Chapter 15

The test subjects were alone again in the medical lab. Heidelburg and T'Ling had left them to rest for the night while the two doctors pored over the recent test results and bio-readings.

Sitting at the table with the others in the middle of the room, Kat found herself recounting the day's events while the men talked amongst themselves.

During the testing with the headsets, Kat had been absolutely terrified. The barrage of sounds and images had become overwhelming and started to hurt her head. She wanted to tear the helmet off, and then it had happened, as if she had willed it.

It was incredible yet frightening. Then Heidelburg had revealed that he had done something to their brains. Something that made them able to move objects just by thinking about it, or sense someone else's thoughts. She had willed the helmet to break apart.

Like the others, Kat had shown 'surface-level' skill with telekinesis and telepathy, but Heidelburg had discovered that Kat also had the ability to see events presently occurring in a different location. With calm concentration, she had been able to tell what was happening in other rooms at the same moment. Heidelburg had called it 'remote viewing.'

She had no precise control over these abilities as yet, and she had no desire to control them either. She just wanted to go back to normal, not be prodded and questioned further. Even putting up with Ed's difficulties was better than that.

Lieutenant Vaughn seemed to be of a similar mindset. He kept bringing the conversation back to the subject of how Heidelburg was going to 'cure' them. Ed and Technician Keller, on the other hand, seemed very excited by their new talents.

"There's nothing to cure," Keller said to Vaughn. "Heidelburg told me that we're the next stage in Human evolution. That makes us superior to everyone else, not some disease carriers."

"Well, I don't know if Doctor Heidelburg meant it that way," said Vaughn diplomatically. "And he did say we may experience brain damage if we can't suppress these abilities…"

"He probably just doesn't want us getting too strong too fast," said Ed.

"I wouldn't say that either," said Vaughn. Kat agreed that Ed's assessment was unlikely, but, as usual, said nothing rather than disagree with her boyfriend.

"Not Heidelburg," said Keller. "T'Ling." He looked around conspiratorially then leaned in. "I read it in the old man's head. T'Ling is the one restricting these experiments. The Vulcans probably don't want us getting too powerful, like you said." He pointed to Ed.

Vaughn scoffed. "Oh, come on now. The Vulcans aren't like that any more…"

"That's what they want you to think!" said Keller.

Ed jumped in. "Look, whether they suppress these abilities or make them stronger, we're all gonna be kept in test tubes for the rest of our lives. They'll want to study our brains, and the rest of us probably, asking us the same psychoanalysis questions over and over, make us play stupid card games… We'll never have normal lives again."

Kat had feared this outcome, but knew it was possible. Even with the best intentions, scientists would see them all as oddities. She didn't want that.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

Ed gave her that grin that always gave her chills. "We're not going to let them," he said.

"Jailbreak," said Keller with a sinister grin of his own.

"Now let's just calm down," said Vaughn, holding his hands out. "I'm sure everyone has our best intentions at heart."

Keller snorted and stood, starting to pace the room. "You would say that, Commodore's lapdog. You're so far up North's ass you can't see the big picture."

"There's no need for that sort of talk," Vaughn said, looking hurt.

"We're right," said Ed, catching Vaughn's attention away from Keller. "And there's no need for us to sit here and wait to be carted off to some secret laboratory."

"I think we're getting a little bit carried-" Vaughn started to say, but was interrupted by Keller knocking him over the head with the fire extinguisher.

Kat, taken by surprise as much as Vaughn, let out a yelp as the wounded lieutenant slumped forward onto the table, unconscious.

"So much for his precognition," said Keller with a dry chuckle, dropping the extinguisher to the floor.

"Y-You didn't need to do that," said Kat. She stood to examine Vaughn's head. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any blood.

"Yes he did," Ed snapped at her. "Vaughn would have gone running to North, and you know it."

Kat looked back and forth between Ed and Vaughn. She didn't want to hurt anyone, but she also wanted to escape like the others. Not for the first time in her life, she submitted herself to Ed's decision.

"But… where are we going to go?" she asked, cautious of upsetting Ed with the question.

Keller answered her. "I have an idea about that: The ship in drydock."

"The sleeper?" Ed said.

Keller nodded. "Those old things are a piece of cake to fly."

"Yeah, and they can only do, what, warp three?" said Ed. "Won't take long for someone to catch up with us."

"That's where the crew in stasis comes in," said Keller. "Eighty ready-made frozen hostages. No one will dare come after us if we threaten to jettison the crew."

Kat couldn't believe a fellow member of Starfleet was suggesting such a thing. Or that Ed was nodding in agreement.

"Good thinking, Keller," said Ed. "But how do we get up to the drydock?"

"I got an idea about that too," said Keller. "First, we need to get out this room though. There's a guard posted outside."

Kat wanted to speak up in protest, like Vaughn had, but she had never been able to stand up to Ed. Neither he nor Keller even checked to see if she agreed with them, just assuming she'd follow along. And she knew she would.

"I can help with that," said Ed. "Remember when I said to Heidelburg I wanted to try the pyrokinesis test?"

"Yeah," said Keller, frowning. "And he suddenly changed his mind and agreed with you. I wondered about that."

A smug smirk spread across Ed's face. "I made him agree. I can't explain it, but I felt myself pushing him into thinking what I wanted him to think."

"Like mind-control?" said Keller.

"I think so," said Ed. "Didn't work on T'Ling though…"

Keller snorted. "Figures."

"But I bet it'll work on the guard."

"Worth a shot," said Keller. He picked up the extinguisher again and moved over to beside the door. "I'll be ready in case it doesn't work."

Kat tried to find her voice. "Ed…"

"What?" he shouted at her.

"N-Nothing."

"Good," said Ed. "Just keep quiet and do what I say. Stay back."

Kat kept her head down and remained by the table. Ed approached the door and started banging on it.

A young security guard opened the door. "Everything alright, sir?" he asked.

Ed's back was to Kat, but she could tell he was fixing the guard with that intense stare he had. He spoke in a firm monotone. "Let us out and tell no one we've gone."

The guard appeared confused. "Sir?" Maybe it wasn't working and they could abandon the crazy plan.

"Let us out and tell no one we've gone," Ed repeated.

The guard's expression went blank. "Yes, sir." He stood aside and Kat's stomach sank.

Keller chuckled and dumped the extinguisher, patting the security guard on the shoulder as he passed through the doorway. "Good work, Garrison. Was afraid that wasn't working."

Ed gave no indication of any such uncertainty and beckoned Kat to follow him.

Like the guard, Kat felt compelled to obey, only she knew there was no psychic force at work on her.