by -=/\=- Zanh Liis
90510.2130
During and after Snake in the Grass
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-=The Afterthought Cafe, USS Serendipity=-
90510.2130
During and after Snake in the Grass
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-=The Afterthought Cafe, USS Serendipity=-
"Well, congratulations again, Fleur." Wren said, indicating the wooden betrothal bracelet that Fleur now wore on display for all to see. She smiled, inwardly, and outwardly, sensing the happiness in Le Marc that she had recently acquired this most meaningful piece of jewelry.
"Merci." Fleur blushed slightly. "The children, you know, they really seemed to get along well when they met at the party. We should all get together for dinner soon. I'd be happy to cook for the occasion."
"Tam hasn't stopped talking about Pace."
"Neither has Lair Arie, so I'm told." Fleur widened her eyes.
Wren laughed.
"Arie has been such a good friend for Tam. He's..." Wren thought about Tam now, and that made her think about Rada, for it was Rada who was really responsible for how well Tam was doing these days. "...happy here."
Rada had taken on the role of father without hesitation and with great care, and the relationship he'd developed with Tam had changed the boy a great deal and all for the good. He'd thrived with Rada's attention, and Wren couldn't help but love Rada all the more for all he'd done to help Tam. "Yes, Fleur, you're right. We'll all have to get together soon. In the meantime, I'll add you to the starting shift as of tomorrow morning."
"I'm very much looking forward to working with you." Fleur nodded as she looked around the small, familiar kitchen of the cafe. It felt good to be home. "I hope that it won't be too much trouble, scheduling around me only working mornings." Fleur wanted to return to her job preparing real food and bakery for the crew, but she did also have a family to care for and did not want to work full time any longer.
Indeed, she could have resigned her position and stayed aboard the Serendipity simply as the fiancée of the Ship's Chaplain, but they'd both agreed that it was a good thing for her to keep working. Not only because she loved it, but because she loved giving the crew something small to look forward to every day, even if only in the form of a real pastry to have with their morning cup of coffee.
They were under so much stress, this crew, so much of the time, Fleur honestly felt it was the least she could do for the people who had become so dear to her and Jariel both.
"It'll work out fine, Fleur. It'll be wonderful to." Wren suddenly stopped speaking. She felt a wave of pain course through her, beginning at her left temple and sweeping across her face before striking the right with equal intensity as the initial blow.
She swayed a little on her feet, and placed a hand down onto the counter to try to stop the room from spinning.
"Wren?" Fleur was immediately alarmed. " Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. It was just," Wren's breathing became shallow, and it was plain to Fleur that she was not fine. It wasn't only the look on her face, but the terror in her eyes that told Fleur that something was seriously wrong.
"Nonsense. You must go to see the LMH. I will keep an eye on things here, until you-"
Wren's body suddenly stiffened and she screamed; a terrifying, and terrified wail that sent Fleur immediately to her side. Wren stared straight ahead as if held by some unseen force, and her body began to shake.
Her knees buckled and Fleur's reflexes were just fast enough to keep the Betazoid from hitting her head on the floor as she collapsed to the deck. "Wren!" Fleur's hand shot upward and slapped her badge. "Le Marc to Parrish!Medical emergency in the Cafe! Two to beam to Sickbay! " She cried, and she wrapped her arms around Wren. For an instant Wren's eyes just barely opened and she moaned. This sound was very different from the scream she'd given before, and this scared Fleur even more.
It sounded like the resigned last exhalation of someone who knew they were dying.
"HURRY!" Fleur shouted again. As she felt the familiar tingle of the transporter beam locking onto her, she looked down at Wren upon hearing the woman struggle to say three utterly horrifying words.
"Telepaths..." Wren slurred, using every last bit of her strength to get the words past her lips. "...will die."
-=Bridge, USS Serendipity=-
"What does he mean, he's never encountered a mind like this before?" Zanh Liis bolted from the helm, and she shook her head. "This is bad."
"What the hell is that?" Reece interrupted, troubled by a spike in the sensor readings on his screen.
"What is what?" TC Blane asked, as he and Zanh instantly took up position over Reece's shoulder.
"There's was just an obscene increase in the frequency of neutrino emissions picked up by the aft sensor array."
"Explain." Zanh demanded.
"That's just it, Captain." Reece frowned, suddenly much more nervous. "I can't."
Blane and Zanh exchanged a worried glance, and a sickening silence fell over the bridge as Reece checked and rechecked the data. He shook his head, only speaking again after a few moments had passed. "There it is, see? It just goes up and up and I can't tell why it would-"
The voice of Dr. McKay was now heard, interrupting over the comm. [Sickbay to Bridge!]
"Go ahead..." Zanh tried to suppress the concern in her voice at hearing McKay's tone.
[Captain report to Sickbay immediately!]
