6. Interference
Back to the main plot. Bonus points to any of the Trekkies out there who recognise the significance of Joanna's pseudonym (yes, I truly am a geek but I'd like to think that some of you reading this are as bad as me!).The best thing about alternate timelines is you can work things however you like (I suppose this is also one of the many benefits of fanfiction too!). Thanks for reading and please review.
Without You – Breaking Benjamin
All I have is one last chance
I won't turn my back on you
Take my hand, drag me down
If you fall then I will too
And I can't save what's left of you
There is an old custom among my people. When a woman saves a man's life, he is grateful. – Nona. TOS – A Private Little War
Stardate: 2269
Jim: Aged 36
Joanna: Aged 20
Jim knew he had a way of attracting trouble. He always felt it was one of the things that made life more interesting. However, as he watched his best friend's daughter sit amongst slave-traders, arms dealers and drug smugglers that he'd spent a lifetime fighting, he had to take his hat of her. Even he hadn't managed to get himself into something this deep. The most concerning part was how at ease she looked amongst them. She'd got better at hiding her emotions as a teenager, and he'd put it down to the Vulcans that she spent so much time with, but she was never like this – completely blank. If she was feeling anything he could see no sign of it. It was like someone else had stolen her body – someone older, unfeeling, ruthless. Well, he wasn't going to rule out the possibility that she had been occupied, but that brief flicker of emotion he'd seen in the bar had put it down the list a bit.
He was distracted from his thoughts when the Cardassian beside her began to talk again. He wondered if he had some hold on her. Maybe he was forcing her to do this. He leant closer to the small gap he'd made between doors, keeping his peripheral vision on the guards dotted around the room. Breaking into this place hadn't been easy, and he didn't fancy attracting this party right now.
"Colleagues, this is-."
"My name is Antonia Salvatori. I have a proposition for you." She interrupted him swiftly and ruthlessly, her voice entirely fearless.
"A proposition?" The Ferengi looked amused and he felt suddenly scared for her. The Ferengi looked relatively harmless in comparison to the others around the table, but there were none so ruthless in business. "A Human female youth wants to offer a proposition? You do not have the lobes for such business. Sarkat was foolish to bring you here." He turned a frown on the man, who clearly bristled. He'd obviously been in trouble once tonight – he wouldn't want to be again. Jim could imagine what they did to people who they didn't like.
"You will be unfamiliar with her name – but you'll know her deeds. She was the force that outsold us to the Loterians, she got photon torpedoes to the Romulans, and she's been able to smuggle a starship across the Alpha quadrant without Starfleet noticing."
Jim blinked. He'd heard rumours about the starship – the Enterprise had even attempted to track it before they'd been pulled off-course by an ion storm. But there was no way that could have been her. She was twenty years old. No, that didn't necessarily mean anything. But she was Joanna McCoy – a Starfleet nurse, for goodness sake. She hated the sight of a phaser. What would she be doing with photon torpedoes, let alone flying a starship?
"Interesting. How do you know she does not claim for others work?"
The Cardassian frowned. "I believe it was within our best interest to know what we were dealing with so I tracked her down with much difficultly. I was as sceptical as you were, I assure you, but she proved herself to my colleagues, which, as you can see, aren't able to join us." Jim stared. He was beginning to feel like he'd walked into a parallel universe. "Certainly, I can substantiate her ability to produce the goods."
"And she just let you find her, after remaining nameless to even me for all this time?" The Human at the head of the table looked unconvinced.
"I wanted to be found." Joanna said calmly. "As I said, I have a proposition for you."
"Yes. You did. Tell me, how did you smuggle the starship? Or is that just a little girl's story?"
She looked the man in the eye. Well that was brave of her – he didn't much like the way he was looking at her. "As you say, I am a little girl. I raise no suspicion amongst Starfleet – and I would not have got so far without learning how to act the part. Besides, most know how to turn a blind eye, with the right leverage." Her voice became soft and almost threatening. "I am very good at finding leverage."
