Icicles 15
Disclaimer: Do not own Star Trek
James Tiberius Kirk paced around the corridor of the space station. The shuttle was late. He had specifically hacked into the system and found the shuttle schedules and located the passenger lists until he found Commander Andrew McGivers.
"Captain, I suggest waiting elsewhere." Jim's head snapped up to see Spock approaching, hands behind his back. "It is logical that you wish to begin repairs on the Enterprise as soon as humanly possible, but I suggest allowing Commander McGivers to rest from his flight." The Vulcan stopped beside him.
Jim scowled. Spock looked at him with a straight face.
"That is, unless you desire a repeat of the events from the previous visit to occur."
"Spock, are you threatening to knock me out again?" Jim looked at the Vulcan in disbelief.
"Not necessarily. I was merely stating that hounding Commander McGivers dos not yield positive results on his mental health."
Jim rolled his eyes.
"Where's Scotty?"
"Mister Scott is currently eating his dinner in his quarters." Spock replied dully, hoping the excitable captain in front of him wouldn't disturb the man. Scotty hadn't rested in the past few days. Starfleet had confiscated his equation for Transwarp Beaming and the Scotsman had been quite distressed. If he wasn't sulking in his quarters on the station, he was moping in Engineering on the Enterprise, assisting in repairs where needed. Keenser was beginning to become distressed and alerted Spock of the situation at hand.
Jim's fingers itched to call him and tell him where to meet the pair. His attention snapped to the sound of the approaching shuttle.
"Finally." He muttered, leaning against the wall. He began to become even more inpatient as docking procedures seemed to take ages. His hands ran through his blond hair. The airlock finally hissed open and people began disembarking. Finally, McGivers exited with an unfamiliar dark haired man. "McGivers!"
Spock could only describe McGivers' expression as one wrought with distress. The dark haired man bid adieu and went his own way.
"Captain." McGivers greeted tersely as he shook Kirk's hand.
"I hope your flight went smoothly. I just wanted to personally escort you to your quarters."
"Thank you, but that won't be necessary." Command McGivers grimaced.
"Oh, but I insist. Come on now." Kirk clapped his hand on the man's shoulder and smiled before leading him away.
Spock sighed and followed.
"I hope that Romulan Ale made its way to you without any problem. So, how have you been? How's your sister?" Kirk questioned casually.
"How did you know I have a sister?" McGivers stopped and looked at him suspiciously.
"I met her when she was up here on the station. I was about to give her a tour of the Enterprise when some business came up." Kirk quickly explained in a dismissive manner.
"I see. Well, she's good. Her boyfriend is keeping her busy."
"Ah. Well then, I see." Kirk cleared his throat.
"Perhaps the Commander should take some time to rest before we begin repairs to the Enterprise, Captain." Spock intervened.
"That sounds excellent. I will take you up on that, Mister Spock." Commander McGivers quickly agreed.
"Then I shall escort you to your quarters, Commander. Captain, I'm certain Mister Scott would appreciate a visit." Spock gestured towards the hall.
Kirk scowled and walked away. Vulcans.
Jim located Scotty's quarters. Keenser stood outside looking distressed. Odd. Usually Keenser was glued to Scotty's side. It was most unusual for Keenser to be outside instead of inside either climbing on things or burrowed in a corner with a book.
"What's the matter, Keenser? Kicked you out?"
The alien sighed and glanced at the door. Jim furrowed his brow and banged on the door.
"Scotty! Scotty! Open up, it's Jim."
The door fwooshed open. He quickly entered before they snapped shut. Jim surveyed the scene in front of him. Scotty's quarters were a mess. Food containers from pubs and cafes he recognized from the promenade were strewn around the counter and table. Multiple empty bottles of alcohol were lined up amongst the trash. The faint smell of garbage had began to make its presence known. Socks, shirts, boxers, and pants were haphazardly thrown at the laundry unit.
"Scotty?" Jim had yet to locate the Scottish man in the mess. "Scotty, where are you?" He cautiously entered, stepping over trash as he went. He entered the bedroom to find the red-haired engineer laying down and staring at the ceiling. Jim wrinkled his nose at the telltale smell of lack of a shower. He had no idea how long Scotty had been wearing the same undershirt, boxers and socks he wore. Jim noted the additional beer bottles on the nightstand.
"All my life, I worked towards that damn transwarp beaming device. I finally get the solution and the bastards bloody well CONFISCATE IT!"
