Chapter 65 - Getting Answers


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Spock had opened the message from Allen, allowing himself a small degree of satisfaction. Neither the after effects of his ordeal nor whatever Selina had left hidden in his mind had impeded his usual facility for breaking encryption algorithms. And his friend's enthusiasm for pursuing the work boded well for his recovery. Were he to release himself from sickbay, Spock would consider it a sign he was nearly fit for duty and rather hoped for that outcome both for Allen's sake, and, he had to admit, because it would provoke the doctor. (If Spock were to allow himself to admit to amusement, the highly emotional doctor in a state of agitation would surely count as one of his favorite sources.)

Although the key was included, he had been somewhat dismayed that only one file had been decrypted. However he assumed that Allen had been interrupted by the doctor insisting on another attempt at getting him to 'open up'. Spock had resolved to rescue him after decoding and reviewing the remaining files, but that plan was waylaid by a message from Mr. Chekhov. Now he and the Captain had returned to Maldi's ship, meeting Lt. Hanlan and a small security detail in what appeared to be an auxiliary control room.

"Report, Lieutenant." Kirk ordered. "What have you found?"

"No records as yet, sir. We've just begun to search." Hanlan replied. "However, there is an active screen with what appears to be a timing sequence. Since there is over an hour left on the sequence, I thought Mr. Spock should have a look at it before anyone tried to turn it off."

"Good thinking, Lieutenant." Kirk said. "Let's have a look, shall we, Spock?"

Spock proceeded to the screen in question. He raised an eyebrow at the Captain. "Does this look familiar, Captain?"

Kirk stared at for a moment before a slow smile crept over his face. "Why, yes, yes it does, Mr. Spock. Theories?"

"I would postulate, that given the possibility that at least one of his hostages might successfully escape, Maldi set this to send a message in the event that circumstances turned against him." His head tilted slightly as he considered the timer. "I am, however, surprised at the length of time for which it was set."

"I'm not. Maldi's a weasel, but one with experience. He set this so he'd have plenty of time to stop it if he got tied up for awhile. More importantly though, we were on our toes right after we took his ship. This is set so nothing happens until whoever's got him has had a chance to get complacent." A devious gleam lit the Captain's eyes. "The only question now is whether to shut it down or let it ping and set a trap for whoever he's expecting to help him."

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They had continued to walk for some time, with Fafhrd showing no sign of interest in returning to sickbay. Selina was not concerned that anyone would imagine they had disappeared. Enough people had passed them, and no one could really not notice a towering redhead wandering about in a sickbay jumper. Their pace had slowed, however, and she suspected that he was tiring even if he would not admit it.

"We could stop and rest for a bit, perhaps have some tea?"

He looked down at her. "That would nice, as long as you promise not make me swallow anything but tea."

"Not until you wish to." She patted his arm reassuringly. "Come. My quarters are not far from here."

He stalled slightly, but allowed himself to be propelled in the direction she chose and escorted inside. Judging by the way he sank onto the couch, she had been correct that he was fatigued. She was tempted to tell him to lie down except that there was no reasonable way he could fit comfortably. Not that that would deter him if he was really tired - she smiled to herself remembering how he had once fallen asleep on her small sofa with his head and boots draped over opposite armrests.

After retrieving the tea, she sat down beside him. He sipped his tea and grinned at her. "I don't suppose we can play hooky long enough for a game of chess?"

She sipped her own and looked at him sidelong. "Since you are 'officially' discharged, it can hardly count as playing hooky. However, Len will be irate if he finds we have disappeared for too long."

"Well, we wouldn't want to worry your new doctor." he teased.

She set her tea down and looked at him. "Why do you keep insisting that he is my new doctor?"

He put an arm around her and winked. "Well, shucks, darlin', Ah sure enough don't know."

"Len does not sound like that." She bumped him with her shoulder. "And you do southern even worse than Jim."

"What do you expect? Iowa's a lot further south than Minnesota." he laughed. "Anyway, your southern gentleman shouldn't be too upset. I think I smoothed things over with him."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Fafhrd, he said you cooperate with a psych eval about as well as Spock. We both know that that is not a compliment."

He sipped his tea and tried not to smile. "I dunno. I take it as one."

"You will cooperate with me." she stated, placing a hand on the side of his face. "We should have that conversation."

He caught her hand before gently drawing it away. "It's private enough here. We can just talk."

She looked him in the eye. "You are well enough now and you have orders to let me in."

He sighed. "When did you talk to LT?"

"I did not. However, after your last stunt, Len thought it would be best not to rely on you to tell me." Her expression fairly radiated displeasure. "It seems he was right."

"I liked David a lot better." he remarked sullenly. "And I would have told you eventually."

She narrowed her eyes. "I know that you do not remember, but after last night I would strongly advise you against using the term 'eventually' with me."

