"McCoy to bridge."
Kirk pressed a button on the arm of his chair and responded, "Kirk here."
"Well, Jim, she's getting dressed. I suppose you could come on down."
"All right, then," Kirk replied, "We'll be right down. Kirk out." He looked to the science station, "Come along, Mr. Spock, let's go see how our rescuee is doing."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lexxi looked around the empty room and sighed. "That went well," she said aloud and jumped at the sound of her voice. Laughing at her own feeble attempt to comfort herself, she wandered over to the small table in the corner. On it laid her old clothes, the long black skirt and black tank they'd found her in. The clothes she'd been captured in. Freshly filed memories threatened to break the locks on her filing cabinets. Swallowing hard, she forced her eyes to move to the pile of jewelry next to the black garments. Her jewelry. She brushed it into her hand and made her way to the far wall. Carefully cupping the rest in her hand she took one earring at a time and, with the help of the mirror on the wall, put them in three in each lobe, two in the cartilage on the left, one in the right. She was genuinely surprised that none had been lost.
Opening her hand, Lexxi studied its contents. She took out the dog tag, engraved with her name, and pulled it over her head. Her hands were trembling, and the cross and hematite chain choker had to be clasped. She dropped them both.
"Oh dear, let me help you." Nurse Chapel hurried in and, seeing Lexxi bent over, set the new uniform on the bed, ran to her and swooped up the necklaces. She looked them over before placing each around Lexxi's dark neck. "They're gorgeous," Chapel commented, "Where'd you get them?"
Lexxi sighed and frowned, spinning on her heel to face the nurse. She was amazed by the other's constant willingness to help. "They were gifts," she answered shortly, not offering any more information.
"How nice," Chapel replied. "The captain and Mr. Spock are waiting to see you. I told them you'd be out shortly. I'll leave now so you can get dressed." With that, she was gone.
Lexxi sighed again. This was becoming an unsettling habit for her. She looked around and noticed the pile of blue on the bed. Suddenly aware that her head had begun to ache, Lexxi slowly dressed herself in the slim blue dress with a low collar and a short skirt. She also found a brush and a pack of pins. "How thoughtful." She was also beginning to talk to herself. Lexxi sighed. Going to the mirror, she pinned up her hair.
Lexxi's arms dropped to her sides as she gazed upon the girl staring back at her. She felt so old that at times it startled her to see how young she really looked. She didn't deserve to be eternally young. She deserved to die.
The room was terribly warm, and her cheeks were flushed blue. She looked sick compared to the nice rosy tint of humans. Dripping her lids until she looked through slits, Lexxi concentrated inward. Thinking better of it, she stopped. And sighed. Recollecting herself, she headed for the doorway of the isolated room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The doctor stopped talking and Kirk turned to look where all eyes were directed. Smiling, he took Lexxi's hand and brought it to his lips. He could feel her cringe at his touch and quickly let go.
"Captain," Lexxi acknowledged him and the other, "Doctor, Mr. Spock." After a slight nod to each, she lowered her eyes to her feet.
"Well, Lieutenant," Kirk began, "how are you feeling this morning?"
"Fine, sir," Lexxi replied, "a bit tired."
"We'll take care of that," the captain assured her, "Mr. Spock is going to escort you to your quarters."
"Thank you," Lexxi avoided looking at Spock.
There was an uncomfortable silence. It was Spock who finally spoke. "Shall we go, Lieutenant?"
"Yes," Lexxi replied, anxious to direct the conversation elsewhere. "Yes, we shall. Thank you so much, doctor."
McCoy smiled, not sure if he was being thanked for his physical healing, or something more. "Anytime, my dear, anytime."
"Captain," Lexxi once more turned to Kirk, keeping her eyes steady on his.
"Lieutenant," Kirk acknowledged her.
Spock turned to leave and Lexxi slowly followed him. With the soft whoosh of the pneumatic door, Kirk turned to face McCoy. He studied his friend's face silently before speaking.
"Well, doctor, what troubles you?" McCoy had been uncommonly quiet.
"The girl," McCoy replied, "is something else."
"Oh?"
"When she woke up, days ago, I walked in on her…singing."
"Singing?" Kirk repeated excitedly. Perhaps this was another piece to the puzzle troubling Spock and, consequently, himself.
"Yea, singing. The words…oh god, I remember them like it was yesterday." He spoke them, not about to try to carry a tune:
Hello darkness, my old friend
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision the was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.
The doctor's voice trailed off as he frowned.
Kirk's eyes widened as he whispered, "Like a mind meld."
McCoy suddenly came alive, "That's exactly what I was thinking Jim, but damnit, she beat me to it. She said, before I said anything, she said, 'Sounds familiar, doesn't it?' I'm telling you, Jim, there's more to that girl than she's letting us see.
Kirk frowned determinedly. "I'm going to have to talk with her."
McCoy chuckled, "Good luck. Talking with her is talking in circles. Be glad if you get anywhere."
Kirk sighed, "I wonder how Spock is doing, then."