"Scotty, I understand, you're upset-"
"Upset? Jim, that was something I've worked on my whole career. What now?" Scotty sat up, sorrow etched into his unshaven face.
"We'll figure it out, but Scotty, but this place is a mess. This isn't like you and nothing is going to come of sitting around letting yourself go."
"Aye, I know, I know." Scotty sighed. "But what cannea man do when his work has been ripped from him? I got nothing."
"First, go shower, shave, and get dressed. That's an order."
Scotty grumbled as he stood and shuffled off to the bathroom. Jim exhaled and went out to the main room. God, this place was a mess. He hit the button on the wall to let Keenser in.
"Come on, we're gonna get this place decent while he's busy." Jim sighed. Keenser wordlessly began quickly collecting trash and tossing it into the incinerator shoot. Jim winced and pulled a face as he threw the laundry into the machine and started it.
He soon heard the shower shut off as he finished collecting bottles and tossed them. There wasn't much he could do for the lingering smell.
Scotty reemerged, clean and clean shaven and admittedly smelling much better. "Och, Jim. You didn't have to do that." He moaned in embarrassment. "GET DOON FROM THERE!" He snapped as he noticed Keenser, who had perched himself on top of a bookshelf.
"It was disgusting, Scotty. Let's go."
"Where are we going exactly, Jim?" Scotty questioned as Kirk led the man out and down the hall.
"Command McGivers is here. You two are going to talk. I'm thinking about asking Admiral Pike if he can transfer McGivers onto the ship into Engineering."
"Why?" Scotty asked defensively.
Jim turned around to see his Chief of Engineering staring at him warily. Yes, Scotty was protective of the Enterprise. They all were, but Scotty especially so. It was his baby in a way. He tended to the warp core, make sure she was in top shape, was certain absolutely everything on board ran smoothly.
"So he can tend to repairs so you don't have so much to do constantly."
Scotty stopped dead in his tracks and crossed his arms. "I can take care of my own work! I don't need help!" He snapped.
"Fine. Just go talk to him about the ship. For me, Scotty." Jim knew this would be a problem. The Enterprise was running smoothly now, but he felt with all the wear and tear they were putting on the ship, Scotty might soon get overwhelmed and needed someone he could go send in his place to take care of the minor things while he worked on more major issues. Everyone else kept at their stations and things got accomplished faster.
Scotty was still glaring at him as they approached McGivers' quarters. Jim knocked on the door.
"Commander, it's Captain Kirk. I have someone I would like to introduce you to." Nothing. He banged on the door. "Commander McGivers?"
"Must not be home. Well, I'm going to-"
"No. You're staying with me right now Scotty. No going back and laying around or getting drunk at the bar." Jim spoke sternly. "We're going out to docking and see what's going on out there."
Khan threw his bag beside the bed in his quarters on the Bradbury. Admittedly it was nice. The crew had been instructed to sleep on the ship that night since the Enterprise and Intrepid crews were on standby on the station.
He collapsed onto the bed. Not nearly as comfortable as his mattress back home, but good enough. Khan closed his eyes and exhaled. Andrew had interrogated him the entire way up which was not a pleasant trip. He had the suspicion that he called Marla the second he was out of sight from the man waiting for him outside the airlock. Speaking of which, he really should do to let her know he arrived safely.
How many more nights would be like this? He inhaled deeply and held it before exhaling slowly as he picked up his phone.
"Commander Harrison to the bridge." A voice paged from the monitor in the corner. "Commander Harrison to the bridge. Acknowledge."
Khan grunted and approached the monitor. He hit a button.
"Acknowledged."
Khan opened his bag, removed his duty uniform and quickly changed. He winced as the shirt scraped against his side. He looked down in confusion to see the already fading bite mark Marla had left. He smirked and continued to pull on the black then blue shirts. He made his way to the turbo lift to the bridge.
"Commander Harrison requesting permission to come aboard."
"Granted. Ah, Commander. Good to see you!" Captain Abbott looked up from a com panel. He held out his hand and Khan shook it. "Shame to hear about Adam. He was rather high strung, but good on the job. I'm sure you will do just fine though."
Khan glanced quickly around the bridge of the Bradbury. Clean, sleek, white. After all, it was the second newest ship in the fleet, the Enterprise being the newest. Various men and women in gold, red, and blue milled about stations, running checks.
