A/N: Apologies, two days late, but this week has been insane.
Elle was on the bridge when the Red Alert went off. "Intruder alert, deck twelve," Worf reported.
"Another subspace reflection. Dimensional shift, sir," Wesley said, fingers flying over the console.
"Go to Red alert. Sound general quarters," Picard ordered.
Elle sat down on the end of the central dais and watched the progression of red dots on the internal sensors. "Engineering," she realized.
"Clear Engineering!" Worf ordered.
Elle almost chewed through her lip trying to keep quiet as La Forge dealt with an explosive on the warp core. Two seconds, and we'd be toast. She forced down a shudder.
"More dimensional shifts, sir," Wesley reported tersely.
Elle bit her lip and prayed there were no casualties. Come on, Alexa, if you're gonna do something, do something.
"Can you calibrate their destination?" Picard asked.
Wesley grimaced. "No, sir, the readings are-"
Two of the terrorists appeared on the bridge, and one fired at the navigation console. Elle dove to the ground with a yelp, away from the flying sparks. Picard, closest to him, punched him right in the face and knocked him down. The other terrorist shot Worf in the leg at the same time he shot her.
Troi yelled, "Security! Code one emergency. Security!"
The man grabbed Picard, the woman grabbed Elle by the arm, and before Elle could even lash out, the world disappeared.
The world reappeared a second later and Elle almost puked at the disorientation. "Wh-"
The woman shoved her gun right into Elle's face. "Don't try anything," she warned the captain.
Picard glared helplessly as they locked his hands behind his back.
The man, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up. His tone was gracious in spite of the gun aimed at Picard's heart. "My name is Finn. I'm afraid you'll have to be on your best behavior, captain, while you two are our guests."
"Keep me but send the girl back," Picard said. "She has no part in this."
"No?" Finn asked. "How old are you, girl?"
Elle lifted her chin and didn't say anything.
He scoffed. "She's old enough to understand what's going on here. She has a part in this." He gestured. "This way."
They were unceremoniously frog-marched through tunnels until they ended up in a room with a few cots. Finn manacled Picard's feet to one of the metal frames of the cots. "I don't know how Federationers do it, but if you try anything, this girl's life is in your hands," Finn said, almost pleasantly. "All you have to do is sit tight."
Elle expected to be chained up next to him, but Finn took her arm and led her away. "Would you like a tour?" he asked.
"Not particularly," she said, attempting to be polite instead of kicking him in the- did Rutians have similar biology to humans? She hadn't checked. She could always kick him in the kneecaps. But there were too many people with guns around.
"Hm. Too bad. You should see what we're fighting for."
"Pineapple on pizza?" Elle asked.
He gave her a flat look. "You think you're clever."
"Not really. I have a tumblr filter that overrides common sense when I'm nervous."
Finn smirked. "Good to know." He took her on a 'tour' of the facility, monologuing mid-tier villain-style about freedom, justifiable violence, and the totalitarianism of the Rutian world government.
Elle tuned him out around the second minute, focusing instead on points of exit, or possibly stealing a dimension jumping device. Basically all we have to do is wait for Wesley to figure it out and for Worf to get down here. If it takes too long, I'm going to miss my call home to Spock and then you'll really see the meaning of 'terror'.
"Are you even listening?" Finn asked, shaking her.
Elle scowled at him. "Why would I listen to you?"
"Ah." He gazed at her sorrowfully. "I see the Rutians have already corrupted you to their way of thinking. You think we're the bad guys."
Elle raised her eyebrow in her best you-illogical-fool imitation. "You kill random people for a living. How are you not the bad guy?"
"I am fighting for my people's freedom," he shot back.
Elle folded her arms. "I grew up in the middle of the largest white terrorism movement on my planet," she said. "I didn't go to public school because of people like you and your mentality. I saw entire nations destroyed because of conflicting ideologies."
"Then you know this method works."
Elle glared at him.
