U.S.S. Enterprise: An Engineer's Adventure
Chapter 14 - Upon Love's Bitter Mystery
"It's nice to see you again, Lieutenant Waters. How are you?"
Doctor Robinson's office was just as sickeningly cozy as last time. "Fine," Penelope answered. She'd stalled as long as possible to get her physical, knowing that with it would come another counseling session. Scotty had ended up sending her to Sickbay the other day to get him some "spare bandages" which turned out to be code for: M'Benga's done waiting for you to go to the medical center of your own violation so just joking, I don't really need those bandages, lass.
Engineering had actually been running short on first-aid supplies, so Scotty had irritated her on two accounts.
She'd been given a clean bill of health (pretty much). Her weight was back to normal (mostly), she wasn't ill in any way (technically), but then M'Benga had "helpfully" scheduled her another meeting with Robinson. Penelope was starting to believe that everyone in Sickbay was under McCoy's witch-doctor powers, and she seriously considered reporting sightings of voodoo to the captain in the hopes that the CMO might be transferred. Or imprisoned. Penelope would enjoy seeing either occur.
"I'm glad to hear it," the doctor commented. She was wearing a uniform with pants that day, but her blue shirt had short sleeves on it. Penelope wondered how she got away with so many changes to the standard outfits. Robinson then tacked on with an understanding smile, "What with all that's happened since we last met."
Penelope visibly stiffened in the plush chair, unable to hide her reaction. "I'd rather not talk about … that." Illa and everything she'd done was behind Penelope. There was no room for her anymore. Robinson's warm eyes examined her, not completely hiding the professional interest in her movements.
"It's good to talk through what you feel when -"
"Please," Penelope said quietly, "Just not today." Not ever, preferably, but Penelope would take what she could get.
Robinson nodded slowly, stylus dragging on the screen in her lap. "Alright. Not today."The counselor's tone of voice implied that there would be future discussion of the topic. Great. "How about we start where we left off last time? We were talking about your decision to join Starfleet." The prompt brought Penelope back.
"I think that we finished with that," the engineer commented, placing her elbow on the armrest and her head in her hand. Glancing around, Penelope noticed that the holos on the desk were all the same, though the books on the shelf were somewhat rearranged.
"Alright," the counselor said in appeasement, "then perhaps we should discuss the switch from Security to Engineering. How did that come about?" Robinson tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and waited while the engineer formulated an answer.
"I spent about eleven months on the enlisted Security track," Penelope began, her mind flashing with foggy memories of that year. "One of my instructors had a car problem. I fixed it. He suggested I transfer to Engineering."
"Just through that one interaction?" Robinson asked curiously.
Penelope tilted her head. "No, there were other times in class when I was able to fix some faulty equipment. I think that he thought I'd be more useful in an engine room than as a bodyguard." The man's voice came sharply into her head, like a splash of cool water.
You're pretty handy, Cadet. Ever thought about transferring to Engineering?
"Did you find the new training more enjoyable?"
"Yes." The constant bombardment of security measures and fighting techniques had been useful, but also disconcerting for Penelope. At the time, she'd just been charged for violent crimes, so moving from that state of mind to one of disciplined conflict had been extremely jarring for the young woman.
"Have you always liked mechanical work? Tinkering?" Penelope's eyes flashed back to the doctor.
"Yes."
"When did that interest begin?"
One of Penelope's first memories was of her mother taking her on a train to the sea. The hugeness of the machine had put the girl in a state of awe, and she'd absolutely annoyed her mother with questions she hadn't been able to answer. Why did the train make that loud noise? had been the most prominent of Penelope's inquiries. "Since I can remember. I liked fixing things."
"How did you go from enlisted to officer training?"
"It was recommended for me."
"By whom?"
"My new instructors."
"Do you know why?"
"No."
"Did you ask?"
"No."
"I see. And you simply accepted the new contract?"
"Yes."
Dr. Robinson appeared frustrated by her succinctness. The counselor crossed her legs pointedly and expanded on the topic. "It mandated that you spend an additional four years in the service of Starfleet, as well as the four year training process required by all officers. Why agree to this?"
"It was recommended," Penelope repeated.
