Heva lay quietly on the bed, her eyes were closed but only to emanate a sense of false sleep should Lore look in on her. Hours had come and gone since she finished her work with the plague and since then she mulled over the possibility of a plan. She knew that she could get into Lore's quarters, there was no doubt. Once she was in there, she would look for a log or some private means of recording information. He was hiding something and she knew it. Though the risk was high and she could very well be killed in her pursuit for answers, she had to know what was really going on.

She checked the time, 11:30 hours. She listened with a dead heart for Lore's footsteps in the corridor. He always walked by this room on his way to the bridge. Sometimes he would peak in on her. Other times he would merely pass her by. It was only a few short days since her capture, however the pattern was very clear. And there it was; the light, rhythmic pounding of feet down the corridor. The sound grew louder and, to Heva's horror, died once Lore was in front of the door. Heva found herself paralyzed on the bed. She had to force herself to breathe heavily like one in a deep sleep. She hoped with all of her might that he wouldn't come in tonight only to have those hopes dashed as the sound of her door opening echoed in the blackness.

He drew closer to her until she could feel him right beside her bed. She distinctly heard the light rustle of clothing as he knelt beside her. It instantly became a harder task to act like she was passed out. She could only pray she was convincing. Suddenly, the cold bite of a hand intruded her senses while it began trailing down her left cheek. It moved roughly down her face, over her jawbone, and over her throat. There was a pause just as his fingers laced over her collar bone and she felt his body climb over hers. The fear coiling around her heart constricted. She didn't want him to touch her anymore. His lingering hand began to make her skin twitch uncomfortably. "Please stop" she begged silently.

She could feel his hair against her neck as he bowed his head onto her shoulder. The hand on her collar bone was now pressing in harder, crushed by his chest. It became harder for her to breathe, though not from the pressure of his heavy body on hers. Lore turned his head, his lips grazing Heva's temple slightly. The lightest shiver rushed vertebrae after vertebrae down her spine and her mind went blank.

Much to her displeasure, Lore pressed his lips against Heva's hairline. Once he let go, they found her ear again. "I wish you would see me as you see him, Heva." he whispered. The words sank in as Lore rose away from her and Heva heard him stand. He hesitated at her bedside for a few moments then left the room, his footsteps slowly expiring down the hall. Heva slowly sat up and leaned forward onto her knees. Among the other encounters with Lore in which he attempted to seduce her, this didn't feel so cold. Now her suspicions of a hidden purpose were so high that she leapt from the bed and covered herself with the robe Lore provided to her before entering the hall.

Checking to make sure she was alone, Heva stepped out and followed a path to Lore's quarters. The corridors were black except for the dim glow of the computers on the wall. Heva's eyes strained against the unnatural darkness while her hands served as sight to find Lore's door. At last the wall caved in and she heard the quiet whooshing as the door opened for her.

The room shed some light into the corridor which made Heva dash inside just in case Lore should be lingering behind her. She slowly exhaled and pressed her back against the wall, relieved that she'd gotten this far. She scanned the room. There was no bed, only a small cot that barely looked used. A desk sat against the wall across the room. A monitor and a few information pads sat on it, hopefully important. She walked over to it and examined each of them. Two of the pads merely gave information on the ships makeup and the status of the newly installed systems.

She then came upon one that gave the formula for the antidote. Her heart jumped as she scanned the complex, yet simple composition. Beverly had been right about the bacteria needed, but the other mixtures therein were unrecognizable. Her eyes scanned over it with top speed, memorizing it as best she could before moving on. The next pad was empty, so from there she went to the monitor.

There were log entries from the past week in the system. The third one was made only a few days prior to her capture. Heva opened it.

"Star Date 56758.2. My pursuit of the Enterprise is proving quite successful. My readings show that I will be at their coordinates in 22 hours and 11 minutes. At that time, I will infiltrate the ship and kidnap the Commander as planned. Hopefully, I will have his attention once this is done." The entry ended. 'His' attention? Whose? Heva was unsure if he meant the Captain or someone else. Perhaps the head of the counsel? She moved on to the next entry for more answers.