"This will be your station, Commander." Abbott led him to a section of panel. "Admiral Marcus informed me you were skilled in weaponry, therefore you are manning the shields and phasers. I trust we won't need them though." He chuckled.
"Hopefully not, Captain."
"Yes, indeed. I expect Klingons will be no problem this journey. They have been relatively calm the past few weeks."
"Let us hope it stays that way." Khan replied.
Captain Abbott smiled a knowing smile. "Oh if it doesn't, I have more than a few Klingon friends I am willing to call upon near the station to help us out of a spot of trouble."
"Really now?"
"Oh yes. You see, once you get past the aggressive, honor obsessed, war-like nature of the Klingon, they can be quite colorful drinking partners." Captain Abbott shrugged. "Go rest Commander, we depart at 0700 hours. Should be a quick two day journey out." He clapped Khan on the shoulder.
"Two days?" Khan glanced at the Captain quickly. "Admiral Marcus informed me a week."
Abbott looked mildly confused, then amused. "Alexander has forgotten about the improved warp core in the Bradbury, I see. I doubt that man's been on a ship in a good few years. No, two days. We will, of course, stay a bit on the station and take care of business for a week and then come back."
Khan did not allow his face to betray him as his brain flew into panic mode. More torture when they returned early? Maybe it was just to go out to the hangar. Yes, that had to be it. Or maybe Abbott was right and the old man had forgotten how quickly travel took now.
Upon returning to his quarters, Khan once more laid down and pilled out his phone. He knew Marla's number by heart now. It rang several times before someone picked up.
"Amanda?" Khan sat up.
"Hello Johnny. Sorry but Marla's bit busy at the moment. We're at the hospital."
"Why are you at the hospital?" He moved to the edge of the bed and began drumming his fingers on the mattress.
"Well, I found out about Marla's incident earlier and I forced her to come across the street and get checked out. They're running some tests right now."
His mind started racing.
"Hold on, here she comes. Marla, it's Johnny." Amanda's voice became distant as a muffled noise from the phone being passed covered it.
"Hey, get to the station alright?"
"What did the doctor say?"
"Hello to you too. They didn't find anything." Marla grumbled.
"That is…good."
"Yes, so I'm going home."
"Speaking of home, I may be home sooner than two weeks. Abbott informed me the journey is shorter than what Marcus said."
"That's good. Listen, I have to go, but I'll call you back before I go to bed."
"I shall look forward to it."
"Okay, talk to you later. Bye." She hung up.
Khan looked around his quarters. Bed, table, desk, a door to the small bathroom in the corner. Not much, but it was home for the next few days. He grunted as he stood to start unpacking his bag into the dresser in the room. He figured it was likely to be a bit before Amanda left Marla alone. He glanced at the clock. Perhaps he could nip down to the promenade for some food.
An hour later he sat back in his quarters, take out from an Andorian restaurant on his small desk. His eyes kept drifting towards his phone he had placed on the far corner of the desk. He huffed and reminded himself she would call before bed. He decided to distract himself as worked his way through the food.
Perhaps there was a way to bypass the drugs he was shot up with every single time Marcus took him somewhere. It was getting old. But the problem was, he had been hit in different places on his body without warning. Maybe there was a way to determine what it was exactly they were using on him. The other issue was being chained to a bed until the drugs were out of his system. No way to draw his own blood. The one man had told him it was a veterinary tranquilizer. Granted, that was rather intelligent of them to use such a strong drug on him. An idea floated across. Maybe to pretend to stay knocked out and hope that they let something slip while they thought he was unconscious.
His phone went off. He quickly picked it up.
"John Harrison."
"Hey there. How's space?"
Khan gave a tiny smile. "Big. So they didn't find anything?"
"Nothing. Just told me to relax and take it easy."
"And you are going to listen to the doctors, correct?"
"Yes." She grumbled. "Also, I was correct."
"In what way?"
"I received a call from Dean Klaus today informing me they were pulling my class and giving everyone passing grades. So either I just got fired or they're attempting to figure out what to do with me." She stated miserably. "No one's told me yet, but I'm fairly certain I'm getting fired."
"They shouldn't fire you because it wasn't your fault." Khan spoke as he took another bite of food. "Why would you think that you are?"
"I received an email from Marcus to see him on Monday."
"Admiral Marcus?"
