Third Mission, Part XIV

Posted on Sep 17, 2019 @ 1:26am by Chloe Nielsen
Edited on on Sep 17, 2019 @ 1:26am

Mission: Section 31

“Third Mission, Part XIV”

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

Location: USS CAMELOT
SD: [2.19] 0913.1421
Scene: Main Bridge


“Captain, incoming hail from the surface,” an Andorian tactical officer announced. “From Riivenvale.”

Anaqueen Spankryz raised an eyebrow. “On screen.” The view of the planet and the other ships in orbit flickered to an image of an older Nuimon woman with shoulder length brown hair and worry filled blue eyes. Dahlis Alenvin- former Chief Consul and Kate MacNeil’s biological mother. The Trill frowned, wondering why Alenvin was contacting the ship and spotted the whole family, a couple of feet behind the Nuimon woman. She became puzzled, noticing that MacNeil wasn’t present and from noting the shell-shocked expression on Grace’s face- the Orion huddled together with the children, made the Captain realize something bad happened to Kate.

{{Captain,}} Dahlis spoke. {{Kate has been abducted.}}

“Abducted?” Spankryz questioned. “When? By whom?”

{{About five minutes ago,}} the Nuimon replied. {{Two Enforcers suddenly barged into our home and grabbed her before getting transported away.}}

“Transporters?”

{{Yes.}} Dahlis nodded. {{My husband had contacted the police already and told me the local station has dispatched a team of inspectors and enforcers to our home. They should be here any moment.}} Like the Enforcers, the Inspectors were another branch of the Planetary Police and their role involved investigating crimes.

“I will be sending my Chief of Security over,” Spankryz informed. “He will be coordinating with your local law enforcement in the search efforts.”

{{Also, Captain. Feremvir checked with the police about the two Enforcers who took Kate and the station claims that no orders were issued to take her into custody.}}

Ana set her jaws. Free Nuimons - either disguised as Enforcers or Enforcers themselves sympathetic to the extremist group’s cause. “We will do everything in our power to find her and keep you updated on any developments.”

{{Thank you, Captain. Please find my daughter soon.}}

“We will do our best,” Ana assured before ending communication and the screen reverted back to its original view. Glancing behind her shoulder, the Trill addressed the Andorian. “Ensign, conduct a planet-wide sensor sweep for Doctor MacNeil’s biosigns.”

“Aye Captain.” The Andorian began dancing his fingers on the console.

The Trill shrugged. Why did the Free Nuimons kidnap Kate? It wasn’t their first attempt as the Captain had recalled. An earlier attempt was made back at the resort and it was fortunate the Camelot was able to detect them, which enabled them to safely transport MacNeil and her entire family away.

“Captain,” the Andorian announced, looking up. “After sweeping the entire planet as well as the surrounding vessels in orbit, sensors pick up no sign of Doctor MacNeil anywhere.”

Ana frowned, her attention fixed on the viewscreen. “Then that means they have taken her to a location on the planet that’s hidden from sensors.”

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

Location: Simlran, NUMINO
Scene: Underwater Laboratory


Kate MacNeil’s eyes widened in horror as they met her doppelganger’s cold gaze. Her mouth went dry and she could hear her heart beating loudly against her chest. She swallowed a lump down her throat, her eyes not leaving the mirror alternate. So Mirror Anaqueen was telling the truth after all and not mentally insane as Captain Spankryz had claimed. She felt a tightening in her chest. Why did Anaqueen lie to her? Perhaps the Trill CO had a valid reason, either for MacNeil’s own protection or was under strict orders not to divulge information about the latter’s doppelganger.

She slowly lifted herself up from the floor to an upright position and then took a quick glance around her surroundings. Her cell was located a few feet from the centre of the room, surrounded by forcefields on all four sides, forming a cube. Her purple eyes then shifted to the far end of the lab, where a row of cubical cells lined up against the wall. She sighed, fixing her gaze on the one holding a small, light purple furry creature with feline features – a moochi moochi. Kate arched a brow. Why was her alternate holding one of those adorable, cat-like animals behind a cell? She had encountered a number of moochis moochis – a popular pet amongst the locals due to their friendly and gentle nature. Then the moochi moochi in that other cell, suddenly opened its mouth and multi-coloured tentacles that glowed, shot out and then soon retracted. Kate blanched though her shock soon turned to anger. **What did she do to that poor creature? ** She looked sadly at the moochi moochi/hetla hybrid, knowing this creature was a result of some DNA splicing.

“Hello lass,” came a cold voice that sent chills down her spine. “We meet again.”

“Why was I brought here?” Kate’s voice was hoarse.

“A gift from the Lady.” Mirror Kate smiled, which was devoid of emotions. “I have always wanted to see how my body would react to my designs but it is not practical to test them on me so what better idea than to test them on a duplicate such as yourself.” At Kate’s look of horror, the mad scientist’s smile widened. “Aside from quantum signature, our bodies are identical right down to the DNA.”

MacNeil gave her a defiant look. “I don’t consent to your experiments. Now let me go.”

“Consent? Such an inconvenience – an obstacle in the way of scientific advancement,” the other MacNeil said dismissively.

**Sheer Audacity. ** Kate’s jaws dropped. “An inconvenience? As a doctor, you have an ethical obligation to request *informed* consent from potential subjects before using them in your trials.” There was a firmness in her voice. “It is your duty as a medical professional to inform all potential subjects about the risks and benefits of an experimental drug or therapeutic procedure. You don’t just abduct them and force them to take part in your trials, which knowing you, would certainly mean death for the participants.”

