Chapter 31. Falling into hell
"They're going to kill us all. They're going to kill us all!" the officer at the front screamed, panicked. All the prisoners were in motion, trying to make some sensible move to free themselves. Yet these lone battles only added to the confusion. All the rules of conduct they learned at Starfleet Academy were forgotten. The demonic flames succeeded with their methods, evoking fear deep in people's hearts. These fears seemed to have been long forgotten in the minds of the crew, or considered to have been overcome. Now, these extreme fears resurface, dominating the crew's thoughts.
Tini also felt that panic was creeping into her heart again. But she managed to resist it a little. She wasn't struggling like crazy. But her brain was clogged and she just stood there, waiting for something to happen. Every time the demonic flames enter the room, it becomes silent again. Each time they took away a crew member. When they left the room again, panic broke out again. And Tiny felt it was more intense every time.
After a while, they were the only two people left in the room. The officer in front stood quietly, saying nothing or moving. Tiny also remained silent. Suddenly the room became quiet again, and she was still frightened.
"What's your name?" Tiny asked quietly so as not to scare him.
"Felik," he introduced himself in a low, trembling voice.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Tini," she answered.
"The captain's daughter?" he confirmed. "Then I'd better stay near you so I can be rescued."
"My father will save us all," Tiny replied, trying to comfort herself and Felik. However, she had no idea where Noah was now. Maybe he's dead. Maybe he was the body in the hallway, the one they had to walk over. She hadn't seen Noah since the night before the attack on the Republic.
"Do you think they will kill us?" Felik paused for a moment. He seemed quite calm and seemed to have accepted his fate.
Tiny sighed, feeling sad. How should she answer? she does not know. "No, I don't think so," she replied. "The demonic flames couldn't have gone to the trouble of getting us here and then killing us. It wouldn't make sense. They could have done it right away."
"That's true," he said, somewhat unconvincingly. "But maybe Demon Flame rarely does sensible things."
The two fell into a long silence again. Felik's words shocked Tini. What if what he said was right? Maybe the Demon Flame just wanted to watch them die slowly, just like the cruel games played by the ancient Romans in the past. But Charles mentioned slaves, so their fate could have been worse than death. But she doesn't want to tell Felic this now, he will know sooner or later.
Finally, it was Felic's turn, standing in front of her, to be taken away. As the demonic flames came between them and carried him away, Tiny called to him, "Good luck, Felik."
"Goodbye!" he replied.
"We'll see you again," she continued to shout. "Then we eat together."
The door behind them closed, and now Tiny was completely alone. She didn't know if she would ever see Felik again. Or her father. Or Pike. Parker, how is he doing now? Nor had she seen him since his capture. Is he still alive? She was worried about him more than herself. He must be alive, her beloved must not die. She finally meets someone who makes her open up and conquer her heart. She had never experienced anything so beautiful. How could she go on living without him? This is unimaginable.
The shackles on her feet prevented her from moving quickly. Even if an exit is found, escape is nearly impossible. Nonetheless, she slowly walked toward the wall. She couldn't see much clearly. She ran her hands gently along the wall. Maybe there is an exit. Although she knew in her heart that running away would almost guarantee death, she still held on to the hope of escape.
Suddenly, the door opened again and he walked in. They didn't find Tiny in the middle of the room. The demonic flames paused for a moment, then headed straight for her and grabbed Tiny. Tiny struggled. She waved her hands, trying to fight back against the demonic flames. However, she had no chance of winning against these powerful warriors. The demonic flames ignored Tini's weak counterattack and took her away.
Tiny was taken into another room, where there were two magic flames, sitting behind a large table. The demon flame on the left is operating a computer, while the demon flame on the right has a pile of documents and some instruments in front of him. The rest of the room was empty. The dim lighting and olive-grey walls make the room seem moody and off-putting.
The Demon Flame Guard placed her in the center of the room, her gaze directed towards the table.
"Human," said the demon flame on the right. "It's a woman."
At the same time, another demon began to enter data on the computer.
Tiny still tried to resist the demonic flame guards, but it was of little use as she was still firmly grasped by them. The bureaucrats of Demon Flame noticed this. "Miner," he decided. "She can't do much harm there." He then picked up an instrument and walked toward her. He seems to take a keen interest in her, but it's hard to tell for sure due to his compound eyes. Tiny retreated as much as possible, but was still held tightly by the two magic flame guards. The musty smell of demonic bureaucracy blew towards her. She wanted to escape, but she didn't have the ability.
Then the bureaucrat's claws grabbed hard at the cuff of her uniform on her left arm and quickly tore it off. The young woman looked at him in shock. She didn't know what Moyan planned to do now, and her mind had already begun to imagine all the possibilities.