"Who else? It's probably not a good thing to have a class pulled and then have to go see the person in charge."
What the hell did he want with her? Was this a tactic to demonstrate to him that Marcus had every aspect in his life under his thumb?
"Just…relax right now."
"You really think I can at this point after this day I've had?" Marla snorted.
"Try." Khan hissed. Marla grumbled at him. "Before you faint again."
"I'm fine!"
"Your stress finally took itself out on your body, I do not call that fine!"
Marla made a frustrated noise. "Fine. I'll go take a bath. What are you up to?"
"Eating."
"Alright, I'll let you get back to that then."
"No, it's fine. I am on the ship in my quarters."
"No room on the station?"
"Three other ships are docked plus a few freighters."
"I see."
There was a pause while Khan continued to eat.
"What does the inside of a starship look like?"
"You can look that up, you know."
Marla sighed. "That's no fun. Captain Kirk wanted to give me a tour. I should take him up on that offer next time I'm up there."
"I will give you a tour next time." Khan responded firmly.
"Aw, is someone jealous?" Marla teased. Khan felt himself go red.
"I am not jealous, I am merely stating that if you really want a tour you do not need to bother a Captain when I am perfectly capable-"
"Oh save it." Marla dismissed. He could hear her trying not to laugh. "I tease. I know better than to take Kirk up on an offer of a 'private tour'." She spoke the last part with a breathy voice. "I know plenty of my female students who would be more than willing to jump at that opportunity."
Khan grunted.
"Besides, Andrew's taking me out to the ship yard next week. Something about wanting to introduce me to some of his friends."
"Sounds…fun?"
"I think it will be. I just got a call from one of the ladies in the history department inviting me to have drinks and such with them at her house tomorrow night."
"What for?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I think they just wanted a ladies' night in or something. Apparently they do it every so often. I think we're going to discuss the recent discovery of-" She stopped short.
"Marla?"
"Someone's at the door. I'm not expecting anyone." Marla spoke quietly.
"Marla, stay put and stay quiet." Khan felt every muscle in his body tense.
"Stay on the line with me?"
"Yes."
He heard her bed creak.
"Marla what are you doing?"
She didn't answer.
There was quiet for a few moments, with only Marla's breathing on the line. He finally heard a door close and her lamp switch off.
"Marla?"
"It was Lee." Her voice shook slightly. "What if he doesn't leave?"
"Marla, listen to me. Stay calm."
"I am. Just…not feeling safe."
"Marla McGivers, you are a former soldier."
"I know."
"Why don't you feel safe?"
"I don't know."
"Yes, you do. Tell me. Talk to me."
"I'm…I'm supposed to be dead John." Marla sighed. "I still attempting to figure out this world and my former fiancé is standing outside my door when he's supposed to also be dead. I can take care of myself if someone is attacking me. I know how to be a soldier. I can deal with the stress of war, battle, fighting. I just don't really know how to deal with it here, when it's personal, on the home front, I suppose."
Khan was silent. He wanted to be there. He wanted her there.
"It has been a rough day." He finally spoke. "You are tired. You are stressed. I want you to relax. Take your bath, read one of the books the Bajorans gave you, get a good night's sleep and take it easy."
"I hope you have a safe trip out."
"I will. What's that noise?"
"He had a guitar with him. I think he's singing Taylor Swift."
"Taylor Swift?"
"A singer from our time. Yeah, that's definitely Taylor Swift. Oh god."
"Is it bad?"
"No, it's just…it's the song that we were going to use as the song for our first dance." Marla started to choke up.
Khan had absolutely no idea what to say.
"This is stupid. I am finished with allowing people's actions dictate my life." Marla's voice suddenly hardened. "I am going to bed. Goodnight John."
"Goodnight." Khan barely finished before he heard the click.
He took a deep breath in. So she was not as superior as he thought. That could be easily remedied. Get her to learn how to deal with personal stress and she would be good to go. Marla was already working on it herself. He had heard the determination in her voice. She was going to need that if she was going to be with an Augment. She was strong, she was resilient. She would win this battle with herself easily. Khan detected that when they interacted in the early days.
But for now, he had to alert Marcus he had arrived. He begrudgingly dialed the old man's number.
"Ah, Khan. Have a nice trip up?" Marcus answered.
"It would have been nicer if the final destination was your funeral." He spat.
"Ah. Careful there son." Marcus chuckled. "Now with your little 'inferior' darling's duties being free and all."
