Unsettled

Posted on Mon Nov 5, 2018 @ 3:12pm by Commander Caleb Ryan & Commander Amia Telamon M.D.
Edited on on Tue Dec 4, 2018 @ 9:29am

2,596 words; about a 13 minute read

Mission: Victory Conditions
Location: Liam's Quarters
Timeline: MD11 0730

ON:

Normally Liam would have sensed someone as upset and confused as the XO, who was currently descending on his quarters, way before they got there, but right now he was lost. Lost happily in the sweet lips of Amia Telamon. The amazing, beautiful woman he had been in awe and secretly, even from himself at parts, in love with for years. She was quite literally taking his breath away right now.

The chime to his door jammed several times maniacally, causing them to pull apart, an audible pop. Confused, Liam looked to the door, then suddenly sagged as his senses found what Caleb was throwing out.

"Oh, by the goddess." He reached out to steady himself, holding on to Amia's waist tighter for a moment, and his spare hand, which had been pleasantly tusseling her soft hair, reaching out for the sofa arm. "That's Caleb and he's really spooked."

"Oh. He will be here to see you as his counselor then?" Amia guessed. "Should I should make myself scarce?" she asked, turning to grab her medical kit and start towards the door just as Liam opened it and Caleb came in. "Commander," Amia acknowledged Caleb in a friendly but rhetorical manner, intending to politely leave him to Liam's care.

"Commander," Liam mirrored. "Please come in. Amia, I'll see you lat..." he started to ask after her, but Caleb it seemed needed them both.

“The doctor can stay,” Caleb said in a clipped tone as he strode into Liam’s quarters. He started pacing the living room. He was in uniform, but it looked to have been hastily pulled on. He still sported bedhead, as well, like he hadn’t truly gotten ready this morning.

Liam's eyes flashed to the smashed mug, remains of the holocube, and soaked cushion and wondered whether Caleb would notice that as they all piled back into his quarters. Or wonder why the CMO was in his quarters so early in the morning.

"Coffee?" he suggested, knowing the Human man's fondness for it. Though he couldn't make the "real stuff", and the emotions he was throwing out felt like the man needed a shot of something. This, he guessed, was Zandy related.

“Yes, coffee would be great,” Caleb said. He couldn’t deal with this without some caffeine in his system. And it was way too early for whiskey.

Liam ordered some strong coffee from the replicator and offered Amia a cup. She hadn't drank much of the tea. He poured one of his own. "What can we do for you, Commander?"

Amia put her med kit back down and sat on the arm of the sofa, thanking Liam for her coffee and letting Caleb have time to get his thoughts together. She sipped at the hot coffee very carefully, waiting for it to cool a little.

“It’s Zandy,” Caleb said. “Ah think...something is wrong.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We had a fight, about...well, about...boundaries, Ah guess. Opal an’ Teena were both over an’ neither of us knew an’ there was some...awkwardness.” Caleb looked at Liam. “Uhm...ya prob’ly don’t wanna hear about your niece…or your doctor…” Caleb looked at Amia. Then he seemed to put something together. “An’ what are you doin’ in Liam’s quarters this early, Amia?” he asked. He was too tired and shaken up to be discreet.

"I... er... I was just..." She blushed deeply and began to wonder how much Liam would want her to say at this point. Fortunately before she could put her foot in her mouth, so to speak, Liam was replying to the earlier question and she was spared having to answer the one she had been asked. For now, anyway. She breathed deeply, trying to re-establish some semblance of calm.

"Teena is my step sister and nothing you tell me can shock me. Everyone on Betazed knows everything in our families. It's not an issue in our culture, but yeah, let's keep it to a minimum. When you say something's wrong, what do you mean?" Liam asked.

Caleb wondered if he would think it totally fine that he had seen his stepsister completely starkers. He shook his head to remove that imagery and took a breath to calm himself.

“She...She said she...loves me, an’ not in that...father-daughter way…” Caleb almost choked on the words. The idea was too...too...stomach churning to think about. “Ah don’t care how early it is or that Ah’m on duty…” He looked at the chrono again. “Fuckin’ now. Ah need a fuckin’ drink.” Caleb wasn’t a man who normally swore. “You keep any booze?” He looked around the apartment.