Mirror Kate let out a derisive chuckle, pacing back and forth. “In my own universe, we never bothered with such inconveniences such as ethics and it is how we managed to make significant progress in our scientific advancements.” She stopped pacing, her gaze now fixed on the other Kate. “Your Federation is being hampered in its development because of the so-called ethics.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Kate’s voice rose no more than a harsh whisper.

“See, lass,” Mirror Kate said, using a mocking tone. “While you’re all wringing your hands over ethics and waiting for a person to agree to make a great sacrifice to bring about a cure to a dangerous plague, everyone will wind up dead because you let your so-called morality get in the way of saving lives.”

“Lass,” Kate said, her voice filled with anger. “From what I had read of your profile, you were responsible for the murder of countless lives – committing genocides on numerous worlds at the bidding of various powerful entities to fulfill their militaristic agendas. I haven’t seen any indication of you actually saving anyone.”

“The deaths were a necessary sacrifice for the greater good – to attain enlightenment in the universe,” Mirror Kate said blithely. “Unfortunately, it’s already too late for my home dimension to reach enlightenment but not so for this dimension.”

“Enlightenment.” Kate spoke the words slowly, looking at her counterpart in disbelief. “You call kidnapping and subjecting others to your experiments, not to mention, committing genocides – enlightenment.” She paused to inhale. “Well, torturing and murdering others is not enlightenment and acts one would expect from fascist dictators not medical doctors such as ourselves.”

Mirror Kate snorted. “It is not murder if others’ lives were sacrificed to make the universe a better place, where everyone is enlightened, every disease cured and animals are no longer hurt and killed to satisfy one’s barbarian practices.”

**Make the universe a better place?!? ** Kate swallowed down a lump, staring at the doppelganger in disbelief. “Look, I agree with you that animals shouldn’t be harmed and they are very precious to me. I am a vegetarian just like yourself.”

“And yet you just sit there and do nothing, while billions of those precious creatures die at the hands of barbarians,” said Mirror Kate with bitterness in her voice.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kate’s tone was accusatory but then her expression paled, when the forcefield around her lowered. A Nuimon assistant entered and grabbed her from the back, dragging her out of the cell. “Where are you taking me?”

“Do not worry.” Mirror Kate smiled. “By the time I am done, you will understand the importance of creating a better universe and your sacrifice will be appreciated.”

Kate’s heart sank, suddenly awash in hopelessness. Where was she and will the Camelot find her in time?

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

Location: Sailya, Rohirr, NUMINO
Scene: Port


After parking the shuttle in a rented hangar, Chloe Nielsen and Mirror Anaqueen had made their way to the port. The two women walked along the docks, where water transports of various kinds were parked. The port was bustling with Nuimons and non-Nuimons alike, all of whom going about their own business.

Chloe and her asset were at a port in Sailya, a small town sitting on the southern coast of Rohirr, to pick up a water shuttle that would take them to their destination in Simlran. From her vantage point, she could get a good view of the jungle, situated across a narrow strip of water – a sea that joined the North Ithlirin Ocean in the east and partially enclosed by a section of Rohirr’s coastline in the west. Their planned route was travelling east on the sea till they entered the ocean and then it was down south along the Simlran coast.

Pretending to be off-worlder tourists, their pace was casual. Chloe took a sip from her water bottle and wiped the sweat off her brow. The port in its close proximity to the equator, was in a location with a tropical climate, where the weather was described to be hot and humid. The agent could feel the searing heat on her back, emanating from the planet’s suns.

Chloe glanced behind her shoulder, when her gaze fell upon bright green and midnight blue trees with the outline of the desert looming behind them. Over eighty percent of Rohirr was desert with thin forested strips along its southern coast as well as sections of the western and eastern coastlines. From what she had read of the continent, the coasts consisted of popular beach resorts. If she wasn’t on a mission, the blonde would spend months, exploring this world, enjoying its natural beauty, where she could do some hiking or camping in the mountains in Western Ithlirin and North-Western Edorii or spend a relaxing weekend at one of the beach resorts in Rohirr. She spotted a group of off-worlders and Nuimons embarking a water shuttle, likely on a tour to the Simlran jungle.

From what she had read, the tours were limited to small sections in the jungle – all of them close to the north and north-western coasts. The southern and eastern coastlines were rarely visited except by some scientific expeditions. Chloe had recalled reading that the limitations of visitors to Simlran wasn’t just to ensure their safety but also for the preservation of the jungle and its flora and fauna that resided within it.

The blonde sighed. Well, she’d have to think of vacation at another time as at the moment, she had a mission to complete. The two women were to rendezvous with a Syndicate contact, a Dosi trader, involved in the tourism business. But what the Nuimon authorities were unaware of was the trader was engaged in a seedy side business, which included renting out transports or providing tours for customers eager to visit the parts of the jungle, not designated as spots open to tourists. Since Mirror Kate’s lab was supposedly located at a non-designated ‘tourist’ spot, Chloe needed the services of this trader, in order to rent a transport there and plus, her trip wouldn’t be recorded. Tour guides and visitors, planning a trip to the designated sections of the jungle, were legally required to submit records of their trips to the Rohirr district port authority.

“I cannot stand this heat,” Anaqueen grumbled, walking beside the blonde.

