"...Or Tails Ep. 8"
Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Everything is all quiet in the VF brig... Rianni@crystyll lays on her bunk, pouting at the ceiling Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Amid the idle, barely notable hum of machinery, something unusual starts to surface... Rianni@crystyll sits up, looking around curiously Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | At first, it sounds like a few sounds out of place. Then a few more, and a few more, until there is a faint buzzing noise like that of a tiny insect. Rianni@crystyll continues looking around for annoying buzzing insect, hands poised ready to splat it Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | There is no sign of an insect, just an annoying buzzing noise... Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The noises continue on for minutes, faint but ever present, until she swears she can make out...voices in the noise. Rianni@crystyll frowns, putting her ear to the wall wondering if this ship is so poorly made that voices carry through the bulkheads Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The voices don't seem to come from the walls, but appear to be echoing all around her. They're not quite voices, just...nondescript whispers. Rianni@crystyll peers out to the duty security officer, "Hey, what's with this damned noise? This you folks' idea of torture or something?" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The security officer turns over with a puzzled look, "Noise? What noise? I don't hear anything." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The buzzing and soft whispers are still audible to Rianni. Rianni@crystyll: "You seriously can't hear that?! Like a... whining, buzzing noise. Like whispering voices" she huffs in annoyance, clamping her hands over her ears, desperate to dull the sound Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The security officer shakes his head, "No...nothing at all." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Rianni's efforts to block out the noise doesn't seem to help at all. Rianni@crystyll continues to lash out in more frustration, kicking at the forcefield and shouting for the voices to shut up and leave her alone Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Security Officer: "Are you alright? You don't have a concussion or anything?" Rianni@crystyll: "How the hell should I know what you bastards did to me?!" she snaps back angrily Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The whispers get more and more numerous, and Rianni realizes that the buzzing was not really a buzzing, but perhaps hundreds or thousands of whispers at once, compressed into a single - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - droning background noise... Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Security Officer: "We didn't do anything. Hang on...this isn't a trick to get us to let you go, is it?" Rianni@crystyll doesn't even hear his question over the voices any more, curling up on the floor still clutching her head she cries over and over, "There's too many, make it stop!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The security officer taps his combadge, but Rianni can't hear what he's saying. The voices begin to overwhelm her, and some of the words become more and more distinct amidst the droning... Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Voices: "Break...submit...devour...break...submit...devour..." Rianni@crystyll fights it with all her Terran stubbornness, shouting back at the relentless voices, "Never! I won't submit, I won't. Just go away!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Voices: "Break...submit...devour..." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Flashes of images appear before Rianni's eyes. Architecture similar to the interior of the Lupan Holy City. An eerie music. Screens, some kind of medical data. Images of cells and double helixes. A shadowy humanoid figure. Ten more. A hundred more. Rianni@crystyll is now lay on the floor, still clutching her head while her fighting talk is reduced to a fearful whimpering Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Suddenly, the images come to an abrupt end. The whispers fade out, and in a few seconds, they are all gone. Rianni@crystyll lays there, fighting to catch her breath and almost afraid to open her eyes, hands still clutched tightly to her head, "I won't submit... I won't..." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Rianni sees Eva standing outside her cell, a hand outstretched. For a moment it seems as if both her eyes were a single dark colour before the usual black irises of a Betazoid come into view. Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 is flanked by two security officers and two medics. Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "You're safe now, but we need you to come to sickbay." Rianni@crystyll 's eyes slowly flutter the world back into focus, and quickly turn to an accusing glare at Eva as she promptly gets to her feet, "You! You did this to me didn't you, I saw those eyes - you were in + Rianni@crystyll: + my head weren't you! This /is/ your torture method!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "I'm the only thing shielding you from the Horde right now. We have the technology to protect you, but you need to come with us to sickbay." Rianni@crystyll: "The Horde? What, that mystical threat your Captain tried to pitch to us to get us on side? Just how gullible do you think me, just because you've dressed me up like a damned cadet!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 sighs, "That's because you are a cadet. Well, in our universe, anyways. You have Betazoids in your universe, don't you?" Rianni@crystyll: "Yeah... we have plenty of sub-Terran species who try to use their mind tricks against us. I don't know what makes you stronger than them though, but you won't break me!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "I'm not here to torture you. If you know what Betazoids are capable of, you'll know that I don't have to interrogate you. I can just look into your mind if I wanted to, but we have rules against - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - that here. I can't shield you forever, so you have to go to sickbay." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "I'd rather you come with us willingly and not try anything." Rianni@crystyll: "pfft! I still don't trust what you did to me before, but I'm your puppet as long as I'm here. So you want to take me to sickbay? Fine! But know that the first person who touches me with anything+ Rianni@crystyll: + I don't know what it is, will lose a finger" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 sighs, "You know we can just give you an anaesthetic and bring you with us anyways, but we want to do this peacefully. We're going to give you an implant that will protect you from the Horde's - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - telepathic influence, for your own good." Rianni@crystyll laughs, "And you expect me to believe that?! At the very least I would expect a tracking chip, if not an explosive charge!