Third Mission, Part XVIII

Posted on May 31, 2020 @ 1:49am by Chloe Nielsen
Edited on on May 31, 2020 @ 1:50am

Mission: Section 31

“Third Mission, Part XVIII”

***************************

Location: Simlran, NUMINO
SD: [2.20] 0530.1916
Scene: Corridor -> Main Lab
TI: 0440 hrs (Simlran), 0940 hrs (Ciris)


After leaving Captain Anaqueen Spankryz and Commander Kate MacNeil, Section 31 agent Chloe Nielsen set out for the main lab. Prior to splitting from them, the blonde handed the Trill a data chip, containing information she had managed to download about the facility – information, automatically reorganized into folders by Section 31 software, to make it easier for the Camelot crew to access the files. The chip was organic like all storage devices of Nuimon design, which was based on synthetic DNA manufactured in a lab. Chloe had purchased a stack of those devices from a store in Ciris.

Five minutes left and only a few feet from the lab entrance. The agent raised an eyebrow, making her approach slow and cautious. Mirror Anaqueen hadn’t arrived yet. Her Trill asset should have been done uploading the virus by now. The doors parted and three Free Nuimon male guards scurried out, carrying an assortment of disruptor handhelds of Klingon, Cardassian and Romulan design. The one with the Klingon disruptor stepped forward – he was tall, a big brute of a man. Nielsen swung a pair of pin shaped blades in his direction, striking him in the eye and neck. The Nuimon fell to the ground, letting go off his weapon.

Before the other two guards could respond, the blonde at lightning speed grabbed the wrist of the guy with the Romulan disruptor into a joint lock, while snapping out a right hook kick to the third guard’s face, knocking him backward till he hit the wall. Then, with her hands on his arm and the lapel of his jacket, she tossed him to the ground, using the full force of her body. Grabbing the disruptor off him, she turned around, moving towards the entrance and halted. The Lady appeared, drawing out a short sword with a golden blade in her right hand.

Nielsen pulled out a single thin star shaped monofilament blade and swung it in the other woman’s direction, aiming for her right shoulder. She had no intention of killing her, just incapacitate her long enough for the CAMELOT’s marines to get there. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. She watched with shocked expression as the Lady swung her blade like a tennis player, using her backhand – the golden sabre hitting the projectile, sending it back at top speed.

Chloe dove to the ground. A blood curdling scream made the agent glance behind her shoulder. Blood gushed out of the left thigh of the Nuimon guard, she had tossed over. The projectile itself, after slashing the guard, landed on the floor a feet away. Turning forward, Chloe leapt up, marching towards the Lady, her newly acquired disruptor raised, when something whizzed past her.

Suddenly, the agent froze, pain surging through her right arm. She bit her lip to stifle a scream and then her arm went limp, losing grip over the disruptor. As Chloe looked up, the Lady strode towards her, a sinister smile gracing her lips and the agent realized what had happened. She flickered her eyes to the floor, spotting a thin golden star shaped blade, no bigger than her finger. The Lady had successfully hit her with a throwing blade of her own.

As the Lokustaar operative stopped beside the blonde, she held the sabre against her neck. “Nice of you to join us.”

“Looking forward to your demonstration,” Chloe remarked in a calm voice dripping with mild sarcasm.

Glancing down at the agent’s limp arm, the Lady grinned. “Don’t worry, the numbness is only temporary.”

Chloe nodded, knowing once the feeling had returned to her arm, she was going to do everything in her power to stop this weapon from launching. She glanced behind her shoulder at the sound of shouting and sighed. A Nuimon guard was approaching them with her Trill asset in tow. Ana let out a mix of growls and curses, struggling under the man’s grip.

“Bring her inside,” the Lady ordered and for a brief moment, she had locked eyes with the Trill. The operative dragged Chloe into the lab. “Expect two more guests.”

--------------------
Scene: Communication Room
TI: 0440 hrs(S), 0940hrs(C)

The doors slid open, permitting a Nuimon woman as she led Spankryz and MacNeil inside. The publum padded beside the Scot, blabbering ‘omama omama’ gibberish. The room was small with only a single console, standing against the wall opposite them. The Trill Captain had the disruptor aimed on the guard.

“By the way,” the Nuimon began, a smug expression. “Your fingerprint is not registered with the system so you will be unable to access this station.”

Ana stepped forward, pressing the tip of the disruptor on the guard’s forehead. “Remember that burnt hole in the wall,” she warned in a stern voice. “The same will happen to your head if you do not cooperate.”

The smugness vanished, replaced by a nervous expression as the Nuimon swallowed a lump down her throat. The publum padded around the room, releasing a low ‘oom’.

“Use your fingerprint to access the communication array,” the Captain ordered.

The Nuimon nodded, slowly turning around and began making her way towards the console. The Trill and the half-Nuimon followed. Ana watched in tense silence as the guard tapped her left forefinger on a touch pad located at the bottom of the console and a moment later, the station came online. She stepped aside, giving the disruptor a wary look.

Ana approached the station. “Watch her,” she said, glancing behind at MacNeil.

“Aye.” Kate nodded, sighing.

The Trill pulled out the data chip and began searching around for a slot. Her gaze stopped at the top left corner of the console, finding a thin rectangular opening. She inserted the chip into the slot and a holo-projection of the device’s contents appeared.

“What does the chip contain?” Kate asked.

“Not sure,” Spankryz replied. “All she had said to me was the chip contained vital information such as the layout of this facility, the route to get here and anything else that will be useful to my crew.”

“That makes sense.” MacNeil then asked a moment later. “So how does this place communicate with the outside world?”

Spankryz arched her brow, finding a file, marked ‘communication’ and quickly accessed it. The two women viewed the holographic display, showing the image of the underground cave, linking the base and the North Ithlirin Ocean. The Trill focused the display on a section of the cave wall and ceiling, made up of purple rocks, where glowing blue light lines were flowing through them.

“What do those lines represent?”

“Apparently a signal network,” the Trill replied, reading the information on the display. “According to the data, this network is made up entirely of microorganisms that emit the signals. These microorganisms are found throughout the continent’s entire underground cave network.”

“So this bio-network is enabling the facility to communicate outside the jungle?”

“I guess so.” The Trill nodded. A pity the Nuimons had yet to discover this network as it would enable them to communicate with anyone inside the jungle. “And now I know why the ship sensors missed detecting the entrance to this underground cave from the ocean.”

“Why?” Kate asked, curious.

“Plankton that partially covers the entrance and like all flora on Simlran, it blocks signals from entering and leaving the jungle.” The Trill shifted her attention back to the image, spotting some kind of signal buoy, positioned on a rock with part of it hidden by the plankton. Ana frowned – the buoy’s technology was Nuimon but it was obvious modifications were made to the device – the Lady, perhaps. The buoy operated on a set of secure low band subspace frequencies that could be accessed by only those authorized to use them.

