SHUTTLEBAY ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE SHIP
Making sure to lock the TARDIS, the Doctor took one more look around for signs of anyone. "You'd think that on a vessel of this sort there would be more people about." Seeing that no one else was going to comment on the empty shuttlebay, the Time Lord took off for a doorway that lead further into the massive ship. The sounds of feet on metal behind him told him that his companions were quickly following him.
Kyle tried to grab the Doctor's sleeve to slow him down, instead he managed to snap a section of his scarf. Feeling the tug, the Doctor whirled around in anger at the indignity. Kyle quickly began to state his case. "Something is seriously wrong here. This place should be crawling with lizards, not empty."
The Doctor jerked the scarf out of Kyle's hand and rearranged it around his neck. "I already know that. That's why we're looking to see what's wrong. My best guess is the Borg."
"Those cyborg things you were telling us about?" Kyle was getting frustrated. "Forget them for now. If the Visitors find us wandering around their ship with their Leader as our captive, it'll be straight to the dinner plate for us! And trust me when I say that they do not cook their meat before they eat it!"
The Doctor sighed in exasperation. He decided right away that Kyle was not cut out to be a good companion. Elizabeth, who was possibly Kyle's girlfriend on the other hand, seemed to be holding up remarkably well. While Leela held a knife at the so-called Leader's throat, Elizabeth used her mental powers to try to keep the Leader in the same stupor that the Leader had originally had her in. Paul carefully guided her while she attempted this unfamiliar task. The FSA man, George Fox, was also watching the Leader's every move. The obvious alien nature of the Leader drew George to him like a magnet. "If it will ease your mind at all, K-9 is already set up to give us advanced warning on anything approaching our position. Aren't you, K-9?"
"Affirmative, master," barked the canine unit as he wagged his little antenna tail.
Kyle Bates looked doubtfully down at the little robot dog at the Doctor's side. "That's comforting," he replied without any enthusiasm.
Scott took the brief pause in their walk to study a nearby control panel on the wall next to a door. Seeing a red light on the panel blinking, Scott reached a hand out in curiosity.
"Scott! Don't touch that!"
Scott's hand reflexively pulled back. He looked over to see his mom and dad coming over to him. "What does it do?"
Paul Forrester regarded the panel before looking back at his son. "I have no idea."
"Then why can't I push the button?"
Jenny's eyebrows scrunched up. "Because you don't know what it does, sweetie."
"What kind of answer is that?" Scott threw his hands up in the air. "Parents! Can't live with 'em! Can't trade 'em in!" He started to storm off, but then whirled back. "Just once I'd like you two to trust me not to mess everything up." Having said his part, he walked away from his parents to try to cool down. He noticed the Doctor proceeding down the hall again and decided to walk up front by him. He got just behind Leela and decided he preferred to walk behind her. There was just something about walking behind a woman in leather that he found very enticing. He wanted to start up a conversation with her, but knew he shouldn't because she was still holding a knife to the Leader's throat. He looked over at the other young woman who had been introduced to him as Elizabeth. "So, what do you think about all this?"
The pretty blond woman gave him a look of confusion. "All of what?" She had a bead of perspiration on her forehead and most of her concentration still focused on keeping the Leader in a mental stupor.
"These aliens trying to take over your world."
Elizabeth hesitated a moment but decided that honesty was best. "Actually, I am from both worlds. My father was a Visitor and my mother was a Human."
"Really!? Me too! Well, except my dad wasn't a Visitor, but a different kind of alien." Scott was overjoyed at finding somebody he could finally relate to, even if she was from a parallel reality. "So, you understand all about not really fitting in with either side no matter how hard you try? Right?"
"Um, yes," she agreed shyly. "Though most of the people I know have been very supportive of helping me fit in and explore both sides of my ancestry."
Scott was amazed. "You get to tell people that you are only half-human? Didn't they freak?"
"I really didn't get a chance to tell. It was covered by the national press for over a year. Besides, people had been in close contact with the Visitors for over a year prior to my birth so it wasn't totally new territory. I'm the only hybrid, though."
"Didn't the government try take you in for studying?" asked Scott with some apprehension as he mentioned one of his biggest fears. "Study your powers and DNA and stuff?"
"Some people wanted to, I suppose. But I was a world hero as well as in the national spotlight because of what I was and how I helped free the planet. The government couldn't come near me without raising a worldwide rebuke. Besides, Juliet said that if they tried to take me into custody, they would be committing political suicide."
"So it was all that simple?" He looked back at his folks and halfway wondered if he should get them in on this conversation.
Elizabeth smiled. "I don't know if I would call it 'simple'. It did help that some believed that I could be the bridge of peace between the two races." She looked up at him in embarrassment for a moment. "Willie even told me I even had my own fan club," she said with a blush.
"I wonder why no one thought of that in my universe?" He looked over and gave an accusing glare at George Fox. It was then that he noticed that the federal agent had been listening to their conversation the whole time. He was about to berate the man when Elizabeth put a hand on his shoulder.
"Let it go," she whispered. "Anger makes it harder for me to concentrate. Besides, if you wish to become a bridge of peace to your world, you must first learn to have peaceful intentions and manners yourself."
His emotions warred with in him for a moment, but they settled down. He had been surprised that she could sense his emotions. "You're right, I guess. My dad has said similar things to me before about that. I guess I can be a bit dense sometimes."