Chloe let out a sigh, tilting her head to the side. Her asset’s lovely features were marred by a scowl and Nielsen couldn’t help being amused at the Trill woman fiddling with her purple collar, shining under the light of the double suns. “You aren’t dressed properly for this weather,” came a dry sarcastic remark. The Trill was adorned in a flashy, dark purple jumpsuit that was form fitting and made of a synthetic fibre incapable of absorbing the sweat from one’s body.

Ana growled under her breath. “Well, you never warned me it would be this hot.”

“Well, I did tell you we were heading to a location with a tropical climate,” Nielsen said dryly. “Hot and humid. I think that should have been obvious to you.” The agent’s outfit was simple and form fitting - a white linen top and dark green pants. Accessories included sunglasses, a cream coloured sun hat and a black cotton wristband, which contained a miniaturized tricorder embedded within its layers.

“But this is my special ‘infiltration’ outfit,” the Trill opined. “It keeps me focused on the mission, which is kill the parasite, though in this case, kill that bitch doctor.”

Chloe sighed, rolling her eyes. “The mission is to capture her.” Well, unless she had no choice but didn’t say it out loud.

“And I look quite attractive in it,” she went on, moaning. “Though can’t the same for the other Anaqueen. That bitch would look really ugly in it. It’s really sad she hasn’t aged as well as me.”

“Really? I can’t tell the two of you apart,” Chloe remarked, grinning. “Now that I think about it, you do have this really ugly scowl, which I’ve never seen on her.”

“How dare you!” Mirror Anaqueen hissed, raising a fist and gave the blonde a dirty look. “I ought to throw you into the water and laugh, while you try to swim back to shore.”

“You can try,” the blonde said calmly. “But it will be you in the water, not me.”

Anaqueen growled again. “You are so bossy.”

“And you’re in good spirits.” Chloe turned her attention forward and spotted their contact – a tall male Dosi, standing a few feet from their position in front of a kiosk. Like those of his species, this Dosi’s face was painted red, marked by half dozen white lines. Those white lines were pattered with blue round dots, found running down his forehead, nose and cheeks. The agent nodded at the Trill and they made their way towards him.

The crimson faced humanoid raised his hand and the two women stopped a few feet from him. In a low, deep voice filled with mild hostility, he inquired, “May I help you?”

“Mwangi sent me here,” Chloe said, her eyes meeting his gaze. She watched his shoulders relax.

“Follow me.” He waved at them and began moving. The two women followed him down rocky steps that were winding around the cliff.

A moment later, they reached a flat, rocky platform with waves from the sea splashing against it. Chloe sighed, noticing the water flowing over her feet. The salty, sulphuric smell of the sea was strong and she could feel a gentle breeze against her skin.

“Over here,” the Dosi announced.

Chloe and Anaqueen headed towards a small cavern and as they stopped beside the trader, they found a couple of transports parked within the confines of the cavern. So this was where the Dosi and others like him conducted their shady business, hidden from the Nuimon authorities and that bunch even included some locals. She caught sight of a middle-aged Yridian woman, leading a group of off-worlders to one of the hover boats. The agent sighed, spotting a Nuimon couple arguing with a male Ferengi – likely haggling over the price or that the Ferengi swindled them of their currency.

“Payment first,” the Dosi demanded. “As agreed upon by your boss and then I will take you to your water shuttle.”

“Very well.” Chloe removed a thin metallic case from her bag and lifted its lid up to show the latinum – a combination of slips and strips plus three bars. “Here as promised, your payment in full.” She handed the case to him and the humanoid immediately began inspecting the latinum.

“Everything checks out.” Smiling, he closed the case. “Come, I will take you to your transport.”

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

Location: North Ithlirin Ocean, NUMINO
Scene: Water shuttle
TI: Twenty minutes later


The shuttle had left shore and was on route to its destination. Chloe was relieved to have left port without incident and right before some Starfleet security officers had appeared, which initially puzzled her. But when the agent managed to hack into the planetary police network, she had discovered the Kate MacNeil of this dimension was abducted from her biological mother’s home by two men, claiming to be Enforcers. Since MacNeil was a Starfleet officer, the Camelot was going to be actively involved in her search. Between the hostage crisis and MacNeil’s abduction, the crew of the Excalibur class vessel had their hands full at the moment.

The water shuttle, resembling a large turnip-shaped pod, sped along the ocean waters. The pod’s interior contained only the cockpit and no separate passenger area, after all the vehicle was meant to carry about one to two persons. A small, spiral stairwell was installed in the middle of the cockpit that reached the top of the pod, which opened up to a narrow circular deck. At the moment, Nielsen leaned against the deck railing, her gaze on the water but her mind elsewhere. She inhaled deeply, feeling the cool winds brushing against her skin and swaying her shoulder-length hair.

Mirror Anaqueen remained inside the cockpit, piloting the vehicle with relative ease. It took the Trill no time to figure out the shuttle’s controls but then again she was a highly skilled pilot and navigator. Back on the SHIV, Ana was in charge of helm and navigation. She had the ability to adapt to helming any kind of vehicle, whether it’s in space, land or water – one of the Trill’s many talents that made her a valuable asset to the agent.

[[So, heard this dimension’s MacNeil has been kidnapped,]] Anaqueen spoke through the intercom. [[Supposedly by the Free Nuimons. Wonder what they want with her?]]

“Not sure.” Chloe shrugged. “Anyway, the Camelot and the Nuimon police are taking care of the search efforts. We have our own mission to complete.” And then she heard a snort through the comm.

