rather bored with most of the dinner but she perked up after hearing Torres' information. "Were you able to find out to where the controls were rerouted?"
Torres' expression showed some of her frustration as she set down her cup of brandy. "Not yet Captain Valentine and that's what bothers me; we should been able to do that by now. It really shouldn't be that complicated. And I would like to get my hands the person responsible for the sabotage before he or she has a chance to even worse."
Trance Gemini studied the Voyager crew members intently as if trying to read their thoughts. Paris wasn't sure whether the golden woman could read minds which made him a little uncomfortable.
"It is odd that the sabotage sent you through the wormhole. I wonder why somebody wanted Voyager in this universe so badly," Trance mused out loud.
Janeway nodded her head in agreement. "That is exactly my question Miss Gemini. I've already ordered security to go through all duty logs. They haven't found anything yet."
"Obviously somebody knew enough to cover his or her tracks," Valentine remarked between bites of dessert.
"Indeed, it would appear our saboteur has had some experience with this sort of operation," Tuvok stated.
Hunt finished the last bite of his dessert and sighed. "Captain Janeway my offer from earlier still stands. If I or any of my crew can be of any assistance please let me know."
Janeway smiled as she poured another cup of coffee. "I appreciate your concern Captain Hunt but we should be able to handle things on our own. I'm grateful that no other ships were pulled through the wormhole since it formed near a populated solar system."
"That's one good thing at least. I'll have our security tightened as well just in case whoever it is decides to go after Andromeda as well," Hunt announced.
A computer voice announced that an urgent subspace message arrived for Janeway. Captain Janeway excused herself and left for her quarters to receive her message.
"Was that the ship's voice we just heard?" Valentine asked of Chakotay.
"Yes, the ship's computer is programmed with a female human voice," the commander answered.
Valentine had a puzzled look on her face which she quickly realized the commander had noticed. "I don't mean to offend you or your ship Commander by saying that the voice threw me a little. I've gotten used to Andromeda's holographic form making such announcements," she explained.
Chakotay smiled good naturedly at the explanation. "Oh yes Captain Janeway briefed us on Andromeda. She sounds like a magnificent ship and no offense taken Captain Valentine."
"Commander, I hate to eat and run but we should be checking out Captain Janeway's holoprogram now if we want to get back to Andromeda at a decent hour. We still have work to get done," Hunt announced as he placed his napkin down on the table.
Janeway sat down at her desk and opened her message. Q's face appeared on the screen.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner Kathy," Q began apologizing
"Just state your business Q," Janeway interrupted.
Q looked hurt by the captain's curtness. "I hope you don't think I had anything to do with Voyager being sent through a wormhole a second time?"
Janeway waved her hand dismissively saying, "Of course I don't think you're responsible for our predicament Q. But I do believe you know more than a little about how and why we find ourselves back here in this universe."
A mischievous grin played across the Continuum member's face. "Indeed I do Kathy, but I'm not at liberty to reveal all I know. I merely stopped by to warn you that a saboteur is in your midst."
Janeway knew it would do no good to rush Q and remained patient. "Yes we've already managed to guess that. Can you provide any new information?"
"Indeed I can, but I'm risking a lot by telling you this," Q acknowledged.
"I'm afraid I don't understand Q," Janeway said in confusion.
"Well I don't have time to go into details but if a certain evil entity knew I was contacting you it wouldn't bode well for my son," Q explained.
Janeway's face showed her concern for the teenager. "I see. What is this evil entity and why does it want Voyager here?"
A flicker of a smile flashed across the Continuum member's face. "I knew you'd sympathize with my situation Kathy. I'm not exactly sure why The Spirit of the Abyss wants you here but it can only be to further his agenda."
"Thank you for the information Q but what is this Spirit of the Abyss?" Janeway asked before Q's image disappeared from the monitor.
Janeway took a long sip of coffee and leaned back in her chair. She was beginning to feel like Alice in Wonderland. Things were getting curioser and curioser.