Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in The Enemy: Unknown Location

Posted by Civilian Finley Davis (Mystery) in The Enemy: Unknown Location

Posted by Captain Molly Holloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in The Enemy: Unknown Location
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻
Darkness… Cold… Damp…

Strange, the sensations one feels as one claws back to consciousness against their will. Suspended upside down, unable to move, strained against straps that held the Chief Intelligence Officer suspended in place in some sort of rig.

Voices mumbling, growing louder as she fetl the pressure of something, a cold hand, against her face.

The mumbling growing louder, more connected and intelligible…

”…told you that a phaser burst at such close range was risky! She has cardiac damage that I need to repair, or your machines will kill her!”

A womans voice, speaking softly, urgently, irritation and… fear?… touching her tone

“And I told you to make her ready. We have questions that need to be answered. Now! Unless you want to be the one to explain to Our Lady why her prize posession, that cost her valuable troops was lost in your custody!”

The harsh tone of a man used to command, but even that tinged with something else… Fear as well?…

“Your custody, Morak. I would never do to another being what you are doing…”

A pause. A sigh. A shaken reply

Voices fading as consciousness drifted out again…

SGM with several hats (with permission given)

Slowly, consciousness began to seep back into Molly’s dormant body. Her head pounded, almost as if her brain had been replaced by a second heart, and she could barely feel her legs. Despite the pounding she felt awfully lightheaded, and for a moment Holloway tried to work out what had happened to her. She was on her way to the Bridge… walked to the turbolift…

Her chest hurt at the memory. There had been something… a power surge maybe? Where was she? Where were the isolinear chips? Where was her pistol…

Instinctively, Molly reached for the holster she carried on the small of her back, only to have her wrist catch on something holding it in place. Immediately opening her eyes, her surroundings were obscured by the fact that the only light source seemed to be cast on her, making the rest of the room impossible to distinguish. Not to mention the fact that she was looking at the area wrong side up. Memories of the interrogation table Tomas had strapped her to flooded her mind, and it took a second for Molly to adjust herself to the light and to clear her head from further thoughts.

Trying to keep a cool head, Holloway ignored the strain her current inverted position was causing on her lungs, and evaluated her options. As she was wearing her workout clothes instead of her uniform, and therefore had no collar to keep it hidden, the small gold cross of her mother’s Rosary had settled on her nose. The light touch making it itch. Shaking her head to try to move its position to a different place, two words came to Molly’s mind. Our Lady. Holloway was far from the believer her mother had been, but somehow she felt she had heard the name very recently, although she couldn’t exactly pinpoint when, where, or in what context. It felt etherial… almost as if she had heard it in a dream…

Slowly she tested the straps that secured her in place one by one, to no avail. At this point she was sure she wasn’t on the Dresden anymore. Her mind filling with questions. Where was she? Was she alone? Were there more members of the crew with her? Where was Calvin…? Her thoughts went back to their encounter with the Jem’Hadar, and she shook them away. If she wanted to keep her sanity, it was better for her not to think about that particular encounter. It was clear that whatever this was it had been premeditated. Done by someone, possibly the humanoids that had boarded the Dresden. If that was the case she was sure someone would have noticed by now that she was awake, so she might as well accelerate the process. Molly didn’t feel like waiting much longer, and she was getting tired of being upside down.

“Hello?” She said into the room. “Is anybody here?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

