"Area 51, huh? How long will it take us to get there?" Blackfive asked.
"Three standard days at maximum warp," Glenn, who had been designated the acting First Officer, answered flatly, leaning back in his chair and staring up at the ceiling. He pursed his mouth, looked back around the room at the tense, intent faces, then sighed. "I wish I could say it'd be sooner."
"So when do we go?" Joanie asked, already getting pumped at the prospect of action.
Matt fidgeted with his coffee cup, stalling. "Well, unfortunately, my primary responsibility is the safety of this ship," he answered slowly, "And there are things we don't know about these aliens; for instance, are they hostile?"
Joanie looked at Matt as if he'd asked whether the aliens had a spaceship. "Well, duh," she pointed out, "they stole the Captain, right? That's pretty goddamn hostile, if you ask me."
"OK," Matt said, "then what are their offensive capabilities compared to ours?" He looked around the table. No one said a word. Glenn appeared thoroughly aggrieved at not being able to answer the question.
"See? So how do I risk everyone's life for one person?" His words were calm, but his voice betrayed his strain.
"But it's the Captain!" Teresa burst out, "How can we not go?" She looked from face to face for agreement, seeing mostly confusion, anxiety and fear. Her heart sank.
The table mumbled its approval. "Freakin' A," Joanie could be heard to mutter. She pulled her gun out of her lap, laid it on the table and nervously began to smooth fingerprints off its brightwork with the hem of her sleeve. Teresa clasped her stomach as if it hurt her. She appeared to be on the verge of tears again. John maintained a stoic immobility.
"OK, then what happens if we go there and they simply blow us out of space? Huh? Then we die, and the Captain is still a captive." Matt met every eye in the room. Again no one said anything. The uneasy silence hung in the air awhile, and then Jeff said:
"We can do it."
"How's that?" Matt asked, holding back the bloom of hope that suddenly opened in his chest.
Jeff shifted in his chair under their focused gazes, and explained, "well, our ship is built for two things: stealth and speed. We have a cloaking device and we could get there in half the time."
Matt visibly perked up, as did everyone else. "How many crewmembers can you take?"
"Four total." Cathy replied. The light seemed to brighten in the room.
"OK, you two, me and Joanie," Matt pronounced.
"Uh, Commander?" Teresa demurred gently, "shouldn't you stay with the ship? After all, you are the Captain now."
Again silence. Matt looked like he was in physical pain.
"I'll go," Cassandra spoke from the shadows.
Everyone turned to look at her.
"Why you?" Matt asked.
Cassandra didn't respond immediately. She got up and moved into the light and leaned on the table. Light splintered from her silver hair into their eyes. She had a shot glass in her hand. She stared into each waiting listener's face before she replied, sizing them all up. "Because," she finally said, "I am expert in Special Operations, weapons, and threat assessment. In addition, I am dispassionate with regards to the Captain. I will be able to give you an objective assessment of our situation. Besides," and her face broke for the first time into a broad wolfish grin, "I'm one mean mama, and I don't take no shit from aliens." She slugged back her drink and let the empty glass slam on the table. Everyone jumped slightly.
"Right ON!" exclaimed Joanie, jumping to her feet, "That's what I like to hear!" She slapped hands with the still-grinning Cassandra. "Wish I could see those aliens' faces when they see you grinning at ‘em like that. Wouldn't want to have to do their laundry afterwards, either." She and Cassandra shared an evil laugh that sent prickles along the back of Teresa's neck.
"Commander," Cassandra continued, "I recommend that we take the Rapid Response ship at maximum warp to Area 51. Meanwhile, the Surprise will follow us at a safe distance. We will keep you apprised of our situation. If and when we require help, we will call you in."
"But won't communications with you give away our positions?" Matt asked.
Cassandra smiled, and from her uniform produced a small program tile. She slapped it on the table and slid it across to Donovan. "Reprogram your communications link with this. It is as secure a protocol as anyone knows how to develop. With it, we will have communications security, even from Starfleet." Donovan raised his eyebrows appreciatively as he scooped the tile up, examining it curiously.
Matt looked around the table at the newly hopeful faces. This was, at least, something that they could do. It might even work. They had to try. Slowly he nodded. "We execute your plan immediately," he said. "Away team, prepare for your mission briefing at ten hundred hours."
"We should be nearing the area where the trail ends," Jeff said as they went sub-warp.