Jim felt sick. He wasn't sure who this woman was, but it wasn't Joanna. A small voice reminded him that he hadn't seen her in two years. Maybe she'd changed. But no – she'd still written to him every week. She was still the same girl in those letters. The persistent voice in his mind (which always sounded rather like Spock) pointed out that the contents of at least her last letter must have been a lie. And if that was the case, who was false – the girl in the letters, or the woman before him?
The Human raised a hand and two guards stepped forwards aggressively and removed a steel case from her lap. She looked unsurprised. "I think we should see exactly what you're proposing."
He gave a nod and one of the guards attached a PADD to the case to break the lock. A short beep assured him that it was hacked, and he pressed the button to open it. Then he froze, convulsed hard, and fell to the floor in a heap. There was a moment of silence.
The Ferengi laughed. "Very nice. I see you are no novice." She made no movement, her face impassive. "Perhaps you should forgive my colleagues rudeness. I am certainly interested in what you have to propose."
She gave a nod and one of the other guards stepped over his fallen comrade and removed the case, somewhat nervously he thought, handing it back to her. She caressed the case almost affectionately, and he felt that jolt of fear again – that expression in her eyes didn't look Human.
"I have recently been able to acquire a weapon that I believe you will find interesting." She placed her palm on the surface of the case, then bent and breathed onto the small panel that revealed itself. There was a click, then it opened for her and she brought out a very small vial.
Oh damn. He knew what that was. He'd seen something – and destroyed something - similar only months ago. "A biological weapon?" The Ferengi's voice was calm, but he was rubbing his ears in a way that was clearly interested. Oh hell. How was that possible?
"Yes. Complete and tested. I'm sure that you're familiar with those used in the past. We call ours SUM. It is multi-species targeted with an initial killing radius of several kilometres in five minutes. It has an airborne mode of transmission and as soon as it is in the air, it multiplies in under a second, such that death rises exponentially. Extinction of an average sized planet is under three hours."
There was a moments silence again, and then everyone began speaking simultaneously.
An Andorian Jim had had his eye on most of the meeting for the simple reason that they had previously met in less than pleasant circumstances was looking incredulous and found the confidence to speak out loudly. "The Federation have destroyed every biological weapon scheme in existence. No weapon makes it past preliminary testing any longer. It's impossible – Starfleet are too adept at recognising the test signs." Jim felt a wave of satisfaction at that. The Enterprise had played a key role in eliminating the threat of biologicals in the quadrant. They'd seen whole races wiped out over the years and he had made it one of his life's missions to shut down every operation in existence. Which was why he didn't believe what he was hearing. Joanna was not selling a biological – even if it was possible to be manufactured. She knew exactly what they did. No matter what she'd been forced into, nothing could make her do that. Nothing.
Joanna shrugged. "And yet here it is. There's more than one way to test a weapon. And there are many ways to hide the signs, if you're careful."
"And you are?"
She shrugged. "I am careful, but I am no scientist. However, I've had the opportunity to sponsor some of the best. It's amazing how inventive you can be with a common goal in mind."
"A common goal?" The Ferengi looked intrigued. "Latinum is not usually a large enough incentive for you Humans." He made it sound like an insult.
Joanna smiled for the first time. It didn't meet her eyes. "True. I am not here for Latinum."
"Then why are you here? Why not sell this weapon yourself?"
"Because I have a particular purpose in mind for this weapon, and I know that you will be able to help me with it."
"And what do we get out of it?" The Human's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What exactly is your goal, little girl?"
She crossed her hands on her lap almost submissively, and gave them all a small smile. "It is simple. I will bring down the Federation."
For a moment he was stunned. So stunned that he took his eyes off the guards. That was a mistake. The door opened with no warning and he was face to face with a very large man. Thankfully his reflexes took over, and he punched him as hard as he could. The man fell backwards with a shout and he heard the clear sound of charging phasers in his direction. Time to go.
