Chapter 54 - Fishing for Information


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Nyota followed Spock into his quarters. He wore a slightly bemused look as he turned to her. "I was under the impression that you intended to retire to catch up on your sleep."

"I do," she said, looping her arms around his shoulders. "...eventually. Unless you need the whole two hours to meditate?"

His arms circled her loosely. "An hour should be sufficient. Allen's mind drifts, but seems more stable. I do not anticipate that he will require more of me than a 'familiar face' once he awakens."

"It seems like Selina could provide that." Nyota said with a sly smile. "They certainly seemed to be on unusually familiar terms for a couple that had broken up well before New Year's Eve."

Spock assumed a vaguely questioning look. "New Year's Eve?"

"Don't try that innocent act on me." She tapped the tip of his nose playfully. "You hustled us away as soon as he mentioned that party, but I caught midnight and champagne. What happened?"

"You are..." His brows drew together slightly before rising again. "...I believe the phrase is 'fishing for information'."

"A little." she admitted coyly, running a finger along the curve of his ear. "Although that's hardly all I'm fishing for."

"That is good." Spock said, drawing her closer. "Because the other is all you are likely to catch."

"Not even a little information?" She looked at him with a small teasing pout.

He raised an amused eyebrow. "Would this be defined as 'using feminine wiles'?"

"No. This is using feminine wiles." She ran her mouth softly up the column of his neck until she felt his arms tighten and then nibbled his earlobe whispering. "Tell me more."

"I perceive the difference." he responded in a somewhat huskier voice. "While most effective, I was not present at the party in question. Until today I was under the impression that their mutual aversion to champagne stemmed from an argument exacerbated by an uncharacteristic indulgence in alcohol."

Nyota smiled. "I'm guessing they made up."

"At the time they were somewhat awkward with each other for several days. In the present, however, she wished to link with his mind, for which she desired some degree of permission." The bow of Spock's lips curved slightly. "Does that satisfy your curiosity, or will you subject me to further feminine wiles?"

Nyota looked at him speculatively. "I think you're still holding out on me." She drew him toward the bed. "This may require intensive questioning."

He allowed himself to be pushed onto the bed and pulled her to him with an expectant kiss. "You have my permission to proceed."

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Cmdr. Sam Giotto surveyed the nervous little man sitting in the brig holding cell. He didn't look likely to be any trouble, but Sam had learned long ago not to trust appearances. Still, the person joining him for this interrogation seemed like overkill. The hulking mountain of lieutenant, oddly known among the security staff as Cupcake (Sam made a mental note to find out where that had come from), certainly made trouble even more unlikely.

"So what do we have?" Giotto asked.

"Dr. John Smith." Cupcake reported.

Giotto raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"I know, sir, but DNA confirms that really is his name. Not much else on him. He disappeared from the grid shortly after graduating from an outpost med school. We found him sedated and strapped to a bed in his own sickbay. The Captain said 'don't ask, but he deserved it'." Cupcake frowned. "He also said Smith participated in interrogating Mr. Sorenson so we should question him as soon as he came around be damn sure to get it all on vid."

"Well, he doesn't look too likely to make things difficult." Giotto commented. "With luck he'll spill right off."

"He looks like he'd jump out of his skin if someone said 'boo'." Cupcake replied. "If you think he's holding out, just nod and I'll crack my knuckles."

Giotto smiled. Cupcake needed to learn a little caution, but he had potential. He opened the force field and entered. "I understand that you are Dr. Smith. I'm Cmdr. Giotto of the USS Enterprise and your boss has seriously run afoul of Federation law, not to mention our Captain."

Dr. Smith looked uneasily up at Cupcake. "I only did what I was ordered to do. I didn't like it, but I didn't have any choice."

Giotto shook his head. " 'I was just following orders' ceased to be admissible defense before there even was a Federation, Dr. Smith." he said calmly. "However, if you cooperate, we may be able to negotiate leniency. Let's start with why you abducted Mr. Sorenson and Ms. Chandri."

"I don't know." Dr. Smith said looking apprehensive. "I really don't. Mr. Maldi tells us what to do; not why."

"That's too bad, Dr. Smith, because right now at a minimum you're looking at charges of aiding and abetting criminal abduction and attempted murder." Giotto said.

"Attempted murder?" the doctor asked, eyes widening.

"Yes. Mr. Sorenson nearly died of a drug overdose." Giotto made a tsk-ing sound. "As it is, he may not recover his sanity, which would go hard on the person providing those drugs, doctor."

"But, but the overdose was Mr. Maldi's fault!" Smith protested. "And I'm nearly certain Sorenson was insane even before we drugged him - he kept cracking jokes and smiling. People just don't do that when we interrogate them."

"And you've interrogated a lot of people, have you?" Giotto asked evenly.

Smith froze like a deer in floodlights. "I think I should stop talking now."

