To
Fly on Waxen Wings, Chapter Two:
-Biddle Coleridge, "Past Tense, Pt. 2"
---
Aishwarya choked back a sob as she knelt over the dead body of Jason Madden, feeling anger rising from the depths of her soul to consume her rational mind. The historian found herself shaking in a combination of grief and fury, her small hands clenching into fists. There had been no reason to kill Madden. None. Rakiin had done this to drive home a point. To remind her that he was more powerful than she was, that he always would be.
That she would only ever have what he deigned to give her.
The grief crept back into a dark corner of her mind, the rage taking over. Aishwarya was rarely angered, and most believed that she was incapable of it. They were wrong, and when she was angered, she was capable of the same violence her brother was.
Slowly, she pulled the small knife she kept concealed in her belt, a concession she made to the violence that always surrounded her. The tiny blade glinted wickedly in the glow of the room as she stared at it, imagining the blood that would soon cover it. Years of concealed anger rose in her, bubbling over and boiling her blood.
She was Khanate.
Rising to her feet, she stepped over Madden's body, taking one last second to lay her hand softly on his still hand. "I'm sorry, Commander."
Madden's eyes opened and he smiled a feral grin. "I'm not."
Aishwarya screamed as the Changeling shifted into it's liquid form and leapt at her, the telepath covering her entire body. Seconds later, the library was quiet and still, except for the seething golden mass near the doors. The mass that muffled the screams of the Lady Aishwarya as the Changeling tried to force it's way into her mind.
-----
Rakiin stood in his observation room, the holographic view of the city burning beneath him, as he watched the Changeling (What was it's name? Sirenn?) absorb his sister, a small smile on his features.
Impersonating the corpse of Aishwarya's pet Starfleeter had been a particularly nice addition to this scenario, quite telling, as a matter of fact. Rakiin had seen the glint of the blade in the hologram. He had known about that knife for a long time now. She had started wearing it the day that he had snapped their father's neck in front of her seven year old eyes.
He had been twelve.
Could it be that she had finally found the courage to try and kill him? Could she possibly care about the Humans that much? How close, exactly, was she to treason?
Had she already betrayed her own people?
He smiled as he watched Sirenn shift on the floor of his sister's library. Aishwarya had mental defences that even the best of his Changelings had been unable to penetrate from a distance. Perhaps physical contact with her would eliminate that problem. He had protected her secrets until now, but if she had become a liability to him, she needed to be eliminated.
The Khanate Lord of the Sol Sector lifted a glass of wine to his lips as Sirenn's holographic gold form boiled and writhed before him, and for a second, he could see Aishwarya's features through the liquid, mouth open in a noiseless scream.
He drank.
-----
Alex woke.
Every muscle in his body seemed to be on fire, aching as the residual energy from Herma'Taklan's weapon faded. Micro-seizures rippled up and down his body, the after-effects from a high stun setting. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a dark room, having to squint as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light. Trying to stand, he discovered that he couldn't, that he was strapped into a metallic chair, medical equipment all around. Swallowing, he found his throat to be completely dry. Whether it was from thirst or fear, he had no idea.
With a sudden lurch, the chair began to move, turning slowly in a complete rotation that didn't stop. The room seemed to spin around him, even though Alex was sure that he was the one who was spinning. Red lights began to flash around him, a high-pitched sound screeching in his ears, adding to the disorientation. If he had eaten at all in the past three days, Alex would had vomited.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it stopped, the chair slowing to a halt. Squeezing his eyes shut, Alex tried to still the spinning room as his brain rebelled against the sudden silence.
"Do as I tell you, Human, and I won't be forced to do that again."
Alex opened his eyes to see a Changeling in front of him, dressed in the trademark orange jumpsuits they always seemed to form themselves. At least there was one species in this screwed-up universe he could recognize. "Who..." The screech sounded again, and Alex screamed as his ears flared in pain.
"You do not ask questions, Human. You answer them. Willingly or not. Is this understood?" Alex nodded painfully as the screech died once more. The Changeling approached, and lowered himself to Alex's seated eye level. "I am Shade."
"Hi."
The Changeling's eyes flared cobalt, and Alex gasped as he felt something in his mind. It felt almost as though a hand was reaching in and sifting through his memories. Images flashed by, words overlapping as his life played out in front of him.