The bureaucrat clumsily picked up the instrument brought from the table with three claws and pointed it at her upper arm. For a moment, Tini felt a little blood being drawn away.
At the same time, the demon flame on the left side behind the table also stood up and walked towards them. Although it was difficult to identify among these solid bone plates, Tiny felt that this demonic flame was obviously much older than other demonic flames she had seen before. And he was fatter, that much was obvious. While other demon flames are usually slender and nimble, and good at fighting, this one seems very sluggish. He may have been sent on this mission for this reason. He took the instrument with the blood sample from the bureaucrat and gave him a new one. The bureaucrat took the new instrument in a deep voice. Then he turned to Tiny's face.
When she realized his claws were about to strike at her eyes, she tried to dodge. But immediately the two demonic flame warriors standing next to her grabbed her head tightly. The bureaucrat came at her with one hand holding the instrument and the claws of the other.
Tiny panicked again. What does this madman want to do? Was he going to gouge out her eyes? The thought frightened her more and more. Before, she had feared that the demonic flames might kill her, or worse, enslave her. But now she suddenly realized that they might do something even more terrible. They might dismember her. The thought shattered the last vestiges of her composure. "No," she shouted, trying to break free. "You fucking bastards, let me go," she screamed.
However, the demonic flames held her tighter, preventing her from moving. Then the bureaucratic claws came closer. Tiny's heart beat rapidly in panic. She watched the sharp claws slowly approach. She couldn't bear the pressure anymore.
Demon Yan used his claws to open the eyelid of Tiny's left eye and performed a retinal scan. Then he let her go.
Panic caused Tini's adrenaline to surge. She hadn't fully realized that Moyan had just performed a retinal scan. Slowly, she began to calm down. Along with it comes a sense of utter exhaustion. She'd been through a lot in the past few hours. Although Mo Yan conducted many psychological tests in an attempt to force her to surrender, she remained highly focused. Now, however, her body and mind needed rest. It was a natural consequence of vigorous activity, but the timing was very wrong for her.
The bureaucrat's paw touched Tini again, and she couldn't help but trembled. She was a little distracted just now and didn't see clearly what he planned to do. Then she felt him running two claws slowly down her uniform from her neck to her breasts. A feeling of nausea arose spontaneously and spread upwards. But she couldn't resist. The two demonic flame guards still controlled her tightly.
The bureaucrat then retracted his hand and picked up another technical device with his other hand. But by now it was too late. He pressed the device against her forehead. Tiny screamed loudly. A small electric current burned on her skin, and a bit of smoke rose. The Indian woman felt that her brain was being scorched. It's like what it felt like to be executed in the electric chair in the brutal twentieth century. But the situation here is far less serious. However, for Tiny, it felt like her brain had been evaporated when the demonic bureaucrat took the device away from her forehead. Tiny was completely unconscious now, hanging helplessly in the arms of the demonic flames. Her body drooped and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked at the Demonic Flame Bureaucrat, but he only looked at the Demonic Flame Warriors, so they turned around and dragged Tiny toward another door. Tiny's heels dragged behind her, but she no longer cared. She no longer resisted the coming fatigue and fell completely into the darkness of semi-drowsiness.
The bridge of the Republic was deserted. Only the hum of a few devices broke the silence. Emergency lighting allows people to see at least a little. There was still smoke under the ceiling, caused by a broken wire. The smoke drifted in the sparse lighting and seemed to have a life of its own. Dancing slowly like a ghost. The smoke was unable to escape as the life support system was no longer functioning. This made the air on the bridge stuffy and difficult to breathe. And it also blurs vision. Still, Ted could see at a glance that only the technical station had been damaged. Everything else appears to be undamaged. In front of the technical station, the only body lay. Ted knew the man died when the console exploded. He remembered this before he left the bridge. No further lives were lost during the embarkation. The crew on the bridge offered no further resistance.
Ted and Li Weiwei entered the bridge through the propulsion cabin on the left side. Previously, they crawled through the pipes between the ship's three decks, the narrow maintenance channels that run through the hull. On the sixth floor, they discovered that the bridge's propulsion module was still working. They then entered the command bridge as if nothing had ever happened. However, there is no one here anymore. They slowly checked out the console and learned what else was available. At first glance, it seems that what is available is very limited.
"I'm surprised Captain Noah didn't initiate the ship's self-destruct sequence," Ted thought aloud. This should actually be the next step to avoid the ship falling into enemy hands. And he was convinced that Captain Noah would never back down at such a moment.
Li Weiwei just looked at him. She was no longer shocked that she had escaped the ship's destruction, and her own death. Because this way she wouldn't have to experience the horror of yesterday again.
