Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Beth felt tears sting her eyes as she saw another figure beamed into their tiny storage room, and she crawled over to the body, ignoring the boys, who were still whining and freaking out like little pansies, even after 12 hours in this place. It was Faith, the blonde owner of the ranch, and she brushed her hair back, examining her for injuries.
Faith blinked awake and tried to sit up, but Beth gently held her down. "Let me make sure you're not hurt, ok?" she whispered, and Faith frowned at her.
"You're ok!"
That was enough to make her start crying. "Yeah...they haven't hurt us, but they have weapons. Are you ok? Do you think you're injured?"
"No, I'm alright...damn it...I need to contact my husband...Greg is probably freaking out by now, and Ammie and Bob...where are we?"
"We don't know, but I think we're in orbit. They always beam boxes in here, and then men come and unload it. Then they beam the boxes away."
On impulse, Beth wrapped her arms around Faith, hiding her tears. "I'm sorry I protested you. Do you forgive me?"
Faith patted her on the head. "You were just doing what you thought was right. It's ok, kid, it's ok. Now, do you know what time the boxes beam in and out?"
Beth nodded and sniffed. "3 A.M."
Faith looked around. "I think we can work with that...somehow."
…
Solok was scouring the compound trying to find Faith, but there was no trace of her left. He was about to head back to the house when he received a call on his PADD from Strom.
"Greg, I have been trying to get a hold of Ammie for several hours now. I need to be picked up."
Solok raised his eyebrow in reflex. "She is not with you?"
"An illogical question, Solok. The surprise in your eyes is that you do not..."
Solok raised his hand as he approached the gate. "Ammie's car is here and is abandoned."
Strom closed his eyes, breathing in slowly. "They must have taken her as well..."
Solok snorted impatiently, and headed back to the house. "I will be there momentarily. We will be closed today, and will remain closed until we find them."
"Agreed. I do not feel anything from her. I believe she might be unconscious."
He nodded. "I believe Faith may be awake. I feel worry and nervousness from her...not outright panic. Ammie is likely with her."
"Let us hope so."
…
Ammie groaned as she came to consciousness, but she smiled as she saw Faith hovering over her, manually checking her for injuries. "Hey, sister...what happened to you? Where are we?"
"Beth thinks we're on a ship."
"Beth is here? She's ok? Thank God...I thought McCreepster had...well, you know..."
Beth cried a little again and hugged Ammie around the neck. "I'm so sorry for-"
Ammie patted her. "Be sorry later..." She looked over and saw the boys sniveling in the corner. "You two, you better be helpful now and when we get out of here, or I'm turning you in for vandalism."
The two nodded their heads and muttered that they would help. Ammie looked down at Beth. "Get the boys organized for a minute while Faith and I talk."
Beth crawled over to the boys, and once she was out of earshot, Ammie looked at Faith. "Have you tried to contact Solok yet?" she whispered.
"No, I've only been awake a few minutes myself. Apparently two guards come out when the boxes materialize in that center platform. It takes exactly 20 minutes for them to unload the contents, and then the boxes beam down again."
Ammie bit her lip. "Do you think we can jump the guards and go down with the boxes?"
"I think it is our only shot. We'll need help no doubt...thank goodness we're bonded."
"Yeah, thank our lucky stars. Let's try contacting them...see what happens."
"Solok is tugging on our bond...is Strom tugging yours?"
"You mean that niggling feeling in the back of my head?" she whispered. "Like someone's trying to tug my brain out of my skull?"
"Yeah...same feeling here. Tug back and let him know you're not injured."
…
"She is responding," Solok said aloud, breathing out in relief.
"So is Ammie. They are not injured, it seems, only prisoners."
Solok pulled into the camp and walked with Strom up to their rooms. He pulled out two phase pistols. "We will proceed to talk to them via our bonds, perhaps make a plan that way."
Strom nodded. "That is agreeable."
…
Faith grabbed her head and fell on her rear. "Yes I hear you," she said out loud.
Do not speak out loud, Faith. Just think your words and I will hear them.
Can Ammie do this too?
Not with us, but let me know your thoughts, ashaya...and when I do I will withdraw so Strom and I can make a plan.
She relayed the information to him, and he fed her calm and peace as he withdrew his thoughts from the bond, concentrating on Strom, who was apparently still talking to Ammie.
"Strom," he said gently, and the doctor shook himself from his reverie, blinking in surprise.
