Star Trek: The voyages of the USS Apollo

Chapter Forty: The Institute

The Cardassian Imperial Science Institute was a large and magnificent building indeed. But while on the outside it was beautiful, on the inside it was a butcher's den. Throughout the entire Institute the scientists were developing not tools of peace, but weapons of war. Engineers were designing and testing new weapons that could defeat both star ships and foot soldiers. Physicists were developing new forms of energy that could power these weapons of mass destruction. Biologists were developing engineered viruses that could murder enemy troops or civilians from the insides and had just tested it on an Acadian prisoner. Strapped onto a metal table was the fresh corpse of an Acadian slave who had been randomly selected to serve as the test subject for a new bioweapon that the Cardassian Empire were developing to conquer the Galaxy. The innocent man had just been injected with a single vial of "The Purifier" and had died within minutes. All over his body were bulging red boils that had hurt terribly as they slowly yet painfully killed him and blood was pouring out of his mouth, eyes, nose, ears and eyes. Forming small puddles of blood around his head. Standing above him were two Cardassian scientists who were grinning at the results of their latest experiment. Delighted at the diabolical outcome of this atrocity, the first scientist said "I must say, the Purifier really does do it's job, don't you agree?" The second scientist had an evil grin on his face as he answered "Yes my good friend. With this, we can easily take over an entire planet and the fools won't be able to fight back!" The two of them then started laughing in evil unison, finding great pleasure in murdering innocents if it meant furthering the goals of the Cardassian Empire. Which was little more than domination and genocide.

Just then, a mist of green energy appeared behind them as a Cardassian soldier materialised behind them. The two of them looked over at the soldier, who was just behind the safety line to see and hear him scream at the sight of the dead Acadian. The scientist to the right took three steps forward and angrily said "This is a highly classified operation!" Knowing that 'he' had to act fast, the soldier began to change his shape. His body changed into an orange gelatinous form and into the original form of Ada, the Changeling working in the Gamma Quadrant Exploratory Fleet. As Ada finished her transformation back into her original form, one of the Cardassian scientists screamed "It's a Changeling!" Ada then changed both her hands into frying pans and hit the closest scientist on the head on both sides! Knocking him out cold! As the first scientist fell to the ground, the other ran to a communicator on his desk to warn security. But Ada changed her left arm into a cowboy lasso and threw it at him, tying him up and causing him to collapse to the ground. The scientist who had been hit on the head with her own hands began to regain consciousness and Ada knew she had to act fast. Ada began to look frantically around the room for anything that could help and saw some spare straps on a rack at the other side of the room. Ada knew this would have to be quick, so she let go of the scientist that was tied up and stretched her arms over to the straps. After grabbing them she pulled them back to her and almost froze as she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Thinking fast, she turned around and kicked the scientist in the stomach, causing him to lose control as Ada then punched him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. As he fell to the ground, Ada rolled him over and grabbed his arms, quickly tying them up with the straps and then grabbing the barely awake scientist next to him. As Ada finished tying both of them up, the first scientist said "I should've known that one day a damn Changeling would show up here, trying to destroy our glorious empire!" Ada looked at the scientist and asked "Where did they develop the Supernova?" The scientist laughed and asked "You really think I would just tell you where we developed our glorious Supernova?" Ada looked very stern as she said "Yes. I do."

Ada looked around the room and saw a vial that had a green liquid inside. Ada then walked over, picked it up and the scientist immediately started to panic, saying "Now wait just a minute, hold on, hold on. I can tell you. Okay?" Ada looked over at the scientist and asked "Where did they develop the Supernova?" The scientist, knowing full well that the liquid in the vial would do to him what it did to the dead Acadian on the table, reluctantly answered "Everything you want to know about the Supernova is on the Director's computer in his office. It's at the centre of the Institute... Oh no I'm in trouble for this." Ada put the vial down and walked over to the door. Ada then slammed her hand on the activation button and the circular door opened. Ada then walked through and the door closed automatically behind her. Upon arriving in the hallway with circular walls, Ada pressed on her com badge and asked "Rear Admiral. I need a scan of the Institute to identify where the Director's Office is. Can you transport me there?" Back on the runnabout, Ethan answered "Checking now Ada." Ethan pressed a few buttons on his console and the scan results emerged. Upon reading the results, Ethan pressed on his com badge and said "There is an office that contains various luxury items. No doubt that's the Director's Office. But we can't transport you there." Desperate to defeat the Cardassians, Ada asked "But why?" Ethan then answered "We can only do one more encrypted transport without alerting the Cardassians to our presence. You need to head there on foot. Or maybe steal one of their com badges and trick them into transporting you there?" Ada agreed and said "Alright then. I'll do it."