As she spoke, the murmur of distant voices stopped abruptly, moments passing before the rig in which she was locked began to rotate, her view gradually turning the world right side up. Points of pressure could be felt from something on her head. The sound of boots slapping against deckplates resolved her sight into a face cast in stark relief… A Cardassian face, absent the uniform so familiar to most Starfleet officers. Instead, he was dressed in some sort of shapeless black robes, with red script running vertically up the front. The confident arrogance all too common to Cardassians dripped from his voice “Welcome, thing. I certainly hope the restraints aren’t too terribly restrictive. Allow me to make you more comfortable” With a gesture, two unseen guards stepped forward and unceremoniously ripped her clothes from her body. Uncomfortably cold air swept over her naked body, raising goosebumps almost immediately. Her captors voice began again, venom joining his arrogance “You are nothing here. You have no rights. No freedom. Your very existence serves to please me. Now… I’m going to ask questions, and I expect honest, complete and instant answers. Disobedience will be punished.” He paused to stroke a button on a device on his wrist. There was a hum, before all existence was obliterated by untold agony that seemed to last forever. Eventually the agony ceased and began to fade, her captors face mere inches from her own, licking his lips with glee, he whispered “the Klingons may be animals, but they do understand pain… Now… You will tell me a story, thing… yes… tell me a story all about how to access your classified files aboard your Dresden” A finger traced the outline of her face, slowly, softly, as he let out a delighted chuckle.

SGM

The change in perspective was a welcome one. Molly exhaled in relief as she felt the pressure in her eyes and lungs return to normal, as well as her blood flowing back from her head to the rest of her body. The lightheadedness took a little longer to wear off, but the pressure in her head remained as the structure moved. Holloway was unsure whether her head was resting against something, or whether something had been attached to it. Either way, she was sure it was not for her own enjoyment.

It came as no surprise that the first face she saw was a Cardassian one. After all, those had been one of the two types of weapons the intruders had brought inside the Dresden. However, she had never seen Cardassian robes like the ones her present company was wearing. She let the man speak. And as the words left his mouth she knew that ‘man’ was a title he did not deserve. Not that there were a lot of Cardassians worthy of the name, in Molly’s opinion, but this one was a particularly vile one. She remained quiet.

Shivering slightly as her clothes were removed from her body, Molly’s gaze never left the black robed alien, establishing dominance, defiance, and the certainty that it didn’t matter what he did, she would fight back. As the cold air brushed her skin she didn’t struggle, she didn’t move, she didn’t protest, making it clear that she wasn’t bothered by his actions. Holloway was aware that the move was supposed to make her feel vulnerable, humiliated even, objectified. But the Farm had trained her exactly for those situations, and she was not going to give him the satisfaction of appearing weak.

And then he touched the device on his wrist, and Molly’s world vanished, replaced by unbounded pain and agony. After what seemed like an eternity, Molly returned to the echo of her own soul piercing scream, not even knowing she had uttered it. The Cardassian’s face mere inches from her own. Her chest heaving as she regained her breath and the pain on her body from straining against the restraints was nothing compared to what he had just put her through. This was technology like she had never seen and the Cardassian would not miss the slight panic in her eyes at the realization.

“Stop it!! You’re going to kill her!!” Finley yelled. She looked at the readout of the continuous scan she was running and saw the cardiac damage had increased. “Who do you think Our Lady will believe when I show her proof of the destruction you’ve inflicted, and tell her you wouldn’t allow me to treat the prisoner before continuing because you’re a Sadist? Remember, Morak, she knows you far better than most.”

Morak sneered, his voice dripping scorn and hatred “What do I care about the whims of some terran scum. You may have ingratiated yourself with Our Lady, but your stink carries no weight with me! You should be in chains, like the rest of your repugnant race!”

For a split second, Molly thought about biting off his finger, and with the rage that coursed through her, she might be able to do it. But she decided against it. Instead, she spoke. The same venom in her voice that he had in his. “I don’t know who you think you are… Cardassian.” There was a particular deep hatred as she uttered the name. “But not only have you kidnapped a Federation officer, as you seem to think I’d be willing to betray my own in order to avoid any kind of pain you intend to inflict on me. You are wrong. I’d rather die than to tell you anything. So if that’s what it’s going to come to, you might as well just jump straight to that part and save us all some time, because this is all you’re going to get from me.” And without warning, Molly spat on his face.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Davis knew Morak’s response to the insult would be death for their captive if she didn’t act immediately. She slipped herself between the two, hoping to distract him for the split second he’d need for his self preservation to take over from his rage. He was right in his belief that Our Lady would punish and possibly kill anyone who presumed to think they knew better than she did, or who cost her power or reputation. A dead Starfleeter, who had access to technology she wanted and was killed by one of her followers, had to be near the top of that list.