"If I recall correctly, you were also recommended by your lawyer to opt for Frello V. Why listen to the advice of your teachers and not the advice of your solicitor?" Robinson asked.
Her trainers had been people, with thoughts and opinions. Penelope could relate to them, but all the android lawyer had given her were cold facts. The engineer hadn't thought the decision to join Starfleet through fully, and the truth was that she had been infuriated by the robot's response to her court case.
"My life cannot be mathematically calculated." The Assistant Chief bit the words out like she was in pain.
"I don't follow."
Penelope sighed, rephrasing her response. "The android said that I was more likely to violate Starfleet orders than I was to follow them, based on statistics involving my personal history."
"You disagreed?"
"No." Of course she hadn't. Contrary to what McCoy might argue, Penelope wasn't a complete idiot.
"Then help me to understand, Lieutenant," the doctor implored. "Why did you join Starfleet, and agree to become an officer, if even you yourself thought you would not make it very far?" Her choice to join the more prestigious section of Starfleet had been more complex for Penelope. She'd been older, slightly less impulsive, and the decision had been made so many years previous.
"I wanted … I wanted to prove them wrong."
"Who?"
"Everyone. Everyone I'd ever met. I just wanted to make them see." She struggled to express the idea to the doctor when she wasn't even quite sure of the true answer.
"See what?"
Closing her eyes in contemplation, Penelope considered her words carefully. "That I have something worth giving."
"And what is that?" Robinson wondered.
"I don't know," the engineer admitted truthfully. Her voice trembled a bit as she realized that even she herself didn't quite understand her own thought process. Always, Penelope had strove to convince others that she was stronger, tougher, less emotional than she really was. Penelope had no clue why she did that, only that she did it.
"Alright." Robinson then changed the subject, probably guessing Penelope had no more to offer on the matter. "So how did you like the officer training?"
"It was fine."
"Was it during this time that you met Officer Carlson?"
"Johnny," Penelope corrected softly. Never Carlson, he had preferred Johnny always. Even Scotty hadn't gotten away with giving him a new nickname.
"Johnny, yes," Robinson agreed, waiting for an answer to her previous question.
"Yes, I met him in the first month."
"Did you become friends right away?"
Penelope felt a small smile grace her lips. "I didn't have much of a choice. He accidentally spilled his coffee on my shirt, and spent the next five years trying to make it up to me." The engineer had thought him beyond overbearing at first, but that had just been his personality. Johnny had simply come off as larger than life. How wrong Penelope had been to think that, how naive.
"He died a little over a year and a half ago, during the U.S.S. Vengeance's attack on this ship. Is that correct?"
"Yes." Robinson already knew that. There was no need for her to ask confirmation, or to try and force Penelope to say it aloud. Irritation began to cloud the nostalgia within the Assistant Chief.
"How has that been for you?"
"I'm fine."
"Has it been difficult working on the ship since the attack?"
"No."
Robinson shifted in her seat, stylus tapping her cheek. "It's okay to talk about this, Lieutenant, and it's normal to be upset."
"Like you said, it's been over eighteen months." Penelope stiffened. Was it normal to think about him all the time? To see his face in others, his laugh in others, his movements in others? He had been her friend, but he was dead, and Penelope couldn't let him go. That wasn't normal, not even a little bit.
The doctor kept a calm voice as she responded. "That does not change that he is gone, and that you must miss him. It's perfectly healthy to still be healing."
"I'm fine," Penelope repeated.
"So you've said," Robinson stated. Once again sensing that Penelope would no longer go on about him directly, the counselor changed her line of questioning. "Do you ever see Johnny's family?" Surprised, Penelope nodded.
"Before I left, I would spend time with his wife and kids."
"What are their names?"
"His wife is Marie. He's got a daughter, Laura. She's five now, and his son, Zach, who's three."
"Are you close with them?"
Penelope leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "They're my godchildren."
"Have you spoken to them recently?"
"Yes, we all communicate."
"Do they remind you of him?"
Clenching her jaw, Penelope nodded again.
"And how is Marie?"
"Better," the engineer considered. "She had a hard time at first, but she's come through."
"You looked after her, after all of them," Robinson stated in a matter of fact way.
"Yes."