"Well, you are a teenage male," she pointed out as if it fully explained everything. Which it did. "My boyfriend, Kyle, can be like that sometimes, too." She looked ahead briefly to check on Kyle walking ahead of them as he argued in hushed tones with the Doctor.
Scott felt a little uncomfortable, so he decided to change the subject. "So, did you get your powers from your father, too?"
"In a way, I suppose." She lifted her hand up for him to examine. "The birthmark on my hand is what my people call the Mark of Zon."
"Zon?"
"A name my people have for God. It was believed that Zon blessed certain people with power to help guide them and bring them closer to Zon. A new bearer of the mark would appear every fifty to two hundred years to renew contact with that generation."
"Uh, I hate to say this, but your people don't seem too God-seeking to me."
Elizabeth nodded sadly. "Through most of the last millennia my people were very peaceful and were truly faithful to the Covenant of Zon. Then a young acolyte came bearing the Mark, But, unlike his predecessors, he served only own desires and encourage the carnal nature of others. During his reign the land suffered as well due to the industry practices he started and that is why our planet can no longer support our people now. He outlawed the worship of Zon and destroyed all the writings of the words of Zon, though there were always a faithful few that continued the ways of Zon. He even brought back ancient evil pagan practices such as the Feast of Romalon, which consists of orgies and cannibalism. Gladiatorial matches to the death became a national sport. Getting rid of superiors by deceit and murder was encouraged simply because it amused him. He also ordered the slaughter of the families of the previous Bearers of the Mark because it was almost always passed onto the descendants."
"Sounds like he didn't want any rivals." Scott gave the six-and-a-half-foot muscular humanoid lizard another look and shivered. He wasn't sure if it was the creature's obvious alien nature that bothered him or if he was responding to the lizard-man evil nature. "Then your father must have been one of the descendants that he missed."
"Yes. Either by the hand of Zon or maybe the deceit of Diana. Possibly Both."
"Diana?"
"Is someone you don't want to meet." Elizabeth frowned as she had to mentally push down the mind of the Leader who was responding to what he heard with anger. At least now she knew that he was listening. And that he was furious at Diana for her perceived betrayal. "She was the lover of the Leader before he sent her way out here. Even the great Leader thought Diana's ambitions were too great to keep her around, but he enjoyed hearing of her conquests of others. It's my speculation that she had stumbled upon one the remaining descendants of the Bearers of the Mark." She flinched again as the Leader pushed his mind up again, but she pushed him down into docility again. "Diana's field of expertise was computers. It wasn't her only skill, however. She had a special knack for genetic manipulation, so she used my father to mate with an Earth woman. She probably thought I would be easier to control being a half-breed. Luckily for me, my mother was rescued shortly after I was conceived." She shivered in spite of herself. "And since my father was killed shortly after I was born, Diana wasn't able to find anyone else with a suitable genetic makeup to create another starchild like myself."
Scott had a shiver go up his spine. "And I thought I had it rough just going from foster home to home until my parents found me. You must have been raised in a literal war zone as a child."
"Not really. The Visitors occupied Earth until I was about six months old. Then they were forced to leave and did not come back until a year later. That was about two years ago."
"Uh," Scott said uncertainly, "unless I missed something there, that makes you to be about maybe three and a half years old."
The young woman nodded. By now she was used to people having some difficulty coming to terms with her age. "My powers caused me to age faster. Probably so that I would be prepared when the Leader sought me out since he would most likely know of my existence the moment I was born."
The teenager looked at her in wonder. She looked like a regular, shy nineteen-year-old girl that could be found on any college campus. "Alright, but why don't you sound like a three and half year old?"
"My powers enable me to pull up the memories of those I am descended from so that I was able to mentally mature as well."
"Genetic memory?" Scott couldn't help grinning. "Cool! Bet that would help you taking tests in school."
"I guess so, but I never went to school."
"Even better!"
She smiled and just shook her head.
Scott found himself fascinated in this young - actually very young - woman. He had to take a moment to remind himself that she already had a boyfriend and that he already had a girlfriend even if she was a universe away. Another thought came to mind and he decided to go with it. "You know, I really don't see any resemblance between you and tall, dark and scaly over there. What's up with that?"
"I was born a twin. My brother took after our father while I took after our mother. The only noticeable features I took on from our father was a forked tongue. Oh, and I shed my skin every now and then."
A rasp came from in front of them. Both Scott and Elizabeth stared as Leela tensed her hold on the Visitor's Supreme Leader. He did not falter as he continued walking, but somewhere from deep within him, past his glazed eyes, a voice come up from the depth of his being. "Where... is... your... brother?"
Elizabeth was so surprised at the question, she couldn't help but answer it. "He-he died a couple of days after we were born. Somehow there was something that was in his genetic makeup that killed him. The Resistance were able to use the bacteria they found to make the red dust toxin that forced your fleet off of Earth two years ago."
"Diana...? Diana... made... the... toxin?"
"By accident and without her knowledge, yes, Diana technically created the bacteria." The waves of anger flowing from the Leader, but Elizabeth was able to mentally hold him in check.
"Um," started Scott with a lump in his throat. "Maybe we should talk about something else."
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LYDIA'S OFFICE
Lydia switched off the mothership's intercom system. The deed was done. She had publicly restored Diana and James to their former positions while placing the blame of the Leader's demise on the Humans and the Fifth Column.
