Fancy Meeting You Here - Part 1

Posted on Tue Sep 4, 2018 @ 3:20am by Lieutenant Liam Reynolds & Commander Caleb Ryan & Commander Amia Telamon M.D.

2,701 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Victory Conditions
Location: Promenade/The Cat and Custard Pot Pub - Pt 1
Timeline: MD09 1200

ON:

Liam wasn't even sure Ash would show up. He had literally appeared out of nowhere on a military game gone wrong, answering to another man’s name. Who knew what was happening? Liam had kept his mouth shut, not mentioned it to Annora. He felt bad about that, but owed Ash the opportunity to give an explanation. Perhaps he was on a secret ops mission or something. He couldn't take the chance of blowing his cover. So he had only mentioned it to Amia, the only other person on the station who knew Ash Danrisa. And despite possibly giving birth at any moment, she had insisted on coming. So Liam had messaged "Nick" and suggested the lowest key bar he had come across in his travels of the Promenade decks to date. The Cat and the Custard Pot was fairly quiet, only regulars in, if Liam was going to hazard a guess.

He steered Amia towards a nice corner table at the back near a holographic fire surrounded by bookshelves and old timey trophies. It felt very English countryside to Liam, hence how he had stumbled across this joint. And as not many punters came in on mass, it was nice and quiet for his empathic abilities on the side.

"I hope he's going to turn up," he said as she lowered herself down into the inviting couch. "What can I get you to drink? I might as well get us something while we are waiting."

"Tonic water with ice and lemon, please?" Amia asked, sitting slowly into the deep cushions and then stretching her aching joints one by one, instinctively and without conscious thought of what she was doing.

She looked up at Liam and was initially confused by the expression on his face as he watched her stretch her neck to one side and then the other. "What?" she asked, and then followed his gaze and realised what he was looking at. "I just need to stretch out crumpled, overworked joints, I'm sorry," she said, straightening her head again and looking sheepish.

Liam wasn't really listening. Something in her movement had jolted in his brain. There was a flash and he was suddenly in that dark place again. Except this time there was a little light and Amia in a red strappy top and lab coat sporting a slightly different hair style, but looking frayed, upset, and tired, had made the same movement before placing her hands on his arms and extending them. His muscles felt so sore and when he looked down at his arms there were many bruises. "You need to stretch out your overworked joints. It will make things easier if they keep forcing me to put you through these shocking treatments."

He blinked several times as the memory started to disappear again. "Your hair’s different. I liked the hint of caramel though," he said quietly, confused. "I'll... I'll get the drinks."

***

Ash had awakened from surgery to find himself in one of the secure recovery rooms in Sickbay. He was alone, but he knew that the door was locked and there was probably a security officer on the other side.

“Well, this is a nice pickle,” Ash mused, as he looked around. His mind was already processing what he could use. He pushed himself to sit up and winced. Pulling up his gown, he poked lightly at the pink, new flesh on his stomach. It was healed, but there was still a twinge of pain inside, and he was a bit lightheaded from painkillers. He could tell the surgery had been successful, but the new flesh was still thin and would need time to grow and settle. Light duty for him for the next few weeks.

Ash threw off the sheets and got up, heading to the bathroom. He had to pee. There was a padd left to him, so he grabbed that and took it with him. As he suspected, the padd was safely quarantined from anything but the station’s library to read, or watch holovision or play games, keep him entertained.

Ash turned the padd on as he sat on the loo. A message dinged on the screen, and Ash raised an eyebrow. It was from Liam, inviting him to meet with him and Amia at some local pub.

Amia? Oh, right. She had left with Cade to come here, Ash remembered.

Locked out from sending a reply, Ash simply finished up in the bathroom and headed back out to his room to contemplate his escape. Then he reached for the button to call the nurse.

Ash flashed a handsome smile as the lovely blonde nurse entered. She blushed.

“I see you are awake,” she said. The security officer loomed in the doorway. Ash sized him up.

“Yes. A bit groggy still.” Ash played up his foggy mind from the anaesthesia and painkiller, though his head was clearing.

“Are you hungry?” the nurse asked.

“Just some water, please.”

“Sure thing.” She went to a replicator and got him a glass. Ash deliberately fumbled it when she handed it to him, and it tumbled to the floor in a big mess.

“Oh, my! I’m so sorry, Nurse Hathaway!” Ash said, upset.

“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll clean it up.” She gazed into Ash’s eyes. “And it’s Jill.”

