Emily couldn't decide what was the curler joke, being hunted by giant lizards or being hunted inside the program Q had put together for her to live out her pirate fantasy. She ran through the underbrush of the jungle resting only when she found the old cave behind the waterfall. Old skulls looked up at her from the slick wet rocks, their toothy grins seeming rather unnerving to her now without Q around. They had been at this for days, hunting down the crew and fixing them up but more than anything their leader had focused on her nearly every day. Sending her here to this program and letting her have a head start before coming after her himself. Almost every time he caught her easily, without much of a struggle from Emily and every time he seemed more and more disappointed. What did he expect from her? Amelia had always been the strong one, if she had Amelia here her sister would teach him a lesson or two. Moving into the back of the cave where it was still dry Emily sat down and curled her legs into her chest. Her chin rested on her knees as she brushed the snot out of her nose and sniffled a little trying to keep as quiet as possible. She couldn't let herself cry again, every time she made a sound he found her and every time he found her. Slowly Emily tried to slow down her breathing, her mind falling back to Amelia and Naomi. She wondered if they were being hunted as well, she thought about Q and where he might be, certainly they couldn't catch Q. He was too strong, and what about Captain Janeway? Was she alive? Was she dead?
For the first time since coming to Voyager the thought of Captain Janeway getting hurt made her cringe. What would she do if the captain died? Emily swallowed hard holding back another torrent of tears. She couldn't think about that right now, she had to think of something else. Pulling her legs closer to her chest she blinked her eyes a few times and sat amazed that even over the road of the waterfall she could hear the beating of her own heart. Racing faster and faster like the gallop of her pony Pepper. Perking up and turning her attention back to the caves entrance Emily felt her whole body jolt like a startled rabbit. Footsteps were coming her way. She got to her feet moving back against the cave wall again and trying to remain quiet. Maybe he wouldn't come in here if he didn't see her. Holding in her breath she saw his silhouette on the other side of the waterfall. Her arms and legs shaking as he crept closer. It took all the self control in her body to hold herself back. If she ran now he would catch her, if she ran too late he would catch her. She had to time it perfectly. To slip past him and run for her life when she had an opening, an opening he couldn't close too quickly. Pulling a hand over her mouth she tried to keep him from hearing the quiver in her every breath.
Shifting her gaze to the water as a figure walked through it Emily tried to talk herself up, think about the games she played on the holodeck with Captain Janeway and Tom Paris. Sliding along the cave wall she moved back towards the waterfall once he stepped into her cave, his eyes peering through the dark. Emily counted herself down as he walked closer to the middle of the cave and with all the power and strength in her legs she pushed off against the rocks ready to put everything she had into a full sprint. At first Emily was amazed by the speed she was going, her arms swinging hard as she closed the gap between herself and the waterfall. She was really going to do it, she was really going to get away from him. The black treads of her boots kicked up small pebbles as she sprinted but the slick surface of the larger rocks had been where she failed. Sliding a boot across one of the bigger rocks Emily suddenly felt herself flying through the air and reaching out desperately for anything to catch herself on. Unfortunately the first solid thing she had to catch herself was the rocks beneath her. She hit the ground hard almost knocking the air from her lungs, her hands grabbing onto anything they could and pulling herself forward. Crying out as the sharper rocks cut up her hands Emily got to her knees and pushed herself through the waterfall feeling the full pressure of the water pin her to the rocks again for a frightful second. Emily could hear her heart beating in her ears, her fingers grabbing for the surface. Just when she felt her lungs burning for air Emily was lifted up from the water kicking and choking. The hunter holding his prey above the waterline. "You'll have to do better than that whelp." He growled and tossed her back into the water.
Pushed past the weight of the waterfall Emily was drug off down the river feeling less like she was actively escaping the hunter and more like she was being tossed along the waterway. Rising up to the surface again she choked up more water kicking her legs and beating her arms to stay afloat as the current carried her away. From playing the holodeck program with Q Emily knew the river lead right to the ocean, right out to the sharks and right out to the sea monster. Why was their a sea monster? Because there were always sea monsters in pirate myths. A long lost island that was never on any map, guarded by a sea monster, and cursed int he blood of pirates. Yes, what a child friendly adventure. Emily pumped her legs harder now reaching out for the shoreline and overhanging branches in her path. Getting out of the river before she hit man eating sharks was preferred, especially since she knew the safety was turned off. At last her fingers gripped the roots of an upturned tree that had fallen part way into the river. Her hands gripping tight to the bark despite the pain and the blood running from her cut up fingers. Her mind wandered back to the day in the jefferies tubes when she had been trying to get to Amelia. That panic and fear that she would never see her sister again took her over and made her shiver harder against the cold water, made her grip nearly slip. Emily took in a deep gulp of water, choking on the fishy taste as she kicked her legs and pulled herself up against the tree more. Her mind wild with fear and panic, wanting to just lay down in her comfortable bed and hear Janeway read Oliver Twist to her again.