"What do you mean?" Khan's temper rose.
"I mean, you behave yourself and she doesn't get assigned undercover." Khan could hear Marcus smirking. He could practically see the impish delight on the man's face. "After all, McGivers is intelligent. She's hardworking, lovely, approachable. I look for that in undercover agents, Khan. I dug through her records. She's an outstanding soldier."
Khan was barely keeping himself from rage.
"And lo and behold, I have a position for her. A nice little position in a strip club where it seems we have Starfleet officers running their inebriated little horny mouths to strippers to impress them." Marcus continued brightly. "If you don't want her giving lap dances to drunkards and being fondled every night, I suggest you behave."
Khan let a feral growl loose from his throat.
"And I don't have to remind you that I also have say when it comes to the lives of your crew." Marcus sneered.
Something quickly snapped into place in Khan's brain.
"With all due respect, the management at the club would not hire her."
"And what exactly makes you say that? Humor me, Singh."
"Miss McGivers has extensive scarring. From what I recall, clubs like their girls…clean. No scars or deformities." Khan smirked.
"That can be taken care of." Marcus dismissed. "You would be surprised what exactly we can do nowadays surgically. Even fix those scars of hers right up. Healing time is less than a week."
"And what makes you think she would agree to this?"
"I have my ways." Marcus assured him. "After all, Commander McGivers has been recommended for a promotion by his superiors."
"So you resort to blackmail. How original. You're starting to become predictable, Alexander, and we all know what happens once someone becomes predictable. I'll be waiting."
"Snark all you want, doesn't change the fact she's going whether you like it or not." Marcus snorted.
"What do you mean?" Khan began to fly into a panic.
"I mean, subtly threatening your superior is not exactly behaving, Khan." Marcus sneered again. "I gave you a chance. I guess I'll have to call her in here first thing in the morning instead of Monday." He sighed.
"Wait-"
"No. You had your chance. If you so much as think of any type of retaliation, I will start killing off your people. Try not to destroy your quarters, it is expensive to replace things on a starship. Goodnight." The line went dead.
Marla lay awake in bed. Lee was still outside playing Taylor Swift songs. As far as she was concerned, he could shove the entire month of December up his as so far he'd start tasting candy canes.
Napoleon was what she assumed was sleeping judging by the light and slow breathing on her chest. Marla moved the furball and sat up and padded to the front door. She hesitated. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Lee smiled in relief as he finished the song. He pushed his guitar down to the side, the strap bunching up his shirt. He quickly grabbed her and went in for a kiss. Marla could do nothing as he slammed his mouth on hers. He quickly stopped when he realized her muscles were tense and frozen, that she wasn't responding.
"I…Marla." Lee backed off. "Marla, I love you. Please."
"I loved you. I was going to give you everything. But right now, I am with John and you need to respect that." Marla spoke quietly, not looking at him. "Please, leave before the neighbors get sick and tired of you singing and call the police."
"Do you love him?" Lee asked, equally as quiet.
"We haven't been together that long." Marla glanced up at him. "It's too early to say anything. He can be a jackass, but he cares." She shrugged. "He's been there and giving support while I'm adjusting."
"I'm sorry about earlier today."
"I am too."
"Can I come in?"
"No." Marla shook her head and crossed her arms as she leaned against the doorframe.
"Just, promise me, that you won't let this guy treat you badly."
"Trust me, I've called him out on his shit enough times already." Marla chuckled.
"I bet you have." Lee stared at her with a sadness in his eyes. "Marla, I missed you so much and I regret everything so deeply."
"I know. But I can't trust you anymore, Lee. Do you understand that?"
He nodded, looking as if he was trying to hold back tears.
"You have a flight back to New York to catch, don't you?"
"Yes. I should get going then." Lee coughed and turned to leave. "I'm never going to give up, you know." He looked back at her.
"I know."
"Good. Night Marls, I love you." The words stung as they hung in the air.
"Bye Lee." Marla turned and went back into her apartment and locked the door. Napoleon cuddled back up to her as she lay back down.
She began petting the purring ball. "Oh Napoleon, what did I just do?" She groaned before closing her eyes and attempting to drift off into sleep.
It was very safe to say the public men's room on deck 18 was completely trashed. Khan breathed heavily as he exited the restroom, leaving both sinks and toilets broken and spraying water, and urinal trench severely dented and left to go back to the ship. Security had been giving him disapproving looks when he left the ship a second time.
