<USS Avalon> All Aboard

The shuttle doors seemed... different. Everything about this seemed different, 
including his will to follow the advice of some Vulcan female and a bunch of 
voices in his head. It didn't make any sense. Then again, it didn't make any 
sense that his marines were going to shoot him. Adrian walked up the ramp 
slowly, his rifle at his side as he held it by the strap, showing no sign of 
harm. Each step had the slightly pause to it as he resurveyed his surroundings. 
　
Finally he made it up the ramp and into the main room. Adrian scanned the room, 
amazed not only by it's size but of all of the equipment within it. 
 
~We would prefer it if you would leave your weapon there,~ a female voice 
insisted. ~this would be for your safety as well as our own.~ 
 
You can read my mind, so you know thats not an option. He said simply as 
continued into the room. Adrian did however, throw the weapon over his shoulder 
so it was no longer in his hands. 
 
The weapon began to heat up slowly. ~Please. It's presence frightens the young 
one.~ 
 
Adrian stopped as he starred around him. Two cryo-tanks backed either side of 
what he assumed was the cargo bay of the shuttle. The entire ship seemed simply 
wrecked. Either a bad crash landing, or worse yet, they flew this thing, if it 
could fly, in this condition. My rifle will be put down, but that is as far as 
I go. He said simply, taking off his rifle and placing in next to one of the 
tanks. 
 
~Understood,~ the voice of an exhausted sounding young male replied. ~ You may 
retain the others so long as the youngest is not made aware of their presence. 
~ 
 
A gentle breeze seemed to blow past him and the doors before him opened well 
before they should have, as if calling him forward. 
 
One eyebrow raised, Adrian cautiously entered into the main room. He looked 
about him as he passed the run-down bedrooms before finally entering into what 
must have been some sort of lounge/bridge area. He stopped at the entrance, 
looking around him and taking in his surroundings, still very much on the 
alert. 
 
The fading smell of decayed flesh still lingered, as if the dead were refusing 
to be forgotted. 
Most of the chairs were charred and broken, the damage only just visible in the 
dimness of the emergency lighting. Upon a servicable piece before him however, 
perched a very small red-haired child with the pointed ears and upswept brows 
so reminiscent of the people of Vulcan. 
 
To her left floated - yes FLOATED - a smiling preteen of apparent Bajoran 
descent. 
 
Cross-legged upon the floor beneath the floating boy sat another of perhaps 
nine years old. Slightly webbed hands were the only hint that perhaps he might 
be anything other than human. 
 
The eldest, latin looking male of perhaps sixteen was flanked on either side 
behind them all. To his left stood a female with long violet colored hair and 
bright aqua eyes. To his right, a male of apparent Klingon descent. 
 
~Welcome aboard, Major~ the tired sounding voice whispered. 
 
"Quite the place you guys got here. Did you fly this over?" He asked as he 
looked around at each of the them, studying each one slowly before turning to 
the next in turn, his senses still as high as they could ever be. 
 
"Niqi did," The tiny Vulcan-looking child answered. "Luca helped when we had to 
go far, but Niq made it go." she stood and walked over to him, the slowly 
around him examining him intently. "You didn't come to kill us, did you?" she 
asked at last, her great green eyes focussed intently upon his own. 
 
"I have no intention of harming any of you." Adrian replied to the child as he 
watched him intently. "So then you voluntarily left the station?"
 
"We had to," the little boy sitting on the floor answered. 
 
The floating boy nodded. "they found out that S'Lena aT'Leara lied. They were 
going to resume the experiments." 

~I could not allow that to happen to the young ones.~ the eldest agreed sadly. 
~They would have destroyed them.~
 
"Experiments?" Adrian looked around the room again, his eyes settling on the 
oldest male. "What sort of experiments, and who was doing them?"
 
~We are the beginning of the experiments. Determining how to create, enhance, 
devolve, and if they determine it to be necessary, destroy us. These are the 
experiments they would next attempt. ~ The voice seemed to fade. 
 
"Niq is an example of what they would do to us. He is easily the most powerful 
among us, yet also the weakest. In enhancing his night vision, they stole the 
daylight from him entirely. In their attempts to determine how certain of his 
abilities were turned off and on, they damaged his ability to speak as we do. 
When they caused seizures, they decided he was no longer a viable experiment 
and slated him for destruction," The older female all but growled. 
 
"S'Lena and T'Leara, two who worked on the station, faked his death. Then they 
began helping the rest of us escape their tests. For this S'Lena was murdered." 
the younger teen male added. "We are uncertain what happened to T'Leara." 
 
