BREAKDOWN
By Amanda Russell
Doctor Russell closed her eyes and took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm, to keep her hand from shaking. There was nothing she could do to stop this; nothing she could do make this nightmare go away. It was reality now.
"Helena."
Opening her eyes, she met John Koenig's gaze. He was far calmer than she and he reached forward to take her hand, squeezing it gently.
"It's all right, Helena."
"It is a strong, wise leader who calmly accepts his own inevitable death."
Helena Russell glanced angrily, hatefully, at the male alien who stood beside her, watching her every move. His name was Klarel and he was leader of the band of renegade space mercenaries who had taken Alpha by surprise less than two days ago. Because John resisted their invasion, because he refused to accede to their demands immediately, Klarel had ordered him executed. And he had ordered Helena to be the executioner - because taking life was so contrary to everything she believed in, everything to which she had devoted her life. She was to execute John Koenig as a 'lesson' to the rest of the base. If she refused, or if anyone interfered, not only would John be killed, but all of the senior staff members as well - and not mercifully. She had no choice.
At least Klarel and his people allowed her to use the most humane method the Alphans possessed - lethal injection.
Meeting John's gaze, placing her other hand on top of his and forcing the anger, panic and tears to stay in control, Helena took a deep breath, her mind steeled for what she could not change, could not accept, could not do but had to do. John nodded once.
Helena slowly inched the hypodermic spray toward John's neck, unable to look at him, no longer able to meet his gaze. She knew he did not blame her, knew he would not condemn her for what she was being forced to do, but she didn't want to risk seeing his last thoughts reflected in his gaze, did not want to see his possible, fleeting thoughts of betrayal at her hands. She could never forgive herself this action, even if John could.
"NO!!"
Pulling back, dashing the hypo to the floor, Helena shook her head in revulsion at what she had nearly done.
"No! I can't do this... I can't!"
Klarel stared at her for a long moment, then calmly turned toward the assembled Alphans and allowed his gaze to wander over them. To prove his determination and ability to carry out his promises - and threats - he had ordered the entire Alphan population to witness Koenig's execution. His gaze rested on a young, female computer tech who sat between two of Koenig's senior level personnel. He drew his weapon, aimed and fired at the young woman. She cried out in surprised pain, clumsily slumped to the floor, her limbs twitching convulsively for several seconds, then she lay still. Helena had screamed in outrage and started forward, toward Jessica Willey, but a firm, restraining grip from Klarel stopped her. Instead he motioned one of the other physicians to examine the girl, and Bob Mathias stepped forward, crossing the floor to kneel by Jessica. It took only a moment for him to examine her, and he looked up to meet Helena's horrified gaze. Mathias looked briefly at the commander, then stood and faced Klarel.
"... She's dead."
Words of protest and anger rose throughout the room, until Klarel silenced them all with one look. He released his grip on Helena's arm as he aimed his weapon at the person who sat on the right of Jessica -- Tanya Alexander.
"How many more must I kill before you follow your orders, Doctor?"
"Stop! Please!"
"It is you who controls their fate, Doctor; you who decides how many will live and how many will die."
Klarel had not taken his eyes - or his aim - off Tanya. The room was filled with silence. Helena felt herself trembling. Her stomach was churning, her knees were weak, and she wanted to reach out and throttle Klarel, but knew she could not.
"Helena."
John said her name softly, gently, but it seemed to echo as a shout in a cavern, and she turned to look at him again. He met her gaze and nodded once, almost imperceptibly. Helena sighed heavily then knelt down and retrieved the hypo. She looked down at it for several long seconds, eyes clouding with tears before Klarel's voice cut through the silence.
"I grow weary of waiting, Doctor."
"Helena..."
She again looked at John, who shrugged off the restraining hands of his guards. One tried to re-establish control but a signal from Klarel stopped him. Koenig could not escape, nor was he so foolish as to try.
John stepped forward until he stood directly before Helena Russell. Their gazes locked and he gently reached out to take her hand - the one which held the hypo. It was trembling violently and John held it, and her, until the trembling ceased.
"It's all right, Helena."
He brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it tenderly, their gazes still locked. Then, with loving gentleness, John guided Helena's hand to the spot on his neck and pressed the hypo home as he reached around to draw Helena closer to him, to embrace her tightly.
"I love you."
The words were whispered, so only Helena heard them, a moment before the poison hissed into John's system. He took a deep breath, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he released a loud gasp of pain. Then Koenig fell to the floor and laid still at Helena's feet.
"... John..."
Bob Mathias knelt beside his Commander and checked his vital signs, finally looking up to meet Klarel's gaze.
"He too is dead."
Helena released a sob and dropped the hypo, covering her face with her hands. She didn't see Klarel smile with satisfaction, nor see him prod at Koenig's body with the toe of his boot.
"Doctor."
Helena reluctantly looked up at Klarel, unable to avoid the backhanded blow he gave her. She was thrown to the floor by the impact, a line of blood on her cheek from the blow.
"Perhaps next time you will not be so reluctant to follow orders."
Helena only shook her head, her tear filled gaze on Koenig's body. Slowly she reached out to touch his shoulder.
"... John..."
"Get them out of here."
Mathias moved to assist Helena to her feet while several other members of the medical staff saw to John Koenig and Jessica Willey.
Klarel entered the Medical Center and looked around critically, finally spotting the doctor who had proclaimed the deaths. He crossed to the man who, alerted by a nurse to Klarel's presence, turned to face the alien leader.
"I have been informed Doctor Russell is no longer cooperating."
Bob glanced over his shoulder at Helena, sedated and resting on a diagnostic bed, then back at Klarel. He didn't like dealing with this man, but he no longer had a choice.
"That's not entirely accurate or correct. She's in a state of severe emotional trauma and had to be sedated to keep her from uncontrollable hysteria."
"A ploy to avoid following additional orders which may not be to her liking."
"No. She and Commander Koenig were... intimately involved. By forcing her to assist in his death, you not only made her commit an act which is completely against everything she believes in, the very thing she has committed her life to - battling needless death, you also forced her to kill the one person who was more important to her than her own life. It was simply more than she could cope with and her mind shut down. She's not able to function normally, no longer able to interact with anyone or anything."
"I need her to assist with my plans for this complex and its personnel. How long will it take for her to recover completely?"
Mathias turned to look at Helena more fully, his gaze lingering on the monitors at her head. He sighed to himself.
"She may never recover completely. The human mind is a very complex, unpredictable, independent part of our existence. She could recover quickly, in a matter of hours, or it could take years, or it could be never."
Klarel said something in his native language Mathias assumed to be a curse or expletive, studied Helena closely, and cursed again.
"Remove her."
"I beg your pardon?"
