I do not own nor profit from Star Trek or Gene Roddenberrys works.
Safiya finally realized that she would not be able to drag the truth out of John until he was ready to give it up after two days of pestering him. She had been trying to bet on it at the sparring mat, that if she won, he told her the truth, but it only made him fight harder to win. Of course she managed a dislocated shoulder from his tenacity, but was sure it wasn't particularly intentional.
She had made tremendous progress on their task, with the help of John to guide her. However, it was Friday, and she was ready to go out with Janet and her friends. To forget about this week, and get ready for the next was her goal for the night.
She dusted her lids with a gold and pink powder, accenting her lids with black liner, and dabbing on pink gloss to her plump lips. Her hair was pulled into an intricate braid pulled over her shoulder, her black dress from Harrods fitting snugly on her curves. It sat with no straps, but went down to her knees.
"Safiya, are you ready yet?" Janet called from the bathroom, as she put on the last touches of her own makeup.
"I'm done, I just need my shoes, clutch, and a dab of my perfume." She smirked, looking over herself once more. "I think I am ready to go." She spoke to herself, ready to be around people, her confidence radiating off of her.
She threw on a light jacket, and the two women walked towards the club. Once there, they met with their direct coworkers, as well some other S31's that Janet must have known from working with them. They greeted one another cordially, gave their names to the bouncer and were ushered inside.
"Wow, I can't believe we actually managed to get inside." Safiya laughed, amazed. The club pumped music from large speakers that covered an entire wall. Lights dance around the ceiling and floor, sometimes casting their colors against scantily clad cage dancers. Some were men, others women. The place was not extremely packed, but it was definitely busy.
She looked around, seeing private tables and VIP rooms with gentle red lighting on the second floor.
They found a large round booth, everyone scooting in. Safiya waited to be on the outside, hating to be cramped between people. Their conversation fell to upcoming holidays and leave.
"I'm going to the Bahamas." Janet swooned. "With my new honey." She smiled, taking a sip of her Neptune Sunrise
"I was going home to see my family. I haven't seen them in a few years." Another man, Addams, said, swirling his beer.
"I think thats because they were running from you." His friend joked with him. The table joined for a laugh.
They were enjoying their relaxation, when a strong voice appeared in her ear.
"May we dance?" She looked over, to see John with his hand extended outward. Looking over, Janet raised her eyebrow, and the others were trying not to give opinion.
"I suppose we can." Safiya smiled, took a quick sip of her drink, and went to the dance floor with him. In all honestly, she didn't really know how to dance as they did there in London, or in the West even. She began to slowly roll her hips, back and forth, side to side deliberate and steady in her movements as was a common dance among her people. She raised her hands in the air, displaying her movements, the way her hips and tummy rolled, her bottom rubbing against Johns hip, as she turned away from him.
Instinctively, he placed his hands on her hips, trying to keep pace with her, rolling his hips into hers, and she felt him. His strong chest holding her, his hands running down her arms, as she held them overhead. He placed his head close to her neck. "I wish to speak to you later tonight." He whispered into her ear.
"What is it John?" She whispered back.
"You'll see." He held her waist close, as they still moved their hips a-sway.
Song after song changed, and still they danced with no other words spoken between them.
"Do you mind if I cut in?" Addams had gotten up from the table, hoping to steal a dance from her that night. John gave him a glare, but turned back to Safiya.
"Until then." He kissed her hand, and stepped back, allowing Addams to take over.
She caught his head bobbing through the crowd and lost him, as she danced with Addams. It definitely was not the dance of John, but it was well enough.
"You should be careful of that guy." He muttered to her, wanting to keep their conversation as private as he could on the dance floor.
"What do you mean? I think he is very nice." She smiled.
"He is dangerous. There is more to him than you probably know." Addams brown eyes searched hers for a hint of acceptance of his warning.
"Well, time will tell." She spoke, not wanting to go off of rumors and fear.
He returned her to the table, where the group spoke some more, drank, and laughed.
Last call came around, and slowly, the group was breaking up, going back to their own designations for the evening. She had been waiting there for John, but did not see him among the patrons any longer. With a sigh, she heaved herself out of the seat, the last one there, and made for the door. A chill wind and a light fog had picked up, as she drew her coat around her tighter.
"A woman could get hurt walking along at this hour." She heard from behind her. A couple of older men had stepped out from the ally, appearing to be about 30s or 40s.
