In which Camille plays responsible adult to Jim and Bones (because let's face it, she is the adult when there's alcohol involved), Karina does some digging of her own, and we receive another visit to the mysterious hacker.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters. I also do not own any references to a certain Tumblr post I saw on Pinterest in this chapter. If it's your post and you recognize it...you brilliant, brilliant human being. I needed that in my life. (clears throat) Back to business. I only own the lovely Cadets Osbourne and Bartowski.
I apologize for the moderate shortness of the chapter, but I think I pack enough plot development in here that it's not too much of a problem. Please review! Reviews are good! Reviews are great!
"Jim, how is it that you can convince Kari to do anything, yet when I try to, she automatically resists?" Camille asked, her voice elevated to be heard over the loud, pounding music of the bar. She and Jim had decided to take Bones out as a sort of peace offering. The men were knocking back shot after shot, and she was still nursing her first glass of beer. She preferred to limit herself. Camille had never been drunk…until she met Jim and Bones. Then she'd gotten slightly buzzed. She didn't quite remember what had happened, but she was pretty sure it had been fun.
"Because, Cam," Jim said, his voice just a tad slurred, "she knows I'm appealing to her underdog side."
"That made…absolutely zero sense," Camille said. "Then again, what is that, your twelfth? I should expect nothing less."
She smiled at him teasingly. A slight bit of satisfaction raced through her when she saw Bones grit his teeth and request another shot. Then again, she didn't really want the man to suffer from liver failure. Perhaps she should tamp down on making him jealous for tonight.
"When you try to convince Kari to do something, you come at it from the angle of 'I know best.' When I do it, I come at it from the angle of 'Whatever you want to do, but you'll be rising above so much if you do.'" Jim slammed his shot glass down and motioned for another. "Her underdog side, Cam. Have you ever been the underdog? Besides medically?"
Camille shook her head. Jim was making absolutely no sense. Maybe she should get the pair of them home quickly. Bones was looking a little droopy as it was.
"Okay, cowboy, tenderfoot," she said, standing them both up. "I think the pair of you have had enough."
Jim slipped out of her grasp and grabbed Bones by the face, smushing his cheeks together. Camille rubbed her forehead, exasperated.
"It's like having a pair of two-year-old twins," she muttered to no one in particular.
"You know what, Bones?" Jim asked, and Camille could practically see the alcohol taking over his brain. "You have the world's most boopable nose."
He pressed a finger against Bones' nose, and Camille bit back hysterical laughter as her normally stoic, unflappable friend muttered, "Boop."
Jim swayed on his feet, and Camille grabbed him, draping his arm around her shoulder and grabbing Bones' hand. "Come on, you two. I'll get y'all home and into bed."
"But Mom," Jim protested.
Camille shook her head and dragged them out of the bar. "I would hate to see either of you on laughing gas. If you're this bad on booze…"
"Look, Jim!" Bones called. "She's holding my hand, not yours! You seeing this, Jim Boy? Mine!"
Camille smiled. The man was like a puppet on her strings. Now if he'd just grow a pair and ask her out, that would be great.
Karina took a deep breath before tapping in the number to the convent. She left it on speaker, pretty sure if she tried holding it to her ear, her shaking hands would drop it.
"Our Mother Of Perpetual Prosperity Orphanage," came the receptionist's voice from the other end.
"This is Karina Bartowski," she said. "I'd like to speak to the Reverend Mother."
A gasp. "Karina! Yes, the Reverend Mother was wondering when you'd be calling. I'll patch you through straight to her office. I hope you find the information you're looking for."
"Thanks."
"And tell your friend, that flirty one," she growled, her voice holding all the disdain she surely felt for Jim, "that I am most definitely not interested in anything over the phone."
Karina groaned. "How many times has he called you regarding anything but my parents?"
"Six."
"I'm sorry about that," she said. "Don't worry, I'll speak to him."
"Thank you. Here she is."
A few moments passed before the familiar, elderly voice said, "Karina. We've missed you here at the abbey."
Karina rolled her eyes. In fact, they were probably just glad to be rid of her. She hadn't ever fit in at the abbey, and the nuns didn't know what to do with her, either. She was different from their other wards, quieter, more serious. But they'd grown so used to her that way, she wasn't sure what they'd think of her now that she'd grown more into herself.