He ran down the corridor, navigating himself around the staff of the hotel. There was a back kitchen door and he ran through the stunned chefs, pulling shelves behind him in an attempt to slow down his pursuers. The shouts of the workers turned to screams as shots were aimed at his back. He moved to use his own phaser, but realised he'd lost it at the bar. Great – another disadvantage. He kicked the doors open, only to find two more guards at the door, waiting for him. He had to drop to avoid their phaser-fire as they too joined the melee, blocking his escape. Damn it, he wasn't getting out of that door. One of the guards had reached him and he only just managed to disarm him, kicking the phaser to the floor so that the fire spitted out amongst the staff. There were more screams as people pushed past, trying to make their way out, and he used it to his advantage, fighting free of his captor, then making his way to another corridor. It led to a staircase. He didn't feel good about going up – but he was out of options. Up it was.
He ran up seven flights, then through a door and onto the roof. The footsteps behind him echoed closely. He didn't have much time. The roof of the next building wasn't too far, and he made it with a run and jump. Thank goodness for the flat roofs of Adigeon Prime. They followed him easily, and blew a nice hole into the roof where he'd just been standing. Well, that wasn't good. He was going to have to either hide, or run somewhere they couldn't follow. Flat roofs weren't good for hiding, so it looked like he was going to have to do the latter. Good job he had the head for heights. He made another easy jump, then at a flat out sprint made another jump across an alley and onto a glass topped building by the skin of his teeth. He heard someone try to make the jump and drop to the alley below with a scream, but the sizzling sound of phaser fire by his ear suggested they were still behind him. He drew them onto the centre of the roof, but hearing the glass crack under his feet, sprinted to the edges. The guards, with their body armour were slower than him and as the glass shattered beneath them they fell straight down. He dropped too, but managed to grab the edge of the building with his fingertips. A glance downwards to their motionless bodies told him he wouldn't survive it if he dropped now. He managed to brace his legs on a steel support and pulled himself up with great effort, then balanced precariously and jumped onto the roof of the next building. No one followed him. Well, that dealt with that problem. There were sirens in the distance – he needed to get off the rooftops. He had a feeling that Admiral Pike would be a bit annoyed if he managed to get himself arrested again – especially on this sort of planet; he didn't think he could bear the 'appropriate behaviour of a Starfleet captain' speech again. Thankfully there was a staircase leading into an alley on the side of the building, and he took it quickly. The alley he came out into was quiet, despite the noise of the street, and he took a moment to catch his breath. It was just starting to rain, and the alley stunk of things he couldn't see in the darkness, but frankly didn't want to think about. He tried to plan his next move – he was far from the hotel now, and he probably wouldn't be able to resist capture again if he attempted to go back for Joanna. He was going to have to track her down some other way. The woman at the bar had said she'd been in for the last few nights – which meant she had to have somewhere to stay through the day. He still didn't have any idea what was going on, and hated mysteries, but she was Joanna. He'd been looking out for her since she was five. And she'd always looked out for him.
The feeling of a knife at his throat was the only thing that gave him an indication that he was in trouble again.
"Empty your pocketsss." A low voice hissed into his ear in a thick accent. Clearly the alley hadn't been as unoccupied as he'd thought. Good grief – four hours and he'd been distracted so much he was forgetting every rule he'd ever learnt the hard way.
"Trust me, I've got nothing you're going to want." He told his assailant semi-honestly.
The knife bit deeper into his throat. "Now."
He weighed his options. The money wasn't going to be a problem, but he had his communicator, and his Starfleet ID, and he couldn't give those up without a fight. He pulled them obediently out of his pocket. He felt the being bend round to look, dropping the pressure of the knife slightly. He moved quickly, twisting out of the grip of the knife, then punching the man in the stomach with his free hand. Except there wasn't one being – there was two, and he had dropped the smaller. The larger was a Tellarite, dressed in rags and evil eyed. Before he could even react he'd pinned Jim to the wall with sheer body weight, crushing his ribs until he saw stars and couldn't breathe. He kneed the being with everything he had, then punched him, but it was no use – he'd clearly done this before. The being was a head smaller than him but weighed the same as a small elephant and wasn't going anywhere. He dropped everything in his hands and attempted to strangle the being, but his hands were shaking from lack of oxygen now, and there were spots in front of his eyes. He squeezed as hard as he could, but the Tellarite pressed him even harder against the wall. Just when the suffocation was so bad his hands went limp a shot rang out and the holding force fell to the ground, him with it.