"Do you think that perhaps you have kept your focus on other things so as to avoid facing Johnny's death?" Robinson supposed bluntly. Penelope blinked in shock. "You have cared for Johnny's family, you have fixed the Enterprise, but there are some things that cannot be fixed, Lieutenant. And there are some things you've been ignoring because you think it will be better not to deal with them. It is okay to not be strong all the time. It is okay to talk about what you're feeling."
"I'm not feeling anything," the Assistant Chief insisted. It was no one else's business what went on in Penelope's head, and no one cared to find out besides.
"No? You're completely fine?" The doctor's tone was blatantly skeptical.
"Yes."
"Then I fail to see why you will not talk to me about Johnny in more detail, or why you have avoided a conversation about Ilia Illa."
The engineer leaned back even further in the comfortable seat. "I have nothing to say about her."
"She was your friend."
"She betrayed us all." The emotion had seeped once again into Penelope's voice.
"That does not change the fact that you cared for her."
"It changes everything."
Robinson looked down, reading something in her tablet. "Since her death, you have avoided social interactions with others. Why?" Penelope supposed that M'Benga had told her something of the sort, though it was a little disturbing that Robinson knew so much about her.
"I have nothing to discuss with the rest of the crew."
"You did before the Klingon attack."
Beyond uncomfortable with the new path of their conversation, Penelope bent forward towards the doctor. "May I go?" Her green eyes darted to the door deliberately.
Nodding, Robinson held up a hand as Penelope stood up. "I would like you to listen to what I have to say, and then we'll be finished." Penelope kept her arms folded as she waited for the doctor to continue.
"You have lost a number of people in your life, Lieutenant. That is bound to have an effect on the way you carry yourself, the way you deal with things that happen to you. You may think it is strong to carry on stoically, to not talk about your feelings, but it is not. It will destroy you if you continue to hold everything back."
"Are we done?"
Robinson dipped her head, a disappointed note to her voice. "We're done. I'll see you next quarter, Lieutenant Waters."
Yalmark and Penelope were running side by side along the track, the only sound between them was one of heavy breathing. After her meeting with Robinson, the engineer had felt a nasty mixture of emotions running through her body, and the one thing that could clear Penelope's mind on those types of days was running until her legs gave out.
After a few circles around the path, Yalmark had silently jogged into line with her. His expression had been as stony as hers was, and Penelope hadn't bothered with a greeting. The heat was now stifling, and her sweat didn't succeed in cooling her down. Yalmark was turning his head towards her. She met his hazel eyes, and then he pointedly sped up.
Accepting the challenge, Penelope matched his pace. Yalmark once again surged forward at a more intense pace. Penelope answered, pumping her legs just a little faster than the security guard. Their mini-competition continued on in a similar fashion until Yalmark finally motioned for them both to stop.
Their faces red with exertion, the pair slowed down and came to halt a little ways off from the circular track. Penelope bent down, putting her hand on her knees and struggled to catch her breath. Yalmark started chuckling in wheezing coughs. He slapped her back.
"Damn," he panted, "I don't remember the last time I ran like that." Penelope nodded wordlessly in agreement. The security guard plopped down on the ground with little grace, and then laid down, limbs spread wide. Giving Yalmark an amused glance, Penelope followed suit.
Head flat upon the floor, Penelope could both hear and feel various shoes hitting the ground. The ceiling was high up, a large pane of glass settled in the middle to give a view of outer-space. Stars twinkled and flashed with light, and Penelope thought they looked like they were laughing at her. Eventually, her breathing returned to normal, and her heart stopped trying to jump out of her chest. The Assistant Chief turned to see how Yalmark was faring. He, too, had been staring up into the darkness, but when he felt her gaze, the security guard twisted his face to meet hers.
"You good?"
"Yes."
Penelope got up then, and she offered a hand down to Yalmark. He looked at it for a brief moment before clasping onto her with a steady grip. "Thanks, Waters." She nodded in response, and together they made their way out of Exercise Room 1. "I'm hungry. Wanna come? I think George'll be there," Yalmark offered.
Even if she wanted to, which Penelope definitely did not upon hearing George's name, she had to decline. "Work," Penelope explained. Yalmark shrugged.
"Have fun."
"Probably not."