"Well, OK then." Cassandra rummaged through her flight bag. She pulled out a nickel-plated .45 ACP, checked the clip and chambered a round with a snap.
"Hey, cool," Joanie said, "I've never seen one of those up close. What's the advantage of using it over a blaster?"
"There's no "stun" setting." She said and tucked it into a holster she had strapped to her waist.
"Oh yeah."
"Hey what's that!?" Cathy called. Before them, coming into view, was a moon-sized object that was totally dark. It's seemingly metallic surface was studded with antenna arrays and other outcroppings that were not readily identifiable.
"I don't know," Jeff said scanning his instruments, "but whatever that it, it is not natural. Somebody made that thing."
"There doesn't appear to be any weapons on the surface," Cassandra commented.
"I agree," Joanie said, "and there doesn't appear to be any door either. How are we going to get inside it?"
"I'll circle around," Jeff said, "maybe we'll come up with something."
But as he began the maneuver, a door began to open in the seemingly seamless orb.
"Uh oh," Cathy said. "You think that's for us?"
"Doesn't appear to be anyone else around," Jeff answered.
"I thought you said we were cloaked." Joanie was looking a bit nervous.
Jeff rechecked his instruments. "We are."
"Great. Well, do we go in?" Cathy' voice was up a decibel or two.
Joanie found her courage, "I say let's do it. We came to get the Captain and we should do it or die trying."
"Die?" Cathy bleated.
"Does this thing have any weapons?" Cassandra asked.
"Just phasors," Jeff said.
"Great," Cassandra said. "Well before we go in there, I suggest we report to Surprise. Tell them not to come any closer until they hear back from us. It's pretty obvious that we do not have technology to match theirs."
"OK," Cathy worked the console.
"Oh and tell them that if they don't hear from us again, they should not approach this area under any circumstances."
Cathy gulped.
"Starfleet on Five, Commander," Donovan announced.
Matt had just finished talking to the away team and had ordered the ship to stop and hold its position.
"In the Captain's office," Matt said.
In Sissy's office, he accepted the call. Admiral Oohzdder filled the screen.
"Well, Commander, have you found Captain Willis?"
"Uh, yes sir. Turns out she was just .. uh .. you know, fooling us. Hiding, you know. She wasn't lost at all."
"Good, put her on, I need to speak to her."
"Uh, yes of course." Matt went to leave then suddenly turned and slapped his head, "Oh that's right! She's not available right now."
"What? Where is she?"
"In the shower."
"The shower? Well when will she be available?"
"Later, much, much later. Yes, she has to be in the shower all day. Doctor's orders. Yes. Dr. Kay ordered her to take a very, very long shower."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Well, I don't know exactly. You know, confidentiality and all that." Then Matt leaned close to the view screen and whispered, "Female problems, I think."
"Uh huh." All of the Admiral's heads looked doubtful. "Well, I will expect a call from her in exactly 24 hours. Not a minute later, you understand?"
"Yes sir. Absolutely. No problem sir." The screen winked out and Matt collapsed back in the big cushy chair and thought. Then he paged Glenn. "Mr Reynolds, take the Surprise to within one hour's travel time to the away teams' position. We may have to do a scoop and scoot." And he thought to himself "if there's anything to scoop."
"Aye, sir"
Jeff guided the ship slowly into the now fully extended opening. As they passed through, it was obvious that through this door, the Surprise itself could pass, the opening was so vast. As they went through the threshold, they could see crystal structures and shapes attached to the inside surface area of the sphere, occupying all except for the bay door through which they were now passing. The crystal structures were dark, except for here and there the crew should see some that were dimly lit.
"Wow, this looks like some giant science experiment gone nuts," Jeff said. "Do you suppose those things are like houses?"
"Yeah," Cathy said. "But it doesn't feel like anyone lives here anymore."
"Except there," Cassandra pointed.
Ahead of them, in what appeared to be the geometric center of the sphere, was a floating crystal city that was brilliantly lit.
"I guess that's where we should head, huh?" Jeff said. He adjusted the controls to approach.
Slowly, Jeff guided the craft towards the "city" which started to pulse with light refracted through the translucent structures. The closer they got, the faster it pulsed. Suddenly, the ship stopped dead about 100 yards from the structure. Jeff shut down the engines.
"I guess that's as close as we get. We're being held in some kind of gravitational tractor beam."
As they watched, wondering what to do next, a walkway extended out from the city to the craft. And at the end of that walkway was Sissy, waving at them.
(to be continued...)
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