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"Frightful Feeling"
Previous post from the humble Jayson: "Feeble Follower"
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Health is not valued till sickness comes. - Thomas Fuller

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Setting: MASQUERADE DREAMS, Unknown Location
Stardate: 30153.0555
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The hazy clouds slowly began to part from the Ensign's mind, leaving room for clearer thought processes. Before opening her eyes to betray her new awakened state, Lillie remained still and limp as though still lost in her own subconscious. Delicately and discreetly flexing different parts of her body the doctor realized her wrists and ankles were bound behind her and were attached to something metallic. Puzzled, the Tarellian chanced a peak threw her eyelashes at what she could be tied to.

A bomb. Not unlike the one that had been previously described. What did that mean? Could Fenix actually be plotting to detonate the device with Lillie strapped to it as she was? Another sensation surprised the Ensign momentarily, a sharp pain at her throat over where she had previously implanted her subdermal communicator. So no communication with the rest of the ANUBIS... not good.

Jayson! The Operations officer had been with her during the confrontation with the newly discovered terrorist and his wicked mistress. Was he safe? Sitting up slightly Lillie was able to quickly scan the immediate area for any signs of her friend. He wasn't too hard to find. Sitting adjacent from her, next to the other side of the explosive, was the young man she sought. Unbound and looking dreamily over her shoulder at something - or more likely someone.

"She's awake. Are you sure about this?" came the voice Lillie dreaded and her fellow captive craved.

"He said she's a doctor. Meaning she could be very helpful to our cause" Fenix's voice assured, sounding strained but hopeful.

"I... still won't help you" the barely-conscious Tarellian muttered

"You see? There's no reasoning with her, we have Jayson and he knows much more than she could either way"

"Regardless, having members of their stature aid in the cause will bring even more attention to it. Powerful allies are nothing to squander"

"You knocked the girl unconscious, that doesn't really but us on good terms with her" the Nylaan retorted

The conversation continued, but Lillie could only barely hear as she attempted to inch closer to the deluded Operations officer mere inches away. His eyes looked foggy and glazed, like a patient would when given too much anesthesia. Luckily a quick look over his profile made it obvious that the Terran had suffered no physical injuries. Ensign's Stark's battle was being raged within himself, a place where not even the most seasoned doctor could aid him.

"Why not just do away with her? Get it over with?" the blonde woman heard the royal daughter suggest, somewhat hesitantly.

"I told you. We are NOT killing her. She'll end up helping us one way or another, either as a pawn or in other ways"

"You don't... like this woman do you?" Ya'Jun asked, accusation dripping from her tone.

"She reminds me of someone I once knew, but that does not mean I particularly like her per say. This is business and nothing more, you'd do well to remember that your highness" Fenix spat back defensively

Lillie heard a soft mechanical click noise and the Nylaan enchantress curse softly "I broke his... this things are made quite well"

"I'm finished with mine, but after hearing notice but static interference I suspect those on the other end have already noticed their missing operatives and have initiated some sort of encoded bypass. Regardless, it would be useless to them now even if I had kept it on, the tracking mechanism programmed into it was easy enough to disable"

"Fenix..." Lillie called, wondering if the man was so engulfed in his own world to have heard her or not.

"Yes?"

"Why are you doing this? There must be better ways... have you not tried reaching out to people with kindness?"

The Rutian sighed deeply, looking at his raven-haired companion before explaining "Some people only react to fear. If given the chance the vast majority of the universe would abandon us, so we keep fear alive in their hearts to assure that we are not forgotten. That the people know to regard our cause with fear"

"Really... cause this seems like nothing but a cry for help. If I were any passenger aboard I would take pity on you, not fear you" the Tarellian soothed, finding it hard not to empathize with a man who felt a need to protect his race.

"You speak as if you understand me. Don't fool yourself. Even in times of hardship it is well known that those of your race have easily bounced back" Fenix growled

"I know more than you think..."

"Fenix. This isn't the time to be talking, focus on readying the broadcast - if we're going to show these two to the ship then during the early morning hours would be best" Shae insisted, feeling a pang of jealousy that she decided to ignore

"All communications are down, outgoing and incoming. Trying to send anything right now will signal a red flag in any area scanners. Don't underestimate our opponents. I'll run the feed as soon as we're ready, but a test run is out of the question. We don't want to create any unnecessary hotspots of activity" the knowledgeable Rutian mused, returning to work.

"Fine..." Ya'Jun pouted "I'll try to get something else out of him while you work... and I'll gag the blonde while I'm at it"

Tied up as she was, it was difficult to assert any resistance as the raven-haired woman wrapped a gag over and around the doctor's mouth. Lillie felt close to tears. Terrorism was wrong, even if you never hurt anybody - and now she was a part of some plot to strike distress into the core of the cruise ship.

Devastated the Ensign hung her head to brainstorm ideas when a sudden pain pulsed through her. The throbbing in her chest was all too familiar, something the young woman had grown up dreading. Desperate, Lillie thrashed in place trying to get a glimpse of anything that might display the hour. There, above a boiler in the corner of the room was a small display screen with the numbers 0555 blinking on it.

Panic shot threw the Ensign, dismay coiling in her heart like a hungry snake. The time was up... it had been exactly 48 hours since Lillie's last injection of the cure. Without her hypospray the entire ship could become contaminated within a matter of hours. Another torturous sting sliced through the doctor's chest, marking the culmination of her disease. Quickly the undercover operative calculated her time carefully. It would take awhile to become contagious again, that part only came after the pain subsided.

Previous tests had shown that those injected with the cure would become contagious again after spending over two hours without the serum re-administered to their bloodstream. Without her treatment, the Tarellian-born woman was a walking disease that would infect all living being on board the MASQUERADE DREAMS. Lillie had until 0755 to receive her follow-up dosage... or else catastrophe was the least of their worries.

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Ashley Shane

Ensign Lillie Doyanne
Chief Medical Officer/Researcher
USS ANUBIS