Ezra cautiously approached the pedestal the orb was situated on top of. He frowned in consternation, as the orb began to pulse. Ezra quickly realized it pulsed in sync with the rhythm of his own heart. Glancing at the altar, he noted that at the center was a dark pool, which reflected the glow back up at the strange orb.
Still unsure where he was, Ezra backed away slightly. As he did, the orb stopped pulsing and the glow became steady once again. Ezra frowned and surveyed his surroundings. The room was dimly light, but he could see each wall and could easily tell there was no exit from the place.
�How�d I get here?� the southerner wondered out loud, his voice echoing and re-echoing around the large, empty room. Ezra closed his eyes and considered the possibilities for a moment.
He remembered leaving the ship with the captain, and several of the others. The planet seemed like a nice break from the constant chore of exploring ruins of Confederation Colonies that seemed to be scattered from one end of the universe to the other.
JD had found a set of extensive caverns and thought it would be interesting to explore them. Vin had eagerly agreed and the seven men traveled from the landing pod toward the entrance.
Ezra�s eyes grew wide as he recalled what they found there. It was a round stone atop a tall pedestal, just like the one on the altar before him. Not sure what the stone was and curious as he always was, JD had reached out to touch the pedestal. Ezra recalled vividly the deep sense of foreboding he had gotten just before the younger man had made contact. He�d shouted a warning and pushed JD away from the pedestal and any danger it might hold. In shoving the younger man, he�d accidentally knocked into the pedestal himself. There was a bright light and Ezra had found himself in this place.
Ezra frowned and considered his options. He could risk touching this orb, in the hopes that it would transport him back to its twin and his friends or he could hope that the others would find him. Would they even look, he thought silently.
Sighing deeply, Ezra removed first one glove, then the other. Maybe he could glean something with his psychometric abilities. Cautiously, he rested a hand on the wall nearest him. Nothing in his past experience could have prepared him for the onslaught of images he received. Gasping in shock, he called to the only person who�d ever been able to bring him out of such powerful trances; then he passed out.
**
�Josiah!�
The ship�s councilor looked up in surprise. �Did any of you hear that?� he asked glancing around at his companions.
They all nodded as one. �It sounded like Ezra, but where did it come from?� Chris asked in confusion.
Vin shook his head. �It was like it was-� the navigation�s officer started, unsure how to finish.
�Like it was in your head?� Buck finished uncertainly. Everyone nodded in agreement. It definitely wasn�t a call they had heard with their ears.
Chris looked at Josiah. �You know more about his abilities than anyone, Josiah,� he stated softly. �Can he- is he�� Chris shook his head slightly, for once uncertain as to what to say.
Josiah nodded in response, knowing what the captain was trying to say. �Ezra�s telepathic,� he stated softly. �Most telepaths that Psi Corps uses can read thoughts, a few can manipulate them. It�s not impossible for one to be able to project his thoughts to another when he�s under stress.�
Chris nodded. �Any idea where he is?�
Josiah shook his head in dismay. �I can tell you this, Chris,� he said worriedly. �The only time he�s done it was when he got caught in a psychometric trance.�
Nathan frowned and said, �If we don�t find him and break the trance, he could die- or worse!�
Buck�s eyes grew wide. �What could be worse than death?� he asked, fearing the answer.
�He could lose his mind,� Josiah answered for the field medic.
Chris frowned and eyed the stone that now lay on the ground. �I guess there�s only one thing to do,� he said determinedly.
�What�s that?� Vin asked, already sure he knew the answer.
�Join him where ever that stone took him,� Chris said, looking at the other men. They nodded in agreement and as one, the men reached out and touched the stone and the pedestal it was still connected to.
In a blinding flash of light, the six men disappeared. Chris was the first to recover. He glanced around and noticed a stone on a pedestal standing in the center of a reflective pool. The stone glowed so brightly that the large room was lit almost as bright as day. Chris quickly got to his feet and surveyed the room. He saw that the others were beginning to get to there feet and nodded slightly.
Then he noticed Ezra. The southerner was sprawled on the ground, his face twisted in obvious pain. It was also painfully clear that he was caught in some kind of trance.
