Icicles 7
disclaimer: do not own star trek
Khan lay in his quarters. It had only been a day. So far it hadn't been too bad. He had an entire team of engineers and scientists under his command, trying to figure out how to make what he wanted happen. They also contributed ideas and perspective. It was refreshing to have some new eyes on the matter. One had suggested what he hadn't even thought of. The ability to fire and attack while in warp. Full capabilities of a starship out of warp.
He had sat and discussed exactly how to accomplish this with the team for hours. He was actually getting excited. This was something that hadn't been done on a starship before. Something new. In fact the entire ship was going to change the game. Granted it was a ship built solely for war and not exploration like the rest of the fleet. It was his job to make the ship a killing machine and he was going to go all out with it.
The only downside would be he would be kept on an even tighter leash once Marcus realized exactly how merciless a machine he was making this ship. Built for complete annihilation. The war with the Klingons was going a be a bloody one. If Marcus had a fleet of these ships built, it was likely to be a short one as well. But it would certainly draw attention from other planets outside Federation Space who would see them as a threat and attempt to eliminate or control that threat as quickly as possible. This would very much lead to an arms race.
A thought floated across his mind.
He could always wait. Seize control of the ship when least expected if Marcus did indeed keep him as a lapdog on the bridge to ensure the ship was working the way it was intended.
His lip twisted in delight as he relished the thought of Marcus's face once he overthrew the bridge to seize control of it. He just needed to find a way to sneak the crew on board. He had to find a proper and suitable way to dispose of Marcus. Perhaps he would just keep him in the brig, threaten his entire crew, perhaps torture his family. Let him see how it felt. Torture him occasionally. He hadn't decided yet.
He just had to wait.
Waiting was not one of his strong points, but he needed to exercise immense patience right now. He needed to find a way to get the crew on board, figure out exactly to do after they seized control. Would they go back to Earth, side with the Klingons, or just go find a planet? Or just endlessly float in space? He needed a plan. They might be welcomed on Romulus.
He reached into his bag to get ready for bed. His fingers closed around his scarf. He pulled it out, brought it to his face and inhaled once more to find the smell had faded significantly. He could barely smell anything. He discarded it next to him as he moved to find his bedclothes.
He moved his coat and a small envelope fell out. He picked it up and opened it.
"In case you get lonely. -Amanda" It read in neat handwriting. Underneath was a phone number. He strongly suspected he knew exactly whose number it was. He folded it back up and put it in his bag. He opened his phone and called Amanda.
Marla slammed the apartment door shut. Her hand was still throbbing in pain. She had managed to sit through group with Fred's snarky comments all night. The second group had ended, she had confronted him and hit him as hard as she possibly could across the face.
Andrew had stood at a distance, willing to let her handle it.
"How dare you." She had hissed. Low and threatening. A tone she was not used to using after so long.
Fred had groaned in pain, holding his face. Marla had managed to bloody his nose.
"How dare you say those things. I opened up to you, I was honest with you. I let you into my bed! And you turn around and say these horrible things after I made it clear I was uninvolved with anyone else because I AM NOT READY. I TRUSTED YOU!" She snarled before sinking her fist into his crotch, causing him to scream and sink to the ground still yelling in pain.
Andrew gave a small smile of approval before moving towards her, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her back.
"That's enough Marls. I think he's gotten the message." He had been on the receiving end of that punch to the groin twice in his life while growing up. He hated to think how much power that punch packed after military training.
Marla threw her coat on the table as she noticed an envelope on the counter. She picked it up and opened it.
"In case you need vent. -Amanda" Beneath the note was a phone number. She scrunched her nose. She knew exactly whose phone number it might be. She left it on the counter. She had half a mind to throw it away. She reached for her phone and dialed Amanda. She found the line was busy and she hung up.
She released Napoleon and went to lay in bed, stripping herself of her clothes.
Ten minutes later, her phone rang. She hesitated before she picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Thought so." She heard John on the other end. Then a click.
What the hell. She got up, stormed to the kitchen and found the number on the counter. She jabbed the buttons angrily.
"Harrison."
"You know it is incredibly rude to call someone from space and then hang up on them, you ass." She snapped. "How the hell did you even get my number?"
"Amanda left a note in my coat with an unmarked number. I suspected it was yours so I called to confirm my suspicions. I am curious as to how you got mine."
"Same."
Silence.