"She is to be removed from this facility. No extensive care is to be provided for her. If she is to recover, she will do so on her own, and away from here, where she will only serve as a distraction to the tasks I give you and the staff here. She may receive sustenance and a minimum of medical, maintenance care, but nothing more."
"But..."
"If she recovers by the time we are ready to leave this facility, she will be given passage. If she is not recovered, she will remain behind. We have no tolerance for weakness of any kind. The weak and ill are of no use to us."
Klarel left, Mathias staring after him with open mouthed astonishment. When he was certain the alien had gone, he glanced at Ed Spencer, who stepped from behind a set of large monitors. Ed nodded once and Bob smiled.
The medical staff, as well as several of the mercenaries assigned to supervise them - watched as Doctor Mathias escorted Doctor Russell from the Medical Center. She had regained consciousness not long ago and was clearly not herself. Between fits of sobbing and near hysteria, she carried on conversations with -- apparently -- John Koenig. When told he was dead, she would either stare, uncomprehendingly, vehemently deny it or breakdown, crying in sorrow and grief. As Klarel had ordered, she was not to remain in the Medical Center, and Doctor Mathias determined having her confined to her quarters would be best for her. He could monitor her condition from there, and still provide the minimum care Klarel would allow her. Although no one had asked, they could tell by Doctor Mathias' expression that he doubted Helena Russell would ever fully recover. Klarel's forcing her to be Koenig's executioner was simply more than she could handle, and her mind had snapped.
As the Medical Center doors closed behind them, Helena's staff returned to their newly assigned duties. They were to inventory and sort all the equipment in the Medical Center, label it as to usage, then disassemble and pack it for transport. No one dared ask why; they didn't want to follow Koenig in death, but they all held a silent hope that somehow - someway - they would overcome these aliens and defeat them - before Alpha was made into a useless, empty, nonfunctional series of corridors and rooms.
Klarel stood near Koenig's desk in the Command Center, his own people in control of base operations. He ordered the Alphans to perform more manual tasks while his people assessed the value of the facility. He walked over to stand beside the subordinate who was monitoring the inventory of chemical substances on the base, and frowned as the computer screen flickered and began to fade out. It came back for a moment, then faded out completely.
"Explain."
The male shook his head, unable to explain the malfunction of equipment he was barely familiar with. Klarel turned to the next person, to see that screen had also blanked out. Every screen in the Command Center was out. Klarel felt his anger rise and was about to order an investigation when his personal communications devise sounded. He activated it, seeing the disturbed features of one of the men he had ordered to oversee the Alphans at their tasks in the space craft holding area.
"What?"
"Sir, there has been a chemical leak. We have had to evacuate the area and have not yet located the source. I am told, once the leak has been sealed, it will take several hours before the atmosphere is purged of harmful elements. We have the native population assigned to this area confined in one of the larger rooms nearby and those who are expert in a situation such as this are working to find and seal the rupture."
Glancing at the still malfunctioning computer terminals, Klarel's eyes narrowed.
"Could this chemical leak have been deliberately initiated?"
There was a pause on the other end before Klarel received an answer.
"I suppose it is possible sir, but all those assigned to this area were fully occupied on the other side of the room when the leak occurred. The chief of the area... Carter, says the readings indicate it to be a corrosive chemical solution which is leaking. He speculates it is the result of faulty or outdated containment."
"Stay there and supervise the repair and clean-up. Re-assign the work details to other areas until progress can resume at your location."
"Understood, sir."
Klarel returned the devise to its storage pocket on his uniform and turned back to the problem before him.
"Have you located the trouble here?"
"... No sir, I am unable to gain access to any aspect of their data storage system. We have no visual, therefore are unable to tell if our commands are being accepted and implemented or not."
"Get down to the area where the data storage equipment is. See what you are able to discover."
"Yes, sir."
The alien stood and left the Command Center as Klarel stared hard at the black and apparently non-functional computer screens. He was beginning to wonder if the components of this facility would bring as much on the open market as he'd originally thought. It was already proving to be far more trouble than it should and they had barely begun to estimate its content and potential value.
Angered and frustrated by their inability to find and correct the problems with the facility's main data storage access units, Klarel ordered his people to transfer everything to their own personal, portable units. The data collected would be downloaded to their ship's artificial intelligence units, then processed and analyzed so he could make judgments based on that information. That meant all inventory would have to be done by hand - lengthening the time they spent on this asteroid, but if anything were to be salvaged, it had to be.
As he made his way back to the now useless but still centrally located Command Center, Klarel jumped and cursed when a loud, annoying, repetitive sound filled and echoed in the passageways. He grabbed his comm devise and demanded to be told what was happening.
"Sir, their internal alarm system has been activated!"
"By whom?"
"The head of their internal security department - Verdeschi - says it is a pre-programmed drill, monitored by the computer - their data storage system."
"The same system which became non-functional earlier?"
"Apparently so, sir."
"Bring this Verdeschi to me. I will be in the main control center."
"Yes sir."
The red alert bells were silenced just as Tony Verdeschi -- acting Commander of Moonbase Alpha - for what it was worth, anyway -- was escorted into the Command Center. He faced Klarel tensely, wanting to punch the alien's face in, but not allowing himself to act on the impulse. He didn't want to follow John to the morgue, and he could see Klarel's relief when the alarm went silent.
"Explain how a 'computer' monitored system can still be functional when all computer access has been terminated."
"I beg your pardon?"
Klarel glared at Verdeschi, then indicated the obviously darkened monitor screens in the Command Center. Tony frowned and glanced back at the alien.
"May I?"
The man stepped aside, Tony moved to his regular station and tried several keyboard commands, frowning even more when nothing happened. He wasn't able to bring up even a command prompt, let alone access any of the files. It was as if the monitors had been put on a permanent screen saver, except the screen was completely blank and there was no way he knew of to turn it off.
"Have you an explanation?"
"No. This shouldn't be possible. There are built in safeguards to prevent this very thing from happening."
"And if these safeguards are removed or rendered useless?"
"I... suppose this result would be possible, but to do as you suggest requires the authorization codes of the commander plus one other senior level staff member."
"Can it be done without the commander's codes?"
"No,.. and it can only be done from the commander's station -- over there."
Verdeschi indicated John Koenig's Command Center desk and sensed Klarel's frustration level rise again. He showed no outward reaction but felt a great deal of internal satisfaction. He had no idea how this had happened and was not about to tell the alien that monitors in other parts of the base were working perfectly.
Klarel was about to respond when his personal comm devise sounded for attention again. He activated it.
"Yes?"
"Sir, there has been a malfunction of the external access portals. Several of our crew are stranded outside."
"They live?"
"Yes, life support is intact, they simply cannot gain access to this base from our ship."