He chuckled. "Ah, the idealism of the young." He ushered her back to where Picard was, and chained Elle's right wrist to the metal railing. "It won't be long," he said smugly, and left.
"Are you all right?" Picard asked quietly.
Elle nodded. "He gave me the grand tour. No accessible access to the surface except through the dimensional shifting. And there's no way to get to the shield generators they're using."
"Did you see Beverly?"
"No. I don't think he wanted me to see all their casualties."
Picard met her gaze. "It's going to be all right, Elle."
"Yes, sir." She reached out to poke at the handcuffs. "Maybe I can unlock these..."
"I doubt it."
Elle grinned and poked at the access port. "I don't know, Scotty taught me some cool stuff about locks. And keys."
They heard footsteps.
Elle moved away from him.
It was Dr. Crusher. "Jean-Luc. Elle..." She came over, cupped Elle's face in her hands. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Elle said, giving her a half-hug.
One of the freedom fighters walked by the entrance of the room, eyeing them warily. Dr. Crusher turned to the open med kit and started to lay them out and recalibrate them. "What happened?" she asked.
"Worf went down. I don't know if he's alive or dead. And there were other casualties."
"Was Wes on the Bridge?" Crusher asked, a waver in her voice.
"Yes. He took cover. I didn't see any more than that."
"He's fine," Elle supplied.
"But you all right though?" Picard asked,
"Yes." Crusher sat down on the other side of Picard. "There aren't any exits except by transporter or dimensional shift. A mode of travel I'd encourage you to avoid. It's killing them."
"They're mad."
Crusher sighed. "I don't know any more. The difference between a madman and a committed man willing to die for a cause. It's all become blurred over the last few days."
"That's the hostage brainwashing talking," Elle interrupted. "He was willing to kill a thousand people just to get Federation involvement instead of, you know, sending an email like a normal person."
"So you were listening," Finn said, amused. He entered the room. "The Federation will quickly tire of our little war. They'll want you back. They will want to get as far away from Rutia as they can. And I will not make it easy. Eventually, the Federation will force the government into make concessions. And then a few more, and then a few more. Until we can finally reach an honourable agreement that saves face for all sides. Except we win."
Picard lifted his chin defiantly. "You understand I will not cooperate with you in any way."
"You've already cooperated, Captain, just by coming here." Finn left again.
Dr. Crusher stood up reluctantly. "I, can't stay. I have to go back to the infirmary."
"Be careful," Picard said.
She gave him a look, and left.
Not that they're giving off old married couple vibes at all, or anything, Elle thought to herself. Hold on. Wasn't there a declaration of some sorts? Or an almost? Ugh, I should've watched Season 3 more often.
They waited. The chain tying Elle to the bed wasn't long enough to reach to the other bed. Picard offered his shoulder. "Not as cuddly as Captain Kirk but that's fine," Elle told him, leaning against him as he wriggled to get comfortable with his hands tied behind his back. "Four out of five stars, would get taken hostage with again."
He huffed a laugh. "I can't imagine Captain James T. Kirk as a cuddler," he said.
"Oh, super tactile, he gives the best hugs," Elle said, wistfully. "Of course Bones comes in at number two, he gives like, dad hugs. Then I'd have to say Uhura at number three. Then Chapel. Then Scotty. Then Lt. Athende, because he's got like ten arms. Then maybe Kevin Riley..."
Picard smiled. "Perhaps, when we get out of this situation, we could visit the holodeck. They have an excellent hiking trail through the foothills of the French Alps, stunning views. Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"Actually, yes," Elle said. "That sounds awesome."
"Excellent. We'll have to do that."
Eventually Elle took a nap, and when she woke up, Dr. Crusher was back.
"Beverly, how dangerous would another ride through the inverter be to us?" the captain was asking.
"I don't know. But I don't want you to start thinking about-"
"Beverly, it is our obligation to think of escape."