"We will have to teach them aggressive neuropressure."
The doctor nodded. "My thoughts exactly. And though I am concerned that our cover has been destroyed, I do not regret sacrificing this mission to save she who is my wife, and she who is your wife. Their safety is paramount, and Ammie said the hayride operator intended to kill us. He doubts that we are Vulcan now, but it is time to close in on him and complete this mission."
Solok hung his head. "We will not be able to catch the person in charge of this operation..." He took a breath. "Unless...we are able to seize all the drugs after we rescue our wives. Once we have this hayride man in custody, we will be able to use his device to seize the ship."
"Then we will make it so," Strom said with a nod. "For now, it is time to teach our wives the aggressive tactic."
…
Ammie blinked out of her second contact with Strom. "Did you get it, Faith?"
"I think so." She motioned for one of the boys to come to her, and she pinched him out once his shoulder was in arm's reach. As he fell, she suppressed the desire to cheer. "Yup, got it, now all we have to do is wait for the guards."
Beth giggled. "Good riddance. Now we don't have to hear him whine."
…
Ammie looked at the floor as the smugglers came into the room, and all except for one ignored them as they began unpacking their goods. The only one watching them had a phaser, but one of the others called him away to help her with a package.
Beth eyed them both, and Ammie slowly stood, waiting on Faith to stand before slowly advancing on the smugglers.
"Look at that, Crissie...that'll be enough to pay your bills for five more years!"
Crissie laughed bitterly. "Don't I wish! I won't get enough to buy myself some new clothes with the amount he takes out with every shipment."
Ammie grabbed the other smuggler's shoulder and pressed his nerves, and he collapsed. The other criminals didn't notice, and Faith disabled Crissie before she could cry out. By the time the others turned around, Ammie and Faith were already pressing on their shoulders, and they crumpled to the floor.
"All right, everyone needs to get into these boxes. Quickly. We only have maybe fifteen minutes to clear this stuff."
…
Solok brought out his scanner but Strom pushed it down. "Think about it, Solok. Every time we have manned a device we have, he has escaped detection. If there is a ship nearby, then it is cloaked, whether Romulans are involved or not...they have Romulan technology."
Solok sighed. "We will have to do this the hard way then."
"Like stalking through the Forge for water during our test."
Solok blinked. "You did not use the cave at the edge of the Gateway?"
Strom frowned. "No..."
"Ah..." he said with a smirk.
"What cave?"
"Nevermind. We must find this smuggler before he discovers our wives in his supposedly empty boxes."
Strom shivered slightly at the thought of Ammie being found by the head of this operation, then set his thoughts back on finding Ammie.
They passed the actor's barn and walked on into the woods, and Solok gripped his phaser a little tighter, listening with all his might for any noise or breathing, or footsteps. Strom was listening too, and watching the ground for twigs that might give them away.
There was no sound for several minutes but the whisper of the wind in the trees, and a wolf howling in the distance. The moon was bright and cold, lending them some light, but they had to rely on their superior night vision to avoid colliding with trees or getting scraped by branches.
"Do you see the light up ahead?" Solok murmured, pointing off to their left. Strom could see the bobbing of flashlights, and they looked at each other once, then set off through the trees, silently flitting from tree to tree.
Strom could hear himself breathing, and he could hear the footsteps coming toward him. He swallowed, calculating that they had five more minutes before the next beamout. He caught glimpse of Solok in the silver of the moonlight.
A shadow passed by both of them, they caught each other's eyes and nodded. They slipped silently from their hiding places and followed, their footsteps as soft as a sehlat on the prowl.
Up ahead, there was a small campfire, and the skeletal figure stood before the fire. He was nervous and twitching. Strom thought he might be on the drugs he was shipping.
Strom and Solok got to the edge of the clearing, then stopped. If they pounced too soon, they might lose their wives, but too late and the smuggler might harm them before he and Solok can make their moves.
In the distance, birds broke into flight, crying into the wind that there was evil afoot.
…
Ammie closed her eyes, waiting for Strom and Solok to disable the man before they could get out of the boxes. Faith sat beside her, covering her mouth as to not attract the man's attention, and they stiffened even further as they heard footsteps pacing in front of their boxes.
She reached down and gripped Faith's hand, closing her eyes to steady herself. She heard the box lid opening, and she stifled her gasp as she looked up at the drug boss, shivering as his eyes made her blood run cold.