Klarel glared at Tony, who had instinctively turned toward his terminal to find out what was wrong, then swore under his breath and checked his movement. He felt Klarel's gaze upon him.
"Continue to correct the malfunction. I shall see if I can ascertain anything form here."
Klarel shut his devise off as he stepped closer to Tony. The security chief swallowed, trying to keep his temper under control.
"Explain."
"... You have taken base personnel from their regularly assigned tasks and put them to work doing other things. It stands to reason base systems will begin to malfunction with no one monitoring them, especially since the computer seems to be off-line."
Klarel cursed in his native language and pushed Tony away, then turned and left the Command Center. Verdeschi straightened, smiled to himself and took a deep breath, then accompanied his guards out of the Command Center. He kept his expression neutral, but his mind was racing. How had the computer been taken off-line? John was dead. There had been no opportunity for him to pass along his authorization codes. He supposed Helena could have done it. John might have entrusted her with that information. And she was senior level staff, so her codes in addition to John's... But from what he'd heard and seen, Helena was in no condition to do anything let alone try to harass and irritate the mercenaries on her own. Yet it had to be Helena - somehow. There was no other answer.
Anger, frustration and bewilderment all consumed Klarel as he strode through the Alphan hallways. What had begun as minor irritations were now escalated into major problems. More and more of his people were being pulled away from their duties in order to supervise and guard Alphan work crews while they attempted to repair systems that had broken down, were malfunctioning or generally delaying his purpose on the base. While he was far from ready to give up on this project - he needed the credits it would bring him and his crew needed the score - he was ready to put a complete and total stop to what appeared to be acts of sabotage designed to distract him from his goal. If it were not for the fact the native populace was under such tight guard that they could not have the opportunity to create these problems, he would have found some way to end it much earlier. He could not order them all confined, for he needed the labor force they provided. However, there was one person among the native populace who was not under guard by his people -- the female physician. He was going to see for himself if she was as incapable of normal functioning as the male physician claimed. It would not be the first time those he conquered tried to out wit him; to deceive him.
Entering the Medical Center, Klarel glanced around quickly, then strode over to where the male physician worked along side two members of his staff, all carefully watched by one of his own men.
"You - physician. Come with me."
Bob Mathias glanced over his shoulder, grabbed a nearby medical kit out of habit, then turned and followed Klarel from the room. When they were out in the hall, away from the other members of the Alphan staff, Klarel stared hard at the man.
"You will escort me to where your colleague is confined. I wish to see for myself if she is incapable of work."
Mathias swallowed hard and nodded, indicating to Klarel which way they should go. Bob took the shortest, most direct route toward the living quarters.
Having been ordered by the invading mercenaries to disassemble, then pack the contents of the Eagle test labs, Alan Carter concentrated on downloading the software before disconnecting the monitors on the test bench while two others worked on physically dismantling a proto-type engine they would probably never get to see finished, let alone test. The alien guarding them disliked their talking while they worked, so silence was their companion, until the guard stepped out of the room. When the door was securely closed behind him, the lock code in place to prevent them from leaving, Alan sat back and sighed heavily. His companions did like wise, flexing stiff muscles and sore joints. One watched Carter for a moment, then made a decision.
"Mister Carter, may I ask you something?"
"Yeah, sure."
"I don't mean to sound disloyal, and I'm sure not going to disobey the commander's last order, but... why did he order us not to fight, not to resist? I hate this - doing what they say, passively allowing them to come in here, take over, and change our lives. Why wouldn't he let us fight?"
Alan sighed again. He'd been thinking about and wondering the same things himself; probably every Alphan on the base was having similar thoughts. He shook his head.
"I... can only make a guess, Ike, but... John must have realized it would be useless for us to resist these creeps. We've no weapons, they confiscated, deactivated or destroyed every weapon on the base. We have no way to coordinate any resistance attempt or attack plan. They've got us guarded so heavily, isolated so well that one section doesn't know what the other sections are doing, and... we know Klarel carries out his threats."
"But he can't kill us all - he needs us."
"No, Sean, not really. We're free labor, making it easier for his people, but he can accomplish the same things without us. It will just take him a little longer."
"I'd rather die defending Alpha than to be sent to some forced labor planet. The commander had that chance, why did he deny it to us?"
"Maybe he was hoping we'd find way out of this, Ike, or maybe... he wanted all our struggles and fights for survival until now not to be wasted. If we're all dead, that could well be the end of human kind, but if we stay alive, even on some forced labor planet, we still have a chance, we still have a place in the universal scheme of things."
"Yeah,... give all we've been through some kind of meaning... Mr. Carter, do you know who is responsible for all these... incidents?"'
"No, I don't, but I sure hope they are able to keep it up. They are providing the distractions we need in order to figure a way out of this."
"I heard Doctor Russell has gone off the deep end; that she's flipped out."
"How would you react if you were forced to kill the one person you loved most, Sean?"
"I hope to God I never find out."
"Yeah, well, she did find out."
Ike and Sean both nodded solemnly, then all three got back to work when they heard the lock mechanism click and the door open. The guard was back.
Mathias swallowed once and followed Klarel into Helena Russell's private quarters. He had a pretty good idea of what to expect, but as he stepped inside and moved to the side so Klarel wasn't blocking his line of vision, the doctor had to force himself not to gape.
Helena stood before them, a blank, non-comprehending stare on her face. Then, quite suddenly, Helena smiled and hurried across the room to where Klarel stood. She looked up to meet his stern gaze, and wrapped her arms about him in a tight embrace.
"Oh, John! They're lovely. Thank you! But how did you ever convince Richard to part with so many? Never mind, I don't want to know... Thank you..."
Disengaging himself from Helena's embrace, Klarel took a step back, away from her. He glanced warily at Mathias, whose initial shock had faded and was replaced by well concealed delight and extreme concern.
"Explain this."
"John?..."
"She's in denial. She can't - or won't - accept what happened to him and so has retreated to a point in time when he was still with us."
Helena pulled in a deep breath, bringing everyone's attention back to her. Her eyes were wide, tears standing on her cheeks. She stepped further away from Klarel, beginning to tremble.
"John!... No, oh God, John... You... you made me... Nooo!!"
Her voice rose to a shriek and she launched herself at Klarel. Anger, hatred and grief propelled her frenzy, and she managed to land several painful blows to Klarel's body and face in addition to scrapping his hand and face with her fingernails before Mathias and the guards were able to pull her off and control her. Still she continued to struggle, hatred flashing in her eyes.
"You cold-blooded, cowardly, insignificant puddle of sludge! You forced me to do what you didn't have the courage to do! You made me kill him because you don't have the balls for it. I hate you! Get out of here! Get out of here before I kill you! It will be easy for me -- now!"