The way to gain access to those frequencies was found in the file. The device also contained a transducer that converted the EM subspace signal to the bioelectrical signal emanated by the microorganisms, thus enabling communication through the cave network. At the facility, a node was set up within the base’s communication array to convert the biosignal back to the regular subspace communication signal, in order to reach the communication station or a personal communicator.

Ana sighed, starting to compose a brief message with orders for her ExO to implement, which included sending marines to extract MacNeil and herself as well as to take over this facility and capture the Lady. After finishing inputting the message, the Trill attached the information packet from the chip to it and sent it, hoping it would reach her ship. “I sent the message and now we wait.”

“Here?”

Before the CO could reply, the doors parted, a trio of male Nuimon guards burst inside, aiming their weapons at them. The publum’s hide turned green, its mouth opening wide to let out a series of loud ‘omama omamas’. The female Nuimon curled her lips into a smug smile, striding to their side. One of the new arrivals stepped forward. “The Lady ordered us to bring you both to the main lab.”

Anaqueen sighed, dropping her weapon to the floor.

---------------------------------
Scene: Main Laboratory
TI: 0444 hrs(S), 0944hrs(C)

The Lady announced, her smile widening. “There they are and just in time too.”

Chloe looked to her side, watching the guards bring Spankryz and MacNeil inside and put them beside her and Mirror Anaqueen. The four women were huddled together on a bench, made of a smooth purple slab of rock, surrounded by two guards, standing at each corner, their weapons pointed at them. She wondered if Captain Spankryz had managed to send the message before she and Kate were captured.

Mirror Kate strode towards them, sporting a haughty expression. A Siberian husky puppy trotted beside her, letting out a cheerful howl as it went ahead of her, excited about the new guests. Chloe’s eyes flickered down and then forward when the white furred animal sniffed around her feet. The puppy yapped, moving next to Kate who had mustered a warm smile as she gently bent forward to pet him. Then the puppy spotted the publum and playfully attempted to jump on it but couldn’t. It seemed the amphibian didn’t care for the puppy’s display of affection. The publum rolled its eyes, turning its back to the puppy, its hide turning a shade of orange. The puppy next moved to Spankryz who simply ignored him and the animal returned back to his mistress.

“Well,” Mirror Kate began, cold and conceited as if she loved the sound of her own voice. “It’s so lovely to have an audience to witness my exceptional mind in action. I am so excited to demonstrate my beautiful design – one which will bring about enlightenment to this world and the rest of the universe. I know there are skeptics amongst you with wee minds, incapable of understanding the complexity of my work.” She narrowed her purple eyes, focusing them on Nielsen. “And there is one particular individual who is desperately trying to destroy my work because she cannot accept the fact that her limited mind is completely outmatched.”

“Are you talking to me?” Chloe gave her a wry grin. If the situation wasn’t dire, the agent would have a good laugh at the mad scientist’s expense.

Mirror Kate’s expression darkened. “Are you mocking me?”

“No, it was a sincere question,” Nielsen said, maintaining a deadpan expression. “After all, as you said, my brain is limited so I just need some clarification regarding your remarks.” It didn’t take much for the Canadian to figure out the scientist was a narcissist with a high opinion of herself. True, Kate was a genius but her problem was she was cold and callous with no regard for the lives of others.

The tall half-Nuimon chuckled out of disdain. “Oh lass, I pity you.”

Chloe sighed, listening to Mirror Ana release a low growl, while both Kate and Captain Spankryz looked annoyed. She glanced around the room, her tricorder collecting information. “Unfortunately for you, Doctor MacNeil, I don’t need to be a genius to be successful at my job.”

“This blonde seems quite audacious, believing her wee mind is enough to match my brilliance.” Mirror Kate let out a bitter laugh. “But even a lass with your limited capabilities can play a role in ensuring the well-being of the enlightened.”

Nielsen arched her brow, not quite sure about the nonsense, spouted by the mad woman. **Enlightened. That woman’s definitely off her rocker. **

“Emma is very much looking forward to your sacrifice,” Mirror Kate said in a flat tone.

**Sacrifice? Emma? ** Chloe wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that.

“Still feeding people to your genetically engineered pets,” Mirror Ana ranted. “I bet Emma is a disgusting monster.”

“Disgusting?!? How dare you?” Mirror Kate snapped. “Emma is…” She was cut off by a cold, harsh voice.

“It’s time, Kate.”

Chloe tilted her head, noting the hardened look in the Lady’s eyes. She watched the Lokustaar operative making her way towards them.

The Lady gave the doctor an icy stare. “Kate, you can have all the entertainment you want with this blonde, but only after we have successfully launched the weapon.”

“Aye,” said MacNeil in a flat tone as she turned around to address her assistants. “Control, begin.”

“Yes doctor,” a Nuimon man replied, his eyes glued to the screen. “Receiver one online.”

“Receiver two online,” came from another, hidden amidst a sea of heads in the control area, comprising of a bunch of consoles arranged in a series.

“Receiver three online.” Chloe heard a different voice.

“Receiver four returning an error,” another Nuimon man announced, glancing at the doctor in dismay. “Shall I…”

Mirror Kate shook her head. “No, keep going. The system will function at eighty percent efficiency.”

“Receiver five online.”

Chloe watched the smile form across Mirror Kate’s face, wondering about what all those receivers were for and most importantly, where they were located. She raised an eyebrow when a large, rectangular holographic screen appeared on a platform in the center of the room, a few feet away. A big window loomed behind the screen, where the agent spotted aquatic creatures floating outside.

The screen split into two windows. On the left side was a map of the world and blue dots appeared, scattered all across the display with a bunch clustered together in the western part of Ithlirin. There was a lone black dot near the eastern coastline of Ithlirin – receiver four, which apparently had issues, preventing it from becoming activated. Eastern Ithlirin, consisting of mostly forests, wasn’t as densely populated as the west in which the planet’s only two cities were located.

On the right window, the layout of the weapon’s system was displayed. The blonde’s eyes widened, focusing her lens on the layout. Quite a sophisticated system, utilizing tech that had once belonged to an ancient, advanced civilization. The artifacts from the ruins of a civilization, studied by a joint Federation-Nuimon scientific expedition for the past seven years. Chloe already knew the Orion Syndicate cell on this world was running a smuggling operation where they were engaged in stealing a bunch of artifacts from the lab. The late Lord Percy, on behalf of the Lady, and with the Free Nuimons’ assistance, had stolen some artifacts from the Syndicate’s stash.

Now Chloe knew that those stolen artifacts were brought to the lab to be used in building the weapon system. She needed a few minutes to stall the weapon’s launch and set the timer to activate the virus, her asset had uploaded to the facility’s computer system. A projection of the timer, automatically set to four minutes, materialized near the top left corner of the lab’s large holographic screen. Only she could see the timer, using her lens.

