Aleck, a young girl with ragged self cut red hair and a fierce determination, had to escape the Sharlakar's forces and get the supplies her family desperately needed. With every step she took, her heart raced and her muscles screamed, yet she pushed herself harder and harder, knowing that her life depended on her speed.
As she ran through the desolate city streets, she could feel the heat of the high-energy beams on her skin, narrowly avoiding each one as they whizzed past her. The adrenaline coursing through her veins kept her going, despite the searing pain on her cheek where a beam had just grazed her moments before. She couldn't afford to slow down or stop, not until she was far away from the Sharlakar's reach.
Aleck spotted the broken window at the side of the abandoned grocery store and jumped through it, ignoring the sharp edges of glass that sliced at her skin. She landed with a thud and stumbled forward, but quickly regained her balance. She left the Sharlakar far enough behind that she could quickly grab what she needed. Aleck ran to the different isles. She stuffed the baby formula, water and random food into her back pack.
The sound of laser fire followed her, a shot sizzled past her head and sent shivers down her spine. she leapt through another shattered grocery store window, narrowly avoiding the laser beams. She hit the uneven pavement running and weaved between abandoned buildings at full speed until the sound of her pursuer's footsteps faded into the far distance.
She stopped at last and gasped for air, her side throbbing with a sharp pain.
Her fingers gripped the rough edges of the trash bin as she hid behind it, trying to steady her trembling body. She tried to quiet her growling stomach as hunger gnawed at her. The cold winter night on Etheron pierced through her thin clothes, causing her to shiver. Aleck looked up,at the two bright moons of Etheron and wished for a little less light as they illuminated the crumbling skyscrapers, their eerie light casting a haunting glow on the war torn city.
Only the distant patrolling Sharlakar transports and the slow drip of a leaky pipe could be heard in the silent city. Finally, a sense of relief washed over her; there were no signs of anyone following her. She dashed through the shadows of an alley surrounded by tall, decaying skyscrapers. As she approached one of the buildings, she slipped inside through a back door hanging off its hinges and made her way to the stairwell. Carefully navigating the broken and unstable steps, she reached the basement of an abandoned building that had been partially destroyed by fire. The cries of a hungry infant echoed to loudly from below.
Aleck's younger brother Shem stood next to her, cradling their baby sister Cara in his arms. "Shush Cara," he whispered, his voice trembling as he tried to calm the crying infant. Aleck felt a tear roll down her cheek as she watched Shem struggle to soothe their sister.
Their small hiding spot was filled with tension as Payton rocked the baby carrier back and forth, trying to muffle the sound of Cara's cries. "Please shut up, Cara," Payton pleaded under his breath. "If they hear..."
Aleck unzipped her school bag and pulled out bottles of water and formula. Her hands shook as she tried to mix the formula into one of the bottles without spilling it. She handed a water bottle to each of her brothers, who took turns taking desperate gulps.
She glanced towards the stairwell, fear gripping her heart. It had been two weeks since their father had left to try to bring back the rest of the family to the refuge he found, leaving Aleck to take care of her two younger brothers and baby sister on their own. She choked back sobs as she whispered a prayer for their safety.
Finally, the bottle was ready and Aleck attempted to feed it to Cara, but the baby just spat it out, wailing even louder. Aleck rocked her sister harder, tears streaming down her face. "Please, please stop crying," she begged.
But it was too late. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the stairwell and the children froze in terror. They had been discovered by Sharlakar patrols. Grey skinned monsters who saw humanity as nothing but food.
Without hesitation, Aleck strapped the baby into the makeshift carrier on her back. With determination in her eyes, she drew out her energy beam and aimed it at the approaching Sharlakar with their gray skin and bloodshot eyes. Despite being only eight years old, she was a skilled marksman. She took down two of them with precision shots before they even had a chance to reach her. As they fell to the ground, one of them created a hole in the already fragile floorboard upon impact. In a state of fear and panic, her five-year-old brothers also fired their weapons with impressive accuracy. However, as more Sharlakar closed in on them, they were overpowered and disarmed.,\ Aleck held her sister close while her little brothers fought and screamed against their captors' grasp. But it was all in vain as they were forcefully dragged onto the death camp transport vehicles, engulfed in the putrid stench of impending doom.
Aleck jolted awake, screaming as the memories and nightmares of her past flooded her mind. Her body trembled uncontrollably as she thrashed about, trying to escape the horrors plaguing her. Finally, the medication programmed by the computer flowed into her veins and brought a sense of calm. She felt numbness spread through her body, pushing the terror away to some distant corner of her mind.
Aleck huddled in a fetal position on the narrow medical bed, pressing her face into the scratchy pillow. She tried to focus on the sound of her own breathing, but the constant barrage of noises from the hospital flooded her cybernetic ears. The clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen below, the scurrying of a cockroach across the linoleum floor, and the distant cries and shouts of other patients created a disorienting symphony. The cool, clinical air of the room only made her feel more alone as she listened to the hushed whispers of doctors and nurses discussing patients outside their doors.
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After the war ended on Etheron, a once lush green forest world, she had hoped things would improve. The rebellion had successfully pushed back the Sharlakar invaders, and General Wallock "allowed" her and her twin brothers to take refuge with their Aunt Karla and Uncle Donny. However, the memories of the war and the ruthless General still haunted her like a vengeful spirit, tormenting her mind day and night. Her heart was heavy with grief and every dream turned into a nightmare. Just thinking about the General made Aleck feel physically ill as she relived the horrific memories.
