As my day was winding down, I retreated to my cabin, well over exhausted. Within the next nine hours, Kirk would embark on a stealthy mission to retrieve John Harrison and finally have his answers. I was still awaiting Kirk's final verdict on the matter, but I had some downtime to rest and be patient. After my long and extensive shower, I changed into a pair of shorts and a white tank top, which bore the Starfleet insignia at the utmost right. Kirk's lack of speedy decision-making skills gave me time to ponder on the subject of John Harrison, maybe even pick up a good book on Vulcan history. Hours flew by, footsteps came and went across the hallway, books were put down and picked up again, until finally, my communicator went off. My heart dropped into my stomach as I walked from my bed to fetch the device.
"H-hello?" I stuttered, a sheer sign of my nervousness.
"Conrad? Are you busy, or-" My excited voice overpowered his.
"Not at all, Captain. How may I assist you, sir?" I spoke rapidly. There was a long delay between our communication.
"Would you, uh... Meet me in my quarters? I would like to speak with you privately. Face-to-face."
Elation welled up inside me as I pulled the communicator from my face and laid back down in my bed, my eyes darting across the ceiling.
"I understand, sir. I will be right up." Our conversation had ended as suddenly as it began. Quickly pushing my military boots onto my feet, I hooked my holster onto my thigh and pulled my engineering goggles to my head. As I rushed for the door, I assessed myself in the mirror and nodded. It was my goal to look as though I had been hard at work and not have sat idle in my cabin. I grasped my communicator firmly in my hand and darted out of the room, kicking the door shut behind me.
I made a mad dash for the elevators at the far end of the hallway, dodging any social encounters with my colleagues and avoiding any collisions with the rushing workers. My feet stopped directly before the lift panel and I pressed the button to ascend. Anxiously, I tapped my foot on the ground and folded my arms on my chest. When the lift door opened, I ducked inside it and my fingers searched for the "Cabin Deck 2" label. Having been on these elevators for so many times before, I predicted the halt of the lift and immediately made one last run to Kirk's cabin door. Before my hand had a chance to knock, Kirk had opened the door, with a groggy expression painted on his face. He wiped his eyes and shook his head a couple of times at the ground. He traced his gaze from my feet to my eyes and gave me a very sleepy-like greeting. His elbow propped him against the frame of the door, the brightness of the pure white hallway lighting resulted in squinting and heavy blinking. The glow of the hall poured into the room, shedding light onto the darkness behind him.
"Greetings, Captain. You called?" I asked in a somewhat formal manner.
"Yeah, I did, Conrad. I didn't expect you to arrive this quickly. Come in, would you?" Kirk turned and headed back into the dark recesses of his room. I looked down both ends of the hallway and entered after him.
"Captain? Is there something you need?" I questioned, already knowing his answer. I smirked at the thought.
"Ah, cut the courtesy crap, Alice. You don't need to be so formal with me, haven't I already said that?" Kirk sneered, his tired eyes blinking slowly.
"Sorry, Capt-," I began. "James. I didn't... Sorry." My mouth hung open slightly as I looked up at my captain.
"So, about your inquiry to assist me and my team in escorting John Harrison, a terrorist who has relentlessly killed countless people, from a planet that is highly likely to be home to Klingons, or worse, I've decided against my initial thought and have undeniably concluded that I do in fact need tech support, and to have such a lovely addition to my team... Ah... If at any time between now and our departure you would like to back out, which I highly advise, please do not neglect to inform me, Alice. I'd much rather you stay here with Pavel and the engineering team and be safe, further from harm than you would be with me, but," Kirk took a pause from his lecture. "I can also say that it would be an honour to journey with you at my side, Alice. The choice is in your hands now."
A dumbfounded look washed over my face and I stared off to the unorganised pile of various items laying near Kirk's bed. His eyes followed mine then returned to my face. I locked eyes with him as he smiled and raised his eyebrows in his usual way, throwing my concentration off track.
"I stand by my decision to join you, Kirk. I... I would take immense pleasure in such a mission. Harrison is a bitch anyway." My attention realigned with Kirk's.
"Welcome to team Kick Ass, Alice Conrad." James' hand met with mine and shook gently.
"Thank you sir," I bowed my head and smirked. "I will do my best to serve you." My other hand saluted to him.
Kirk was about to say something, but I intercepted his attempt to speak with a request. "Now, would it kill you to please put on a shirt?"
His expression changed almost immediately to a witty smile. I shook my head at the humorous look on his face.