Mid shift as they practice what they learned in training yesterday, Bridget startles at the feeling of the notification buzz. Her team stares until she shrugs and holds her hands out apologetically. "Still getting used to this implant thing. I didn't grow up with it like you two did."
Tillan, the golden skinned young man with long hair, verbally nudges her with his pet name for her, "Bree, If it's from this mysterious gent of yours we want to hear all the details!" He gives pet names to everyone and unabashedly flirts whether people pay attention or not.
"Tillan…" she sighs in exasperation. "I'm not sharing him!"
"His loss. Still want the details," Tillan winks and waits expectantly.
"Aren't enough pretties here on the ship for you?" Shayla, a butterscotch haired pleasant round faced gal, puts her hands on Tillan's shoulders and flutters her eyelashes as she peeks around to see his face.
"The gal in the team next to us…" he teases her.
"Tillan!" Shayla lets go exasperated and slugs him in the arm. It just tickles his funny bone and he shoves her with his shoulder playfully.
While her teammates were goofing off, she quickly checks her message. Stinger's accent makes her relax immediately, even though it's a bit slurred. 'Trouble Love, found your ssshirt in the auto cleanssser when I ssstumbled back home. You'll have to visssit me to get it back.'
Tapping the button on her neck again she sends back, 'My Sweet Old Codger, you distracted me enough before I left that I wasn't thinking about clothing. Rest now and sleep it off, ok? Gotta go, teammates staring and expecting me to share your message, and I'm not enough used to the buzzing to cover it up yet. I'll be as cryptic as I can and not be rude. I told Tillan I wasn't sharing you. See the attached picture of us dorks. Kisses.'
Meeting their forcefully hopeful gazes again she shakes her head. "You two are absolutely incorrigible! If you must know, I left something at his place."
Shayla's index finger goes to her lips conspiratorially, "Now what could she have left behind?"
Tillan's face lights up as his mind runs through the possibilities.
Thwacking them both with her notes, she tries to get everyone back on track, "Focus! We're each other's care team! If you two can focus through the rest of this shift, I'll tell you what I left behind. Deal?"
"The details better be worth the work, Bree. This constant work stuff is a drag," Tillan insists and Shayla nods.
Bridget rubs her thumb over her index finger, "See this - it's a tiny violin playing my heart bleeds for you. I've had to work hard all my adult life."
"Harsh!" Shayla comes to Tillan's defense.
Tillan just holds his hand up as if it's a puppet and mocks her, "Blah, blah, blah. Juicy details, girly. That's what I care about."
Bridget rolls her eyes, "Nosey bugger."
Back at his apartment, Stinger listens to her message a few times. He'd planned to stay up until he was sober again. But for whatever reason after she told him to rest, he can't seem to keep his eyes open. "Aww, bloody hell." He pulls her shirt from the table and places it on his pillow before collapsing.
Over the next few days as Bridget mentally prepares for the procedure next week, Tillan and Shayla keep hounding her for more info on her beau, simply because she's so quiet about him. She really wants to tell them all about her delightfully cantankerous splice lover. But Stinger needs anonymity with her working for Titus. Stinger doesn't want her used as a bargaining chip if Titus wants to get revenge.
Though, she does wonder what Stinger knows of what Titus has to deal with. While she's been here she's heard of two betrayals close to him, a foiled assassination attempt, and five lawsuits. It's not all wine and roses for the entitleds. No wonder they turn out so messed up.
Her latest message tells him of her struggle with her team.
'Dearest Old Codger. I am terrible at maintaining a poker face. I'm sorry. My teammates are figuring things out about you even though I say nothing!
Today they were pestering me about why you would need such secrecy. I refused to make eye contact - knowing I'm too transparent. But they started guessing out loud before I could cover my ears! Their first guess was industrial spy, then entitled playboy who needs an affair secret, then paranoid Legion Elite.
I still don't know what gave me away after they said the latter - even though it's in the past. But their pompous high five of victory annoyed me no end. How am I going to keep you safe at this rate? I'll keep trying. God, I miss you lover boy.'
She's relieved to get his return message quickly, now that she's figured out how to set a specific pattern to the receipt of his messages. A slight smile appears on her face as the only possible give away. She can usually cover for it.
'Loveliest Trouble, no worries. If you try to hide me too much, it will only bring us unwanted attention. Not everyone can develop a good poker face. Is it one teammate doing most of the asking? Could be just a nosey git, but keep an eye out. If it doesn't feel right, start covertly digging for info.
You'll laugh. I must have drunkenly called my daughter and prattled on about you. I got a teasing note from her this morning. Damn it. Wish I knew what I said. Will tune the implant to not let me message after a certain blood alcohol level. Drinking isn't dulling the ache of how much I miss you.'
Near the end of her sleep cycle, she's awoken by a vaguely familiar, rather annoying, but very polite voice. They'd confided in each other the day before after she stood up for the rat splice. "Miss Thornton. Wake up, please. We need to see Famulus IMMEDIATELY. I believe we're about to be in a great deal trouble, if we don't get to her first."
"Mr. Night? What did you find?" She stretches and groggily asks.
"We must go now!" He grabs her arm with a crushing grip that his delicate hands don't look like they should have. "It's our best chance!"
Her latest note has Stinger pacing aboard his Aegis ship muttering every known obscenity in three languages and making up a few more. He plays it again to be sure he didn't miss anything.
'My dearest Old Codger. Your ID is compromised. I'm so truly sorry. Mr. Night helped me dig. We're intercepted. The industrial spy framed us. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to return my shirt. Being escorted to Famulus. Expect contact from her. I love you.'
What the hell did she find? Is she ok? Where is that entitled bastard's ship the D-Gamma 9 right now? Why is Night helping her? Didn't that damned little rat splice die in the factory destabilization? Famulus is going to use her to lure him, just like he'd feared. Damn. Damn. Triple damn and fuck. Yet another way he's beyond buggered, AGAIN.
The day before, Tillan had flirted incessantly with Chicanery, and Mr. Night had been flattered, but always politely declined - for sake of propriety. Though, he left an invite open for after the volunteer donation requirements were fulfilled. Tillan became agitated. He'd been increasingly this way with everyone. Bridget asked what was going on, he wasn't even next up to donate. Then she stepped in between them and forced Tillan to leave.
Something must have clicked for Mr. Night at that point because he confided in her that he knew the Abrasax extraction inside and out and they shared what they knew about Tillan's behavior. Tillan had been approaching everyone that might know something of it - along with a few others as cover.
The present.
Along the way to see Famulus, Mr. Night explains they're being framed and her secretive messages with Captain Apini make her one of the scapegoats. He'd been investigating both her and Tillan. Aegis thinks they corner the market on encryption, but Chicanery was able to crack it last century. Unfortunately, he's implicated too for forwarding what he found to Aegis via the same channel. There wasn't another option to have a backup for the info. He's also aware of her Captain's indiscretion in turning over Jupiter and Caine, and that Famulus is aware of Stinger's help in retrieving said betrayed friends.
"The proverbial shit is hitting the fan Miss Thornton," he manages to say with some eloquence despite the panic of the situation.
Then they meet the guards around the corner…
Famulus contacts Stinger during the split shift, demanding he turn himself over immediately. Stinger gives a pleading expression and shows his hands already in cuffs. Captain Tsing interrupts, "He betrayed the Aegis again. I'll be happy to turn him over for questioning. But he will remain in my custody, awaiting trial on both counts."
Blinking, Famulus is clearly taken aback. This isn't a frequent experience for her. She's used to having the most recent info and the upper hand. "Delightful. His Lordship will be expecting you."