“Just give me a little time and I’ll have her as good as new. Then you can torture her all over again for those secrets you’re so hot after.” Without waiting for a reply from the Cardassian behind her, Finley opened the medkit she’d brought with her to the interrogation.

—FD

His eyes never left the Starfleeters as he snarled, whirling on his heels and biting back every powerful instinct to execute the bitch then and there. His snarled departing words rang in their ears “two hours, terran. That’s all you get!”

Molly’s gaze never left the Cardassian as the woman placed herself between the two. In her eyes a defying stare.

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Holloway finally said as she recognized what she thought were medical tools. However, her chest hurt and so did her left arm. Naked, shivering, Molly could do nothing but talk as she watched the events unfold in front of her. Her speech was directed at the Cardassian and not at the woman. “But even if there was, you’re just going to fix me so that you can break me again, making sure I don’t die at your hand. How noble of you.” She said with a scoff.

Finally, looking at the woman, Molly uttered a single question. “And you? What’s in it for you?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Finley couldn’t relax her shoulders until she heard Morak depart through the doors to the corridor. She pulled in a deep breath and let out a sigh of relief. “You need to give him something or he WILL kill you.” There was the snapping sound of a vial clicking into place and then the hypospray hissed as it delivered a dose of strong analgesics to the prisoner. “That should bring your pain under control while I tend to the damage Morak’s toys inflicted.”

Molly scoffed. “I’d rather die than to give him anything.” Terran… it had been the name the Cardassian had called the woman… terran… Holloway felt like she had heard the name a long time ago during her time at the Farm. She winced when the hypospray came into contact with her skin and delivered the substance to her body. It didn’t take long for Molly’s body to relax as the analgesic made it go numb.

As she worked at repairing the cardiac tissue, she answered Holloway’s question. “As to ‘what’s in it for me?’. That’s easy…life. Morak is a Cardassian supremacist and would love nothing better than to rid his current surroundings of all other life forms who are not totally subservient to him or his cause.”

—FD

“But… You’re human.” There was confusion in the Intelligence officer’s voice. “You could be working with Starfleet… or anywhere else in the Federation. And yet… you’re here. There’s plenty of places you can go if you want to live… associating yourself with Cardassians is not generally the most sought after one for that end…” Molly said, trying to distract herself from the fact that a complete stranger was working on ‘fixing her heart’.

Keeping her eyes on the readout, Finley scoffed. “You don’t know a thing about me or my life, or how I got into this situation.” She made a small adjustment to the dermal regenerator to mend the deep cardiac tissue. “You don’t even understand what’s going on now! You think you can talk your way out of here? Think again. Morak isn’t like other Cardassians you might have run across, although from what I’ve been able to learn, they’re pretty bad here too.”

After a pause, Holloway scoffed again. “Are you a doctor? Don’t you have to take the Hippocratic Oath? You know… do no harm? Why are you treating me so that he can continue to torture me for longer? Doesn’t that go against it?” Molly was a quiet and standoffish person, however, when in dire situations she had always been a talker. Many times not leading to the best results. But it was better than keeping silent. “He’s not here anymore. Why don’t you take me off this… thing…” Holloway said trying to look behind her at the device she was suspended on. Her wrists straining against the restraints again. “… and escape with me?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Once again Davis fine tuned the medical tool and continued treatment. “Yes, I’m a doctor.” There was a lot she could say to the prisoner about how she’d wound up on that particular ship, but it wasn’t necessary. Finley wasn’t inclined to share her life story with a stranger. However…she had suggested an escape. It would mean planning something and making sure the timing was right. It would also mean that she would be out from under the thumb of Our Lady and Morek—forever. IF she stayed in Holloway’s universe.