The security guard smiled, shaking his head at her before walking off in the direction of the nearest mess hall. After grabbing a quick shower, Penelope headed down to Scotty's office to let him go eat lunch. "Thanks, lass," Scotty said, calling out for Keenser to come along with him. As they passed, Keenser waved. Penelope checked in with all the section heads personally, getting reports from various updates throughout the day. She also visited Lovett in Maintenance, and then peeked in on a repair group currently working in the Bridge after leaving Rome in charge.
The first officer looked particularly upset when Penelope entered the Bridge, as it was his science station that had been malfunctioning. Well, upset for a Vulcan. Penelope could really only tell because Uhura kept shooting Spock worried glances.
"Waters!" the captain greeted genially. "How's Engineering?"
"Fine, sir." Penelope walked over to where Fly, Jameson, and Youngblood were huddled together, squabbling. Upon noticing her, all three ensigns quieted quickly. The Assistant Chief looked to Fly, waiting for an explanation.
Fly pointed over accusingly towards Jameson and Youngblood. "They're beyond help," he stated firmly. Penelope crossed her arms, eyes darting over to the C Section engineers.
"He's just mad because he can't fix it," Jameson accused, turning up her nose at Fly. Youngblood took a step back, trying to extract himself from the situation.
"At least I'm actually trying something!" Fly exclaimed
"Something stupid!"
McCoy entered the Bridge, loudly calling, "I heard the Vulcan was in a tizzy!" His exclamation was drowned out by the continued argument of the engineers.
"You don't know what you're talking about. You C Section guys are all idiots!"
Youngblood found that offensive enough to rejoin the fray. "And A Section's got their heads permanently up their asses."
"Yeah," Jameson agreed. "Arrogant as hell, too."
Fly, a normally calm person by Penelope's standards, was starting to go red in the face. "Well -"
"Enough."
All three engineers turned towards her, only then noticing that they had drawn an audience of the entire Bridge. "You are all to leave the Bridge and go to your quarters." Jameson opened her mouth to argue, but at Penelope's fierce glare, shut her mouth again wisely. "You will apologize to Mr. Spock and the captain for your behavior, and then I will fix the problem here." Then she added in a dangerous tone, "And I will deal with all of you afterwards."
Another hard look had all three ensigns muttering sorry and then sulking off into the elevator. Penelope hoped they wouldn't kill each other in the lift so that she could have the privilege of doing it herself later.
Waiting until they were all out of sight, Penelope cleared her throat. "I apologize," she said in a much clearer tone than the other, "for how out of hand that became." She looked both at the captain, who seemed only amused, and at Spock, who looked as blank faced as ever. "What exactly is the problem with the science station?"
As Spock went through a very thorough explanation of the station's malfunctions, McCoy came over to interrupt. Penelope had never seen the man so gleeful.
"Spock, I was under the impression you knew damn near everything about the sensors," the CMO grinned. The captain stood behind the doctor, eyes darting between the two men.
"As you said yourself, Doctor, I know 'damn near'," Spock's voice came with the slightest bit of mocking while repeating McCoy's words, "everything. Obviously, the extent of my knowledge does not cover this malfunction." Penelope bent down and got underneath the computer station, using her wrench to unhook the panel. She grabbed a small light from her belt and held it up, but not before glancing once more at the trio.
McCoy leaned forward, not dissuaded at all. "Can't you just say: I don't know?"
"I believe I accurately communicated that sentiment to you, Doctor. That you do not comprehend is more telling of you than of myself." Hiding her grin, Penelope set about trying to locate whatever was wrong with the sensor.
The CMO spluttered. "Are you callin' me stupid, Spock?" The Assistant Chief pulled on her gloves and goggles and then put her hands up into the separate wiring and chemical units.
"Once again, I believe I accurately -"
"Alright, alright," Kirk mediated, "We get it. Bones, did you really come all the way up here to bother Spock?" It was a while before Penelope heard the man answer.
"Yup."
"Captain, I request permission to have Dr. McCoy removed on the basis of his irrelevancy."
"Request denied," the captain responded with a grin in his voice. "He promises not to tease you anymore, okay?" There was something missing in the small battery unit that powered the sensors. Shifting slightly, Penelope tried to get a better look. McCoy grumbled a bit before muttering his approval, and Spock never said anything at all.