He felt their eyes on him as he stalked past them and back to his quarters. Khan ignored them and his slightly smarting knuckles as made a beeline towards the turbo lift. When he re-entered his quarters, he proceeded to lay back down in bed and muttered at the computer to shut off the lights. He was resisting the urge to call Marla back. Doing so would wake her up and make him seem overbearing.
It felt strange sleeping alone after spending the past few nights with Marla. It was bizarre sensation not having another body beside him and feeling the slow rise and fall of her breathing on his chest. He was mildly annoyed by the feeling. Since when had Khan Noonien Singh become a cuddler? All of the women in his past had not been permitted to sleep in his bed or the same room. From when he reigned to the labs where he was raised. He had not allowed any of the women he had had sex with linger too long after. He had had to make it clear there was no emotion attached to what they had just done. In addition, since they had agreed to take it slower, it was likely to be a while until they spent the night again. He grunted to himself and rolled over. He had slept by himself the majority of his life and it was idiotic that two nights had him feeling this way.
Khan hated the fact that he did not know when he was going to see his crew again and hated that he had just caused Marla to be put in a situation she would never want to be in. He closed his eyes and attempted to pacify the anger with thoughts of different scenarios of murdering Admiral Marcus. He would take that damned Academy ring of his and wear it as a trophy. A symbol that nobody would ever enslave him or his kind again. A reminder that anyone who dared to endanger or threaten those who he held dearest would suffer and perish at his own bare hands. He would record the screams of Marcus's widow and daughter to listen to over and over again. A cruel smile twisted upon his face as he fell asleep.
"Really now?" Kamari Coore smiled at her sister as she unconsciously caressed her pregnant stomach.
"Yes." Nyota Uhura laughed. "I still can't believe we cut it that close getting out of that one."
"So how is your boyfriend? The Vulcan?" Kamari asked. The woman observed her sister, still in her duty uniform from having come directly off the ship to greet her and her husband Thomas. Nyota always reminded her of their grandmother, Zahra.
"Spock? He's…Spock." Nyota shrugged. "He just won't open up to me." She furrowed her brow and took a sip of her drink.
Uhura was so happy Kamari had come up with Thomas to visit the station to and take her home. It seemed she rarely got to see her sister much anymore, especially with the baby on the way. She felt as if she was missing out, even if she knew she wasn't.
"What can I say? He is a Vulcan and it is their nature to not be open with their emotions. Remember, their culture believes heavily that emotions are in the way of logic. But just because he does not show emotion to you does not mean that he does not care." Kamari looked sympathetically at her. "It is just…his nature and how he was raised. Try and keep that in mind."
Nyota took in the sight of her sister. Her skin was darker than Nyota's and held the glow that often accompanied a pregnant woman. Her dark hair was highlighted blonde, braided into micro braids, swept back into a neat bun. Her gauzy shirt was covered with the long, loose cardigan to ward off the chill of the station.
Kamari grunted.
"Kamari, is everything alright?" Nyota quickly asked, slightly alarmed.
"Yes, yes." She chuckled. "Your nephew is restless. Would you like to feel?"
Nyota got up from her seat and moved around the small café table to where her sister sat. Kamari scooted the chair back as Nyota knelt beside her.
"Here." Kamari took Nyota's hand and placed it where the baby was squirming.
Nyota's face lit up with delight.
"Oh wow, he is really moving." Nyota grinned. "Have you and Thomas picked out a name yet?"
"Not particularly. I want Atieno. Thomas wants Bryson. We will see who wins in the end though."
"We shall see who wins what?" Thomas approached with a cup of coffee.
"Naming your son." Kamari sniffed. "He will be given a good African name. Not Bryson."
Thomas rolled his eyes. "Nyota, isn't your boyfriend supposed to be meeting us?"
"Something came up earlier. Kirk needed him for something relating to the Enterprise." Uhura shrugged.
"Shame. I wanted to meet this Vulcan."
"Maybe another day." Uhura checked her watch. "What time does the shuttle leave to go back home?"
"An hour. We have time." Kamari continued to rub her stomach. "You have your bags, I assume?" She directed towards her husband.
"Yes, they are already on the shuttle."
"Good."
Khan sat content with Marla watching tv. She flipped through a heavy, leather-bound volume, legs resting on his lap. His hands absently stroked her bare legs and played with hem of her shorts. It faded away.
