Chapter Twelve

AILA

 

                Everything was darkness. My head felt like it should have exploded into a thousand tiny pieces by now. My wrists were tied, my arms hanging above my head. It was the scene of a 20^th century Russian Mob torture and I was the subject of the scene.

                At first I all I could do was feel. I opened my eyes, and there was nothing but black. Not that it would have mattered. The pain I was in would have rendered my vision useless anyway.

                All I could do for those first moments was feel.

                I felt pain. Medical officers still used the ancient question: on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain you’ve ever felt in your life, how would you rate your current level of pain? That scale held no meaning now. The amount of pain I was in right now was not quantifiable. It was…astronomical.

                I couldn’t even tell if I was really conscious. Was I dead? Was I in that myth of hell? It sure felt like it. My body was on fire. It burned with the astronomical level of pain I was feeling. I must’ve taken quite the beating. I probably fought. I don’t remember. I just knew where I was hanging at, literally hanging, there was darkness and pain. Burning pain.

                Then I heard his voice.

                “You are awake again. Are you ready to answer my questions now?” I knew that voice….who was it? Answer questions now? Had I even been asked any questions to answer yet? I didn’t know. I didn’t remember.

                “Aila Mor, princess of the royal house of the Sealtag, why don’t you just admit that it’s you. Why don’t you just admit you’re the damn princess and this can all be over.” That voice. That sickly sweet song voice. That voice of an angle. An angle of darkness. I knew that voice.

                “I know you’re awake again. It would just be so much easier if you would ANSWER ME!” He yelled. He punched me in the stomach. I spat blood. It hurt. But I didn’t realize I could feel any more pain. I could, apparently.

                “Just admit you’re the freaking princess of the Sealtag.” Another punch to the gut. Recognition. Sealtag. Princess. Royal House. Aila Mor. That was my name. I am the princess of the Sealtag.

                “I know that Vulcan told you. I know you know. Just admit it!” Another punch to the gut. A slap to the face. I spat more blood. Vulcan? Spock. A memory. I remembered that name. Who is Spock?

                “Just tell me what I want to know and we can continue.” Another punch. Another slap. I spat again, I coughed. I remembered more. I am Aila Mor, princess of the royal house of the Sealtag. I am an orphan. My mentor is Spock. Where are you Spock?

                “Just tell me!” Another punch. More blood spitting from my mouth. Aila? Where are you? A voice in my head. Not the voice yelling at me. Not the voice beating me. Not…Kayden Ross.

                “I know you can answer. This will be much easier if you just tell me!” Another slap on my face. Another cough. I finally speak.

                “Where am I?” I ask, trying to search in the darkness for the light. For the face of my attacker. For the face of Kayden Ross.

                “No one’s going to find you here, if that’s what you mean, princess. No one is going to think to look here.” Another punch to the gut. Another cough.

                Aila where are you?

                I don’t know. Trying to figure that out. It’s too dark here. OW! Another slap to the face.

                Are you hurt? The voice that is Spock asks in my mind.

                Beaten. Hanging. In darkness. Let me ask again.

                “Where am I?” I ask the beater Kayden Ross. “If no one will be able to find me, surely you can at least inform me of where I am?”

                “Oh, you’re not far from the academy. About 30 miles north in fact. No one will think to look so close in an abandoned house on farm land. Ha!” Another slap. “Admit it, you are the princess.”

                30 miles north of the academy, abandoned house on farm land.

                We will be there soon.

                Please hurry.

                “Yes, I am.” I tell him. What harm can it do? He obviously already knows.

                “Prove it. Prove to me you are the princess.” Another slap.

                “How?” I ask. Honestly, wondering just how I am supposed to prove to him I am the princess.

                “Use your telekinesis. Get out of the ropes.” He says simply. As if I am supposed to know what he is talking about. I ignore him. He slaps me again.

                “Who are you?” I spit more blood.

                “You don’t know?” He asks in that sickly sweet voice, stroking my cheek. I shiver.

                “What do you plan to do with me? You’ve already beaten me. Are you going to rape me next?” I seethe.

                “Rape you? Rape my own COUSIN?” He punches my gut again. I cough up more blood. I didn’t think it humanly possible to withstand this much pain and torture. Then again, I’m not exactly human, am I?

                “WHAT?” I scream. I don’t understand his answer. “I don’t have a family. I’m an orphan.” I whisper, wondering if it’s strictly true.

                “Oh, Aila, my dear sweet cousin. There is much you do not know.”

                Hurry. He’s saying I’m his cousin…I’m not sure how much longer I can hold onto consciousness.

                We are close. Five minutes away. Hold on.

                “You know it was really too easy to capture you. I am wondering if I even have the right person. All I had to do was knock you out, after taking you by surprise. You didn’t put up much of a fight. I wonder, was I wrong about you, princess?” He sneers, his sickly sweet voice sending shivers down my spine once more. Kayden Ross, supposedly my cousin, my own flesh and blood, is a sick and twisted individual. If he really is my family, I don’t want anything to do with him.

                “Why do you even want me?” I ask him calmly. I don’t even know how I am managing to be calm. My nerves are on fire, the pain is…great. But my mind is calm. Eerily calm.

                “Oh, Aila, cousin of mine. Don’t you know anything about your own race?” He asks, stroking my cheek softly again. How can someone go from beating and torture, to soft caresses?

                Three minutes out. Hold on.

                “No. I don’t know.” I answer, hoping he doesn’t decide to touch me again. In any form.