"How's it going down there, Waters?" Kirk wondered loudly to likely fill the tense silence between the CMO and the first officer. Penelope reached out with one hand to give them a thumbs up. "Do you know what's wrong?"
"Yes," Penelope answered, pulling her hand back. A minuscule piece of the outer wall around the battery had become corrupted, so the Assistant Chief pulled it out carefully to examine the object. There was no fixing it, Penelope determined, so she sighed and swung her body out from under the machine.
"Well?" Kirk prompted.
Penelope removed her protective gear before holding out the battery. "This one is messed up. Some of the liquid from a neighboring cell leaked out and ate through it. I need to grab a replacement and some different tools, and then I can come back."
"And when will the repairs be completed?" Spock questioned, hands dutifully clasped behind his back. Penelope looked up at him.
"Fifteen minutes," the Assistant Chief informed him. "I'll be back here in five." Penelope motioned towards the elevator. Kirk and Spock nodded in sync, which Penelope found slightly creepy, and then McCoy sighed loudly before going over to sit in the captain's chair.
"Bones," Kirk whined as Penelope walked away, "That's mine!"
"That is indeed the captain's chair, Doctor. Or shall we be calling you Captain McCoy from now on?" Spock pressed.
"It'll be Captain's again as soon as he agrees to get his exam," McCoy insisted, shifting to get comfortable.
"Aww, I knew you didn't just come up here to bother..." Their voices faded as the lift took Penelope down to the main Engineering Deck. She quickly found a new battery to put in the sensors, as well as Scotty's toolkit. After gathering her materials, Penelope re-entered the elevator, stopping once along the way for Xeel to go to her quarters.
By the time Penelope returned, McCoy had vacated the captain's seat, but in his place, Chekov had for some reason filled it. "Waters!" the captain called upon seeing her. "Get Chekov outta my chair! They're committing mutiny!" As Penelope doubted Chekov would seriously do anything against the captain's will, the engineer simply crossed her full arms.
"Good afternoon, Captain Chekov," she said before turning to the Spock's station.
"Traitors, all of you," Kirk exclaimed. McCoy and Spock were standing side by side, both clearly not listening to the captain.
Meanwhile, Chekov had brightened at Penelope's greeting. "Thank you, Lieutenant!"
"How come you like Chekov more than me, Waters?" Kirk asked as he got no response from anyone else on the Bridge.
"Chekov was my Chief," Penelope told him, going back under to fix the sensors.
Kirk made a sound of disbelief. "I'm your Captain."
"Apparently not," Penelope said.
Giving up on her, Kirk once again turned on McCoy. "If you think I'm going to Sickbay -"
"I've given you more than enough time to stall," McCoy offered.
Uhura piped up then. "Can you all be quiet? Some people are actually trying to actually get something done today." Penelope silently agreed, her hands working quickly. She didn't know how anyone dealt with Kirk on a day to day basis.
"How dare you talk to your captain like that," Kirk said, his tone just asking for argument.
The communications officer responded in a confused voice. "I wasn't talking to Chekov?" McCoy barked out a laugh, and Penelope could hear Sulu quietly begin to speak.
"I have a status report, Captain Chekov."
Chekov agreed to receive the report, although while Sulu updated him, Kirk continued to complain and rant.
"I'll go to Sickbay when shift is over, Bones," the man pleaded finally.
"Why? The Enterprise is in good hands," McCoy told him. "And there's only an hour and a half left anyways."
"I agree, Captain," Spock interjected, "You are not technically necessary at this moment." Penelope completed the finishing touches on her repair. She sealed the inner sections with the metal panel and got up, tucking away her tools. No one noticed her.
"Can you send out a message for me?" Penelope asked, approaching an exasperated looking Uhura. The communications officer ripped her glare from Kirk to look at the Assistant Chief.
"Sure," Uhura agreed amicably. Penelope told her to call Jameson, Youngblood, and Fly to Briefing Room 3, and Uhura repeated the message over the intercom. Penelope thanked the other woman before turning to address the first officer. Penelope was a little surprised to observe how caught up in the silly situation the Vulcan seemed to be. She walked up to him softly, clearing her throat quietly.
"Excuse me, sir?" Spock drew his eyes away from the grumbling Kirk and McCoy and over to Penelope.