"See. That wasn't so hard, was it?" Diana smiled dangerously at her. "And that was throughout the whole ship, right?"
"Should be," muttered Lydia. She punched a few buttons and frowned at her monitor. "That's strange."
"What's strange," demanded Diana.
"Just a minute," answered Lydia as she pressed a few more buttons. "There seems to be a section of the ship with which I can't communicate." She glanced up at Diana. "Is this your handiwork?"
Diana's eyes furrowed. "I'm flattered that you would think so, but, no, it's nothing that I've done."
James walked behind the desk to look for himself. "It could be the Fifth Column. I'll send a team over to investigate."
"Good," agreed Diana. "And I want you to personally escort the new prisoners coming up from Los Angeles to my personal cells."
James bowed low. "It would be my pleasure." Then he turned and left the room.
"I'm still in charge here," pointed out Lydia. In her anger she had ignored the four bodyguards that were still in the room.
"Yes, dear Lydia, you are. You just aren't in charge of James or I."
Lydia turned her attention back to her monitor in fury. She continued typing buttons until she noticed something. "This is weird."
"What now?" asked Diana.
"Something is going through the ship's computer files and making copies of everything." She glanced at Diana again. "I take it you aren't responsible for this either."
Diana shook her head. "Where is the data going?"
After a few seconds Lydia had an answer. "To the same section of the ship in which the intercom system wasn't working. Humidity and temperatures are also rising in those areas, but not to dangerous levels."
Diana hissed her displeasure. "I don't like these kinds of surprises. As a matter of fact these kinds of surprises make me rather angry."
Lydia shivered. As much as she hated Diana, she was smart enough to fear her and not want Diana after her scales. A beep on her console almost made her jump. She quickly read it and began to feel relieved. Diana was going to have an outlet for her anger. "Diana? You know those special cells of yours where Donovan, Philip and all your other special guests are kept?"
"Hmm, yes. I really should go and visit them." She gave a wicked smile and flicked her wavy brown hair back. "I'm sure they're just dying to see me."
Knowing it could cost her life, Lydia made sure to keep a straight face. "That might be a bit difficult. Your guards just reported the cells empty."
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THE HALLS ON THE STERN SIDE OF THE MOTHERSHIP
"Master, I have detected signal patterns similar to those used by the Borg."
"Good job, K-9. You are much more useful than this scanner that Starfleet gave to me." The Doctor kneeled down to put himself closer to the same level as the robotic companion while he slipped the scanner into one of his pockets. "Now where are they?"
"I am unable to comply with that set of instructions."
"What? Why?"
"There is too much electrical interference from this vessel to locate the precise position of the Borg. Also, the drones are not centrally located in one position, making a specific location impossible to pinpoint."
The Doctor sighed. "Very well, K-9. Can you at least determine in which direction we will most likely encounter the Borg?"
"One moment, master." K-9's satellite dish-like ears began rotating to isolate his cybernetic prey.
"Also, see if you can determine why the temperature is rising."
Seeing that the Doctor and K-9 had stopped ahead of her, Leela forced the Leader to stop walking. Leela took a moment to get her bearings and immediately noticed that they were at a crossroads in the hallway and could go either forward or to the left or right. She was about to inform the Doctor of the vulnerability of their situation when she noticed a movement down the hall to her right. "Doctor! A drone!" Even as she watched, the drone came out of one door then went through another door opposite without even acknowledging their presence.
The alien-hunting federal agent drew his weapon and just caught a glimpse of the figure as in went through a doorway fifty feet away. All he had been able to see was a black rubber-like outfit with tubes sticking in and out different places. There also seemed to have been a large mechanical device attached to the person's left hand, but he couldn't be sure since it happened so quickly. George's first thought was to run after it, however, he quickly thought better of it. This wasn't his home ground; he was in an alien ship for crying out loud. He'd have to be a lot more careful if he wanted to bring home an alien as his captive. "Do we go after it or what?"
The Doctor was just about to answer when a soft sigh came from Elizabeth and she slumped into the arms of her very surprised boyfriend, Kyle. Just as suddenly, Leela's knife hand swung out from under the Leader's throat and smashed the hilt into the back of George Fox's head causing him to crash into the metal wall. The freed Leader wasted no time in spinning around and picking Scott Hayden up bodily and then throwing him back into the arms of his surprised parents, knocking them over like bowling pins. The Leader turned again to let his aggression out on the Doctor, but when he saw that K-9 was quickly turning to bring its weapons into play, the Leader took off running past the fallen figure of George Fox and down the corridor.
The Doctor moved to give chase but was immediately blocked by Leela. "Leela?" The Doctor had had enough experience with his enemy, the Master, and his use of hapless mind-controlled minions that he could tell when someone was being mentally used. "Leela, fight it, Leela!"
Leela, for her part, just stood there barring his path from the corridor. A part of her heard the Doctor's voice, but there was also another voice that she heard; she could not deny that second voice.
Just behind Leela, George sat up holding his head. There was some blood, but not much. As he looked down the hall, he could see the fleeing form of the Leader. Picking up his gun, he got to his feet and took after the alien with no thought for those he left behind him. He was on the chase of another alien.
Leela turned once she heard George taking up pursuit. She pulled back her knife hand and took aim at his back.
