OF RUST AND STARDUST.
CHAPTER 02. STARDUST.
Today i woke up to a smashing head ache. The lack of sleep made me feel all weak and shrivelled up like an old woman and quite frankly i'm feeling very pissed. Not only because i had to wear this skin tight star fleet uniform that feels as if it was solely constructed of leather and nylon, but also because i had to report to work at an ungodly hour of the morning. 5:00 fucking AM! which means i have to get up at four and get all groomed up before going to work! Welcome to the miserable life of an astrophysics intern. I already consumed two large cups of coffee just to keep myself from dozing off while looking at a rock sample of a meteor from a microscope.
At least i wasn't in the same division as Carol, she's like floors away from me which i am tremendously thanking god for. Like i said before, i adore my sister, but having to spend time with her almost 24/7 really drives me off the edge, that is why i am thankful that i am not working with her during office hours.
"Excuse me, Dr. Elizabeth Marcus?" A scaly woman with serpentine eyes wearing a red star fleet sweater peeked through the glass door.
"Yes?" I said, looking away from the microscope before tapping a code on a holo pad to let the alien inside.
"Admiral Marcus wants to see you in his office right away." The woman said and i nodded, i thanked the woman before she scurried off. I glanced up at my reflection on the one sided glass window across the room. The black star fleet, high collared shirt, tucked underneath the leather pencil skirt made my pale skin look even paler in contrast of its dark colours. The white lab coat fitted loosely and my hair was down in a cascade of auburn waves. I look like a grown woman with the world at her feet, if only that was the truth.
I walked out of the elevator and into the pristine white hall that lead to my fathers office, the heels of my black stilettos clicked noisily with the floor. I stopped in front of my fathers door, taking a deep breath before knocking. It only took a moment for the doors to open with the familiar swoosh.
"You wanted to see me?" I said stepping inside the wide office. My father was sitting on his big leather chair. His fingers steepled underneath his chin.
"Yes, have a seat dear." He gestured towards the chair i once sat in only yesterday, i noted that he was being gentle with me. "I just wanted to check up on how you're doing in your new lab? Any problems?" He said, almost as if he was talking to a child about his day.
"Its going great dad, everything's fine." I said with a hesitant smile. His gaze was calculating.
"Good, good. So... Its almost time for your next treatment Elizabeth, are you having any signs of your condition worsening?" He asked, his tone serious. Every month i go through this treatment where they inject me with all sorts of fluids and chemicals and they run tons of tests. The doctors said it was a type of brain malfunction that caused my condition, back then on my seventeenth birthday i started seeing delusions, memories that are not my own. Things, places, images that i've never been to or seen before kept flashing through my mind.
"Well, nothing serious really, just the same old unfamiliar images..." I said timidly. He looked at me with some interest.
"Images? What kind of images?" He asked. Something inside me kept telling me not to spill out any form of information to him, it kept tugging at the back of my mind like an alarm signal.
"Just... Just places, like beaches and buildings i've never been to before." It wasn't completely a lie, i do sometimes see fragmented images of certain places un familiar to me, i just didn't tell him about the cold blue eyes that often haunts my dreams, and the feel of cool pale fingers ghosting over my skin like a phantom in my dreams.
"Is that all?" He inquired, i nodded. "I see, well then, your next treatment is scheduled the day after tomorrow. Do not be late! Do you understand?" He said, i just nodded quietly. "Good, that is all, you may go back to work." He dismissed me and i robotically exited the room. I always did hate going to my treatments, it makes me feel like i'm not human, like i was a lab rat or something. The way they poked and injected me with unheard of chemicals, and the whole body vital scan they often do on me to see how my brain condition has affected my body, i hate everything about it.
I went back to my lab and sat on my leather chair, closing my eyes to ease the throbbing in my head. I don't take any form of pain reliever because it doesn't work for me, the doctors said that, for some unknown reason my body just burns the drugs right out of my system. But its also because of said unknown reason that any type of pain or wound heals faster for me than it should on any normal human being. I could already feel the pain subsiding as i try to relax my mind and body even more. Just as i was about to doze off my phone started lighting up. I picked up, it was Nyota.