                “Well, my darling princess, my cousin. You have powers. Special powers. Greater than mine, supposedly. If it were up to me, I would just kill you where you hang now. But, alas, it isn’t my decision to make. Such a shame. Anyway, you were left alone, to die, because I was born. They didn’t think they needed you anymore. Then they found the prophecy. That’s when they decided to track you down. It took years you know. They never thought to look at an orphanage. I guess they thought that was too low for a princess. They should have started there, when they realized you had somehow survived after they left you to die. You should have died. I am enough!” He slaps me again, apparently angered at the thought that I am of value to ‘them’ and he is not.

                “Well, sorry to break it to you, but you’re probably right. I don’t have telekinesis. I’m just a normal girl. Nothing special about me. Princess or not.” He slaps me again.

                “DO NOT LIE TO ME! I have felt your power. It was the only reason I was able to find you! I don’t know how you hid it for so long, but it’s there!” He slaps me again.

                One minute out. Stay calm.

                “You b***h! I know you have the power! Use it! SHOW ME!” He punches me again, harder than the last few times. I cough, spit up blood. Then all hell breaks loose.

 

SPOCK

                One minute out Stay calm.

                I can feel the link between our minds grow stronger. I am running, Jim is farther behind, slowed by his human physiology.

                “You b***h! I know you have the power! Use it! SHOW ME!” I hear the voice of Kayden Ross shout. I break down the door of the basement, see him punching Aila and her cough up blood. I feel rage, rage like I felt for Kahn when my Jim died.

                “STEP AWAY FROM HER NOW!” It is dark in this basement, just as Aila had informed me. But I can see. My Vulcan eyes can make out the form of Kayden Ross, and his face is an image of pure shock.

                It then turns to rage as he runs towards me to attack. He fails. I step around him and in one strike he is down. The nerve pinch is very effective.

                “Spock?” Aila’s voice breaks.

                “Yes. I am here.” I go to her, still filled with rage, but able to quell it enough to untie her. I do not understand why I have been emotionally compromised. I was the moment she began to sing. But it does not matter now. I have found her.

                “You got her?” Jim’s voice breaks through my quiet rage.

                “Yes.” I answer, walking up the stairs, Aila in my arms. We retreat from the house, leaving Kayden Ross unconscious in the basement.

                “You good?” Jim asks, knowing I have been emotionally compromised, knowing my control is next to nothing.

                “Take her. I-I cannot-“ My voice breaks and Jim takes her from my arms. I run away. I cannot bear to be so out of control any longer. I will need to meditate extensively. I need to regain control.

 

AILA

                I wake up in light. The room is bright, and the pain I felt before is mostly gone. I sit up, realizing I am in a biobed in a MedBay. Looking around I realize that Tasha is sleeping in a chair next to me.

                “Aila.” A voice sounds, I turn to the door realizing that it’s Leo. “She’s been here since you were brought back. How’re ya feeling darling?”

                “Umm…fine?” I respond in a question. I definitely feel much better than I did when I was being beaten and tortured by my freaking cousin.

                “Okay. Well, you were pretty roughed up when you came in. I’ve fixed your broken ribs and nose. No problem there. You’ll still have some pain, but it should pass within a day. You had some internal bleeding, fixed that up no problem too. You also sustained a concussion, no surprise there. It should be under control now, though. But you need to rest. I want you in here for at least another day.” I just stare at Leo in shock. My mouth is open wide now. I didn’t realize I had been injured that badly.

                “How long?”

                “Well, you’ve been unconscious for about three days. We kept you under for the last two so you could heal faster. You’ve healed much faster than I would have thought…” He trailed off. I understood what he meant. I healed faster than I should have if I were human. Another perk of not really being human, I guess.

                “Kayden Ross?” I ask, wondering what happened to my attacker. My cousin.

                “Gone. They needed to get you back here quickly, and apparently the nerve pinch doesn’t last quite that long on…. whatever he is.” He answered solemnly.

                “Spock?” I wondered what happened to me…after all, I owed my life to him twice over now.

                “He’s been meditating. He was in quite a state. I’ve only ever seen him like that once before…when Jim died.” He answered.

                “What?” I didn’t really remember what he was like when I was rescued. It was pretty much all a blur to me anyway. All I remembered was darkness and pain. I shivered involuntarily at the memory.

                “You should get some rest, darlin’. I’ll be here, and Tasha will be here. Jim’s come by a couple of times to check on you with Uhura, and Scotty’s pretty much not left your side either, not even to check on the ship. He just left to get some food.”

                “They’ve all been here?” I asked, shocked that so many people have been around in the past three days while I’ve been unconscious. “Graduation?” I asked, knowing I probably missed the early grad ceremony.

                “Missed. Sorry, kid. You okay with that? You still graduated. Did pretty fantastic on your finals too, supposedly. First in your class. Probably will be out of the whole year, even when the rest graduate after next semester.” He looked at me, a mixture of sympathy and amazement.

                “And my assignment?” I really wanted to be assigned to the Enterprise. It was my dream. I couldn’t think of another person I wanted to work for besides Scotty.

                “Scotty is proud to have you.” He smiled at me. “Now get to sleep, kid. You need to rest. The enterprise is leaving in a couple of days for New Vulcan. And you’re gonna be on that ship!” With that he left. I laid back down smiling to myself. I may have just been kidnapped, tortured, and beaten, but I was going to be living my dream. I was going to be an engineer on the Enterprise.