"I am going to bed now. Goodnight John."
"Wait."
Marla complied.
"Yes?"
She heard him sigh on the other end.
"You sound unreasonably angry."
"Perhaps."
"What happened?"
"I confronted Fred. That's it."
"You hit him, did you not?"
"No."
"Don't lie, you hit Lakewood over less."
"Yes, I hit him, happy?"
She could practically hear him smirking on the other side.
"Good."
"I'm going to bed now." She hung up.
Marla growled. That man was so infuriating.
Her phone rang beside her.
She picked it up.
"Yes?"
"What was that about it being rude to hang up on someone?"
"I am not playing phone tag with you, John."
"I was not suggesting it."
"Then stop!"
"Stop what? You are the one who called me back, were you not?"
"You're the one who called and hung up in the first place!"
"You really are irritated by this, aren't you?" He sounded immensely amused.
"And you really are enjoying it, aren't you?"
"I am in space with little else to do at the present moment."
Marla sighed in resignation. She walked back to bed and crawled under the covers.
"How is Marcus behaving?"
"I have not seen him all day which is most surprising."
"What is it like?"
"What is what like?"
"Space."
"Why are you asking me?"
"Andrew would not tell me."
She was met with silence.
"Vast. Cold. I cannot tell you where I am, but I can see a planet from here and it is mind-blowing how technology has advanced to be able to take us out here." He finally spoke softly into the receiver.
"More than that." She closed her eyes.
"I can see the moons of this planet. Beyond that, infinite stars as far as the eye can see. Galaxies." He breathed. "No falling asleep on me. I can hear you starting to."
"I'm not." She lied.
"Tell me, what do you see out your window then, since I am describing my view."
Marla sat up and glanced out.
"A hobo pissing on the sidewalk."
He chuckled.
"Not exactly endless stars, but I guess when you have to go, you have to go."
"I prefer my view better." He informed her.
"Good to know." She yawned.
"What did I say about falling asleep?"
"Shut up."
There was a pause.
"Someone's coming, I have to go."
"Okay, I'll talk to you when you get back then or whenever."
"Yes. Goodnight." John spoke quickly and quietly before he hung up.
Marla tossed the phone aside. She lay on her back and allowed her mind to wander.
The conversation reminded her strongly of the last few weeks of her and Lee's relationship. His 'business' trips. The days she wouldn't hear from Kayla. She felt her heart and stomach turn cold.
She hated them both. She hated them with every ounce she could.
She couldn't even stop the tears from beginning to rush down her face. She soon found herself curled up on her side, sobbing, gasping for air.
She had loved him.
She trusted her.
She had agreed without hesitation when he had asked her to marry him.
She should have seen it.
She should have seen the signs, she should have known.
It shouldn't have taken her walking in on them to figure it out. It shouldn't have taken that long to find out.
Marla wanted to claw her face off from shame and humiliation. From heartbreak and grief.
Eventually the tears stopped and she soon found herself drifting off.
Andrew stood in front of the coffee maker in the break room. It was Friday. Marla had told him that one woman, no, family member, wanted to have coffee with them. He had to accept. It wasn't fair to throw her to the wolves on this one. She was skeeved out, especially since the woman had found where Marla lived.
Too many things had been happening too fast. They were supposed to be there in an hour. Marla was probably back in her office finishing up. She had mentioned getting much more done since John was off planet and not sitting in her office when he was bored. He had suggested maybe moving offices to be more productive. She had dismissed him, saying she was moved in and settled now so it made no sense to pack it all up again to move down the hall.
Andrew wasn't entirely sure how he felt about a possible relationship between the two. He had seen both sides of John and still wasn't certain on his feelings on the man.
Andrew did not like this entire situation they were in at all. He would much rather have them both transfer to LA. Find another Cryo support group. He knew it wasn't that simple though. They both had made friends, she was teaching. But it would be such a fresh start. Away from the drama, away from everything. He had looked into it. There were some openings in Los Angeles. They would still have off-planet opportunities, She would be able to teach. They would be able to visit San Francisco occasionally. They had phones. He would discuss it with her. Best to do it now.
He walked out of the break room and down the hall. He opened the first door and then knocked on the second.
"Come in."
Marla looked up from her paperwork on the desk.
"Oh hey."
"Hey, can we talk about something for a minute?"
"Yeah, sure." Marla closed the folder and gave him her undivided attention.