He was in a glass case.
He banged on it to no avail, attempting to shatter it to get out.
Nothing.
Khan's eyes locked on the blurred faces surrounding the case. They were staring at him with blank eyes. He could see a reflection with his name at the top. Marcus's face appeared among the dead-eyed gawkers. The Admiral's eyes were the only ones that were alive. That had light in them. He realized the faces looked familiar.
The faces of his people. Is family. His crew. Marcus stepped aside and Marla moved out in front of him. Her eyes were alive also. Khan banged on the glass as she looked at him pleadingly. He yelled, but no noise emitted from his throat. He yelled at his crew to seize the man. He yelled at the Marla to run. She approached and pressed her hands against the wall, speaking, but there were no words. He tried again to tell her to run. Marcus approached from behind. He screamed at her to turn around. She didn't. He screamed at her to get out of there. She shook her head in confusion as Marcus seized her, shoved her against the glass and wordlessly snapped her neck. Her eyes became dead as she was dragged into the crowd. He realized all their necks were broken. He started shaking as the glass faded away and Marcus's hands closed around his face.
He tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't as Marcus stroked it and muttered indistinguishable words before dropping his hands and walking behind him. He reached out towards his crew before he felt Marcus's hands again on his head before it was twisted violently.
Khan sat up in bed breathing heavily, his alarm blaring.
He grumbled as he turned it off and began getting dressed for his first day. It was all he could do to keep his mind off this nightmare.
"Commander Harrison, report to the bridge to prepare for launch. Acknowledge." The voice from the monitor.
"Acknowledged." He grumbled as he hit the button. He had a half hour before he had to be up there. He supposed they wanted to make sure he knew what the hell he was doing. Fortunately, he had crammed as many books about starships in as he could. He finished getting dressed and headed for the bridge.
Marla sat nervously in Marcus's office. She observed the scale models of the ships lined up. Fascinating.
She had no idea why he wanted to talk to her and why it couldn't wait until Monday. Andrew had called her on her way over to ask her to come up to the station and stay for the week.
Her eyes snapped up and she rose as Admiral Marcus entered his office.
"Ah, Miss McGivers." His smile didn't quite reach his blue eyes. "Come, sit. Relax. You look like you're afraid something's going to reach out and bite you."
Marla watched him warily as the man sat in his chair. Admiral Marcus leaned back in his chair and silently observed her for a moment. "Now, I am here to tell you, you aren't being fired. I know it's sudden of me to pull you in here, pull your classes and such, but this is urgent and I need you to listen."
"Sir?"
"I'm going to put this bluntly. McGivers, I have gone through your entire background."
Marla swallowed hard. "I don't follow."
"It's as I said. For example I know you were suspended in second grade for punching Greg Berlin in the face and knocking out one of his bottom teeth." Marcus continued to stare at her as he absently played with a pen on his desk
Marla was silent, fear leaking into her body.
"I also know you were a stripper."
"Look, sir, please-"
Marcus held up a hand. "McGivers, I came to you for help. An undercover assignment. Normally, we would not go fishing in our Academy, but this is urgent as we have a leak in Starfleet. It's coming from a strip club in Houston. I need ears inside to be able to find it. You're one of the few I have been looking at. The others are not quite right for the job. You're new, not many people know who you are and you've never been in the field."
"No. I stopped that a long time ago."
"Perhaps you misunderstood me." Marcus sat up and leaned on his desk. "It wasn't a question or an offer. This is your new assignment. You will be departing in two weeks. I suggest you brush up on your pole dancing in that space of time and find a tribble and plant sitter. Next week you are scheduled for a cosmetic procedure to fix your scarring."
Marcus observed the look on her face.
"You see, we are on the brink of war, Miss McGivers. Starfleet has secrets, just like anyone else. If those secrets get out, we are opening ourselves up and endangering the lives of Federation citizens."
"I'm sorry, but I thought Starfleet was about exploration." Marla recovered and stated slowly. "I did not sign up to fight any wars. I did my share of that already."
"Exploration, diplomacy, intergalactic relations. Sweetheart, we are attempting to prevent a war. Not fight one. Now, the prevention of some drunken ensigns running their mouths to strippers is a way to prevent wars. You are leaving for Houston in two weeks. The surgeon will be in contact with you, Ensign McGivers. Dismissed."
