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The Miles That Lay Ahead- Chapter 26

Author - Gabi
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The Miles That Lay Ahead

by Gabi

Genre: Action/Adventure/Angst

Please notice: This chapter is rated R for graphic violence.

Chapter 26

Yanis strapped Trip down in the flitter's seat and laid the scanner in his lap. "You manage?"

Trip nodded. His movements still were somewhat clumsy, but he was able to operate the scanner. Malcolm had managed to do so with his burnt hands, so he would manage as well.

The flitter lifted off the ground and made its way through the night.

"I wish I could stay with you." Yanis seemed to be feeling uncomfortable.

"You don't have to, Yanis. You have to look after your family. My stay at your place put all of you in danger."

Yanis smiled. "If we’re able to publish this documentation it will be worth all risks. Don't worry about my family. We have some friends who will gladly take us in for some time. But I have a bad feeling about leaving you alone in your shuttle."

"Well, in the meantime it's become somethin' like a home to me."

"But you're barely able to move."

"It's gettin' better. Besides, I won't have to move a lot. I'll just lie down and wait for Malcolm to come and tell me the coast is clear."

"I hope they're going to find Jeren."

"They managed to find me as well. I'm sure they'll be able to get him out of there."

"Hm." Yanis steered the flitter in the direction of the woods. "I'll just be glad when this is over."

Trip sighed. Yanis surely wasn't the only one. He looked at the scanner. "You have to turn right now."

"Okay." After leaving the city, the flitter accelerated. Soon the dark forest appeared in front of them. Trip guided Yanis to the clearing where they had brought the shuttle down. Yanis landed the flitter and shut down the engine. "You sure I can leave you here?" he asked worriedly.

"Of course I'm sure. I'll be safe here." Trip wrapped his arm around Yanis' neck, allowing him to carry him into the shuttle.

Yanis settled him on the rear bench. "I'll leave a bottle of water with you." Standing in the open hatch, the young man hesitated. "It just doesn’t feel right to leave you behind without any help. We promised Jeren to take care of you."

"That's what you did, Yanis, and I'm grateful for that. Our shuttle is a safe place to hide and I won't endanger you and your family any longer. Go now."

Yanis nodded. Glancing at Trip for a last time, he left and closed the hatch behind him.

-###-

They had been able to sneak up to the big patio without anyone noticing, but as they hid behind some trees they realized there was no way to enter the palace. Tasur had put his guards on sentry duty and they counted eight men patrolling the stairs and the patio.

Kenan shook his head. "We won't stand a chance even with your weapons. I'm sure they're guarding the back door as well. Any ideas, Lieutenant?"

Malcolm studied the building. "Is there any way we can get into the park behind the house?"

"It's surrounded by a fairly high wall, but I guess it wouldn't be a problem. What are you getting at? The palace doesn't have an entrance on the park side. You can enter the house only through the back door on the verandah. And as I said, this entrance will be heavily guarded as well. And if you're thinking about getting in through an open window, forget about it. They're all secured."

"Just leave it to me." Malcolm had already left their hiding place. Kenan and Erianna looked at each other, shrugged and followed him. Carefully, they approached the park's back wall which was nearly three meters high. Malcolm gave Kenan a step-up to climb the wall and did the same for Erianna. Kenan and Erianna crouched down on the narrow ledge on top of the wall and reached down with their hands as far as they could. Jumping, Malcolm was able to grab their hands and was pulled up on top of the wall by Erianna's and Kenan's joint efforts.

Looking down on the other side, Kenan frowned. "That's very deep."

Malcolm suppressed a smile. "I'll help you."

"And what about you?" Erianna asked.

Malcolm shook his head, still smiling, and knelt down on the wall. He grabbed Kenan's wrists and carefully lowered the man as far as possible before he let go. Kenan landed on his feet, immediately running for cover.

"Now it's your turn." Malcolm lowered Erianna to the ground, waited a moment and then jumped down himself. He rolled over his shoulder and was on his feet again in an instant. He noticed Erianna looking at him with wide eyes.

"Your softer bones must be more flexible than ours. No Renelan would try to jump down from such a height. "

Malcolm grinned. He had always known their "fragile" bones had to have at least one advantage. "Stay in cover," he whispered. "Over there, behind the trees might be a good place. I'll call you if the coast is clear."

"But how are you going to get into the house?"