Ash smiled. “Jill. Lovely name. Thank you so much.”

Jill blushed and smiled. She got some more water and then some towels and knelt down to clean up the spilled water.

Ash glanced at the security officer. He seemed bored, a bit inattentive, clearly didn’t see Ash as a threat. Ash smiled. In a move to be helpful, Ash leaned over Nurse Hathaway to help and surreptitiously slipped one of the pins from her hair and hid it under his leg.

Jill looked up at Ash and he smiled. “Sorry. Your hair just looks so nice…” He slurred his words a bit to make it seem he was still groggy.

“It’s okay.” She patted his arm. “I’ll see about getting you lunch.”

Ash shook his head. “No, no. That’s fine. I think I’ll just sleep it off.” He didn’t need her returning in a few minutes to find him gone.

“Okay. Just ring the button when you are ready.”

Ash watched the nurse move toward the door. The security officer moved out of the way. As the door started to close, Ash moved quickly from the bed. Just before it clicked shut, he shoved the hair pin into the latch to prevent it from fully connecting.

Ash held his breath. It was still possible the security officer could notice the security light on the door hadn’t changed to red, but he was hoping the dullness of the assignment of guarding an unconscious man had lapsed his attention.

When, after several minutes, Ash hadn’t heard a sound from outside, he smiled. Here in the secure wing of Sickbay he knew it was relatively isolated. Ash took a moment to focus himself. This was going to hurt. This was something new he had learned to do.

Ash yanked open the door. “You’ll do nicely,” Ash said with a big grin.

The security officer’s eyes opened wide in surprise, and his hand fumbled for his phaser. Ash grabbed his wrist to stop him. The other hand grabbed the front of the officer’s uniform, right over his comm badge, preventing him from calling for help. Ash yanked the security officer forward into the room. The door shut behind him.

“Sorry about this.” And Ash pressed his lips to the man’s in a kiss. His hands were busy, after all. At the skin contact, Ash thrust forward with his mind, slamming a mental punch into the security officer’s brain.

Both Ash and the officer gave out a cry of pain, and Ash stumbled back, groggy. But the security officer fell to the floor, unconscious.

“Mother fuck, that hurts!” Ash groaned, clutching his head and falling to the bed as the migraine slammed through his brain. He cursed like a Marine for a few moments before finally fumbling for his water and some more painkiller the nurse had left him.

Finally Ash recovered enough to haul the officer up onto the bed. “Sorry about that, Jameson,” Ash said, having gotten the man’s name from their brief mental contact. He started undoing the fasteners on the man’s tunic.

Soon Ash had Jameson stripped down to his Starfleet boxers. He tucked Jameson into the bed and dressed in the Security uniform. Jameson was a bit bigger than Ash, broader in the shoulders and more muscled, so the uniform hung a bit loose, but it would serve. Ash turned out the lights in the room and slipped out into the bustle of Sickbay. No one much paid attention to a random security officer as he left.

***

As Liam and Amia chatted, a random security officer slipped into the booth beside Amia.

“Hello, love. Miss me?” the officer asked, and leaned over and planted a kiss on Amia’s beautiful lips.

Liam felt a surprising amount of negative emotion, ones he didn't even want to identify, as Ash appeared and planted one on Amia's lips.

Amia was so surprised that she took a moment to gather her wits. She looked at the face, attached to her own but the closeness was making him hard to recognise, not to mention making her go cross-eyed. She recoiled in surprise, pushing him away.

"I'm sorry, I think you've made a mist-- Ash? What are you doing in Security gold? Why did you do that? I know you didn't miss me, and if Cade were here..." She stopped, swallowing those words and feeling a stab of pain from the automatic retort. "Sorry." She drew in a strained and trembling breath. "Well, anyway, I'm far too pregnant, and you never know what you might set off!" she finished with a rather weak joke and faltering smile. "How have you been, Ash, and how did you get here of all places?"

"Don't be kissing me, mister," Liam said, surprised to find he was now somewhat relieved. "A hand shake will do just fine." He thrust his hand out to the other man.

Ash caught the flare of negativity from Liam and raised an eyebrow, but he didn’t comment. There was also confusion and guilt. “Handshake it is, then,” Ash said with a smirk, taking Liam’s hand. He wasn’t wearing his gloves, though, and his mental shielding was a bit in tatters at the moment. There was a bit of a flash of a beautiful, if severe, redheaded Romulan woman and a beautiful brunette Human. There was another presence, very faint, as if distant, that seemed connected to him.