"Help me analyze the computer data," Ted requested. "Maybe we can reconstruct what happened."
She just looked at him with blank eyes, then nodded and walked to the scientific workstation. Ted felt like she no longer cared about what was happening to them. She was no longer interested in what was going on around her. She had become convinced that they would die. Maybe this is good for her, because it will relieve her from the pain in her soul.
"What department do you work in?" Ted asked as he walked up to her. He had to find something to talk to her about. She hadn't spoken another word since they left the restaurant.
"Cabin," she replied simply.
Ted retrieved some data that he knew might help them. "So you're an engineer?" he said firmly.
"no."
Her curt reply confused Ted. He looked at her blankly. This type of communication was not easy for him. Under normal circumstances, he was not a talkative person. And he's a safety director, not a psychologist. If Li Weiwei didn't want to talk to him, he didn't know what to do.
"Here's what you're looking for," she finally said monotonously, pointing to a small screen. Ted looked carefully at the data. "The self-destruct program has been activated, but there seems to be a malfunction and cannot be triggered," Ted interpreted the data he saw. "Well done, Ms. Levi. Thank you," Ted nodded and smiled, showing his white teeth. But she didn't respond. Ted didn't know what else to do to cheer her up.
Suddenly, the turbolift door to their left opened of its own accord with a slight rattle. The two turned quickly and stared at the door. Ted subconsciously reached out and touched his waist, only to realize how reckless he was. He wasn't even armed. He grabbed his hand in the air, but the phaser gun that should have been in his hand disappeared. He cursed his carelessness inwardly. Hitherto he had thought that the ship was clear of the enemy. But that was just a conjecture because he had no evidence. Now, this speculation may endanger their lives.
One foot came out of the lift, and Ted took a deep breath and saw the Starfleet officer's boots. An officer whom he had not seen since the attack entered the command module. His eyes fell on the two of them. He was startled at first, then cried joyfully: "Thank God there are two living men."
He rushed towards them and hugged Ted. He hugged him tightly, as if to make sure his eyes weren't playing a trick. Li Weiwei took a step back. Apparently, she expected the man to want to hug her the next moment, which made her feel uncomfortable.
Ted released the hug but grabbed the man's shoulders to keep him from turning away. "Calm down, Lieutenant," he ordered in a warning tone. While he understood the man's joy, discipline must be maintained if they wanted to move forward.
The man looked at him slightly surprised, but then pulled himself together and stood in front of Ted. After all, the security chief had a higher rank and was his superior.
"Stay well and be ready to report," Ted ordered.
The officer relaxed a little. "Lieutenant Lucien, sir. Botany Laboratory Assistant," he began. "We happened to be in the laboratory when the demonic flames captured the ship. I managed to hide in the Jeffries Passage. So I escaped their search. They didn't even search the cabin thoroughly, otherwise they would definitely find me."
Ted nodded. He also noticed that Demon Yan's actions were not very thorough. Why were some people spared at the restaurant while others were taken away? Why do some people get special treatment and others don't? Demon Flame's actions seemed pointless. Why would they capture the ship and then leave part of the crew behind? Is this a trap? But for what?
"Well done, Lieutenant," he said to the officer again.
Lu Si En stood on tiptoes uneasily, as if he was embarrassed by the security director's praise.
"Is there anything else, Mr. Lucien?" Ted asked, suppressing his impatience.
"Um, sir. Just... no, actually..." He stuttered.
"Say it," Ted urged impatiently.
"The fact is... I didn't do a good job. Second Lieutenant Jie Qi also wanted to hide in the Jeffries Passage. But I refused her. I closed her passage. I was afraid that the demon flames would find me because of her. Then the demon flames She was taken away. She was kidnapped, sir, because I was afraid. Because I was too cowardly," he wailed.
"Cheer up," Ted advised, but he realized reassuring words might be more appropriate. After all, the man was a botanist, not a security officer. "No one will blame you. And if you wait for Second Lieutenant Jie Qi, maybe you both will be taken away. That won't be good for anyone." He paused for a moment, but judging from Lu Si En's face, he was not completely calm. Actually, he had no intention of telling his story, but it might help the young lieutenant. At this moment, what was more important than vanity was being able to help him. "We all make mistakes," he said slowly but firmly. "I myself was trapped in a turbolift when I was attacked. I missed everything. Not exactly, I was unconscious. I didn't even know we were being attacked." He clearly felt that the two people were using Big eyes stared at him. It embarrassed him, but he tried not to show it. Enough said for now, he decided. He had to have an ending. "But if we pull ourselves together, we can make up for our mistakes and save the crew."