"I want us to transfer to Los Angeles." Andrew sat in the chair in front of the desk.
"Why?"
"Because we are in a mess of drama here. Things are moving too fast. I feel it would be best for us to take a step away from it."
Marla leaned back in the chair and looked at him.
"No. I'm fine where we are. We cannot run from our issues. That is cowardly. Perhaps we can go away this weekend and next weekend and take a breather?"
Andrew glowered at her. She was right. They couldn't run.
"Fine. Where should we go then?"
"Hm….We could go hiking."
"In April?"
"Alright fine, then you choose something."
"Reno?"
"I don't have money to gamble with."
"Napa Valley?"
"Yes."
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yes."
The coffee shop that Tabitha had chosen was rather large and upscale. Marla shot a side glance at her brother to see that he too was nervous. Marla spotted Tabitha with another woman who looked similar to her in a corner booth. There were already two empty cups sitting on the table along with a large pot of what Marla assumed was coffee.
"You must be Andrew." Tabitha smiled at Andrew. "I am Tabitha Williams-McGivers. This is my sister, Annora."
Annora stared haughtily at the pair as they sat.
"Tabitha, when you said they were in need of help, I did not expect them to be in this state. Look at their uniforms. Slightly disheveled. Hmph. What is Starfleet allowing these days."
Marla was now hyper-aware of the slight wrinkles in her uniform dress.
"How are you two today? How was work?" Tabitha poured coffee out for the two of them.
"Work was fine." Marla nodded. She felt a bit more relaxed in an open setting like this with Tabitha instead of alone in the house. "We had a meeting today about department budget cuts though to the new history building. We were told to expect some changes next semester to try and make up for it."
"What kind of changes?" Tabitha passed them both milk and sugar.
"No idea."
"What about you, Andrew?"
"Fine. Got a call from a Captain today whose ship I worked on a little bit ago thanking me and told me to expect something. Got a package later of a tiny miniature of Romulan Ale. Rather gutsy of him to send that since it's illegal."
"Enough of this small talk. Now to get down to business. Both of you, open your mouths." Annora sniffed.
"Annora!" Tabitha reprimanded.
"Excuse me?" Andrew stared at the woman.
"You heard me. Open your mouths or I'll see to it that you are not permitted anywhere near the McGivers house again or I'll have you arrested. I should have you arrested for breaking and entering and theft of that afghan." Annora opened her bag and opened two tubes which each contained a cotton swab. "I want proof. Therefore, we are doing DNA testing." She stood and walked to Marla. "Open your mouth."
Marla stared, mouth slightly ajar with shock. Annora grabbed her chin and forced her mouth open further before scraping the swab across the inside of her cheek.
"HEY!" Andrew rose and Annora quickly jammed the second swab into his mouth before capping the two and shoving them back in her bag and left.
"I apologize for my sister. Are you alright?" Tabitha reached over to pat Marla's hand and was quickly swatted away.
"We're leaving." Andrew stood and pulled Marla up with him.
"Wait! Please, I had no idea she was going to do that. Please stay!" Tabitha begged.
"No. It's best we left. Please do not contact us again." Andrew snapped.
Marla was very shaken up as she clung to Andrew as they practically ran out the door.
Khan glared at the group. Now they were just throwing stupid ideas out. He had had enough of it. It was time to start discussing the how. How to make all of this happen. He glanced at the security guard in the corner.
"Keep your temper." The words floated across his mind.
He took a deep breath.
"Enough." He spoke. "Enough prattling on about ridiculous things you inane idiots. This is becoming idiotic. Shall we get to business? That is, if you are all done spouting nonsense."
The group fell silent and looked uncomfortable.
Two hours later, Khan was in a shower. He needed someone to vent to about how stupid these people were. He debated about calling Marla. No. He couldn't do that. He couldn't risk almost getting caught with a phone again this week. The people with families were permitted to call their families at night to talk with their children. Everyone else was supposed to not have them. But not today. Perhaps tomorrow. He couldn't possibly be the only other one to have sneaked a phone m on board.
His phone was currently hidden under the mattress. Cliché, but he knew people would be smart enough to not go rooting through his belongings. His quarters were private, like the rest of the scientists. The construction crew had communal bunks.
He just wanted to sleep it off since he couldn't rant to anyone. Not Joaquin, not Amanda, not even Marla.
