Not Dead Yet

Posted on Mon Jun 24, 2019 @ 7:40am by Lieutenant Alanna Wells & Civilian Jason Haines

2,592 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Doors of Perception
Location: Deck 528 Brig
Timeline: MD09 2130 hours

ON

It was while she was on her way back to her quarters after meeting with Commander Soran that Alanna overheard two people talking. She clearly heard one of them say Lieutenant Haines. She'd tried so hard not to think about him that day that it made her heart ache. Then they said something about Jason and that morning that brought her up short. Jason was on the station that morning? It couldn't be. She'd seen him die last night. He didn't come back with them from that other reality.

But she had to find out if, by some miracle, Jason actually made it back alive.

She waited until she was far enough away from anyone and tapped her combadge. "Computer, where is Lieutenant Jason Haines?"

"Lieutenant Haines is on deck 578."

That was an odd place for him to be. "Are you sure?"

"Please rephrase the question."

"Where on deck 578?"

"Lieutenant Haines is in the brig."

"In the brig?"

"Affirmative."

She had no idea why he was in the brig, but the computer said he was alive, and she had to see him, to hold him, and to be sure he was real. So she got on the nearest turbolift and went to deck 578.

It took her several minutes, and breking into tears, to convince the guard that she really did need to see Jason.

When she finally stood outside his cell and saw him, she started to cry again. "Jason...you're really here."

Jason had semi-dosed off as he could only exercise, meditate, practice martial arts, annoy the guards, and get poked and prodded so much before he got tired from being bored. He looked up and saw Alanna there, rubbed his eyes to make sure, and then got up off the bed.

"The jury is still out on that one", Jason replied with a slight smile stepping up to the force field. "but for now, yeah I am here. I heard I am supposed to be dead though. I guess all the tests haven't come back to prove that I am me and I'm not dead. Either way, sorry for giving you the scare and well now the resurrection routine."

Her eyes roamed his face, taking in every detail. "I'll take it as long as you're alive." She put a hand up needing physical contact, then stopped, not sure what would happen if she put her hand on this side of the force field. "I was there when you got shot. It was some sort of radiation beam, or so they think. At least the men who used the weapon had radiation burns on their hands." She shook her head. "Do you remember anything?"

"I don't even remember getting up yesterday", Jason said. "I could have married three of Yolanthe's dabo girls and wouldn't know it. The day before that is a little fuzzy too. I remember waking up this morning in my bed this morning and the day and the next clearest memory I have before today is having played my guitar for you while nearly falling over as I had gotten very friendly with a bottle of Alerian whiskey the night before last."

Alanna smiled. "I remember that. You were pretty drunk." The need to hold him was almost overwhelming. Yes, she wanted to make sure he was not a hologram, but it was more the need to be close to him again.

"Yeah, I was", Jason said with a snicker and then looked a bit serious. "I know this is going to sound a bit stupid, given that it seems like I am alive, but when I died, did I die doing anything important or was it just one of those, wrong place, wrong time, meteor falls from the sky and hits you sort of deaths?"

"A little of both," she admitted. "These men were outside. They told us to give up the elf. We didn't know at the time there was one. You wanted to protect us. You, Annora and Jessica. They came in, you said something, and one of them shot you. Avis was the first to get to you and started chest compressions. I tried to reach your mind. I felt you, and then there was nothing." She looked away, not wanting him to see how much that hurt, to feel him slip away.

"Well, at least I didn't die doing something mundane", Jason said. He smiled at her, looking her up and down.

"You look rather fetching", Jason said. "Where are you off to as I hear the ballroom is about 300 decks up from here."

She glanced at the duty officer to make sure he was far enough away not to be listening. "I'm sure you'll get a report tomorrow." The problem wasn't telling him, it was where to start. She lowered her voice. "This morning, we had more visitors through the portal." She went on to explain about the Vulcans who were following the Andorian and his team. "I had a feeling they weren't what they claimed to be, but I needed proof, so I showed Sovok some of the sites on DS5, then we had dinner and played a game of chess." She indicated her dress with a wave of her hand. "This was essentially my spy outfit. I thought if I wasn't dressed like a typical Starfleet officer, he'd be more open."

Jason scowled.

"Isn't that a load of Targshit", he said. "I'm stuck in the brig because I was a little testy given everyone was assuming I wasn't me. Yet these bastards from another dimension get to walk around free and clear."

"Magairlean!", he cursed. She didn't like to admit it, but his mother had a bit of a foul mouth.

It wasn't fair he was here in the brig. What happened wasn't his fault. Why not just be confined to quarters, if he had to be confined at all? And then she would be able to hold him, even if some security officer was watching.

He growled and then continued, "Please, if you are put up to do something like this again, you make sure you are in sight of a friendly at all time. We can't verify the truth from either parties. I was in on the interview with the other group. They are quite combat capable and even the biggest and strongest of them is scared of the Vulcans and the betazoid with them had their brain essentially turned to jelly from a telepathic point of view. They are very dangerous. Just don't."

No one thought to invite her to that. Just because she wasn't security or intel. "I know," Alanna said. "I wasn't really alone with him. We had a security officer with us while we were touring the station, and he was outside the door during dinner. All I had to do was scream." She shook her head. "I know the others are fighters, but the Vulcan's are evil."

"Alanna, not to sound crass", Jason said, lowering his voice so the guard didn't hear. "The other night when we were together, we both let out some noises that rated in the scream category and none of your neighbors knocked on the door and asked us to quiet down. So, don't be confident in the guard hearing you if you are in trouble. I have no doubt those Vulcans are evil simply by looking at those other people. Now that they know that this place exists and that they can get here, what do you think a possibility of their next actions is, beyond retrieving their prisoners? I bet you they would give us those prisoners in exchange for another very particular person on this station."