[[With that Captain bitch in charge, I feel sorry for this MacNeil.]]

Chloe let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. Would her asset just get over her petty anger towards Captain Spankryz, already? If she was being honest, it was only the Camelot’s CO who was justified in her anger towards Mirror Ana. It was quite impressive the amount of restraint Spankryz – well known in the fleet for having a temper - had shown towards her alternate, while the latter hurled all kinds of insults at her. “You know, if Captain Spankryz really wanted to, she’d have got you back in the brig in no time.” Another snort, much to the blonde’s annoyance.

[[I don’t think so.]] Anaqueen harrumphed. [[If Spankryz and those other aristocratic parasites in my universe, couldn’t catch me. If the all-powerful Klingon-Cardassian Alliance couldn’t find me and all those stupid warlords and bounty hunters in this dimension, couldn’t get me, then that bitch most definitely cannot.]]

Chloe rolled her eyes again. Her asset could be so irritating enough to drive even the calm agent a little mad.

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

Location: Simlran, NUMINO
Scene: Underwater Laboratory
TI: A few hours later


“You know, lass,” Mirror Kate began. “I was going through your medical file and found something very fascinating.” She flashed a cold smile, approaching her subject, who was lying on a biobed – the latter’s hands and feet bound together with tritanium cuffs.

“My…medical file,” Kate stammered, feeling a shortness of breath. Her eyes glazed over the doppelganger as her vision was blurred, barely able to make out the silhouette of the other doctor. There was a pins and needles sensation in her fingers. Her symptoms were a result of Mirror Kate’s latest drug – a bio toxin, extracted from a plant, locally grown in the jungle itself. This toxin was the latest in a series of drugs, the alternate MacNeil had injected into her. The first few drugs had produced symptoms such as light headaches, skin rash, ear ache, upset stomach, all of which could be easily treated. However, as time went on, the drugs or therapies had greater risks, resulting in increased adverse reactions in her body. One such drug led to stroke, which Mirror Kate immediately managed to reverse but nevertheless those few seconds were extremely traumatizing for her.

In addition to drugs, Mirror Kate had also subjected her to experimental and rather dangerous procedures that wouldn’t even be given consideration by Starfleet Medical Ethics Committee. Kate was still reeling from that shock therapy induced by the doppelganger, using some kind of ring contraption that was strapped around her head. The procedure had nearly disrupted the neural activity in her brain and it had chilled her to the bone when Mirror Kate had considered trying a higher setting but decided against it as it would have led to brain death in the subject. Another procedure, which involved testing an experimental tissue regeneration tool, tore off skin from her left elbow, right up to the subcutaneous layer. At that painful moment, Kate had feared she would die due to the heavy loss of blood but Mirror Kate not only stopped the bleeding in time but also treated her wounds, returning her skin to a normal state. However, some scars had still remained and to her relief, Mirror Kate had not conducted another trial of the device.

“Yes.” Mirror Kate nodding, sauntering over to her captive, a PADD in hand.

“How did…you gain access to my file?”

“Oh it wasn’t me,” Mirror Kate replied, beaming. “It was the Lady – a very enlightened woman who understands, just like me, this dimension needs healing and understands that sacrifices need to be made to bring about a better universe.”

**The Lady? Her benefactor? ** Throughout her captivity, Kate kept hearing those words. Who was this mysterious Lady and why had she kidnapped her? The half-Nuimon wondered whether the Lady was a highly powerful woman as her doppelganger wouldn’t have been able to set up a secret lab on NUMINO unless someone with vast resources was backing her. **Oh no, is this Lady another lunatic like her? I mean, who else would be willing to support this mad lass. ** She was also deeply concerned the Lady was able to access her medical records, which were confidential.

“See,” the doppelganger continued, her voice calm, containing no hint of emotion. “At first, I discovered something very fascinating from my initial scans on you.”

**I am not liking the sound of this. ** Kate felt a surge of panic rising within her.

“Apparently, lass,” she continued. “From evidence of some scarring, you had once lost your right eye and left arm and needed surgery to insert biologically grown replacements and that got me a wee bit curious.” The mad doctor leaned over her patient and grinned. “So I went through your medical records and you know what I found.” When Kate didn’t answer, Mirror Kate continued talking, her smile only widening. “You were assimilated by the Borg and was a drone for a wee bit of time until the process was reversed – and that part was what really caught my interest.”

Kate’s heart lurched and her body froze, the colour drained from her face. Why was the doppelganger bringing up one of the most painful experiences in her life? She felt her hands shake and heart began to race. It had been more than twelve years and MacNeil had managed to put that painful ordeal behind her.

At the beginning of the year 2422, the crew of the USS PROPHECY were on shore leave at ANDALUSIA VII. Kate was the ship’s Chief Medical Officer. During that time, a band of criminals launched a terrorist attack against the capital city, where with the help of unknown alien technology, sabotaged the holosuites network. The sabotage led to a lockdown of the holosuites, where many customers ended up stuck inside their holoprograms. Kate and some of her crewmates were amongst those locked inside. The Prophecy officers who were left outside, came up with a solution to extract nanites from Ronnie Zanders, the ship’s Chief Engineer at the time and who used to be a Borg drone in another dimension, where the Borg were a collective. The nanites were to be injected into the holosuites network, in order to regain control of it from the terrorists and get everyone out. Unfortunately the plan went awry, when the nanites ended up assimilating the holosuite systems before moving onto assimilating the persons inside, leading to the formation of a collective. Kate was amongst those who became assimilated.

