Reading Minds
Nyota had laughed when she saw Selina wrap herself around McCoy. Kirk must have really ticked her off.
"Yeah, that and the Bud Lite pretty much blows the whole James Bond image," Sorenson said, misunderstanding her reason for laughing.
"Something like that," Nyota said. "I don't suppose we can get copies of this?"
He tapped a few keys. "Anything for a lady who can make Spock smile."
She stared at him.
"Well, not smile smile, but close enough for him." Sorenson grinned.
"Spock told you..?"
"Ha! I knew it!" He drummed the table lightly and smiled wider. "And no, the day Spock divulges personal information on anything but need-to-know, send him straight to sickbay because something is seriously wrong."
Nyota blushed. "Then how?"
"Figuring out how to read him is pretty much an irresistible challenge for a code-breaker. That, and a broad hint from someone in the admiralty that I should be careful not to notice your legs around him." He stared down at the keyboard and blushed slightly. "Spock's an old friend, so kindly report that I was completely focused on your friend there." He looked back at the screen. Nyota suppressed a laugh - yeah, like that wasn't going to bother Spock at all.
"Hey, looks like they're moving toward the back." He selected the figures on the touch screen and set the computer to switch feeds to follow them. But Nyota read Kirk's lips before the view switched and laughed again.
"Now what?" Sorenson asked.
"I read lips" she explained. "I just saw how the Captain brushed off the other lady. He told her the Doctor is a drunk and my friend is a mental case whose hot-headed brother will kill him if he doesn't keep an eye on her." It was difficult to even say it without laughing again.
"Well, I guess that's maybe a little overkill?" He obviously didn't see the humor and she wasn't going to explain. "Anyway, I just need them to give me a few more minutes so I can finish retrieving the digital copy of the Captain's voice print and reprogram the office locks to accept it."
"The Captain's voice print? You can get that?" She was surprised.
"Well, not officially, so to speak." he said, concentrating on his keyboard. "But once you're in with command access, it's not exactly impossible."
"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Nyota said, imagining the sort of havoc that could be played someone's voice ID.
He laughed. "I'm pretty harmless. In fact, as far as I know Spock only has one friend with a bad side to be avoided and she..." He looked at the screen again as the feed switched to the holo-poker machines and shook his head. "...nah..."
He rubbed his eyes. "Any chance I could get some coffee? I think I must be getting tired."
.
By the time Jim caught up, Bones was sitting by himself at a holo-poker machine.
"Where's Selina?" Jim asked, taking the stool at the machine beside him.
"She went off to powder her nose," McCoy drawled.
"She did what?" Jim said.
"That's what she said, but I think she 'overheard' something and decided to go have a look," Bones whispered.
"And you let her go off alone?"
"Jim," Bones said dryly, "the last time I insisted on accompanying a girl to the powder room, it was Joanna and she was 6 years old."
"Yeah, well I just told Calli I needed to keep an eye on you two because 'Leena's' brother would kill me if anything happened to her." His hand rose involuntarily to his throat. "I'm not entirely sure I wasn't telling the truth."
McCoy chuckled. "Yeah, I noticed you're back to being a third wheel, Jimmy."
"Stop that. You know she just did that because she heard my comment about having a nice view," Jim shot back. "And it's not like you weren't appreciating it too."
"Yeah." McCoy grinned. "But I had the good sense to keep my thoughts to myself."
"Something with which you could both use more practice," Selina said from behind him.
Jim grinned at Bones, who glared at him. "You knew she was standing there, didn't you?" McCoy accused. Jim just smiled wider.
Selina crossed to stand between both of them and grabbed their arms. Her voice rang in their heads. In a situation like this, when I have lowered my shields to listen to the thoughts around me, just keeping your mouth shut does NOT qualify as keeping your thoughts to yourselves. She glared at both of them before releasing them.
McCoy looked down at his drink, but Jim crossed his arms and stared back at her. "You know, most women would take it as a compliment."
"I am not most women." She narrowed her eyes. "Now control your thoughts or at least divert them. If it helps, imagine that I am our Vulcan friend in drag."
McCoy choked on his drink. "Now that... ::cough:: ... is a... ::cough:: ...disturbing image."
