Phantom Legacy

Chapter 5

"Are you deaf, boy! I said speed it up."

Heira looked at her surroundings and knew immediately that she was in another of Shinzon's nightmares.

The problem was, she knew that they were not really nightmares, but memories that still haunted him of his tortured childhood.

She hated this part of their connection because she would have several of these glimpses a night, but never be able to do anything.

She could watch him be mercilessly beaten, and robbed of his self worth, but never stop his suffering. These were wounds already inflicted, and would probably never quite heal.

A burly, uncultured Romulan stood over a 9 year old boy's prone form.

The boy had apparently been carrying a load, when he'd tripped on something.

"Look at this mess you've made…I think you should be punished." The Romulan said reaching down to grab the boy.

"He would work much faster uninjured." A gruff voice said from behind them.

The Romulan turned to see who had spoken.

Heira raised an eyebrow as the scene unfolded; This was something new.

Usually she would have to stand back and watch as the boy was brutalized. This was the first time someone had stopped it.

"Mind your own business Vkruk! This does not concern you." The Romulan shouted.

Vkruk shrugged. "It doesn't concern me but…I think the mine inspectors may have something to say about it."

The Romulan's eyes widened. "What inspectors!"

"Just arrived. They're moving through the east sector now." Vkruk said, trying not to smile at the Overseers stricken look.

The Romulan cursed and quickly left. Forgetting about the boy.

Vkruk leaned over the boy. "I know you're conscious, so you can get up now."

The boy looked up fearfully at the Reman. None of them had ever spoken to him before.

He looked down shamefully. "If I pretend I'm knocked out they don't hit me…as much."

Vkruk smirked. "Good strategy for one so small as you. What's your name?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know."

Vkruk looked surprised. "You don't know your own name?"

"I don't think I have one." The boy replied, as he began to pick up the things he had dropped.

"Hmm, we'll have to do something about that."

Heira awoke to a slight tugging feeling on her head.

She realized that she and Shinzon had fallen asleep after alternating between kissing and talking for several hours.

She still wore her clothes from the day before, which explained why her legs were asleep.

'Note to self, sleeping in leather pants is bad for circulation.'

She was spooned against Shinzon; her back nestled against his chest.

The tugging sensation still hadn't stopped, and she now recognized the feeling.

"Shinzon?" She started, realizing he was awake.

"Yes?" he replied shifting slightly.

"Are you messing with my hair?" She finished, trying not to laugh.

The tugging stopped immediately.

"No." He lied. Removing his fingers from her hair.

He'd just wanted to see what it felt like, but before long he was twirling it around his fingers and playing with it.

Heira turned around, to see his 'caught in the cookie jar' expression. She smiled and ran her fingers across his temple.

"I don't mind." She said snuggling closer to him. "I know you've been curious to touch it since I met you…before you figured how to block your thoughts that is."

Shinzon tried to shrug, but found it painfully difficult.

He sighed. "I fell asleep in my uniform."

Heira scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, I don't imagine it's very comfortable."

Shinzon sat up slowly, rolling his arms in their sockets.

He knew he was going to have a 'wonderful' kink in his neck for the rest of the day.

"How long before you have to be on duty?" Heira asked moving to sit behind him.

Shinzon looked at the timepiece on the wall. "Not for a while, actually."

"Good." Heira said patting him on the shoulders. "Take this off."

"What?" Shinzon asked, turning around quickly.

Heira laughed. "I'm going to relieve some of your tension. But I can't do that with you wearing this armor thing."

"Why?" Shinzon asked with a suspicious look on his face.

"Because." Heira started, draping her arms over his shoulders. "It's a part of my evil plan to subdue you with affection."

Shinzon pulled lightly on her arms, making her lean against his back.

"I'm not so easy to subdue…You're going to have to try very hard."

"I'd better get started then." She replied as she fumbled with the fastenings of his uniform.

Shinzon moved her hands, then expertly removed the top portion of his battle uniform.

Heira smirked then placed her hands on his bare shoulders.

"Relax." She said, poking him between his shoulder blades.

Shinzon let his muscles loosen, and was pleasantly surprised by the sensation of her relatively strong hands kneading his sore shoulders.

"Hmm," He murmured softly, a small smile gracing his face.