Mathias turned to Klarel and glared hard at the alien invader. He struggled hard to prevent Helena from attacking Klarel a second time as her anger and hysteria grew.
"Do as she says. Get out before I'm no longer able to restrain her. Wait outside. I'll be out as soon as I can."
Klarel willingly agreed and backed from the room, his guards not far behind, his gaze never leaving the struggling, frightening woman. As the door began to close, Klarel heard a bone chilling wail come from the female, and was relieved to be safely in the hallway, although he would never admit it or allow any of that relief to show on the surface.
Klarel glared at his guards, then turned away, his thoughts on the female just inside the door. His face and cheek hurt where she'd scratched him, and his immediate impulse was to order her killed; eliminate any future problems she might create, and allow her to join Koenig in death. But his common sense told Klarel that to kill this unbalanced female would be his own downfall.
Alive the woman could be of use to him. She was his leverage, his assurance that these Alphans would not openly rebel against him. By keeping her alive, he could use her as incentive. She would be the reason they continued to cooperate. He could threaten all he liked and the fear that he would kill this unbalanced and dangerous physician would provide the reason for the Alphans not to step further out of line. They already knew he could - and would - kill. The dead commander was proof. Now let them think he had no tolerance or patience for illness, no matter what form it took.
Resigned, Klarel allowed his common sense to rule. He would not kill the woman, but use her to his advantage. She might no longer be capable of normal functioning, but she was still useful to him.
Klarel smiled to himself. After the Alphans had finished all their tasks, before they were loaded into the cargo areas of his ship, he would kill her. He owed himself that much, as the pain in his face would remind him for quite some time.
Beginning to grow impatient with the waiting, Klarel was about to have one of his guards re-enter the woman's abode when the door opened and Bob Mathias stepped into the hallway. He felt Klarel's hand on his arm as he reached to touch the control button to close the door, and stopped, stepping aside so Klarel could peer into the room.
The lights were lower and the wailing had stopped. He could see a form huddled beneath the covers on the bed, gentle movement indicating she was not completely asleep. Satisfied, Klarel allowed Mathias to close the door, then met his gaze, silently demanding an account.
"She's been sedated again and is calmer now. She should drift off to sleep soon."
"Will she repeat the... display I was just subjected to?"
"I don't think so - as long as you stay away from her. Eventually she will work through all her anger and grief, become calmer and more rational, but until that happens... I suggest you keep your distance."
"Tell me something. Has she access to the base systems from her quarters?"
"I'm not certain I understand."
"Is she capable of affecting base operations from here? Has she the proper authorization codes to... deactivate computer access points, or create a toxic leak?"
Mathias stared at Klarel a long moment, then shook his head.
"No, she doesn't, nor does she have the knowledge or expertise to do the things you've suggested. Helena is one of the best physicians I've ever known, but her computer skills are limited to running them, not programming them."
"Why should I believe you?"
"You asked me, I gave you a truthful answer. If you still have doubts, double check her file. Helena's education was in medicine, not chemical engineering or computer programming."
Klarel glared at him again, then nodded to the guards.
"Return him to his duties."
The guards acknowledged and looked at Mathias, who turned and walked in front of the guards as they went back down the hall, back toward the Medical Center. Klarel followed his progress with a hard gaze, then glanced back at the door behind which the female was confined. He could see she was incapable of rational thought, and reluctantly had to admit she could not be responsible for all these problems.
Turning, Klarel left the area, his mind already on trying to find another way - another reason - for the current difficulties. He would find it, correct it, and complete his confiscation of this base, the equipment and the personnel.
Entering the Medical Center for her duty shift, head nurse Paula Muraski caught Doctor Mathias' gaze long enough to let him know she needed to speak with him. He acknowledged, and as soon as he could, worked his way over to where she was. The guards' attention elsewhere, she gave him a wide eyed, worried look, and kept her voice low.
"Doctor, I popped in on Doctor Russell on my way here. She's gone missing."
"What?"
"She's not in her quarters. The food you took her earlier hasn't been touched and she is not there. I double checked, called for her, even entered the bathroom. She is gone."
Mathias laid a gentle hand on Paula's arm and nodded re-assuringly in case the guards had noticed their conversation.
"Could you tell how long she'd been gone?"
"No. Doctor, if they find her wandering about the base in her present condition... he'll have her killed, won't he?"
Mathias did not reply, then smiled and nodded as a guard approached.
"Thank you, Paula. I'll take a look at it myself. You'd better get back to work."
"Yes, Doctor."
She turned and got busy, trying to stay as far away from the guard as possible.
"Is there a problem?"
"Possibly, with one of the Life Support monitors. May I go look at it?"
"Where is it located?"
"The hardware can be accessed from just down the hall. I'd like to discover what the problem is before we take it down completely. It shouldn't take long."
"Very well. Defective equipment is of no use to us. I shall accompany you."
Bob nodded, as if he'd expected that, and led the way. They had gone not far down the corridor when the guard's personal communications devise sounded. He was ordered to Airlock Three, where several of his fellows were still trapped. He glared at Mathias and sighed.
"Continue your investigation."
The guard left him and hurried down the hall. Mathias watched until he was out of sight, took several more steps and stopped in front of a closed door. He checked to be sure no one else was in the hall, then he entered a code in the wall control panel and slipped through the opening door, closing it quickly behind him.
Bob Mathias glanced around the empty room as he slipped in, and waited for the door to close behind him before he spoke.
"It's Mathias."
His glance went to the side of the room as he heard movement and he relaxed slightly when he heard then saw Helena Russell step from behind a stack of storage containers.
"Helena..."
"Bob,... what's going on? What was the red alert awhile ago?"
"Nothing -- a malfunction, or so I heard. Information isn't very reliable at this point - they have us all so isolated in our own sections that no one really knows what is going on in the rest of the base, but I've been hearing that Klarel is becoming frustrated by all sorts of problems that keep popping up -- mostly technical and mechanical. He even asked me if you were capable of causing all these problems."
"Oh?"
"Seems there was a chemical leak in the Eagle bay, the computers are down in Command Center, and there's trouble with the air locks."
Helena smiled sadly as she returned to her lab bench, where she was working on something. Mathias nodded toward it.
"How's it going?"
"Slowly. I think I'm on the right track, but I still have several more trials to do before I can be certain. The readings Ed took have been very helpful, and the blood and tissue I took from Klarel is giving me specifics I didn't have before. I'll need a few more hours."
"Indeed. That was a very interesting show you put on in your quarters, Helena. You're quite an actress."
"Very little of it was acting, Bob..."
"Yes... No one knows who is responsible for all these... distractions Klarel has to contend with, but we're all hoping whoever it is has not run out of ideas."
