Hi everyone! Please Review! So close to being done! I do very much look forward to your reviews!

Doris jumped to action immediately. "Here, help me hide them." She placed the necklace onto one of the boxes, out of the way and grabbed the feet of one of the men, motioning for Amanda to grab his arms. Amanda slowly moved him with her.

"Now what?"

"We keep the Doomskey away from David, somehow. Whatever it takes. The Doomday Device is here, so who knows what he will do."

Amanda shook her head as if to clear it. "Wait, what?"

"We were moving it to a safer base because someone noticed that someone was fooling with the archives," Doris strained as they moved the other man. "They thought it would be safer somewhere else. Obviously wrong. It's why it keep glowing," she explained. "They sense each other's presence. It's part of the same device, you see, one part missing from the whole. They haven't been together like this in centuries."

Amanda was spooked out by all of it, over it. She just wanted to go home.

Doris grabbed the phasers from the men and pressed buttons on them. She handed one to Amanda, handle towards her. "It's set to stun."

Amanda wiped her sweat off her brow with the back of her arm, still feeling like she was running a fever. "Phasers? Are we just going to barge in there?"

Doris nodded, raiding the men's pockets. "Yes. After we send a distress signal for help, hopefully they don't notice it on the bridge. I'll bypass the system."

Amanda shook her head. "Can we just think this through? This is dangerous!"

"We don't have any time, we have to do this now." Doris groaned as she pulled on the man on the floor and making him lay down face up.

"No, Doris," Amanda said firmly. "We have the Doomskey. We can think of a plan that doesn't sound so dangerous."

Doris stood, dusting her hands off on her pant legs. "No, we don't have any time."

Amanda shook her head. "Doris, we'll be okay – "

Doris yelled at Amanda. "Amanda, we have to do this now before he suspects anything when he doesn't hear back from these two jerks."

Amanda shook her head. "No, there has to be another way-"

Doris placed a gentle hand on Amanda's arm. "No, we don't have time and I don't mean Mom and Dad. How are you feeling?"

Amanda looked at her puzzled. "I'll be fine, I suppose."

Doris gently guided her to the door with the small computer screen next to the door. She would be able to view the ships manifest and information from it. At present, Doris pressed some buttons and activated the camera above the screen that pointed toward them. "Look at yourself."

Amanda looked awful. Her hair was sticking to the sweat on her face, her usually vibrant brown eyes were dark, even darker circles were beneath her eyes. Her usual pink lips were pale, and her skin – her skin! She never looked so pale, she looked like a ghost, an awful copy of her usual self. `

She turned to her sister. "What's happening to me?"

Doris looked like she was at a loss for words. Opening her mouth but no sound would come out.

"What's going on?"

Doris took a deep breath, tears brimming. "You're dying, Amanda."

Amanda had heard it before but in the shuffle had put it behind her, not wanting to believe it. "How did it-"

"David," Doris whispered. "It's like he said. He tried to get the Doomskey – he had no idea that it was around your neck. When he locked on, he got you here too – he transported both of you."

"Transported?"

"It's not widely used right now, mostly for cargo – and this ship is ancient, it doesn't have the capacity to transport humans. I don't know what it's doing to you right now. Radiation maybe? I don't know."

Amanda nodded not really listening - everything was a blur.

"We have to get you to a Starbase and soon."

Amanda nodded absently.

"That's the only way to get you your cure. That's why I'm rushing. We can't wait, you have few precious hours."

Amanda nodded and Doris gently placed her against the wall next to her, giving herself room to work on the small computer screen.

Dying. She was dying.

Never had it crossed her mind that she'd be so young when it happened.

Of course no one does.

When asked the hypothetical question if she would want to know when it would happen, she would decline. She never wanted to know when it would happen. Now that she knew, she thought of her life unlived. She wanted to marry, have children and die when she was very old, in a bed surrounded by her loved ones.

But no, here she was, caught up in a stupid battle between a man-child and Starfleet. Keeper of some key she never knew she had.

"There, I sent a coded distress signal hopefully someone somewhere reaches us soon," Doris said after a couple of minutes. "I was able to ply the metal panel from the wall, I hid the Doomskey in there. Let's go kick his ass."

Doris knelt down beside her. "I'm so sorry Amanda, can you get up? Do you think you can help me?"