He was in his mother's arms, newborn eyes struggling to focus in the light of this new world-Alexander Michael Carver, you get down here this instant!-First day of school, the first grade bully knocking him to the ground. A dark form blocking out the sun, protecting him. Jason-C'mon, Carver, no one'll catch us-Grade three. Emily Shore, her blonde hair in pigtails one second, down the next on their first and last date twelve years later-I got in!-Damned engineering courses. I'm taking command, Alex, why do I have to take engineering? You always got to whine so much, Jace?-The flare of a hangover-Your missing PADD? Is this it?-The smell of Chinese food at Madame Chang's--His first sight of the Albion-The dream again?-The explosion-I love you. I'll see you soon-Not yet. It is not----
Both Alex and Shade screamed as the memories came to a jarring halt, the telepathic assault striking a duracrete wall. Tears trickled down Alex's face as the Changeling stumbled back, grasping a support to keep himself standing. For a second, he lost control, features rippling as he briefly reverted to his natural state. Alex gulped air into heaving lungs, sweat dripping into his eyes. His head pounded, his brain screaming from the abusive scan. In his mind's eye, the last image replayed over and over again. Selene's death, the image trapped like a fly in amber, played out before his eyes in crystal clarity. Raising newly bloodshot eyes, he glared at the Changeling. "What... did you do to me?"
The Changeling shook his head, as though trying to brush away a pain. Looking up, Shade fixed Alex with a glare of his own. "How did you do that?"
"Do what?" Alex spat the words out from between clenched teeth. To lose his wife and then find her again, only to learn that she didn't know him. To lose his home, only to find a twisted, dark reflection of the world he knew. He was standing on the edge of losing everything. His sanity, his temper, everything. All he needed was that one last little push...
"You're a telepath?"
The words shocked Alex out of his fury. "What? No... I'm not... I can't be..."
Shade leaned forward and stared into Alex's eyes, the shifting eyes full of malice. "Only a telepath coulld have created that block, Human. I think that Lord Rakiin is right. There is something in your mind that we want to see."
"What? No, please..." Alex screamed as Shade entered his mind once again.
The first time he kissed Selene-The first time they fought-unarmed combat lessons at the Academy-The shock as the instructor landed a blow, forcing the air from his lungs-The heat in his face as he blushed, noticing Selene watching from the stands, cheering him on even though he had lost the match-Listening to Jason's teasing as Selene fussed over his bruises that evening---
Shade scowled, "Unimportant. What are you hiding?" Another scream-
His promotion to Lieutenant-The pride as the second pip was attached to his collar-Surprise as he saw Jason in the crowd-...took a leave from the Crichton. Think I'd miss your promotion?-Gonna be Captain some day-the sharp clink of champagne flutes as they celebrated-Him and Selene stumbling back to their quarters afterwards-their quarters-explosions-the sharp crack as he hit the bulkhead, feeling his body shatter-not ye---
The pain of the block was even worse this time, thin rivulets of blood trickling from his ears as he watched Shade stumble backwards, gasping in pain as he lost control completely this time. For a moment, a column of shifting golden liquid stood in front of Alex as he cried, his body wracked by painful sobs. Slowly, Shade resumes his form, the flattened features seeming tired, uncertain, almost as though it was an effort to hold his shape. When the Changeling spoke, his words were slurred, emerging from an unfinished throat. "I don't know what you are doing, Human, but I promise you. Eventually, I will pass that block, even if I have to strip every last neuron in your brain to do it."
Alex screamed again.
Dad, I'm fine. Stop bugging me-Ensign Carver, reroute secondary power to the plasma conduit-So, Em... uh... what're you doing Friday-----
-----
Selene sat in her cell, her hands still shaking as she fought to calm herself. Her cheeks were wet, from both the tears of pain and the tears of grief. Ever since her father had died, she had promised to protect everyone, that someday she would protect the very Federation itself. Her mother had succumbed to the grief, wasting away in front of Selene's eyes, but Selene had used the grief to make herself stronger. The memory of her father had become a lantern in front of her, guiding the way as she grew older.
You won't fail, Selene. You can't fail.
She had failed.
It hadn't taken long for the Changeling to find her memories of the mission briefing, the images of Starfleet Intelligence giving her the order to destroy the Sol Communications Array so that they could rescue the refugees in Alpha Centauri. She had smiled weakly as the Changeling had gloated. It's not like you and your master can do anything about it, Changeling. The refugees are already gone by now. You'd never get there in time to stop us.
Perhaps we were unable to stop you this time, Captain, but that doesn't mean we will be as helpless next time.
She had frozen as he said that, her stomach becoming a cold pit of tangled fear. What's that supposed to mean?
It is possible that the risks we encounter by using Humans in the mining colonies outweigh the advantages. Perhaps we should simply... eliminate them.
