Star Trek: Uncharted Territories

Chapter Two

Hadley on the side!

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I am dreaming. That has to be why I don't want to open my eyes. If I'm not dreaming, then how can one mere human from Planet Earth feel so much pain at once? There was the pain in my chest, and then there was the literal pain in my chest. Would it ever go away?

After that question, I realized I was in fact awake and that I did in fact have to deal with it. I was the reason my sister was dead. I was the reason she wasn't going to see our father again. A stuttered sob came from deep in my throat, causing more physical pain to spread through my body. Two cold fingers felt the side of my forehead, and I let my eyes open. It was true. I was on a ship. Were we moving? I had no way of knowing.

"Good... morning." An unsure voice sounded, causing me to look at the man I percieved to be the doctor. I blinked back the bright light, and he dimmed it slightly. I just stared at him. "My name is Leonard McCoy, can you tell me your name?" He asked, looking at his clipboard. He appeared to of not have slept for quite some time.

I turned from him, staring at the ceiling. I saw a figure in the bed next to me, and glanced over at June. Her blue eyes met mine, and I felt tears falling down my face as I looked at her.

"You promised." I whispered, sniffing.

She had tears fill her eyes too, and she nodded, "I'm so sorry, Hadley. I couldn't stop her."

I turned away from her, back to the doctor. "Hadley Stanley. I'm not sure how old I am, if that was your next question." I think 22?

"Hadley, from your medical examination, you're 22 years old." The doctor confirmed. "We're on our way to Earth now. Your father was notified of what happened. June's was as well. Do you feel any pain?"

Do you have to breathe? "Nothing I can't handle." I responded, wondering if I was being honest, or if I was just trying to be strong. "When will we be back to Earth?"

"3 days." And He just nodded to me, and I slumped into the bed. It seemed like it would be uncomfortable if it were any normal day, but I hadn't been in any kind of bed since our capture. If Astrid were here, I'd ask her why we were taken. I was always asking her questions, and she never got annoyed. She answered as if she knew I was going to ask them.

"We're investigating your kidnapping right now, and why it was done." Dr. McCoy answered my thoughts, startling me.

"I know why." June said from her bed. I turned to look at her curiously.

She met my eyes, hers were glazing with tears again.

"Why?" He asked.

"They were carrying out human experiments..."

This was not news to me.

"Human experiments?" The doctor raised an eyebrow.

"On children. When Astrid and I woke up after having the poison injected into our arms, we snuck out to see what was going on. We saw these Klingon doing horrible things to the kids that were taken... Horrible, painful experiments." June closed her eyes, tears falling from her eyes. "We saw our friends being cut up alive, we saw them being fed poisonous animals. We saw them..."

How did I not know about this part? "Why didn't you ever tell me?" I demanded, feeling tears spring to my eyes too.

"We couldn't let you live with that burden, Hadley. Every time I close my eyes I still see what those monsters did... We barely got you out before they found out we were missing." June shuttered, squeezing her eyes shut as more tears forced their way out.