Eventually, a solution to reverse the assimilation was found but came with a cost. This solution involved injecting modified nanites, obtained with the help of the Borg Federation, to combat the nanites in this new collective. The modified nanites were successful in returning Kate and the other victims back to their original forms. Unfortunately, what was intended to be a cure was also a bioweapon against the Borg. Starfleet kept this incident top secret and at the Borg Federation’s request, agreed to never use this procedure again.

“I have always been fascinated by the Borg,” Mirror Kate intoned. “See, I’ve never seen one in my home dimension and have always wanted to understand them. I wish I could use some as subjects to study, both drones from a collective and individual Borg that exists in this dimension and compare them.” She paused, when her puppy let out a howl. “I found the creation of the cure to reverse your assimilation to be quite enlightening. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see there are some in your Federation who decided to not let inconveniences like ethics prevent them from implementing this cure. It demonstrates that perhaps there is hope after all for enlightenment in this universe.”

Kate was aghast at the other woman’s assertions and became angry. “You…” she said, her voice raspy, “You have no idea the price many had to pay with this…bioweapon."

“Oh, now you’re calling it a bioweapon, I see,” Mirror Kate said, her voice laced with derision. “Even though lass, that particular bioweapon saved your life. So tell me, are you saying the individuals who implemented this solution to cure you, should have allowed ethics to stop them? Because if they did, then you’d have either remained a drone or dead – you’d have never met your wife or had your wee ones.” She snorted. “Be honest, Kate. Would you have rather the creators of the cure care more for their conscience and not take the actions they did to save you and those other lives?”

Kate remained silent – the words stuck in her mouth. “They never…intended to hurt anyone. No one…could have foreseen the implications it’d have on the…Borg. The situation…was dire…” Soon, her resolved weakened, when her eyes welled up in tears.

“Well, lass, I appreciate your honesty. You truly are a hypocrite.” She glanced behind to check in on the puppy – the creamy white furred husky bouncing up and down on his bed of ice cubes. “It would appear you enjoy spouting all that nonsense about ethics but are willing to abandon it when it suits your purposes. If you want to be a true healer, lass, then you will need to completely break those chains binding you and embrace enlightenment.”

------
Scene: Beach -> Jungle

After leaving the water shuttle parked a few feet from the beach - hidden between a set of large rocks, Chloe and Anaqueen had made their way to shore, their feet wet from traipsing on water. Nielsen halted a couple of meters from the entrance to the jungle and glanced around, studying her surroundings. She exhaled, pulling out her tiny water bottle and took a few sips to quench her thirst. She listened in silence to the soothing sound of waves splashing against the white sands and let out a sigh of relief, when a cool breeze from the ocean blew in her direction.

“Ugh, why did that bitch have to choose such a hot place for her laboratory,” Ana grumbled, stopping beside the blonde. “I feel so sticky..., just my terrible luck.” In addition to their clothing, both women adorned forest green rain jackets – specially designed by Nuimons for use in the Simlran jungle.

Chloe rolled her eyes, hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. “We’re located about two degrees south of the equator, Ana.” She sighed, moving her gaze up towards the sky, where the planet’s two suns shone. Well, Numino’s suns would be up at the same time for six hours in this part of the world. “If it makes you feel better, the first sun will be setting in about an hour and I’d like to cover a lot of ground during that time.” The second sun would be up by itself for another four hours, which would provide some light in the jungle, expected to get darker, the further inside one went. Once the second sun set at around 2200hrs, then it would be pitch dark in the jungle, making travel challenging.

Anaqueen grumbled again before following the blonde agent up the beach and within a few moments, the two women entered the jungle. They walked in silence, taking in the breathtaking view of their surroundings. The dense vegetation surrounding them were found in a myriad of colours such as pink, blue, green, purple, orange and so on. Some buzzing and chirping noises were heard from amongst the multi-coloured flora - insects and birds. Nielsen had remembered reading that the Simlran jungle contained about over fifty million varieties of insects. Since they were still close to the coast, this section of the jungle was a little quieter and relatively safe. But Chloe knew they’d have to venture further inside as she believed it was highly likely the laboratory was set up deep in the jungle, where many of the most deadly creatures resided.

Upon reaching a small clearing, Chloe stopped with her asset following suit. The agent tapped her wrist band to release a bunch of nanobots into the environment. The nano-sized objects had the ability to cover large distances and would send back information to the agent. Chloe then activated the holo-emitter, which displayed a holo-projection of the jungle’s layout and the blue dots that appeared all over the place represented the nanobots and their current locations. The data collected by the nanobots would possibly provide clues regarding the location of Mirror Kate’s lab as well as avoid dangerous territories, where predators lurked. The blonde sighed, knowing they’d have to use the information to find them a safe spot to spend the night, in case they didn’t find the lab before the second sun set. They resumed walking.

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

Scene: Underwater laboratory
TI: Two and a half hours later


Kate was lying on the cold floor in her cell. After many hours of enduring torture by her doppelganger, the Scottish woman was given a reprieve, where she had spent it in her cell for the last hour. She closed her eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing and at the same time, trying to remain hopeful that she would be rescued. But unfortunately that hope had been diminishing as time went on. She wasn’t sure how long she had been held captive but it had felt like forever and now dreaded she might never leave. Tears began streaming down her cheeks as Kate began sniffing. Images of Grace and the children flashed in her mind, one by one. Will she ever see her wife and wee ones again?