He had turned to leave, Selene falling to the ground in shock. How many Human slaves were there in Khanate space? She couldn't even begin to grasp that number, it was simply too large for her overtaxed mind to understand. Before the door to the cell block had opened, the Changeling had looked back at her, his sickening smile wide. I'm told that your friend the Lieutenant is waiting for me in the other room. I promise, Captain, I will not be as kind with him as I was with you. And then she had been left alone in her cell, weeping as her mind forced her to see how completely she had failed her father's memory. How many people would now be killed because of the information taken from her mind?
Alex's first scream filled the room, muffled by the bulkheads, but not by much. She looked up at the sound, her eyes bloodshot and her head pounding. They were torturing him. They were torturing him like they had tortured her, and that damned Changeling was probably enjoying every single second of it. Every thought of grief, every thought of guilt, every thought except for revenge fled her mind. There would soon be enough deaths on her conscience, she would not have a single one more. Alex Carver would live. She had sworn to protect everyone, and that now included him. Shaking with fury now, she listened as his screams filled the room.
She had failed once, she would not fail again.
-----
The doors swung open with a hydraulic whine, scraping on the floor, and Jason found himself pushed into the torch-lit darkness of the observation room. Beneath his feet, the hologram of San Francisco continued to burn, the ruins of the communications array smoking directly under him. Rakiin stood in the centre of the room, his arms folded across his broad chest as he stared at a separate hologram before him. A golden liquid mass writhed on the floor, and Jason found himself curious. "What is that?" Herma'Taklan punched Jason in the lower back, driving the Starfleet Commander to his knees in pain. "Speak when spoken to!"
Rakiin sighed and waved the Jem'Hadar back. "One of my Changelings interrogating a suspicion of mine. None of your concern, Commander." With a flick of his wrist, the hologram shut down, dissipating in a burst of static. The Khanate turned toward Jason, an inscrutable look on his face. "Why did you come here, Commander?"
Jason frowned, "I didn't really have a choice."
The blow was unexpected and harsh, sending Jason crashing to the ground. Rakiin stood over him, his arm lowering. There was a look of anger on his face now, anger mixed with... regret? "Your arrival has complicated things for me, Commander. Made them much more interesting than I care for." Jason found himself pulled to his feet, the Khanate's face inches from his own. "I like control, Commander, and you have taken some of that from me."
He was thrown, hitting the floor and rolling to a stop against the far wall. Rakiin slowly walked towards the prone Commander, stooping to pick him up again. Jason spun around, a fist striking the Khanate Lord in the jaw. He was tired of this. Tired of running. Tired of being beaten. Rakiin's head snapped back, then he adjusted his shoulders and smiled. "So, you Starfleeters can fight. Good."
The Khanate's next punch sent Jason skidding back a dozen feet. Jason blinked, shaking his head to clear his mind. "You created a traitor in my ranks, Commander." Jason found himself lifted over Rakiin's head, staring down at the burning holographic city beneath them. "But I won't kill the traitor. I'll kill the one who created the traitor."
And like God casting Lucifer from Heaven, Rakiin threw Jason to the ground.
-----
Alex was lost in his memories.
Images flashed past his eyes and through Shade's mind, an entire life replayed out of order. Every truth, every lie. Every whisper, every scream. Every love, every hate. And every time, the stream of his memories ended at the same place, as though someone had built a dam with the words not yet.
I'll see you soon-no-i love you-no-Not yet---- Alex heard screaming. Distant, down the hall maybe. Absently, he felt sorry for whoever had made that scream.
Then he realized that it had been him.
A blow struck him across the face, sending his head snapping to the right. He didn't even blink. Bloodshot eyes refused to focus as Shade struck him again. And again. And again. The Changeling had almost completely lost his ability to form a humanoid body now, becoming little more than a column of pulsing golden protoplasm. Alex's lips formed words, muttering to himself. Things he knew, things he had read, things he had thought about, his mind desperately trying to stay sane. "'Boldly go where no man has gone before...' Zefram Cochrane. Warp 10 limit is impossible to break. Step around it. The perfect ship. USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-C. Ambassador class. Perfect crew: Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer. Spock, First Officer. Leonard McCoy, CMO. James Kirk, Captain. Old Kirk, not young Kirk. What about Janeway? Nah, only get Janeway if you wanna get lost..."
The Changeling stopped hitting him and visibly shook. The transformation was slow, hesitant, but eventually it formed the general shape of a man. The face was slack, almost as though it had suffered a stroke. When it walked, it did so with a painful gait. It's mouth refused to move as it tried to speak, the words sounding in Alex's head, broken up as though it was over a bad signal.