Amanda didn't realize she had sunk to the floor.

She had never felt such despair, like a hollow feeling in the middle of her chest.

Doris looked at her kindly and placed a hand on her wet cheek. "I am so sorry Amanda. We all thought we were keeping you safe – protected. We didn't know you'd cross the galaxy to find us."

Amanda sniffled. "You're my family, of course I did. I didn't do it alone, of course. I had Lario and Sarek –"

At that Doris laughed quietly, like she was stifling how loudly she really wanted to laugh. "Ambassador Sarek? He's taken such a liking to you, Amanda."

Amanda nodded absently. "Yes, me too. Doris, I think I might have feelings for him."

Doris hugged her. "Well, let's go make sure you see him again."

Doris handed her the phaser she didn't realize she dropped. "Follow me and stay close."

Slowly, they made their way back to the bridge.

"I think he may know something is up by now," Doris whispered lowly as she walked in front of her.

Amanda nodded acknowledging her but not speaking. It was getting much harder to concentrate.

Push through Amanda, she told herself. Help is coming, just take back the ship and rescue your parents!

Doris cleared the doorways as she moved through the small corridor and eventually they made it to the bridge. The stood at each side of the door.

"On the count of three,: Doris whispered, "We run through the doors and stun anyone we come across."

Amanda nodded confidently, letting out a long breath as she did, steadying her nerves.

Doris smiled. "One."

Amanda took a harder grip to her phaser as her hand shook.

"Two-"

Suddenly the doors opened abruptly.

Everything happened so fast Amanda could barely catch her breath.

The ones that opened the door weren't Doris and Amanda. On the contrary, two large men ran out of the bridge and tackled both Doris and Amanda to the ground. Doris managed to fire her phaser at the man that charged at Amanda but not before they were both knocked to the ground.

The man fell limp against her while Doris's attacker was able to subdue and knock her phaser from her hand.

Amanda scrambled and crawled to her thrown phaser to the ground.

Suddenly she heard footsteps thunder down the hall. Were they the rescue party? Had they found them at last?

As she reached for the phaser, she saw someone else grab it first. David.

Before she knew it, he had pulled her off the ground, an arm twisted around her neck, cutting off her air, the other with the phaser right at her neck. It was as if she were a rag doll, pulling her this way and that. He was holding her effortlessly by the neck, right off the ground.

"Stop what you're doing," he said coldly.

Amanda looked to her sister. They were completely surrounded. At least six other men stood behind Doris who held a trembling hand on her phaser pointed at David.

"Now be a good giel and-"

"Oh, shut up, David."

"Doris," he said calmly. "You shouldn't speak that way to the man that has your sister at the end of the phaser."

She saw Doris's eyes brim with tears. "I hate you."

Amanda could barely breathe, she was breathing through a straw again.

"Please," she heard Doris pleading. "Stop it, you're hurting her!"

David laughed. "She's already dead anyway –"

Doris lunged towards David, but one of the men behind her reached out to her shoulder and pushed her to the ground harshly.

Amanda tried to call her sister but it barely came out as a whisper.

"GIVE ME THE DOOMSKEY!"

Amanda heard his voice reverberate through her body he was holding her so close.

She didn't hear what Doris said next but she heard the defeat in her voice.

"You heard her!" He said to the men behind her, "Go get it!"

Amanda coughed trying to catch her breath. She really couldn't breathe now, her vision was blurring, the black blobs were blocking her vision again.

The men pushed around him in search.

Amanda heard him laughing through the ringing in her ears.

She couldn't fight him anymore. She could just give in …

"I'll let her go when I have the Doomskey in my hand."

Amanda started to tune out the world, silently slipping into unconsciousness.

She felt a large wet kiss on her temple like the ones her aunt Peggy would give her when she was young. David spoke, "Thank you little, fragile Amanda, you have given me everything I've wanted."

Amanda felt weightless, like she was floating.

Doris, please don't cry for me. Dying is painless, fighting is the real pain. I wasn't in pain when I let it take over. Mom, Dad, despite you lying to me, I love you. Please don't cry for me.

Sarek, oh Sarek, I'm sorry I doubted you. It was like she was seeing him then, right in front of her - his larger than life presence. I'm sorry for any pain I may have caused you. I do love you. I didn't know when I was with you. I know it now. I love you.

Everything went black.