"Have you completed the repairs, Lieutenant?" His dark eyes stared down at her with intensity.
"Yes."
"Thank you." The words almost sounded as though they were dragged from the first officer.
"You're welcome."
Penelope left while the rest of the Bridge was busy arguing, and then made her way down to Briefing Room 3. Inside, all three engineers were already waiting. Youngblood and Jameson were on one side of the long table, while Fly stood stiffly on the opposite end. They all looked at her when she entered, and the conversation between the C Section engineers ceased.
"You've embarrassed not only yourselves but our entire department with your actions on the Bridge," Penelope stated with finality, crossing her arms and meeting each of their eyes separately. At least they had the decency to look ashamed, Penelope considered. "I'll not only be informing Rome and M'Barrow, but Mr. Scott, I'm sure, will want to hear about this."
At the mention of Scotty, all of them visibly paled. Everyone in Engineering knew you didn't want to get on Scotty's nerves. "However," the Assistant Chief began, "I might reconsider telling Mr. Scott." Penelope could almost feel their hope in the air. "If I hear some apologies."
"Sorry, Wrenchy," they all said quickly. Penelope felt irritation rise within in her at the nickname, but it wasn't their fault. Just try and remember that, Penelope repeated mentally. She was trying to teach them tolerance, not violence.
"Not to me, to each other." At their skeptical looks, and in Jameson's case flat out defiance, Penelope expanded. "You are all engineers. There is no difference, no matter where you work."
"Then why does everyone in A Section act like they're better than everyone else?" Jameson bit out with anger.
"You're delusional," Fly informed the other officer.
Penelope held up a hand in impatience. "If you have a problem with a specific person in A Section, Ensign, then bring that up privately with that crewmember. Don't hash it out during shift, and don't make generalizations."
"And Fly," the Assistant Chief addressed the A Section engineer, "I want to know why the first time I put you in charge of a repair group, it ended in chaos."
Fly looked down, not meeting her gaze. "It wasn't my fault."
"You were the leader. It is your fault, no matter if Jameson or Youngblood were provoking you. It's your job to keep control of the situation." It was harsh, but Penelope could see that Fly was smart enough to rise through engineering ranks, and she didn't want to see him transfer to another ship ill-prepared for increased duties. The A Section engineer continued to stare at the ground, so Penelope looked toward the other two.
"Youngblood, what happened?" His version would at least be slightly less biased than Jameson's or Fly's. The engineer in question shifted under her inspection.
"It was fine at first, we were all looking through the computer banks, but then Fly and Jameson disagreed on replacing the wire connectors to the sensor data storage center. Jameson said we didn't need to, but Fly kept saying we did, and then Fly asked her for other suggestions, but Jameson didn't give any, and then we all started arguing, I guess." As an afterthought, he tacked on, "Oh, and then you showed up, Wrenchy."
"Is that true?" Penelope asked the other two. Fly nodded, and Jameson shrugged.
"Pretty much," Jameson said. "Except that Fly refused to listen to anything either of us said the entire time."
"Fly?" the Assistant Chief prompted.
"That's not true," Fly insisted, "I listened. Just because we never ended up doing the stuff they wanted doesn't mean I wasn't listening to them."
Penelope was tempted to hand the whole mess over to Scotty at that point, but Penelope knew he wouldn't be able to handle the problem because of the Bridge. Under normal circumstance, Penelope would let him set the officers straight, but Scotty had a streak of intense pride when it came to the Enterprise and his position on the ship. The fact that three of his engineers had been unprofessional, especially in front of the captain, might set him off, and Penelope didn't actually want the engineers terrified of their Chief.
Just a little bit afraid of her.
"Fly, when you're in charge of other people, it's good to let them know you care about what they're telling you, even if you don't think it's important. Jameson," Penelope turned to the angry young woman, "you need to learn to follow orders. It doesn't matter if you don't like the person giving them to you. If you thought Fly was making a mistake, I think we both know there were better ways to tell him than insulting him and his friends."
"Youngblood, you didn't have to follow Jameson's lead. You should've kept calm, even if your fellow officers weren't. Are we all clear with what went wrong?" All of them nodded. "Good. Now, please apologize to each other." There was a moment of silence as the ensigns sized each other up.
