Chapter 3
Yes, they were inside, but they were no closer to finding Kathryn than before. The interference that was distorting the readings on Voyager became even greater inside the structure, and Chakotay had long since placed the useless tricorder behind his belt. They were going to have to search room by room.
They were nearing the end of the hallway, when Chakotay heard a scream. He stopped dead in his tracks, causing the EMH to run into him and nearly topple over. The Commander turned abruptly, catching the vacillating doctor by the elbow, and, before the latter could open his mouth, asked in a loud whisper, �Did you hear that?�
The EMH gave him a quizzical look and grumbled, straightening himself out, �Actually, I was more concerned with not falling on my face in the middle of the hallway, and, in the future, I would appreciate a little warning before you decide to stop. However, if you are referring to what sounded like a woman�s cry, yes, I did hear it.�
Chakotay sighed, shaking his head. �Thank you, Doctor, but a simple �yes� would have sufficed.� He raised his phaser and leaned against the wall, listening to the sounds that emanated from behind a large wooden door. There were sounds of a struggle, and then a woman screamed again, but her scream died out quickly, overpowered by a rough voice of a man. Chakotay paled. It wasn�t Kathryn behind that door, he was sure of it. But that did not matter, for he had a pretty good idea of what was going on in there. He threw a quick �stay here� to the worried EMH and flung the door open with his free hand.
�Get off her,� he hissed through half-clenched teeth, aiming his phaser at the man on the floor.
The Athrinian, who seemed quite shaken by this sudden intrusion, quickly regained his composure and smiled coldly at the uniformed man. �You are trespassing, friend,� he said, slowly standing up.
The woman crept away from him, clutching her torn dress and trying to shield her bared breasts. Chakotay glanced at her young tender face, covered with traces of tears and her own blood, and he felt anger flare up inside him with a force that scared even himself. He tried hard to regain control over his senses, and his fingers squeezed the handle of the weapon so hard that his knuckles turned white.
The woman lifted her head, and her eyes, looking past Chakotay, suddenly filled with fear; her mouth opened in a silent warning. The former Maquis reacted swiftly, firing his phaser in mid-turn with an impeccable accuracy. The alien collapsed with a groan, his weapon hitting the floor beside him.
�Nice shot, Commander,� the EMH declared, cautiously stepping inside the room.
The former nodded, replacing the phaser in its holder, and walked over to the alien woman. The doctor was already hovering above her, and, due to the lack of a working tricorder, was trying to evaluate her injuries by sight. She sat on the floor, patiently enduring his examination, her hands wrapped around her bruised shoulders.
�Are you all right?� Chakotay held out his arm to her, but she shrunk back instinctively. �Do not be afraid,� he reassured her in his soft voice, �I will not hurt you.�
�I know,� she whispered, �I�m sorry, I did not mean to do that.� She took his outstretched hand and rose to her feet, throwing a look full of unconcealed hatred at the unconscious Athrinian. �Is he dead?�
Chakotay shook his head, �Only stunned.�
She reached for his phaser, but he stopped her hand. �There�s no need for that.�
She tore her hand away from him and ran her fingers angrily through her boyishly short hair. �He deserves to die,� she stated coldly.
�Perhaps, but not this way.�
She narrowed her eyes. �How would you know? How would you feel if your loved one were murdered in front of your very eyes, and you were too drugged to understand what was going on. And then � when the drug wore off, and � and you realized that � you� But then it was already too late, and you were his.� Her trembling hand pointed to the man on the floor. �And then � he began to rape you � every day � and when you refused, he beat you�� Her voice broke off, as tears welled up in her emerald-green eyes. �How would you feel?�
�I�m sorry,� Chakotay said hoarsely, lowering his head. It struck him, the thought that Kathryn, his Kathryn, might be in this woman�s position, lying somewhere on the cold floor, raped, beaten�. His vision darkened, blood pounding in his ears. The images flooded in on him, making him dizzy with horror.
�Commander, are you all right? You look very pale.� The EMH appeared to be quite concerned, and Chakotay shook his head to reassure him.
�I�m fine, Doctor. I�m just worried about Kath- � the Captain.�
The EMH placed his hand on Chakotay�s shoulder. �We will find her, Sir. Don�t worry.�
The latter nodded, closing his eyes in anguish. His voice was tense, when he spoke again. �Doctor, I want you to stay with�� he looked anticipatingly at the alien woman.
�La�Ariya,� she said quietly, keeping her stunningly green eyes fixed on him.
��with La�Ariya; help her get out to safety. I will continue searching for the Captain.�
La�Ariya�s voice stopped him just as he was about to head out the door. �This Captain � she means a lot to you, does she not?�
He stiffened, taken off guard by this question. The calm steady gleam of the young woman�s eyes had not left his face, studying his poorly hidden emotions.
�Yes,� he murmured huskily, meeting her stare.
She nodded her understanding and quickly strode over to the unconscious Athrinian. Bending over him, she picked up his weapon and turned back to Chakotay. �Who was it that had taken her?�
�Sedaar,� he said, all of his hatred locked into that one name.
She nodded again. �She must be on the second floor. He keeps his women up there.�
�His women?�
�Oh, yes,� a short bitter laugh escaped her lips, �he has quite a few of them to satisfy his needs. They all do. You�d be surprised how many ships those bastards lured onto their world. Each ship � an addition to their harems.� Her voice was now seething with rage, her eyes burning with an all-devouring fire. She became a dreadful Fury; the once tender lines of her bruised, bloodied face, frozen in a cold merciless expression of hatred. Noticing the concerned looks of her two saviors, she quickly took control of her raging emotions and, with a look of cold determination, adjusted the pitiful remains of her dress on her thin shoulders, forcing a reassuring smile on her lips. �Don�t worry about me or them. You need to get your Captain out. I�ll be fine on my own.� She raised her newly acquired weapon to emphasize her last words. �Thank you � both of you. And good luck.�
With that, the young woman disappeared into the semi-darkness of the hallway.
* * *
They found her, lying asleep on a long gray sofa. Chakotay felt his heart beat faster and faster as he approached her, fearing to see the same signs of crude force that he saw on La�Ariya�s face and body. But, no, she seemed untouched. He let out a sigh of relief and turned to the EMH. The latter already had his hypospray ready, and, getting the go-ahead from the Commander, he pressed the device against Janeway�s neck, releasing the allotted dosage of the medicine into her bloodstream.
She jerked awake, her blue eyes wide with horror, staring at the two men without even a hint of recognition. �What are you doing? Who are you?�
�It will take some time for my medicine to start having an effect,� the doctor responded to Chakotay�s questioning look. �She will be disoriented for quite some time.� Then, turning to his patient, the EMH declared calmly, using the kindest of his bedside smiles, �It is all right, Captain. We will not harm you. We are here to take you home.�
�Come,� Chakotay held out his hand to her, urgency evident in his voice. �We must leave before someone detects us.�
�But��
�Come,� he insisted, and she complied after a moment of hesitation.