"The Betrayal" snippet from Chapter 7 b

While the rest of the ship had been horrific, none of it compared to the bridge. The blast that had destroyed CIC had sent splinters racing through the bridge. Human bodies didn’t stand a chance against flying projectiles like that, and the splinters had killed everyone on the bridge. Fighting the urge to retch, Kate found herself looking away from the floating blood and bodily matter that was in the air.

Necko wasn’t even as bad as this, she told herself as she swallowed hard to keep the bile at bay.

Spotting the main computer, she floated across the shattered bridge. While everything else had been destroyed, by some shear stroke of luck, the computer hadn’t been. How that had happened, Kate reflected, was a mystery she would never untangle-even if she had felt motivated to do so.

A sigh escaped her lips as she used a hand to pulled herself down before the computer. With her free hand, Kate typed in her command authorization code. Several long second passed as the damaged computer worked on her request. Without a sound, the computer recognized her codes and opened up to her.

Moving with haste due to her timetable on air, Kate struggled to patch the damaged computer in the Roanoke’s. A surge of pride raced up her spine as she finished the network patch. Now, she mused, they would be able to draw everything they need from the main computer, provided its separate power source didn’t die.

“Bridge,” she said. “You’re linked in.”

“Roger, Skipper,” Malone said. “Downloading now.”

Kate felt a body bump into hers, which made her start to turn to push it away. However, her jaw dropped when she saw Janice Longs’ body before her. A horrified, agonized expression was on Long’s face as she floated before her. Sobbing uncontrollably, Kate reached up gingerly and took one of Long’s hands in her suited one’s.

Pulling her body down to hers, Kate hugged Long tight to her. Unable to wipe her face clean, she just let the tears run as she held her dead friend. Floating free in the bridge, the two of them pirouetted for several minutes amongst the dead. Kate closed her eyes to the sights around her and let her mind drift back in time.

Memories of shared time together flooded her mind as she floated there. Laughter they had shared brought a weak smile to Kate’s face. The bouquet of flowers and bottle of champagne that Long had sent her in congratulation of getting the Roanoke had been one of her most memorable moments. Kate pulled the shattered body tight to her flight suit as she cried, cried and cried.

Never again will I let someone kill another friend of mine, Kate thought as she finally let go of Long’s body.

A sudden convulsion struck Kate’s body as she began to thrash. Crying out in agony, visions and memories flooded through her head in a rush. A meeting with Reyes replayed in her mind, and not the way she remembered it. She could see him taunting her, telling her how he knew she wouldn’t remember what he had done…

Screaming in deep, soul-rending anguish, Kate opened her eyes, and realized that she remember everything. There was nothing in her life that she didn’t remember anymore, and an intense hatred started to flare deep in her soul. How dare this be done to her, she raged! Who did Reyes think he was taking her memories?

“Kate!” Loving’s voice was frantic in her ears. “Kate! Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you,” Kate said as she opened her eyes again to true reality.

“Are you okay?”

“I remember,” she said. “I remember it all…”