The Good That Men Do - Andy Mangels [115]
He heard a pair of sharp energy-weapon reports, and turned back around to watch the shadow-cloaked men slump limply to the deck beside the sealed doorway, the silhouettes of Chang and Peruzzi standing above them, their phase rifles still held at the ready, parallel to the deck.
T’Pol moved to the door’s control panel. “The controls are nonfunctional. The power source is down.”
“Help me pry it open,” Reed said. Everyone except Theras moved to help. After several seconds, the doors cracked open slightly, then widened to a gap that was just barely wide enough to squeeze through with a bulky environmental suit.
Inside the chamber, an eerie sight awaited. The Aenar were all standing, or supporting those who could not stand, and staring toward the boarding party with their sightless eyes. Their whitish skin gave off a strange phosphorescence in the glow of the night-vision gear, making them appear almost to be apparitions of some kind. The fact that their clothes were uniformly torn and ragged only enhanced the creepy image, sending a chill down the length of Reed’s spine.
“I see you got them all calmed down,” Shran said to Theras, his tone still edged with condescension. The Andorian scanned the crowd, and Reed assumed he was most likely searching for Jhamel.
“Theras, please tell them that we are going to distribute the transponders now,” Reed said over his suit’s com. “Each of them should have two, just in case one of them fails.” He thought it more likely that some of the drugged, frightened, and trembling Aenar would drop their transponders before any of the devices failed, but he wasn’t about to say that aloud.
“Tell them they don’t need to fear the transport process,” T’Pol added. “And that they’ll be safe again once they’re aboard Enterprise.”
“Understood,” Theras said. Reed could see from Theras’s profile that his antennae were pressed forward, touching his helmet’s faceplate as though trying to escape.
After the first several drug-numbed Aenar had received their transponders, Reed sent a burst transmission from his com unit to Enterprise, hoping the signal would penetrate the shroud. Long seconds elapsed, and suddenly, a shimmering light enfolded one of the Aenar.
As she sparkled into nothingness, the beam cast a glow that made the holding cell clearly visible for a moment. Reed was disgusted by the filth he saw around him, and felt relieved that the abductees were about to leave it behind.
Time seemed to stretch to an eternity, and he tried not to consider what would happen if their plan were to fail. Had the transporter just sent another Aenar’s atoms into oblivion? If so, the Enterprise was not likely to beam anyone else out, the boarding party included, at least not before weighing the risks further. And there was precious little time for that.
Before gloom could descend over him completely, another Aenar disappeared in a glimmer of light. Twenty seconds later, another, then two, then another pair, vanished.
“Yes!” Corporal Peruzzi exclaimed over her suit’s com system. “It’s working.” He rarely heard the attractive young woman say anything; Reed noticed much earlier that whenever she did speak, she tended to communicate about half of her thoughts via her restlessly gesturing hands.
“Where is Jhamel?” Reed asked, not specifying whether he was asking Shran or Theras. He didn’t want to seem to have taken sides in that particular affair of the heart.
“She’s still here,” Shran said.
“As are my other bondmates,” Theras added.
Reed turned his back on the door and tried to count the number of remaining Aenar. Three seemed to be the limit for simultaneous beam-outs so far. Moulton is smart not to overtax the system, he thought. But as he watched, the next beam-out only took two, then after long seconds, one other was transported away. He counted about nine remaining Aenar, in addition to the six-person rescue team. Jhamel was standing with Shran and Theras, but Reed thought their other two bondmates might have been among those last few who had just transported.