He gasped for air, his vision quickly recovering, but his ribs aching on each breath. He sensed the presence of his saviour in front of him, but they were silent and motionless. He picked up the spilled contents of his pockets, attempting not to think about what he'd have to clean off them later, and stood to meet them.
He was surprised – although not as surprised as he should have been – to see Joanna standing before him, phaser in hand, still dressed in black. Her face was expressionless, but there was a gleam in her eyes that gave him the impression she was not amused. Suddenly, and for the first time in her presence, he had no idea what to say.
"Glad to see you got over your aversion to firearms." He blurted before his brain had caught up.
She shrugged, a small motion, her face almost wary. "I decided I liked staying alive better." He suddenly wanted to hug her and break that expression. If it had been the normal Joanna, he would have. But this woman was a strange mixture of new and familiar that made him nervous, and almost tongue-tied.
"Good choice." She handed him the phaser and he didn't understand why until he looked at it. "Hey – isn't this my phaser? You took my phaser? At the bar?"
Her eyes flashed. "I didn't want you shooting anyone."
"But it was okay for them to shoot at me?"
She shrugged again. "I've worked too hard for that meeting for you to screw it all up."
He frowned at her. "All what up? Just what is going on Joanna?" She said nothing, just stared at him with those large brown eyes – perfect eyes her dad called them years ago, and he had silently agreed. "Let me help you."
Then she gave him an angry look. "Help me? I don't need any help."
"Are you kidding? Because it seems to me that you just offered to sell a biological weapon to some of the greatest low-lives in this quadrant. It looked likes you need help all right."
"I know what I'm doing."
"No you don't – you can't do. Do you know who those people are – what they are?"
"I'm the one selling the weapon, remember? Of course I do." He did remember, and he didn't even know where to begin with that.
"Just tell me who's making you do this. Or better yet, come with me now. We could be back on Earth in a few days – you'd be safe then, and I can protect you till we get there."
"Protect me? Damn it, I don't need you're protection – I'm exactly where I want to be." The fire in her eyes was more familiar, the Joanna he knew. "I'm not a little girl. How dare you walk back into my life and do this to me."
"I never walked out of your life." She raised her eyebrows at him, and he knew that was a lie. He had walked out of her life two years ago. For very good reasons. He tried to keep his voice reasonable. "Joanna, what you are doing is dangerous. I don't know what you think you're doing, or why you're doing it, but these people will kill you without a thought when they realise you're bluffing."
Her face became suddenly expressionless, her eyes hard again. "I'm not bluffing." A sudden thread of ice threaded through his stomach. No, it couldn't be. "And do you know what's dangerous? Me standing here talking to a Starfleet captain where anyone can hear us. Your mere presence could have got me killed tonight – let alone me having to come and rescue you. If they even suspect I know you – that I used to have another name - I'll be dead"
He hadn't thought about that – of the cost to her. And as for another name... "Joanna, you know I can't leave you. How could I face your dad?"
For a moment there was heat in her eyes again. Then it faded. "Forget you ever saw me. Or don't – but keep your mouth shut. What I'm doing is none of your business."
"Biological weapons are my business."
"Very well, Captain Kirk." Her voice was venomous. "I'm sure if you meet me again you can arrest me – or at least try. I'm sure it will be a great feather in that Starfleet cap of yours." He felt a flicker of hurt. Did she think that he cared about what Starfleet thought of him – after all this time? What he cared about was her. What had happened to her? "However, I've saved your life twice tonight, so the least you can do is let me walk away."
"Joanna-."
"Do it." Her voice was firm, her eyes hard as flint.
He felt suddenly helpless. He hated that feeling. He desperately looked for signs of the girl he'd once known better than himself. "Just who are you?"
She turned away from him. "I am Antonia Salvatori. Get the next flight to Earth. Don't follow me."
She walked out of the alleyway and into the crowds and he made no move to stop her. The face of the woman haunted him, as the words of a little girl's letters ghosted through his mind.
A/N – Song for the next chapter is I Want to Protect You, by the Eels. We're dealing with the Taking of the Enterprise next chapter. A foreknowledge of my other story isn't absolutely necessary for this, but it might help to make sense of the situation.