"Oh, I found a little secret passage." Keeping his head down, Malcolm crossed the lawn, hoping no one would look out the windows right now. Although it was dark, anyone would notice the approaching figure.

The second window from the right on the ground floor, he recalled, and smiled when he discovered that it actually stood open. He climbed onto the window sill and slipped inside. When his feet touched the ground, a flash light lit up, shining directly into his face.

"Shut down the light, you're blinding me."

"Malcolm! It's you!" Farina embraced him fiercely. "I thought you'd never come. Wait, I'll switch on the light."

Malcolm heard her footsteps on the floor, blinking when the room was bathed in glaring brightness. Farina turned around and smiled at him. She looked delightful in her long flimsy nightgown. But Malcolm didn't have the time to admire her beauty. He hugged her, pulling her head to his chest so she would not see him reaching for his phaser with the other hand. "I'm sorry, Farina," he whispered into her brown hair.

"What for, Malcolm? You came. We're together." Farina's eyes widened suddenly, and a second later she slumped forward in his arms.

"For this." Malcolm stowed away the phaser and lay Farina down on her bed. Carefully, he covered her with the sheets and switched out the light. Then he opened the window, signaling with the torch to the trees ahead. A few seconds later Erianna and Kenan climbed inside.

"Whose room is that?" Erianna asked. "Is it really safe?" She stopped when she saw Farina lying on the bed. "Oh, I see. Is she sleeping?"

"More or less." Malcolm helped Kenan in. "I had to assist her a little."

Surprised, Kenan looked from Farina to Malcolm, but gave no comment. Carefully, he opened the door and peered outside. "That looks good. I know the way. Come on."

Cautiously, he led them through long hallways Malcolm couldn't remember seeing before. He and Erianna had their phasers at the ready, but the house was silent, and seemed to be guarded only on the outside. Inside, no one appeared to be on sentry duty.

They reached a huge tapestry that Malcolm actually could remember. Tasur had told them proudly how expensive it had been.

"Help me push this thing aside."

Surprised, Malcolm looked at Kenan, but did as he was told. Behind the tapestry there was a small door. When Kenan pushed against it, it swung open, revealing a long winded stairs down to the basement.

"Be careful. The steps could be slippery."

They felt their way down along the wall, walking slowly although they all would have liked to run.

"Any ideas where Jeren could be?"

"No, I'm sorry, but I can't remember the entire map. There are a lot of cells down there. Guess we simply have to check them all."

At the bottom of the stairs they found themselves standing in front of a bulky wooden door. To their astonishment it swung open without a sound. Malcolm who had awaited a treacherous creak exhaled in relief. "Seems like it's used more often than we'd thought," he uttered grimly, not knowing whether to be glad or worried at this fact. A long cold hallway with cells on both sides lay ahead, dimly lit by a single bulb that hung from the ceiling. Erianna shivered in the eerie light.

With his phaser drawn, Malcolm opened the door to the first cell. It was empty, as was the second one. Malcolm turned to the next door when a shrill sound was to be heard, followed by a sharp smack. Then an agonized scream cut through the air.

-###-

Jeren had lost all sense of time. He was sure he had been dangling from this chain for hours, perhaps for days. The rope around his wrists seemed to be cutting straight through his flesh and scraping his bones and his shoulders felt like they were already dislocated. He was dangling from this hook like a piece of meat. From time to time, electric shocks raced through his body, making him whimper with pain. The deep jagged cuts on his front and backside burnt like fire and blood ran over his chest and back. The shocks seemed to have overloaded his brain. He couldn't think anymore. His entire world was pain. Sharp, burning pain. It had to be ended. Now. He couldn't bear it any longer. Jeren groaned loudly.

At an instant, Rassik appeared in the door to the next room. "You called for me, doctor?" he smirked.

His two colleagues who had followed him examined Jeren briefly. "We've got to take him down," one of them said. "Otherwise he'll die."

"First he's going to tell us what we want to know." Rassik grabbed the blond hair, brutally forcing Jeren's head back. "Where's Commander Tucker?"

Suddenly Jeren felt rage rise inside him, so strong it blotted out even the pain. Furious and desperate, he spit directly into Rassik's face. Saliva mixed with blood ran down the guard's cheek.