"K-9! Stun her now!"
The little computer on wheels oriented his weapons and struck with a red beam that caused the warrior woman from the Sevateem tribe to fall over unconscious.
Down the hall, George Fox ran on after his prize, oblivious to the fact that his life had been saved or that it had even been in danger. He was dizzy and lightheaded from the blow to his head. Even so, he was not about to give up pursuit. Even when he saw someone coming out of one of the doorways, he just knocked them over calling out an apology behind him even as he was turning a corner.
He didn't see the Borg drone right itself and bring itself back to its feet. He also didn't see the drone bring its weapons online.
The Doctor did though.
"Oh dear."
"I'm sorry, Doctor." Elizabeth was leaning against one of the walls as she shook the cobwebs out of her head. "I thought I had him. Then suddenly he was just too much for me."
"He's had many more years' experience at mental powers than you," pointed out Kyle, who was helping Scott and his parents get back on their feet. "He probably was waiting for you to get really tired or distracted before pushing you out of his mind."
She knew what Kyle said was true, not that it comforted her much. Because she couldn't hold him, the Leader was free again to manipulate and control the Visitors again. She was about to express her concerns to the Doctor when she noticed him staring wide-eyed with gaping mouth down one of the hallways. "Are you okay?"
"This is not good. Not good at all," muttered the Doctor as he slowly backed up. "Everyone get to their feet. Quickly!"
Elizabeth risked taking a peek down the hallway that the Doctor was staring down. What she saw was something that reminded her of one of those Living Dead movies Kyle had brought over to watch once, but she had quickly decided they were too scary and disturbing to finish. An extremely pale faced man wearing a black deep-sea diving-like suit with multiple metal objects and tubes piercing his body was shuffling down the hall towards them. A red light beam from where the man's left eye should have been was running over the background and the bodies of her, the Doctor and the unconscious figure of Leela.
Even as she watched the man coming towards them, she noticed that some of the other doors down that hall were being opened and similarly attired people were coming out toward them. The ones that the Doctor had called the Borg.
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THE BRIDGE OF THE BATTLESTAR GALACTICA
"Commander," Flight Officer Omega called across the room to where Adama was comparing various star charts.
Adama rose to his feet, feeling every yahren his bones carried in the aches in his knees. "Has the scout team returned?"
"Partially. We are in radio contact with them and they should be aboard in about twenty centons. From what the pilots tell me, Apollo had two Vipers return to inform us that there is only one possible enemy ship on the planet right now. They also scanned the planet and took samples for further study."
"And Boxey was one of the pilots that Apollo had bring us this information, right?"
Omega nodded.
Adama sighed half in frustration and half at the predictability of his son, Apollo. "I'll have to talk to him again about being too protective of the boy - I mean man." The old man waved off his own difficulties at defining Boxey's role in society. I guess to some, especially those close to him, he will always be a boy no matter how much we also want him to be a man, he thought. He distracted himself intentionally by sitting down and activating his comm system. "Athena."
He only had to wait a few microns before he heard her respond through a speaker. "Yes, father."
"I know that you just went off duty a centar ago, but Boxey will be flying in soon with a detailed scan of Earth. We need that data analyzed as soon as possible."
He heard a tired sigh on the other end. "All right, father. I'll go down and meet him myself. I'll let you know if I find anything interesting."
Adama smiled in spite of himself. "Thank you, dear," he replied before signing off. He felt better now knowing that she would be the one studying the data. Analyzing such facts and figures was the thing she excelled at most. Adama had hoped that either Athena or her brother, Apollo, would one day rise to take his place as the Commander of the Colonial Fleet, but he had finally come to terms with the fact that both of his children had little desire for his position. With the reluctance of an old man unwilling yet understanding his need to retire, he had recently started training Sheba to take his place even as she had taken Colonel Tigh's position as second in command when he had retired six yahrens ago due to his failing memory.
Adama looked over at where Sheba sat checking things on her monitor and envied her her youth, yet at the same time he felt he may have cheated her of her chance to be in charge of the Colonial Fleet now that they knew where Earth was. He shook his head at the notion. The Galactica would still need a Commander regardless of them completing their trek through space. The enemies that the people of Earth encountered were proof enough of that. Plus, they would have to protect it from any Cylons BaseShips that still searched for them with the dedication that only machines could have. Adama thought of his retirement again and felt guilty. He would be leaving all the fighting to the younger generation while he enjoyed the benefits of the planet he had searched so hard for. The grass and hills. What would the animals be like? Would they have daggits there? Would they have-
"Commander?"
Adama's head jerked up and he saw Sheba standing over him. He mentally cursed himself for dozing on the bridge. Just last secton it had happened. And a sectar ago as well. His eyes looked around to see if anyone else noticed, but saw that they were all staring all too intently at the consoles in front of them. He cursed himself again. It wasn't that he was against naps. He enjoyed taking them. They felt good and gave him extra energy. It's just that there was a time and a place for such things and the bridge of a Battlestar was not one of them.
"Sir?" insisted Sheba awkwardly. "Boxey and Tomie will be boarding in a centon. I thought you would like to greet him."
So he had been napping for about twenty centons on the bridge. Adama shook his head. "Yes, I - I think I'll do that." Adama looked at the time and saw that it was indeed late. At least it explains why I'm so tired, he thought. "Sheba."