Trembling with fear, Aleck crouched behind a stack of crates. Just an hour ago, she had been playing with the new girl in their underground base underneath the city of Carsen on Etheron. Now, she watched in horror as the girl's bruised, bloodied, and broken body was dumped outside the general's door. The little girl's once bright eyes were now lifeless, frozen in a look of terror. Blood streamed from every opening in her body.
Aleck had never heard anyone scream like that before, not even in the death camps of the Sharlakar. The sound echoed through the cramped corridors, sending chills down her spine. She saw a soldier she had fought beside stumble out from the General's office and immediately vomit in one corner.
Despite her fear, Aleck approached him. "What did he do to her?" she whispered, her voice barely audible above the chaos. "And why? We were just running by and laughing. And what did he do to you?"
The soldier sat on the ground, his uniform torn and covered in blood. He looked up at Aleck, his eyes filled with terror and despair. His hands shook uncontrollably as he muttered, "He's sick...pure evil." With a trembling hand, he lifted his shirt to reveal deep scars crisscrossing his chest. "He enjoys inflicting pain," he said hoarsely. "I tried to stop him, but he...used my Borg codes…" His words trailed off as tears streamed down his face.
As Aleck approached, the soldier suddenly stood up and reached for a knife on his belt. But before he could use it on himself, his hand was forcefully redirected by the cyborg anti-suicide programming. "I can't even end my own life to escape from him," the soldier screamed in horror, banging his fist against the ground. The weight of his trauma and powerlessness was too much to bear.
Aleck's eyes widened in shock as she felt a wrinkled hand grab her collar and forcefully pull her away from the door. Another hand covered her mouth, muffling any sound she might make. It was Colonel Mires, an old friend of Aleck's parents. "Since the general arrived to 'assist' us, we are no longer free." He whispered urgently in her ear. Aleck stared at him, confusion clouding her face. "Follow my lead, child, or you'll be the next one dragged out that door." Aleck's heart raced as she nodded in understanding.
As she lay in bed, her body heavy and sluggish from the medication, fragments of memories flooded her mind. She saw flashes of her aunt and uncle's farm, but instead of the peaceful refuge she had sought, all she could see were images of war and bloodshed. These visions haunted her day and night, blurring the lines between reality and nightmares. Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings - a sterile hospital room with white walls and machines humming in the background. Her aunt and uncle had brought her here, desperate for help and willing to scrape together what little money they had to afford the treatment at this private clinic known for its success and affordability for those with modest incomes.
With a groan, she forced her heavy eyelids open and squinted at the fluorescent lights above. A doctor, two nurses, and a technician crowded around a screen, their faces were etched with fear and shock. It was as if they had stumbled upon the scene of a disaster. The nurse closest to her muttered in disbelief, "Oh no, this isn't good." Aleck strained to see what was on the screen from where she lay on the cold metal table.
As she caught sight of the full-body scan images, her heart plummeted into her stomach. Stubby human limbs were intermixed with robotic ones, so seamlessly that only a scan could distinguish them. Her own body was a nightmare, torn apart and pieced back together with technology. She trembled in terror. What would become of her now that they knew?
The technician's voice shook as he spoke, "If they find out we have her...if they think we've tampered with her programming..."
A plump older nurse spoke up, cutting him off. "I'll say this much," she said sternly, "Dead people don't cry or scream or shake from nightmares. The lies the government has been feeding us about cyborgs being emotionless and soulless being are just that - lies."
The younger nurse clenched her fists, ready for a fight as she stood by Aleck's bed. The tech shifted uncomfortably, his eyes staring at the sleeping girl. "She's just a child," he said, his voice filled with a strange combination of fear and determination "No older than my own little girl."
The doctor, a tall and stout man with graying hair and dark skin and a body that hinted at his athleticism in his youth, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No child should suffer like this," he said firmly. "I'm scared too, but we can't leave her trapped in her nightmares."
Aleck stirred in her sleep, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she heard their conversation. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. What could she possibly ask of them? To risk their lives and the lives of their families to save her from the General's control? Or should she stay in her nightmares and know they were safe, even though she would face consequences when the General found out she was no longer useful?
Fear of the General won out as she managed to croak out barely, "Please...help me."
Dr. Bastion approached her bed and gently touched her cheek. "We will help you," he promised. "I don't care what the government says. I refuse to turn away a fourteen-year-old girl in need."
He turned to his team, his tone serious. "If anyone here is not willing to be a part of this, you can leave now with no judgement from me. But remember, if you report us to the government, they may still choose to execute you for seeing the scan."
The group sat in tense silence, knowing the consequences of being caught harboring a Borg by the government. Dr. Bastion broke the tension with a direct question to Aleck, "How did you become a cyborg?"
With a trembling voice, Aleck shared how after surviving violent attacks and death camps on colony worlds that had been invaded by the Sharlakar, they were forced to use cyborg factories to rebuild their bodies. They all had Borg codes implanted in their brains, programmed by the factory machines. It was the only way for them to survive and continue living on outer worlds.
"I don't remember hearing anything about this from our government," one nurse muttered, looking at Dr. Bastion for answers. "What about Aleck's family? Can we trust them not to turn us in?"
Dr. Bastion pulled up Aleck's family's psychological profiles and assured the group that they could be trusted with keeping their secret safe. He instructed for them to be brought into theoffice immediately.