"Star Date 56768.3. I have the Commander on the ship. She is indeed fiery in spirit, but like all humans she has her weaknesses. However her drive is exactly what I need to carry out my purpose of taking over the Federation and improving the galaxy's current state to my liking. She along with the other officers I will ask to be provided with will make perfect tools in my journey to a better future. I'm sure that by now he's become quite worried. Hopefully once my message is delivered and my intentions made clear, he will come for her." "Star Date 56778.4. The message has been delivered and soon the Federation will break to my demands. I will have control. But it will be lonely…I have offered the Commander a place at my side. I have never felt something like this in my whole life. I want him to join with me…but having Heva Brookes at my right hand would be equally as valuable. Perhaps the both of them together would be just as satisfying if not more." "He. Him. Ugh!" Heva snapped under her breath. She couldn't stand the secrecy in these entries. Hopefully the answer would be in the entries following.

"Supplemental entry. My original intentions of having my dear brother, Data join me in my rule over the galaxy have changed. Like in my previous entry, my offer to Commander Brookes to join me has gone from motivational intention to true want. Though having Data beside me at the throne would give me great advantages as well as having power from both of our skills combined, having a queen is just as appealing. Perhaps I could just drain Data's memory banks into my own and keep his woman with me instead. This feeling is altogether new to me. But I have no doubt that my only purpose for carrying this out is to have knowledge of Star Fleet through my beloved bride and brother rather than anything else."

Heva sat quietly. Her blood boiled as the rage pooled in her stomach. She knew that Lore's reason for kidnapping her was more than what he told her it was. All along he'd intended to use Data as his link to the Federation. He wanted to use Data's knowledge to penetrate their systems and get inside so that he could take over more easily should his original plan fail. He would use him and the engineers to build a race of beings not unlike them; a so called 'perfect' race.

He told her that she was going to be this link. But really she was only the bait for the bigger fish; Data.

Now, he wanted Heva by his side and to use both her and Data's knowledge to take control. She couldn't let that happen.

"I have to destroy him." Heva whispered to the emptiness. "Somehow, I have to. The Enterprise will come for me. If they do, they'll find a way onto the ship and Data will be with them. If he comes, Lore will take him and to save me Data will relinquish without question…I can't let that happen. I won't let it."

Heva stood, turned, and screamed as Lore's fingers found her throat. The look in his serpent colored eyes was livid, frosty and evilly lustful. He lifted her off of the ground, air became harder to consume as she grew higher. Her eyes began to pulse as she gasped. His expression never changed while she stared helplessly down at him.

Just as Heva felt she would lose consciousness, Lore threw her violently to the ground. Heva's head came into contact with the corner of Lore's desk on the way down. The pain radiated from her temple down into her now watery eyes. She attempted to stand and fight only to be thrown back down with a blow to the face. The taste of blood paid a morbid visit to Heva's tongue; her lip was cut.

Lore kicked her in the stomach, causing blood to spray from Heva's mouth. Another heavy hit and Heva felt as though she would die. Lore grabbed Heva's shirt and pulled her to stand and bent her backward over the desk. With his free hand he slapped her hard across the face three times before finally halting and bringing her forcefully to eye level.

He scanned her up and down, anger flowing from every inch of him. Heva spat at him, getting him directly in the pupil of his left eye. It had no affect physically. However Heva found that this was a wrong action as his hand gripped her cheeks tightly, forcing her to stare directly into his eyes.

"Now that you are fully aware of my plans, Commander," he hissed. "It's time for you to help me alter them. And you will do it without defiance. I will see to that." He released her briefly only to grab the back of her collar to pull her screaming out of the room and down the hall. Her cries echoed through the silent corridors only to be heard by the walls around her.

Here, she was now more alone than she had ever been.