Personal Log - Andrea & Children - The Plan Better Work - Earth XII

Posted on Fri Oct 10th, 2014 @ 6:46am by Commodore Andrea Levine PhD

536 words; about a 3 minute read

Mission: Are You Touched?

The twins were crying.

Evenings were the hardest for the captive Levine-Grant family, especially in the past couple of weeks. Whatever happened outside and in the covert battlefield of Federation First and Starfleet and whoever else, the occupation of the planet went from stable to nervous at best, with curfews extending longer hours and armed guards peppering the streets. Andrea's mother could no longer come as often, leaving the children locked up along with their mother in their house.

During the days, the family occupied themselves as best they could. The game room has been a complete mess, both Anne and Andrea occupying the twins with games, reading books together, and playing educational holo video games, and the twins hogged their mother's attention, clinging to her constantly. Naps were only possible if Andrea stayed in the room with the two, and so were night times. Anne, wearing her best eldest-daughter brave face, was not exempt from the stress that filled the halls. While she had less problems separating herself physically from her mother, she was never too far, keeping herself close-by and always within an earshot.

But evenings were the worst. Come bed time, Cooper and Madison would refuse to get into their beds, crying and wailing into the night until their exhausted mother relented and carried them both back to her room. She tried to bring their cribs over, but that did not help much either. In the end, they would sleep in her bed, covered from all sides with pillows so they won't roll off. Only after they fell asleep could Andrea get up quietly and go out of the room, and even that break was often short lived.

And now, once again, the twins were crying, but this time they will not go to bed, not theirs and not hers. This time, they were carried -- Madison in her arms, and Cooper in Anne's, with Schlompi trotting behind them like a sentry, sniffing his way through the house.

Tonight they will spend their time in the basement, sitting and waiting for what Andrea hoped would be the blissful end to this nightmare. To their rescue. It wasn't going to be by the hands of Starfleet, but it was going to be something.

Anne gently bent to put Cooper on the floor and walked to the top of the stairs, bringing down the last duffel bag. There were three of them downstairs already, packed in a hurry, containing essentials, standing in the middle of the circle that was dimly lit by six surrounding pillars.

It was almost time. Almost time for the madness to end, for rescue to arrive, for Dani's plan -- God help that girl -- to come true, and save them. Andrea took a breath and smiled at Anne encouragingly. The girl puffed up her chest and gave her mother an encouraging smile back, a smile that made Andrea both proud and sad at the same time. No child should go through this. No child should feel the need to be strong for their parents.

It was almost time. Soon.

The twins were crying.

* * *

Commodore Andrea Levine
Professor, Starfleet Academy
Dean of Astrophysics
Tenured Researcher, R&D, Starfleet Command
Federation-controlled Earth

 

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