Khan got out of the shower and dried off. It was cold in his quarters. He quickly got ready for bed and burrowed into the sheets.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as she gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. He returned it briefly before she pulled away and snuggled into his chest, auburn hair everywhere. He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed the top of her head before he removed his fingers, pulled the blankets around them both in a cocoon type and wrapped his arms around her, perfectly content with feeling her breath on his chest.
'Hold on, I have to go use the bathroom.' Marla murmured before rolling out of bed. He pulled her back and kissed her neck, pausing to nibble at her ear.
'Stop! I have to pee!' She giggled. As she stood and walked away, she burst into flame and disintegrated into ash.
He cried out and threw the covers off, rushing to the spot. The ashes scattered. He chased them to another room. His crew stood before him. His breathing was heavy. Joaquin smiled at him and held out his hand to greet him, wordlessly inviting him to take it so he could embrace him. Khan stumbled over to embrace Joaquin. Before he could reach him, the entire crew also burst into flames and turned to ash. Once more he screamed in horror.
All he could hear was laughter. Admiral Marcus's laughter as the ash swirled around him and forming into metal. He found himself in an iron maiden, Marla, Amanda, Andrew, Tyrone, and his crew outside of it, staring. Marcus appeared behind them and began slitting every single one of their throats, the blood rushing everywhere, leaking into the iron maiden. He screamed, defenseless to stop the massacre.
'I own you, you son-of-a-bitch.. You're mine.' Marcus's voice rang inside the metal as he felt the blood reach his ankles, his knees, his stomach, his chest, then his neck. 'Until the day I decide you're useless, son.' Came the growl before the blood blocked his mouth and nostrils, drowning him.
Khan woke up. He rolled over and grabbed the trash bin next the bed and vomited.
Marla stood in front of the door. Andrew had told her about this. The holodeck. It was in the Academy gym. As a professor, she had full access to the facilities. Gyms, pool, saunas, everything. She flipped the pad open. It said the room was unoccupied. She slid her identification card through the reader.
'NEW USER: MARLENA MCGIVERS. PROFESSOR. HISTORY." The screen read. "SELECT TYPE."
Marla proceeded to enter her preferences in the machine before the door clicked and the screen read ENTER.
She put her mouth guard in and entered. Her hands and feet were wrapped in preparation. Hand to hand combat training. That was her favorite in the army. It was time to get back into it for stress relief. The room had a grid pattern running all over the inside.
"Begin." She breathed. The room the program had chosen was a dark alley.
Instantly, a hologram of a man formed in front of her, knife in hand. He growled and lunged towards her. She grabbed his wrist and twisted, kicking the knife away when he dropped it. She was shocked to feel how real the hologram felt. It buzzed with electricity though.
She was thrown across the holodeck. Shit, she had lost focus when she was considering the hologram. She quickly rolled to the side as the hologram attempted to slam his foot into her face. She turned and swept his leg out from under him with her leg, aiming for the back of the knees with her heel. He got back up before she could.
She seized a bottle from the trash can and smashed it across his face as he leaned down, knife in hand. The hologram dissolved. She breathed heavily as she stood.
"Level two." She panted. The holodeck went fuzzy and came back into focus. A bar. She observed a man and woman sitting at the bar. They stared and stood. The woman came at her first. This hologram was much more skilled in hand to hand than a fist fight in an alley.
Marla forced herself to remember everything from training. The hologram landed a punch across her face, forcing her back into a table. She hissed and retreated back a few feet, regrouping before charging in again.
The woman pulled out a dagger, Marla jumped back and looked around. A dagger materialized on a table. She grabbed it and resumed. The hologram quickly kicked it out of her hand and moved to stab her. Marla turned and dodged at the last second before seizing the hologram's arm and flipping her over, picking up the dropped knife and placing it against the hologram's neck. The hologram punched her in the stomach. She held on tightly to the knife as she realized she had to knock out or kill the hologram. She plunged the dagger into the woman's stomach and the hologram dissolved.
The man came after her next. She grabbed his shoulders. SING, she remembered. Solar plexus, instep, nose, groin, threw him to the ground and kicked him in the head. The hologram dissolved.
Marla leaned over, hands on her knees as she drew ragged breaths. She looked at the bar and saw her water bottle. She opened it and drank before replacing it. She wiped her forehead off.
"Level three."
