As soon as a proximity alert was announced, Jim Kirk felt a tinge of hope lighten his chest. Starfleet reinforcements were here. They had a chance. He tore his eyes away from Cecily's body and began to retreat down the corridor. Spock fell into step beside him, with Luna following closely behind.
"Captain, even with Starfleet personnel arriving as a backup, we still need to be prepared for resistance."
"That's what worries me," Jim sighed. "At least we don't have to surrender anymore. I just hope Uhura and Chekov are alright."
They rounded the corner to see Bones finishing up his final checks on the Romulan they bumped into. At least, Jim guessed she was Romulan because of the visible emotions she expressed. The question was, where did Jared find someone of her species?
"Captain." Sulu had been keeping an eye on William, but perked up when he saw them approaching. "What's the plan?"
"Now that backup has arrived, we need to ensure that Uhura and Chekov remain unharmed," Jim began, turning to his First Officer. "Spock, you go to the control room. That way we definitely have someone surveying the entire base. Sulu, get to the cells, free anyone being held captive and contact Mister Scott to have them beamed out."
"I'll go too," Benita said. The woman got to her feet, wobbling slightly as she did so. Bones held his hands out just in case, but she managed to steady herself. "I'll help in any way I can."
Jim glanced at his Chief Medical Officer to see McCoy give the nod of approval. He cast the Romulan a grateful smile before continuing with his instructions. "Heath, you can make yourself useful and go with them too."
"Guess that means you and I are going after Blondie?" Bones presumed, packing the medical supplies he used into a satchel bag.
Jim went to reply when a voice sounded through the speakers in the hallway.
"Captain, it's Uhura! We're okay, but Jared's gone. He left the control room and took Samsa with him. They're headed to the shipyard."
Never had the feeling of relief turned to dread so quickly. Jim was glad his crewmates were safe but concern for Samsa twisted deep within his gut.
"He is most likely aiming to take Doctor Gillian to another base," Spock said.
"Let him try," Bones scoffed, anger tinting his tone.
"We need to catch him before it's too late." Jim rushed through his words and turned to address Luna, but the Sanguine was nowhere to be seen.
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Samsa felt like she was floating. Her vision tipped and swirled. The corridor ahead was revolving. She begged for the hallucinations to stop. It was hopeless. Different voices called her name. They never ceased, regardless of how many times she cried for them to do so.
Someone had hold of her arm. Their grip resembled stone: cold and harsh.
Tears felt freezing against her fever-ridden skin. With every step, it grew harder to breathe. At one point, Samsa collided with the floor, unable to carry on. The cool tiles were a welcome sensation. Nausea shuddered through her body, causing a whimper of pain to escape her lips.
"Get up!"
The voice was not a friendly one. It was sharp and threatening. Samsa ignored it and tried to focus on taking deep breaths but there was no point. Her chest burned, as though she were inhaling shards of glass.
"Samsa, Darling, it's alright."
Patsy's words eased the pain slightly. Her tone was angelic. Samsa lifted her head to see the woman she once loved more than anything. Ginger locks shaped her beautiful face. And those eyes...she had missed them so much. They were the colour of Forget Me Nots. Such a gentle, loving flower.
"Samsa, let me help you."
Samsa wanted nothing more than to take the hand that Patsy was holding out to her. She wanted to hold and kiss her again. It was agonising, but the image was fading and blurring from view.
"Patsy." She managed to croak the name between breaths. "Patsy, I-"
"Get her up now! We're running out of time."
Several hands grabbed at her arms and hauled her into an upright position. It was pointless struggling. She was far too weak. Patsy was gone. Her vision was going in and out of focus and every movement made her feel sicker. Samsa could feel herself being dragged, scraping her feet against the floor.
The air changed in a split second. Wind sliced at any exposed skin and whipped through her hair. Bits of grime blew into her eyes, deeming it even more difficult to decipher her surroundings. It sounded like she was at the centre of a storm.
For a brief moment, as the winds continued to howl, Samsa thought she heard someone screaming her name. Not a hallucination, but a physical being.
Just like that, the blustery weather calmed, eventually ceasing completely at the sound of a door slamming shut. The screams were cut short.
☆☆☆
Though her memory of the compound was vague, Luna was determined to find the shipyard. As soon as Lieutenant Uhura announced where Jared was heading, the Sanguine had slipped away to handle the rest of the rescue mission herself.
"Shipyard...shipyard...where's the Goddam shipyard?" She groaned, continuing to sprint down the corridor.
There wasn't a soul in sight which was lucky. She was keen to avoid any Starfleet personnel so she could get to Samsa in time.
Just as Luna was beginning to grow more anxious, she picked up on a certain scent lingering in the air. She turned the corner and, sure enough, found blood trails on the floor. Scuffed marks where feet had disturbed the pools of liquid were heading down the corridor. Luna controlled the rage that festered beneath her skin and took off in a run, following the crimson path.
It eventually led to an exit door. Luna braced herself for the extremities of Motclan's conditions and jabbed the release button. Straight away, it became impossible to see any further traces of blood. The weather prevented Luna from opening her eyes any wider than a squint. She had to rely on a different sense. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to pick out Samsa's scent. At first, there was nothing, but as another gust of wind picked up, the smell of blood returned.
Once again, Luna picked up the pace, shielding her eyes from the gritty atmosphere. It felt like a drug when she eventually caught sight of Samsa. The poor woman was being hauled along like a rag doll by four guards. Jared was just ahead of them.
"Samsa!" Luna screeched as loud as she could, battling with the monstrous winds.
It was too late. Samsa had already disappeared into the large hangar. In the distance, several Federation shuttles were stationed at the entrance to the facility. They were too far away to hear any call for help.