"Sorry, guys," Youngblood said first. Fly followed his lead, specifically addressing Jameson. After, it took Jameson a minute to muster up the effort.
"I'm sorry, Youngblood," Jameson said, "And Fly."
Penelope nodded in approval. "Thank you."
"Are you still going to tell Scotty?" Fly asked nervously. Penelope had to bite back a smile at his tone.
"No, but your section heads will be informed, and then they decide the proper disciplinary action to take," Penelope told them. "What Mr. Scott doesn't know won't hurt him." Penelope was planning on telling M'Barrow and Rome right away. The Assistant Chief had no doubt that someone from the Bridge would let slip what happened later that day, and Penelope wanted to be able to show Scotty that the situation had already been taken care of.
Otherwise, they'd all be subjected to a very long, very loud lecture.
Penelope dismissed the engineers back to their quarters, allowing them to begin shifts the next day. When she was alone, Penelope sunk down in one of the many chairs scattered around the briefing table. The table was cleared of any spare PADDs or coffee mugs, and the only distinguishing sight in the room was the computer dock at the far end of the table.
It wasn't often Penelope visited any of the briefing rooms. Engineering generally held informal meetings all around the different decks, and only once had Penelope filled in for Scotty during a senior staff briefing. She understood why Scotty dreaded them, as Spock usually led the meetings while the captain pretended not to sleep with his eyes open. How Scotty underwent weekly debriefs from the first officer Penelope would never know.
Right then, the captain burst through the door, looked at Penelope, and then went around to hide under the computer dock. "Lock the door," he whispered. When the Assistant Chief made no move to do so, the captain added in a louder voice. "That's a direct order, Lieutenant. Now lock the damn door!" With a sigh, Penelope got up and pushed in a locking code, effectively sealing them into the room.
She sat back down without another word and pulled out her PADD. If she wasn't able to go back to Engineering, she could at least finish a few reports. The captain continued to cower low, but he asked in a slightly pathetic voice. "Aren't you going to ask what's wrong?"
"Are we under attack?"
"No."
"Is Mr. Scott in trouble?"
"No."
Penelope swiveled a little in her chair. "Then I don't care."
Kirk came out from his hiding spot and pouted. "But Bones is trying to kill me and my crew has turned against me. They made Chekov captain! Chekov! He's like thirteen."
"Nineteen, sir," Penelope corrected.
"Same thing," Kirk insisted, seating himself across from her. "And Spock's just letting Chekov sit in my chair."
"The chair belongs to the captain. Chekov is Captain. It is his chair."
"You sound like Spock," Kirk whined, placing his head in his hands.
"Why don't you go talk to Carol? She's a lot more likely to give you sympathy than I am, sir."
The captain's face went from playfully mad to seriously blank and then back again in a flash. "She's all the way in the Science department. That's forever away, and Bones would probably catch me on the way," Kirk explained. "And hypo me to death."
"Why not just let him do the exam?" Penelope asked, looking up from her PADD.
Kirk shrugged with a smirk. "Mostly it makes Bones mad if I refuse."
"Mostly?
"Also exams suck," Kirk stated. Penelope nodded readily in agreement. "And I don't want to listen to Bones lecture me on getting more sleep anymore."
"Then go to sleep."
"It's not that simple."
"No, it's not," Penelope conceded, "but are you even trying?" Kirk met her eyes guiltily then, and Penelope had her answer. "I think you should just go and let McCoy do his exam. It'll probably scare him if you go willingly."
"Yeah, his face would be great," Kirk said in a dreamy voice, as though he was already imagining the CMO's reaction. "He'd probably start muttering, too. Don't you love when he does that?"
"No."
"I think it's hilarious. It only gets annoying when he starts using too many metaphors," Kirk told her. "Half the time, I don't even know what he's talking about." Penelope turned back to her PADD, scrolling through a report by Yomai. The B Section Head somehow made reports more dry than normal, a skill only Yomai could possess.
A minute of silence passed, and then Kirk said quietly, "Me and Carol broke up."
Penelope's green eyes were instantly pulled from Yomai's writing to Kirk's face. He looked miserable, much different than only seconds ago. "I'm … sorry," the Assistant Chief stated. "Are you – I mean – uh, that is, did you want to … talk?" Penelope was beyond uncomfortable at the situation. Yes, she'd offered to let Kirk talk to her over a month ago, but she never thought he'd actually take her up on the offer.