The room went fuzzy once more and she found herself surrounded by a zombie horde.
"END PROGRAM." She quickly yelled. The hologram faded out, leaving the empty grid room. She wasn't quite ready for that yet. She picked up her water bottle and exited.
"I was wondering who was using that on a Monday." She heard a voice and turned. She saw Beatty standing there, water in hand. Charles Beatty. 49. Australian. Fellow professor in the history department.
"Hello Charles." She greeted.
"I would ask if you wished to join me in the holodeck, but it looks as if you've had yourself a right go."
"Yeah. I think I'm just going to hit the showers."
"So, how about that meeting then the other day, eh? What do you think about the cuts?"
"I don't know. We will have to see. They'll be cutting some things from the new building is what I got the impression of."
"That's what I thought too. But they told me we're moving down to the basement of Harter next semester!"
"The basement?"
"Says it's cheaper to hold classes down there. Less electricity since the boiler rooms heat it in the winter and it's freezing in the summer. But there's mold and mice down there."
"I am going to be so happy when they get the history building finished." Marla sighed.
"Me too. We'll have our own classrooms, no mice, not having to fight over classrooms…It will be great."
"It will be great to have our own offices, too." Marla added.
"Oh yeah. I'm out in the science labs right now at HQ. Explosions regularly."
"I'm on a floor with mostly Commanders."
"Seventeenth?"
"Yes."
"Heard they were a rowdy bunch up there."
"Oh yes. My brother included." Marla cleared her throat.
"Heard Adam Lakewood is there. I heard he was the reason we had that stupid seminar."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes, if my memory serves me correctly, John Harrison walked in on him having sex on that desk in the office across from his."
Marla went a number of shades of color.
"THAT'S MY OFFICE!"
"Better bleach that desk then."
"You know, I think I am up for another round."
"Alright! Tell me, have you ever sword fought with pirates?"
"What?"
"You're about to!" Charles slid his card and pulled her into the holodeck.
Indeed, they were on a merchant ship from the 18th century. Charles handed her a heavy sword and an old flintlock pistol.
"I hope you're decent at fencing."
"Not really."
"Ah well, you'll pick it up. BEGIN."
Cannon fire erupted from beside them as a ship anchored, preparing to board.
"Here they come. Brace yourself."
Indeed, the pirates came. Marla watched the pirates sword movements with Charles as he ran ahead and began imitating. Soon she began getting the hang of it. She thrust the sword into a particularly hairy pirate and it dissolved.
She fumbled with the pistol and it went off, taking a chunk out of a pirate and it dissolved. She tossed the pistol aside, knowing if it were indeed as historically accurate as Charles probably programmed it, it would be a pain in the ass.
A pirate with gangrene lunged at her and she caught him in the abdomen with her sword and dissolved.
Another quickly took its place and swung at her before she could get her sword back up. The metal tapped her side and the holodeck faded and returned to the grid.
"Sorry, I think I died." Marla apologized.
"No worries. Happens to the best of us." Charles panted. "I had a student, Sulu Hikaru, who used to do this program with me. I've missed having a partner."
"Well, it was fun, but I'll leave you to your pirates. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Oh, are you sure you don't want to stay for another go?"
"Yeah, I don't want to interrupt your workout. Thank you for allowing me to join you." Marla gave a small wave and left.
"LEVEL TWO! COME AT ME YOU DINGOS! DROP THAT BABY!" She heard him yell as the doors shut.
Amanda's patience with John and Marla was wearing thin. She was not a patient woman. She aggressively knitted on the train as José held her yarn on the way to group.
"You are angry, Miss Sayes."
"Yes I am. These two are two stubborn fools who'd rather deny everything than look at what's in front of them." She spat.
"Who?"
"You know who."
"Ah. Si. I do. I think."
"Johnny and Marla! They both like each other, they won't admit it! It's driving me mad!" Amanda dropped a few stitches and cursed as she fixed her mistake.
"Give it time. It's like that old song. You can't hurry love. You just gotta wait."
"Never heard it." Amanda sighed. "That song must be hundreds of years old."
"Yeah. They'll come around."
"I do hope so."
Andrea sat on the edge of the bed. Her discharge papers were being processed. Peter sat beside her. He nudged her slightly and she smiled.
"Just a little while longer and you'll be out of here." He grinned. "Do you have somewhere to go?"
