"I believe we are at a stalemate." Kristin observed. "You have lost control of the ship," she allowed herself a smile.
"It would appear so, but I still have control of her crew." York smirked back. Now that he wasn't being addressed by an entity via the vidscreen, he felt calm and in control again.
Nathan tried to take back some that control, "what do you want? You still haven't told us."
York chuckled, "the UEO destroyed, I want the Navy to bleed."
"But why?" Nathan asked incredulously. "Why do you want to destroy everything the UEO does?"
"The UEO, and the government in general," York began scornfully. "Throws it's weight around and pretends to help people. But they're just as corrupt as any dictatorship on the planet."
"Corrupt? How are they corrupt?" Nathan prodded. He had the hunch that Lucas was trying to stall the man. Perhaps he could help by keeping him talking.
"They sit and hide behind policies and protocol. Meanwhile, people are dieing all around us."
Ben scoffed from his seat on the floor. "And you think stealing their flagship will help save people?"
York shook his head. "No, but I think sending a few missiles into Pearl Harbor will wake some people up. They will see the UEO as the aging and impotent agency that they are."
"Whatever did they do to you?" Kristin asked, sounding baffled.
"They didn't do their job." York said with finality.
Ford pointed down the hall, then held up one finger. Jayde nodded and handed her gun to him. She took a few short breaths to hyperventilate herself, and took off at a run. She skidded to stop when she saw the guard standing in front of the airlock. "No! Please!" She turned and pretended to run away in terror.
"Stop!" The guard shouted after her. He bolted down the corridor and rounded the corner in time for Ford to take aim and pierce his shoulder with a dart. He stumbled and blinked at the commander before crumpling in a heap.
"That's number three." Jayde said dryly, looking over the man. "I wonder what Hitchcock and Ortiz's score is." She took the tranquilizer gun back and refilled the dart. "Well, the next few ones won't work as fast, but it should be interesting. I'm out of the methohexital."
"What do you have now?" Ford asked her as he secured the man.
She grinned. "Liquid oxycodone, it's pretty powerful stuff. It won't knock them out right away, but they'll be laughing at the wall a few minutes later."
"Did you learn about medications at your survival camps?"
A sad look crossed her face. "No, actually. Just the basic first aid stuff. I know about these because of my mom. She was a drug and alcohol counselor, she helped people kick their addictions." She shook the bottle, "this has always been a popular one." She slipped the vial into her makeshift bag. "How many are left?"
Ford did some quick math, "six on the bridge, you took out one in the moon pool and the two in the hallway... so that leaves eight between us and Katie and Ortiz."
"Cool, I think we can handle eight." She paused and smirked slightly at the commander.
"What?"
"You call all the military personal by their title or last name... but not Katie sometimes. I just find that interesting." She pointed out with a mischievous grin.
Ford cleared his throat, "we... um, work together very closely most of the time."
"Right."
"Is it that obvious?" He asked exasperatedly.
Jadye shook her head. "I don't think so, sometimes it take a fresh pair of eyes to see something other people have missed."
"Why don't we keep going?" Ford changed the subject suddenly, gesturing down the hall. "We still have eight people to tranq."
"Yes, sir." Jayde said, smiling again.
"What job?" Ben asked, pulling up his knees and getting comfortable on the floor.
York shot him an angry look. "Nosy bunch of do-gooders, aren't you?"
"It will help us understand your situation. And possibly give us a safe outcome, you said it yourself, no one else has to die." Kristin attempted logically.
The man slumped in one of the bridge chairs and stared at his hands blankly. The sudden change in demeanor shocked everyone on deck. "Ten years ago, my family and I were living in a undersea lab, one of the first. We were studying pollution levels in the Gulf of Mexico, after Hurricane Katrina, for the US government."
"We... we didn't know just how dangerous it was. My wife and I let our two sons play in the water, we caught our own food." He drew a shaky breath. "It was too late when we found the high levels of mercury and lead in the water. They got sick. I asked the US Navy to help, to get us out of there and to stop the companies who were just dumping their damaged goods in the water."