Helena nodded, swallowing hard.
"I need all the time they can buy me."
"We all hope you'll get it. I came by to tell you that -- according to the staff -- you've slipped out of your quarters and are wandering about the base - so far undetected."
"Let them continue to think that."
"They are worried about your safety, especially if Klarel should discover you gone."
"He only wants me out of the way, I am."
"Emotional instability seems to make him very uncomfortable."
"True."
"Helena, do you really think this has a chance of working?"
"It has to Bob. It's all I can think of to do, and is probably our only chance. I want there to be another way, I want..."
Tears sprang to her eyes and she swallowed hard again, wiping at her cheeks with her hands, wincing when she brushed against the discolored bruise on her cheek and jaw - the result of Klarel's blow after John's death. She didn't have time for this. Bob stepped closer and put a hand on he arm.
"You did what you had to, Helena. The commander understood."
Helena tried to wave his condolences away, knowing she couldn't think about any of this now, knowing she had to do everything she could to get them out of this situation because she was the only one who could.
"Helena,... don't wave it off. You have a right to be angry and upset. Don't hold it in."
"I have to Bob - at least for now. Later I'll find time to deal with it, but now... I have work to do."
"All right. I just wanted to update you on current circumstances. Do you need anything?"
"No, just... No, I'm all right. I have to be."
Bob gave her arm a squeeze of understanding, then released it.
"I must get back."
"I'll let you know when I have something more. Don't risk being caught."
"Right."
He turned and left as Helena sank onto the lab stool. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard again. Despite her resolve, tears came to her eyes and she began to sob, unable to control, unable to keep her emotions in check.
"John,..."
Over the course of the next six to seven hours, the alien invaders grew more and more frustrated by the continual problems Moonbase Alpha presented them. The travel tubes and lifts began to malfunction - failing to stop at some destinations, back tracking to others and stalling between floors or stops. Electrical problems manifested themselves in the flickering of lights and power outages at various sites. Maintenance was put on it immediately and the solution they found interfered with the personal communication devises of the aliens, rendering them as useless as the Alphan computer in Command Center. Klarel's tolerance level and frustration level reached maximum when problems with the environmental monitor units caused them to go off line. Some parts of the base became extremely hot and humid, while other areas feared they would soon have to take wind chill factors into consideration.
No longer willing to even remotely believe all these problems with the structural facility were random and coincidental events, Klarel ordered all Alphans to assemble in the gymnasium again - the site of Koenig's execution. He wanted answers and he was going to get them.
As Klarel entered the gym, to find all the Alphans sitting on the floor, he ordered his mercenaries to make a head count. When tallied, they were only one person short. Klarel glanced around the room critically, his gaze finally resting on Bob Mathias. With a nod, two of Klarel's guards crossed to the doctor, pulled him to his feet, and escorted him to the front of the room to stand before their leader.
"The female physician -- where is she?"
Bob took a deep, calming breath as he met the alien leader's gaze. He would give nothing away.
"In her quarters, sedated. As you saw earlier, she is still not well."
A glance from Klarel and two of his people were off to check on it. He looked back at Mathias and sneered.
"We shall soon know if you speak falsely. While we wait, tell me what has been done with Koenig's remains."
"Normally his organs would have been harvested and stored for future use, but because of the... cause of death and your itinerary, we weren't allowed to do so and he was cremated."
Someone sobbed, still grieving for their dead commander and Klarel growled, ordering silence. He looked back at Mathias.
"This is normal procedure?"
"Yes, it is."
"Very convenient. You cannot produce a body were I to demand to see it."
"No. I could still verify identity by a DNA analysis. It would take longer than usual, but is still possible."
"Of course it is."
Klarel indicated Mathias was to return to his spot on the floor with his fellow Alphans. Bob did as he was told, watching Klarel begin to pace. What would he do when the alien learned Helena was not in quarters? Would he assume she was responsible for all the problems and order his people to begin a full scale search for her? He doubted the alien would believe that Helena did not have the knowledge and skills to cause all these malfunctions, despite what he'd told Klarel earlier. Would Klarel order her executed too? Closing his eyes against that thought, Mathias hoped for all he was worth there was some way to prevent Helena from being found out. She was their "secret weapon" at this point - the only one they had. He also hoped Klarel did not ask for that DNA analysis of Koenig's remains. There hadn't been time or opportunity to cremate him, but Mathias was not going to allow Klarel to discover that. If he knew Koenig's body was still intact, he might order it brutally destroyed or use it as a visible symbol - as a deterrent to resistance.
Pulled from his thoughts by the sudden increase in the noise level about him, Bob opened his eyes in time to see the two who had gone to check on Helena return, going directly to Klarel. They spoke so all could hear.
"We found the female confined to quarters, as you ordered, Klarel."
Bob released a soft sigh of relief, paying close attention to what was said next.
"Her condition?"
"She was... curled under the coverings of her bed, rocking her body and... wailing. We... did not dare get too near."
It was evident by his expression that Klarel was not happy with this news; he'd wanted to pin all of it on Helena, but did not have the proof to back up his suspicions now.
Just as Klarel was about to order further steps be taken, an alarm sounded in the large room. Klarel swore loudly in his native tongue, then strode over to where Tony Verdeschi sat and hauled him to his feet.
"What does that signify?"
"It's the internal fire alarm."
Having found a way to bypass the interference that had rendered their personal communication devises useless, Klarel activated his and demanded to be informed of the situation.
"There has been an explosion sir, near the access portal to our craft. A small fire erupted, but is under control. However, there is a great deal of debris in the way and damage assessment is not yet possible."
Klarel growled again and looked back at Tony, who forced himself to keep his face totally neutral, not allowing his internal reaction of satisfaction to show on his features. Not when he was held in Klarel's grip with the alien's temper about to erupt.
"You will assign those whose job this is and appoint someone to oversee the assessment and clean up of the area. If, for any moment, I feel total cooperation is not forthcoming from any member of that contingent, I will kill you, the female physician, and five individuals I choose at random. Is that understood?"
"Yes."
Klarel released Tony, who turned to face the rest of the Alphans.
"Damage Control Teams One, Three and Seven, and Assessment Team Five report to Pad Three. Fraser, go with them as 'supervisor'. Everyone else..."
"They are to remain here."
Tony nodded, glanced around the room, then eased back to the floor. He glanced at Sandra beside him and Maya, several people down. He had no more idea of what was going on than Klarel, but hoped Helena was being damned careful. It wouldn't do to have her caught. Because despite the findings of Klarel's people, he knew Helena was responsible for all the problems. It had to be her. No one else had the opportunity. She was the only one on the base who was not under direct constant supervision by the aliens. And he couldn't help but admire her ability to continue functioning - continue resisting - in the face of such a personal loss. But Helena had always been a strong woman. Tony had no doubt she was angry - at Klarel, at his treatment of the Alphans and certainly at his treatment of herself and John Koenig. That anger would keep her going until the outcome of this situation was known - until the Alphans were freed or until Klarel executed her too. Tony prayed it would be the former.
