The Light (5 page)

W
ith the bright lamp on her phaser rifle guiding the way, Domenica Corsi stepped cautiously through the tunnel beneath the Borg cube and led her shipmates into the unknown. This was one of those rare occasions where she felt like both an explorer and a security officer—not only protecting the others under her care, but stepping headlong into a situation with variables she couldn't account for or predict. She didn't know what would be waiting for them at the end of the tunnel or what might pop out at them along the way. What she did know was that she'd be ready for anything.

The air in the tunnel was cool and moist, a welcome change from the stuffiness above, and the scent of dirt that had been evident within the cube was stronger here, mainly because the tunnel she and the others had entered was carved right out of the earth. Corsi kept her eyes constantly on the move, scanning the ceiling and floor for any surprises while maintaining an attentive sight on the path ahead.

At one point the slope of the path dipped sharply, and the top of the passage dropped in height, forcing Corsi to crouch low, the top of her blond head brushing the ceiling. She glanced back to make sure the others were progressing without difficulty, then continued forward, her feet braced sturdily to prevent slippage. The passage shrunk to the point that they all had to continue forward on their hands and knees—except Corsi. In order to keep her phaser rifle at the ready, she decided to scootch forward on her rear-end, pulling herself forward with her boot heels and maintaining balance with one arm braced behind her. It was a bit awkward, but it was the most effective position if something should decide to jump out ahead of her.

After a time, Corsi noticed the tunnel was growing steadily brighter, and as an opening appeared about fifteen meters ahead of her, it seemed they were nearing the end of their journey. “I see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Hallelujah,” Stevens remarked from his position behind her.

Corsi slipped out from the end of the tunnel and did her best to brush the dirt off her uniform as she surveyed her new surroundings. And to her great disappointment, it appeared they'd crawled all this way only to find themselves facing a dead end. They were on a balcony of sorts that overlooked a vast open space about twenty meters across. Corsi moved close to the edge to see if there was a way down and discovered there
was
no down—at least not one she could see. Below was a drop into what looked like an endless chasm, the alleged bottom concealed by an inky blackness. A jagged rock ceiling jutted down from about fifty meters above. And to the right…Corsi could not believe her eyes.

Humanoids bustled about on dozens of narrow stone pathways that meandered up and down, and crisscrossed one another at crazy angles. The people seemed to defy gravity in some places, walking upright on the tops, bottoms, and even the sides of the paths without any indication that they were in any danger of falling off. Each path led to openings in the wall that Corsi guessed must lead to a tunnel system.

And everywhere there was light, casting a warm ethereal glow over this subterranean pathway hub. Spaced closely along the sides of each pathway and flush with the smooth rock-like material were light fixtures that provided ample light for the people walking past them. Illumination was also situated at the top of each of the wall openings, from which Corsi could now see a faint glow. Additional lamps hung suspended from the ceiling on long rods.

Corsi glanced back at Gomez, who was speaking quietly with Stevens as he helped her out of the tunnel. She couldn't hear what they were saying, and for some reason that annoyed her. “Commander,” she said, drawing both their attentions, “you've got to take a look at this.”

Gomez, followed closely by Stevens, joined her at the edge of the balcony and looked out into the void. An expression of complete awe crossed her now slackened face, and Corsi guessed it matched her own expression just a couple of minutes earlier.

“Look at all the people,” she said in a hushed voice. “Where did they come from?”

“I don't know,” Corsi said. “They sure don't look like Borg survivors, though.”

“No, they don't,” Gomez said. “And look at the light. Incredible.”

“I guess this explains where all the power from the cube is going,” Fabian said.

Corsi gave him a wry look as Pattie, Kim, and Hawkins joined them. “You think?”

“Perhaps they've always been here,” Pattie said after taking in the spectacle. “In any case, clearly we can't just shut off the power.”

Corsi frowned and looked at the Nasat. “Why not?”

“Because obviously these people have been siphoning the power from the cube to run their society for who knows how long,” Gomez answered. “Turning off the power would plunge them into darkness and throw their civilization into chaos.”

“So this has become a Prime Directive issue now?” Corsi asked. This mission had seemed so simple at the outset: enter the ship, shut off the power, go back home. This little “mystery” about the diverted power, which had intrigued her initially, had now become a much larger matter to contend with.