"Reverend Mother, I think you know why I've called. And it wasn't just to socialize."
"Yes," came the voice from the other end. "Though I would not mind if you called to check in every once in a while. Just so I know you haven't died in space."
Appreciating and knowing that the woman did truly care in her own way, Karina said, "I do apologize for that. But I need some information that I believe you have, Reverend Mother. What can you tell me about my arrival at the abbey?"
She could hear the head shake in the old nun's voice. "No. You don't need to know this, my child. I ask you to trust me in this, but if you will not, I will tell you of the circumstances in which you came to us. It is your choice."
Karina took the opportunity. "Please, tell me. I believe I am entitled to know about my past."
"Indeed. Well, if you aren't sitting already, you may want to. This could take a while."
"You were checked in to us quite unexpectedly. Not by any relatives, mind you, though the man did leave their names, which is how we know who they were. He simply brought us a four-year-old little girl who appeared to dislike him immensely. All you said when he was in the room was, 'He took me.' Over and over you would repeat it. None of us had any clue what you meant.
"I spoke with him at length. He was a foreigner of some kind, had an odd accent, I remember."
Karina nodded. "Do you remember what it was?"
"I have no time to discern such things. I spend my time on more important thoughts."
Such as how to perfect yourself, Karina thought. Willing the woman to go on, she breathed a sigh of relief when she did.
"Anyway, he merely told us that we were to take you in and not ask any questions. When we questioned, he pulled aside his jacket, revealing his weapon. He signed you in, under your parents' names, and told us that they had died in a car crash. You, meanwhile, were off to the corner, being held by one of our nurses and shrieking something about being taken. He left and we never saw him again, but every once in a while, we received money to continue your care. And to keep quiet, I imagine."
"Keep quiet?"
"My child, I was really shocked not to receive a call from you sooner. Have they really not told you at Starfleet?"
Karina gritted her teeth. "Told me what, Reverend Mother?"
"Your father was a national hero, Karina. After what he did for Starfleet, for the future exploration of space, his death was front page on most newspapers across the country. But we were not to tell you any of this. He wanted all trace of Anthony Bartowski erased from his daughter's mind. Wanted her to never know who he was. A last act of revenge, we imagined. So we told you he was a simple accountant who was merely a very bad driver."
Karina soaked that in for a few moments. "And who was he really, Reverend Mother?"
"A Federation agent, child, though not specifically Starfleet. One of their best, actually. Certainly, for two weeks, their most famous. He preferred the earth to the stars. Your mother was an officer of Starfleet, but she resigned her commission to marry him, from what I'm told.
"That is who you are, Karina. That is what has been hidden from you all these years. From what I hear from your supervisor, you are doing them proud."
Karina took a shuddering breath. "Then the man who killed them, he's still out there?"
"They never did catch the man behind the attack. Lots of his lackeys, but not him. But do not think of pursuing this, child. Suffice it to say that you now know."
Karina almost snorted. Like that was going to happen.
"Thank you, Reverend Mother. I appreciate this knowledge."
"Take care, and God be with you, my child."
Karina turned the communicator off. Falling back onto her pillow, she breathed out with the force of a windstorm through her nose. She needed to talk to Captain Pike, and soon. Because when Anthony Bartowski's daughter came to Starfleet, it sounded like that would have been a pretty big deal.
Why hadn't it been?
The hacker jumped up from his seat. "Yes! I've got it! I'm in!"
Realizing there was no one there to share his revelry, he recovered his dignity and sat back down, searching. The list was in alphabetical order, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find the name he was looking for. But before he quite got there, his eyes fell across another name.
Oh, this was not good. This was dangerous. The boss wouldn't be happy about this one. At least his ire couldn't be directed at him, right?
Praying the boss wasn't one to shoot the messenger, he pressed the number into his communicator.
"Boss, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
A groan. "Good news. Tell me you've been successful."
"Actually, yes. I've got him. He's definitely in San Francisco, sir. Enlisted in Starfleet. But there's someone else you might be interested in looking up while you're there…"
Silence, and then, with a touch of interest, "Go on. You've got my attention."
"It doesn't necessarily have to be the kid, but…"
"Spit it out, you idiot! Who is it?"
He swallowed hard, then delivered the next words as fast as possible.
"Karina Bartowski, sir."