Love Is a Peculiar Thing 2/3

Posted on Wed Feb 6th, 2019 @ 10:34am by Lieutenant Commander Mnhei'sahe Dox & Lieutenant Asa Dael

Mission: Earthly Visitation
Location: Mars
Timeline: After Part 1

There was not much worse in the universe to Asa than a person who would harm others for as paltry a reason as profit. However knowing the intended purpose was a help….after all, Jake would need to keep them alive in order to make a profit. Well, probably would need to keep them alive. Maybe.

“And how much is a life worth?” Asa sneered in response.

This was clearly the wrong move. A booted foot was applied quickly and with great force to Asa’s abdomen, knocking the air out of them and leaving Asa gasping for air through a clenched jaw. Jake reached down and backhanded them across the face before taking a handkerchief out of his back pocket and stuffing it in Asa’s mouth to act as an impromptu gag.

“Yours? I have no idea, you are just a tasty bonus to take to The Collector. El-Aurian’s are rare, but not unheard of. But a genderless El-Aurian? And a baby to boot? That’s a treasure rarely come by. Of course your parents will be looking for you, but I’m confident we will be far enough away before too long that they won’t be able to use any freaky El-Aurian abilities to find us. Poor little child, should have stuck with Mommy and Daddy,” he concluded, stroking one hand down their face in mock concern.

He doesn’t realize I’m here alone. Gods, I’m so screwed. I’m going to die. He’s going to sell me and I’m going to die….Wait. Breathe, Asa. He doesn’t realize you are Starfleet either. When you don’t show up as expected they will start looking for you. There is no way the Hera will leave without you. The captain wouldn’t do that, Rita wouldn’t do that, and I think Dox would refuse to fly without at least some explanation of my absence. Clemens will lead the hunt, probably wearing too many gadgets for his own good, Thex will find a way to get the ship closer to use its tools without being seen, Sonak will have the composure to find a logical solution….

They continued to go through the list of the crew, one at a time, thinking of what each person would contribute to the effort to find them, realizing their makeshift family would not let them down. They just had to stay in one piece until rescue came. It was then that Asa realized…rescue would come for them. Virildi had no one coming to rescue them. All Virildi had was one Lieutenant Junior Grade Doctor Asa Dael. Well. Shit.

Resolve flooded the doctor’s mind. This maniac would not be allowed to sell their new friend to another maniac. To live in a universe where that happened was simply unacceptable, so Asa would not accept it. They would find a way to stop this travesty from occurring.

The sound of the boats engine changed, indicating the vessel was starting out over deeper waters. Asa’s brow furrowed, they had been expecting the band to put ashore in the same area that Asa had been staying. Knowing they would not be able to effect anything in their current position, Asa decided to conserve their energy and wait for an opportunity. Of course, their kidnapper was expecting a child….and a child would not behave the same way a Starfleet officer would. A child would be terrified and acting much different. If they were to have any chance of success, Asa’s kidnappers would need to think of them as helpless and fearful. Only then would they lessen their guard, allowing a chance for escape.

The doctor curled in on themselves as best as their bonds would allow and began sniffling and trembling as if holding back tears. Jake glanced down derisively, muttering something to himself about weak willed children. Once Asa ensured no one was looking at them, they spared a wink for Virildi and resumed cowering.

Think Asa, they berated themself, How are they keeping Virildi contained? Obviously some sort of special high-pressure container, but Virildi should be able to escape pressure alone. There must be a localized gravity field also. That would explain why it took two of them to carry the container once it had been sealed. So if I want to free them, I need to what? Reverse gravity? No, no, obviously unseal the container somehow. He sealed it with his hands on the mechanism, and I don’t see any biometric readers on there….so if I can get my arms free somehow I can scootch over there and at least get Virildi free. Well, except for the vacuum device Jake used, curse him. That has to be out of play too.

The vacuum pack was sitting directly next to Virildi’s container- directly between the two security thugs. There was no way they would allow Asa to get close enough to do anything. Desperately searching for any kind of tool, Asa acted as if they were being wracked by sobs and twisted and turned to survey what was on hand. The only options that presented themselves were the utility tools directly on the belts of Jake and his goons, so Asa wrote that off immediately.

They had been so occupied with searching for a way out that Asa did not realize the engines had cut off until they felt one of the goons picking them up and tossing them over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The boat swayed slightly in the ocean water and nothing could be seen for miles around. Asa’s heart sunk into their stomach with the realization that they were about to be transported off to who knows where.