“I can’t let you go. I told you, I want to live, and without finding just the right time to carry out an escape, we’d be caught in seconds.” She lowered the healing tool and ran another scan of the prisoner’s heart. It looked much better now. While her mind sought ways to protect Holloway’s body and organs from Morak’s ministrations, Finley moved on to her arm and the damage in her shoulder.

OOC: Sorry guys, I had a busier week than I expected, so apologies for also being a little absent. I am back and ready to roll now! — Joana

—FD

Morak isn’t like other Cardassians you might have run across, although from what I’ve been able to learn, they’re pretty bad here too. The doctor’s words hung for a moment in Molly’s mind. First, the word terran had caught her attention. Now this. Not to mention, Cardassians and Klingon’s working side by side. Slowly, pieces of information started to click together as Holloway’s overloaded brain dug into what she had learned in her Intelligence training.

“You’ll die either way.” Molly said. As the doctor moved, the air shifting bringing goosebumps back to Holloway’s skin as well as a slight shiver. “My ship will come looking for me. And trust me when I say that you don’t want to be on the wrong side when that happens.” If there was something she knew for certain was that as soon as Cal figured out she was missing, he would not rest until he found her, dead or alive. Much like Dante, he would go through the three realms of death for her if he had to, and whoever crossed in his path would not be around to cross it again. “I can help you, if you help me. But in the end, it’s your choice. I’m not afraid of the Cardassian. And I can assure you. Iwill get out of here.”

Molly sounded more confident than she felt. She had to. Giving the enemy a glimmer of uncertainty or fear would be giving them a way into one’s personal defenses. “Where are we, anyway?” Holloway finally asked. “And how did I get here? Why me? What is it that your friend wants?” Maybe if she asked enough questions she could figure out a few more pieces of the puzzle. Or, as it had happened before, she would be put to sleep for talking too much.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

“Friend? You think Morak is my friend” Finley scoffed. “He’s no more a friend of mine than you are. But if I had to choose between the two of you, I’d choose you.” She winked at the woman. “You seem to be the lesser of two evils. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I’ve seen him do. The man has no conscience. No idea of right and wrong…”

A flash of surprise crossed Holloway’s expression. When Molly first suggested for her to set her free, she had refused, saying she wanted to live. But now… according to her own words, Molly was the lesser of two evils… she wondered if she had finally gotten into the woman’s head.

Davis looked thoughtfully at Holloway…could they really escape? If they tried and got caught, it would mean certain death for both of them. “If I help you get back to your ship, you’ll really take me with you?”

A glimmer of hope shone in Molly’s eyes. It was… working. Holloway nodded as best as she could before reiterating. “Help me get back to my ship, and I’ll get you out of here too.”

“I need your word as a Star Fleet officer that you won’t leave me here. The kind of death Morak will plan for me will take days. He’ll make it last as long as possible and inflict as much pain and humiliation as is imaginable.”

—FD

“You have my word.” There was a forcefulness in Molly’s voice that was not there before. “But I need to warn you, Doctor, I am not your regular Starfleet officer. If you help me escape, I will personally guarantee your safety. But if you sell me out to the Cardassians, I have no problem throwing you out to the wolves as well.”

Holloway scoffed. “He called you Terran…” She seemed to ponder for a moment. “Contrarily to most of my fellow officers, I was briefed on what that means. Together with the fact that my ship was just attacked by Cardassians and Klingons, and a human doctor is treating my injuries so that I can be tortured again, I can only assume that my Intel was right and that somehow, I was dragged through the looking glass.” A smirk showed up on Molly’s face. “We have a saying, back on my Earth… when in Rome, do as the Romans do. And I have no problem doing just that. Is that word enough for you, Doctor?”

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Finley took a deep breath. Was she really going to do this? Could she pull it off without getting either one of them killed? Life had to be better in Holloway’s universe, right? She nodded silently, answering an internal question. “We don’t have any reason to trust each other, but ultimately we both want the same thing—to get back to your ship and away from Morak. When there’s time, I’ll explain how I landed in this predicament, but for now, we’re both going to have to go on faith.”