“All receivers online. Standing by for your signal,” announced the Nuimon assistant.

Mirror Kate grinned, turning around and facing them with a smug smile. “You will all be witness to my brilliance and history will be made when I have successfully put this world on a path of enlightenment and…” She paused, when Chloe made a throat clearing sound and narrowed her eyes. “I see the blonde has something to say.”

“Doctor MacNeil,” Chloe began, furrowing her brow, pretending to be confused and curious. “You have quite a fascinating invention and I’d really like to understand it better so I can truly appreciate your brilliant mind when your weapon launches. Perhaps, spare a few minutes to explain the system to me.”

A smile crept across the doctor’s lips. “Aye, lass. I don’t see why not.”

“Doctor MacNeil,” came the cold voice of the Lady. “It’s 0445hrs. Launch the weapon now.”

“Not yet,” Kate promptly replied, unfazed at the Lokustaar operative’s icy stare. “I am sure there’s no harm in waiting a few more minutes to get this blonde up to speed so that she can truly appreciate my brilliance. Besides, the Lokustaar should do well to remember that without me, you’d never be close to success in bringing about enlightenment to this world.”

Chloe shifted her gaze to the Lady whose face was expressionless. Yet, the agent noted the ire, radiated by the other woman’s blue-green eyes. It was obvious the Lady was irritated by not just Mirror Kate’s delay but the latter’s arrogant remark about the Lokustaar. Chloe had no idea what or who the Lokustaar were.

“Well,” said the Lady in a calm and deadly voice. “I suppose there is no harm in delaying by a minute or two to provide an explanation.”

“Wonderful.” Mirror Kate beamed, returning her attention to her audience. “Now, about how my beautiful and most brilliant design works…”

Chloe listened quietly as the mad doctor began explaining – more like bragging – about her bioweapon, while at the same time keeping an eye on the timer, now showing a little over three minutes left till the virus activated. An impressive design, the blonde had to admit. The crazy woman was a genius – that was true. Imagine if Kate wasn’t mentally insane and could have used her intelligence for the benefit of others.

The agent learnt that the weapon system consisted of various components that were interconnected. The first component, the transmitter, was installed in the lab and apparently, the only device that wasn’t an artifact from the archaeological ruins but of Nuimon origin. The transmitter would send out an audio signal, which bewildered the agent. If that little experiment, she, Mirror Ana and Kate were forced to endure back in the jungle, was a demonstration of the bioweapon, then was there a link between the audio signal and the psionic field. Nielsen sighed – she wasn’t exactly a technical or scientific expert. But since the tricorder was collecting all the information, perhaps the techs at Section 31 would be able to better understand the intricacies of this system.

Apparently, the audio signal would be transmitted to a device, set up somewhere in the jungle – not far from the location where she and the others involuntarily partook in the demonstration. That second component was one of the stolen artifacts. That artifact, located near an opening to a cave, according to Mirror Kate, was a psionic resonator. The audio signal would activate this resonator, which then would amplify the psionic energy field, emitted by the jungle flora, to the levels needed to induce the hallucinations.

“Once the psionic energy has been amplified,” Mirror Kate continued, “it will be channelled via a conduit to the first receiver, where the energy is dispersed at that location. That same receiver also acts as a conduit to channel the energy to the next receiver at a different location.” Both the conduit, which had been set up on a beach just outside the targeted section of the jungle, and the receivers were all artifacts.

The left half of the holographic screen shifted to a diagram of the conduit and a receiver to its right. The picture then flickered to an animation. A cloud of blue dots, representing the psionic field, were clustering around the conduit. Some tiny green arrows appeared, moving towards the conduit. A ring appeared above the conduit, edged with fiery blue flames and the arrows were going through it.
“The conduit, upon detecting the psionic field, generates a micro-wormhole,” Mirror Kate said. “The energy wave gets pulled through this wormhole and in an instant, reaches the first location. Upon detection of the wave, the receiver at that location will open up another micro-wormhole and the wave will travel to its next location. The process repeats until the energy wave reaches its final location.”

Chloe nodded, taking in the information.

“Quite a brilliant design of mine, I might add,” the mad scientist boasted.

Chloe admitted being impressed with how both Mirror Kate and her Nuimon underlings had managed to figure out the purpose of the artifacts – belonging to an ancient and advanced civilization that had existed like around millions of years ago – and how they worked, even managing to make some modifications.

“The subjects,” said Mirror Kate, “will undergo three phases in this experiment.”

Kate opened her mouth to protest. “Living, breathing people, whom you are planning to subject to this horror, without even asking for their consent.”

“Lassie, I am not in the mood for another lecture of your so-called ethics,” said her doppelganger dryly. “In fact, you, the troublesome blonde and my Anaqueen have experienced phase one and if it wasn’t for a certain blonde, you’d have completed the experiment.”

“What happens in phases two and three?” Kate demanded in a tone that indicated her disapproval of the whole plan. “Or a better question is what will happen to the victims at the end of your horrible experiment?”

“Well, you just have to wait and see,” Mirror Kate remarked in a patronizing tone. “As for the subjects, I’d expect they should be proud of their sacrifices for scientific advancement.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, sighing. **Murdering others for advancement in science. What a piece of work. **

“I have to admit,” Captain Spankryz spoke up for the first time. “It is an impressive design and must have required a lot of collaborative effort to get this system to work.”

“Well, Captain,” came a condescending remark from Mirror Kate. “I’m not surprised you are able to grasp the system much better than this blonde here.” She sneered at the agent, who was tempted to roll her eyes again. “Considering your intellectual capacity is higher than hers but still vastly inferior to mine.”

“Doctor.” Spankryz, unperturbed by the mad woman’s remark, looked around. “Which one of your subordinates is the brilliant engineer, responsible for building and making your system work?”

Chloe raised an eyebrow, wondering just what the Trill was attempting with this line of questioning and grinned. **Two minutes left. **

“Engineer?” Kate’s expression soured, clearly offended. “No one here besides me has the intellectual ability to not only design but get this system to function. Are you doubting my intelligence?”

“I’m not doubting your intelligence,” Ana responded in a condescending tone. “But merely pointing out the fact that you are a medical doctor, not an engineer.” Mirror Kate’s face reddened with anger. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure you are quite capable of conceiving the design but you are deluded to believe that you alone with absolutely no training in engineering, can make this system work. In fact, I can say with confidence that my chief engineer can come up with a much better and more efficient design than you. And unlike you, she would have been able to build and get the system operational.”

“How dare you?” Mirror Kate hissed, her onyx eyes shooting daggers at the Trill.

One minute and twenty-five seconds left.

“Actually,” Chloe chimed in, further twisting the knife into the mad scientist’s fragile ego. “I think the system was a letdown after all the hype. Looks to me, a five year old designed it.”