Liam shot Amia a concerned look, evaluated the emotions the man was throwing out, decided if the XO was using that language they were far passed professional anyway, and nodded. He got up and walked to the shelves behind "Betsy", reached to the highest shelf, and pulled a bottle of scotch. He retrieved a glass from the replicator and poured a Caleb a measure, handing it too him.

"Officially, this is for shock. Unofficially, totally warranted," Liam told him. "Okay, without being able to talk too or evaluate Zandra at this point, that's likely your wife inside Zandra. Erm," he turned to Amia, suddenly panicking she didn't know, but then remembered when he had told Caleb he had worked it out he had said she did.

"Amia, you understand the medical part of a joining. Could something have gone wrong in the joining? I mean, she's...the current host is meant to be able to recall what they need, not have the feelings, memories, persona of the others," he fished around for the right words, "well, be pushing behaviour?" he asked.

"Caleb, I've been around your daughter. She's head over heels for Teena right now, and vice versa. For that to come out of the blue, it indicates Zandra's struggling to be herself among all those personalities."

Amia nodded. "Yes, both," she replied. "Something could have gone wrong in the unity of the joining, and also I agree she sounds like she's losing control of what's being pushed on her. She is head over heels in love with Teena, as you say. I agree with that too, and the real Zandy wouldn't want to make advances on her own dad. It must be Mika. That's all I can assume."

Caleb downed his scotch and shook his head. “She didn’t make advances,” he said. “We were arguin’ about boundaries, an’ she yelled it out. How is this possible?” he asked. “Mika never had this problem. Mika’s dead. How could it be Mika?” Caleb sank down onto the couch.

"I have been trying to schedule a time to talk with Zandy," Liam sighed. "I know Noelle made a start in that direction, but she's a teenager, Caleb, you know that better than anyone. She's not responded to any of my invitations. I was assuming it was embarrassment that I am her girlfriend's brother, but now clearly it looks much bigger. It sounds like I really need to talk to her now. Perhaps both of you in the same room would be beneficial. I don't know yet what's best to help here, but short of you frog marching her to me or me ambushing her somewhere -- neither which I think would go down too well. With my sister either," Liam frowned. "I don't know how to make it happen."

"What if I tried to engineer some kind of your accidentally bumping into her in Sickbay? I'm sure she must be due for an annual Medical soon. All relatives and dependents of Federation staff are subject to those every year. If you were to happen to be there? I could call in Caleb for his, pretending it's due, and ask her along to get hers over with at the same time?" Amia suggested. "In fact, I could ask River to do it, as she won't seem so likely to get Zandy's suspicions up as I might."

Caleb frowned. “River doesn’t know ‘bout the secret,” he said. “Ah can’t have everyone knowin’ about this. Whispers might get back ta the Symbiosis Commission, an’ then it’ll be worse. We’d...We’d prob’ly have ta run before they could get their hands on her.” Caleb’s mind and fears were running away with him, and he got up to pace again with his long stride back and forth across the room, pushing a hand through his dark hair.

"Lt. Cdr. River Morgan is Locum Chief Medical Officer. As such, she will have access to the highest security medical files, although naturally she will be bound, as we all are, by the patient/doctor code of confidentiality and respect," Amia admitted quietly. "I don't want to alarm you further by imparting this information at this difficult time, but you do need to know it." She added, "I can assure you of her discretion and honour in this and any medical matter," she felt the need to add.

"You’re not running anywhere either, Caleb," Liam told him straight and calmly. "Everyone that knows, we are all helping to protect Zandy and you. None of us are going to whisper back to the Symbiosis Commission. Please start trusting us."

“Zandy’s file isn’t even classified,” Caleb said. “We kept it outside the system deliberately. It doesn’t exist. An’ I know an’ trust ya’ll, but secrets have a way of gettin’ out, whether we want them to or not. It’s the entire basis of intelligence an’ espionage. A slip of a word, a careless comment, forgetting to close a file, pillow talk. Ya know what they say. ‘If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.’ Besides, Mika is dead an’ gone. She isn’t comin’ back.”

"Mika is dead in the physical sense, yes," Liam said softly, "but she is very much alive in the symbiont that's in your daughter. And if what we suspect is the case, Zandy's having a hard time not being overpowered by the other personalities sharing her body via her symbiont. That includes memories and feelings. She's looking at her father, but because her mother is in her head she also sees you the way Mika did. It must be so confusing. To both of you.