"Ms. Sayes offered to let me stay at her place since I do need supervision for two weeks and I agreed." Andrea looked down shyly.
"I see."
"Yeah…"
"Can I still check in with you?"
"I would like that."
"Promise me you'll still go to group?"
"I promise. Everyone has been coming to see me. Sam even brought my tribble by for a little while. He's watching him for me."
"A tribble?" Peter's eyes widened.
"It's sterile."
"Tribbles aren't sterile."
"They can be neutered."
Peter stared at her.
"Okay." The doctor walked in with her chart on his tablet. "Looks like everything is in order. You are free to go."
Andrea smiled and stood. Peter carried the bag with her things in it. Along with the flowers people had sent, and motioned for her to go.
Andrea walked out the door. As they came to the front lobby, she hesitated.
"Go on." Peter nodded.
Andrea took a deep breath and walked out the door.
Rain fell from the sky, dripping from the overhang outside the front doors that covered the drive up circle. The breeze hit her face and she closed her eyes.
She felt Peter's hand close around hers and she smiled.
Annora sat crossed legged in the office. Her leg bounced on her knee and she let out an impatient sigh as she glanced at ther watch. She was going to be late unless this lab tech hurried up.
"Alright, I have the results." The lab tech shuffled in. Annora snatched the tablet out of his hands.
"So, it's a match?"
"Both of them."
Annora's mind began turning furiously. She could always pay them to go away. What if they wanted in on the family fortune? What if they wanted the house back? Or rights to family things? Technically, they had rights to everything.
"Thank you. I will be in contact if I need anything else."
Khan's patience was wearing extremely thin with these people. It was Wednesday and all they had done was barely even start on figuring out how to put their ideas for the bridge alone into action. It was all he could keep from doing from flipping the table over and storming out.
"Let's take a break." He grunted and rose out of his seat to leave. The security guard moved in front of the door.
"Move." Khan hissed.
"Can't do it sir. Was told to not let you leave the room until dinner."
"I need to use the toilet."
The guard moved aside quickly.
A week. A bloody week and already he felt as if he was going to go insane. He slammed the bathroom door behind him and began pacing, running his hands through his hair, resisting the urge to rip it out.
That was it. He needed to call either Amanda or Marla that night. It was an hour til dinner and another two hours after that with those nitwits. He needed them though. Smaller scale, like a one man shuttle type, he could build himself given the right resources and information. Something this size, he needed quite a bit of help.
Right now, he needed to calm himself down. He leaned against the sink and closed his eyes, attempting to remember the last calm moment he had. Probably holding the damn tribble. What did Marla name that thing again? Napoleon? What was another time? He remembered the sensation of the warm water on his back, Marla gently wiping away the dried blood. He felt his muscles relax at the memory. Feeling of warm water against his skin in the shower…yes. The door to the bathroom opened.
"OUT." He snarled without opening his eyes or looking up. He heard whomever it was scurry away, the door closing behind them. He lost the feeling of relaxation much to his irritation. The door opened once more.
"I SAID OUT!" He turned to come face to face with Admiral Marcus.
"Well, I have to take a piss, son, if you don't mind." Marcus grunted and undid his fly in front of a urinal. "What. Only a week and you're on edge? You have three more weeks up here, I suggest you calm your ass down."
"These people are incompetent fools, when combined, have the attention span less than that of a squirrel!"
"Deal with it! It's how they are."
"I am not here to babysit a supposedly capable team of scientists and engineers!"
"You're not dealing with them right then." Marcus looked over his shoulder. "They figure things out easier when they're moving, doing things. Not having a damn powwow around a table. Why do you think we let them have a rec room at headquarters? Things come to them when they do other things. I'll give you lot the night off to regroup." Marcus zipped up his fly, flushed, and washed his hands.
Khan sighed.
"Go to your quarters, I'll go give them the happy news." Marcus grunted.
Once back, Khan flopped face first onto the bed. His hand fished under the mattress until it closed around the phone.
"Hello?" Marla had just gotten comfortable and ready for a nap before group.
"I am saddled with a group of idiots."
"Hello John." She sighed and scratched her forehead before letting her arm fall back. She cradled the phone with her shoulder.
"A group of toddlers would be more effective at their jobs at this point." She could hear him gritting his teeth on the other end.
"I assume you talked to Marcus."
"He informed me I am handling them wrong."
Marla snorted.
"What?" He snapped.