“You don't think it should be?” Gomez asked.

“These people,” Corsi said with a wave of her hand, “have been here far longer than the cube.”

“You don't know that,” Pattie said, her antennae waving sharply.

“Of course I do,” Corsi said. “Do you think they just sprang into existence the same time the cube crashed? Whatever resources they claimed from the ship were not part of their original society. They could have lived in these tunnels in complete darkness for millennia, for all we know.”

“Well, we
don't
know one way or the other, do we?” Gomez said.

Corsi chortled and shook her head. “Okay, so your theory is that thousands of years ago these people
did
have light down here somehow—then lost it—and the crash of the cube conveniently provided them with the means to restore their society to its natural…illumination?”

“You're putting words in my mouth, Domenica,” Gomez said, fixing her with a scowl. “And I can't believe you would rather pull the plug on these people and watch their society crumble.”

Corsi held her gaze for a moment, then looked away.
Why am I getting so worked up about this?
“No, of course I wouldn't. I'm just saying that the Prime Directive is not something that should be considered in this situation, whether it looks like a textbook case or not. I'm sorry I even brought it up.”

“You do bring up an interesting point, however,” Pattie said, gazing out at the oblivious pathwalkers. When she turned back, her antennae flicked like the batons of dueling orchestra conductors. “If this does appear to be a textbook Prime Directive situation, why
shouldn't
it be considered?”

“Because determining that one way or the other is not on our agenda right now,” Gomez said. “If this debate does need to be hashed out, then Captain Gold will want to be involved. Right now, we've made our observations, we have our theories, and now we're going to report in.”

Gomez turned away and tapped her combadge. “Gomez to
da
—” She broke off and let out a startled yelp, falling back a step in response to whatever had startled her.

And as Corsi spun around, she immediately saw what that something was. Crouched in the opening of the tunnel was one of the native humanoids, a female. Her pallid face appeared young, though her long dreadlocked hair was a dusty gray and made her seem older. Her eyes were big, with large pupils that covered half her dark green irises. A thin ridge of bone jutted out across her forehead, just over the eyes, and then disappeared within the layers of her hair. It was like a natural sun visor, though of course there was no sun to speak of here.

As Corsi, Hawkins, and Kim swung their weapons around, the mounted light beams flashed the newcomer with white light. But the blast of illumination didn't have the expected result. Instead of cringing from the light as most people would, the native woman gasped in exultation and took a sudden step forward. The team from the
da Vinci
reacted in turn by recoiling backward a step. Pattie, however, skittered backward into Stevens, knocking the tactical specialist off balance. Before Corsi realized what was happening, Stevens fell backward toward the void.

“Fabian!” Corsi and Gomez called at the same time.

Corsi twisted around and reached for him, but it was too late. Stevens was out of reach, and she could do nothing but watch as he toppled off the edge of the balcony with nothing but a bottomless chasm to break his fall.

E
xcept he didn't fall.

A laugh of relief almost exploded from the pit of Corsi's stomach when Fabian bounced back and hung suspended in the void as though caught on a cushion of air. Stevens's cry of alarm was cut short as he realized he wasn't plunging to his death after all. He threw his arms out instinctively to grab onto something, even though it clearly wasn't necessary. Emotions of shock, fear, and wonder fought for control over his face, and when he finally looked back at his friends on the balcony, a relieved grin spread across his face.

“How about that,” he said, then made the unfortunate mistake of looking down. The grin changed into a sickly frown, and a groan burbled through his pale lips.

“Hawkins,” Corsi said as she slung her rifle over her shoulder. Her deputy chief knew immediately what she had in mind and clasped her hand as she held it out to him. At the edge of the balcony, Corsi braced her right foot against his left, then leaned out into the chasm.

Corsi stretched her arm out as far as she could and felt her shoulder, elbow, and back straining with the effort. But she was still about a meter short of her target. “Come on, Fabe, help me out here.”

Stevens reached out as well to close the gap, but they were still too far apart. “I can't get any closer.”

“Pretend you're in a tank of water,” Gomez said. “Use your arms to push yourself closer.”