"Yes, Commander?"
"I'd like you to have the fleet close the distance between us and Earth by half."
"I thought we were waiting for the analysis reports and Apollo's estimation of this enemy on Earth?"
Adama smiled. "We are, we are. But I think it would be better to be a little closer in case our help is needed a little sooner than later."
He saw that she wasn't quite in agreement, but she nodded. "The Pegasus is just returning from training maneuvers so there shouldn't be anything holding us back." The Pegasus, the only other Battlestar to escape the treacherous attacks on their homeworld, had finally rejoined the Colonial Fleet just over four yahrens ago. Having survived the seemingly destructive encounter with three BaseStars, Cain had managed to patch up the Pegasus enough to limp after the Galactica and the Fleet while taking out various Cylons that they came across in the typical legendary Cain style. The reunion was short-lived, however, as Cain passed away a few sectars later from old age and the accumulated effects of the many wounds he had received in his lifetime.
Though the fleet mourned the passing of the great hero, they also rejoiced at the gift he had brought to them in Pegasus, for two Battlestars were better protection than one. Adama had immediately seen to the repairs of the Pegasus as well as getting it fully staffed again. Fortunately, it also helped in easing some of the more overcrowded ships as many were signing up for detail aboard the famous vessel. As the new commander of the Pegasus, Bojay led a rigorous shakedown of the ship with numerous drills to fix any flaws. While still headstrong and determined to take strong offensive stances in battle, the years had mellowed him some. His second-in-command, Jolly, was good at making sure Bojay didn't take on more than he could handle and the two turned out to work together a lot better than Adama had thought at first.
Adama groaned slightly as he stood up. "Well, I'm off to greet my grandson. And if I feel up to it, I may even go see Count Baltar and rub in the fact that we are close to finishing our journey to Earth. Then I'll go to bed. I'm getting too old for this."
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Slowly the motley group of space vessels that made up the Colonial Fleet began to take off in the general direction that led to the long sought after Earth. They had to swerve around a large asteroid cluster but there were no worries of collision due to the precautions that had been taken.
Somewhere far behind the fleet, a ship was testing a new experimental long-range scanning device. After a number of tests, this large ship altered its course and took a similar path to that which the Colonial Fleet had undertaken.
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STARBOARD SIDE SHUTTLEBAY OF THE MOTHERSHIP
A team of technicians crawled over the two Vipers as they attempted to study and take them apart. While normally the techs would be overjoyed with such a project, after hearing of the death of the Leader they were all rather listless. Only the threat of Diana or Lydia kept them to their appointed tasks, but it didn't keep them from gossiping.
"Has anyone seen Lucas?" asked a man sitting in the cockpit of the viper.
"Isn't he back yet?" asked the short, chubby Hispanic-looking tech foreman.
"No, as a matter of fact a lot of people aren't around that should be," pointed out a redhaired woman.
"Diana will have the slackers' scales!" spat the foreman with venom, literally.
"They could be trying to fix the communication troubles that have been happening around the mothership since the explosion," pointed out one of the techs.
"True, but even so, there should be more people around than this. This shuttlebay is practically empty."
"I hear there's been other malfunctions, too, with environmental controls," commented a woman from underneath the craft.
"And I know a few people who went to the medic just because of the shock of the explosion and the death of the Leader," added a man from the other side of the vessel.
A short, nervous man looked up from the tray of tools he was digging through. "Do you think it could be... the Fifth Column?"
The foreman shook his head. "After yesterday, nothing surprises me."
Just then a transport vessel followed by eight crafts that were identical to the two craft they were dismantling and studying entered the shuttlebay and landed in an area near them. The technicians were understandably startled, since the usual incoming warning siren had not sounded Fortunately no one was in the way of the crafts so no one was injured. Still, the unannounced landing had made them a little nervous and a number of the technicians turned a questioning gaze at their foreman, who seemed as much at a loss as the rest of them.
The foreman bit his tongue. He looked up at the observation deck and was surprised to see that it was strangely empty. He didn't think too much of it since almost everything seemed to be wrong in the last 24 hours. Running his hands down his uniform to ease out the wrinkles, the foreman, as the highest ranging person on the shuttlebay, walked over to the closest vessel, the transport, to see what was going on.
The transport vessel's doors opened slowly and a number of men and women, most dressed in a military green, hurried out and trained weapons on the foreman and the technicians. Others began to spread out around the area, checking for possible hostiles.
The foreman started backstepping until he saw that it just caused more people to train their weapons on him. "You're Humans!" he proclaimed with fear. "What are- Why- There was a cease-fire declared!" he protested desperately.
"I know," answered one of the men. He was a balding, middle-aged man, but he had a persona about him that let those around him know that he was as dangerous as he was determined. "But since that cease-fire a couple of things have come to my attention about which I'm hoping someone up here can provide me with more information." The man looked around quickly to make sure his men were securing the entrances to the shuttlebay area before turning back to the foreman and the technicians. "Since that explosion outside the mothership yesterday, we have had almost no word of what's going on up here. One thing that did get out was that there was an assassination of your Leader. That and the fact that you are blaming it on some friends of mine."
The foreman gasped as he finally recognized the man in front of him. A man that he and most of the team of technicians had only seen in before on video warnings and in their nightmares. "You- You're the Fixer!"