It started gradually. A few people began to feel overly warm and were fanning themselves to create a bit of air circulation. Maya noticed it first and glanced down the row at Tony, her gaze questioning. He shrugged slightly, figuring the ventilation system was on the blink. He listened hard, but was unable to be certain if he heard the hum of the huge fans or not.
Beside him Sandra placed a hand to her mouth and slowly eased down to the floor, curling on her side. Moments later several others around him were doing the same thing to try and ease the nausea all were feeling. Verdeschi glanced over at Bob Mathias, who was doing what little he could to help, then he looked to where Klarel and his people stood. They appeared to be in worse shape than the Alphans. As he watched, Tony saw several of Klarel's people double over in obvious pain. The room filled with the cries and moaning of sustained agony - and the sounds were not made by any of the Alphans.
Glancing away, Verdeschi saw many of the Alphans on the floor, but an equal or greater number seemed to be all right, himself included. He looked at Maya, who was perfectly fine, then spotted several of his security people, along with Alan Carter, Tanya Alexander, Bob Mathias, and most of the technical section still on their feet. He looked back at Klarel and began to smile. The alien was doubled over in pain, on the floor, unaware of anything but his own agony. Tony knew this was their one and only chance.
Rising to his knees, Verdeschi caught Alan Carter's attention. They exchanged quick glances, knowing the rest of the unaffected Alphans were watching them by now. Quietly, in case the invaders weren't quite as indisposed as they appeared to be, Tony signaled Alan, four of his security people and Maya to their feet. At a nod from him, they all converged on and surrounded Klarel and his people, wresting their weapons from their grips and holding them at gun point. Not that they were likely to offer much resistance, but it sure felt good to have turned the tables on them.
"Carter, Jablonski, take a security detail to Pad Three and assist Fraser in any way necessary. Sommerton, Nichols, keep an eye on these. Bob..."
"I can only assume this is Helena's doing, Tony."
"Where is she?"
"... Right here, Tony. Bob, this is the antidote."
She handed Mathias a hypo gun filled with a bright yellow liquid and several replacement cartridges for the gun. Together they began to pass among the Alphans, administering the 'cure'. It was almost instantaneous. People began to sigh with relief, then sit up, looking around, realizing they were back in control of their own base. And they had Klarel prisoner.
And as they realized this, they began to allow themselves to hope they could somehow escape this.
"Bob, I'll finish up here. Go see how Alan and the others are doing at Pad Three."
"Right."
He stood and hurried out while Helena continued to treat the Alphans. She knelt between two men from Eagle Maintenance and administered the antidote to the one on her left. She heard him sigh with relief, and turned to the one on her right. But as she reached to press the hypo home, her hand was grabbed roughly and she was thrown to the floor, the enraged and irrational Eagle tech leaning over her, ready to throttle her.
"You cold hearted, mechanical bitch! You killed the commander!!"
Instantly Tony and several other near by Alphans were struggling to pull the tech off Helena. He had a strong hold about her throat and was not easily subdued.
"Strauss... Strauss, stop it! You'll kill her! Strauss..!"
Finally they were able to pull Karl Strauss off Helena. He struggled hard, resisting restraint, but was held down by five other people. Tony knelt beside Helena and helped her to sit, his hands on her back as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"Helena, are you all right?"
"Yes,... yes, I'm fine, Tony,... really."
He nodded and helped her to stand. Strauss was also unsteadily on his feet and Verdeschi rounded on him.
"What the hell were you doing? This is neither the time nor the place. We have more important things to think about."
"More important?! She killed the commander!"
"She did what she had to do. We'll deal with this later."
"Are you at least going to arrest her? Lock her up?"
"I said we'll deal with this later. Like it or not, we all need her help right now. She's not going anywhere, so just calm down or I'll have you locked up!"
Strauss slowly, reluctantly relaxed and pulled free, grumbling as he sat down. Verdeschi looked at Helena, who tried to wave the whole thing off and turned back to her work, allowing one of her nurses to give Strauss his injection. Tony watched a few moments, wondering what he would do. Helena had certainly assisted with John Koenig's death, his murder, but... Verdeschi shook his head. He would deal with it later.
Striding across the floor, he came to stand over the writhing and moaning forms of Klarel and his people. They were under heavy guard and Verdeschi planned to keep it that way.
He knelt down and pushed Klarel onto his back, forcing the alien to meet his hard gaze.
"By all rights we should push every one of you into an air lock and open the outer doors, but... I'll give you a choice. You can leave of your own volition and never bother us again, or we can increase the potency of this marvelous substance that seems to incapacitate you so completely. Which will it be? Choose your words carefully, because I know most everyone in this room is in favor of the air lock option."
Klarel swallowed, fighting down the pain, which seemed to only make it worse. But he forced himself to speak.
"You would do well... to kill us, for... we are not easily... discouraged."
"Yeah, well, we aren't easily subjugated either, are we? Much as I'd like to see you splattered across the lunar surface, I don't want to be responsible for that kind of environmental pollution. And you're damned lucky, Klarel, wholesale slaughter just isn't our style. Order your people to abandon Alpha. We'll give you escort to make sure you get safely away. Some of the people in Weapons Section might be a little too eager for some long over due target practice."
Klarel glared at Verdeschi, but saw he had little choice. The weapons pointed at him -- their own weapons -- confirmed that observation. Slowly, with careful movements as even the act of inhaling seemed to bring waves of intensified pain, he reached for his communications device. As he was about to speak, the weapon Tony held was aimed directly at Klarel's head.
"If you have any thoughts of returning, keep in mind how you feel right now. Also keep in mind we aren't affected by it."
Verdeschi smiled, then Klarel activated a link that would connect him to all his people.
"This is Klarel. Immediate retreat is ordered. Return to our craft."
Tony nodded and activated his own commlock.
"Attention everyone, this is Verdeschi. Please extend our 'visitors' every courtesy and escort any one you find back to their ship - docked on Pad Three... Alan."
"Yes, Tony?"
"Everyone all right?"
"Fine. Doc Mathias arrived a few minutes ago."
"Good. Ask for volunteers. We need an Eagle escort to make certain Klarel and his ship gets safely away from Alpha."
"Understood."
Tony cut the link and nodded to his security team. They firmly helped Klarel and his people to their feet and escorted them from the room.
