Here's chapter eight! Enjoy! Oh, and it's longer, yay! Keep reviewing, please.

Chapter 8

"Captain, I have located the Romulan ship!" Worf said.

"Where?" Picard asked immediately.

"It is on course for the Neutral Zone, undoubtedly headed to Romulus."

"Are we close enough to catch them in time?"

"Yes sir, I believe so, if we go to maximum warp."

"Data?" Picard said. "How long at maximum warp?"

"Approximately one hour, forty seven minutes, and 57 seconds sir."

"Helm, set an intercept course."

"Aye sir."

Picard took a deep breath of relief. "Engage."

Beverly stared at the front viewscreen. I hope Wesley's all right, she thought fervently.

A sudden yelp of pain awoke Kathren from a light and uncomfortable sleep; the benches were certainly not comfortable. As soon as she heard it she was up and standing at the window. There she saw Wesley sitting up on the seat in his cell, and a Romulan standing in front of him. Wes had a pained look on his face, and a hand lifted toward the back of his head. Considering the fact that his head was badly bruised, and that the Romulan didn't look very happy, she could easily determine what had happened. Well, the reason why Wesley had cried out, anyway.

"Come with me," the man said sharply. But remembering what had happened the day before, Wesley refused. Then, to Kathren's horror, the Romulan seized her friend's arm and twisted it harshly. Wesley shouted, and Kathren flinched.

"Hey!" she yelled. "Hey, stop it! Don't do that!--Whoa!" Another Romulan took hold of her from behind and pulled her out of her cell.

When the first Romulan exited the other compartment with Wesley, Kahren could barely keep from using all the words she'd told him not to. The Romulan had the boy's arm twisted behind his back, and was pushing him forward. Wes's eyes were closed in pain, and when the Romulan tightened his grip, he gasped.

"Kathren help," he pleaded softly. Because he said it, the Romulan tightened his grip on the teenager's arm again, this time differently, and more brutally. Wesley screamed.

Kathren stared straight at the Romulan. "Stop it," she demanded firmly. "You're hurting him, stop it."

The Romulan smirked at her. "Why should I?" he said in a mocking tone. That, along with the fact that he was causing Wesley pain on purpose, angered her.

"Because if you don't he'll pass out before we get where we're going, you dummy!" Kathren shouted at the Romulan angrily. It was true, too. Wesley was in so much pain that he looked like he was about to fall over. Realizing she was right, the Romulan grudgingly let go of him, shoving him towards Kathren. Wesley yelled and nearly collapsed, but Kathren caught and steadied him.

After pushing Wesley, the first Romulan had gone around behind them to stand near the other one, and both of them were now on the opposite side of Kathren from Wesley. At first the Romulan Kat had yelled at only seemed mildly annoyed at her, but before either of the teens had time to react, he suddenly spun and punched her. Kathren yelped in surprise and pain and wheeled backward, Wesley catching her before she topped over.

"Hey!" Wesley said to the Romulan. "What do you think you're doing?" But both Romulans ignored him, pushing their charges ahead of them out of the room.

"Forget it, Wes," Kathren sighed. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Wesley asked with concern as they entered the dark-tinted corridors of the Warbird.

"I think I should be asking you that question," Kathren said. "Is your arm all right."

"Umm, it'll be sore for a while but it's okay."

One of the two Romulans, who had both been waking behind them, brushed between them and began to walk in front instead. "Quiet," he said as he passed, bumping Wesley's offended right arm in process and causing him to wince. He did that on purpose, Kathren thought angrily. She almost did something about it, too, but they had learned their lesson the last time they had tried to run.

Both Kathren and Wesley remained silent for the rest of the short journey through the ship. They both suspected what their destination was, but silently hoped that they were wrong, or that it was for a totally different reason.

Unfortunately, though, as suspected, several minutes later they entered the same large storage bay as before. Again the door locked, but this time the two Romulans stayed, one behind each of them, holding them firmly in place as the Romulan Commander approached. They also noticed that there were two other Romulans waiting the room. But why?

"I have been informed," the Commander began. "Of the fact that the two of you were up rather late last night, talking."

"So?" Wesley asked in confusion.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kathren added.

"It has to do with plenty," the Romulan answered. "You see, I don't like it when my captives hold lengthy conversations, and you two certainly had a lengthy conversation last night. What were you talking about?"