"Hey! what's up?" I asked sitting up properly on my chair.
'Nothing much, just checking up on you. So how's the whole intern thing going?' She said from the other line.
"Well, i've got a few rock specimens from a meteor and a desk full of paper work, how's your day going?" I asked, staring at the stacks of unread and unsigned files that desperately needed my attention.
'Rough would be an understatement. So, want to meet me down at the cafeteria for some lunch, at say what... 11:30?' She said, i could hear the tapping of buttons and screens beeping on her end of the line.
"Sure, meet you there." I said.
'Great!' I could hear her grinning through the phone. I hung up and put my phone in my lab coat pocket, i still have an hour and a half before lunch so i decided to finish some of my paper work.
I stood in the elevator alone, watching the different coloured lights on the control panel. The door opened with a soft 'ding' as a vulcan boarded the lift. I remember him from yesterday. We were descending from the 20th floor of the building, and the silence was beyond awkward.
"Are you not the admiral's daughter?" I was surprised at the sudden question that pierced the veil of silence. I swallowed the lump in my throat to speak.
"That is correct, My name is Elizabeth and you are...?" I said turning towards the vulcan. His face was stoic but not harsh.
"Spock." He said curtly as he glanced down on me, his frame taller that mine.
"Well then, it is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Spock." I smiled, and held out my hand, but the tall alien only stared at my hand with a blank expression. "Mr. Spock, it is customary here on earth that when you introduce yourself to someone, you shake their hand." I said with a small laugh, feeling a lot more comfortable now.
"Yes, i am well aware of such customs Dr. Marcus but i prefer not to, for we vulcans have the ability to amalgamate thoughts and emotions with other beings through any form of physical contact." He said in a matter of fact kind of tone. I grinned at him.
"Well then Mr. Spock i would very much appreciate it if you would spare me the embarrassment of being denied a measly handshake, perhaps this way you may feel just how delighted i am to have made your acquaintance." I pressed on. This guy is a hard case to crack!
"Very well then Dr. Marcus, if you insist on pressing me to fulfil your earthly custom, then i see no reason not to oblige." He gave in, i swear i heard him sigh. He shook my hand in a firm grasp before quickly letting it go and holding both his hand behind his back.
"And please call me Elizabeth, Dr. Marcus sounds so old, and i've just turned 20." I said in a conversational manner.
"If you insist... Elizabeth." He said. I smiled at him though his expression remained the same. "Is there a particular floor you are heading towards, Elizabeth?" He asked. I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, i'm meeting with a friend at the cafeteria, perhaps you know her? Her name is Nyota Uhura." I said and i noticed how he stiffened and suddenly reverted back into his stoic self.
"Yes, i am well acquainted with Nyota. But i would assume that it would fail to please her if i were to join you." He said in a somewhat different tone. Suddenly my phone started ringing. It was Nyota, i sneaked a glance at the vulcan standing beside me.
'Hey' she said from the other side.
"Hey, sorry i'm running a bit late, the elevator takes forever to go down." I said as casually as i could.
'Its fine, i just needed to get away from a certain someone anyway.' She said, i could hear the exasperation in her voice. I sneaked another glance at Spock and sure enough he was staring at me.
"Does that certain someone happened to be a Vulcan?" I whispered to my phone.
"Perhaps you may not notice, but i can hear you even if you whisper Elizabeth. We vulcans have a highly sensitive sense of hearing." Spock said in his monotone voice, not really looking at me.
'Is that Spock?' Nyota ground out through the phone line.
"Yes?" I answered hesitantly. Just when i was about to speak again the elevator doors swooshed open, revealing a vicious looking Nyota. She stared at Spock who turned away and left the elevator without a second glance and walked up to kirk who was standing by a far window.
"Come on we can eat in your lab, i already bought the food anyways." Nyota said while holding up a sealed container. She stepped into the elevator and we started to ascend to the higher floors.
"Wait, are you... Are you guys fighting?" I asked with a slight giggle.
"I'd rather not talk about it Ell..." She said in a dead serious tone, which i ignored.
