Here's Another Fine Mess I've Gotten Myself Into

[Atragon9 0]

::From his Command Chair on the Manticore, A9 suddenly finds himself transported to a small, dark space and feels a hypospray on his neck, then nothing::

 

::He wakes to find himself strapped to an operating table, under bright lights that make the rest of the room hard to see. His exoskeletal arm casings have been removed, so his TK amplifier is out of reach, and charged electrodes on his scalp are making him disoriented, so he cannot build up a TK pulse::

 

(m)Someone knows just how to keep me down. (Louder) Isn't this a little ... 20th Century?

 

::He waits for a response and gets none:: Okay, so ask your questions already. I'm no alien or spy.

 

::He sees a bite gag being moved toward his head from out of the darkness:: Hey, how am I supposed to answer questions with a gag in?

 

::Someone just out of his view continues to work with the gag and electrodes and then steps away into shadows again. Suddenly A9 spasms as strong current is sent through the electrodes. He grunts around the gag, determined not to give his kidnappers the satisfaction of a scream. Unfortunately, as more electricity is run through him, his resolve gives out and he screams around the gag. This seems to be what they wanted since the gag is removed and his bed is tilted into an upright position::

 

::A familiar voice is heard from the shadows:: Admiral, look at what your ship just did, what does this mean?

 

::A viewscreen lights up and A9 watches a playback as the Manticore attempts the Phase Cloak, but fails. Again, the familiar voice, who IS that?:: Admiral, I ask again, what did we just witness?

 

::A9 collects his thoughts enough to realize he won't be giving out any secure information and turns to the darkness with a sneer:: Bite me! You think a little torture will get me to talk?

 

::A small chuckle is heard from the shadows and then the speaker steps into the light, Commander Adrian Wolfe of the USS Babylon. A Nebula-class Special Ops ship, identical to Manticore, it is often sent in to clean up after Manticore has finished missions:: Wolfe> I know this torture won't work on you, but I've wanted an excuse to hurt you for SO long.

 

::A9's eyes widen:: Adrian?? Adrian!! you rotten, son-of-a-

 

Wolfe> Tsk, tsk, language, my dear Admiral. In matters of Federation Security, even rank is trumped by the greater need. Now that I have softened you up a little, we will use these tools for a nice, old-fashioned, truth gathering. Nighty-Night.

 

::A9 starts to struggle against the bonds with renewed force, but the Psi waves coming from the electrodes send him into deep unconsciousness::

 

{He is on the Manticore Bridge, but it's back when the ships were first gathering for the invasion blockade ... All over again, he is battling both his fear of the unknown for his crew and his terror of being back with his friends on the Koenig, back on that moon, starving, dying off, no, NO!! ... Crystal mountain, underground lab, Escher, Syndrx, T'Prise - Science will save us, will get us home ... He is watching the main viewer as the ship is yanked through the wormhole ... He is waiting for Roget to get back with the fighter ... Harmonics, dance of the heavens? ... Jami almost dead, singing in the Sickbay! ... He is staring at Qin-A, waiting to hear from the landing party ... Blockade ahead and all around us, we can't stop, we can't tell them what happened to us ... The dance begins, Red Shirt is dead, Ritah survives, Jami recovers ... Confusion, landing party refusing my order to return, losing their comm signals ... Staring at the tall and strange Qin on the Bridge, working with Keb ... He is hearing about Ritah, about Red Shirt, about Jami! ... Why is everyone getting hurt, we shouldn't even be here! Go, we must go! Go, Now!! ... the Qin are gone, the wormhole opens, we go fast, terribly fast, systems fail, ship out of control ... Terrible crash}

 

::He starts to remember where he is, when it is, and slowly regain consciousness. He can hear Wolfe talk with another in the shadows::

 

?????> There is nothing we can hold them for and I guess even the invasion threat is over.

 

Wolfe> No, I don't trust him. He has trained his mind, he is lying to you, it HAS to be!

 

?????> The proof is right in front of you, Wolfe. No one has ever beaten this system and you even convinced the others to take Atragon deeper than he should have gone. Do you realize what damage this could have caused?

 

Wolfe> Oh please, you medical types always worry too much. Look, he's coming around now.

 

::A9 sees two figures moving out of the shadows toward him. As they approach the pool of light, they seem to be resolving themselves as two wide columns of swirling light. He squints his eyes to see what trick of lighting is causing this illusion when the columns dissolve and out step two figures in Fleet uniforms. As they truly enter the light, he sees that they have horribly disfigured features, their faces completely Picasso'ed. He tilts his head at them and gets a puzzled look on his face. One of the mishapen creatures speaks from the side of his head::

 

?????> Admiral, what is wrong? Are you feeling okay?

 

::The Wolfe-being speaks from a hole in the top of his skull:: Okay, A9, you can cut the act. I said CUT IT OUT!!

 

::The Wolfe/creature morphs into a huge serpent and lunges at A9's face, mouth open, fangs gleaming, at the speed of a rattlesnake's attack, but this creature is a three meter high reptile. As it reaches A9's face, about to bite, A9 screams and loses consciousness::

 

::He wakes up in a standard-issue Sickbay biobed, he is wearing his full exo suit and no longer has electrodes attached to him, but he is extremely weak and barely able to move his head. Just pivoting his eyes around show him that no one else is in the room::

 

A9> helloo? Can someone help me? Is anyone here?

 

::He hears a very large and cyclical noise, almost like the room is inside a giant heart, beating quickly. He tries to sit up and loses consciousness again::

 

::Once again, he awakens in the biobed, still alone. The room is quiet now, but the walls and ceiling are phasing through every color in a slow and soothing pace. He still feels exhausted and barely able to move, but the color changes are calming. He doesn't struggle to move he just stares at the ceiling and faintly smiles::