SPACE: 1999 YEAR 2

JOURNEY BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

SECTION FOUR: IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT

Just the slightest tint of light kept John Koenig's quarters from being completely dark. Snuggled up against him, Helena had already drifted off to sleep. But, despite the fact that he was exhausted, John simply could not turn his mind off.

They had lost three more good people. Alpha had sustained more damage. Three more Eagles. Gone.

After all these long months, the hope of ever returning to Earth had almost completely vanished. Even the expectation of discovering a nice, habitable planet was beginning to feel like a cruel fantasy. Every encounter with a promising planet or alien civilizations seemed to offer little more than a continuing struggle just to survive. In the end, it had been a constant chipping away at what perseverance and faith the Alphans had left.

And faith was in short supply these days.

Was it really any wonder, then, that emotional health concerns were starting to rise? That even the strongest among them were beginning to show cracks, not just in their resilience, but also in their very will to believe that their existence still had purpose.

Which brought him back, full circle. There would be the difficult matter of integrating Maya into their fragile, fraying community.

For tonight, he had kept their return from Psychon quiet, limited to just a few trusted staff. But dawn wouldn't be so forgiving. With a new day came new problems, and there could be no hiding.

First, there would be the formal disclosure of the deaths of Picard and Torens. He hadn't made the announcement yet. There was no good way to tell people at midnight that they had lost two more of their own, not when you were barely functioning yourself.

Picard, who had been all warmth and wit, who called everyone a friend. Torens, just beginning to explore what might have become a quiet love with a young technician. She would need to be told. And Koenig knew he would be the one. That would be his first duty, before anything else.

And then, there was Maya.

Verdeschi hadn't been wrong when he'd called some of their people hotheads. Koenig knew. He knew they were dedicated and loyal, but they had been pushed to their limits. Good men and women who had been tested one too many times. They were tired. Tired of wandering. Tired of barely surviving. Tired of waking up each day with no destination, no certainty, no tomorrow that they could plan for. For some, exhaustion was close to being replaced by resentment, frustration by fury.

And now he was bringing them a resident alien to live among them. The daughter of the very man who had not only tried to steal all of their minds but who had cost them two more lives.

Koenig exhaled slowly.

For some Alphans, this could be the spark. Justifiable or not, there were those looking for somewhere to aim their grief. Their fear. Their anger. Tony had been dead to rights to bring that up and John couldn't blame them.

God help him, he understood them.

After all, he had done the same. He had let his own rage guide his hands when he'd stormed into Mentor's grove, smashing consoles and tubes, destroying Psyche with the kind of fury that bypasses reason? The kind that comes not from strategy, but from pain.

He wasn't proud of it. Hardly the ideal model of restraint for a Commander but it was real. And it was human.

But he couldn't afford that again. Not now. Not when Alpha needed him balanced and of sound mind.

For what it was worth, Koenig was extremely thankful for Verdeschi's surprising acceptance of Maya. She was far safer with him than she would have been anywhere else on Alpha for the night. Remarkably, the two had already found some kind of unspoken understanding. If that bond held it could be what helped Alpha accept Maya as one of their own. And, maybe in time, Maya would see Alpha as more than just a place to survive.

He felt Helena's hand move along his chest and he smiled. The one thing that being cast astray from Earth had gifted him was his relationship with this beautiful and remarkable woman. He smiled as he closed his eyes. Content with her by his side, he hoped sleep would soon come. In the morning, he would once again resume the role of commander and the duty of ensuring survival for Moonbase Alpha.

Around 0400, Tony woke to the faint sound of whimpers and quiet cries. Gradually aware they came from Maya, he sighed sadly before pushing aside his blanket and padding across the cool floor, the soft yellow glow of the lights guiding him to her side. She lay restless, her pleas breaking into desperate words, growing louder with each breath.

He hesitated, torn between letting her dream and stepping in. He was security, not a caregiver. He wasn't trained for this. Hell, he wasn't even sure what this was. But he soon understood that this was no ordinary dream that would pass quickly. It was a nightmare. When her hushed whimpers turned into desperate pleas, when the terror in her voice made his skin crawl, something inside him shifted. Her sobs shattered the silence.

Maya's voice trembled with fear, pleading for someone not to harm her father. Then she let out a scream.