"Nice?" Heira whispered in his ear.

Shinzon nodded and leaned into her touch.

He let her continue for a few more moments. He was still curious to know if she had been having dreams of his past, like he'd had of hers. Even though he knew she wouldn't think any less of him, he'd still always been a private person and didn't like that idea very much.

"What's wrong?" Heira asked, bringing her ministrations to a halt. "There's something bothering you, I can feel it."

Shinzon shook his head. "It's nothing."

Heira raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Tell me what's wrong."

"Why?" He asked turning around.

Heira sighed dramatically. "Because…If something bothers you, it goes through the connection, and thus ends up bothering me, and I don't like being bothered so we have a problem."

Shinzon blinked a few times. "Fine, I want to ask you something."

"And that is?" Heira replied, already having some idea of what he was going to say.

Shinzon paused to choose his words. "When you dream, do you…see things, about me…before you met me?"

Heira smiled softly. "Yes." She said simply. "I see some of the memories from your past…I'm sure you've seen some of mine."

Shinzon nodded. "Yes, but why does it happen?"

Heira shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't happen in every bonding case, so we only learn a little bit about it."

Shinzon seemed to accept that answer without much hesitation. There had been so many changes in the past couple of days that he was content to let it go.

"Tell me about your world." He said suddenly, leaning back into her hands, silently telling her to continue with her massage.

Heira smiled, and resumed rubbing his shoulders. "Well, lets see… There are three groups of people on my planet. Symbiods, like my father and myself, Hosts like you and my mother, and Tweens."

"Tweens?" Shinzon asked, the word sounding foreign on his tongue.

Heira nodded. "Yes. Not all babies on my world are born Symbiods. Sometimes they don't need to find hosts, but they're still immortal like the rest of us."

Shinzon seemed confused. "How would they fit into your society?"

Heira shrugged. "They can become hosts, but it's a bit complicated. Tweens have specific DNA signatures which have to be perfectly compatible with a Symbiod for a bond to work, so every un-bonded citizen has to submit a DNA sample when they're getting close to adulthood to see if they match up with a Tween."

Shinzon frowned. "Do you have to make the bond if you match with one of them?"

Heira shook her head. "No, of course not. I actually had a match, but I chose not to bond with him."

"Why?" Shinzon asked curiously.

Heira frowned. "Because he's an idiot, and I hate him."

She could feel his shoulders shaking with silent laughter, and she smiled because it was the first time she had made him laugh.

"It's true." She said nonchalantly. "I knew him when we were children, and he was always getting into unnecessary trouble. Plus my parents didn't want me to have to be stuck with him."

"You talk about them a lot." Shinzon noted as silence once again filled the room.

"My parents?" Heira asked, unsure of what he meant.

Shinzon nodded.

Heira smiled. "Yeah, they're both great. I don't know much of my family because most of them decided to travel around the universe long before I was born, but I do have my Parents, and grandparents and my Father's sister Claudia and her family."

Shinzon nodded slowly and seemed to pause for thought.

Heira sighed. "You're upset again." She said factually.

Shinzon shook his head. "I'm not, I was just thinking. I do that from time to time."

Heira smiled at his mild attempt at humor. "I'm glad."

"I've never really had a family." Shinzon said after a few moments.

Heira leaned forward and draped her arms over his chest. "What about your Viceroy?"

Shinzon shrugged. "He's the closest thing I've ever had, but there's always been something missing…"

"A link to your own kind." Heira answered.

Shinzon turned to face her, a slightly confused look on his face. "How did you know?"

Heira shrugged. "I feel it when I see your memories at night. Ever since you were a child you've longed for human contact; for a link to your true nature."

Shinzon frowned at that. It was something that had plagued his thoughts for as long as he could remember, and he didn't appreciate having someone know that much about him.

"I understand my nature. I'm a warrior, a fighter." He said turning away from her gaze.

Heira smiled and shook her head. "That's what you do, not who you are. You've never been given a chance to discover who you are because you've always been forced to be what someone else wants you to be."

Shinzon stood suddenly. "What do you know about it! I think I would know myself better than you would!"

Heira rolled her eyes and laid back. "Look, I wasn't trying to upset you. I'm just telling you what I think, whether or not you choose to listen is your business."

Shinzon turned away and walked to his 'closet.'