“So I’m afraid I probably don’t have a lot of time before that lovely security officer of yours comes looking for me,” Ash said with a smile. “Amia, you are positively glowing. How’s Cade?” Ash hadn’t had too much of a chance outside of a few crew social functions to get to know Amia and Cade that well, but he was always open to getting to know a lovely woman better.

"Cade is dead, Ash," Amia said in a soft but flat tone, having gained control of herself sufficiently to say it without too much outward emotion, the old doctor’s stiff face training back in place again. "But thank you for your kind comments on my appearance, a girl always needs to hear things like that spontaneously, even if you don't mean it!" she chuckled softly. "So, how are things with you?" she asked, keeping it together very well now.

Liam was having a weird evening out. The pain of listening to Amia have to state Cade was dead was still predominant. He was still confused and rattled by his memory of Amia. It had to be when he was taken, he reasoned. Noelle had said they would start coming back eventually. And then Ash, when he had touched his hand. The woman. There was a name forming in his head now as he waded through what the other man had projected.

Ash’s face fell. “Amia…” He sensed the grief from the woman. “I...I am so sorry.” He touched her hand gently. He had lost people before, Rilasa and her child, his child. “If there is anything I can do, you just let me know.”

"That's sweet of you, Ash, thank you," Amia replied, genuinely touched by his empathy.

"Selina," Liam muttered softly suddenly. That was it. And that was all he understood. Except she was very important to Ash. "Who is Selina?" he asked, more confident now. Ash, he hadn't known had any abilities like his. He didn't remember Danisa having them anyway, and it was clear his shielding really needed work. And his projection, but then it was all jumbled. "You didn't mean to project, did you?" he stated, though already knew the answer. "Is that why you’re here? Trying to find her?"

Amia had a better idea of who this Selina might be. She remembered the lady in question. She had been in Ops, hadn't she? On the old USS Nimitz? Or was it Engineering? Markham? Ensign? Lieutenant? No, Amia wasn't sure enough to offer any information that might be wrong. She kept quiet for a bit and let Liam and Ash have this conversation without putting in what she thought she might recall.

Ash gave Liam an embarrassed smile. “No, I...didn’t mean to project. You damn telepaths!” There was more than a bit of self-deprecation in the words. Having worked in Intelligence and undercover for his career, his abilities had been kept classified. “Selina is…” Ash searched for the word. “Complicated. And no, she isn’t here. She’s on medical leave on Earth until our twins are born.” Ash looked a bit embarrassed. “And just so you know, I never was here,” he told them both seriously. “I don’t know this Ash person. I’m Ensign Nick Bolero, just a security officer from the Svikari. I had to escape guard in Sickbay before coming.” He tugged at the ill-fitting uniform. “Don’t worry. Ensign Jameson will be okay. Just a migraine.”

Liam sighed. They were certainly not going to find out what "Ash" or "not Ash," as was the case, was up too. He held his hands up in mock surrender. "I know nothing,"

"If you have left a casualty behind you, I really should reprimand you." Amia frowned. "But then I am on sick leave myself, so I'll leave that to my secondment. I assume you've met River?"

“No,” Ash admitted. “But then I was under for most of my stay. Is she as beautiful as you?” he asked Amia with a mischievous grin. “And Jameson is just sleeping off a little choke hold.” Ash adjusted the truth a little, since he’d used his mental abilities offensively, not something he could do well or often.

“It is wonderful to see you both,” Ash said with a grin as the waitress came over to take orders.

Liam could sense Ash had embellished a little in his explanation of Jameson, but he said nothing further. It was probably safer not to know. "How's your injury?" Liam asked.

"Yes, are you in need of any medical aid?" Amia added, the doctor in her always in place.

“Just the hands of a beautiful nurse. Or doctor,” Ash grinned. “It’s a little tender, and sensitive, but seems to be fine. I’ve been worse.” Ash tried not to dwell on that, on his experiences at the hands of the Romulan Enrily Graeca or the Salonian Thall Bos. “As long as I don’t do anything too strenuous, I should be fine.”

TBC

A JP Between :

Cdr Amia Telamon
CMO on Maternity Leave

Lieutenant Liam Reynolds
Chief Counselor

Ens. Nick Bolero/Lt. Cdr. Ash Danrisa
Security Officer/Starfleet Intelligence undercover operative
USS Svikari/USS Nemesis
NPC Caleb Ryan

 

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