Abandoning any hesitation, Tony instinctively moved beside her, gathering her up into a firm yet gentle embrace in his arms. He couldn't undo the horror, couldn't bring back her father or her world. He surely couldn't give her any answers to the questions she now had but he could be an anchor in her storm. Softly he spoke, willing his presence to calm her.

But her distress only heightened. She twisted against him, unaware he was trying to help, her cries punctuating the darkness with frantic breaths. He tightened his hold just enough to try to reach her,

"Maya," he said, his voice steady, firm and calm. "Maya, wake up. You're safe."

She resisted, locked in fear, and he repeated her name, louder this time.

At last, she stopped moving, her eyes blinking open as the nightmare receded. Recognition was slow, dawning painfully.

"Tony," she whispered, disoriented. Then, a broken cry: "It's not a dream."

Her lips trembled, as if she might hold it together for just one moment longer. But then realization crashed over her, pulling her under like a wave. The flood gates opened, her weeping coming hard and fast. Her entire body shook, uncontrollable cries filled the room, and her breaths began to come in gasps, her emotions raw and consuming.

Verdeschi held her close, tight against his chest. But the storm inside her wasn't subsiding. It was only getting worse. Her sobs tore through him even as his arms tightened around her. Damnit, it was not enough. She was lost, drowning in grief and he knew he couldn't fix it. He could not stop it. With quick and purposeful movements, he let her go and stood up to move to retrieve his commlock from off of the table. As her heartbreaking cries filled his room, he knew, without a doubt, that he was not going to be able to calm her alone.

FRACTURES IN THE NIGHT

The sharp sound of Helena's commlock beeping abruptly stirred her and John from their restless sleep.

Helena, accustomed to being roused for night emergencies, instinctively reached for the device. Koenig rolled over to face her, his eyes filled with concern as he waited to see what was happening. Through the small communication device, Tony Verdeschi didn't need to utter a word; the anguish in Maya's cries transmitted all too clearly. Raw, unfiltered pain. Helena instantly became fully awake, transitioning into doctor mode almost instantaneously.

"I'll be right there," Helena quickly assured Tony, her voice laced with a mix of urgency and empathy. She hurried out of bed and grabbed John's discarded nightrobe since it was closest and slipped it on.

Koenig had already rolled over, propping himself up on an elbow, his features shadowed with concern. He didn't need to ask what was wrong. He could hear it.
"Need me?" he finally asked, his voice thick with sleep, but his eyes sharp.

"No," she reassured him as she grabbed the small medical kit that always stayed with her at night for just such emergencies. She sat down on the bed, sliding her feet into slippers. "I expected this," she told John in a soft voice. "She's scared and there's nothing familiar for her to cling to right now."

She blew him a quick kiss. "Go back to sleep, you've got a busy morning ahead of you."

With a soft smile, she hurried out the door and it swooshed shut behind her. Koenig exhaled, rubbing his jaw. Sleep wasn't coming back now. Not when the newest member of Alpha was breaking apart just mere corridors away.

Helena rushed down the corridor and swiftly entered Tony's quarters, medical kit in hand. Without a word, she went to work. The urgency of the situation sharpened her focus, and with practiced efficiency, she began preparing a small dose of sedative for the young Psychon. Every movement was precise and deliberate, reflecting years of medical training and experience in high-pressure situations. And she had expected this.
While she administered the sedative to Maya, she felt the weight of Tony's gaze on her. Dark eyes that tracked her every movement, dark eyes that were filled with anxiety, apprehension and concern. Concern emanated from him, in the way that he held Maya close, as if trying to shield her from further harm.

After she had given what she hoped would be enough to calm the young woman quickly, she looked at Verdeschi. He had begun to rock her back and forth, gently as her cries slowly began to lessen in intensity.
"It's a very small dose Tony," she reassured him, her voice gentle. "I'm unfamiliar with her physiology, so I'm erring on the side of caution."

She turned her attention back to Maya, observing her, looking for any immediate reactions. To her relief, the Psychon's trembling had begun to ease as well. The sedative was beginning to work.

Helena studied Tony quietly as he continued to cradle the girl in his arms. Tony Verdeschi, Alpha's Chief of Security, was now rocking a broken, grieving girl in his arms as if she were made of glass. Russell had expected protectiveness from him. What she hadn't expected was the depth of it.