"Doctor, I really can't,"
[Captain, Wren Elton was attacked by something, and she's dying.]
"Neutrino surge aft of the ship..." Reece whispered grimly. The look in his eye told Zanh all she needed to know.
"Red alert! Shields to maximum. Reece, back us away from the-"
"The readings are back to normal now, Captain." Reece tried to explain.
"Tell Salvek to raise the Zenith's shields and that we're in trouble." Liis ran for the lift, and before the doors came to a close she called back to Blane. "Commander, you have the bridge."
The moment Zanh reached Sickbay she saw Wren lying, pale and lifeless on a biobed with small, all too familiar leads attached to her chest. "Charging," The nurse at McKay's side confirmed.
"Clear." McKay indicated for her to step back, and then he initialized the charge to try to restart Wren's heart.
"What happened?" Asked Zanh Liis.
"Captain, talk to Le Marc. She saw it all. I'm a bit busy at the moment."
"Don't let her die, Dalton." Zanh blurted, even though she knew that he was already doing all he could to save the woman who meant so much to her Chief Engineer. "That's an order."
"Another." McKay sighed, watching as the rhythm of Wren's heart, though beating, remained erratic.
"Charging." The nurse answered calmly, and then Zanh heard no more as she approached Le Marc in the waiting room.
"Tell me everything."
"We were just talking." Fleur explained, "And then suddenly, she seemed to be in pain. It went away a moment, and then she just collapsed and started convulsing." Fleur wrapped her arms around herself, shivering at the memory.
Jariel, having been alerted that there was an emergency in the Cafe and that Fleur had been beamed to Sickbay, bolted through the door. His heart racing, it only began to slow the moment he saw her standing there, speaking to Zanh.
"What happened Fleur? Are you,"
"It's Wren. She was fine one moment and the next... Captain, something, someone did this to her." Fleur thought back to the stories Jariel had told her of the Sylph and knew that some unseen force had to be at work. "She spoke to me, just before she stopped breathing."
"What did she say exactly?"
"She said," Fleur swallowed hard, barely able to speak. "Telepaths will die."
Liis and Camen locked eyes. "Sylph?" he asked.
"I don't know. They've never gone after anything as big as the Zenith before, do you think that maybe they-" she stopped. Suddenly, a horrifying realization came to her. If something had scanned the ship looking for telepaths, found one and left, that meant that those neutrino readings, whatever they were caused by, would not stay at normal levels for long.
If they, whoever they were, had found what they were looking for- they would be coming back. She tapped her badge. "Zanh to Lair."
[I haven't found your chair yet, Captain,] Lair Kellyn sighed, wiping sweat from her brow as she continued moving on her hands and knees through the main cargo bay.
"Kellyn, listen to me very carefully." Zanh's words began running together in her haste to get them out. "I don't have time to repeat any of this. Get to the Alchemy. You're going to take all of the children, February Grace, and any telepath or part telepath on the crew who wants to go with you. Then you're going to jump to transwarp, meet up with Admiral Lassiter on the USS Gauntlet and give them a message. Then you will take the Alchemy and your passengers to safety back on Earth. Understand?"
There was a moment of silence as Kellyn tried to overcome her shock. [I'm to command the Alchemy? But Salvek, or Blane,]
"I need them both. It has to be you. Vedek Jariel..." Liis shot Camen a look, and he knew what she was going to say. "Will be joining you. Lassiter at helm, Cristiane for Security. I'll send you anyone else I can spare. Get Arie, get to that ship and prepare to leave immediately. There is no time to discuss it."
Kellyn's heart sank. [Understood. Sir, what message should I give Admiral Lassiter?"
Liis throat was arid as she tried to swallow before speaking. Finally, she choked out two simple, and simply chilling words. "Bring back-up."
[Acknowledged. Lair out.]
"Get your family together." Zanh said to Jariel. "And be sure you take Tam Elton with you. I want that ship out of here as soon as possible Jariel, hurry."
"Aye, Captain." Jariel took Fleur by the hand. "We have to go."
Fleur nodded, glancing back at Wren sadly before Jariel led her out of the room.
Zanh watched McKay initiate a stasis field around Wren's biobed as she returned to his side. "Is she alive?"
"Only barely, Captain. And I'm not even entirely sure what's happening to her." McKay said sadly.
"Will she survive?"
"I just don't know yet."
Zanh sighed. "Zanh to bridge."
[Blane here.]
"Thomas, we have to send every telepath off of the ship on the Alchemy. We have to send the Alchemy to tell the Gauntlet that we are in deep and need reinforcements. Otherwise."
[Otherwise?]
"Otherwise, when whoever took the Zenith's crew and just tried to kill Wren Elton comes back, we're all going to die."
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-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=- Zanh Liis O'Sullivan
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012