One minute left.

Mirror Kate let out a mirthless laugh. “That’s because this blonde thinks like a five year old.”

“Oh Kate,” came a cold and deadly voice. The Lady’s detached expression masked an ice cold fury. “Don’t you see these two are clearly playing you?” She stopped, giving the four women a fixed stare and then turned to the mentally insane doctor.

“What?” Mirror Kate scowled. “I don’t understand, Yeelixa.”

**Yeelixa? Is that the Lady’s true name? ** Chloe arched her brow, then sighed, wondering when the numbness in her right arm was going to wear off.

“They are stalling,” the Lokustaar operative rebuked before speaking in a calmer voice. “I know you are a genius so it isn’t surprising you have missed the crude attempts to distract you.”

Thirty seconds left.

Turning to Nielsen, the Lady narrowed her eyes. “It has come to my attention that a virus has been uploaded to the computer system, waiting to be activated.”

Chloe didn’t respond, eyeing the timer.

The Lady turned to Spankryz. “And Captain, I am guessing you’re hoping to stall long enough to give your crew enough time to send a rescue team down here to stop the launch.”

Twenty seconds left.

“Well, you’re both too late.” The Lady sneered at them before addressing the Nuimon underlings. “Launch the weapon now.”

The underling blinked, shifting his gaze to Mirror Kate.

Mirror Kate nodded. “Do it.”

Only ten seconds left. Chloe sighed, realizing she’d not be able to activate the virus before the weapon was deployed. But even if the weapon was activated, she still could deactivate it by destroying its power source.

“System activated,” the Nuimon assistant announced. A moment later, music began playing in the background. Chloe listened intently, while paying attention to the timer – five seconds left. The music was eclectic, containing no beats and words with a slow temp. The eeriness in its tone made her skin crawl. This music choice was creepy, bringing a chill down one’s spine. She turned to the holographic display, which switched to the jungle, where the flora came to life, illuminated in a bright blue glow. The psionic energy field was amplified, and soon the weapon was going to reach its targets.

Then the room darkened. The virus was activated and the facility began to shut down. The holographic display vanished. The consoles went off-line, resulting in mass panic amongst the Nuimon underlings. The music could no longer be heard as the audio system had gone off-line. Chaos reigned, providing Nielsen the opportunity to deactivate the weapon. The blonde glanced around the room, spotting a lone console, still lit up – the access point to the isolated computer databank that stored information on the weapon. Her eyes then followed the direction of some power conduits, settling on a large bulk of grey metal in the shape of a cylinder, standing against the wall – the power source for the weapons system. Both the databank and the power source for the weapon were isolated from the main computer network and power grid.

Chloe stood up, turning to her asset. “Ana, to the weapon’s power source, now.”

“Understood.” The Trill nodded, getting up and then making a beeline for the power source. As the Nuimons were in panic, scrambling to restore the system, an opportunity had presented itself to the agent and her asset to shut down the weapon without anyone getting in their way except the Lady. Chloe blinked, looking around – Yeelixa was nowhere to be found. She sighed, her arm still numb. Well, she still had her legs and other arm so could manage for a bit. The blonde followed the Trill to the weapons station.

Mirror Anaqueen was already at the station, pulling out a tiny silver device and attaching it to the power unit. Chloe reached the console and used her tricorder to extract all the data from the databank. The blonde nodded at the Trill, who promptly tapped on the device to send a signal that would result in a power overload in the unit. The two women then jogged away just as the power unit exploded, taking the databank and the console with it.

“The weapon has been deactivated,” Chloe declared, spotting Captain Spankryz and Commander MacNeil by the doorway. At the sound of the explosion, the underlings had abandoned their posts and began stampeding towards the exit, pushing past the Trill CO and the half-Nuimon doctor. The two women ended up moving a couple of feet away from the exit. Then the agent’s eyes widened.
A purple feline creature – the size of a house cat – stepped out of its holding cell and prowled towards the crowd, a hungry look in its yellow orbs. A moochi moochi, Chloe thought but frowned. Knowing the mad doctor, this particular moochi moochi was genetically modified. She then heard Mirror Kate’s voice, ordering an underling to feed ‘Abigail’. The agent groaned – oh great, the crazy woman had named the creature. But it looked like the underling just ran away, unwilling to be near Abigail, which followed him and the rest of the crowd out of the lab.

Then she felt her shoulder grabbed from behind. The agent set her jaws, whirling around, and found an irate, insane doctor, holding a hypospray. Chloe managed to free herself from Mirror Kate’s grip before the latter could inject a hypospray into her neck.

“Okay, blonde,” Kate demanded angrily. “Emma is waiting so you better come with me.”

“I don’t think so.” Chloe was defiant, her eyes fixed on the hypospray.

“You are worth nothing except to become a sacrifice for my sweet Emma,” MacNeil derided. “Come, she’s waiting by the window.”

Nielsen tilted her head to the side and nearly gasped. Emma looked to be a cross between an octopus and a lobster, floating outside the window – her greenish brown skin giving off a bright glow. The creature’s head was huge and round like an octopus. Nielsen noticed Emma had eight long arms dangling at the bottom – one of them tapping the window. The creature had a long body with multi-coloured fins at the tail end and an exoskeleton attached to its back. Three pairs of legs extended from its abdomen, two of which were clawed. She was a scary creature.

As Kate lifted her arm and brought it down towards Chloe’s neck, the blonde slid away, missing the hypospray. The agent, at blinding speed, catching the mad woman by surprise, snapped out a side kick to the taller woman’s midsection. The full force of the kick pushed the doctor back, her body slamming onto a console nearby and the hypospray slipping out of her hand. Before Kate could lift herself up, Chloe, promptly, stomped on the side of the doctor’s left ankle. Mirror Kate screeched out in pain, falling back onto the console. Using her left hand, Chloe grabbed one of the doctor’s arms, pulling it behind and then twisting her wrist so hard it snapped. Mirror Kate screamed, struggling under the blonde’s grip.

Chloe sighed, letting go of the injured wrist and grabbing the doctor’s other arm, pulling it behind. If only her right arm wasn’t paralyzed, wondering how the long the effects of the Lady’s toxin lasted. Using just her left hand to hold onto both of MacNeil’s arms, Chloe pulled the taller woman up to a standing position.

“Here, please let me help,” came a soft voice with a Scottish accent.

The agent jerked her head to the side, exhaling with relief. The Kate MacNeil of her universe stood beside her, extending her hand out. “Grab her right arm and I’ll take the left.”

“Aye.” The Scot/Nuimon nodded.

“You do realize Emma is going to starve to death,” Mirror Kate hissed angrily before wincing in pain.

“If you’re that concerned,” Chloe remarked with sarcasm. “Then, maybe you could just offer yourself as sacrifice to ensure Emma will be fed.”