He stood and fury sparked in his eyes. "They didn't get us out right away, they said they didn't have time and everyone would be fine if they stopped eating the food. The night they told me that, my younger son died. We didn't have a doctor down there, and they told us we wouldn't need any type of sub since we were so close to land and oil rigs." York started to pace and his voice grew louder. "But no one came! No one came to save my family!"
Kristin held her hand to her mouth to cover her horror. Tim and Ben both looked sick at what the man had suffered. Nathan swallowed and tried to keep his head level. "What happened next?" He asked quietly.
"They... they came a week later, my wife and other son were already dead." York reported in a dull voice. "They said it wasn't only the mercury and lead, it was some combination with the pesticides that washed out of the delta was what killed him. I just wanted answers, I wanted the people responsible to pay. But... I was told it was hundreds of companies, farmers, small business owners, and to fine them so soon after the hurricane would destroy the economy there."
He shook his head, still in disbelief. "I tried everything to get them to listen... I did some things... that I regret... but they just wouldn't listen." York raised his head and the expression of rage replaced the sorrow, he slowly raised a shaking hand to point to the weapons console. "But they damn well will listen to this."
"Stay here," Ford ordered Jayde quietly, handing her a sidearm. Since the darts would no longer knock people out immediately, he was not interested in letting her get close to any of the armed men. An expression rebellion flickered across her features before she nodded. He checked around a corner after hearing a footstep and slowly followed the sound down the hallway.
Jayde crouched low, watching him. He shot a glance back to her and pointed into an open door. She nodded again one time, and he disappeared through it. Jayde rocked back on her heels and allowed herself lean against the wall in that position. Coming aboard, she knew she might be in danger on the ship, but she never expected to be dealing with something like this. I've fought my battles already. Why do I have to keep proving myself? She thought in frustration.
She heard a boot grind on the metal flooring and snapped herself from the self pity that was encompassing her. Starting to rise, she looked around the corner but didn't see Ford. The sound was behind her, and a hand clamped down on her shoulder, leaving her in the vulnerable stance.
The gun she was holding loosely was kicked from her hand before she could bring it up. An angry face smirked down at her. "Well, what did I find? Little commando girl?" Jayde tried to stand, but the extra weight on her shoulder was enough to keep her off balance and her leg muscles quivered under the strain.
"Please, I... I just want to go home." She faked a sob, hoping for a measure of mercy.
The man's smirk grew cruel and he eyed her form approvingly, "maybe if you're a good girl, and you do everything I say..." He stepped back and motioned to her with his rifle. "Up, put your hands behind your back."
Jayde started to turn away from the wall, but instead of standing she dropped to her back. Both feet shot up, one caught the man in the groin, the other, behind his knee. He collapsed to the floor, on his knees with a shout of pain. His rifle twisted behind his body and he fought to bring it out. Jayde got her feet under her and jammed the heel of her palm into the bridge of his nose. His eyes went out of focus, and his face bounced off the metal floor beside her.
There were running foot steps behind her and Jayde pushed herself all the way up, lapsing into a defensive posture as she spun round. Ford came around the corner, holding the tranquilizer ready. Ortiz and Katie were behind him. He saw the surge of adrenalin and fear in her eyes when she glimpsed the barrel of the gun. "It's ok, Jayde." He lowered the weapon, and reached out for her.
She backed away from him, blinking a few times and finally closed her eyes tightly. Jayde leaned heavily against the wall and took several deep breaths. After a minute, she nodded. "How many are left?"
"We think that was the last one." Katie told her gently. "We are going to the science labs to see if Rylie got a call out. And we sent everyone we freed there as well."
"Ok, just let me drug him." Jayde reached for the tranquilizer gun and Ford handed it to her. Her face was a mask when she pointed it at the man and pulled the trigger, sending the dart deep into his leg. "Sweet dreams, asshole." She whispered. Jayde tossed the gun back at Ford. "Let's go."
The adults exchanged uneasy glances, something had snapped in the girl. Ford thought back to his discussion with her, but didn't share it with the others. If she killed some one the last time she was pushed too far, she may very well lose herself completely this time.
