A cruel chill in the wind

Posted on Sunday 9 May 2021 @ 15:29 by Commander Caroline Miller

Mission: A Cry from the Darkness
Location: Civilian vessel departing from Merlin
Timeline: Current
1092 words - 2.2 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Caroline had left Mathias sadly and quickly packed some belonging for the trip back. The Merlin would send on the rest of her things. The Captain of the civilian vessel wanted to get a move on so she made it quick. Some clothes, A few PADDS with personal files and research, a small phaser and the pictures Matthias had just given her. A book and the Risa picture.

“On the move again ehh Eidos,” she smiled. “But I think I bet the curse this time. I had to break up with someone not the other way round. You did it though. You sent me a decent guy. Thank you.”

Kissing it gently and smiling at the memory of the entire Siegfried medical department having completed a Risan treasure hunt and adventure, then celebrating with cocktails later, she placed it in her bag. Picking up her personal medical kit that went in too right at the top of her small kit bag.

“Transporter room 3 to Commander Miller,” the civilian vessel really needs to get going. Ive transported over the other officer they brought.”

“Yes, I’m on the way,” Caroline said. She had no time for further goodbyes and would have to try speak with Melody and Anya from the other ship as soon as she could and they were back on the Merlin. She had no doubt Rejal and everyone would find Melody.

She did a doubt take at the Ensign who walked out of the Transporter door before she entered. “Hello Maam,” he said with a smile.

“Hello,” she smiled back at him as she wondered why he looked so familiar. The door wide open, the chief addressed her before she got the notion to go ask him anything further.
“Commander, they are ready. Really itching to get off,” he said.

She nodded. Stepping on the Padd. She didn’t know him well at all, but he kindly said, “Good journey,” before the transporter beam shimmered into life. It was at that moment she realised who that had been. Roger Bumble. The ensign counsellor she had hired a couple of weeks back. He had been he said waiting for a transport.

They hadn’t told her that. The communique from the ship had been a person message for Caroline. But she had been acting in command. She should have got that message. Clearly Mathias had authorised it once she had authorised him in command to take over. Why would they not communicate everything at once. Something felt a little off.

She couldn’t shake that feeling as she was greeted at the other end of the small vessel, that something was off.

“We have a small chamber for you,” a tall dark-haired man informed her.

“Okay thank you,” she told him as he led her down a small corridor. He looked familiar too. Again, she could not place him but the pit of her stomach was starting to feel heavy and icky.

She didn’t know why but placed a hand in her bag grabbing the first hypo spray out of her kit at the top. Discreetly she smuggled it up her sleeve. He sure was in a rush to get her in that room.

“Ladies first,” he said.

The doors opened and then her misgivings about this situation proved on point as the man grabbed her and roughly threw her inside. As she hit the floor, he towered over her.

“Its nothing personal but some people paid us a lot of Latium to get a hold of and bring you to them. Now give me that bag, Im not having ….”

She let him step forward, so the door closed and then lunged to grab his trousers pulling them up and pressing the hypo spray into his ankle.

“What the blazes ….”

She scrambled back again looking at it. Oh thank god. It had been a sedative. But he wasn’t going down. If the dose wasn’t strong enough she was going to have to try again

“You little bitc … What you done to me …”

“Who paid you?” she demanded. Although she suspected she knew who. Yes his face was familiar now.

He was slower definitely, but still heading towards her as he back hit a small bunk stopping her going further. He bent down and pulled her up roughly fingers digging into her shoulder as his other hand yanked the hypo spray out of her hand.

“You will find out soon enough,” he boomed looking down at the hypo. His face told her he had no clue what drug he was reading, and she took the moment to knee him in the groin as hard as she could. He dropped the hypo and in some sheer dumb luck she was able to grab it again this time upping the dose as his hands went to protect his crown jewels.

“You blond bitch,” he hopped.

“Counselor, and Medic,” she hissed approaching and slamming the hypo into his neck once more. This time he went down and she kicked him over to properly look at his face. Yes she did recognise him. The only footage they had managed to get of one of the Floxaid research group disappearing. They hadn’t managed to work out who he was. So it was her time then … they had hoped taking a side step into counselling might put them off the scent. And with her personal files from the Merlin being scatty after the Original puppet master, they had her logged still on Earth deliberately for this purpose.

Quickly as she knew she had little time as the ship would be departing further and further away from the Merlin, someone else would be coming to see where he was soon, she tried to remember everything she needed to do.

The console they had frozen her out of, but she had her PADDs. And they weren’t that far from the Merlin yet, she couldn’t feel an increase in speed under her feat. Hopefully they could still link and communicate over to the Merlin. Quickly she sent every one of her floxaid files to Anya. FOR SAFEKEEPING.

Then she tried to send a message to Matthias – HELP. SOS.

Finally she sent the codeword to the Floxaid group but didn't get to complete it as the door opened again. The phaser, she should have grabbed her phaser ....

The other assailants’ eyes ducked down to see his colleague unconscious and raised his hand. He had his.

She joined him in that unconscious state very quickly.

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