“No.” Mirror Kate shook her head. “If I die, then my wee ones will have no one to take care of them and there is no other mind more exceptional than mine to bring about enlightenment.”

Chloe sighed, rolling her eyes as they began moving, dragging the mad scientist towards the exit.

“Well, I see, lass, you’re not only cruel but a hypocrite as well,” Kate chimed in with a harsh remark, her purple eyes flickering to the doppelganger.

The three women quickly made their way out of the room, only to stop upon hearing shrieks from down the corridor.

-----------------
Scene: Corridor, not far from the lab

Chloe and Kate, bringing along Mirror Kate, had caught up with Captain Spankryz and Mirror Anaqueen. The publum appeared beside Commander MacNeil, its hide, glowing a bright green. However, the trio were met with a chaotic situation - shrieking everywhere and apparently, Mirror Ana was in a tug of war with a male Free Nuimon guard over her phaser rifle. Spankryz was arguing with a female Nuimon lab assistant and it seemed the underlings were blocking their path.

“What exactly do you gain from blocking our way?” The Trill CO demanded, her ire rising to the forefront.

“We won’t let you kill the moochi moochi,” the Nuimon replied, backed up by two guards.

“That is not a docile pet!” Mirror Ana roared, her temper well-past the boiling point, now in a failing battle to hold onto her rifle. “That creature is a genetic monstrosity created by the mad bitch!”

“Such ignorance, lass,” Mirror Kate retorted, sporting a sullen expression. “Abigail is a sweet, enlightened being, which is more than I can say for your lot.”

Chloe stepped forward, dragging along both Kates, and gave the Nuimon guards a cool stare. “Alright, you three really need to step aside, otherwise someone’s going to get hurt.”

“You will get hurt, off-worlder,” one of the guards shot back, raising his fists. None of the Nuimons were carrying weapons, though one of them might soon as he was close to winning the tug of war with the Trill asset.

“Hey, what’s wrong with her arm,” another said with a mocking tone, pointing at the agent.

“Hold her,” Chloe whispered, letting go so that Kate would be the only one holding Mirror Kate. The blonde casually approached the two Free Nuimons. One of the Nuimons, only about an inch or two taller than the agent but well-built, lunged at her, snarling. But Nielsen was too fast for him, whirling around, striking him in the groin with a swift back kick. The Nuimon keeled over before dropping to the ground.

Chloe’s gaze shifted to the other guard who had managed to snatch the rifle from the Trill. At lightning speed, she jumped, spinning around to deliver a kick, which arced towards his face, the heel striking his jaw. The full force of her kick knocked him off-balance.

Mirror Anaqueen, taking advantage of his predicament, snatched the weapon out of his hands. She knocked the side of his head with the butt of her rifle, rendering him unconscious. The Trill whirled around, aiming the rifle at the female Nuimon, who turned to the Captain.

“Please, have mercy on me.” The lab assistant had a pleading look in her eyes.

“Okay.” Spankryz nodded before glancing at her counterpart with a stern look and raised her hand. “Don’t shoot.”

“You can’t order me, Captain Parasite,” Mirror Ana responded angrily, a burning hatred shone in her eyes, her rifle trained on the Nuimon.

Captain Spankryz glared at her look-a-like, stepping forward to stand in front of the lab assistant. “Anaqueen, stand down.” The Trill gave Nielsen a sidelong glance.

Chloe waved at her asset, giving her a fixed, deadly stare. “Ana, drop your weapon. That lab assistant is no threat to us.”

Mirror Anaqueen lowered her weapon and growled, while glowering at the CAMELOT’s CO. “Fine but if Miss Bossy weren’t here, then I’d have been forced to shoot the parasite bitch as well.”

“My symbiont is not a parasite,” Ana rebuked, the anger radiating from her.

Chloe grabbed hold of Mirror Kate again, relieving the latter’s alternate. “Alright, we’ll head to the docking bay.” They began walking, making their way down the corridor. “My tricorder has plotted the quickest route so we should be there in about less than ten minutes.”

They stopped, when two Nuimons, a female guard and a male technician came rushing towards them, screaming. Behind them was Abigail, Mirror Kate’s moochi moochi/hetla hybrid, catching up to them. “Turn back!” The male yelled but he was silenced when the feline opened her mouth from which multi-coloured bioluminescent tentacles shot out, grabbing his foot and not a second passed when the appendages wrapped around his entire body. Then to everyone’s shock, he dematerialized and the feline retracted the tentacles into her mouth. Abigail continued moving towards them, a hungry look in her eyes.

The female guard caught up to the group, her voice cracking and body shaking with fear. “Please…help…that moochi moochi is abnormal…”

“Abnormal? Nonsense. ” Mirror Kate scoffed. “Abigail is sweet and perfect.”

“Sweet…” The guard hissed, glancing behind, her eyes widening in fear. “That Abigail has…already…swallowed five others in a span of few minutes.”

“The lass was hungry and needed to nourish herself,” Mirror Kate said dismissively.

“And she still is hungry,” Kate whispered, her mouth dry.

“Not for long.” Mirror Anaqueen raised her rifle, aiming it downward at the creature, now only a feet away and fired. An orange beam streamed out, striking the purple feline, disintegrating it. Turning to the others, looking pleased, she lowered her weapon. “There, problem solved.”

Mirror Kate let out a shriek. “You will pay for this cold-blooded murder!”

“Seriously, this coming from you,” Mirror Ana retorted, rolling her eyes. The rest of the trip to the docking bay had gone without a hitch.

-------------------------------
Scene: Docking Bay
TI: 0504hrs (S), 1004hrs (C)

Upon arrival, the group were met with chaos. Apparently, the virus that shut the entire system down, had led to multiple structural breaches all around the facility. The breaches, in turn, had allowed the water from the lake to pour inside, flooding some areas. It seemed the docking bay was one of the affected areas in which sections of the pier were underwater, forcing many Nuimons to swim their way to the shuttles. Water still continued pouring inside from the tiny breaches on the walls.

“Seems like only three shuttles are available,” Chloe informed as she watched the Nuimons squabbling with each other for a place in those shuttles. But it was the Free Nuimon guards with the artillery, who had managed to commandeer all the shuttles, pushing the lab assistants and techs away. Then those same guards started quarrelling amongst themselves.

“Should we call the rangers for help?” Kate asked. The publum nudged against the Scot’s foot, its hide still green and its eyes widened in fear.

Anaqueen sighed. “Well, if the ship received my message, then Commander Sol will have dispatched the marines to this location, bringing the rangers with them.”

“The rangers do not know about this place,” the Nuimon lab assistant, accompanying them, said, her voice shaking. “If they do, then we will all be arrested. I do not want to go to prison.”

“You should have thought of that before deciding to join up with the Free Nuimons,” Spankryz admonished. “For all your hatred towards off-worlders, you, Free Nuimons, conspired with off-worlder criminals to hurt your own people.”