“I did not anticipate this side effect.” Mirror Kate’s voice broke the half-Nuimon subject out of her thoughts.

**This is not a side effect. I am crying. ** Kate opened her eyes and cocked her head to the side before getting up to a sitting position. She watched, her mouth dry and her muscles tense – all in trepidation at the woman approaching her, cuddling a Siberian husky puppy in her arms and cooing at him. The puppy whined in response to the mad woman’s affection. Kate was bewildered at the amount of love and kindness her alternate showed to the puppy and yet the other doctor was utterly cruel towards sentient beings.

“I will make a note then,” Mirror Kate said. “At this dose, watery eyes reported as one of the drug’s symptoms.”

“Drug?” Kate became alarmed. Was the experiment still running and she really didn’t have a break?

The other MacNeil’s lips curled into a cold smile, while she gently stroked the puppy’s fur. “You should be really proud, lass.”

“Proud?!?”

“Yes.” Mirror Kate nodded. “In a span of several hours, you have helped me determine how my body will react to my designs and at what doses and settings. Oh lass, your sacrifice will be a benefit to the betterment of this universe.”

**I am going to die. ** She felt her shoulders slump and now dreaded at the prospect that she wasn’t going to make it out of this hellish place alive. She might never see her family ever again.

“I will say this though,” Mirror Kate continued with her gloating. “The SHIV consisted entirely of wretched barbarians – all a bunch of dim witted fools with low intelligence. Before I came aboard, those pirates were lost, their only focus on satiating their greed with their plundering and killing.” She chuckled, pulling the puppy closer to her chest. “But I set them on the path to healing the rot that plagued my universe. The Captain herself believed in my designs and how they would heal the universe. It was quite enlightening to witness my creations at work, thanks to her and of course my brilliance at display.”

Mirror Kate didn’t bother to mention that the only reason she had really accepted the SHIV Captain’s offer to become the Head Physician was because she had permitted Kate to bring her precious dog, William Wallace – a Siberian Husky- on board. Plus, Mirror Daisy had allowed Kate to maintain her own lab, conduct experiments to test her designs at will, using many of the SHIV’s crew and prisoners as subjects and keep all sorts of genetically engineered creatures – some of which were used during raids.

Kate sighed. The SHIV, from what she had remembered, was nothing more than a pirate vessel where the majority of its crew were criminals. The last thing Mirror Daisy and her crew were interested in was healing and they were most certainly not on a path of enlightenment. Clearly, her doppelganger was mentally deranged genius.

“Of course, Daisy and I had dreams of healing this universe as apparently it too has been suffering from a great plague.” Then her voice contained bitter undertones. “But alas, Starfleet with its small-mindedness, ruined our plans.” She set her jaws. “Well, now, thanks to the Lady, I have another chance.”

Kate watched with sadness at her doppleganger, continuing to coddle her puppy and hoped the mad lass hadn’t begun to genetically engineer him like she had done with William Wallace – infusing him with wolf DNA that had transformed him to a wild and ferocious animal. That dog had died from medical complications, caused by Mirror Kate messing around with his DNA and this made Kate believe her alternate’s love for animals was twisted. She sighed, feeling dismayed but then her ears picked up at the sound of a new female voice and turned forward to watch Mirror Kate converse with a mysterious humanoid woman. **Where did she come from?” Then she realized it was a holographic projection.

“Lady, what’s the purpose of your call?” Mirror Kate inquired, putting the puppy down on his ice bed.

The Lokustaar operative produced a cold smile. {{I just wanted to check up on you and see how you are enjoying our gift.}}

“Wonderful, I gathered a lot of vital information on the effects of my designs on me.” Mirror Kate returned the smile.

**Gift. ** Kate narrowed her eyes. **So this woman is the Lady and she was the one who sent those Enforcers to abduct me. **

((Well, I am pleased to hear,}} the Lady said, speaking in a calm yet deadly voice as her blue green eyes met the prisoner’s gaze before they shifted to the mad scientist.

Kate slowly raised herself to a standing position and staggered towards the forcefield, her gaze fixed on the Lady. “So you are the Lady?”

{{Yes I am.}} Elena Djiktra seemed unfazed at the question.

“Why did you kidnap me?” MacNeil demanded angrily.

{{Oh it was nothing personal,}} Djiktra replied. {{I needed to reward your doppelganger to show my people’s gratitude for her service in fulfilling our agenda.}}

That was when Kate realized after staring into the Lokustaar agent’s eyes. The Lady wasn’t a mad woman like the doppelganger. No, she was downright evil, including cold and calculating. What was her agenda and how did Mirror Kate play into it?

{{I did, however, also, call to inform you that I am moving up the schedule,}} the Lady informed.

**Moving what up the schedule? What are they planning to do? ** MacNeil arched her brow.

“When do you want me to be ready?” Mirror Kate asked, the eagerness shone in her voice alarmed the Starfleet doctor.

{{Well, originally we had planned on deploying your bioweapon at 0930 hrs but I have decided it should be three hours earlier. The Free Nuimons have already received their orders and will be positioning the devices in selected locations all over the world, which includes Ciris and that resort in Riivenvale.}}

**Bioweapon?!? This Lady is behind the mad lass and the Free Nuimons! ** Kate’s eyes filled with alarm and was now in a state of panic. Numino was in danger and it was because of this lunatic. She let out a sigh of frustration as fear held her with a tight grip. **If only I could warn the Camelot…** Her vision became blurry as she lost her train of though. She became groggy, feeling her body lighten and then collapsed to the floor into the realm of unconsciousness.