"Fancy that, so could you" She spoke defiantly, in no mood to deal with drunks.
"No, precious, I don't think you'd hurt us." The taller one spoke, giving her a slimy grin. He reached down, picking up a discarded metal bar. "I think, you are outnumbered here. So, you can either oblige, or you can have your pretty little face ruined." She felt a sudden grab from behind her, holding her arms tightly. The smell of bourbon wafting off of the assailant. She could only let out a scream as the man bit her shoulder blade
"P-Please, don't." She whimpered, as the counted now a total of five men. Five men who reeked of lust and alcohol. Before she could react to the man behind her, she heard a cry from her side.
He had been thrown back nearly twenty feet, his face bleeding. Another man was grabbed, and lifted up by his neck, as she heard a sickening crunch. The man who held her was caught off guard, his grasp loosened on her, and she took the opportunity, turning quick, she blew his kneecap out with a strong kick to the side of his knee. He fell to the ground reeling in pain, her knee coming up, meeting his nose with force, and he fell back unconscious.
"Safiya." John walked to her, as her fists were balled, the remaining two men stumbled away, not interested in their own ass kicking. "Situational awareness, my dear, can save your life one day." John offered with little care. "Come along." He extended his arm for her to grab on to, and they walked back to her home.
She opened the door for them, her embarrassment dying down. She excused herself to change, and left him to wait on her in the living room area. He busied himself with making coffee, as he had seen her do the many mornings he came over, and setting up the coffee table for them. The bedroom light switched off, she came back out in a pair of short sweat shorts a tank top and socks, her hair had been shaken out. She smiled, seeing the coffee made on the coffee table, waiting for her to enjoy. John sat on the couch, leaving her the overstuffed chair that she often sat in to read.
They sipped their coffee in silence for a few moments, but she had to break that.
"So, you told me tonight, that you had something to tell me." She spoke softly.
John swallowed his coffee. "I have something, yes. I think you ought be aware." He sat his glass down.
"This project that we are working on, isn't just any project." He began. "It is a militarized Star Fleet operation. Admiral Marcus has turned his eye to a combatant fleet since the destruction of Vulcan. I am of an advanced people. He found me, he found my crew, we slept for three hundred years in cryostasis, but he woke me up." Anger was rolling off of him, as he recalled his tale. "The Admiral is using my sleeping crew as leverage against me to help him, so he can use my people advanced technologies, just as he used your mother against you." He shook his head, not realizing that he was a reluctant party, whereas Safiya was not.
"So, Marcus is, threatening death upon your people if you choose not to help him?" She whispered. "That's, disgusting." Her heart broke for John. She hated the feeling of seeing her mom used against her in order to further the Admirals ambitions, but here, Johns family, his crew had been leverage this whole time.
"If you have not realized this yet, you will learn that I am, what you call, an Augment. I am of a genetically modified race, enhanced, everything about me is... Better." He spoke smoothly.
'That would explain his damn good fighting.' She thought, looking at his arms.
"I remember reading about Augments, about the Eugenics War..." She lingered, remembering the devastation that caused. "They should have never awoken you. Not that you are particularly a bad person, however, the world, I'm afraid, is not ready for you." Her words were true, and John could hear her empathy.
"So, you do not fear me then? Knowing the things my people have done?" He challenged her, moving closer, invading her personal space.
"John, people here on Earth, have fought and died in many wars simply for different ways of thinking. You believe your people are superior, and as any superior race does, they make their claim at the top of the food chain, and invade. I can not see that being so wrong, to be driven by such... Primitive instinct." Her voice got softer and softer, as her face got closer to his. Before their skin could collide, she pulled back swiftly, leaving him as a loss, which he corrected himself quickly from.
"I knew I would like the way you think." He smirked at her. "I am devising a plan and I may have use of you." He sat back down, giving her back her breathing room. "I would ask you to make some amendments to your program before handing it over." He offered.
"I believe I can do that." She smiled. She held a deep loathing for the Admiral, and it just fermented with the news of his treacherous actions against Star Fleet and against the Augments.
A/N:So, just in case you didnt know, this is all pretty much mind-to-site writing for me. I will probably go back and edit these chapters a little bit, nothing major, but just a little. Thank you for reading, I appreciate it, any review helps and is appreciated as well. Thank you!