Lu Si En's expression became slightly more relaxed, and he replied after a brief silence: "Yes, sir. You are right. What should I do?"
The security officer didn't know what was needed next. First, it is important to assess the injury. Until then, he couldn't staff it. However, Lu Si En had to do something, so he ordered: "Go to the weapons depot and get us some phase guns. Take about a dozen to the bridge."
"Yes, sir," the lieutenant replied immediately, enthusiasm returning to his voice. He turned away, heading toward the turbolift.
"We still have a lot to do here," Ted said to Levi. "First, we have to reactivate the internal sensors and understand the damage."
"Yes, sir," she answered simply, to his surprise, and a slight smile crossed her lips.
At first, Ted was embarrassed by her mistake on him, but then he couldn't help but smile slightly in triumph.
"Tini. Tiny..."
The name echoed in her mind, as if from a distant place. The name seemed familiar, as if she should recognize it. But it meant nothing to her.
She didn't know where she was. All she knew was that it was dark here. It was so dark that I couldn't see anything, not even my own hands. If she still had hands. But when she looked down at herself, she couldn't see anything. The darkness even consumed her body. Does she still have a body? She couldn't say.
The world seemed to be filled with nothing but darkness. She was trapped in this darkness, but it didn't feel dangerous. It's peaceful.
"Tinnie. Tiny."
This voice should be silenced. It's totally out of character. What does this voice want? Let her wake up? Why wake up? This makes no sense at all.
"Tini."
A hand touched her cheek gently. She felt the touch again and it slowly dispelled the darkness around her. That pleasant darkness. She didn't want to leave there, but was drawn out. A slight, throbbing pain in her forehead brought her back to reality. A cruel reminder that she was now in the hands of the demonic flames. In this case, she would rather sleep forever.
"Tini. Please wake up." She recognized the voice. It was her father's voice. Was she rescued? Is she back on the Republic? In a safe place? Her heart beat eagerly. Her eyes widened. However, the bright ship she expected did not appear, but a semi-dark space. There was a faint light somewhere that illuminated the room, but not enough to make it feel bright. Her father leaned over her, looking at her with concern. "Tini, is everything okay?"
"What...?" she said with difficulty, trying to sit up hastily, but soon realized that this was a mistake. She felt dizzy and shaky. The supporting hand caught her to prevent the back of her head from hitting the floor. "Be careful," "slow down," she heard worried voices from all directions. She closed her eyes briefly. Then the dizziness disappeared. When she opened her eyes again, she saw her father's concerned face again. She saw an abstract pattern on his forehead that she had never seen before. It seemed to be seared into his skin, a small scab of blood forming at the edges.
He seemed to notice her staring, because he immediately explained the meaning to her. "All have this. Seems to be a brand of some kind. A mark to let them know where we belong. But don't worry, at Starfleet's medical station they can recover with the skin regeneration device. Recovery without leaving a trace. ” He tried to calm the panic that was about to overtake her. He realized that no one wanted to carry this mark for the rest of their lives. Unless the rest of her life is going to be very short.
Tiny hugged her father and snuggled close to him. She buried her face first in his neck. She didn't want to see anything, she just wanted to feel safe. She also wanted to wake up from this nightmare. But this was not a dream, she knew very well. After a while, she forced herself to raise her head and face reality. However, what she saw shocked her deeply and frightened her far beyond anything she had ever experienced before. They are trapped in a cave that can barely contain them all. Organisms of different species are packed tightly together. Suffering was evident on their faces, and their bodies were covered with wounds of varying sizes. The wounds were caused during forced labor and collisions with guards. Luckily, she couldn't see too far in this light, so she didn't have to see the full misery just yet. Still, in the eyes of the creatures closest to her, she saw all the pain they suffered. Sadness and disappointment show up, especially emptiness. Most of them just work mechanically like soulless machines until the end. The instinct of survival drives them, but in fact they are already dead inside. It was just days, maybe for some, weeks until their actual death.
In addition, there is a perfect surveillance system of Demon Flame. Escape was impossible and even the slightest hope was snuffed out. Without hope, even the bravest warrior becomes a mindless worker.
Tiny couldn't stand the sight anymore and turned away. Instead, she noticed her companions from the Republic. They were scattered on the ground. Worry and fear were written on their faces, and some even retained the shock they felt when the Republic was attacked. Despair and helplessness loomed over them. There are about two hundred red uniforms, clearly contrasting with the other figures here. Demonic Flame didn't think it was necessary for them to take away the uniforms. But soon their uniforms won't look presentable either. Soon they will be like other prisoners: shabby clothes, covered with wounds, half-starved.
Panic spread to her again when she suddenly realized her situation, which was more terrifying than death. This is hell.