She turned scarlet at the reminder of their night together. "Sovok asked me to stay the night and I declined. He said he'd let the other prisoners stay if we gave him the Andorian. That's his priority."

Jason wasn't quite ready for the comment about another man wanting to be with her. He knew it would eventually happen but didn't expect it so soon. A twinge of jealousy ran through him, then a twinge of guilt as he had no right to be jealous given how he put things the other night.

"I guess that means someone thinks I have great taste in women", Jason joked, giving her a wink. "In regard to the Andorian and company, they can have the whole lot, I am more worried about you. I am sure he will come to realize that you are more valuable than all of them combined."

She appreciated his concern, but she disagreed that she was more valuable. Alanna was more about history and archaeology than she was about anything Sovok and his people would want. "I'm not a temporal scientist. Wouldn't they be more interested in T'gan? Or you?" She shook her head. "He wasn't impressed with DS5. At least, not the parts I showed him. He said he wasn't interested in coming back through the portal."

"You are in charge of everything in the Science section", Jason replied. "Just by the nature of your role you have access to more information. Then add the work you have done there. He may indeed have no interest in this station, but the portal capabilities are a whole different story. And don't forget, his superiors may disagree. And the last thing to consider is how many lies he may have told during the night"

He had a point. She did know a lot more about the portal site and its workings than she let people know. "There are far more valuable people here than me. Most are unaware of what I or my department do," she hedged. "Even with the portal site, people go to Commander Soran." She shrugged. It was frustrating, but in a way she liked the anonymity. "Sovok wants to meet with the Commander tomorrow. I think it'll be to negotiate something to do with the refugees. We should know more then." She knew Sovok wanted to see her after that. She'd put him off by not giving him a definite no and he would want to follow up with his question about spending the night. Alanna would have to stay out of his way.

"Don't degrade your value because of what others fail to see", Jason said. Those of us with half a brain stem or more, know your value. I don't know how long the Commander plans to keep me in here, so if you meet with him before I get out, be safe, no risks. Have a knife on you or something. I have one in my quarters that fits nicely in a boot. Promise me."

She didn't think she was in as much danger as he seemed to, and she didn't want him to worry about her. At the same time, she knew it would be foolish to not have something with her, just in case. "I have a couple of knives I use in the field." She looked at him for a long moment. "Right now, I'm more concerned about you and what side effects you might have from...whatever happened to you."

"Don't worry about me", Jason said with a smile. "I'm part cat, on my father's side. Old grandpa Joe got into some weird stuff in his younger days. I still have two lives remaining. I'm fine, I promise."

She grew serious. "I worry about you, Jason. I...care deeply about you." It was more than that. She'd known before that she was falling in love with him, but after last night, dealing with his death, she had no doubt. And she couldn't let Jason know. At least, not at the moment.

"I know", he said. "And I care about you too. It is weird, as I told Doctor Morgan, I woke up feeling really good. Besides being miffed about being in here, I really do feel fine. I'll probably have a stiff back tomorrow after sleeping here, but I'm fine. I promise. You'll be the first person after the doctor I will tell if I start to feel not fine. Okay?"

"You better," she almost growled. "You're needed around here." She wasn't ready to lose him a second time. She still wanted to hold him and reassure herself that he was okay. "Is there anything you need? Besides your own bed?"

"Well, the only thing I need will make both of our lips numb if we try to do it through the force field", he replied with a smirk. "So, I will just have to dream of a good night kiss."

Alanna groaned. "I need that, too. Now I'm not going to sleep at all." Then she grinned. "But I'll take a rain check."

She glanced at the guard, who was starting at her intently. "I think he wants me to go."

"Probably", Jason replied, then whispered, "I think we interrupted his nap."

Winking at her he said, "Good night Ms. Wells and pleasant dreams to you." He bowed slightly and blew her a kiss.

"Not while you're in here," she replied, glancing at the guard again. "And not until I can hold you and give you a real kiss," she added softly. She blew him a kiss and then walked past the guard. She made herself smile politely. It wasn't his fault, he was only following instructions. At least Jason was alive. That was more than she had an hour ago.

Jason sighed and sat down, slamming his fist on the bunk. He couldn't believe he was stuck in the brig. He didn't want Alanna to be out there with the psycho Vulcans on board with only the security guards of the station nearby. The Vulcans were smart and nasty from every thing the Andorian's group said. There were a number of things he didn't fully accept about the Andorian's story, but the evilness of the Vulcans was not one of them.

Maybe Alanna was right and he was just being paranoid; he didn't think he was though. The very nature of the portal and the gates it created periodically gave those the Vulcans subjugated an opportunity to either escape or strike back if they could learn to control the portals. From a strategic and tactical point of view, it only made sense for the Vulcans to learn all they could to control the egress from their galaxy before the resistance did. Right now Alanna was a key element to gaining that control along with the computer files she had access to.

He also really had to admit it. He was jealous of the fact that some other man had put the moves on Alanna. He truly had no right to be, but he was. He felt like a total jackass about it too, as he was the one who had indicated that things with him were not a sure thing. He just couldn't offer that, as he knew there were things he might still be asked to do that could be hurtful to her.

He felt helpless. He couldn't go with Alanna. He couldn't order his team to lock the computer systems down even tighter. He couldn't arm the Andorian rebel so he could help, given he knew this Vulcan on a personal level. Screw the Prime Directive on that.

So, he did all he could do, which was lay back and eventually fall asleep.

____
OFF

Lieutenant JG Alanna Wells
Chief Science Officer
Deep Space Five

Lieutenant JG Jason Haines
Occupant, Deck 528 Brig
Deep Space Five

 

RSS Feed