"Excellent." she said. "Then perhaps we can focus on the reason we are here. The entrance to the offices is down the back hall just past the tongo tables. I hope you are a very good locksmith, 'Jimmy', because the locks are voice activated. I have a name and ID from the rather large gentleman standing against the back wall over there, but I believe they also check voice print."
.
Nyota nearly spit her own coffee when Selina suggested they picture her as Spock in drag.
'Erik' looked up at her with eyebrows raised in polite inquiry.
"She, um, just told them to stop staring at her and suggested that it might help them concentrate on the mission if they imagined her as Spock in drag," she laughed.
He looked at the screen again. "That would take considerable imagination - not to mention a whole tub of brain bleach," he laughed and shook his head with a sort of shiver.
"Now she's telling them she thinks the locks take voice print."
"Maybe you should give them a call. My skeleton key will be set in another minute or two."
.
"Well that might be a little tougher to crack," Jim admitted just before his communicator beeped. "Jim here."
"Hey, Jimmy!" Uhura's voice said. Jim winced. How had she got in on torturing with 'Jimmy'?
"I've got good news for you," she continued. "A mutual friend found the best locksmith ever. There's nothing you can't open by saying 'Kirk, Pi Nu 42'. We even made it rhyme so you could remember it." He could practically hear the smirk in her voice.
"Thanks. I think I can manage that, Rapunzel," he countered. "Tell our mutual friend to get security ready, because this place is likely to need them soon."
"No problem. We're watching, so the cavalry will be ready at the first sign of trouble."
"You're watching?" He scanned along the ceiling for recorders.
"Same locksmith got into the surveillance system," Uhura said. "And we think the closet you're looking for is in the manager's office. Second door on the left once you get upstairs. Good luck."
"Okay." Jim closed his communicator. "I guess we're good to go."
"Just let me create enough distraction to draw the attention of the guard at the back." Selina tilted her head and looked back and forth between them.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Bones asked.
"I am trying to decide which one of you I will derive the greater pleasure from slapping."
Jim grinned at her and winked. It was bound to be him anyway, so he figured he might as well deserve it. And he had a good imagination.
Her eyebrows shot up. "Thank you for making the decision easy," she said evenly.
She took a step back, closed her eyes for a moment, and then swung around landing a slap that nearly knocked him off his stool. "How could you!" she screamed and ran off toward the bar.
Somehow the air suddenly seemed to vibrate with hurt and anger. So much so that Jim almost started to go after her on pure instinct - until he saw the hulking guard at the back starting toward him with clenched his fists. Jim held his hands up and sat down very slowly. A hint of desire began mixed with the anger already in the atmosphere. The guard hesitated and then headed after Selina's retreating figure along with a small stream of other men.
"Damn." Bones swallowed the rest of his drink. "No wonder she has to use Vulcan techniques to control that." He looked around. "Maybe we should move along. I mean I want to punch you out and I know what's going on."
Jim nodded, looking toward the bar where two guys were already shoving each other over rights to the seat next to her while the big guard was closing in on them. "I don't know what her range is, I'm hoping it doesn't extend to the hallway, or I might start wanting to punch you out too."
They moved as casually as possible toward the hallway and slipped down to the office door. Jim spoke into the pad on the wall. "Kirk, Pi Nu 42." The door swished open. They moved quietly up the stairs and checked around the corner before turning left. The second door opened to the same code and swished closed behind them.
McCoy tried the closet door and found Lt. Hanlan lying unconscious on the floor. He pulled his medical scanner out of his pocket and ran it over her. "Subdural hematoma. She'll be alright if we can get her back to sickbay soon to relieve the pressure on her brain."
"See," Jim said, untying the bonds on Hanlan's wrists. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."
"Shut up, Jim," Bones growled. "You'll jinx us."
What are the chances this going to go off without a hitch? Yep. No much.
To be fair, Selina hasn't overcharged the emotional atmosphere that much. Bones probably already wanted to punch Jim out. Although I figure having to 'listen' to Bones and Jim thinking about her has definitely p.o.-ed Selina. Bones has the good grace to be embarrassed, but Jim is just not the sort of guy to back down and apologize (unless it's part of a strategic retreat to reposition for another assault).
Poor Cmdr. Sorenson is going to be both embarrassed and horrified when he realizes his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.