"Nothing." She stroked Napoleon who had snuggled up in the darkened room as she dug in a bag of dried blueberries. "What kind of people are you working with, if you can tell me that, that is?"
"Engineers."
"Oh. It's best to let them go play in their own little world on their own." Marla dismissed. "I grew up with one. They do better if they're working with their hands instead of their mouths. If you want something done with them, set them in front of it instead of having them talk to you about it. You'll get more results."
"You sound exhausted."
"You sound pissed off. I just had to grade midterms. I was about to have a nap."
"I may indulge in one."
"Mhm."
He listened to her breathing for a few moments.
"How did Friday night go?"
"It was a nightmare. Forced DNA samples from Tabitha's sister Annora."
"What?"
"Yes. A very unpleasant encounter."
"I highly doubt that what she did was legal."
"Nothing we can do about it now. She informed us we're not allowed near the house until she gets the DNA results back under threat of arrest. She called to remind me of that yesterday. I don't even know how she got my number."
"What does Andrew have to say?"
"He's furious. Annora attempted to call him too and he told her he would call the cops for harassment if she called him again."
"This is quite the mess you've found yourself in."
"You don't need to tell me that."
They both fell quiet.
"When are you coming home again?"
"Three weeks."
Marla remained quiet as she offered a blueberry to Napoleon who immediately ate it off her finger.
"What are you doing?"
"Feeding the tribble." Marla responded. "It likes blueberries. Surprisingly, not trying to crawl into the bag."
Khan felt somewhat calmer.
"Talk to me."
"I am, John."
"What is the weather doing there?"
"It's raining heavily. There's been a few rolls of thunder, but nothing much."
Khan closed his eyes. He wanted to fall asleep in that bed with her at that moment. With the pouring rain outside, the purring tribble, and her. The thought had come out of nowhere and taken him by surprise.
"Tell me about London, John. I've never been."
"No. It's your turn. Why did you decide to study history?"
"I've always loved it. It was my best subject in school as a child. It was just logical I pursue it."
"Nothing else?"
"No."
"Why do you love it?"
"Because you see how people used to live, predict what will happen. History repeats itself. It's difficult to explain. My grandmother always supported it and fed my habit with old books."
"Tell me about her."
"My grandmother?"
"Yes."
Khan's blood pressure dropped further as he listened to Marla telling him about her grandmother. He wished he could see her face while she spoke about her.
He sat up quickly when he heard footsteps approaching. He held his breath. They passed. He exhaled.
"Are you alright John?"
"Yes."
"You certainly sound calmer than earlier."
"I suppose."
"Andrew wants us to transfer. He was talking about New York last night. Earlier, it was Los Angeles."
Khan felt his stomach nearly fall through.
"New York?"
"Yes."
"Are you going?"
"I'd rather not.. I'm content here. New York is a little fast for me. But I would also like a pay raise and to get away from this whole mess with the McGivers."
His brain went into a frenzy.
"So, are you going?"
"I have two weeks to decide."
"Two weeks."
"That's what I just said. I just need some time to think about it. I think I'm going to discuss it with Amanda."
"If you are comfortable here, why leave?"
"I already said."
"How did you even find out about this opening?"
"Well the Dean sent out a message to the entire history department. Said it was a message from Admiral Marcus who heard from Admiral Colton in New York who heard form a professor at NYU who has a partnership with Starfleet Academy. Does it matter?"
No. It shouldn't. He shouldn't care. It shouldn't matter. What the hell was wrong with him?
"Anyways, but we are having a Bajoran ambassador come give a lecture next week about Bajor history. It is going to be very exciting! I can't wait!"
"That sounds quite fascinating. Bajor is supposedly very similar to Earth geographically. I would have liked to hear that."
"Tell me more about space."
"It's big." He yawned.
"Fascinating. Didn't know that." She giggled. She wanted to see him. She wanted to play with his hair just to see how he would react, caress his face, warp her arms around his neck... Too much. No, no, no.
"Mhm."
"Calm now?"
"Yes." Khan closed his eyes and he felt himself becoming sleepy.
"No falling asleep on me." She teased gently.
"Hn."
"Shall I let you sleep then?"
"No."
"Too bad. I'll talk to you later. Go rest."
He grumbled.
"Bye John, don't kill anyone, please." She hung up, rolled over and groaned.
Fuck.
Goddammit.
She liked him.