"they tried to kill her. We know this much. The young one saw it." the girl 
corrected, nodding toward the tiny red-head, who nodded in confirmation. 
 
"It doesn't matter," the floating one said glumly. "Their reach is far. If she 
still lives, it is only a matter of time." 
 
~she still lives, and so she will continue,~ the eldest corrected with a note 
of finality in his tired voice. 
 
Nobody argued. 
 
It was alot of information coming at him at once, and he suddenly understood a 
little more of what seemed to be going on. "Well, T'Leara is outside. She was 
transfered to the Avalon before all of this came to..." 
 
He paused suddenly as he heard his comm go off, with Duarte giving the 
information about the storm. Adrian looked back over at the children assembled 
before him. "Is this your doing?" He asked simply, knowing well that sand 
storms were not very common in a foresty area. 
 
~Do not blame them. It is mine alone. It is time for all to come aboard. Danger 
is upon us,~ the eldest replied. ~Tell me quickly, will the shields aboard your 
shuttle protect them from multiple ships, and the storm as well? The storm will 
keep us hidden for a time, but they do present a danger of their own. How much 
can they withstand?~ 
 
All at once a small egg shaped opening appeared above the hand of the floating 
boy. Slowly it moved to a place behind Adrian then expanded, bringing the 
landing party into view, the stinging sand blowing in from behind them. 
 
"Move, everyone, through the hole." Carlisle ordered over the sound of the 
howling wind. They stumbled in, propelled by the sharp shards of sand at their 
backs. Luca closed the hole quickly the moment they were through.
 
Adrian looked back for a moment, amazed by all that seemed to have been going 
on. "Danger you say? What sort of danger? Our shuttle can take some damage, but 
not a large amount. What is going on?" He said, his last voice almost seeming a 
bit demanding, a little frustrated that a boy seemed be much more aware then he 
was.
 
The view seemed to change around him, if only for a moment, showing the Avalon 
surrounded by Breen vessels. When reality set back in, the eldest was deathly 
pale. ~They will fire on the ship above, and the planet as well. At some point, 
they will find us. Will your shuttle survive?~ 
 
"I think my shuttle has a better chance then this thing does." He said calmly 
after viewing the scene. "I need to contact the Avalon and inform them of the 
danger they are in, now." He said, very authoritatively. 
 
"Any chance we're getting filled in any time soon, Major?" Chapman asked 
quietly. "I'm not liking this whole rabbit hole thing. Curiouser and Curiouser 
just never did sit all that well with me."
 
"You underestimate us," The violet haired teen said before Adrian could answer, 
baring her sharp pointed teeth. "We are not helpless. We can assure the 
survival of those aboard our shuttle. "
 
"We are not weapons," the Klingon-looking teen responded quietly, his eyes 
conveying how deeply the idea of being thought so disturbed him.
 
~No, Gianni, we are not weapons,~ the eldest agreed. ~However, we are 
responsible for these people. It is because of us they were sent here. It falls 
to us to protect them.~ He nodded to T’Leara who, he noted, kept her distance. 
Good enough, he thought. She remembered. Now would not be the time to impede 
their abilities. Not when they would need them all to survive. ~ As you said, 
Major, your shuttle will not take a large amount of damage. I assure you, they 
will be safer here. Luca, send for the others. Quickly. ~
 
Again, the floating boy opened an egg-shaped hole and sent it a short distance 
from him. It opened to show the interior of the other shuttle, which was 
currently being rocked by the storms. Duarte’s back was to them as she checked 
her readings.
 
"It shows the com is working," she told the med tech who stood by. "try them 
again."
 
The med tech pushed a few buttons and shook his head. "Nothing. I’m sorry. No 
response from the Avalon."
 
"Dammit," Duarte swore, grabbing a tool kit from beneath her seat as she jumped 
up. She was knocked to her feet as the ship took another hard hit from the 
storm. Rising carefully, she turned around, holding onto the bulkhead for 
support. Her eyes grew large as she looked through the hole, spying Adrian and 
the others on the other side. "um…okay, then. Reese, grab the Doc. Tell him to 
grab his gear. It appears we’re abandoning ship."
 
Still holding fast to the tool kit, she led the doctor and the medtech through 
as the shuttle was rocked once again.
 
"What’s going on, sir? " she asked once they were all through. "We’ve lost 
contact with the Avalon. It’s as if something were jamming our signal." She 
looked at the children suspiciously.
 
"It’s not us," the Klingon-looking youth said quickly. 
 
~Use ours,~ the eldest boy suggested to the Major, gesturing toward the damaged 
and apparently powerless console behind him. ~It will work.~ He smiled slightly 
before adding. ~I promise.~

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