Short... recuperation... not done... you yet... Alexander...
The door to the dark room opened and two Jem'Hadar entered, removing the restraints around his arms and legs and dragging his exhausted body out in the hallway. The Changeling's words still echoing in his mind.
Not done... you yet...
Not done...
Not yet...
-----
Selene looked up when she heard the footsteps.
She pressed herself into the far corner of her cell, scurrying back and away from the Jem'Hadar as they approached, their rhythmic footsteps sounding in time as they marched. It was dark in the cell, the only light coming from the flickering blue forcefield. Locking her elbows and knees, she folded herself as far into the shadowy corner as possible, desperately trying to remain out of sight.
The lights flared on, burning her eyes and making her try to shrink back even farther. She had sat in the pitch black for hours, her eyes slowly but surely growing accustomed to the dim illumination. The sudden brightness shocked her, her eyes instinctively squeezing shut to keep the harmful light out. She heard the slight burst of static and smelled the faint whiff of ozone as the forcefield fell, but even as she opened her eyes, she couldn't make out anything more than an indistinct blur, black figures against a white background.
The lights went out again, and she cursed herself for falling into such a simple trap. The sudden lights were designed to disable her, to prevent her from attempting an escape, and dammit, it had worked. The afterimage of the lights blinded her, and she was forced to stand still for a moment while it faded away, allowing her eyes to readjust to the sudden darkness. Her eyes squinting in the gloom, she looked towards the entrance to the cell.
Alex lay on the floor, curled into a ball and shivering. She could hear him muttering brokenly as he rocked himself back and forth, barely conscious. Slowly, she fell to her knees beside him, brushing the back of her hand against his forehead, nearly pulling it back as she felt the heat of his skin. Bloodshot eyes flickered open and closed in a ghastly pale face, the pale blue light of the forcefield adding a spectral cast to his drawn features. His breathing was shallow and gasping, his trembling hands clawing at his throat, desperately trying to grasp the locket around his neck. He looked like hell, a pale reflection of the man she had met.
"Alex?" Gently, she took his hands, pulling them away from his throat. Still he continued to rock, muttering noises she could barely hear under his breath. She tried to still him, but he fought her, pulling himself back, jerking away from her touch.
"Not yet not yet not yet not yet..."
The words made no sense to her, and she felt her anger rise again, casting a glance past the forcefield at the door to the cell block, where she assumed the Changeling hid. She wouldn't let the Khanate take another person from her. Not again.
Alex's eyes cracked open, his brown eyes filled with feverish delirium. An exhausted smile spread across his face, "Hey, you."
Selene let loose a relieved breath. She had been afraid... "Hey."
"...missed you..."
A confused look fell across her face. Before they had been captured, Alex hadn't even been able to look at her half the time. Why had he missed her? Leaning more closely, she looked into his eyes and saw something there that frightened her.
Love.
Pulling his hands free from hers, he removed the locket and placed it in her palm.
"...I have your locket..."
-----
Sirenn plunged deep into the mind of the Lady Aishwarya, the physical contact with her skin increasing his telepathic abilities, a process similar to the Vulcan Mind Meld. Down he swam, brushing past the formidable mental blockades she had created, pushing aside every defence she could muster, until he could see it, the light of her consciousness, every secret his Lord Rakiin wanted to know, everything that she hid...
The bright sunlight poured through the stained glass window in coruscating shades of reds and blues and greens, but no amount of bright light could illuminate the entirety of the dark and gothic structure that the Changeling found himself in. Slowly, he spun in place, confused. This should not be happening. Aishwarya's memories should be flowing past in a clear stream, almost like a holonovel. This was wrong.
"This is my mind."
Sirenn turned and saw the Lady Aishwarya standing before him, bathed in the light streaming from the Rose Window. Sunlight reflected off her dark hair, glittering off the silver and golden robes. They stood across from each other, her in the light, him in the darkness. Soft chanting filled the air, and Sirenn swore he could smell something burning.
"The smell is incense. The chant is a requiem mass sung by Benedictine monks. A rather appropriate selection, I believe." She stepped forward, her Sari transforming with every step. One second it was gold, the next a deep red. She seemed to shift appearances before him, the images overlapping each other. Sirenn found himself backing further into the darkness.