“To answer your earlier question, I am guessing Mika never had this problem because her joining wasn't the same as Zandy’s. Zandy was very young, she wasn't prepared like Trills are. Trills prepare for years before joinings. How did she end up joined?" Liam asked.

Caleb bit his lower lip. “Our shuttle was shot down,” he said. “Daimon Dys.” Caleb’s fists clenched, his knuckles white. “Mika was dying. All she thought about was that damn slug. Not us. Just save the slug. Ah couldn’t deny her last wishes, the last part of her. Zandy was unconscious. Ah...didn’t know what ta do. Ah didn’t even know it would work. Ah’d heard others could host for a short time. So Ah put Naqiis into Zandy. Ah thought Ah could carry her outta that jungle in time an’ they could remove it. But mah leg was too hurt. Ah got ‘er out, but it was too late. The joining was irreversible without significant damage ta Zandy.”

The mention of pillow talk had caused Liam to lock eyes with Amia. That idea was something he very much looked forward too. Had she just blushed a little at the thought too?

However he had to concentrate fully on Caleb and what he was saying right now.

"I'm sorry you endured that, Caleb," Liam said once the Human man had finished talking, "and I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but I think despite your best intentions and Mika’s last wishes that Zandy’s joining didn't work the way it should have. Amia, I think your plan could work, but I think we need Teena on board too. To help keep Zandy calm. A touchstone."

Caleb frowned. “Will that work?” he asked. “Ah don’t know Teena well enough ta know if we can trust her. Ah know she found out already, but…” He shook his head. He was Zandy’s father. Wasn’t it his job to try and discourage and scare off her boy--girlfriends?

Amia picked up the new cup of coffee Liam had made her while he was getting Caleb's drink. She took a couple of sips thoughtfully. "I feel like I want to trust Teena as she is the balancing factor in Zandy's life at the moment. I think Zandy would do a lot to protect Teena if there was too much pushing from the symbiont characters.... Teena might be the anchor that holds Zandy from getting towed away? Do you think?" It was more thinking aloud rather than a direct question.

"Tell me about the hosts?" Liam asked. "I need an idea who I could be dealing with when we do talk."

Caleb frowned. “Mika didn’t talk about them too much,” he admitted. “She didn’t think of them as...separate from her. They were part of her. I know a few names. Ah could never remember them all. Ah know she didn’t like ta talk about Kinony an’ Juheni,” he admitted. “Mostly ‘cause Kinony made me uncomfortable,” he said with a wry chuckle. “An’ Juheni...Ah don’t know. She never explained.”

"I wondered if we might be able to speak to the Mika element directly. I know that sounds outrageous as a concept, but if these characters within the symbiont are the essence that former hosts have left imprinted, perhaps there is a part of what is in there that is the mother of Zandy in that she would feel protective towards her own child. Could we invoke that somehow? Is there a way you as a counsellor could reach that part of Zandy?" Amia asked, directing it mainly at Liam.

"I'm thinking the same," he agreed with Amia. "I think if talking and trying to reason in general doesn't work, some sort of hypnosis might help. Why did...Kinony did you say? Make you uncomfortable?" Liam asked. The more he knew the better.

Caleb flushed a little, giving an awkward smile and rubbing the back of his head. “Ah was no saint, but Kinony...well, she was...experienced,” he said. “She worked as a high end escort ta VIPs, foreign delegates, wealthy. Ah didn’t necessarily like ta think of mah Mika like that, with all those others. Mika just teased me an’ said Ah was lucky ta get the benefit of all that experience.”

Amia raised an eyebrow, but wasn't able to comment, and to save her blushes her comm badge chirped just on cue. She answered it and was summoned to Sickbay for an emergency. Someone had collapsed and there seemed no apparent cause. She made her excuses and with a quick kiss to Liam's cheek and an apology to Caleb, she was gone.

Caleb sighed. “Ah s’pose Ah should be gettin’ ta work too,” he told Liam. “Ah’ll stop by your office later ta discuss this when Ah can think straight again.” And Caleb turned and left as well.

FIN

Cdr. Caleb Ryan
Executive Officer

Lt. Liam Reynolds
Chief Counselor

Cdr. Amia Telamon
Chief Medical Officer

 

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