Ada then started walking through the halls, hoping to find a soldier to ambush and steal the com badge from. She turned several corners until she finally heard talking. She walked slowly and quietly across the hallway, until she arrived at the door where she heard the talking coming from. Ada then heard footsteps and knew that someone was about to come out. So she ran back down the hallway and hid behind a corner. She then heard the door open and heard footsteps coming her way. The Cardassian soldier had sworn that he had just heard someone running, so he began walking towards the corner. He was certain that he had heard footsteps and could now hear a strange sound of semi-solid liquid changing shape. Finally he turned the corner to see a tired scientist who was trying to catch his breath. The soldier then asked the scientist "Were you running." The scientist looked at the soldier and answered "Yes. I thought I was late for an important meeting and just realised the actual time. I'll walk the rest of the way from here." The soldier looked suspicious, but then decided to walk past the 'scientist'. He didn't get very far, as his phaser was suddenly grabbed from it's hoister and used against him on stun mode. As he fell to the ground, Ada reassumed her original form and made he way to the room the soldier had come out of with the phaser in hand.

When Ada arrived at the door she listened carefully to make sure no one was inside and knew that she had to make her move now. So Ada pressed the button to open the door and it slid open. As it did, Ada saw that she was in luck. The room was a transporter room, with two men handling the transports on a console. Ada knew what she had to do. So she walked inside as the door closed behind her and said "Hands up!" The two men looked behind them to see Ada aiming a phaser at them and quickly put their hands in the air. Ada then walked over to them while still aiming the phaser at them and said "The Director's Office. Now!" One of them turned around and input the coordinates to the Director's Office. Ada then slowly walked over to the transporter pad and walked up on it. Ada then said sternly "Transport now." Hoping that the Director was inside so that he could alert security, the two men enacted the transport and Ada was engulfed in a mist of energetic sparkles and transported straight into the Director's Office.

Director Rejal was a busy man indeed. He had been in his office for about an hour, doing paperwork regarding the latest research as his personal guard watched over him from behind. As Rejal wrote his signature on yet another request for research funding, he said "Who knew that conquering a Galaxy of barbarians and savages would involve so much paperwork?" As he was about to sing another file, sparkles of yellow light appeared at the centre of his office next to a chair and table and a Human looking woman with a phaser appeared from out of those sparkles. Ada saw the guard and quickly phased him unconscious. As the guard fell to the ground, Director Rejal was about to alert security, but before he could press his communicator, Ada fired a warning shot next to his window and said "The files on the Supernova. Now." Director Rejal looked repulsed and angry as he said "I will never betray the Cardassian Empire." Ada then walked over with her phaser and said "Listen. I don't want to fight you, but you have little choice." Despite Ada's warnings, Rejal still refused and Ada didn't want to threaten him any further. So she got an idea. While still aiming her phaser at Rejal, Ada pressed on her com badge and said "Rear Admiral. I think the Director's computer may have the files we need. Why don't we transport it up to the runnabout?" Back on the runnabout, Ethan answered "A non-living object would be easier to encrypt and we would still be able to beam you up as well without revealing ourselves. Very well. Just be quick about it." 

Ada then motioned for the computer and said "Remove the computer and put it on the table." Rejal refused and said "I will never do so." Only for Ada to aim her phaser much closer, convincing him that she was serious. So he knelt below the desk and removed the wires connected to the computer and lifted it onto the desk. Ada then picked the sphere shaped computer core up with her left arm, pressed on her com badge and said "One to beam up." Ada was then engulfed in green sparkles of energy and transported up to the runnabout. After Ada disappeared, Rejal activated his communicator and said "I require a medical unit and security team in my office immediately. My computer containing the classified files on the C.I.S.S Supernova has been stolen. Red Alert." The lights around the office and the entire Institute then turned red and alarms began blaring as security soldiers began racing around the Institute to find the thief who had stolen the computer containing the classified files on the Supernova. They expected to find them still on Institute grounds or in the city limits. But little did they know that the thief and her comrades were already flying far away from New Cardassia Prime at Warp Five towards the Gamma Quadrant Exploration Fleet with exactly what they needed to stop the doomsday weapon known as the C.I.S.S Supernova.