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What Lies Within Us - Chapter 3

Author - Gabi
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What Lies Within Us

by Gabi

Disclaimers in Chapter 1

****

Chapter 3

They were humanoid, even though to a human they would have still looked strange. They were over three meters in height, with long thin arms and legs which reminded of insects' limbs. They had long slender fingers and their heads were elongated and hairless. The look in their facet-like eyes was cold as they stared at the screen

"What are they doing?" one of the four observers asked.

"They are downloading our database," the second one answered.

"Thieves!" the third one exclaimed. "How dare they break in here and steal the results of our researches!"

"The question is, what are we going to do?"

"We cannot let them escape with our technology. That computerbase contains all our scientific data! We cannot simply let these creatures get away with it!"

"This is not going to happen," the fourth one said firmly. Up until now, he hadn't participated in the conversation, closely watching the screen that displayed the image of Trip downloading the data. In the back of the room there was Malcolm, casting nervous glances in all directions, his phaser ready.

"Are you sure they cannot pick up our signatures?" the tall humanoid asked doubtfully.

"I cloaked our bio signs the instant they came through the force field," his colleague assured him. "We could jump them, use the element of surprise."

"They have weapons," another one said. "We are scientists, not fighters."

"But they are a lot smaller than us. We can easily overpower them."

"We could call Head Quarters and ask for help," another one suggested.

"It would take them days to send help. The aliens would be long gone by then."

The fourth humanoid frowned. "What do we know about their vessel?"

"It is warp-capable. Quite advanced, actually, but certainly no match for our technology."

"Our data would provide them with technological innovations, then?"

"Exactly."

"We must not further their technological development. They must not get away with the data."

The four humanoids nodded in agreement and got up.

-###-

"All done." Satisfied, Trip looked down at the padd with the data he'd just finished downloading from the computer. He'd found some schematics that looked quite interesting, but so far he had no idea what any of them showed. He was looking forward to decoding the data with Hoshi's assistance.

"About time," Malcolm mumbled nervously. Looking up, Trip shook his head.

"Put away that phaser, Malcolm, or you'll end up hurtin' yourself. There's no one here except for us."

"I for one am looking forward to getting out of here. I hope you remember the way."

Handing Malcolm the padd, Trip got out his scanner. "Follow me," he waved grandly, setting off for the door. Sighing, Malcolm tucked the padd away in his breast pocket, phaser still in hand.

They hadn't gotten very far yet, though, when suddenly doors were flung open on both sides of the corridor and four tall humanoid beings attacked them. Trip was thrown to his knees, his scanner falling to the floor with a clatter. Without really knowing what was going on he started thrashing, trying to free himself. Malcolm, being the ever-alert security guard, fired immediately and managed to stun one of their attackers before another one landed a kick on his hand, making him drop his phaser.

"Run, Malcolm!" Trip yelled, desperately fighting the two tall beings who had him pinned to the floor. If he'd only been able to draw his phaser! Malcolm grabbed his opponent's arm and with great effort he managed to shove the alien aside, gasping in the thin air.

"I won't leave you," he yelled in Trip's direction, still panting.

Trip kicked one of the beings in the stomach; or at least what he thought to be its stomach. With a strange sound like a high-pitched whistle the being let go of him. Trip immediately turned to his other opponent.

"I'll be alright," he called. "Get outta here, Lieutenant. That's an order."

Malcolm felt something hit him in the back and dropped to his knees. The alien he'd stunned before was back on his feet and stomped down on his hand. Crying out in pain, Malcolm turned around and used his legs to sweep the tall humanoid off his feet. Quickly Reed scrambled back to his feet, but when he saw five other aliens hurrying towards them from the other end of the hallway, he decided to follow Trip's order. He had no chance of winning a fight against so many of them. Turning around, he ran down the corridor Trip and he had walked along earlier. Four of the new aliens dodged Trip and gave chase while the fifth one joined the others who were still holding Trip. By now the engineer was so exhausted that he'd stopped struggling and fighting them. Gasping, he tried to get his breath back. It hurt Malcolm's very soul to just make off, leaving his friend behind, but letting himself get captured as well wouldn't help the situation either. He needed to get away so he could free Trip later. But that was easier said than done. The aliens were only a few steps behind him and Malcolm knew that the odds were not in his favor. With their long spider-like legs his pursuers were able to take giant strides with every step they took, and Malcolm had covered less than twenty meters when he was already panting as if he'd just run a marathon. That bloody thin air. Malcolm dashed around a corner and immediately saw his chance. An open door, leading to a narrow hallway. Doubling back, Malcolm disappeared through the door before his pursuers had the chance to see where he was going. His heart was thumping in his chest and he all but choked as he gasped for air, but Malcolm refused to take the time for a break, passing another hallway, another corner, another door. Finally, when he was sure he'd shook them off, Malcolm slumped against the smooth wall of the corridor, panting. He felt his blood pounding in his ears and dizziness washing over him as he desperately tried to get his breath back. He had to find a place where he could hide, where he could rest for a few minutes. Expecting the aliens to come around the corner every minute, Malcolm took a quick glance around. His eyes fell on some kind of grating in the floor that looked like the grille of a ventilation shaft. Malcolm hardly found the strength to lift it, but after several futile tries it finally gave way. Relief washed over him as he saw that it had indeed been concealing some kind of ventilation shaft. Without hesitating Malcolm climbed into the shaft, pushing the grille back into place as he ducked down into the hole.