The man known as 'the Fixer' put on a tight smile. He walked over to the Hispanic-looking Visitor and put his left arm around his shoulder and pulled him close "Please, call me Ham." Tyler turned with the frightened Visitor until they were facing the technicians who were all holding up their hands. "Now, contrary to my reputation, I can be a reasonable man. I realize that not everybody with green blood is my enemy. Just those that would gladly wipe out the Human race."
The foreman swallowed fearfully. All he was aware of was the arm over his shoulders and the voice of the Fixer. He couldn't even look up because of the fear he felt.
Ham Tyler smiled. He was having the effect he wanted. "Now who here thinks that 'today is a good day to die'?"
He was greeted with silence from the group then a short redhead coughed and raised her trembling hand slightly. "Um... 'it is better to live for tomorrow, but who wants to live forever'?"
Ham chuckled to himself. He wasn't sure who came up with those code words but he liked them. Turning to the foreman, Ham saw that he was staring at the redhead in fear and confusion. "What? She said the right thing." He turned to the cute redhead and beckoned her with his finger. "What's your name, Red?"
"Cassie, sir."
"You got guts, Cassie, but don't call me 'sir'. Call me Ham." He looked her over and saw that she was trembling slightly. "Are any of the others reliable?"
She took a quick look back at the others before answering. "None are from my cell group."
Ham nodded. "But they could belong to another cell." He looked hard at the confused technicians. "Well, anyone else belong to the Fifth Column?"
Gasps of shocked exclamations came from the group of Visitors. A few cast angry glances at Cassie, one of the women, who was her close friend, began sobbing, while the rest began stealing suspicious looks at each other.
"No more? Alright." Tyler looked back to see that all the pilots on the Vipers had dismounted.
Suddenly the foreman yelled out a string of words in his own language in anger. Ham turned and slugged him hard in the jaw stunning the alien and dropping him to his knees.
"Was that necessary?"
Ham looked at the Vipers' leader, Boomer, and grinned. "These guys can be very fast when they want to be. The only way to beat them is to be prepared to hit them hard before they hit you." The ex-CIA agent regarded the alien at his feet for a moment then put the muzzle of his weapon at the foreman's temple. "Cassie, what did he just say?"
Cassie swallowed. "He-he called me a traitor to our race."
"Is that all?" Tyler calmly put his weapon back in his holster. "Don't worry about it. I guess even he is entitled to have an opinion. Even if the fact of it is that you have done more for your people just by joining the Fifth Column than he will have done his entire life."
"He has green blood!"
Tyler was a little surprised at the response of the Viper warriors. He had heard some of their story when they had responded to a signal sent out to them from Chicago. Some of those higher up in the military had decided to send out a call to them once it was determined that their vessels were not of Visitor origin. He wasn't sure what to make of their story about being a lost colony of man and traveling through space for the last fifteen years but every indication was that they were Human and that counted for a lot to him. Once they had received word by radio signal from Mike Donavon and Juliet Parrish through the Fifth Column about the assassination of the Leader and the possible return to power of Diana, they knew they had to move fast. They also mentioned two of their new acquaintances, Starbuck and Apollo, who were also from the space convoy of Humans from outer space. The only good news that the Fifth Column had was that for some reason many of the internal and external sensors were failing all over the mothership. Being promised a window of opportunity to get onto the mothership undetected, Ham Tyler rallied his forces and went for it. "I forgot that you were unfamiliar with the types of problems we have had to deal with. Let me give you an introductory course." Ham reached down to the kneeling alien's face and dug his fingers into the alien's chin.
"Hey, now that's enough!" demanded Boomer.
Ham ripped the skin upwards causing the Colonial warriors to flinch in horror. Once they looked back their eyes beheld a different horror. Where the skin had ripped off on the left side of the foreman's face, it exposed a reptilian face beneath. "Now there is our enemies' true face."
"Wha-why?" asked Boomer as he and his fellow warriors continued to stare at the torn face and green scales underneath.
Ham held out the torn piece of the mask to them. "To deceive us. To get closer to us before they turned on us. The only reason I can figure that most of them keep wearing the false human-like covering is for a psychological edge."
"So that's why you had us go through all those medical exams when we first landed."
"Can't be too careful." Ham pulled the foreman to his feet and pushed him back into the group of technicians. Ham nodded to his friend Chris Farber, Ham's longtime friend and only true partner. The large man came forward with his weapon still pointed at the group of technicians. "Chris, take this lot to a room and seal them in for now."
The big man nodded and motioned with his gun to the group of aliens. They understood his unspoken request and quickly went where he directed them.
"Cassie, I'm going to need you to lead some of these men to certain areas of the ship. Can you do that?"
The redhead nodded.
"I also need to meet up with more of the Fifth Column. Do you know where Philip would be?"
Cassie gasped. "I-I only know a few members. I didn't even know that Philip was a Fifth Columnist."
One of the men chuckled. "I thought the CIA taught their agents not to reveal important bits of information?"
"Shut up, O'Neill," snapped Tyler. Ham knew that Jack was still chuckling at his expense, but he was right. He had made a mistake. "Okay, Cassie. You are with me until we get to Philip. Then you're his to instruct."
Cassie relaxed visibly. Even though Philip was a high-ranking officer, he was well known for his compassion. She didn't think he would mind someone like her knowing of his involvement in the Fifth Column even if she wasn't part of his cell group.