Heira sighed. "You're mad at me now." She said standing.

Shinzon glanced back. "Get dressed, I'm going on duty."

Heira looked up at the timepiece on the wall. "You still have nearly an hour before you have to go."

Shinzon shrugged. "I have work to do."

Heira rolled her eyes. "Fine, at least I have something to do today."

She walked over to her bags and sifted through them for a moment. She pulled out several items and sat them on the floor.

Shinzon tried to go about his usual business, but couldn't seem to stop looking at Heira.

He knew that she probably sensed his feelings and this bothered him immensely.

How could he ever learn to deal with someone knowing everything about him?

Heira sighed, but decided not to comment on what she had read in his thoughts.

She re-zipped her bag loudly as an outlet for her anger. She knew it wasn't the best time to start trouble but she could still slam things about if she wanted to!

"I'm taking a shower." She said, leaving no room for discussion. She knew he had to follow her so she waited until he moved.

Shinzon glared at her, but picked up his clothes and moved to follow.

Once they entered the bathroom he immediately turned around, not wanting to hear her accuse him of spying on her again. Yes, he had been sneaking glances the last time they were in this situation, but she didn't know that. She had accused him during the few seconds that something else had been on his mind.

He heard the shower start and leaned against the door, resigning himself to wait for her to finish.

Heira held back a sigh as she pulled her shirt over her head.

Shinzon was taking his turn in the shower while she dressed, and she had hoped that he would have forgotten about their small argument earlier. However when she spoke to him as she dried herself off, he had chosen to ignore her.

The night before had been so wonderful, yet somehow in a matter of hours they had managed to turn their relationship from one of tentative affection to virtual dislike.

The worst thing was, she had no idea how it had happened!

Shinzon exited the shower slowly. He caught a glimpse of Heira's bare back just before she put her shirt on.

"What is that?" He asked quietly.

"What?" Heira asked turning around. Her eyes widened suddenly and she quickly turned away.

Shinzon seemed confused, before he realized that he had not yet put any clothes on, or even bothered to place a towel around his waist.

He grabbed a towel from the rack next to the shower and fastened it tightly across his hips.

"Now, what were you talking about?" Heira asked, still facing away from him. She knew that he had covered himself, yet she knew she wouldn't be able to look into his eyes without blushing like a fool.

"Your back." Shinzon started. "I saw something marked on your back."

Heira smiled slightly. "It's called a tattoo." She pulled the back of her shirt up so that he could see it in entirety. "The top portion with the red is my family crest, but I decided to add a little of myself to it.

Shinzon's eyes traced the intricate design. It began on the back of her shoulders and spiraled down the center of her back in an ornate pattern that looked very much like black vines.

"It's permanent?" He asked, fighting the urge to trace one of the various lines with his fingers.

Heira nodded. "Well, in a normal human it would be, though in my case I'll probably have to get it touched up every century or so."

She put her shirt back down, and Shinzon couldn't help the strange feeling that overcame him at the loss of the view.

However, he soon became more interested in what his new 'guest' was wearing.

He had only ever seen her in leather pants and complicated looking tops with things attached to them. Now she wore a simple sleeveless black shirt and a long flowing skirt that flared out at the slightest turn.

"You look…different." He said, curious as to what had brought about the change.

Heira laughed. "Yeah. I'm letting my legs recuperate after being without blood for the whole night."

Shinzon nodded, and grabbed the bottom portion of his uniform. Now that he thought about it, he would much rather be wearing something less restricting too.

"Are we going back to Romulus today?" Heira asked as she listened to him shuffle around behind her.

"Probably not." He said fastening his pants. "Why?"

Heira shrugged. "I don't know. When I was there yesterday it gave me a bad feeling, like it was tearing away some part of me. Isn't that strange?"

Shinzon froze for a moment. He supposed it was possible that she was channeling his feelings toward the planet, and what he had ordered done to the Romulan senate only a few days ago. It was unsettling to think that she could be feeling his guilt. That was his 'cross' to bear, and she shouldn't have to face repercussions for something she'd had no part of.

He resumed his task of getting dressed to avoid anymore of these 'disturbing' thoughts.

"Are you planning on fighting off several people in hand to hand combat today?" Heira asked jokingly as Shinzon strategically placed several intricately designed knives within the crevices of his uniform.