"Mommy." Emily cried out knowing Janeway couldn't answer her. She wasn't here to help her but somehow crying for her gave her something better to do than just cling desperately to the side of the tree. Resting her face against the rough bark Emily wished she had called her that in person, even just once before she died. She had never given the woman enough credit, Janeway had been more than the mother Emily had always dreamed of having, the mother she thought she would have found in Amelia if Amelia hadn't been a 'helpless' little baby. The mother she use to put herself to sleep with at night describing. Pretty and nice with a kind voice, who read her stories and tucked her in, who hugged her when she felt lonely and cheered her up when she felt sad. Who said she loved her and kept her promises. Clawing against the tree Emily tried pulling herself further out of the water, her body shivering. "Mommy." She cried softly to herself. All she wanted was to close her eyes and fall asleep, wake up in her bed to Janeway telling her it was time to get up. Emily took deeper breaths feeling afraid and angry, angry that the hunters had pulled apart her good life, just once she started to belong, started being happy. From the lab to the chopping block. She should have just stayed away from Voyager and died in the lab, it would have been better.
Using her new found anger and hatred for the Hirogen hunters Emily pulled herself up onto the tree growling. Her eyes shifting over to the shadows where the hunter was walking from, following her down river. Emily stood up holding her own on the dying tree, her footing much sounder now than in the caves. She wasn't running this time, he wanted to fight her, he was going to fight her. "You want to hunt me." Emily yelled out. "You want to kill me." She growled. "Then just do it already." Her voice was challenging him rather than begging him. Challenging him to come after her, to feed her anger. Maybe she wasn't as powerful as Amelia in the real world but this wasn't the real world. This was the holodeck and Emily had learned to control one thing with ease, technology. The safeties were shut off, this was her world now. Glaring at the Hirogen hunter as he showed himself and pulled his knife Emily smiled, her heart still pounding in her ears. "You know what every great pirate adventure needs?" Clenching her fists she concentrated on the hidden holodeck panel. "Undead pirates."
The Hirogen took another step closer being stopped in his tracks when a skeletal hand burst from the ground and grabbed his ankle. It was easy enough for him to pull his foot away but as soon as he took a step back another hand burst from the ground. More and more hands and legs came from the ground pulling fully formed skeletal pirates from the ground, swords clenched in their teeth. That should hold him off for a while. Running along the tree stump she jumped back onto the shore and ran for the beach. Hopefully Voyager was still there, not the space ship Voyager but her ship Voyager. She might not have been wearing her captains uniform but her crew if they too were in the program would still recognize her, ship canons without the safeties on would be pretty lethal too. Emily kept sprinting full speed until she was slowed down by the sand on the beach. Her eyes scanning into the horizon for Voyager. "Dammit." Emily cursed catching the word in the back of her throat for a second in fear someone would hear her curse. Janeway didn't like when she swore even if she had learned it from Q. "Stupid Voyager, you should be right over there." She grumbled, making a few skeleton pirates show up in a holodeck program was one thing but trying to fish through to put Voyager back in, it was going to take a while. Time she didn't have. Her only other option, escape. "I can do this."
Turning on her heels she walked back towards the jungle, all she needed to do was use her powers to see beyond the holograms, like Amelia did. Something easier said than done, at least in her her eyes she looked around trying to see the small room beyond the holograms. "Amelia, I could really use your help right now." Emily whispered to herself as if her sister would hear her and just appear to aid her. If only things were so simple. "You have put up more of a fight than ever before little whelp." Emily turned on her heels seeing the Hirogen hunter walking her way again. "But you don't cover your tracks, you are loud, your techniques are unrefined. Given time you could become a most worthy opponent, the most worthy prey." She took a few steps back towards the ocean and stood still, afraid of the monsters under that glossy black water.
"Stay away." She warned feeling like she was all out of tricks. Her tone of voice not as confident as it was before.
"I am afraid this hunt has come to an end." He moved up faster to her and raising his blade as though he would plunge it down into her chest. Emily closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact and possible death but she never felt the sting of the blade nor the rush of her own blood washing down her chest. Shaking a moment longer with eyes shut tight Emily slowly opened them looking up at the Hirogen hunter. "You are not that prey yet, but you will be little whelp." Emily breathed out as he lowered his blade and grabbed her arm holding her tightly. "Computer end program." The hologram around them shut down and the holodeck door slid open. Dragging her along Emily struggled to keep up and reluctantly followed him out of the holodeck and into the hall. He ended up taking her to the brig and throwing her inside the first cell. "You sit there whelp, I'll get you food." Emily moved to the back of the cell quickly crawling under the hanging bed. Her keens pulled up against her chest.
"I want my mommy." Turning her big green eyes up to the Hirogen he showed a look of minor disgust at her request.
"Silence whelp."
"I want my mommy." Emily screamed louder closing her eyes tight and nearly shredding her own tired vocal cords.
"Do not make me slit your throat..." He paused looking back down at her. "And I'll get you a change of clothes."
"I want to see my sister Amelia first."
The Hirogen hunter glared back at her. "No."
"Is she dead?" Emily's lip quivered, her eyes tearing up at the realization she may never see Amelia again but worse than that her sister might be gone.
"No, the other young are being cared for by member's of this ships crew. We do not kill the young of our prey."
"You're trying to kill me." She reminded him.
"You are worthy prey."
Emily stood up, her lip still quivering. "I'm not prey. My name is Emily Janeway, I'm only a year old, my mommy's name is Captain Kathryn Janeway, my daddy's name is Q, my sisters name is Amelia Janeway. We are not prey we are people." She paused panting. "Please, I want to see my sister."
The Hirogen took a step back raising the shield up on the cell and turning his back on Emily. "I will see what I can do but I make no promises. I am not the alpha of this operation."
"Thank you." Emily peeked out from under the bed a little. "Even if you are trying to kill me."