Fabian's body contorted a bit as he struggled into a more upright position, then he did as Gomez suggested; as though floating in a pool, he stabbed his arms forward, his hands turned on their sides like knives, then swept them away from each other. Incredibly, it worked and he floated toward Corsi, the momentum carrying him within reach. She finally managed to grasp his sleeve and pull him forward. At the other end of their chain, Hawkins leaned away and did his part to help reel them both back.

Once Stevens was back within the shelter of the balcony, the effects of the air bubble ceased, and gravity claimed him again. He stumbled forward into Corsi and nearly sent them both tumbling to the floor. Fortunately Hawkins was there and kept them upright.

“Are you all right?” Gomez asked.

Stevens still seemed to be in a bit of a daze. “Yeah, yeah. I mean…wow, that was weird. I thought for sure I was a goner.”

Pattie clamored forward, her antennae swishing about like windswept reeds. “I'm so sorry for knocking you off the edge, Fabian. I don't know what I would have done if that gravity bubble hadn't caught you.”

“Well, I'd hope you'd say something nice at my funeral,” Stevens said with a grin. Pattie smiled with relief.

“Gravity bubble,” Gomez said as she took a step toward the edge. “Pattie, I think you're right. This must be some sort of gravity well. The whole area out there could be zero-g, or there might just be random bubbles floating around like balloons. It would certainly explain how those people can walk upside down and at forty-five-degree angles in relatively the same location.”

Whatever,
Corsi thought and turned her attention back to the native woman who had started the whole chain of events. “Speaking about those people…”

Gomez turned toward the woman and smiled, raising her hands in a non-threatening manner. “I'm Commander Sonya Gomez, of the Federation Starship
da Vinci
.” Corsi had a feeling that that wouldn't mean anything to the woman, but she kept quiet. “We mean you no harm. We're explorers, and we came down from above because we were curious about—”

The native made a sharp guttural noise, like the reverse honking of a goose, that startled the group and cut off Sonya's introduction. Corsi tensed, prepared for any sudden attack, but none came. In fact, to the surprise of them all, the woman actually spoke.

“You come,” she said, then hopped from the end of the tunnel to the floor. The away team stepped aside as she ran across the balcony and, to Corsi's astonishment, leaped off the edge like an Olympic diver. She did a graceful midair somersault, then, with subtle arm and leg movements, turned around so she was facing them again. “You come!”

Her short vocal bursts had caught the attention of the pathwalkers in the hub, many of whom stopped and turned to see what the commotion was about. Corsi could see them talking to one another as they first looked at the native woman hovering in the air, then directly at the balcony where the away team stood.

“Well, what do you think?” Gomez asked her, then smiled. “Or do I even need to ask?”

“Obviously I'm reluctant to follow her into an area where we'll be outnumbered,” Corsi said. “We don't know where she plans to lead us or what her intentions are when we get there.”

“They don't seem to show any outward signs of hostility,” Pattie noted.

Corsi looked down at the Nasat. “I'm sure the Bajorans said the same thing when the Cardassians arrived.” She looked out into the hub, where all of the natives were now watching and waiting. The native woman continued to gesture with an eager smile on her face, insisting that they come with her. For all Corsi knew, she could be inviting them all into her stew pot. She looked back at Gomez. “It's ultimately your decision, Commander.”

Gomez nodded. “We're going. But keep alert, just the same.” At that, Gomez took a breath and leaped off the balcony. Like Fabian before, she didn't fall and instead seemed caught up in a nul-gravity pocket. Unfortunately, she must have pushed off a bit too strongly, because she flipped over a few times before she managed to right herself and “swim” toward their native guide, who had now drifted closer to the nearest pathway.

Hawkins stepped next to Corsi, a silly grin on his face. “I have to say, Commander, that it actually looks like fun.”

“Knock yourself out,” Corsi said, then smirked as she shoved him softly off the edge. He croaked in surprise and let go of his phaser rifle, but it too just floated nearby, and he was able to retrieve it with little effort.

“You enjoyed that,” Hawkins called back to her.

Corsi couldn't keep the smile from her face. “Can you tell?” Hawkins scowled at her, then she turned to Fabian. “Well, can you do it on your own this time, or should we get Pattie to knock you off again?”

