The Battle of Betazed - Charlotte Douglas [63]
“We have less than five minutes,” he warned his team. “Make ‘em count.”
The away team rushed out of one side of cargo bay three toward the laboratory just as a Cardassian squad burst through the doors on the opposite end of the bay. The thunder of the soldiers’ heavy boots on the metal deck masked the sounds of the away team’s escape. They drew no enemy fire, but Riker knew they’d barely eluded their pursuers and their presence wouldn’t go unnoticed much longer.
The security guard motioned Riker to the left. “This way, sir.”
Riker and the others followed the guard through a short passageway into a massive laboratory. The loud hum of the room’s machinery covered the noise of the away team’s advance. After the earlier dimness of the cargo bay, Riker squinted in the laboratory’s bright lights. Gleaming metal counters lined with trays of sharp surgical instruments and rows of clear containers filled with tissue samples suspended in fluids suggested the laboratory’s sinister purpose. Jem’Hadar and Betazoid bodies sprawled on gurneys, some with the tops of their skulls removed, others in various stages of dissection. Other Betazoids lay in pods like those in the cargo bay, and by the condensation of their breath on the transparent covers, Riker could tell the occupants were very much alive.
The commander pointed to two security officers and kept his voice to a whisper. “Guard our rear. Don’t give our position away unless absolutely necessary. We need to buy La Forge and O’Brien time to find the main control to transport these pods.”
“Understood, sir.” The men moved away.
Riker turned and caught sight of the Vorta and a Cardassian scientist in an office whose translucent wall overlooked the vast laboratory. They appeared to be arguing. The Cardassian gestured wildly with his arms, and the Vorta kept shrugging and pointing toward the open hatch of an emergency escape pod. Clearly the Vorta intended to leave before the station self-destructed, but the Cardassian was refusing. What was so important that he would risk his life by remaining behind?
La Forge and O’Brien had rushed immediately to the computer system that filled the far wall. Large storage cabinets partially obscured them from view, but the engineers would be spotted if the Vorta and Cardassian left the office and walked in their direction.
Riker posted two men to guard the engineers and took two others with him. He edged forward, hiding behind the large equipment cabinets, straining to overhear the argument in the office in hopes of learning the purpose of the bizarre experimentation on the Betazoids and Jem’Hadar. Peering around a corner, he caught sight of the Cardassian hopping up and down and clutching a padd to his chest. The Vorta moved toward the escape pod hatch, arguing over her shoulder, but clearly unwilling to abandon the Cardassian.
Riker still couldn’t make out their words. Motioning his security detail to remain behind, he dropped to his stomach and crawled closer, trying not to think about the biomatter smeared on the deck. He quickly came within earshot of the heated conversation and could view the occupants of the office clearly from his position on the floor.
The Vorta’s hands twitched with obvious agitation. “Dr. Moset, we must evacuate. Now.”
“Not without my research!” the Cardassian shouted.
The Vorta shook her head. “There’s no time to download all the files. You must start over somewhere else, Moset. Time is running out.”
Unexpectedly, O’Brien tapped Riker on the shoulder, and the commander flinched but didn’t make a sound.
“Did she say Moset?” O’Brien whispered.
Riker nodded.
“Sir, I remember from my briefings during the Cardassian War that Moset was stationed on Bajor. He’s credited with finding