Verdeschi smiled and turned to look back at the rest of the Alphans. They were on their feet, beginning to think they had - miraculously - found a way out of the alien occupation of the base, and out of spending the rest of their lives on that enforced work planet Klarel had promised.
"Everyone report to duty stations. Determine the damage extent and estimate repair time. Report to the Command Center when you have assessments complete. Maya, see what you and Sandra can do about getting the Command Center monitors back on line."
Relieved - and happy - to have normal duties again, to be back to the routine of base life again, the Alphans began to file out to return to duty stations. Maya and Sandra each gave him a quick nod, grabbed a couple of the people from computer maintenance, and headed for the Command Center. Tony couldn't help but notice that Karl Strauss lingered. The man angrily met his new commander's gaze and Tony sighed inwardly. He couldn't ignore the man's accusation. But he did know what he was going to do about it.
"Mr. Verdeschi..."
Tony held up his hand to stop the man's verbal assault.
"This is still neither the time nor the place."
"Then when, and where?"
"The Command Center, as soon as we can get there."
The man nodded, not completely satisfied, but pleased he was finally going to get some kind of action. He looked past Verdeschi to where Doctor Russell was talking quietly with several of her medical staff and glared hard at her.
Feeling the intense gaze resting on her, Helena nodded to Paula, her head nurse, then looked up to meet Karl Strauss' glare. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. It would all be over soon. She looked at Tony as he crossed to join her, glanced back at Karl, and squared her shoulders.
"Helena, I need to see you in Command Center. Karl..."
"I know, Tony. I'll be right there."
He nodded, gave her a smile of understanding and support, glanced at Strauss again, then left. Strauss followed not far behind.
Helena entered the Command Center to find operations nearly normal. The monitors were back on line and she crossed to her station, glancing carefully at Tony and ignoring Strauss for the moment. She made a quick check of all base environmental and life support systems, relieved when all indicators read normal functions. The base was doing fine, and she turned to face Tony just as he received a report from Alan Carter. Klarel and his people were securely on board their craft and it was being escorted away from Alpha surrounded by every Eagle in the fleet. There had been no shortage of volunteers.
"Take them to the limit, Carter, then maintain position for two hours - make sure they don't double back."
"We copy, Alpha. It'll be our pleasure."
Alan signed off and Tony closed his eyes. There was no more delaying what now must be done -- trying to convince Karl Strauss that Helena Russell was not guilty of murder, no matter what it looked like. Verdeschi straightened slightly and turned to face Karl, who stood beside the commander's desk, his back to the rear wall of the Command Center.
"All right, Karl. You can have your say, but I have no intention of initiating any action against Doctor Russell. She did what she had to in order to prevent further deaths. She only administered that injection when the commander helped her do so. It was his action that released the poison into his own system, not Helena's."
Tony glanced at Helena to see how she was reacting, fearing that perhaps now, when it was all over, she really would experience the breakdown she'd feigned for the aliens. But he saw only that her gaze was focused on some distant point beyond Karl's shoulder.
"I don't understand why you're trying to protect her! She provided the means for the commander's murder. She is responsible for his death. She killed Commander Koenig!"
Karl nearly jumped when he felt a large hand come from behind to rest on his shoulder, and his heart leapt into his throat when the owner of that hand spoke.
"No, she didn't kill me, Karl. Helena just created the opportunity for me to distract the aliens and keep them pre-occupied while she worked on a way to incapacitate them."
Strauss spun, unbelieving. He looked around the Command Center, seeing Maya rising from the chair at her station, eyes wide with astonished happiness.
"Commander?
"John! How the hell..."
Koenig smiled at Verdeschi, swept his gaze about the rest of the room, and allowed them to come to rest on Karl Strauss.
"Karl."
"Commander, I..."
"I appreciate your loyalty and desire to see justice served, Karl."
"Doctor Russell, I...."
Helena just shook her head and gave him a weary smile as she moved into John's embrace, his arms wrapping around her as she buried her head on his shoulder, releasing a ragged, heavy sigh. He bent down and kissed the side of her head tenderly.
"Are you all right?"
"I think so... I don't know..."
All the tension and stress began to let go and Helena was unable to still her tears. John just held her more tightly. In a moment she nodded as she pulled back to give him a smile that let him know she was indeed all right. He returned the smile as his hand grazed tenderly over her cheek, taking away the wetness of her tears.
Koenig reached down and touched the stud on his desk that would give him base wide communication access, as well as contact with all the in flight Eagles.
"Attention, all sections Alpha. This is Commander John Koenig. It seems an error was made in pronouncing my death. With Doctor Russell's... stubborn and relentless determination, she was able to simulate my demise, thus convincing the invaders. This left me free to distract the aliens from their purpose while Doctor Russell worked to combat and incapacitate them. You are all to be commended for your conduct... It's good to be back."
Koenig cut the comm link but distantly they could all hear the cheers of happiness and relief. He glanced around the Command Center, seeing the same sentiments reflected on the faces of his staff, and especially in the eyes of Helena Russell. He echoed their smiles with a huge grin of his own as Helena's arms tightened about his waist. Alpha was theirs' again.
Having gone to the cafeteria to get his first meal in what seemed like days, John found himself surrounded by Alphans, clamoring for more details and expressing their delight he had not died after all. More than a few glanced sheepishly at Helena, ashamed now of the thoughts and opinions they'd harbored earlier.
As he ate, Koenig recounted his actions, from having awakened in the chill of the Alphan morgue to his clandestine movements about the base, doing what he could to frustrate the alien invaders. A number of people chuckled appreciatively. Eventually the number of listeners gathered around the commander dwindled down to the Command level staff. Alan, returned from seeing Klarel safely away from Alpha and certain they wouldn't try to return, gave his commander a grin.
"So, everything that went wrong was your doing, John?"
"Not everything, Alan. Helena simulated the chemical fumes leak in the Eagle bays to distract everyone long enough so I could get to where I needed to be. She also triggered the red alert and manipulated the problems with the environmental controls. All the computer related problems and technical malfunctions, I took care of."
"And Helena, your... breakdown after John's 'execution' was also a ruse?"
"Yes, to allow me to work on some means of overpowering and incapacitating the aliens. It had to be something more... convincing than a physical show of resistance, something that could be re-created quickly should they ever try to return."
"Doctor Mathias, you knew?"
"I knew Helena's emotional condition was far more stable than I led Klarel to believe, and I knew she was working on something in the lab. Ed and I got the readings she needed to work from, but I had no idea she had falsified the commander's death."
"How did you do that, anyway?"
"There are several drugs that will simulate death, Tony. I used one of those, hoping that if Bob were able to detect vital signs using only his senses and none of the more sensitive monitoring equipment, he wouldn't give it away."
