The cat's out of the bag

Posted on 16 Feb 2020 @ 1:17am by Commander Amelia Fox & Lieutenant Commander Aidan Datari
Edited on on 17 Feb 2020 @ 3:53am

Mission: Mission 3 - Whom gods destroy ...
Location: Amelia Fox's quarters
Timeline: Mission Day 3 1000
1242 words - 2.5 OF Standard Post Measure

ON:

Fox hadn't slept very well at all. She had been tossing and turning all night and her dreams had been haunted by her Starfleet counterpart mocking her. She would move around her, taunting her "They know you're not me.... You're going to get found out... I'll be back!...

Today, according to Amelia's calender she had the morning off. She got dressed in Amelia's uniform and had a leisurely breakfast.

As always after a strenuous workout, Aidan went to the mess to get breakfast. He had opted for a later shift today so to spend the early morning with Emme instead. As he walked through the mess, tray in hand, he spotted the XO. "Good morning," he greeted as he sat down across from her. "You're looking tired today ma'am, are you alright?"

She sighed inwardly and thought to herself why hadn't she had breakfast in her quarters? She had to hold her tongue to stop herself biting his head off with a particularly acerbic remark. "Rough night." She answered simply. She took a sip of her coffee and avoided eye contact with him.

The Trill watched her closely. "It seems much more than that," he said carefully, "for instance since when do you drink coffee? And you are less than your usual friendly self. I have observed people avoiding you... The doctor is anything but his enthusiastic self since you came back... And he's been seen leaving your quarters in more than a hurry a few times now." He looked at her across the rim of his mug, watching her reaction.


Fox looked up at him from the rim of her cup. He was moving from mild annoyance to dangerous threat what must be silenced... or removed. Her eyes darted around the room quickly. Too public for any meaningful coercion, if indeed he could be coerced.

As she placed her cup down, she 'accidentally' placed her hand on his on the table. "You're right. I suppose I've been a bit prickly recently." She now gazed into his eyes with an innocent, pleading look. "I need your help with something. Can I count on you?"

Aidan promptly pulled his hand back, using it to hold his mug up as if to warm his generally cold hands. "That would depend on what it is," he answered truthfully, "because I won't be involved in any schemes or conspiracies and I'd be duty bound to report them to the captain."

This response caused the slightest twitch in Fox's eye. She smiled at him, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She drew her hand back slowly "Of Course. I'm acting on the Captain's orders. The Doctor is assisting me. In fact, I think we should go and see him, to tell him I'm bringing you into the loop. She finished her coffee. "We should be able to catch him in the ready room."

"Why would the doctor be in the ready room?" Aidan queried as he finished his sandwich, "wouldn't it make more sense for him to be in sickbay?" He stared at her. "And bring me into the loop of what, exactly, that you're not you?" He confronted her directly now, having put two and two together with her erratic behavior.

Fox rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, "It's a miracle this ship hasn't blown up already!" She addressed Aidan "The CAPTAIN should be in the ready room. Come on, I'll lead the way. Don't want to overtax that brain of yours. I just need to pick up a PADD from my quarters. Won't take a moment."

"Nothing wrong with my brain," Aidan countered as he stood. He decided to walk with her to minimize the danger to the crew present in the mess. "Nothing wrong with my linguistic skills either. I know you're not who you claim to be."

Fox didn't even bother to deny or defend the accusation. She simply raised an eyebrow as they walked. "So you figured it out eh? Good for you." She said, condescendingly. "What was it that gave it away. The fact that I've got something that resembles a backbone or could it be that I'm far better looking?"

"The inflections in your voice," the Trill answered without pause as he walked with her.

They had arrived at Amelia's quarters and she led the way in. She went over to the desk and picked up a PADD with one hand while out of eyeshot she picked up one of the hyposprays that Syvar had brought her and concealed it.

She walked back up to him. "Are you ready? There's just one thing before we go. It's just that yo.... Ahhhh" She stopped in pain and reached down to rub her leg as if she had a cramp. She overbalanced and fell against Aidan.

In reflex, he caught her, drawing her close to keep her on her feet. "It's that I..." He prompted as he released her.

She was so close to him that she had jabbed the hypospray hard into his arm before he had a chance to react. She stood up and ripped the comm badge of his chest as the anesthetic worked quickly on him. She finished his sentence. "... Should never ever trust me!"

Aidan gasped, not having expected this. He prided himself on being able to read people but he hadn't expected this. He clawed at her as he passed out, crumpling to the deck.

Moving quickly she opened a drawer and pulled out a medical kit and a medium piece of medical equipment with a DNA sequencer and genetic analysis tool. These supplies she had put together while she had been on board, using Amelia clearance to get access to sickbay, equipment storage and some she had replicated. She picked up an extraction tool and came back to Aidan's unconscious body and jabbed it into his neck, extracting a tissue sample. She then went back over to the medkit and worked with a purpose. Finally, after working for about ten minutes, the machine produced a clear liquid which was filled into a hypospray.

Picking it up, she went back over and looked down at Aidan and smirked at his unconscious form. "I know you can't hear me but trust me when I say that you will go along with any scheme or conspiracy of mine... You'll have no choice" As she pressed the hypospray to her stomach and injected herself.

Throwing the hypospray down next to him, she walked out of her quarters and sealed the door, encoding the locking mechanism. Then with a new purpose, she headed off down the corridor. She knew he wouldn't be unconscious long. She had to move quickly.

Sherlock swooped down in front of her, screeching angrily as he blocked her path.

Instead of showing fear, she actually smiled. " Ah! A proper challenge." With lightning reflexes, she grabbed the poor creature's neck just behind the head and threw it hard into the wall of the corridor. There was a sickening crunch as Sherlock hit the bulkhead and slid to the floor.

She paused for a moment and spoke "I respect you for your devotion and loyalty but... You're in my way."

She continued down the corridor.

Entering a turbolift, she spoke to the computer. "Environmental control."


OFF:

Lieutenant Amelia Fox
Executive Officer
USS Andromeda

●● Lieutenant Aidan Datari
Chief Science Officer/2nd Officer
USS Andromeda