When Luna reached the hangar door, it was jammed shut from the inside. The Sanguine let out a cry of frustration and began kicking at the locking mechanism on the wall. Her actions were done with such a force that she felt her toes splinter with the impact. After letting out a pained scream, with one final kick, the hangar door sprang up.
It was then that Luna realised how much she had underestimated the number of guards assisting Jared with his escape. She was met with instant blasts leaving her no choice but to hobble inside and take cover behind the nearest storage container.
Upon attempting to use her gun to return the favour, she was hit in the shoulder. The blast knocked her to the floor momentarily. Her wound was already healing, but a speedy metabolism wasn't enough to get through all that firepower.
She shut her eyes and prayed to the Founders. Prayed for something - anything - that would help.
More shots caused her to lift her head. They weren't, however, coming from the guards. Luna never thought she would be so happy to see Captain Kirk and Doctor McCoy. The two men were firing their phasers from behind a stack of crates a few feet away.
"Go and get Samsa! We'll cover you!" Kirk shouted across to her.
Luna didn't waste another second. She nodded to the Captain and scurried away, choosing the path around the outskirts of the hangar. Her foot complained at the pace, but she ignored the discomfort.
Not a single guard noticed her as she slipped past them and reached the ship. She took care of two that were guarding the entrance and made a beeline for the ramp.
It was a decent-sized shuttle. Not too big to require a large crew, but spacious enough to carry a lot of cargo. The immediate corridor was deserted, yet the stench of blood was incredibly strong. Luna followed the coppery aroma to find Samsa in a heap, leaning against the wall of the ship.
"Oh, thank the Founders." Luna rushed forward and began assessing her sister's wounds with the utmost care. Tears threatened to cloud her vision but she managed to keep them at bay. She snapped the cuffs that bound her wrists together and brushed the blonde locks away from Samsa's clammy face.
"Lu...Luna?" Her breathing was shallow and erratic, inhibiting her ability to speak.
"I'm here, Kiddo. I'm here. Let's get you home, hey?" Luna looked around warily but there was no sign of Jared. Not a sign to suggest anyone else was aboard. She took the opportunity and gathered Samsa into her arms.
There were still a few guards left standing in the hangar. Luna moved around the back of the shuttle but had to come to an abrupt halt when Samsa began tugging on her arm. The brunette frowned and set her down on the floor. She went to ask Samsa what was wrong but got her answer when the poor woman doubled up and began to empty the contents of her stomach.
"Alright, Sams, you're okay." Luna hoped her words provided some comfort as she rubbed circles on her sister's back. Deep down, she was growing more worried by the second. "I'm sorry, Sams, but we've got to keep moving. Captain Perfect Hair is waiting for you."
Samsa was having a hard time catching her breath as she coughed and spluttered after the ordeal.
Luna tore a part of her shirt, using it to wipe the blood from around her mouth. She gave Samsa a few moments to compose herself before picking her up again.
By now, the shooting had fallen silent. All of the guards were unconscious. Both Kirk and McCoy were heading towards the ship but broke into a run as soon as Luna became visible.
She set Samsa down just as they reached her.
"Oh, Sam..." Kirk breathed. He looked beyond shocked. It was understandable. The poor woman was dreadfully ill. He removed his jacket, bundling the clothing to form a makeshift pillow.
McCoy got straight to work, retrieving a tricorder from his medical satchel. "We need to stop the bleeding," he declared, referring to the wound on her side. The incision on her neck had mostly healed but still looked rather nasty. "Jesus, what the hell happened, Blondie?"
"Dri...dr...drill."
Samsa could only say so much before she was worn out, but it was enough for Luna to understand. She had been through the same thing. "Power drill through the intercostal muscle to test respiratory durability," she said.
Doctor McCoy's eyes widened at her words. "That explains the fluid in her lung," he cursed.
"Can you do anything?" Kirk said.
"I can extract it, but I need you to stay really still and try to hold your breath for me, Blondie."
Samsa nodded and squeezed her eyes shut.
McCoy took a large needle and inserted it just below the wound, through the ripped hole in her uniform.
The blonde's face screwed up with discomfort. She whimpered as a thick reddish-orange liquid began to fill the syringe.
Kirk was quick to act, stroking a hand through her hair. "You're doing so well, Dollface. I'm so proud of you."
"Got it," McCoy said, triumphantly. The change was instantaneous. Samsa's breaths were already growing longer. "We need to work on bringing that temperature down now."
"She's just been sick as well," Luna said.
"That'll be that damned virus at work. It's her body trying to sort everything out." The Doctor cast a reassuring, lop-sided smile. "All that's left is to get her back to Earth."
"I'm afraid I can't let that happen."
Luna whipped around at the sudden voice.
Jared was stood by the ship, pointing a gun at them.
"Face it, Jared. It's over." She angled her body to face him but he paid no attention to her words.
"Captain, if you know what's best for you, step away from the Sanguines."
"I'd rather die," Kirk replied, his voice strong.
Something flashed over Jared's face. It was an expression born from fury and betrayal. "If that's what you want."
Luna was prepared to launch her body and block the shot from hitting its target, but no such action was needed. A weapon was fired but not Jared's. The man collapsed to the floor after being hit by a stun blast.
Commander Spock stood at the far end of the hangar, his outstretched arm holding a phaser. Numerous Starfleet security officers began to file in behind him.
"Luna," Samsa murmured. "Luna...you need to...need to run. They...they'll take you in." Her eyes drooped as she spoke.
"I know, Kiddo, but I'm not going anywhere." Luna glanced up and met Kirk's gaze with a smile. "Not this time."
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you again for all the reads and votes! Hope you are all keeping well! ❤