"O'Neill, you have your orders. Take your team and move out."
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HALLS OF THE MOTHERSHIP LEADING TO DIANA'S SPECIAL CELLS
The Kai stumbled as the guard behind her pushed her in order to hurry her up. The young Human beside her helped to steady her but she brushed him off. She had little like for Humans regardless of their good intentions, especially those wearing Starfleet uniforms. Kai Winn knew that even now she was being watched back on Deep Space Nine thanks to the special view portals created by Q, so she could not and would not show any weakness. Eventually when those on Bajor may see the recordings being made of her current actions, so she had to prove herself to be as strong as she had always proclaimed she was.
She looked ahead of her, trying to see Major Kira, but she was too far in the front with the alien lieutenant that had taken a liking to her. The Kai shuddered as she remembered another prisoner line she had had to march in and another lieutenant that had taken a liking towards her. It didn't help knowing that underneath the Human-like skin were scales. She shuddered as she thought of the Cardassians again.
"Are you all right?" asked Harry Kim. "You're shaking."
She started to ignore him, then she remembered that even that response would be recorded on the viewers on Deep Space Nine that Q creature had created. "I'm fine. I was just... thinking."
"We'll get out of this. Don't worry."
"I have every bit of faith that the Prophets will see us through this," she coolly remarked.
The guard behind her pushed more roughly and she fell onto her hands and knees. She gasped in pain as her knees and the palms of her hands hit the hard metal floor.
"She's an old woman and she isn't feeling well!" yelled Harry in her defense.
The guard just laughed. "Then perhaps we'll have her for lunch if she doesn't get back on her feet!"
The Kai struggled to get to her feet. She didn't even have the option of accepting help from the Human because the Visitor guard had pushed him against the wall and had his rifle shoved in Kim's ribs. As she attempted to get up from the floor, she noticed some figures on the other side of a large ventilation vent. She also noticed that whoever was there seemed to be ready to attack the guards with weapons drawn. She made eye contact with one of them and she knew immediately what she should do.
Kai Wynn grabbed her chest and fell back to the ground with a cry of pain. Keeping her eyes closed and gnashing her teeth together, she made the most painful noises she could. One of the guards knelt down by her side but she ignored his efforts to check on her. Some of the other guards gathered around to see what was happening. Finally, the Kai heard someone tromping from the front of the group.
"What happened here?" Kai heard Lieutenant James demand.
"She-she just fell over and started having some kind of fit, sir."
"That's a lie!" shouted Harry Kim. "He pushed her down!"
There was the sound of someone being backhanded and she heard the Human Kim fall down near her.
Then chaos erupted. She heard the ventilation vent swung open and the blasting of weapons began. The only reason the Kai had heard it was that she was listening for it. As she lay there, a body fell on top of hers. She could tell that whoever it was was dead; the body didn't move. She began to pray as she hadn't since she was young, hiding in caves from the Cardassians.
Her eyes opened to a firefight going on all around her, and immediately she noticed the unconscious figure of Harry Kim. As she struggled to free one of her arms to push the dead Visitor off her chest, she noticed one of her companions, the one in white tights that the female Human doctor and the half-Klingon had become enamored with, was fighting quite effectively. He was using some type of kick fighting style she hadn't seen before. Nevertheless, it was probably very appropriate considering his hands were cuffed together. He knocked one opponent down, and then kicked out at his other opponent, Lieutenant James, to knock his weapon hand away. Then he went to tackle the Visitor lieutenant, but as soon as they touched, the Human was gone and his cuffs fell to the ground.
"Oh boy," mumbled Lieutenant James as the Kai watched him get his bearings. He quickly used his laser pistol to bring down three of his own guards.
Seeing that defeat was inevitable and that their own lieutenant had turned against them, the three remaining guards quickly surrendered.
"Drop it, James!" responded one of the men that had come to their rescue.
'James' looked a bit confused but dropped his weapon onto the floor.
Suddenly a man appeared, the man with the shockingly loud clothes that the Kai had seen disappear when they were still in the library. "Hey, you lugheads! Stop pointing those things at him! My friend is in there!"
One man, on seeing the object with the flashing bright lights in Al's hand, attempted to tackle him, but instead leapt through Al Calavicci's holographic body and into the metal wall behind him.
"That's what you get for not listening to me, ya nossel!" Al remarked snidely to the stunned man lying on the ground.
More weapons turned toward him and the Visitor lieutenant, regardless of his non-violent intent.
"Wait!" Kai Wynn cried out as she managed to finally push the dead body off of her. "I believe the brightly clad buffoon may be right!"
"Who are you calling a buffoon, lady? And take a good look at the hijab mumu robes you're wearin' before commenting on my duds!"
The Kai ignored him as her attention was drawn to the rapid approach of Major Kira. Kira stepped by the some of the newcomers and stepped over a few bodies in her attempt to get to the Kai. "Dr. Crusher, come quick!" Kira kneeled down next to the older woman who just shooed her away as she tried to regain her feet on her own.
The Visitor lieutenant in question coughed to get everybody's attention, even though he had more attention focused on him than he preferred-especially with all the weapons pointed at him. "Um, I'm going to try something that I haven't really done before. At least not like this. It might take most of you by surprise so, uh-" He noticed that everyone who had a weapon trained on him gripped that weapon a little tighter. "Maybe I could have worded that a little better."