"True," Elle piped up, pushing her hair out of her face as she sat up and helped the captain to sit up straight.
"He's prepared to kill you, both of you," Dr. Crusher replied.
"An excellent reason to escape. Do you think you've gained his confidence?"
The doctor made a funny face and handed over a sketchbook.
"Oooh," Elle said. "Did he get rejected from art school? Is that why he turned to violence?"
Dr. Crusher gave her an odd look. "Art, school?"
"Yeah, you know, like Hitler!"
They stared at her. "The, German?"
Elle stared at them in shock. "The, you know? The cause of World War II?" At further blank looks, she shook her head. "Okay, never mind. Apparently that joke's been lost to time. Carry on. We have an advantage here."
"Indeed," Picard said, frowning.
Dr. Crusher leaned forward to meet his gaze. "Jean-Luc, there are some things I want to tell you in case we don't get out of this."
Picard's gaze softened. "Beverly. I know."
Elle's eyes widened and she put a hand over her mouth. Worf if you come in and ruin this I'm going to kill you.
Nothing happened.
Elle tried desperately to pretend she wasn't watching her parental units confess their deep, undying love to one another, one foot away from where she was sitting. This is so awkward I wouldn't even mind being shot right now.
The lights went out.
"Oh thank the Great Bird," Elle said fervently. "They found us."
The lights came back on at lower intensity.
Finn burst into the side cavern, gun aimed at Picard's chest.
"Finn, don't," Crusher entreated.
His gaze caught on Picard and Crusher's joined hands, and his eyes narrowed. He lifted the gun.
A shot from one of the Rutian security officers hit him in the back and he fell to the ground. Worf and Riker barrelled into the room.
"Captain!" Worf neatly phasered the various restraints. "Elle."
"We're fine," Elle said.
"He's dead," Crusher reported, kneeling next to Finn.
Elle edged closer to Picard.
"You didn't have to kill him," Riker said grimly.
The security officer looked resigned. "As a prisoner he would have been a focus for violence as his followers tried to free him. Now, he's a martyr. But the death toll might go down, at least in the short term. It's an imperfect solution for an imperfect world."
Picard's eyes widened. "Riker!"
Elle turned and froze in horror to see a boy, maybe twelve, holding a weapon pointed right at her. Two policemen were right behind him, guns pointed at his head. I was kidding about the being shot!
"No more killing," Dr. Crusher entreated.
Slowly, the boy lowered his gun, and slowly he was ushered away into custody with the others.
Elle took a deep breath, suddenly shaky. "Okay." She stepped closer to Worf. "Can we go home now?"
Riker nodded. "Enterprise, five to beam up."
They arrived on the Enterprise and Riker walked them directly to sickbay.
Dr. Abajian was waiting for them. "How's the guts?" he asked, ushering Dr. Crusher, Picard, and Elle to diagnostic beds. He scanned each of them. "You only passed through the dimensional shift once each, none of you seem to have suffered any ill effects." He patted Elle on the arm. "You seem to be suffering a lack of dinner, but that's all."
Wesley burst through the doors, Troi on his heels. "Mom!"
"Wes!"
Elle turned to look at Picard, grinning.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Not one word," he said mildly.
"No, sir," Elle replied, and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek.
Wesley gave Elle a hug, too. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Elle resolutely did not think about Finn's body, facedown in front of her, or the scared eyes of the boy who'd almost shot her. "Yeah," she said. "I'm fine."
Troi gave her a sharp look but left it alone.
"Shall we?" Picard asked, ushering everyone out of sickbay.
It did not escape Elle's notice that he put his hand on Beverly's lower back as they walked out of sickbay. She grinned to herself. "You have excellent timing, Commander," she said.
Riker gave her a side hug. "Oh yeah?" he asked.
"Yeah. Hey Worf? Since I got taken hostage and survived does that mean I'm cleared for away teams?"
He scowled at her. "No."
"Aw, c'mon!"