After a length of time has passed, the russet-haired ensign makes a glance at the chronometer in his quarters. The hour is ripe and a moment now arises for the following task.
Having occupied himself with notes written into his PADD - as well as crew rosters, of which he conveniently acquired - he soon departs from his desk. Perhaps, the acquisition of such information is to aid his avoidance of encountering certain day shift officers. And yet, even if on some odd chance that he does run into the most minor of hiccups, or even become sighted, he still will not care. So long as his task is completed, it does not matter what fate has planned for him.
With the newly-filled vial removed from its placement upon a proximate table, a journey is made toward the room's exit. As the cylindrical vessel is housed in his pocket, he leaves his quarters in an air of sinister silence.
... ... ...
While the trio continue their study of the footage, something odd is caught by their attentive eyes. A lone figure, clad in his Science blues, glances about the room. That, however, is not what has their gaze. They observe him, shifting his position from one section of the space to another; all the while, making several glances toward two of the event's attendees. The officers in question are the First Officer and the gathering's organiser herself. Through the screen, she observes him almost watching them as they take their share of foodstuffs, seemingly unheeding of the eyes upon them. To be watched so carefully with all the activity around them seems a tad...unnerving.
"Did you see that?", queries the helmsman to Uhura. "He keeps looking directly at you and the Commander."
"Why is he watching us?"
"That's...Ensign Waterford.", comes the Captain's response, upon squinting at the image before him. "He joined a year ago."
"I don't like this.", utters the Communications Officer.
"Something definitely doesn't feel right.", now Kirk begins to feel uneasy.
Indeed, within the frame is the young officer, adorned by a tunic of crisp cerulean. As sighted by the eyes of the trio, he seems rather out-of-place at the gathering, having not attended other such events. Whilst they observe, he appears to alter his placement yet again, once the Vulcan and his courter have departed from the cloud cake table. While the couple partake in the beverages of their choice, the suspicious ensign seems to hover above that very table they had occupied moments before.
"What's he doing?", yet another query from Sulu.
In silence, Uhura's hand reaches for the earpiece she had brought with her. The device had merely been sitting atop the desk in front of her, awaiting her need of it. That time is now. Her eyes are not once removed from the screen as the gadget is secured in her ear. With all eyes fixed onto the monitor still, she listens.
Amongst the event's happenings, her innate hearing soon detects something. Thankfully, the mixture of sound is at a lower volume - much tamer than its predecessors - due to her deliberate planning. A small portion of footage is rewound by her hand upon the monitor's touch interface, the frames repeated over and again. Yes, there it is: a tinny clink of some form of metal, occurring twice during the ensign's occupation of the table.
Moreover, not only is a sound caught by her, an action is sighted by her also - and by the men at her side. Within those repeated frames, the team spot the hand of the ensign in motion, a hand shifting to a pocket. An object unveiled and in a hover above a single cloud cake - the very top piece of the bundle, and the second pastry to be consumed by the Commander himself. Utilising the interface once more, she increases the magnification of these frames, to better her view of those movements, and the footage is rewound again. At last, the screen reveals to the trio what had transpired in the hours before, and the assailant sighted. Their diligence, it seems, has finally offered its reward.
In confirmation, the footage is soon sped by her to a specific moment - that moment at which the Vulcan had begun to fall ill.
"That's it...we found him.", she then removes the device from her ear, and glances toward the friends by her side.
"Should I gather a security team, sir?". It seems the helmsman is ready to strike.
"No, we'll handle this ourselves.", replies the Captain, who then shifts back to the Lieutenant. "Where's Waterford now?"
A new set of commands is quickly tapped into the interface by her deft hands. As the information is displayed before her, the eyes soon begin to widen. The Vulcan's attacker is on the move.
"He's in the corridor, Sir."
"Any idea where he's headed?", apprehension now marks the eyes of the Captain.
"He's moving directly towards the Medbay...", in mere seconds, that fact is revealed by the monitor, and Sulu is the one to respond.
With haste, the trio depart from the screen, fearful of what may soon transpire. In their minds is a lone word, a crude personification of the alarm they now feel.
Shit...
