Drawing Attention
"Bones, do you have Selina's cloak in your purse?" Jim asked.
"It's not a purse, dammit," Bones grouched. "It's traveler's bag. The kind any respectable gambler would carry to bring home his latinum."
"Whatever. Do you have it?"
"Yeah. Here." He handed the cloak to Jim and helped him wrap it around Lt. Hanlan.
"Okay, that covers her head and uniform. If we can get her down to the floor, we ought to be able to get out," Jim said.
Hanlan stirred slightly and nestled against him. "...mmm. nice sheets..." she murmured.
McCoy looked at Jim and then pulled her away from him and picked her up.
"Hey, wait," Jim said. "Why are you carrying her?"
"Two reasons, Jim. (1): I'm a doctor, not an action figure. If there's trouble you're the one who's going to need his hands free. And (2): She's female, so since we want your mind on getting out of here without getting caught, I'm the one who has to carry her."
"Bones, I'm not that bad."
"Really? Care to explain what you thought up that made Selina try to slap you into next Tuesday?" McCoy growled. "I'm carrying her."
Jim's communicator beeped. "Kirk here."
"Hold up on leaving that room," Uhura's voice advised. "Two of the guys from the monitor room are coming down the hallway."
Kirk and McCoy flattened up against the wall by the door. They could just hear the sound of the two talking as they walked by.
"...you see that hot chick Belv's working on at the bar? Think he'll have any luck?"
"Maybe. You saw what she came in with. Even Belv's a step up..."
Jim and Bones looked at each other. "Nah." they said together.
"What was that?" The communicator was still open.
"Nothing," Jim said. "Is the coast clear yet?"
Uhura swore. "No. They've stopped at the stairs. Looks like they're on break or something, just standing there talking."
"Great. Any chance Selina can start another diversion?"
"She's already keeping the guy who fired the disruptor busy at the bar so he won't come up and check on Hanlan," Uhura said. "Look, I'll give you the all clear once they go back to their posts. If they stick around too long, we'll figure something else out to draw them off."
"Okay. We'll wait. Kirk out."
"Well if we're waiting, I'm not standing around holding her," McCoy said, walking over to the couch in the office and laying Hanlan down.
Jim walked over to the window looking out on the floor. "Hey, you can see everything from up here."
"Are you crazy? Get way from there!"
"Relax, Bones. These are one-way. They look like mirrors from the floor." Jim surveyed the scene. "No way."
"What?"
"Selina's at the bar with that huge goon from the floor. She's actually letting him buy her a drink!"
.
"You got to look at things the right way," Belv said. He knocked his knuckles on the counter. "Groet! Get us a glass of the special."
The bartender placed a small cordial glass filled with a greenish liquid next to her.
"Oh, I could not -"
"Nonsense. On the house," He said with a wave. "This'll fix you right up."
"What is it?" Selina asked.
"Aolian wine," he said with a smile. "I don't guess you ever met an Aolian. They're a stiff, reclusive bunch - worse than Vulcans even - but they make a nice wine."
She hesitated.
He frowned. "Look, I know a lot of guys probably try to put one over on you. But I'm not the kinda guy gonna slip you something. Ask anyone - I don't let that kinda crap happen around here."
She took the glass and sniffed, as though checking the bouquet, while actually searching the veracity of that statement in his thoughts. She saw no deception. Whatever other disreputable things he was involved in, he had a sort of code of honor, and a definition of his own manhood that he would consider greatly diminished if he used such means. And she saw that he would feel insulted if she refused.
She had not tried Aolian wine before, but she knew Ambassador had found it pleasant and he was not fond of strong drinks. "It smells lovely," she said, taking a tentative sip. "It is very nice, almost like cold melon."
"See? I told ya," he said. "Can't stay unhappy with a glass of that. It's like drinking fresh air."
"Thank you." She smiled at him and drank some more.
"It's nothing," he said, shrugging casually. "Day like this, I'll probably have some myself once I'm off duty."
"It is very refreshing," She sipped the rest of the drink, delaying and trying to look shy. He was clearly hoping for her to ask when he'd be off.
"Yeah. I don't know how those Aolians stay so sour when they got something like that to drink," he winked. "That stuff's good medicine."
...good medicine... The implication of the words hit her just as her vision began to blur.
.
Nyota was drumming her fingers on the desk waiting for the two men on the monitor to move along. She was also becoming a little concerned about Sorenson. He had transformed from happy hacker to brooding Dane, and she was pretty sure they were going to need the creative hacker back.
"You know, Spock is a little over protective with her, but I don't think you have to worry," she said.
"I'm not worried about Spock. If he hasn't killed me yet, he isn't likely to." He gave her a crooked smile.
She chuckled. "Selina has more of a temper, but I don't think she'd kill anyone either."
"Maybe not," he allowed. He glanced back up at the selection of images on the large screen. "Helviti!" He leaped up so fast his chair clattered away behind him.
"What is it?"
"Look." The big guard at the bar was catching Selina as she staggered and fell off her stool. Sorenson slammed his hands down on the desk. There was a definite echo of the real Erik the Red in his expression.
"Hold on," Nyota said. "That big guy looks surprised. She might be faking to get him to bring her upstairs. And Spock is listening for her. If something's wrong he'll know."
He shook his head emphatically. "She shuts Spock out when she's dealing with strong emotions and she probably hasn't let him back in yet. We need to get her out of there."
.
Spock had moved from the back office to the hotel lobby where he had a better view of the casino. A stream of patrons had left hurriedly when the fight began, but following a single shot of weapon fire things seemed to have quieted down. He was waiting for Selina to re-establish contact, having dutifully stopped listening when she had told him to. Although he disliked the notion of disengaging, not only was she fully capable of shutting him out if she chose to, but he had once refused to stop listening in a similar situation. It was not a mistake he would repeat if it could be avoided.
He clasped his hands behind his back and paced. Vulcans do not worry, but he was beginning to become ...apprehensive.
His communicator beeped and he snapped it open quickly. "Spock here."
"Spock, is Selina okay?" This was not what he had anticipated hearing from Nyota.
"I do not know. Is there cause for concern?"
Sorenson's voice cut in. "It looks like she just collapsed at the bar. Try to contact her."
"I shall." He sat down and mentally called to her. There was no response. He reached for her mind. He did not encounter a wall, as when she intended to keep him out, but a sort of blackness and confusion. He shook his head to clear it. "She is not entirely conscious. Do you know how this occurred?"
"The big guard at the bar gave her something to drink." Nyota's voice was worried. "He's picking her up. I think he intends to carry her to the offices."
"Have the Captain and McCoy retrieved Lt. Hanlan yet?" he asked.
"No. They're still stuck up there too," she said. "They might be able to help, but the guards have disruptors and they don't have any weapons."
"Then they are potentially hostages as well." Spock considered the problem. "I believe there may be a way for me to retrieve them."
"Spock, what are you planning to do?" Nyota's voice held a touch of worry.
"Selina believed that a Vulcan would attract too much attention in a casino," he said simply. "I intend to attract attention. Please continue to monitor the situation and advise the Captain when to move. I shall leave Lt. Anders in charge of the security detail. Spock out."
He closed the communicator before she could question him on his plan. He knew that she would not like it.
Note: 'Helviti' is an Icelandic swear word, I'm told it is equivalent to 'hell' or 'damn'.
I decided Spock needs a chance to get on the action.