Blind trust. Molly nodded almost imperceptibly in silent agreement. For much that she didn’t trust the woman, she was right. Not to mention, she hadn’t done anything to hurt her so far, so she really didn’t have a reason not to trust her either.

She began packing things back in the medical kit. “I have to make some arrangements—or try to, anyway. Its possible I’ll be found out before there’s a chance to free you, but I’ll try to make our escape happen as soon as possible.” Her eyes sought out the chrono on her wrist. Morak was due back shortly and she needed time to create a diversion.

“You’re going to be tortured again. Morak loves his toys and takes every opportunity to use them. You have to offer him something of value—information—even if it isn’t real. You have to get him to leave you alive for further questioning, while I get everything ready.”

Once she picked up the kit, Davis gave Holloway a long look. “Be strong. Despite his sadistic tendencies, he does admire strength and it might help sway things in your favor of staying alive a little longer.”

Before heading for door, the doctor injected her with a cocktail of vitamins and adrenaline and draped a blanket around her naked shoulders. “If everything goes well, I’ll be back soon.”

—FD

For a moment it was almost as if the doctor cared. A small smile crossed Molly’s features as the warmth of the blanket shielded her from the cold air. “Thank you, doctor.” She said simply. “And be careful.” There was a slightly heavier emotional charge to her tone than she had intended.

And then she left, leaving Molly alone with her thoughts, feeling the rush of the adrenaline she had just been injected with course through her body. The light shining on her obscuring the rest of the room from her sight.

It’s funny how thoughts have a way of intruding when one has nothing but one’s own brain to pass the time. If her theory was right and she had indeed be dragged into the parallel universe Starfleet had gone to great lengths to classify, she wondered if the Dresden was ever able to find her. What if they hadn’t noticed she was not on board? In the empty room, Molly shook her head. Calvin would notice. But what if he had been kidnapped as well? Would he be given the same sort of treatment she had? What if he hadn’t even made it? Crushed by a piece of deck plating, sucked into the vacuum of space, or shot by one of the intruders? Her mind imagined Harris’s demise in a million different ways before returning to that fateful shuttle ride.

Ain’t nothin’ gonna happen to me. Between my own skills and your crazy ass looking after me… I think I’m good to go. Cal’s words made their way into her mind. They seemed ages ago. Molly could only hope his skills hadn’t failed him because she sure had failed to look after him. A small tear rolled down her cheek without her being able to stop it. Her wrists tugging at their restraints as she involuntarily tried.

Faith. The word the doctor had used ringed in her ears, as she looked down to the thin gold rosary around her neck. It was almost invisible in the current lighting. Maybe that had been why it hadn’t been taken away. Either way she was thankful, because if that bastard had cut it off her body, she would shred him to pieces the moment her hands were free.

Cold, naked, and powerless, Molly waited for what seemed like an eternity for the cardassian to return. There was no physical torture that he could inflict on her that would harm her more than being alone in her head. For a moment, she wondered if this was just a form of psychological torture, maybe inflicted by the doctor herself, pretending to help her only to leave her rotting there. Good cop, bad cop, as they used to say on Earth. The Terran the first, Morak the latter. If that was the case, she had to tip her figurative hat to the woman. It was clean, elegant, and effective.

Or maybe losing faith in the doctor was exactly what the cardassian wanted… Molly’s mind went into overdrive, building conjectures and theories about what was actually happening. But in the end it took her nowhere. She was still suspended in the same rig she had been before with no way of leaving. She shivered. It felt like an eternity, but Holloway was sure only a few minutes had passed.

Waiting. The worst torture of all.

Capt. Holloway, CIO

Out of the darkness came a soft cackle as one of the workstations illuminated the stark features of her erstwhile torturer. sparks erupted from a small object Morak held as he licked his lips, gliding forward, his hooded robe falling back to reveal a gleeful expression “Now… let us talk about your ships command codes again - and please… resist me”

He offered a full throated laugh as he brought the sparking object to her throat and fire fell down on every nerve…

SGM