Maybe they should have seen me

by Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Runner © Rodford E. Smith

Dr. Who © BBC

Various Star Trek References © Gene Roddenberry

Runner woke slowly her head pounding like gangbusters. The last thing she remember was following the Snow Leopard, then a shadow had rolled over her. Looking around she discovered she was in some sort of cell, heavy iron bars closing windows too small for even her minute frame allowing only a whiff of air to pass.

The smell was, educational.

She tried to stand, only to find herself chained to the floor, the short chain leading from another massive iron ring to a thick collar apparently welded around her neck.

"How did they see me" she thought to herself. "Its not like I'm a beginner at this sort of thing."

Tugging at the chain elicited little response, the restraint was to well designed even for her strength. She could barely sit up as it was, without bending over a little, and mother nature was tugging at her.

‘This could get dicy' she decided, she had no desire to make that kind of mess.

A low moan caught her attention, looking around, she could barely make out another form across from her. "Snowaters" she exclaimed, reaching out with one foot to prod the semi-concious feline. "Wake

up".

Snowaters moaned, reaching up to cradle her bruised head. "Stop yelling 'Lith" she mumbled, "I've got a headache".

Runner fairly screamed at this. "Wake up cat, I'm not any 'Lith, I'm Runner, Remember?"

At this the feline slowly tried to sit up, only to discover herself restrained the same as Runner. "Oh nooo.." she moaned, "Not again".

Runner was puzzled, "Not again?" she asked, looking at the battered cat, who had obviously managed to put up some sort of fight, unlike the surprised PSI woman.

Nodding her head slowly, Snowaters reached out one bare foot to touch Runners. "Unless you want to be the guest of Slavers, you can come with me" she answered, still rubbing her head, flakes of blood

crumbling from her fur. "Believe me, its not fun. I've done this stint before." She paused, thinking. "The problem is, we'll have to warp out as soon as we're free, they probably have good ships, you might not get home for a long time."

Runner pulled back, touching the other had allowed her erratic PSI powers to see memories she rather would not have seen, even as experienced as she was. "How could they locate me" she asked. "I used my powers to hide."

The feline giggled, then moaned as pain welled up. Reaching up, she carefully wiggled a tooth. "Not broken, just bruised" she said to herself. "Do you think your the only person on this planet with PSI powers?" she continued. "And don't you think a 'Properly Trained' slave with such powers wouldn't fetch a nice price on the interstellar market?"

Runner shivered at the thought, it wasn't the slave bit that bothered her, it was the "Properly Trained" that scared the iron from her blood.

"So, we have no tools, our cloths aren't much of a weapon and we're chained to the floor, not to mention I have to go potty bad" she managed, gritting her teeth from the sudden pressure. Something wasn't right, she shouldn't have THIS much trouble holding back.

Laying back, Snowaters groaned again. "Let me get my bearings, keep your foot touching mine" she answered. "As for your problem, your not the only one. Its a standard tactic, they give you a shot,

makes you void uncontrollable for a day. Part of the 'Training" process." She paused, taking a slow breath. "Laying down helps."

Runner looked around, no straw, no bowl, only a drain, unreachable from her locked down position. Carefully she laid down, laying one foot across the larger women's ankle. Somehow, it felt reassuring,

and the pressure receded a little, letting her think again. "Someones going to pay for this" she decided to herself.

Snowaters waited, the Star Diamond was in the wrong position to transport, it would be four or five minutes before the ancient ships orbit brought it back over the old city. In the meantime, she decided to be comfortable. The atmosphere in the cell suddenly became richer.

Runner's nose twisted at the sudden smell, she sneezed, which set her off. Totally dejected, she looked over at the cat. "Ok, that's over, now what?" she asked.

Snowaters gave a wan smile through her pain. "This."

Runner felt funny, strange lights covered her, "A transporter" she realized as the cell faded away, to be replaced by the obvious elements of a large bathroom. "We better get cleaned up" the feline said as she dragged herself erect. "We'll be in warp in a few minutes and I have no desire to be chased down in soiled clothing."

A quarter hour later a refreshed Runner followed Snowaters to the bridge, examining the old ship as she walked. "What keeps this crate together" she asked, not quite to herself.

"She's in better shape than she looks" answered the feline. "External looks are ment to deceive, but she's no speed boat, and we are defiantly being followed by something big."

Runner looked up at the huge screen before her, taking up over half the bridge wall space. It showed the planet, rapidly receding and a huge ship rapidly closing. "What are you going to do, and where is your crew?" she asked.

Snowaters giggled again, then held her head. "Ouch, I need to get to sickbay. I think I have a concussion" she managed, taking another deep breath. "As to where is my crew" she point to a floating silver ball about a meter in diameter, currently hovering over a specialized support. "Other that that, we are the crew." She paused, stretching slowly. "As to what I'm going to do, say good-bye to your planet, were out of here".

Puzzled, Runner looked back up at the screen, the other ship was clearly going to catch them, she doubted that this ship had firepower enough to fight, when a wave of nausea rolled over her. Staggering, she looked back up at the screen. The ship was gone, as was her planet. Worse she realized, she couldn't sense her own people anymore.

"Welcome to Reality Plus 29-Z, watch out for the Doctor" Snowaters managed, as she slumped in the chair, unconscious.