“But I am not a Free Nuimon and do not care for their cause,” the lab assistant whimpered, cowering in fear under the Trill’s stern gaze. “I am actually a progressive and even strongly supported Dahlis Alenvin when she used to be Chief Consul.”

The Captain raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand. If you’re not a Free Nuimon, then why work with them.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” the Nuimon woman opined. “The Free Nuimons threatened to hurt my family if I didn’t agree to cooperate with them. I couldn’t bear working under this deranged, mad doctor and I as well as the other assistants have been constantly in fear that she would feed us to one of her wretched beasts.”

“Wretched? You pathetic little fool,” Mirror Kate chimed in with another derisive remark. “You and all those other mundane assistants should be honoured about sacrificing your lives for my enlightened wee ones. After all, you…”

“Shut up!” Kate shouted, cutting off her counterpart in mid-sentence. It was rare for the Scottish woman to lose her temper. Kate was well-known for her patience and composure under pressure but those past few hours of torture by her doppelganger had finally broken her. “Lass, I’ve had enough of your cruelty, your disregard for others’ lives and that includes your precious wee ones.” Her body and voice were shaking as she continued ranting. “I’m fed up of listening to your insane nonsense about sacrifices, enlightenment…And lass, I doubt you truly understand what those two words mean. Well, not that I expect you to, considering what a twisted mind you have. A brilliant mind, yes. But what use is a brilliant mind when all you do is use it to murder others for the sake of your twisted view of *enlightenment*.” She paused, taking in a deep breath. “You, Kate MacNeil, are not really a doctor. You don’t even understand what the Hippocratic Oath really means. If you did, you’d never callously torture and murder others to satisfy your own curiosity. Because all you are is a deranged, cruel and arrogant lass who should be locked away forever!” The publum nodded emphatically in agreement.

Mirror Kate burst out in laughter. “Oh you poor pathetic lass. It breaks my heart to say that you are nothing but a pale, less intelligent copy of me who brags about her so-called ethics, when the real truth is you are a hypocrite who…”

“That’s enough!” Spankryz interrupted with a forceful rebuke, directed at Mirror Kate. “I’ve had enough of listening to your ridiculous nonsense, Doctor MacNeil.”

Before anyone could respond, sounds of loud, slow clapping were heard. Chloe, Kate and Anaqueen turned around, while Mirror Kate stared forward and Mirror Anaqueen didn’t seem to be around. The publum scampered to hide behind Kate’s legs. Standing on top of an underwater shuttle was the Lady, a cold expression marring her features. That shuttle was parked on the opposite side of the pier. The lab assistant, who was with the group, left to join her people, trying to escape.

“Hey, Lady, where have you been?” Chloe addressed the Lokustaar agent, sarcasm etching her remark. “We all missed you.”

“You all make quite an entertaining bunch,” the Lady remarked, a sinister smile gracing her lips. “Those Nuimons over there, squabbling over who gets on board the shuttle, make for a delightful view.”

“You really enjoy watching others fight,” Kate snapped, still reeling from her rant at Mirror Kate. “How sick and twisted can you be? You’re exactly like my doppelganger, cruel and mentally insane?”

Yeelixa let out a dry chuckle, sneering at the tall woman. “So I am mentally insane and cruel because I happen to have a different worldview from you. How very narrow minded of you?”

“Chaos and destruction as the natural order of evolution is not a worldview,” Spankryz stated pointedly. “It’s madness and in case you haven’t noticed, your plan failed.”

“Really?” The Lady raised an eyebrow, giving the women a contemptuous look.

“Newsflash, Lady,” Chloe said, returning a similar look. “But we destroyed your weapon.”

“I do know,” said the operative in a chilling voice. “But you are still too late and this world is on its way to a political conflict between the progressive and the conservative sides.” She grinned, pulling a strand of reddish brown hair behind her ear. “And it seems that conflict has already commenced right here in this facility.”

Chloe glanced behind her shoulder, letting out a sigh, watching some lab techs and guards beginning to engage in physical altercations. A female Free Nuimon guard was hitting a male progressive lab tech on the head with her disruptor. The blonde pressed her lips, forming a thin line, a look of determination in her eyes as they fixed on the Lokustaar agent.

“Look,” Kate called out, catching Spankryz’s and Nielsen’s attentions. Both women turned around, noticing the water below the pier had begun churning and two pod shaped shuttles rose to the surface. A section of the top of the lead shuttle slid open and a woman stepped out, adorned in a black jumpsuit with green bands across her chest and shoulders. She had a black armour vest over her upper body as well as a silver harness, holding her weapons. In her hand was a type three phaser rifle and on her head was a gunmetal grey helmet with a visor slid over her eyes. Five individuals, three males and two females, in similar attire, appeared out of the shuttle and stood behind her. Then two Nuimons, adorned in bluish green uniforms, followed, carrying water pistols and thin, navy blue sticks.

Captain Spankryz stepped forward to greet the new arrivals. “Major Choi.”

“Captain,” Mina Choi, the CAMELOT’s MCO, said. “We received your message and my team is here to extract you and Doctor MacNeil and we brought along the rangers, who supplied the transports to get us here.”

The door to the second shuttle slid open and more rangers stepped out, turning their attention to the skirmish between the Free Nuimons and the lab techs. Some of them jumped into the water and began swimming towards those shuttles. Two marines, a Bajoran woman and a Saurian man, came out of the second shuttle and followed the rangers to assist them in disarming the Free Nuimons.

Nielsen, upon the marines’ arrival, had lifted up her hood and slid the visor over her eyes to hide her face to avoid blowing her cover. The blonde took a couple of steps back, dragging Mirror Kate with her, ready to dive into the water if necessary. She looked around and arched her brow. Odd, where was her asset? She was standing beside her, when they had entered the bay.

Choi and the other marines stepped onto the pier, positioning themselves around Spankryz and MacNeil. “So,” the Korean woman said, raising her rifle. “You are the Lady that everyone has been talking about so much.”

“Yeah, who’d call themselves the Lady,” came another female voice from behind.

“I know, right.” Kate nodded. “I have a friend who named her cocker spaniel puppy, Lady.” The publum peered around MacNeil’s left leg to have a quick peek but immediately withdrew, letting out an ooma sound.

“I see, Captain, you have managed to call in the cavalry,” the Lady commented, eyeing the marines with disdain.

“There is no way out for you, Ms. Djiktra, Yeelixa, the Lady or whoever you are,” Ana warned, glaring at the operative. “Your weapon has been destroyed and your entire plan to start a civil war on this world has failed.”

Yeelixa shook her head. “How wrong you are, Captain. My plan is still on track to succeed.”

“Major,” Spankryz ordered. “Capture her alive.”