"Oh my GOD, what is that even like?" I laughed in disbelief. God this was rich! Her and 'him' would you look at that...
"Very funny Ell.." She said, i tried to hold in my laughter for the rest of the ride up, but it would seem that i failed.
I woke up with a sudden jolt, My body drenched in cold sweat. God, it was all a dream... Just a dream. But it was getting worse, the images, relaying in my mind like an old movie. This time it was not about cold blue eyes, instead it was the city, burning and shrouded in black smoke, gun fire echoed in my ears and a man kept telling me to run. His back was towards me and he kept pulling at my hand, urging me to run faster. His hair was slicked with grime and sweat and his long coat kept brushing at my legs. Then the scene dissipates only to be replaced by a dimly lit room filled with pods. I could see his pale neck as he pulls me closer towards him, his scent so real and familiar, i could feel the soft tendrils of his dark hair brushing against my forehead as i bury my face deeper into the crook of his neck. Then i woke up...
I could feel my pulse hammering against my ears as i breathed heavily. I looked at the clock and saw the time. It was only 2:15 in the morning, but i cant go back to sleep, not now, not after what i just saw. I went down to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea, as i waited for the kettle to boil-apparently even with all the advancements in technology, boiling water still takes time.- i wandered through the house. The door to my fathers office was slightly open and a dim light streamed through the opening. I peered through the gap and examined the area, ever since we were little, carol and i were never allowed into his private office, so curiosity got the best of me. Sensing that my father isn't there i opened the door wider and slipped through the gap. The room seemed old and rustic with its marble fireplace and warm brown leather couches and an antique wooden desk. I explored the foreign office and found myself surfing through his star fleet files. Our father gave carol and me access to every file in the star fleet data base but it would seem he left out a few, as it is seen in his holo pad. There is this file that features the profile of a mysterious John Harrison. It says here that he was the one that open fired at a group of unarmed star fleet officers leading to the alleged death of admiral Christopher pike and many others.
I felt something tugging at the back of my minds, something forgotten. I clicked the file that showed his picture, the holo pad projected a 3D hologram of John Harrison. My eyes grew wide as i stared down at the image of the man i saw in my delusional dreams. It was him! But how?! I jumped as i heard the kettle whistle, i heard footsteps coming from the carpeted stairs. I quickly turned off the holo pad and slithered out of the office making sure to leave the door slightly open, just as it was. I made my way back to the kitchen where i turned off the kettle and poured the hot liquid in a tea cup.
"Hey" i heard carol's raspy voice, still thick with sleep.
"Hey, want one?" I half turned giving her an innocent smile as i offered her some tea.
"Sure, what kind is it?" She asked rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Earl grey." I said while taking out another tea cup.
"Sugar and cream please, i'll be on the couch." She said and i smiled at her. She often woke up in the middle of the night, old habits die hard i suppose. I poured her tea and brought our cups with me to the living room, carol was already sat on the middle of the large L shaped couch watching an old TV show from a 'very' long time ago. I handed her her tea and she sipped at it absentmindedly.
"Cant sleep?" She asked and i nodded, staring at the cheesy show.
"Yeah, sleep... Sleep's a bit difficult lately." I said, my mind lingering on the picture of John Harrison. It cant possibly be him... Can it?
"I know what you mean, lately i couldn't sleep either. Ive been doing my research on these new prototype torpedoes, then suddenly they just disappeared out of the data base! All 72 of them, can you believe it?!" She said with a huff and a large sip of her tea.
"Hmm, where do you think they went?" I asked, suddenly intrigued. Now don't get me wrong, i'm not the heavy weaponry expert or something, but isn't it a bit odd to have 72 prototype torpedoes disappear out of star fleet data base untracked? That just screams trouble, we are talking weapons of mass destruction here...
"I don't know, but i'm gonna find out." She said, finishing off the contents of her cup then looking at me, "another?" She said and i rolled my eyes at her, taking her cup to refill it.
AN: okay i know the flow of the events are a bit slow but i have a very good reason as to why that is, in which i cannot tell you because that would spoil the story. So please do bear with me for a little longer and i swear it will be worth it!
xoxo ladymischief09