"It should take full effect in a few minutes," Helena said softly, hoping to provide some comfort.

The minutes stretched out, each one feeling longer than the last, as they waited for the sedative to fully calm Maya. Tony continued to rock her gently, his whispered words of comfort barely audible but filled with heartfelt emotion. Helena remained by their side, her presence a steady anchor in the storm of emotions swirling around them.

Gradually, Maya's breathing slowed, the sharp edges of her sobs softening into quiet, shaky gasps. Satisfied that the sedative was taking effect, Helena rose from where she had been seated on the edge of Tony's bed. She stepped away briefly to dampen a washcloth in the bathroom. When she returned, Tony reached out a steady hand, taking the cloth from her without a word.

Shifting slightly away from Maya, he turned his full attention to her face, now streaked with tears that glistened faintly in the dim light. With infinite care, he pressed the cool cloth to her cheek, his thumb brushing away the lingering tears. They clung to her lashes like fragile remnants of the world she'd lost, and something inside him twisted at the sight.

"It's safe to go back to sleep," he murmured, his voice softer than he'd meant it to be.

Through the haze, through her exhaustion, Maya felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. Warmth. Safety. For the briefest moment, she allowed herself to believe it as he dabbed away each tear, his hand moving across her face softly.

Helena studied both him and the Psychon. Tony's hand movements as he wiped away Maya's tears seemed to be a counter to the anguish the girl had just endured. His touch seemed to linger, as though he could erase her pain one gentle sweep at a time. And Maya's eyes fluttered shut as sleep overtook her.

Her doctor's mind was assessing but something deeper – something purely human – sharpened her focus.

This wasn't just another duty task for the Italian.

He sat there, gently rocking her, his grip strong, but his touch unbearably tender, cradling her with patience and care that Helena would never have expected from Alpha's Security Chief. His hand moved absently against Maya's back, slow, reassuring circles, a quiet promise that she was safe. The way he wiped her tears—not rushed, not perfunctory, but as if he needed her to feel safe.

It hit Russell all at once. Oh, hell, this wasn't just going to be two Alphans coexisting on the same base. This was, eventually, going to be something else entirely. She saw it now. She knew she wasn't imagining it.

Tony Verdeschi, Alpha's brash, no-nonsense security chief, wasn't just protecting Maya. He was holding onto her like something precious. And whether he knew it or not… the Psychon had already changed something in him.

Maya let out a soft breath and the moment broke.

Visible exhaustion had depleted her, and she had now fully succumbed to the sedative's effects. Tony gently guided her back against the pillow, his fingers unconsciously brushing against her temple as he tucked the blanket around her.

A few more tears trickled down her cheeks, and without thinking, Tony wiped them away again.

Helena exhaled, watching as Maya's breathing evened out.

It was a small victory.

When she and Tony finally exchanged glances, the moment carried a quiet understanding. Helena Russell knew what she had just witnessed. Did he?

"Whew," Tony finally exhaled, his voice barely a whisper.

Helena reached out and squeezed his hand, the doctor in her stepping aside for the friend.

"You handled that very well," she quietly praised. "The first nightmare after such trauma and loss can be the most difficult and the most intense."

Tony didn't respond immediately. His gaze was still fixed on Maya, unreadable.

"I wonder how long she'll sleep," he finally murmured.

"It's hard to say without knowing her physiology more in depth," Helena admitted. "My guess would be around five hours, given the circumstances. We're making educated guesses tonight, Tony. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. You've done more than enough," he gave her a grateful smile.

She studied him now, really studied him. The exhaustion was there, in his eyes, in the tight lines of his face. But something else was there, too.

"Are you alright?" she asked gently.

Tony rubbed a hand over his face and gave a tired smirk. "I will be. Right now, I'd settle for some sedation myself."

Helena chuckled softly. "I think we all could use some rest. Why don't you try to get some more sleep?"

Though he tilted his head slightly, his attention never left Maya. Helena saw it again – the shift, the care. Without a doubt, she was certain this was going to lead to something else, given time.

"Yeah, you too," Tony murmured, his voice filled with a mixture of exhaustion and quiet determination.

Helena gathered up her medical kit and quietly exited the room, but the thoughts stayed with her.

Tony Verdeschi wasn't just watching over the young Psychon woman. He was already protecting her.

And that? That was something even he didn't realize yet.

Not yet.