“Aye Captain,” the MCO complied, waving two marines forward. A human male with bronze skin and ginger hair – a giant of a man, standing at around 6’5" – crossed the space between the pier and Yeelixa’s shuttle. The marine, a Corporal, reached out to grab the operative’s arm with his large hand but was too slow. The Lady in one swift move, swung her right leg around, striking the back of his knee, followed by lacerating his left hand with her short sword. The man screamed, losing his balance and fell into the water.

The second marine, a short yet heavily built Talaxian female, jumped onto the shuttle. She pointed her rifle at the taller woman, snarling. “Surrender or I shoot!” Unfortunately for the sergeant, Yeelixa swung her blade, slashing the marine across the arm, holding the weapon and then her right cheek before the Talaxian could even blink. The marine let out an ear piercing shriek, her legs giving way before falling into the water.

Both marines survived, currently helped up to the pier by Kate and a Kaferian male, the marine field medic. The Kaferian, a Lance Corporal, escorted his fellow marines back inside the shuttle to treat their injuries.

Choi frowned, displeased at the way the Lady dispatched two of her marines with ease. The Korean, her rifle aimed at the Lokustaar operative, curled her lips into a wry smile. “Look, just act like a nice Lady and surrender yourself and no one else has to get hurt. Okay?”

Yeelixa stared at the MCO before flickering her gaze to the Trill CO. “Really, Captain, is that all you got?” Anaqueen didn’t say anything and glared at her.

“Well, Lady,” responded Mina in a calm voice, warning the operative. “Seeing as you refused to be nice, I might have to show you some of my best hapkido moves that will blow your mind.” Hapkido was a Terran martial art of Korean origin.

“You’re welcome to try,” Yeelixa said in a calm but lethal tone as if daring the marine to attack. “And you will then find out just how much I outmatch you, after all I’ve had centuries to perfect my skills.”

“Centuries?” Kate raised an eyebrow. “Lass, you look like a human woman in her early thirties.”

“Maybe it is a metaphor,” Mina suggested, rolling her eyes. “Lady, I see through your mind games. It won’t work on me. I mean you are not really hundreds of years old.” She took a step, preparing to leap across to the operative’s shuttle, when her comm badge chirped and the marine tapped on it. “Choi here.”

[[Major, status report,]] spoke Commander Azula Sol, the CAMELOT’s ExO.

“Found them, Commander,” Mina reported, not taking her eyes and weapon off the Lokustaar agent. “And now I am about to take down this really nice lady I’ve met - only she’s actually not that nice.”

“Commander,” Anaqueen said, a bewildered expression crossing her features. “I see you managed to figure out a way to communicate directly with us.”

[[Yes, Captain,]] the ExO said. [[Commander Song managed to get our signal across the bio-communication network in the underground caves, using the information that you had sent.]]

“I am glad to hear,” Spankryz said. “What’s the situation out there?”

There was silence for a moment until Sol spoke, her tone grim. [[Captain, the situation is dire.]]

Suddenly the colour drained from the Trill’s face. “What do you mean?” She inquired in a succinct tone. “Has the hostage crisis worsened?”

[[No, Captain. There is something unusual happening,]] the ExO replied. [[There have been reports from a number of locations all around the planet that many people, both Nuimons and non-Nuimons, have been sighted to be in a catatonic state.]]

“No, that cannot be right.” MacNeil joined the conversation, a look of horror forming in her violet eyes. “We destroyed the transmitter in the lab, which shut down the weapon.”

[[I’m sorry, Doctor MacNeil but it is true. Sensors have detected high levels of psionic energy around the world – the same energy readings that were picked up from the Simlran jungle earlier.]] Sol paused to catch a breath. [[I’m seeing the event unfolding on the viewscreen, right now.]]

Anaqueen was about to open her mouth to speak but stopped at the sound of disdainful laughter. The Trill CO’s expression darkened, turning around and faced the operative, whose blue green eyes shone with contempt.

“Well,” Yeelixa said, her lips curling into a cold smile. “I see now you all have come to accept reality that our plan to bring about political instability to this world is on track to succeed and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.”

“But the transmitter…” Kate’s voice trailed, dread washing over her features.

“It does not matter if the transmitter is destroyed or not,” the operative continued, studying their shocked expressions. “Once the weapon is activated, it cannot be shut down.”

“How is that possible? All the components in the system are interconnected.” Ana bristled with anger as she glared at the Lokustaar agent.

“See, Captain. There is a variable that none of you ever thought to consider.” Yeelixa paused, briefly looking behind her. “And it is because of this variable that this weapon cannot be turned off and the reason why your efforts to stop us will end in defeat. This world and before long, this whole dimension will descend into chaos and there is nothing you can do about it.”

“Dimension?” The Korean blinked, looking behind at her CO and MacNeil in confusion. “Is this Lady taking drugs or some strange herbs? Because she’s talking crazy.”

Ignoring the MCO’s comment, Yeelixa looked to the side and then back to the group. “Captain, I take it from your first officer’s report that the deployment is now in phase one. Soon, we will be moving up to phase two and then phase three.” She then spoke in a patronizing tone. “Don’t worry, the weapon is only meant to run for an hour, more than enough time to deal a significant damage to this world.”

“Captain?” Choi looked behind at the CO. “I am ready to bring down this bitch, just give me the go head.” Then her cheeks flushed, lifting her hand to cover her mouth. “Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to swear.”

“Take her, Major.” Ana nodded.

“Before you proceed,” Yeelixa said, sporting a wicked grin. “I have a special surprise for all of you, especially for that blonde whom I do not see anywhere.”

Spankryz narrowed her eyes. “We don’t have time for any more of your games.”

“And I don’t need to listen to your annoying voice, Captain Parasite!” Mirror Anaqueen, to everyone’s shock, rose up from the water and climbed onto the Lady’s shuttle. The Trill woman now stood beside the operative, sending dirty looks to both Spankryz and Nielsen. The publum’s hide shifted to a glowing bright red, glaring at Mirror Ana, who was sort of a nemesis.

The blonde woman, holding onto Mirror Kate, had struggled to remain hidden, while the confrontation between Yeelixa and the Camelot officers were taking place. She hadn’t even interfered to help the marines to avoid blowing her cover, after all her mission had been nearly accomplished. She had found and captured her target so the only thing left to do was escape from this facility.

“I should have known that you couldn’t be trusted, Anaqueen,” Spankryz said in a low, harsh voice, a burning ire radiating within her. The Trill gave a sidelong glance at the Section 31 agent. “You are reckless, unreliable and apparently a fool to be aligning with the Lady.”

“Typical parasite, with your insults. You sound like Lord Spankryz, the parasite bastard I now will one day have a chance to kill.” Mirror Ana glared at her alternate. “See, unlike Starfleet, Yeelixa is the only one who is not lying to me. She has opened my eyes, you see.” The Trill glanced at Chloe, a look of anger and hatred in her eyes. “Yeelixa showed me that for the last six years, I have been used and lied to by an individual whom I had believed cared for my well-being.”