Soon enough the twinkly lights that spoke of Federation transporter technology enveloped the entire assemblage, and when Asa next opened their eyes they saw drab, clinical hallways filled with dust. Small circular windows looked out onto a parched red landscape, revealing other structures, mostly white, with circular windows and some with glass dome tops. No one was seen moving outside, the entire area looked to be covered in red dust and was clearly long since abandoned. The power in the hallway flickered, as if unaccustomed to being in operation.

Mars? I’m on Mars? In what….an old hospital? Asa thought.

After being carried through what felt like five miles of hallways, Asa was unceremoniously dropped onto an uncomfortable bed, metal retractable arms raised up to allow their kidnappers a place to tie their arms and legs.

Goon #1 as Asa had come to think of him went to tie their left arm to the left side of the bed, but at the slightest pressure the arm gave way and threatened to fall off. With a grunt of dissatisfaction, he moved and tied both wrists to the right side of the bed. Goon #2 caught on wordlessly and secured Asa’s ankles together to the right side of the bed as well. Lying awkwardly on their side, Asa sniffled and felt a rise of genuine panic at being left hog-tied to a bed.

Goons #3 and #4 brought in Virildi’s container, struggling and grunting at the increased weight caused by the gravity field. Jake supervised the entire affair, and seeing things were to his liking instructed goons 1 and 2 to stand guard at the door and call him at the first sign of trouble. With that, Jake strode from the room, already calling someone on a communicator and bragging loudly that they would be most pleased with him.

As soon as the door latched, Asa began to slowly inch the ties on their wrists to the bottom of the metal arm railing. Making sure to remain silent, they worked their ankles to be as low on the bed as possible also. Fingers searching, Asa reached down, feeling for the emergency release button they knew to be on the side of all hospital beds from the era of this station.

Almost…..there…….. they thought, freezing upon feeling the button with the very tip of the middle finger on their right hand.

The bed was old, and it made a slight sighing sound as Asa’s weight shifted. They froze, expecting the goons to see what all the fuss was about.

Screw it. They think I’m a child, might as well act like one. Asa concluded as they began to scream hysterically through the gag in their mouth. The door slammed open, and Asa curled their fingers in, away from the release button, and into what they hoped passed for a fist of fear.

“What’s all this about?” Goon #2 demanded. “Crying for your mommy? Tough luck. Once the boss sells you, you won’t ever see her again, no matter how long you live.” He ripped the gag roughly from Asa’s mouth and said, “Now tell me you will behave like a good little child.”

Asa had always heard the best lies started with the truth, and they needed a well of grief to draw from to fuel their tears, otherwise nothing but anger was coming to come through, and that would be counterproductive. They thought back to how much they had loved their mother, what a gentle soul she was, how much she made Asa feel safe and loved. Then they remembered what it was like to lose her, to have that security ripped away, to go through life feeling as if part of their soul was ripped out. They thought how much they would love their Mother to rescue them, not just from this horrid situation, but also from the pain of growing up motherless, the pain of growing up seeing how destructive their father was and being powerless to stop it. The pain of losing Brennan, the last precious gift of a baby brother Mother left behind. Asa embraced the isolation they felt through the Academy, of always feeling like they needed to be rescued, of feeling helpless, of feeling like an imposter, a child who ran away from home and got in too deep. Asa let all the waves of mourning they long suppressed behind a smile come crashing in. The tears they shed now were real.

“Well?” the goon asked, leaning down and getting his sweaty face directly in front of Asa’s. To their horrors, a huge hand was groping their backside and moving towards the front as the goon continued, “Promise me….or I’ll make you wish you did.”

“My mother is dead you bastard!” Asa screamed, finally finding the perfect blend of rage and sorrow to sell their feigned helplessness. “My father isn’t though! And he would never let people like you steal me! He’ll find you! You’ll see! As soon as he gets back from his walk and I’m not there, he’ll turn the system upside down looking for me!” Asa punctuated their point by forming the largest spitball in their mouth as possible and launching it directly in the goons face.

The goon stood up in a fury, ripping Asa up off the bed and freeing them from their bonds through brute force strength. The doctor felt their body being thrown against the wall as Goon 2 told Goon 1 to go outside and make sure they weren’t interrupted. The fear that coursed through Asa’s body made them feel like everything was moving in slow motion as they took in every detail of the room.

Virildi was churning furiously inside their container, agitated at the scene in front of them and frantically seeking a way to get out. The bed had turned over, zip ties still hanging loosely from the metal arm. There was a cabinet along the wall with door that appeared to hold the standard compliment of medical instruments from the 2200’s. Asa had learned about medical history of course, and knew what should theoretically be in each drawer. If only they could get past the goon to the wall they would have a fighting chance….