"You'll pay for this," Rassik hissed. Full of hatred, he raised the whip and smacked it across Jeren's back full force, the impact causing Jeren's body to swing back and forth. The sparkling rope cut deep into his flesh and for a moment electric discharges danced across the wound. Jeren gave a shrill, agonized cry.

Rassik watched the tortured body that twitched like a fish on a fishhook. "Just to please you, doctor," he muttered contentedly, raising the whip once more.

His colleague took a hold of his arm. "Stop it, Rassik. You're killing him."

"That's exactly what I intend to do."

"But if you kill him he can't tell us where the humans are."

"We'll find them without his help. There are other possibilities." Rassik shook off the hand and raised the whip.

With a loud crash the wooden door gave way. The three men whirled around and a second later two of them had dropped limply to the floor. Quickly recovering from the surprise, Rassik swung the whip against his adversary, but it only left a sparkling streak on the floor when the other man ducked aside. Suddenly, Rassik found himself facing a man who was at least fifteen centimeters smaller than he and less strong, but compensated for these disadvantages with pure rage and combat skills. The whip was swiftly kicked out of Rassik's hand and then Malcolm slammed Tasur's best man across the room, sending him crashing into the wall. Rassik hardly got a chance to react. Effortlessly, Malcolm avoided the guard's few attempts to hit him. Enterprise's tactical officer put all his skills and experience to this fight. Only when Rassik lay slumped on the floor, Malcolm let go of him, turning around. Seeing Jeren dangling from the hook, his insides clenched painfully. Kenan was trying to lower the bloody body and Erianna who was crying and sobbing helplessly, tried to keep her brother steady without causing him any additional pain. They needed his help.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his ankle, trying to make him lose his balance. Malcolm stumbled, but managed to stay on his feet. Quickly, he pulled up his foot, grabbed the hand that was still holding his ankle and freed himself with a jerk. Then he smashed his knee against the other man's elbow, still holding on to the guard's wrist. A distinct snap was to be heard and this time it was Rassik who cried out loud. Malcolm had broken his arm. "Go to the afterlife, you bastard," the tactical officer growled and carelessly dropped the arm, never wasting another look on Rassik who was whimpering with pain. This man wasn't going to be a threat to them any longer.

Malcolm helped Erianna lower Jeren carefully to the floor, and began to untie the bloody ropes. "What did this bastard do to you?" He caught Jeren's twitching arms and held them in a gentle grip.

"It looks worse than it actually is." Kenan tried to speak calmly, but failed miserably. "It's this electric whip. The cuts are very deep and painful, but not life threatening if treated quickly and carefully. I wish I could say the same thing about the electric shocks, but I can only tell after I have examined him."

Jeren groaned. "I'm okay," he whispered barely audibly. "But I'm glad you're here. Rassik told me Harek had caught you."

"So he had," Malcolm answered grimly. "But Rassik forgot to tell you that Harek didn't come out winner in our little confrontation."

The corners of Jeren's mouth twitched slightly while tears of pain were running down his face. "I'm glad to hear that. What about Rassik?"

"I broke his arm," Malcolm said. "He won't be using that whip again any time soon."

Jeren licked his lips. "You know what this means for him?"

"I don't give a damn about it," Erianna exclaimed. She still was sobbing and her clothes were already soaked with Jeren's blood.

"I don't think Tasur would send his best man to the Health Center to be killed," Kenan said. "I suppose he'll order Dorsik to treat him and hide him afterwards. But I believe we've got other things to worry about. Like how we're going to get you out of here." He threw a questioning glance at Malcolm. "Any ideas? We can't go through Farina's room. I don't really care if we'll leave a trail of blood on the floor, but I have to stop the bleeding as soon as possible. And there's no way we can get him over the wall."

Malcolm stood up. "We can try the main staircase."

"But what about the guards?" Erianna objected.

"They're only looking in one direction and won't notice what's going on behind their backs. We can just shoot them from behind."

"From behind? But..."

"Erianna! We're only going to stun them. We don't have time for fair play. It's your brother we're trying to save."

"You're right." Erianna looked to Kenan. "Is he able to walk?"

Kenan shook his head. "I don't think so. I believe the electrical shocks have messed up his movement coordination. It'll take a few hours for the after-effects to wear off. I'll carry him."

"Okay." Malcolm threw an appraising glance at Erianna. "You okay?"

Erianna tried to get a grip on herself. She sniffed once more, ran her hand over her eyes and bent down to her phaser that had fallen to the floor. "Yes, Malcolm," she said determinedly. "I'm okay."