Stevens did it on his own, then Pattie followed after giving herself a running start from the rear of the balcony, and then Kim.

“Your turn, Dom,” Stevens said.

So it is.
Corsi slung her rifle again and peered over the edge. It was a long way down, and if this floating business didn't work for her for some reason…No, that was ridiculous. She was just stalling, giving in to the hesitation niggling in the back of her brain. The others were floating out there in front of her eyes, and there was no reason to believe it would be any different with her.

She took a breath, then jumped off the balcony, turning over so that she landed on her back. Of course, she didn't land anywhere, and instead floated in the gravity well just like the others, most of whom were some distance ahead. Pattie seemed to have the most difficulty making her way through the air, all eight of her appendages working away frantically as her body tipped this way and that.

Corsi had to admit the feeling of weightlessness was a pleasant one. As a Starfleet officer, she'd had her zero-g training, of course, and over the years opportunities had arisen that required her to embark into the void of space to perform her duties, but this subterranean location was the last place she expected to be floating around without gravity.

“Swimming” through the air was a little harder than it looked, though. Corsi kept wanting to push off with her feet, but there was nothing to push off from. She watched Fabian a ways ahead of her, then, matching his approach, managed to get some pretty good momentum going.

This
is
fun,
she mused and decided to keep that thought to herself.

By the time she reached the pathway, the others were already waiting. Corsi wasn't sure how they managed to remain grounded to the pathway itself and suspected there might be some additional power being utilized beneath it to generate an anti-grav effect.

The natives on this path—and every other path for that matter—stared openly at the away team, and Corsi kept a close eye on them as well. They appeared pretty docile, but one never knew in these situations.

Corsi caught movement down and to the right and saw a male native looking up at her from beneath the pathway. She cocked her head as she processed the odd sight, then shook it off.
Weird.

“You come,” the native woman said once again, then headed for the opening in the cavern wall. Corsi fell into step with Gomez as the
da Vinci
's first officer followed their guide, while the others trailed behind with Hawkins and Kim bringing up the rear.

As they walked, Gomez tapped her combadge to try contacting the ship again. “Gomez to
da Vinci
.” There was no response.

Pattie was already pointing her tricorder at the rock walls and ceiling. “I'm afraid we won't be able to contact the ship from down here, Commander. I'm detecting trace amounts of something similar to kelbonite in the rock. It's refracting communications.”

“Perfect,” Corsi muttered, but Gomez just nodded as though she'd expected this.

“I already mentioned this possibility to Captain Gold,” she said. “For the moment, let's just stick with our host. If necessary, we can always send someone back.”

Assuming they let us,
Corsi thought.
But I swear, if we're being led to a kitchen, I'm shooting first and asking questions later.

Their guide brought them through a dimly lit corridor that smelled of dirt and stone. Light fixtures were embedded in the solid rock of the ceiling and spaced out every three meters. They didn't give off a whole lot of light, but it was enough for Corsi and the others to see where they were going.

The native woman led them into a large room with pew-like seats that were arranged in a semi-circular fashion and appeared carved out of the floor itself. The seats faced a tall mechanical device that had power conduits leading out to connection points in the ceiling. Corsi couldn't help but see the disturbing similarity to the Borg alcoves in the cube above. As she drew closer, Corsi was shocked to see one of the natives enmeshed within the device, conduits twisting around her body like coiled serpents. She was an older woman, perhaps in her sixties, with a gaunt frame, bright piercing blue eyes and long thin gray hair that hung from her scalp like spiders' silk. Dark tendrils were visible beneath her pale skin, giving her the appearance of someone who'd been a victim of assimilation. And although her eyes were open, she seemed not to be aware of the away team's approach.

Corsi glanced at Sonya, who had an equally astonished look on her face. Corsi found herself in the rare position of not being certain how to proceed. Her instincts would have her run to the old woman's aid, but clearly she didn't appear to be in any distress, and their guide wasn't the least bit alarmed.

“You've gotta be kidding me,” Fabian said as he stepped forward and gawked at the old woman.

Corsi decided that that pretty much summed up everyone else's reaction as well.