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Like I said, we can easily do that when you're unconscious, and you would be none the wiser. We're telling you out of good faith and we hope you would consent." Rianni@crystyll hrms, "That does seem more likely given the grip you have over me... fine, give me your stupid implant. But if it is an explosive, I promise I'll find you and hug you when it goes off" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "It won't be. If we wanted to harm you, we wouldn't be asking for your permission." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 nods to one of the security officers, who warily lowers the force field and stands back with his phaser ready. Rianni@crystyll: "As you say, but everyone in this backwards universe is a little too polite to be trusted. Wouldn't surprise me if you'd ask before hurting someone..." she mutters, cautiously edging her way out Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Follow me." Rianni@crystyll does so, giving the escorting guards an evil eye as she passes Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 leads Rianni out of the brig and down the halls. The two escorting guards follow behind her and keep a close eye on her. Rianni@crystyll follows quietly. Taking the opportunity to observe all she can about her captors Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Everything seems relatively ordinary on the ship, with uniformed and off-duty personnel passing by on occasion. Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 steps into a lift with Rianni, the two guards still following but the medics remaining outside to not overcrowd the space. Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The lift doors close as they head to sickbay... Rianni@crystyll almost seems to revel in the guards' focus, enjoying the fact they feel so threatened by her as to keep such a strong force with her Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The guards continue to focus on her as the lift doors open and Eva leads the way out, passing down a hall where a group of non-uniformed Orions are chatting as they pass them by, giving Rianni - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - and her guard entourage curious glances. Rianni@crystyll sneers at the sub-humans as they pass Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 leads Rianni into the sickbay and towards the surgical bed, "We'll give you an anaesthetic, clear the Horde influence and then give you the implant. You'll be awake before you know it." Rianni@crystyll sits in a Lounge chair. Rianni@crystyll lays back, holding a suspicious gaze on her captors and their surroundings, "If you say so. Not like I'm in a position to argue still" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Please...don't argue. I can't hold this for much longer, and this won't work if the Horde starts having influence on you again." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Kazra and a nurse step over, the nurse holding a hypo to apply to Rianni. Rianni@crystyll lays still. Tense and cautious, but not resisting Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The nurse applies the hypo, and soon Rianni finds herself slipping out of consciousness... Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | Some time later, Rianni slowly wakes up on one of the beds on the side of sickbay... Rianni@crystyll 's eyes flutter open once more, her mind enjoying the moment of blissful ignorance before she recalls where she is and sharpens up, looking around as she rises Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 sits on a nearby bed, enjoying a sandwich with a cup of something sitting on the bed beside her. She looks over to Rianni, finishing her mouthful before replying. Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "You're awake. How're you feeling? No more noises?" Rianni@crystyll looks around as she listens for them briefly, "No..." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 smiles, "You're all good, then. You shouldn't feel a thing different." Rianni@crystyll looks around some more, tentatively reaching a hand out like she expects to find a forcefield confining her to the biobed Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | There is no force field around her bed right now. Rianni@crystyll gives Eva a puzzled look, "Why did you not take advantage of my comatose state to move me back to my cell?" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "We wanted to make sure you were alright. Everything looked good, but apparently the Horde can't affect people from your universe as strongly, and for all we knew the defensive measures might not - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - have the exact same effect either. It'll be easier to adjust your implant or give you follow-up procedures if you're still in sickbay." Rianni@crystyll: "And yet not even a forcefield to restrain me while you do your tests?" she laughs, "You people really are far too soft for your own good aren't you!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "We have security personnel outside if you caused trouble. And even though we're not security, Kazra and I are still Starfleet officers, so we know how to defend ourselves if we need to." Rianni@crystyll grins, "Ooh feisty, me like!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 smirks slightly, "Besides, you're the one suspicious of us implanting explosive devices in you. I don't think trying to overpower us is a good idea if you're that paranoid." Rianni@crystyll: "It's not paranoid when it's a distinct possibility. I should know, I've implanted my share of such devices in prisoners to be 'freed' myself before" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 nods over to a tricorder sitting on a nearby table, "Feel free to give yourself a scan and check. You'll see we don't do that kind of thing here." Rianni@crystyll eyes the tricorder before taking it and doing so, not passing up the opportunity to see for herself even if she may be starting to believe Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 | The scans do indeed reveal the new implant on the base of her skull, but it is not explosive or otherwise malicious. Rianni@crystyll: "Alright. Say I bite, just... for a minute. What the hell /was/ that I experienced before?" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "That...I believe, was the Horde trying to force its way into your mind and take control of you. They can do that with us almost instantaneously without these implant defenses, because life like us - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - in this universe has been built with a backdoor which they take advantage of. According to the Architect, you don't have the backdoor, or the same backdoor at least, so it takes more effort on the - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - Horde's part. That's the only reason I was able to shield you and bring you here to get the implant." Rianni@crystyll: "So these Horde things invade you through this 'backdoor'? Sounds a bit kinkier than I expected from this universe, but ok, sure yeah, why not" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "That's...not what I meant..." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "They can take control of us almost right away if they're close enough, but with you they need more work. We believe that's why your ship was able to remain unaffected during the battle." Rianni@crystyll narrows her eyes a little, "Which would suggest others were not able to..." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 nods, "The prisoners our allies rescued from the Holy City turned on their rescuers as soon as the Horde arrived. Terminu's entire population came under control instantly as well." Rianni@crystyll: "Quite the tale" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Actually, I'm pretty sure Terminu is why the Horde slowly began influencing you. We're still near the planet, and even though we destroyed the attacking Horde ships, the local population is a - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - part of the Horde now, and it seems they can exert the same influence." Rianni@crystyll: "And you're hanging around instead of wiping them out because...?" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "We can free them from Horde influence. Or well...we can clear the influence, but they won't really be the same people again. It's the best we can do, and some of the people on Terminu may be the - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - last of their species left that haven't been irrevocably changed by the Horde over generations of breeding." Rianni@crystyll: "So the things I saw in those visions... they are breeding?" she shudders Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Apparently so. They've taken entire civilizations, maybe hundreds of them. We don't know how many of them are there, but they're slowly pushing in from the galactic rim." Rianni@crystyll nods, "I recall your Captain speaking at length about what a great threat they are to your universe" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "With their ability to take control of life like us and their numbers, they could overrun the galaxy given time." Rianni@crystyll: "So this is the part where you try to turn me to your cause, is that it?" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 chuckles, "The Captain hasn't asked me to try and recruit you, but I'm sure she would be happy to have you on our side." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "I'm just telling you what I know. I think you deserve some answers after going through that." Rianni@crystyll: "And what do I deserve after going through being abducted, hm?" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "You've been on good behaviour right now. I'll talk to the Captain and see if I can't get her to move you to guest quarters under guard. For now I don't have any updates on your accommodations, so - Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: - we'll have to take you back to the brig. I'm sure the Captain will move you somewhere better soon, though." Rianni@crystyll gives an unconvinced 'hmm' in response Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Sorry...I can't take you to quarters just yet. But we don't usually keep people in the brig for very long, and as long as you keep up your good behaviour, we should have you out of there soon." Rianni@crystyll: "For the record, I'd be a lot more inclined to play along with this charade if someone would tell me what you people plan on doing with me" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "We're not planning to do anything with you. You're just being held here." Rianni@crystyll: "That makes no sense. Nobody abducts someone just to hold them for the sake of it. There's something more to this and the longer I'm lied to, the more suspicious I get" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Well..." she peers over to Kazra's office, "Commander? Are we allowed to tell her about this part?" Rianni@crystyll | Kazra looks over with a shrug, "Your call Lieutenant. But she's bound to learn sooner or later" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 nods, "That's true." She looks back to MuRi, "So...you're being held here because the you from our universe is on your ship." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "We don't plan on harming you or interrogating you or anything like that. We just can't have two of you out there." Rianni@crystyll narrows her eyes, lips curling into a snarl, "Are you telling me that little... sickly sweet copy is running around /my/ ship pretending to be ME?!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "She's not going to harm anyone, and we want our Rianni to get back safely, so we'll return you to your ship in time." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "No one will be hurt, it's just that having them know that she's not you might put her life in danger." Rianni@crystyll: "Oh I get it, so I'm your insurance hostage. Great, just... great" Rianni@crystyll laughs heartily, "Damned right it'll put her life in danger! Credit where it's due though, I actually had the same idea but the Skipper wasn't so keen on planting a spy over here..." Rianni@crystyll: "More fool her, eh? Seems I was right all along and you lot really do have a dark and devious side after all" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "You took our people first. And you just admitted you'd do the same thing if you were in a position to do so." Rianni@crystyll: "Yeah of course. Difference is, we don't go around pretending to be all nice and friendly just to then be all backhanded once luring folks into a false sense of comfort" Rianni@crystyll grins, "That's a whole special level of devious, you dogs!" Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 sighs, "We're not...well, at least you're amused..." Evanne Dra@annpc#5570 stands, "Anyways, let's get you back to the brig, I promise, no harm will come to you while you're here, and I'll try to ask the Captain to give you better accommodations." Rianni@crystyll: "And now I know your capacity for deception and subterfuge, what possible reason could I have to doubt your friendly and sincere demeanour?" she chirps, still chuckling at her revelation Evanne Dra@annpc#5570: "Here I was hoping telling you the truth would get you to trust us more..." she says as she leads the way back towards the brig. Rianni@crystyll: "Trust, no. Like... maybe" she snickers as they step through the door
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