Star Trek: Erin

Part 34: Exodus

     I beached on blessedly solid atrium floor as Tetra and Najjar arrived. Najjar went to help me up by my forearms, but I flinched away at the last second, picking myself up. He frowned, but the expression cleared when he saw the state of them.

     I guess I was a bloody, exhausted sight. And a smell, after crawling around the stinky tunnels.

     To my surprise, Tetra wrapped an arm around me in a quick hug. "Scared us there, Cobos," she said, pulling back.

     I grinned. "Sorry." God, it felt good to see familiar faces.

     "You said you found survivors?"

     "Yeah. Remember the red bulbs we kept seeing? Those are sort of like cloning pods." I gestured at the floor. "The plants kept everyone it collected, and they have a camp or something down there. But even after we get them out, the clones, they're completely sapient. Order 24 would wipe out people." I managed to keep my voice level, but fury reignited in my heart. Lata had killed who knows how many.

     "I don't doubt the people it makes should be preserved, but the plants themselves? Anyway, all the clones should be gone, based on what I heard from Lata."

     I blinked. "You spoke with her?"

     "She took your clone's communicator." Tetra's eyes darkened. "Gabriel got on the channel first, told us what Lata had done. I may have made... threats."

     "Bloody murder?" I suddenly remembered Najjar's presence and glanced at him guiltily. I should shut the hell up.

     "Something like that." Tetra's hand drifted to where her bowie knife sheath used to be. "Najjar, check in with the Enterprise."

     He could take a hint. Left alone, I spread my hands. "Lieutenant, the situation might be more complicated than we think. It's possible there are more survivors than those I found. If the whole place is torched, we might be incinerating other people. I won't argue about destroying the plants. In the wrong hands, they could do a lot of damage. But to immediately destroy the place is irresponsible. The Enterprise could set in for a few days, make sure everyone is accounted for, then do what it must. What?"

     I'd realized Tetra was considering me with a thoughtful expression. "I like this dimension," she said softly.

     I raised an eyebrow.

     "When I hugged you. Anyone from my dimension would've stabbed me. You should've been expecting to be stabbed. Jam a knife in your neck and I'd move up the ladder."

     "Uh, cool?" She was thinking about stabbing me?

     "But I hugged you. It was automatic, and neither of us died." Tetra smiled. "So, thank you. For helping me get here. I know my predecessor's death hit you harder than others. It can't be easy for me to wear her face."

     "I didn't know her." That hurt to admit. "It's why she died that hit hard. But I don't blame you. I don't even think of her as you, actually."

     "Neither does Sprite, but I transferred him anyway. Didn't want things to get... difficult."

     It'd never occurred to me that Sprite wasn't working under Tetra anymore. We hadn't talked enough since the incident for it to come up.

     We should finish with the current situation. I squared my shoulders and tilted my head at Najjar, who'd been discretely watching. He rejoined us. "Everyone from the satellite is decontaminated, and the party Junior Lieutenant Cobos found is being beamed to the Enterprise. We are low priority. Should I relay...?" He glanced at my forearms.