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

Scene: Somewhere deep inside the jungle
TI: An hour and forty-five minutes later


In less than an hour, the second sun would make its descent below the horizon in this part of the world and then the area would be enveloped in complete darkness. Chloe and Anaqueen had been trekking through the jungle for the past few hours, cutting their way through tangled vegetation. As they moved deeper into the planet’s only tropical rainforest, the trees grew taller with thicker canopies and dense understory layers that made it difficult for sunlight to penetrate. Now with just the second sun up, there was barely any light coming through. Chloe let out a sigh as the two women paused next to a shrub. They had been unable to locate the lab so far and the nanobots sent all over the jungle hadn’t been able to detect any anything.

“How long are we going to do this?” Ana moaned, massaging her knees.

“Till we find the lab,” said Chloe promptly with frustration in her voice.

“And how long will that be? So far, your nanobots with all their advanced technology haven’t been able to find anything?”

Chloe sighed, understanding her asset’s frustration. “The nanobots have enough power to last for another twelve hours so we should just be patient.”

The Trill exploded, unable to hold all the rage building inside her. “How can we be patient in this miserable, hot and sticky jungle? I hate that bitch! Why did she have to…?” Her rant was interrupted, when Nielsen grabbed her left hand and twisted it, forcing her to grit her teeth to avoid screaming out in pain. When Ana finally calmed down, Chloe released her.

“Look,” Chloe said, giving the asset a fixed stare. “We’ve covered just a fraction of this jungle so far and in fact still in the south eastern section.”

Mirror Anaqueen remained silent, her chest heaving. “You know,” she said slowly. “It’s going to get dark soon and from what you have told me, this jungle is filled with all sorts of dangerous creatures, particularly nocturnal ones.”

“I know.” Nielsen nodded, her gaze on the holographic layout of the jungle, paying particular attention to the nanobots’ positions. “We’ll have to find a safe spot to rest for the night, though I’d doubt we will get much sleep and the nanobots should warn us of any impending danger.”

The two women had resumed walking and after a couple of minutes passed, Mirror Ana cleared her throat. “I do wonder about something.”

“Yes?”

“How much do we know of this jungle?” Anaqueen questioned, her voice filled with concern. “I mean, from what I heard, at least about ninety percent of this continent remains unexplored.”

She did have a point. Chloe sighed, glancing around her surroundings. Mirror Kate and her backers knew exactly what they were doing, when they set up the lab somewhere in an unexplored region of the continent. “You know we could turn around and return to the beach, camp there for the night and try our search at sunrise but…” Her voice trailed, noticing the realization forming in the Trill’s blue eyes. “We won’t make it back to the coast before the second sunset and will still have to camp inside the jungle. I’d rather take my chances going forward and we may also be already out of time as MacNeil’s bioweapon could be deployed anytime soon.”

“Oh fine, you’re right.” Anaqueen growled under her breath. “Though it will be hard to figure out which creature is native born and which one is that bitch’s genetically engineered monstrosity.”

Ana was right. Mirror Kate would have jumped at the opportunity to collect genetic samples from the local flora and fauna and splice DNA from different species to make one of her creatures, some of which were deemed dangerous. So they should be on a look out for not only dangerous nocturnal native species but the mad scientist’s genetic engineered monsters prowling the area, likely closer to the lab’s location. “Perhaps, encounter with MacNeil’s creatures could provide an indication that we are close to her lab. It’s likely she may be using them to guard the place.”

“Or keep them around as her pets like she had done on the SHIV.”

Chloe sighed, recalling the intelligence reports – all classified- on the SHIV and that whole incident with the Gateway. The reports on Mirror Kate had mentioned the scientist’s bioweapons be it drugs, poisonous toxin gasses or genetically engineered creatures, were deployed by the pirates’ Captain during many of their raids. She also recalled from the reports that the Captain had used those creatures to punish members of the crew. In fact, Mirror Kate had even transformed some members of the SHIV’s crew as well as prisoners to bio-engineered monsters. So, with all this information in mind, the agent knew this was a high risk operation, one where she and her asset might not make it out alive.

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

Scene: Underwater Laboratory
TI: Half hour later


Kate opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the light and tilted her head to the side to find she was lying on a biobed – only this time she wasn’t strapped to anything. Lifting her upper body and held up there by her elbows, the half-Nuimon Scot furrowed her brow. How long was she out? She felt her body tense, a sense of dread crawling inside her. **What has she done to me, while I was asleep? ** She pulled up both her sleeves to check for any lacerations, bruises or rashes. She arched her brow. Odd. There were no visible signs that would have pointed to a drug or medical procedure. She then felt a pit in her stomach, fearing the worst. It was likely her doppelganger had conducted trials on her and treated her wounds after she was done.

A soft howl made her turn to the right. Kate felt her heart sink, her expression now filled with sadness as she was watching the puppy approaching her, wagging his tail and his tongue hanging out. Such an innocent creature and now she was worried about what a future with the mad doctor held for this sweet pup, which let out a whine. If only she had the chance to escape and take the wee husky with her.

“Aww, my precious baby,” Mirror Kate cooed, approaching the biobed and bent down to lift the puppy. “Curious about my alternate, are you?” She laughed, when the puppy yapped and gently stroked his fur.

“What kind of genetic modifications have you made to your puppy?” Kate demanded.