"Well, that is your choice, of course." Giotto replied casually. He walked around the man slowly. "You know, a lot of our security team has become extremely fond of Ms. Chandri. It's just a good thing the Captain knocked you out before you had a chance to work on her, because I'm not sure I could guarantee your safety if you had. Of course, just knowing that you would have..." he shook his head and Cupcake popped a knuckle.

"Only five, I swear." Smith said. "But verasitol always works. I thought at first Mr. Maldi might be wrong about Sorenson, but then he wouldn't even tell us his command code. He said he didn't know! I just don't understand how he could lie. I know I mixed it right."

"So he divulged no information?" Giotto pressed.

"Tons of information: more than I ever wanted to know about some ancient viking and every nickname he'd ever had involving 'red' - which was a lot. But nothing useful. That's why Mr. Maldi gave him the second dose. And he was even worse after that. By the time he seized, he was yelling at some imaginary friend to get out." The doctor whined. "I did bring him through it, but afterward he was completely unhinged and then he wouldn't stop singing."

"I see. And do you have anything else to add to your statement?"

Dr. Smith looked at Cupcake with all the sincerity he could muster. "I really, really would never have harmed Ms. Chandri. No matter what Sorenson said, she is like a goddess."

Giotto tried not smile. He hoped Sorenson came around. He had a feeling he might like him. And not only did he owe for him helping with Jessy; he really wanted to know how he'd pulled it off. Chances were he couldn't tell him, of course. The man's official dossier read like most boring, mild-mannered comp sci in the history of Starfleet. That alone really should have made him suspicious.

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Kirk put his feet up on Bones' desk, only to have them swatted away. "Dammit, Jim, go put heel marks on your own desk. Better yet, go get some sleep - you look like hell."

Jim just grinned. "You could do with some beauty rest yourself, old man."

Bones fixed him with a stare. "Bad enough I'm gonna be hearing that from Chapel for the foreseeable future. Don't you start too, kid. And I'll sleep once I know he's outta the woods."

"I know. That doctor confirmed he didn't say anything, but I don't think Command will let me sleep until I can send a report with something better than 'I don't know yet' on how he did it."

"I could make it a medical order." McCoy offered.

"Nah. I did get a few hours; plus I've had a lot of coffee." Jim leaned back to look through the door toward Selina. Her hand had slid from Sorenson's face to his chest as though she were keeping tabs on his breathing in her sleep. "Kinda funny that she's the one asleep. Hey, maybe if you told her that I really needed to get to sleep..."

"Forget it, Jim."

"Some wingman you are." Jim sighed.

Bones smirked. "About the closest I'm gonna come to helping you sleep with her is to let you go lie down in one of those other beds while she's snoring."

Jim gave Bones a sly look. "So you're admitting she snores?"

"Tell her I said so, and I'll deny it to my dying breath." Bones leaned back and beamed a grin. "A gentleman does not tell a lady she snores, especially if he has some hopes of kissing her again."

Laughter came from the other side of the doorway. "Shut up, Christine." McCoy snapped. "He thought they were somewhere way back in the past."

"Little touchy about the old man thing, aren't you?" Jim teased barely containing his own laugh.

Bones pinned him with a glare. "You shut up too, kid."

"Can I ask you a different question? Do you remember what Maldi said about why he thought she'd come back for Sorenson?"

Bones waved a hand vaguely. "I don't know, something about thinking he had a lot of money or whatever part of him goes by Erik knew how to get it."

"Do you remember how much money Maldi said?"

"No. I was keeping an eye on whoever might look up and see you. And I pretty much figured anyone who thought she was Spock's girlfriend wasn't much worth listening to." Bones raised an eyebrow. "What's this about, Jim?"

"Probably nothing, but Pike says Maldi went after Sorenson because he's the one who cleaned out Volmari, basically on his own initiative. They cleared him because he siphoned the money into Langley's accounts before anyone even figured out he was the one who took it. The thing is, the numbers don't match up." Jim bit his lip. "And, I mean, 'Fafhrd and Grey Mouser', they were thieves, right?"

"If you think she's some sort of burglar, you're more delusional than he is right now." Bones crossed his arms with an expression that said that Jim was about one idiotic statement away from being sedated.

"Not her. But he's obviously got the skills and they'd go to the wall for each other. What if she's covering for him?"

Bones rolled his eyes. "Jim, you've been reading way too many crime novels. First, this is SI we're talking about. Do you seriously think they didn't check? Second, if I could get away with stealing a load of money, I'd sure as hell be some place other than here enjoying it. And lastly, he's not just Selina's friend; he's Spock's. Can you imagine that regulation-quoting Vulcan being friends with some sort of criminal?"

"No." Jim relented. "I guess that does sound pretty silly. I just feel like I'm missing something with those two."

More laughter came from the next room.

"Shut up, Christine." McCoy called out. "And quit eavesdropping."

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AN: I'm still a bit adrift myself. But I had the Spock & Nyota bit written sometime ago and figured Spock deserved some fun after putting up with everything in the last few chapters. Giotto's been petitioning for another moment in the story (he may like Sorenson less then he thinks) and Cupcake needed a cameo.