Shinzon looked back at her slyly. "I'm not planning on it, but you never know what could happen."

Heira blinked a few times. She wasn't sure if she should laugh at his mild attempt at humor, or be worried because he was probably only half joking.

"Remind me to stay on your good side, then…Though, for you, harming me would be quite counterproductive."

Shinzon shook his head and continued to 'arm' himself.

"Honestly though, what's with all the weaponry?" Heira asked bouncing from her seat on the bed.

Shinzon shrugged. "I like to be prepared for anything."

Heira smirked. "I'm sure you do."

Shinzon frowned, unsure of what she'd meant by that.

He placed his last knife in its proper place, made a show of straightening his collar.

Heira laughed softly to herself. ' He's so gorgeous.'

She stood quickly and closed her mind. She knew that if he read that thought from her he would only end up becoming embarrassed, and most likely angry with himself for feeling that way.

"I'm curious." She said moving towards him. "How exactly did you manage to go from being an off-world child whom the Remans sympathized with, to becoming their leader."

Shinzon tilted his head slightly, unsure as to why she would even care. He caught a glimpse of the timepiece on his wall.

"That's a long story, which I will tell you later this evening. But for now, I'm needed on the bridge."

Heira nodded, eager to learn about his history from his perspective, rather than watching it every night in her nightmares.

She picked up her small bag and followed him to the door.

After hesitating a moment, she decided she would satisfy another of her curiosities later as well.

"Another thing…" She started as they exited the room.

"Yes?" Shinzon asked, sensing a slight feeling of humor being emitted through their bond. He knew she was trying to get to him again, and steeled himself for whatever she would ask. He was prepared for anything.

Heira smiled. "How would you like to let me try on one of the overcoats for your uniform?"

…Except that anyway.

"Why?" He asked, very confused.

Heira shrugged. "I don't know. I just want to see what it feels like."

Shinzon could not even begin to understand the logic behind that, but he nodded anyway.

"You can wear it all this evening if you like. When I have finished with my duties for the day."

Heira smiled brightly and walked closer to him. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly for a moment before dropping it.

"Well then let's go to the bridge so you can get started."

Shinzon shook his head slightly and resumed walking.

"You did what!"

Heira stepped back from her angry host. If she'd thought this morning was bad, seeing Shinzon after receiving the news that his Viceroy had arranged a meeting with the man he had been cloned from without consulting him first was making her wish he had stayed only mildly upset.

"You gave the order to contact him last week. I was merely following your orders." Vkruk said calmly, unfazed by Shinzon's outburst. He had seen him like this before, and was not in the least bit intimidated by his shouting.

Shinzon took in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. "Things have changed since then, you know that."

Heira scowled as she realized what Vkruk had been planning.

Besides Shinzon and herself, no one knew of his illness besides the Viceroy.

Everyone had just accepted her presence on board the Scimitar because their Praetor had said it was necessary.

But Vkruk knew that she had somehow treated Shinzon's illness, and needed to stay nearby in order for him to remain in good health.

Heira knew that he thought of her as a distraction to his Protégé and had been trying to find a way to get her off the ship since she had arrived.

"I believed it was an opportunity to finally be rid of this distracting ailment. "Vkruk said quietly, glaring briefly at Heira as he did.

Shinzon sighed and stared at the view-screen. It held the images of his two greatest adversaries: The planet Romulus and all its people. And the starship Enterprise, Captained by Jean-Luc Picard.

Both were the roots of all his anger; every ounce of his insecurity.

The Romulans had shown him the very nature of cruelty, and knowing of Picard with all he had, and what he'd achieved was merely salt in his wounds.

"When is the meeting supposed to take place?" Shinzon asked.

Despite his feelings, this meeting would determine the future of the Reman people.

He couldn't make them suffer because he was having problems.

"In two hours." Vkruk replied.

Shinzon nodded and sat in his seat. Heira sat on the floor beside him.

He no longer needed the transfusion now that he had Heira. Besides, the thought of her leaving sent chills down his spine.

No, he would use this as an opportunity to meet the man whom he was created from. To see for himself if he was as great as his records said.

He continued staring out into the view screen. Thinking of the coming rendezvous.

'So, we will meet at last Picard…'

TBC