“None, yet.” The doppelganger gave her a smug smile. “I am touched by your concern for my precious wee one.”

“Why do you harm your precious wee ones if you love them so much?” Kate watched the smile vanish, replaced by a cold fury, shining in the other woman’s dark eyes.

“It is because of my love for them,” Mirror Kate began, her voice containing traces of emotion, which was puzzling to Kate, considering the mad doctor’s cold and callous behavior towards other sentient beings. “I had made the modifications to William Wallace’s genetic makeup to protect him so that he would be able to defend himself against those fiends wanting to attack and kill him. With the wolf DNA, he was able to survive for many years. He could protect himself and me from our enemies.”

“Yet in the end, he died due to medical complications caused by your experimentation on him.” Kate’s tone was harsh, suddenly finding the courage that had been missing for the last several hours. Then both women remained silent, each giving the other fixed stares.

“Honestly, Kate, you really have no clue, not even a wee bit,” Mirror Kate said, eyeing her with contempt.

“Well, I never experimented on my pets and they are happy and healthy.”

“Pets?” Mirror Kate snorted. “You’re further from the path of enlightenment that I had feared.”

**And you’re one mad lassie. ** Kate sat up, looking straight into her doppelganger’s eyes. “Look, lass. I am sure you have all the data you need from these trials so please release me and I promise, I will never speak of this to anyone. Please, my wife and wee ones need me and I miss them dearly.”

Mirror Kate didn’t answer immediately and for the next excruciating minute, she looked at MacNeil with a mix of scorn and pity in her eyes. “Alright.”

Kate’s eyes widened, the shock enveloping her lovely features. “What?”

“Yes.” Mirror Kate nodded, a smile forming at the corner of her lips. “You are free to go. I have all the data I need from you.”

A sense of relief flowed through her body as if cleansing it of all the negative feelings. MacNeil suddenly felt a ray of hope, believing she was finally going home and reunite with her family and pets. She was so elated that she barely noticed Mirror Kate slipping beside her and injecting something into her neck with a hypospray. Then suddenly, Kate froze, her vision beginning to blur until a curtain was pulled down in front. She was blind, feeling her body convulse with fear. “What is going on?”

“Oh, don’t worry, lass,” Mirror Kate assured. “The blindness is only temporary. Your vision will return once the guard has dropped you at a site far away from this lab.” She added with a contemptuous smile. “We can’t allow you to know the exact knowledge of this location and send Starfleet after us.”

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

Scene: Jungle
TI: Fifteen minutes later


MacNeil stood in silence, trying to figure out her location, when her vision began to return. Her lips curled into a smile, enjoying the taste of freedom until her vision was completely restored. Then her eyes, which changed from blue to violet, widened and her jaws dropped. Kate blanched at the scene facing her. She was standing in darkness, her legs surrounded by a dense undergrowth, along with purple and dark green coloured vines wound around her arms and shoulders. The Scot struggled to pull herself from the wines, when she realized her feet was wet and felt something soft and squishy around them. Kate lifted her right leg up half-way and wrinkled her nose in disgust – her feet was covered in black, gooey substance. Mud? Her eyes then darted around the area. “This is a jungle.” She had then realized to her horror. The only jungle on the planet was found in Simlran. “I am in Simlran.” She then heard a clicking sound. Kate reached out for her left side pocket of her forest green pants and removed her comm badge. She raised an eyebrow, wondering how she still had her comm device and let out a gasp. “Of course, communications don’t work once inside the jungle.”

[[Hello lass, how are you finding your new surroundings?]]

“You lied to me!” Kate yelled, letting the anger all out into the open. “How am I supposed to get out of here?!?”

[[You will not.]]

“Then, you never had any intention of letting me go?” At that very moment, Kate had felt all her hopes and dreams leaving her and then collapsed onto the ground, breaking into sobs.

[[How can I when you have yet to partake in the final test of one of my most beautiful designs? A design set to heal this world.]]

“You are mad! You’re a mad lass!” Kate shot up, screaming into the darkness. Then the entire rainforest lit up, enveloping the entire area in glowing bright blue.

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

Scene: Jungle, somewhere close by
TI: Occurring simultaneously with the previous scene


It was 2200hrs and the second sun had finally set – off to slumber for the next twelve hours. However, the first sun would make its rise in around eight hours – still a long time to be stuck in the jungle in darkness. She accessed the layout, searching through the nanobots positions for a safe spot to spend the night – if there was any. In addition to the blue dots, red squares began appearing everywhere – nocturnal creatures waking up and on the move.

“I found a spot,” Chloe informed. “A cave about two metres away.” Before either women moved a muscle, the surrounding vegetation lit up, illuminating the jungle in a glowing bright blue light. “Oh no, we just landed right in the middle of MacNeil’s experiment. Come on, Ana.” There was no response and Nielsen frowned, calling out. “Anaqueen?”

“Chloe…” Then an eerily familiar male voice came from behind her and the agent paled, her eyes widening as she slowly began to turn around. “Wait, it can’t be…you are dead.”

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

NRPG: Here’s Part XIV. Now just three or four posts left till the finale!

Part XV preview: Chloe, Prime Kate and Mirror Anaqueen fight for survival in the Simlran jungle during Mirror Kate’s final test of the bioweapon.

~*~
Ranjani S.
Writing for

Chloe Nielsen
Section 31 Agent

And

Special Appearances by
Captain Anaqueen Spankryz
Commander/Dr. Kate MacNeil