And about Carol? Penelope and Carol had been friends, until Penelope had decided to stop talking to nearly everyone outside of work duties. Would she have to listen while the captain went on and on about someone Penelope liked more than him?
Kirk was either unaware of her discomfort or simply didn't care, because now the floodgates were open. "We got into a fight last week, like a fight fight. There was yelling, and I think I threw something. Not at her, obviously, but I still feel like a complete ass about it. And I don't even know what it was about, you know?"
No, Penelope didn't know. She didn't want to know.
"How do people do this? Dating other people? Being serious? How does anyone get it right?" Kirk asked. At first, Penelope assumed those were hypothetical questions, but Kirk's continued intense stare made Penelope clear her throat.
"Uh, I wouldn't really know," Penelope said. "I don't really … do serious relationships." That was so awkward. It needed to end.
"Me neither," Kirk exclaimed in agreement, "but here I am. I thought I could do it. Thought I could … I dunno, be important to somebody and not screw it up. Next thing I know, Carol's throwing me out of her room." The man slumped over in dejection, face turned down to the table. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for this sort of thing."
"Maybe you should, er," Penelope suggested, "apologize?"
"I tried. But she was still angry, and she wouldn't listen to me, and now Bones wants to do a physical, and he's gonna see how messed up in the head I am, and then he's going to get all worried and go all doctor mode on me, and my life is over," Kirk ranted.
"You could just explain the problem?"
Kirk snorted. "Yeah, and watch as a giant sign goes up on his forehead: I told you so."
"McCoy wouldn't if he knew you were this upset," Penelope defended, "because for some reason, I think he actually likes you. And I know Carol likes you, too. Maybe just give her time. I doubt throwing you out of her room means you're broken up."
"You think?" Kirk inquired hopefully.
"I'm … not sure. Probably," Penelope guessed. Digesting her words, Kirk sat up a bit straighter and began to look less like a rain cloud had descended upon him. Penelope assumed her job as 'listener' had been completed, with any luck for the rest of her life.
"Will you go away now?"
The captain laughed loudly at her question. "You love me that much, huh, Waters?"
"McCoy is probably still looking for you. You should wait for him back in Sickbay."
"I think I might. Maybe take a nap on his coach and scare the life outta him," Kirk imagined, getting up from the chair with a spring in his step. "This was fun. Let's do it again."
"No."
Kirk was approaching her with body language that predicted hugging. Penelope shot up from her seat and backed away. "That will never happen," she expressed the sentiment even further by holding her hands up in appeasement.
"Friends hug!" Kirk stated as a fact.
"We are not friends, sir," Penelope insisted, moving around to the side of the table Kirk had previously been occupying.
"This is definitely a hugging moment, Waters."
"I disagree."
"What if I order it?"
"Chekov is my captain."
"That was just a joke."
"Not to me."
Kirk finally stopped stepping forward, instead crossing his arms in amusement. His baby blue eyes sparkled with mirth. "Alright, alright. I'll get you one of these days, Waters, and then you'll fall in love with me. You and Carol can be my -"
"Goodbye," Penelope interrupted, motioning sharply towards the door. Laughing with joy, Kirk unlocked the door and left much in the same way he had entered: a crazy sprint. Wondering where her day had gone, the Assistant Chief followed suit at a much more subdued pace. Once she got back to Engineering, Scotty was waiting for her in his office.
"Please tell me they were lying," Scotty moaned, bent over in misery. Penelope was officially done with dealing with everyone else's problems.
"What?" she growled, wishing she could slam the door.
"There was a fight on the Bridge?"
"Yes. It is fine, Mr. Scott. Taken care of."
"Who was it?" Scotty asked, blue-grey eyes heated with anger.
"It's fine," Penelope replied, turning on her heel and heading out to hide. Perhaps Keenser could show her his favorite spot in the jeffries tubes. There was somewhere he went up there that not even Scotty could figure out. Ducking behind the dilithium chambers, Penelope started on a low jog away from the still following Chief Engineer.
"Wrenchy! Come back and tell me who I need to kill!"