"Is there a problem, Changeling? Don't you like my mind?" Aishwarya stopped at the very edge of the light, her face backlit by the window. "It's a trick I learned as a child. I based it on an idea by the Human artist Leonardo Da Vinci. He created an entire cathedral in his own mind. Every brick. Every staircase. Every buttress. Every pane of glass. Within it, he held every fact he ever learned, everything that made him who he was." Sirenn cowered as the light faded away, dimming to moonlight. Aishwarya seemed to melt into the deep shadows, her voice echoing through the dark cathedral, reverberating off of every arch. "I, however, have taken his process one step further." Candles burst into flame around him, illuminating the main hall in unsteady light. "You entered my mind uninvited, Changeling. And you are not welcome in it."
Looking up, Sirenn saw enormous statues looming above him, their stone eyes gazing down. Fear gripped the Changeling's soul as he turned and ran for the enormous oaken doors, only to find them locked.
He was trapped.
Aishwaya's last words still echoed through the hall, filling him with dread. Leaving the doors behind him, he fled deeper into the cathedral, desperately searching for a way to return to his own body.
-----
In Aishwarya's library, the golden mass that was Sirenn thrashed about more violently than ever, as Aishwarya's struggles calmed within.
-----
Jason rolled over onto his side, his breath hitching in his throat as he struggled to stand. His left eye was swollen shut, bruises covering his body. Painfully, he pushed himself to his knees...
And fell as his arms gave out.
Rakiin brushed Jason's blood off his gloved hands as he turned to Herma'Taklan, who had stood by the entire time, watching his master beat the Starfleet Officer to a bloody mess. "I believe that I've quite enjoyed myself enough for now, Herma'Taklan. Place him in the cell with the others."
"Yes, my Lord."
Jason's one good eye glared at the Khanate as he was dragged from the room.
Rakiin didn't even have the courtesy to notice.
-----
Alex's eyes slowly and painfully opened, the fever passing. His entire body ached, the back of his neck felt as though his spine were grinding against the skull. His throat was raw from screaming, and his head pounded unmercifully.
Weakly pushing himself to a seated position against the cold cell wall, he struggled to focus his eyes in the darkness.
"When were you going to tell me?"
Selene's voice was quiet, almost hesitant as she spoke. Squinting, he could just discern her silhouette in the blue glow. "Tell you what?" His voice was raspy, hoarse. It hardly even sounded like his own.
Her arm lifted and a small hologram appeared in the air above her hand. A younger Selene and Alex spun around in midair, laughing. In the bright light given off by the image, Alex could see the face of the Selene that shared his cell, a face filled with conflicting emotions. Anger, sadness, and worst of all...
Profound disappointment.
As the holographic recording ended, Alex and Selene stared at each other from opposite corners of their cell, neither one knowing what to say.
-----
The Changeling ran through the darkened hallways of Aishwarya's mind, the walls of the memory cathedral towering around him. He felt like he had been running for hours, trapped in his humanoid form as Aishwarya's laughter rang through the stone corridors.
"I thought that you wanted to see my secrets, Changeling."
Sirenn kept running, a door standing open at the end of the hall before him. Desperately, he ran through it, shutting it behind him. Alone in the shadows, the Changeling telepath leaned against the door, exhausted.
"Feeling safe, Changeling?"
Aishwarya appeared, emerging from the shadows of the room as though she was made from them. Sirenn felt his eyes widen in terror as this slender woman walked up to him, her eyes glowing with fury. "You are in my mind, Sirenn. My mind. My world. You can't escape me here."
Sirenn felt his consciousness begin to dim as the shadows crept forward, surrounding him. The last words he heard were Aishwarya's.
"I will not be toyed with. Not by you. Not by my brother."
The shadows stilled, and the Changeling was gone.
-----
In the library, the golden mass abruptly stopped moving, it's colour changing to black as it dissolved into a powder, disintegrating around Aishwarya as she stood, brushing the ashes of the dead changeling off her skirts. For a long moment, she looked down at the pile of dust at her feet. The Changeling had underestimated her, just like so many people did.
Sheathing the knife that she still clutched in her hand, she turned and walked up to her desk, sitting before her computer. "Are you there?"
There was a second's
silence before the voice answered. "I am here. This channel is
secure?"
"Of course. Would I be talking to you
otherwise?" Aishwarya sighed. "You understand the plan?"
"I
do."
She nodded, even though no one saw her. "In
forty-five minutes, the Gilgamesh's shields and weapons will
be down. Will that be enough time?"
"I believe
so."
"There are three prisoners. Weller and two
Starfleet officers from a parallel dimension."
"Understood." There was a pause as the person on the other end of the communication line considered. "It is good to hear your voice again, Aishwarya."
Aishwarya smiled. "You, too, Kordath. You, too."
-----
And on the empty bridge of the Icarus, Kordath deactivated the subspace radio and began to plan Selene Weller's rescue.