Man Out of Time - A Captain America / Avengers Fanfiction

Chapter 70

Chapter 70

A rock. Worn smooth by the water that flowed around it. Careful. Don't let them know you can still think. Just peek … and hide. Careful. Careful. Remember what you see. Touch upon those minds that are still curious. Assess. But don't push. Remember the landscape the aliens don't realize you can see. Remember where the other minds are located so you can find them again when you need them.

Memorize…

A change. The firing of the ship's engines. At last! He was coming for her!

"Bernice," the Friend said. "It is time."

Hands touched her body. Hands touched her body many times per day, making sure the inconvenient shell which housed the biomechanical computer the Other had drilled electrodes into was still in good working condition. Caretakers. Caretakers as Count Rugen had been, too timid and subdued through eons of selective breeding to do what human nature dictated. To rebel against the masters.

'You must -act- like you are about to lead the swarm,' the Friend said. 'Your mind has some of the elements of hers. Act the part, and the drones will choose which queen they wish to follow.'

Bernice opened her eyes. Grey eyes stared back at her, surprised. She suppressed the rush of adrenaline that threatened to make her heart race too fast, alerting the system she could think. She had touched this creature's mind before. She uplinked to the network that had been drilled into her brain, a biomechanical machine, far faster than any mechanical computer humanity had ever built. She remembered the words of the Friend, what she had to say to get the other drones to obey her. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she pictured Seven-of-Nine from Star Trek Voyager and did her best impersonation of her flat affect.

'Bow to me now, humble creature. It is time to swarm.'

The grey-skinned alien hesitated, confused at the sudden release of the command signal she was able to deflect and give the creature an opportunity to think for itself.

"Untie me," she said aloud. "And I will lead you to a new hive.

She forced her heart rate to remain even, her voice not to stutter even though she was terrified. This creature was a slave. No different than Count Rugen had been before Steve had freed him. She was giving it a choice. Serve her. Or the Chitauri queen who was hive leader of this particular ship. The drones had been conditioned to follow the strongest mind. The ship vibrated beneath her. She had to take control while Steve was distracting them or they would not stand a chance. The creature wavered. Bernice uploaded an image of Count Rugen, sitting on the floor of his cell with her, coloring pictures of flowers. The image was a memory of sitting close enough that the prison cell which surrounded him was not obvious.

The grey-skinned alien chose. It began to untie the restraints which kept her strapped into the machine. Bernice tried not to scream as she moved and wires that had been drilled not only into her brain, but every major nerve juncture within her body, held her fast. She pictured Doctor Banner and how much trouble he took to school his external expression to look like a mild-mannered fuddy-dud when in reality he was always angry inside. She forced her face to mimic a similar expression as she unclipped the wires from the jacks that had been drilled into her arms, legs and spine, but left the ones tied to the steel skull-band so the hive would not realize she was disconnected.

'Remember your promise,' the Friend. 'I helped you, you help me.'

'You have my word,' Bernice told the Friend.

The shape shifters had not yet detected she was free. Steve's assault had diverted their attention. She needed to move fast. The ship shuddered beneath her stasis pod like a dragon awakening from a long slumber. All around her, she could sense the inquiry of other minds, other minds like hers who still possessed enough faculties to hide their thoughts deep within their minds. She felt the command to add her brainpower to the hive. She did as the Friend had taught. To compute the data which came into her mind, but change the sequence just a little. Subtle. Subtle. Give them the information they asked for, but just that little bit off so that the people at the other end of whatever they were asking her to compute had a chance to escape.