"I'll take the lead."

Rassik cursed loudly when they closed the door but none of them listened to him. Carefully, Kenan carried Jeren along the hallway. Erianna stayed closely beside them, trying to steady her brother's still twitching arms and legs. Jeren had laid his head on Kenan's shoulder, whimpering softly from time to time.

"Just a few more minutes, Jeren," Erianna tried to sooth him.

Malcolm opened the door behind the tapestry. He couldn't believe that the entire operation had stayed unnoticed. But the palace was still silent. Sneaking through the entrance hall, Malcolm noticed that it was already dawning. He hoped that the guards' alertness had diminished during the long night. Slowly so as not to make any noise, he opened the front door's lock. There was a hardly audible click when the big door opened. "Stay behind me," he told Erianna. Halfway down the stairs they could see all of the eight guards who had their backs turned to them as Malcolm had predicted. Without hesitation, they took aim and stunned one after another. Only the last one turned around, alarmed at the thuds as his colleagues dropped to the ground, but he never had the time to draw his own weapon when Erianna shot him in the chest.

"Best regards to Tasur," Malcolm muttered and turned around to help Kenan carry Jeren down the stairs. Erianna ran ahead to get the flitter. After she had landed the vehicle directly at the bottom of the stairs, Kenan and Malcolm carefully lifted Jeren inside.

Kenan took care of the bleeding wounds using the small med kit he had found under a seat. Jeren groaned at every touch.

"I'm sorry, there isn't any painkiller. Hold on just for a few more minutes." Kenan wrapped a bandage around Jeren's upper body and then tended to the deep cuts the rope had left in Jeren's wrists. There were even a few threads from the rope sticking in the wounds.

"Don't you have some of this marvelous healing liquid handy?" Malcolm asked.

Kenan shook his head. "It's a powder that has to be mixed with a special liquid. We can do that only in a laboratory. But I could try to get some of it from the Health Center."

"Only to be caught as well," Jeren moaned. "We'll have to do without it. The burning is already wearing off."

"And the spasms?"

"Getting better as well." Jeren’s abruptly twitching arm belied his words, but Kenan held it in a gentle grip until the trembling subsided.

Malcolm bit his lip. "Have you told them anything about Yanis and his family?"

"No, they don't know anything about our hiding place." Jeren's voice was already growing stronger.

"Yanis has brought Trip to a safe place," Kenan told him. "Just to be sure. But we can take care of you at their place." Thoughtfully, he looked at Jeren. "Would you mind telling me what you were doing in the Health Center in the middle of the night?"

"I wanted to get the disc with my test results. I left it in the computer this afternoon. But I was too late, it was already gone."

Kenan stared at Jeren. "Oh no. You can be such a moron at times, Jeren. I told you I was going to take care of everything. It was me who took your disc. I've had it with me all the time."

"You took it?" Jeren's eyes widened. "But how did you know it was important?"

"Do you think I didn't notice how fussy you were about this disc? I thought it would be for the best if I took it with me."

"So Tasur didn't get it?"

"No, it's still in my pocket."

"That's great. Thank you, Kenan." Exhausted, Jeren closed his eyes.

-###-

Arissa and Yanis were shocked when they saw Jeren. Carefully, Kenan sat him down on a chair. He removed the bandages while Arissa fetched warm water to clean the wounds.

"By the way, what are you doing here?" Malcolm asked. "I thought we agreed that you would go into hiding somewhere."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jeren mumbled indistinctly.

"Sorry Jeren," Kenan apologized, "but assuming we hadn't come to your rescue, how long do you think you could've withstood that whip?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Jeren coughed and grimaced in pain.

Using a soft cloth, Erianna carefully washed the blood off Jeren's upper body and arms while Arissa fetched some clean clothes.

"We couldn't leave," Yanis explained. "Some of our friends who are also in the resistance movement agreed to take Malika for a while. But we thought that if we went into hiding, it would be like admitting that we've committed some sort of crime. If they don't find Malika, there's nothing they can accuse us of. We thought we had to be here when you came back."

"I'm glad you stayed." Kenan applied some ointment to the cuts on Jeren's upper body and his wrists, then bandaged them again. Finally, he took care of his friend's battered face. "Sorry, but I can't do more under these circumstances. Guess it'll have to do for today. Lie down and try to get some rest. I'll come back later and then I'll bring some of the - how did Malcolm call it? - marvelous healing liquid with me."