"Sam, I think you better get out of there. These guys really don't seem to like whoever you are right now."
"Listen to him," spoke up the Kai. "I saw what he did."
"Okay," responded the lieutenant. "Here goes everything." To everyone's surprise, they saw a man dressed all in white walk out of the body of the lieutenant Visitor and quickly to the side. Lieutenant James stood there for a moment dazed and confused. One minute he had been fighting with one of the Humans and the next they had surround him.
"That was... incredible!" remarked one of the men who had come to their rescue. He held out his hand to the man in white. "My name is Donovan. Mike Donovan."
"Sam Beckett." They gave each other a hearty handshake as they tried to gain some insight in each other. "And this is Al. In case you are wondering, my friends and I are here to help you out with a problem you may or may not already know about." He waved B'Elanna and Vash to come over. "I think they can explain it better than I can. I'm just one of the hired hands."
The Kai rubbed a sore spot on her back as she watched Dr. Crusher administer to Harry Kim with a hypospray. "Will he be all right?"
"Except for a black eye, a large bump on the back of his head, some bruised ribs, and a nasty headache, he should be just fine."
"Good"
"I can't believe it," remarked Kira. The Kai just looked at her questioningly. "You faked being hurt!"
Kai Wynn nodded and gave a whimsical smile. "But of course. You do what you can to bring down those who oppose you."
"But-"
"But nothing. I did it and it worked." She adjusted her robe to straighten it. She grimaced at the spots of dark green blood that she found on it. "Besides, I've had to do far more dangerous things when the Cardassians occupied Bajor." She suddenly remembered the view portals watching their every move from Deep Space Nine. She smiled. Sisko wouldn't be the only one to win the hearts of her people with daring feats.
Harry groaned in protest as the ingredients of the hypospray brought him to consciousness. "I feel like I've been trying out one of Tom's holodeck programs again."
"If this is the type of holodeck programs your friend likes to revel in, then I suggest you decline from now on," responded the Kai with a parental tone.
Harry looked at her in astonishment. "I thought... you're all right?"
"Of course I am. I told you the Prophets would see us through this," she said with more kindness this time.
Characters in order of appearance or mentioned:
Bates, Kyle (Jeff Yagher) – from the TV series V- The Series (1984-1985)
Visitors– from the TV series V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984), V- The Series (1984-1985)
The Leader (never seen) – from the TV series V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984), V- The Series (1984-1985)
Maxwell, Elizabeth (Jennifer Cooke) – from the TV series V- The Series (1984-1985)
Leela (Louise Jameson) – from the TV series Doctor Who (1977-1978)
Forrester, Paul (Robert Hays) – from the movie and TV series Starman (1986-1987)
Fox, Agent George (Michael Cavanaugh) – from the TV series Starman (1986-1987)
Hayden, Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes) – from the TV series Starman (1986-1987)
K-9 Mark I (voiced by John Leeson) – from the TV series Doctor Who (1977-?)
Hayden, Jenny (Erin Gray) – from the movie and TV series Starman (1987)
Diana (Jane Badler) – from the TV series V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984), V- The Series (1984-1985)
Lydia (June Chadwick) – from the TV series V- The Series (1984-1985)
James, Lt. (Judson Earney Scott) – from the TV series V- The Series (1985)
Omega, Flight Officer (David Greenan) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)
Adama, Commander (Lorne Greene) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)
Apollo, Capt. (Richard Hatch) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) (mentioned only)
Boxey (Noah Hathaway) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) (mentioned only)
Sheba (Anne Lockhart) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)
Tigh, Col. (Terry Carter) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) (mentioned only)
Cain, Commander (Lloyd Bridges) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978) (mentioned only)
Bojay (Jack Stauffer) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)
Jolly (Tony Swartz) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) (mentioned only)
Baltar, Count (John Colicos) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) (mentioned only)
Tyler, Ham 'The Fixer' (Michael Ironside) – from the TV series V: The Final Battle (1984), V- The Series (1984-1985)
Boomer, Lt. (Herbert Jefferson, Jr.) – from the TV series Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)
Farber, Chris (Mickey Jones) – from the TV series V: The Final Battle (1984), V- The Series (1984-1985)
Philip (Frank Ashmore) – from the TV series V- The Series (1984-1985) (mentioned only)
O'Neill, Col. Jack (Richard Dean Anderson) – from the TV series Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007)
Donovan, Mike (Marc Singer) – from the TV series V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984), V- The Series (1984-1985)
Parrish, Juliet (Faye Grant) – from the TV series V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984), V- The Series (1984-1985) (mentioned only)
Adami, Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher) – from the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
Q (John de Lancie) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-?), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager
Nerys, Col. Kira (Nana Visitor) – from the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
Kim, Ensign Harry (Garrett Wang) – from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)
Prophets– from the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)
Beckett, Dr. Sam (Scott Bakula) – from the TV series Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
Crusher, Dr. Beverly (Gates McFadden) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
Torres, B'Elanna (Roxann Dawson) – from the TV series Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)
Calavicci, Adm. Al (Dean Stockwell) – from the TV series Quantum Leap (1989-1993)
Vash (Jennifer Hetrick) – from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation (1990-1991), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
Sisko, Capt. Benjamin (Avery Brooks) – from the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999) (mentioned only)