Rescue Me
By Isabella Valentine and special guests Nathan Farris
and Daniel Manson
She slept restlessly, but thankfully dreamless. Bella wasn?t sure how long she
had been out, but it didn?t really matter. She had no where to be and no one to
see. The only people she could think about wanting to be with was Nate and Dan.
In fact, she was seriously regretting not having made her way to their location
after the demise of Shadowdancer.
Bella still felt horrible, but not nearly as bad as before. Tossing her covers
aside, she kicked her feet out of bed and sat up slowly. There were more pills
on the night stand and she swallowed two of them down before standing and
making her way to the bathroom in the dark.
"Computer, lights at 20%," she said. The lights were brought up slightly. She
liked the dimness.
She moved into the living room and sat staring into nothingness for the longest
time, wishing she had a drink. It took her over an hour to talk herself into
what she was about to do.
Finally standing, she moved to the console and slid a chip from her bracelet,
surprised it was still intact. She loaded the codes into her console and placed
a call.
"There.. that should..." Dan was cut off as the words 'incoming message'
appeared on their screen.
Elbowing Dan a little, Nate said, "Go ahead. Let's see who it is."
The screen showed Bella. A little worse for appearance, what sort of fight did
she get into now? Nate spoke up, "Good to see you're doing well, li?l bit," he
smiled, "How are ya?"
She couldn't help it. At seeing him, she burst into tears. She laid her
forehead on her hand and cried.
"Aw, come on half pint, we're not that old," Dan smiled. "Bella. Hey shrimp,
start talkin'."
She pulled herself together, furiously wiping at her tears. She bit her lip and
looked at them. A little older perhaps, but still so much the same. Nate was
never going to change his haircut. She offered a weak smile. Then, she suddenly
blurted out, "I?m in trouble."
"Oh," Nate simply said, eyes up a little. "Out with it."
"Shadow's gone," she said quietly.
Dan looked at Nate, his face had gone pale. But Nate's emotions ran as fast as
they could. It felt as if his pupils were burrowing holes into her. He
swallowed, ".. the crew?"
"Gone." Tears streamed down her face and she placed her hand over her mouth,
biting her finger to stem the flow.
"How?" Nate replied, there was a physical trembling that Dan only managed to
stop by squeezing tight on his hand, "How.. Bella?"
"Romulans. Tal Shiar. Caught... up. Caught up with me. Took me aboard their
ship.... Made me watch and... and destroyed them," she cried harder.
The Shadow crew was the best Nate ever had. Considering he was its first
captain since the ship?s revival, Nate had his hard times, and his best times
there. His eyes burned with his jaw clenching. Dan looked down, shaking his
head, attempting to wave off tears. "You got any," Nate let out a soft cough,
"any lead? Anything? How long ago did this happen?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." She shook her head lightly, tears flowing freely.
"Eight months..." She couldn't bear to look into his face as she told him.
"You waited eight months..." Nate said quietly, and then he shouted, "EIGHT
FUCKING MONTHS!?"
"Nate," Dan placed his hands on his lover's shoulders, "Nate!"
"Don't fucking tell me what to do, Dan! Why the hell didn't you call us
sooner!?" Nate started crying but he almost immediately stopped.
"I'm sorry...I'm...I - I just couldn't," she cried. "Couldn't face...it. Face
you. Oh god, Nate, I'm so sorry."
He had to think, that much was certain, "Where are you now? Are you safe? You
on the run?"
"I was on Rahm Izad," she answered quietly. "Got on a ship. Called Noir. I
think I'm in trouble, Nate."
"Exactly what trouble, Bella? I think you're familiar with explaining without
me dragging it out," Nate replied.
She took a breath. "I'm trying. I am." She wiped at her tears again. "Destis.
Remember her? I had the biggest deal with her yet. Cargo was destroyed with
Shadow... I was afraid to leave on a transport." She stopped, realizing she
wasn't making any sense. "Destis wanted her cargo or her money. I didn't have
either. I think the Romulans knew...knew what it would be like after they took
everything from me. It was more - torture than just killing me. I had Destis
after me and I was afraid to hop a transport, she'd know. Met someone - Shane.