“Take the look-a- like down as well, Captain?” Choi inquired, aiming her weapon now at Mirror Ana.

“Yes,” Spankryz ordered. “Take them both.”

“Understood.” The marine took a step forward, positioning herself to take two perfect shots to bring down both Mirror Ana and Yeelixa. “Hey, listen you two,” she warned, her finger hovering over the trigger button. “My shots have a ninety-eight-point-five percent accuracy rate so I rarely miss.”

Mirror Ana rolled her eyes, speaking in a mocking tone. “That’s what Lord Spankryz’s minions – you know, factory bred parasites – and those blasted Klingon-Cardassian Alliance soldiers say, yet they always fail to capture me.”

The publum rolled its eyes, muttering something inaudible.

“Klingons and Cardassians are not allies and Spankryz is a captain, not a lord,” Choi corrected, not realizing the Trill was referring to them in the Mirror Universe. The Korean pushed the button, releasing an orange energy bolt in Mirror Ana’s direction. The bolt hit the Trill on her chest, rendering her unconscious as she fell into the water. Not wasting a moment, Mina pressed on the trigger, sending another bolt towards Yeelixa but missed when the Lokustaar agent jumped into the water. The bolt ended up taking off a piece of the shuttle top. Yeelixa appeared out of the water, holding the unconscious Trill woman, just as Choi was preparing to shoot again. The Korean began shooting, sending out a series of bolts but Yeelixa dove under with Mirror Ana in tow.

“Dammit!” The marine swore under her breath, upset at having missed her target. “Alright, where did they go?” Yeelixa and Mirror Anaqueen had vanished yet their shuttle remained floating above surface, making one wonder if the operative had another craft hidden somewhere else. Before anyone could react, the ground below and the walls around them shook with the fervor of an angry beast. The wall at the far side of the bay exploded, sending debris in all directions. Many Nuimons jumped into the water to avoid being hit by the rocks. Chloe dropped to the floor, dragging Mirror Kate along, upon spotting a rock flying in their direction. The explosion left behind a large, gaping hole, through which water from the lake began pouring inside, quickly flooding the entire room.

With the pier underwater, both Starfleet and Nuimons alike, struggled to swim to the surface and keep afloat as the water levels continued rising. The Nuimons, in particular, swarmed around their shuttles, bumping against each other to get inside, though some of them swam towards the walls and were climbing up the rocks to get as high as possible. The rangers were struggling to manage the other Nuimons, instructing those who couldn’t make it into the shuttles to head for the walls. The Free Nuimons broke away from the rangers and began pushing everyone off to take over the shuttles. However, the rangers began fighting back and a struggle ensued.

-----------------

Chloe managed to reach the wall, pulling Mirror Kate with her. She had the mad doctor lean against the wall and kept one hand to hold her shoulder. She sighed, the feeling not having returned to her right arm yet.

“Oh you poor blonde,” said Mirror Kate in a mocking tone. “It must feel awful to find out that your little minion, Anaqueen finally opened her eyes and saw you for the ignorant fool that you are. Oh how angry you must feel when Ana has finally begun to embrace enlightenment.”

Chloe couldn’t help finding the mad woman’s words to be ridiculously funny. “Why should I be angry? I captured you, didn’t I?” She grinned as if to indicate she wasn’t the least bit bothered by the doctor’s taunts.

“I won’t be your captive for long,” Mirror Kate said, sneering at the agent. “Yeelixa will free me because she needs me and it will be quite glorious to witness the Lokustaar bring about enlightenment to this entire dimension.”

Nielsen rolled her eyes, sighing out of frustration. “Doesn’t seem like Yeelixa cares about you, considering she just abandoned you.”

Mirror Kate’s expression soured. “You know what, lass. I should feed you to my precious Emma as you are worth nothing more than a sacrifice. At least, Emma will get to thrive.”

“Well, you tried that once and failed.” Chloe let out a dry chuckle, pressing on the Scot’s injured wrist.

MacNeil bit her lip, stifling a scream from the pain. “Stupid lass. You will pay, dearly,” she hissed. Then a large bout of water splashed on them, drenching the two women.

Chloe spat out the excess water and wiped her visor to get a clear view of what had happened. She looked to her side and sighed – her captive was gone. The blonde swung herself forward and nearly let out a gasp, her eyes widening.

Peering through the hole, where the water continued flowing inside, was a large whale-like creature, its thick grey skin emitting a greenish blue glow, flapping its bioluminescent multi-coloured fins and letting out squeals and whistles like a dolphin. But the feature that alarmed the agent was the creature’s snout, which was thin and long with a sharp, pointy end. Then her gaze dropped to Mirror Kate, who was floating towards the creature, which continued squealing in excitement and flapping its fins.

“Edward!” She cried out in delight, her arms extended towards the whale creature, one of her genetically engineered pets. “My precious baby!”

“Baby?” Chloe blinked, sighing. “So this whale that sounds like a dolphin is a baby.”

Kate kept crying out, floating towards her pet. “Edward, my wee lad. I know you are hungry and don’t worry, mummy is here to feed you delicious plants with some insects on the side!”

“So Edward the baby whale-dolphin is somewhat of a vegetarian that eats bugs,” Nielsen muttered, shaking her head at the absurdity of the scene unfolding before her. “And Kate is taking her role as the creature’s mommy quite seriously.” The Canadian began swimming towards Mirror Kate, hoping to catch her before the creature.

Edward, letting out high pitched squeals, dove through the hole and then there was a giant splash – the sheer force of his huge body sent large waves in every direction. The agent was knocked back against the wall by the waves and then slipped into the water, which was still rising. After she came to her senses, she put on her breathing apparatus and glanced around for Mirror Kate. When the agent’s gaze shifted forward, she exclaimed, shock enveloping her features. “What!”

Floating a couple of feet away was Mirror Kate’s body and the pointy end of her pet’s snout sticking through the back of her chest, dripping with blood. Further ahead was Edward, pulling the mad doctor up to the surface. The blonde followed the duo and now with her head above water, she now had a clear picture. The whale creature pulled out his snout, briefly lifting the Scot’s body, which then fell into the water before rising back to the surface. As Mirror Kate floated around, Chloe noticed her chest and clothes were covered in blood. Chloe, using her tricorder, scanned the doctor, the readings appearing over her body and then the result of the diagnosis replaced those readings. Deceased. The word played over again in her mind.

Mirror Kate was dead, killed by one of her own pets.

*************************************************************************************

NRPG: Finale continued in Part XIX.


~*~
Ranjani S.
Writing for

Chloe Nielsen
Section 31 Agent

And

Special Appearances by

Captain Anaqueen Spankryz
Commander/Dr. Kate MacNeil