-###-

Trip had been fighting like mad, but he knew that he was no match for these aliens. In the end they had him pinned to the floor, each one of them holding down one of Trip's arms or legs. Trip was panting in the thin air. The lack of oxygen made him feel sick, and looking at the strangely elongated faces of his captors he felt sick with fear as well. Where the hell had they come from? And why hadn't the scanners picked up any bio signs? Trip gasped for air when the truth dawned on him. Anyone who had the technology to cloak a building of this magnitude shouldn't have any trouble cloaking their own bio signs as well. Trip lambasted himself an idiot for not thinking of that before. Malcolm had been right.

Malcolm. Hopefully he'd been able to escape. For if he'd been able to get away, there was still hope left.

Two of the aliens yanked Trip to his feet and dragged him off to a room which in a way reminded him of sickbay back on Enterprise. Trip kept fighting them, but their long fingers were wrapped tightly around his arms, not letting go. He struggled and squirmed in their grip, trying to kick them, and finally he felt one of his feet hit something hard. Crying out with pain, one of the beings let go of his arm. Quickly Trip turned and lashed out, not caring what he hit. The only thing that mattered now was getting away from here. Panting, he made a dash for the door, only to bump into the three other aliens who had been standing right behind him. As he was being dragged back into the room and pushed to the floor, Trip realized that he stood no chance against these aliens.

"What d'ya want with me?" he asked. The aliens said something, but Trip couldn't make any sense of the words. Their language consisted mainly of strange noises and high-pitched sounds that hurt his ears. Trying to communicate was not an option. There had to be some way he could get out of here.

While four of the aliens held him down the fifth one searched Trip's pockets and took away his phase pistol as well as his communicator and UT unit. Together with the scanner one of them had brought along he put them onto a table whose legs reached up about 1,70 meters.

"Maybe we'd get somewhere if you switched on that translator," Trip said, but the aliens only stared at him with hatred in their eyes.

Dammit Malcolm, if you're gonna get me out of here, then now would be great, Trip thought, feeling despair rise within him. The grip of their cold hands on his wrists and ankles was beginning to cut off his circulation. Suddenly one of the beings pointed a second phase pistol at him - Malcolm's phase pistol. Trip felt his hands grow cold. Had Malcolm been captured as well? No, in that case they'd probably have brought him in here too. Trip hoped desperately that Malcolm had only lost his phaser in that fight, and not also his freedom or even his life. Realizing that maybe Malcolm was dead already, Trip swallowed, trying to get rid of that parched feeling in his throat.

The alien who held the phaser kneeled down next to him, brandishing the weapon and yelling at him in that strange language of theirs.

"If I knew what you're sayin' I might even give you an answer!" Trip shouted angrily, still struggling, fighting their firm grip. He'd made up his mind not to cooperate, whatever they did to him.

The aliens exchanged glances. "He does not have the data," said the being who had searched Trip's pockets.

"Then the other one has got them," said the one who was standing next to him. "Maybe he will come back."

"I do not think so. Thieves usually do not have a sense of honor. He surely has order to get away with our research data under all circumstances. I do not think he will come back for his companion."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Tell our men to keep looking for him. We need to confer about what steps we are going to take now."

"But what are we going to do with him?" Trip was still struggling in their grip, panting and gasping for air. "We cannot hold him like this for much longer."

"Turn him around!" The humanoid who was still standing went over to a cupboard, took out a bottle with some kind of clear liquid inside and filled some of it into a syringe.

"Is that really necessary?" his colleague asked. "We could lock him up somewhere. Or get some ropes to restrain him."

"That would be insufficient. He must not escape. We need information about his vessel. We must get our technology back."

"We cannot communicate with him."

"Not yet. But I am sure that sooner or later we will find a way. But as long as he is able to fight us he will not cooperate. Turn him around."

-###-

Trip had no idea what they were talking about, but he knew it couldn't mean any good. When the four aliens tightened their grip, using brute force to turn him onto his stomach, Trip felt a hard knot of fear building in his chest. What were they going to do? Now the four aliens were kneeling upon him and Trip couldn't move a muscle. Anger rose within him, mingling with blind panic. He swallowed when he saw the syringe in the hand of one of the aliens. A syringe with a very long needle. Trip heard sound of cloth being torn apart as they ripped open the back of his uniform. Feeling their spider-like hands as they pushed up his shirt, he shuddered. There was no use in begging for mercy, they wouldn't understand him anyway. There was also no use in fighting them, even if he had been able to do so. Trip could only lie there and wait for the inevitable to come. What was in that syringe? Some kind of truth serum? No, that would be no use; after all the aliens didn't understand his language. A drug? Probably, but what did it do? Trip had the feeling that he would soon find out. Gritting his teeth he made up his mind not to show any weakness no matter what they did to him. He felt the long needle pierce his skin and penetrate his flesh. Deeper and deeper. The pain was all but unbearable. Trip tasted blood and realized he had bitten his lip. Then he felt the clear liquid being injected into his spine. Desperately he fought against the terrible pain that exploded in his back. A blaze of agony shot through his legs and up his spine, making him feel like every nerve in his body was on fire. Throwing his head back, Trip opened his mouth and screamed in agony.


Continue to Chapter 4


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Two folks have made comments

Your tourturing him!!! thats not fair! every1 does that, gr8 chapter btw. Bring malcolm bk.
Gd read cant w8 4 more

Great chapter, I can't wait to see what happens.