"I should have known, Helena; known you wouldn't do what Klarel ordered no matter how he threatened you."
"But Klarel didn't know that, Tony, and had to be convinced that I would cooperate with him when he threatened the lives of the other Alphans. Had I been able to prevent his murder of Jessica..."
John reached for Helena's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. Jessica's memorial service would be held the following evening. All were quiet for a long moment, then Sandra looked up at the commander.
"What I would like to know, Commander, is when did you and Doctor Russell have time to plan this offensive? How did you know what the other was to do and when?"
"Actually, Sandra, we didn't. I had no opportunity to tell John about my deception with the drug and hoped he would realize what I had done - and why - when he awoke."
"When I came too, the commlocks were still working, so I traced Helena, then went to the medical lab. She triggered the fumes leak so I could get to main computer control and take the Command Center monitors off line. After that, I was on my own, as was she. We knew we were taking a risk, but it was far better than the forced work planet Klarel had in mind."
Tony nodded, understanding everything much better.
"I wondered about the computers, John. I knew only you and I had authorization access. I certainly hadn't done anything - although had I the opportunity I would have. But Klarel kept such a close watch on me, as head of security and acting commander, that even if you hadn't ordered non-resistance, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. I decided, privately, that you at some time had shared your authorization codes with Helena, and she was responsible."
"No, Tony, I wouldn't let him tell me. I don't need any more of those codes. I have enough medical authorization codes of my own, thank you."
"Helena, where were you when Klarel ordered us all to gather in the gymnasium?"
"In the lab, doing the final trials on our line of defense, Maya."
"Then who - or what - did Klarel's men find in your bed when they went to check on you?"
"Please don't tell me they fell for the dummy-in-the-bed bit."
Koenig chuckled as he shook his head.
"Not quite, Alan. I was under the covers, providing the body, but I used the clay bust of Helena she sculpted awhile back for the head. With the lights dimmed, the covers bunched up about me, some distressed cries and moans at the right moments, even from a relatively close distance, it would still appear to be real."
"How did you know Klarel would check on Helena?"
"It's what I would have done. Gather everyone together for a head count, then seek out anyone who was missing."
"And I'd already led the medical staff to believe I was wandering the halls, incoherent. Had John not been there, someone would have told Klarel, simply to prevent him from killing anyone else - or me."
"I still do not comprehend how you were able to accomplish this with no pre-set plan."
Helena glanced at Maya, then smiled at John when their gazes met. Suddenly Maya - and everyone else - understood. John and Helena knew each other so well, knew how the other thought that they could trust the other to work off and continue what one had begun.
"Never mind, I do understand."
Helena gave Maya a quick smile, then squeezed John's hand. He returned the pressure.
"I hate to break this up, but I think I need a long nap."
John Koenig stood, Helena Russell beside him, and they said their goodnights, then left the cafeteria. As the door opened to allow them out, John slipped his arm about Helena's waist and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Smiles followed them from the room.
The door to their shared quarters closed behind them and John felt Helena's arms encircle his waist, her head come to rest on his chest long before he could reach to bring the lights up to a brighter level. He returned the embrace, his arms encircling her torso and pulling her closer. After standing there several long moments, John pulled back far enough to meet Helena's gaze when she looked up at him.
"Helena?"
"I'm... all right, John. You?"
"Fine, although I was a bit surprised when I came to. I was about to re-evaluate my beliefs in an afterlife when I realized where I was and deduced what you had done. When I helped you with that injection, I fully expected it to be the last time I ever held you."
Helena shook her head and tightened her embrace of John.
"I've accepted I will some day lose you - to fate, accident or some set of circumstances I cannot influence, but not by my own hand. It is something I simply cannot do. The physician I am rebels against the very idea of deliberately taking a life."
"And the woman you are?"
"She occasionally indulges in an extremely selfish act; perhaps even a cowardly act... She doesn't want to face the emptiness of a life without you in it. She doesn't think she's strong enough, brave enough to endure and survive that kind of pain, sorrow and grief again."
"Then she has a much lower opinion of herself than most who know her, than those who love her. We all know she is one of the most strong and resilient people on this base. I know that she - that you - would find some way not only to survive, but to triumph over it."
"Let's not think about it now, John, not talk about it. That time will come much sooner than either of us can imagine. I just want to enjoy the moment and the time we do have together."
He nodded and together they walked toward the couch, sinking into its soft cushions in unison. Helena curled into John's embrace, her head resting against his shoulder. He placed a series of tender kisses on her face, ending with a much longer kiss on her mouth. When they parted, Helena sighed, eyes closed, savoring the warmth of John's body, the feel of his arms about her, the scent of his entire system and the safe feeling she always had when he was near. A sense of relief washed over her as well, relief they had both come through it all alive and relatively unharmed. She felt John smile, then began to chuckle and Helena looked up to meet his amused gaze.
"During the course of my... hit and run activities, I left a small gift for Klarel and his people on his ship."
"What?"
"Besides a long range transmitter tuned to Alphan frequencies that will alert us in advance should they ever try to return, I slipped some of your creation into the water system. Not a lot, just enough to remind them of us for a long while to come."
Helena returned his smile with a wide one of her own.
"... So did I. On my way to the gym, while they were all so incapacitated they couldn't have stopped me if they wanted to. Had they tried... I was crazed, out of my mind with grief and remorse for having killed my commander; the man I loved. I think Klarel's people were slightly afraid of me and wouldn't have pressed very hard had I put up a fuss."
John gently ran the back of his index finger across the bruised purple area of Helena's cheek, the result of Klarel's single assault on her. She smiled gently and caught his hand, kissing it tenderly.
"It doesn't hurt - not half as much as it could."
"He's damn lucky I was 'dead' when he did this..."
John touched the bruise lightly again and met her gaze.
"Klarel showing restraint?"
"No, just a... complete and total lack of understanding in regards to human motivation. Had he not been certain I was too frightened of him; too... willing to be ordered about and checked the medication I chose - or had one of the other doctors check it - we wouldn't be here now. We'd both be dead because I certainly would not have stood back and allowed him to enslave the Alphans and dismantle the base without a fight -- despite your orders."
"Would any of your staff have given him the lethal medication to use?"
"Not if they could find any way around it. We humans are not only deceptive, but cunning as well."
"Yeah, good for us. We don't give up without a fight, do we?"
"Not out here, not when our very survival and existence depends on it. Not when... the entire future will be decided by the outcome."
John nodded and snuggled down next to Helena further.
"Then I would say we have all made the future just a little better."
"Mine certainly is."
"Mine too..."
He kissed her again, then both settled into one another's embrace, slowly drifting off to sleep.
* * * * *
* * * * *
c Amanda Russell
January 7, 1997