�Josiah,� Chris called, pointing at the stricken man.
Josiah rushed to their friend�s side and lifted him into his arms. �Ezra,� he called softly, careful not to make contact with any of the unconscious man�s flesh.
Vin knelt beside them and carefully replaced the gloves that Ezra wore almost constantly.
Josiah smiled appreciatively and nodded his thanks. He gently squeezed the smaller man�s shoulder and called his name again.
After a moment, Ezra moaned, then opened his eyes.
�J-Josiah?� he mumbled uncertainly. Blinking in surprise, he sat up and said, �You found me!�
Nathan, who had also come to kneel beside him, asked, �Are you alright?�
Ezra sighed and nodded. �I�m very tired,� he said quietly. �But I feel alright. It was�so intense. I�ve never felt anything like that before.�
�What�d you see?� JD asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Josiah and Vin glared at the younger man, but Ezra failed to notice. His voice took on a detached quality and he said, �Despair, fear, death�� Breaking off suddenly, he laid a hand against his head and blinked at JD. Frowning slightly, he asked, �Did I just say something?�
Josiah cut off whatever the young man was about to say, and instead said, �Any ideas how we get out of here?�
Chris looked around. �There�s no exit. There has to be a way out, but I don�t see it.�
�The same way we got in,� Ezra stated matter-of-factly. Without another word, he rose and regarded the glowing orb again. �It wasn�t this bright before.� He turned to his friends and said, �It�s feeding off our energy. The more people who are in this room, the stronger it grows.�
�What is it?� Buck asked shaking his head.
Ezra shrugged. �What makes you think I would know any better than you do, Mr. Wilmington?�
Buck frowned. �You seem to know a lot about it.�
The southerner sighed and turned back to the altar. �I keep seeing things. Sometimes I say something and I don�t realize what I�ve said.� He looked back at the second officer and said, �I don�t know anything consciously, Buck. It�s all from that vision I had when I touched the wall.�
JD frowned. �You sure we get out by touching that thing?� he asked uncertainly.
Ezra nodded and yawned deeply. �And we have to do it quickly, or we�ll be too weak to leave.�
Vin nodded in agreement. His head was already beginning to ache slightly and his eyes felt heavy. �We gotta get out of here,� he said quietly.
�Right,� Chris said, approaching the orb. The other men followed suit, with Josiah assisting Ezra. As they drew near, the orb began to pulse.
�We have to go now,� Ezra said softly before going limp in Josiah�s arms.
Josiah nodded and pushed him forward. The other followed suit and, as one the men touched the pedestal that the brightly glowing orb stood on. There was a bright flash of light and then everything went dark.
**
Ezra moaned and rolled onto his side. Opening his eyes slightly, he saw Vin sleeping peacefully in the bed beside him. He sat up and looked around in amazement. They were on the ship, in sickbay in fact. Ezra shook his head, trying to remember how he had come to be there and could come up with nothing. The last thing he remembered was feeling the energy being drained from him by the glowing orb on the pedestal.
�You�re awake,� he heard a voice say from behind him.
Turning, he saw Mac standing in the doorway. �Hello, Dr. MacKeon,� he said quietly. �Um, what happened?�
Mac frowned. �Jack found you all down on the surface near some caverns. Chris was awake earlier and told us about the orbs on the pedestals. As near as we can figure, the one in the cavern drained you when you made contact with it, even as it was transporting you back to the surface. You were the worst off. Vin was still weak, so Nathan told him to stay put. Judging by how quiet you are, I�d give you the same advice.�
Ezra nodded slightly and lay back against the pillow. He could still remember the vivid images he�d gotten when he�d read the wall of the room he�d been trapped in. Judging from what he�d seen, they were lucky to have made it out with their lives.
Hopefully JD would learn from the experience that he shouldn�t touch things when he didn�t know for sure what they were. Ezra smiled slightly at the thought. JD wasn�t the only one who�d learned something from the experience. Ezra had learned that he now had friends who would risk their lives and face the unknown to save him. With that comforting thought, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
End