"Look, it's just... " He hitched a sheepish half-smile. "I was hoping to let things settle into place a bit more. I... " He shook his head and looked down, almost staring into his lap.

This was more than his usual resistance. She lifted his head. "Fafhrd, what is it?"

"I don't know quite how to explain it. It's... I..." He closed his eyes with a resigned look. "I'll show you, just don't be angry. I wasn't hiding it. I really thought it was part of some weird withdrawal." He lifted her hand to his temple. "Open cautiously: some contents may have shifted due to turbulence."

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After returning to the Enterprise, Jim followed Spock into the lift. "So Spock, what's on that device you found?"

"I would assume that it contains the record of the interrogation."

Kirk stopped the lift. "No. I mean, tell me what was on it."

One eyebrow rose, but Spock otherwise maintained a impeccable poker face. "I fail to understand why you believe that I would know that."

It was not technically a lie. Jim smiled to himself. Son of a Vulcan diplomat - Spock would fit into JAG pretty well himself. "Come on, Spock. Do you have any idea how many times I've pulled that trick? I saw you palm something right before you 'found' it."

"Indeed?" Both eyebrows rose this time.

"Yes, indeed." Jim raised his own eyebrows.

No further comment seemed to be forthcoming. Stone walls had nothing on his XO.

Jim tried a different tack. "Look, Spock, I get that you, Selina and Allen are all pretty loyal to each other and I don't want to get anyone in trouble. But this has something to do with how he was able to resist, doesn't it?"

"Why would you think that?" The question was asked in a completely neutral tone, but Spock's gaze was just a little too intense.

"Because, I've got my own way of meditating and it helped me recall more than just parts of that memory dump from Maldi's subconscious. When I came by sickbay while Bones was working on Allen, I heard you say to Selina that she gave him what he wanted - the means to resist." Jim looked him in the eye. "This doesn't have to go any further than this lift, but I want to know what's going on."

They locked eyes. Jim did not believe in losing and he was not about to lose a staring contest even with a Vulcan. After a long moment, Spock's eyes went forward and he drew himself to attention. "Captain, -"

Shit, Spock was going to throw himself under the bus. That wasn't what he wanted. "Jim." he said hurriedly. "This is off the record, so it's Jim."

"Jim," Spock relaxed somewhat. "Selina's talent, combined with Vulcan training, provides her with abilities beyond what is commonly thought of with respect to telepathy. However, they are abilities that she does not wish to have known, even, or perhaps especially, to SI."

"But, your friend Allen - I sort of assumed he was SI."

"He has worked with them, but he..." Spock pursed his lips slightly. "He does not hold them in quite the high regard in which they hold themselves."

Now there was a diplomatic answer if Jim had ever heard one. He barely suppressed a laugh remembering Selina being considerably less diplomatic about 'those dithering idiots'. "Okay, I guess I can see that, especially since it looks like one of them gave him up to Maldi." He could almost feel Spock willing him to leave it there, but curiosity was going to eat him alive if he did. "But what did she do?"

Spock paused. "I believe you are familiar with the concept that a compulsion, even an altered state of perception, can be induced in a subject using either deep hypnosis or those techniques colloquially known as 'brainwashing'. Imagine how much more effectively such things could be accomplished by someone who could reach directly and very deeply into another's mind."

Jim let out a low whistle. For the first time, he understood how Giotto could be so creeped out by her. And he understood why she didn't want anyone to know, especially SI. Theoretically joining was strictly voluntary, but he'd heard stories. With a talent like that, her life could easily stop being her own. "So she did that to Allen?"

"With Allen." Spock corrected. "You must understand that the extent of tampering required for this situation would be not only unethical, but potentially dangerous, without the consent and cooperation of the person involved. As it is, the need for haste and the way in which she prevented him from accessing or revealing certain information may have compromised his mental state even prior to the overdose."

Okay. That certainly jived with her being so upset when Allen wouldn't let her see if his mind was back in working order. Jim nodded. "Thank you, Spock. And as far as I'm concerned, this conversation never took place."

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AN: In the TOS episode Spectre of the Gun Spock uses a mind meld to ensure that the away team can firmly disbelieve in bullets. As they all walk into the gunfire, they really do look hypnotized. It's also almost always Kirk who asks Spock if he can do something like that. Spock, who certainly knows his own abilities, is seldom the one to suggest it. Here Spock is still carefully not quite admitting that Selina (or anyone else) can remove memories. That such things can be dangerous without the subject's permission is shown in the TNG episode Violations where several people fall into comas due to an alien telepath stealing their memories.

However, in some ways I think being able to place a compulsion is a little scarier (it has to take near Vulcan control to resist the temptation to make some people cluck like chickens just because you can).