Arissa came back, carrying a bundle of fabric. "Here, Jeren, these are from Yanis. I believe they could fit you. And here are some clean clothes for you, Erianna, you got blood all over your shirt. But you should go and clean yourself up first."

Kenan turned to Jeren. "I may have got something else for you. There are cameras all over the left wing that have recorded everything that's happened there and fed the video footage directly into a file in Dorsik's computer. Sista has managed to hack into those data files and reprogrammed the computer so that copies of the footage were automatically saved on her terminal."

"That way she knew what they are doing there and what awaits old people like her," Jeren said softly.

"You think that's why she betrayed you?"

"Tasur promised her she wouldn't have to undergo the CDS-test as long as she spied for him."

"I suppose she had no idea what she was doing. In any case, I found an astounding video in her computer. A perfect documentation about what Dorsik did to Trip, and your escape is on there as well. Do you have any use for it?"

"Evidence that Dorsik kills patients against their will in the Health Center?" Arissa beamed. "You bet we can use that."

"I thought so. To be sure, I've just downloaded all of the files in one go. I'll bring you the disc this evening." He pulled a small case from his pocket. "And this is the disc you've gone to all that trouble about, Jeren."

"Thank you Kenan. I owe you one."

"I'm glad you don't distrust me any longer."

"How could I? You saved my neck more than once. And not only my neck. By the way, where have you brought Trip?"

"To our shuttle," Malcolm answered. "He'll be safe there for the time being."

Jeren nodded. "But very lonely. Since I haven't told them anything there is no reason why we can't get him back. Kenan, what's the matter?"

Alarmed, the young man looked at the faces around him before he turned to Jeren. "Do you remember that you asked Sista to find out about the shuttle's whereabouts? I'm sure she told Tasur the coordinates. The shuttle is maybe the unsafest place where Trip could be right now."

"No!" Erianna who had just returned from the adjoining room gasped for air.

Yanis smacked his fist into his hand. "I knew it was wrong to leave him behind."

Malcolm had already jumped to his feet. "We've got to get him back immediately."

Erianna nodded. "I'll get the flitter."

"I'll accompany you," Kenan offered.

"No." Jeren shook his head. "You're on duty today. You mustn't raise any suspicion by not showing up. I guess they'll be observing you rather thoroughly since you were my closest assistant." Awkwardly he stood up. "I'll go."

"No, Jeren," Erianna objected. "You can barely walk."

"That's true," Yanis agreed. "I can go."

"You have a family to look after. I'm okay. I've more or less recovered from the shocks, and the cuts are only burning a little."

"That's not how it looks from here," Malcolm said.

"The ointment will take care of the cuts. What's the matter with you? Are we going to have a lengthy discussion or are we going to get Trip?"

-###-

Arms crossed behind his head, Trip stared at the ceiling. Briefly, he had considered crawling to the hatch to fasten the rope, but then he had decided not to waste his energy. Only Malcolm and Jeren could find him here and those two were the last people he would want to keep out. Tired, he let his thoughts wander. The first daylight was shining through the broken window, indicating that this terrible night was finally coming to an end. He sighed worriedly. Hopefully Malcolm had been able to rescue Jeren. Trip's insides clenched painfully when he thought about Jeren, who had been caught only because Tasur needed information where to find the human with the strange substance in his blood. Maybe the governor was torturing him right now to find out about Trip's whereabouts. If he only could do something to help, but he was condemned to just lie here and wait. The feeling of helplessness was making him nervous. He couldn't find any rest, even though he was plain exhausted. No surprises there, Trip thought. After all, this had been the second time that he had nearly died. Seems to become a habit, he thought bitterly. Awkwardly, he turned to one side. His joints still moved rather sluggishly, but at least they had started to react again. He remembered the minutes after the injection, the panic and agony he had suffered. The realization that he couldn't speak anymore, that once again he was totally paralyzed, had scared him to death. How often was he going to suffer like that until the T-14 was finally gone?

Something scraped at the hatch. Relieved, Trip propped himself up on his elbows. Malcolm was back. They had succeeded in saving Jeren and were now coming to get him. He smiled when the hatch opened, but his smile froze when he found himself facing the muzzle of an ancient gun.

TBC


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