Noir's a Saber and he was crew. He brought me here and I hired on...." She had
to stop and catch her breath again
"But she ain't after you now? This Noir crew is alright?" Dan asked before Nate
could. Times like this, Dan was the better voice for reason.
"No, it's not. They don't ... God, Nate, ship is home, crew is family - how
many times did you say that? They don't know this. At all. The captain let some
psycho on board that makes me look stable. She cut me the second time we met.
She plays games. Mind games. And she attacked Shane. The captain is still
taking up for her and she attacked me again in sickbay! I gotta get outta here.
You gotta help me." It was obvious she was so scared.
"And," Nate said, this time taking over again. Dan was voice of reason, but
Nate was practical, "There's more to it, you're not saying as much as you
should. A big bad bitch, a fucked captain. And Shane? That's the second time
you mentioned him, who is he? More Bella, you know both of us can't just drop
everything for you. You're a big girl now."
"I didn't call you when I was starving to death on the station!" she snapped.
Composing herself, she said, "Shane...I - he - we were sleeping together. But
it started to feel like something and I thought maybe...then he," she started
crying again, "he tells me he was Romulan and...and Tal Shiar...and suddenly
just turned. Right in front of me, he just switched to...to one of them. Not in
looks. But inside. He said the crew deserved..." She was sobbing. "Luke
fought...so...hard and Shane said they deserved... Oh god. It was all my fault!
I'm so lost. And no - no meds either, Nate. I'm just in trouble."
Nate looked at her, and then to Dan, who disappeared from her screen as he
checked her whereabouts. Dan shook his head. Nate looked at her, "You're gonna
have to tough it out, Bella. Get a grip, you've been through worse. One asshole
can't stop you. Do I have to remind you of..." Nate closed his eyes, "never
mind. You screwed him, and now he's gone looney. Dump him but move on, Bella.
You cannot cling to what's gone. Find that person you can hold on to." He
leaned towards the screen, "Li?l bit, listen good. If you want us there, that
ship you're on has to be closer here. Far closer. We don't have the money we
used to- business is slow these days. Until then, you, tough, it, out. You hear
me?"
"Nate...please," her plea was pitiful.
Nate shook his head, "I don't wanna hear it. I, we, can't afford looking for
you. God knows you could skip a number of stations just for us to lose you. I
can't afford that. You weren't taught everything you know now without a reason,
Bella. Start making it happen, start looking after yourself. No one else can,"
He clenched his jaw again, it was becoming a strain to control his emotions.
"I'll do what I can for now. But it won't be much. That ship you're on, either
gets closer, or you start running. Which is safer, Bella?"
"I honestly don't know anymore... That bitch nearly killed me, Nate. And my one
ally...he's gone. What's gonna stop her? When she wakes up from that coma or
whatever she's in and knows why Shane came after her..."
"Or a quadrant full of those same psychos. Stay on the ship, Bella. Try." He
refused to repeat that he couldn't do much at his end, and he knew Bella got
the message, "No matter how bad she is, there are always scarier things out
there. Tough it out. Sleep with a phaser under your pillow. She comes through
those doors, don?t hesitate to put a hole in her."
"I still can't aim," she said. "Nate, don't you care anymore? About what
happens to me?"
"Don't you turn tables here, Bella. I left with the knowing you could handle
things. You've hit some tides. Fess up. Really, you have to. Take the extra
precautions. If you really," Nate emphasized on the word, "really can't do it.
We'll go after you. You understand, we are your last call. And this call has
limitations."
She knew he was right. But she didn't like it. She wanted to be rescued, swept
up and taken far away by the people that loved her. She nodded. "I'm sorry it's
been so long..." she said by way of good-bye. "I love you both."
"We love you too, Bella. Don't be a stranger." Nate said, and clicked off after
a little hesitation.
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