Task Force: Gamma

uvek

Tarval smiled at his friend. He and Uvek had worked together for 9 years now. They had become as close as two friends could, and shared life and death situations together during their time in the Tal Shiar. Uvek smiled back, slightly surprised.

"Here," said Tarval, "I brought the device." Uvek held out his hand, puzzled, and received a black box about the size of a toaster. He looked at his friend in shock.

"Why are you giving me this?" he asked, as Tarval moved away, "and aren't you dead?" Tarval smiled. He moved further away and Uvek moved with him. "I don't want this" he said. He moved to hand it back to his mate. Without warning Tarval lunged forward. He grabbed Uvek and slammed him against the wall. Right before Uvek's face Tarval began to change. His features melted as madness entered his eyes. He grew, undulating and thick, like some great long serpent. His face distorted and his voice hissed out against Uvek's ear...

"Too late, old friend," sneered the giant Tarval-snake. "You made your choice, now live with it!" The device in Uvek's hand also changed. It molded itself into Uvek's skin, becoming one with his hand. Tarval-snake wrapped around the tactical officer's body and squeezed. Each squeeze seemed change Uvek himself. His body elongated, his legs fused together and he, too, became half snake!

Suddenly he was in engineering. Slithering on the floor toward the Hartington's warp core. Lt. Ghan, Lt. McTavish, and Petty Officer Koester looked at him. McTavish smiled at him, while Ghan waved his hand in disdain.

"I knew he was a snake," muttered Koester. Uvek shook his head. This wasn't right. He slithered to the warp core itself, and slung his device hand onto the dilithium chamber door. The box detatched itself and Uvek was Romulan again.

"RUN!" he cried to the team. "RUN, GET OUT!" The men looked at him. Who'd believe a Romulan, let alone one sent to kill them? They laughed at him until the bomb exploded, rupturing the warp core and destroying the Hartington in one flash.

"NOOOOOO!" Cried Uvek as he sat up, bathed in sweat, the nightmare falling away from his conscience. The lights adjusted upward in response to his movements and he again realized that he was in his quarters. He was shaking and trying to control his breathing when he made it to his desk. Swivelling the computer console to face him, he punched in the code for the counsellor's office.

"Counsellor," he said swallowing. "I may need your services sooner than expected."