Marla was shaking as she stared at him.
"McGivers. I just gave you an order. You are an Ensign now. When you are done with this, I will reinstate your Lieutenancy. Now, you are dismissed." Marcus waved his hand and turned around in his chair.
Marla stood and rushed out. She took shelter in a bathroom at the end of the hall. She paced around, mind a flurry of thoughts.
Undercover. What the hell? This wasn't the military. She had been told this was a space exploration and relations type organization. Like NASA or something. Or at least, that was what she was under the impression of. God, she had been naïve to even think that was what was going on. There was a reason there were phasers on starships and it probably wasn't solely for defense.
What was she going to tell her brother? Tabitha? Andrea? Her landlord? John? Shit, John. He wasn't even going to be back for at least two weeks. Besides, she knew she was required to keep her mouth shut about it. She was going to have to tell them eventually.
Marcus read through his daughter's latest report with pride. He smiled and closed the cover. Maybe next weekend he could take her to the lake like they used to when she was younger.
His intercom beeped. "Sir, Dr. McCoy is here to see you."
"Send him in." Marcus pulled a file from his desk drawer.
"Sir." Leonard McCoy entered his office.
"Sit. Doctor, I have an assignment for you."
"An assignment?"
"I have been informed you are one of our top surgeons in Starfleet." Marcus eyed him. "Tell me, do you have any experience in reconstruction surgery?"
"No particularly. I can recommend a surgeon who specializes in that for you."
"Alright, well give me their name then."
"Malik Woodbury."
"Thank you, I will give them a call. Now, how do you like the Enterprise and her energetic young captain?"
Marla hesitantly approached the storage unit. She knew what she was looking for and she was going to be lucky if the trunk was still intact. The worker opened the door for her and left. Where to begin?
She found the trunk quickly. Marla took a deep breath and opened it to find her old stripping outfits and shoes. Most were destroyed beyond repair from time. The outfits were beyond disintegrating. Great. That meant she had to go shopping for these things. She opened a flat box in the bottom to see at least the practice pole was still shiny and new looking. That was good at least. She yanked the box from the trunk and set it aside, attempting to see if anything else was salvageable. Nothing. Well, it was a start.
Marla took the time to rifle through some other boxes of hers. Not much there she could use while she was away. She sighed and closed the unit back up, taking the box with her.
She had always made most of her money on the pole. She had never been too comfortable giving dances in the champagne room. She did when necessary, but in the end, she always did manage to pay off the house, dj and bouncers with enough left over.
Marla collapsed on her sectional once she got home and let Napoleon out.
"Hey buddy. Looks like we are moving for a little bit." Marla picked the tribble up from the floor. She ruffled its fur while staring out the window. "I never liked the idea of Texas." She grunted. "We're going to have to get up a little cowgirl stripper outfit, aren't we, Napoleon?" Marla covered her face with a throw pillow. Hopefully, they would find this guy soon, she would get to keep the money and have enough left over to buy a new bedding set. She wasn't particularly fond of the one she was provided with.
"Do it for the bedding, Marla." She groaned.
Khan grunted and stretched as he rose from his chair. His replacement stood by, waiting to take his seat. He nodded and left the bridge, intent on going to the canteen and then his quarters. Once safely inside his quarter, he stripped himself of his clothing and showered. Oh, what a welcome sensation after a long shift. Khan was reluctant to leave the stream of hot water, but his bed called.
He lay down with his small laptop. He noticed he had a transmission waiting from Marla. He quickly opened it.
"Hey, John. I hope all is well. Listen. I have something to tell you. I have to go away for awhile in two weeks." Marla looked a bit upset. "I can't tell you where. I don't know how long it will be until I come home. It's an undercover assignment. I think I can say that much at least. I need you to delete this after you see it the entire way through so I'm not compromised later. I hope I get to see you before I leave. Take care, keep your temper and be safe. Umm…how do I turn this off….there we go." Her face disappeared and a message flashed noting the transmission had ended. He reluctantly hit delete. He shut the machine off and placed it beside the bed.
"Computer, lights off." He grumbled. So Marcus had really decided to go through with it. He clenched and unclenched his fists. Abbott said they were making good time and that he received a transmission that all the paperwork had been filled out early for once. Their trip would be much shorter than anticipated. At least there was that.
He rolled over. His next shift started in 8 hours, he needed to sleep. Everything else would have to wait for now.