"We were just talking," Wesley said. "What's it to you?"

"What's it to me?" the Romulan said. "You two could have been planning an escape for all I know, and if you were, then I want to know what you were planning."

"We weren't planning anything," Wesley said angrily.

"What else would you have been doing?"

"There are other things to talk about," Kathren said.

"Yes, I know, but I'm sure that you two must have been planning an escape of some kind." The Romulan grabbed the front of Wesley's shirt and pulled the boy closer to him. "And I want to know what it is."

Wesley stared angrily at the Commander, whose face was now inches from his own. "Lay off, would you? We weren't planning an escape, and that's it," the teenager retorted. The Romulan glared back at him and before Wesley knew what was happening, the Commander had released his shirt and punched him in stomach. Wes grunted and staggered backward. The Romulan behind him had let go when his commanding officer had grabbed him, and at a look from the commander the Romulan, along another waiting guard at the edge of the room, took hold of Wesley and held him up, and in place. The Commander punched him again.

"Don't!" Kathren cried in alarm. "Don't do that! Weren't planning anything! Stop!" It took two Romulans to hold her back as the Commander continued to pummel Wesley.

The Romulan looked at her. "You're lying," he said, and then punched Wesley again.

"Ah!" Wes yelled in pain. "Please," he gasped. "We're punch telling the truth. punch Stop, please! punch Oww! punch AH!"

"No!" Kathren pleaded. "No, please, stop!"

"Shut her up!" the Commander called to his men. The two Romulans obliged by clamping hands over Kat's mouth, preventing her from saying anything. She struggled against them, but it was useless, and the Romulan Commander continued to harshly punch her friend in the stomach. Tears filled her eyes as she was forced to watch Wesley being beat up, all for a reason that didn't exist.

Soon Wesley's stomach was so bruised that the blows hurt much more, and he began to scream. Finally the Romulan paused, breathing slightly harder than normal from exertion.

"Why?" Wesley gasped, pain making it hard to speak. "Why…why don't you…believe us?" He grimaced in pain from the fresh bruises.

"Because you have to be lying. Maybe a little pain will make you think twice about lying. Now, tell me what you were planning."

Wesley shook his head weakly, too exhausted to explain again that they hadn't. The Romulan punched him yet again, and Wes screamed. But, to his surprise, he didn't continue. He sighed in relief inwardly; it would have hurt too much to do it outwardly. But then the Romulans behind him roughly shoved him down. The pain from his impact with the floor set him gasping, and when Kathren was released from the grip of the men holding her, she dropped down beside him.

The Commander then suddenly kicked the boy in the stomach, causing him to scream, and Kat looked up at the Romulan, her anger mounting. "Stop it!" she yelled in fury. "You've hurt him enough! Leave him alone." On the verge of crying, she looked back to Wesley, saw that he was trying to struggle to his knees, and she gently she helped him.

Wes was glad that he wasn't being hit anymore, but he also hoped that he wouldn't have to walk back to his cell any time soon. He'd simply die if he had to walk any distance right now. Glancing up, Wesley saw the Romulan Commander reach into a pocket, and watched in horror as he pulled out the control he had used the last time they had been brought to this room. Before he could say something in warning to Kathren, the Commander touched something on the object he now held, and heard her scream behind him.

Wesley put his arm around her to comfort her, and started to look up at the Commander again, but found that he wasn't in front of them any more. Now he was at the other end of the room. Another officer had been let in down there, and was talking with his commander. Wesley couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but whatever it was apparently demanded the Romulan's immediate attention. As soon as he had heard the message, the Commander handed the control over to one of his subordinates, and the rest of the Romulans left.

It was also obvious that the cocky young Romulan left to watch them didn't think that either of them were going anywhere anytime soon, and he was probably right. A few short minutes later the man became bored, tossed the control onto an empty shelf near the door, and left.

Wesley gasped when the metal box hit the shelf; he couldn't tell exactly from where he was, but it must have landed on a button, because his device had turned on as well. Thankfully it hadn't turned on to a very high setting.

How long would they be here? He wondered. Wesley looked at Kathren, who was still moaning and shaking. Hers was apparently on a higher setting than his; most likely by a lot. Could she even survive for a long length of time like that? Could he? What he did know was that they had to find a way to turn them off, and then maybe they could get out of here.