A shard of broken glass from a broken screen was nearby on the floor, and a collection of discarded hospital gowns lay in the opposite corner. The other walls held the usual medical posters from the time, warning about the dangers of pressurization sickness and how to detect the early stages of radiation sickness. Asa began to dismiss the posters as useless until they saw the tacks holding them onto the wall. Crude method for hanging items- but it would be a start for the doctor to escape.

Goon #2 strode towards Asa slowly, like a snarling wolf closing on its prey. “Oh little one,” he said, “That was a huge mistake. You are a prize to be sure….but The Collector will prize you just as much with a little extra color on you.”

Suddenly he pounced, grabbing Asa by the neck and throwing them to the ground next to the updended medical bed. Time resumed its normal speed as the air once again left Dael’s lungs. It took a moment to realize the pain they were feeling were from a series of blows landing on their back, and at that moment Asa heard the cracking sound of a belt being removed and whipped through the air, landing its first strike on the doctors back.

The scream Asa let out at this point was not feigned but genuine, and words escaped the doctor as lash after lash fell. The goon made derogatory comments the doctor did not fully hear until finally the blows ceased and they were hauled back to the bed. Goon #2 realized he didn’t have any more restraints and went to secure one of the discarded hospital gowns to use to tie Asa’s hands to the metal frame.

Goon #1 looked in as Goon #2 made his exit and asked, “Think that will hold?”

“Even if it doesn’t, where do you think that idiot is going? We are both right here. It’s fine. We’re leaving in an hour anyway,” he replied.

An hour?! Asa repeated internally, I have got to get out of here now.

Once the door was closed, Asa allowed themself a count of 10 to sit and cry quietly, attempting to regain their breath while considering their options. The beds angle was awkward, but Asa managed to scoot along and find the emergency release on the beds arm again, pressing it gently and slowly as the metal slowly detached from the bed.

Thank gods I do all those stretches Asa thought as they doubled over to catch the metal frame with their feet before it could make a sound. After returning the frame gently to the ground, Asa worked the bonds on their wrist around to slide off one end; they then brought the fabric to their teeth and using a complicated series of movements between teeth, tongue and wrists, worked to free their hands. Rubbing feeling back into their wrists, Asa contemplated their next move.

Ok, now to free Virildi. And maybe try to arm myself…

An inventory of the cabinet along the far wall revealed nothing of use, so Asa began to try and open the attached drawers. The first two held long expired medications and swabs, the third prophylactics that would be sure to fail now, and the fourth was locked. The lock wiggled slightly, an old fashioned mechanical lock with a key. Having grown up among a group of timeless peoples, Asa had broken into their fair share of mechanical lock to cause a bit of mischief or search for goodies that the elders had hidden away. Nothing had pleased Brennan more than candy stolen from their fathers lock box, so Asa had picked up the skill quickly. Unfortunately there was not much visible they could use to pick a lock, and time was running out.

Steeling themself against the oncoming pain, Asa picked up the shard of glass and allowed it to slice into their left hand while they used it to fiddle with the locking mechanism. Fortunately the glass was thin enough and was able to wiggle back and forth until the lock finally sprang open with a loud click. Asa paused for a moment, checking that the goon squad had not heard anything, and once no ruffians burst through the door, the doctor proceeded to open the drawer.

Inside was a series of controlled medications and four hypo needles. Pocketing the needles in the ruined remains of their swim trunks, Asa walked over to Virildi’s container. The green light was still lit, and Virildi was swirling uncertainly in the container. Asa gently placed the glass on the ground and without thinking ran their fingers through their hair, smearing blood across their face and hair. They tried pressing the unlock button, but a keypad opened, revealing the need to enter a pass phrase to open the container.

Seven characters Asa thought, counting the number of spaces to be filled, What would this group of hooligans use for a password?

The doctor ran their hands up and down the sides of the container, thinking calming thoughts towards Virildi and looking for any escape mechanism. There was none. The cursor on the password blinked unhelpfully.

For a moment Asa almost despaired, they tried to lift the container, but it was far beyond the young doctors ability to carry. The tears that flowed silently now were of frustration as Asa counted on their fingers the letters in the most common words used by smugglers they had learned in Starfleet Security 201.

Password? No, that’s 8. Guest? No, that’s 5. Starfleet? No, that’s 9, not to mention highly unlikely. Bastards would be appropriate, but I doubt that too. What would actually matter to these jerks? Asa thought.

Inspiration struck, and Asa approached the keypad once more, entering L-A-T-I-N-U-M.

A pleasant sounding beep sounded, the light turned red, and the seal opened, freeing Virildi from their prison.