Double Check

Posted on 03 Mar 2020 @ 6:31am by Commander Amelia Fox & Lieutenant Syvar MD

Mission: Mission 3 - Whom gods destroy ...
Location: Sickbay
Timeline: MD5, 1100 hours
2484 words - 5 OF Standard Post Measure

Not feeling much better, psychologically, but definitely physically now that he'd been checked over and healed, Syvar was trying to be as normal about his day as possible even if he wasn't to see any patients. The littlest sounds still made him jump and despite the agonizer being removed on the captain's orders, he was still anxious.

At the sound of footsteps, he looked up from his reports, his face draining of all colour when the XO walked into his office. He said nothing, simply just staring at her, eyes wide with fear.

After she was rescued, Amelia slept comfortably once again in her own bed. To be honest, she had just walked straight into her quarters and fallen straight into it, not even bothering to look around. When she first hit the pillow, she could tell someone else had been there.

Now, when she awoke and looked around in the cold hard light of day she could tell that her mirror twin had been there. There was an open medical kit with some pieces of strange-looking equipment on her desk and her living room was a mess with blankets and pillows strewn on the floor. She could also see a discarded hypospray. What on Earth had her doppelganger been up to? She had a debriefing with the Captain later that morning, but now she had to see Doctor Syvar for a medical. She had been mostly in isolation during her captivity and hoped this would be over quickly.

Entering sickbay, she saw the Doctor turn and his face turn a very pale shade of green. Was he trembling?

Oh No! she thought to herself. She's been causing trouble. Quickly she moved over to him with a look of concern on her face. "Are you alright Doctor? You look like you could pass out at any moment." She paused and took a breath "I hope my... replacement didn't cause you any trouble."

As she approached, Syvar pushed away from her as fast as possible, causing his seat to topple over. "Stay away," he urged, crawling to his feet to put some distance between them. He wouldn't put it beyond her to pretend she was her double. "You can't hurt me anymore, I want you to stay away from me." Her last words didn't even seem to register.

The look of shock on her face at his reaction to her morphed into a look of dismay. She took a slow step back, her hand low and open by her sides being as nonthreatening as possible. She spoke in a low tone to try and clam him.
To provoke this kind of reaction from a Vulcan, her imposter must have done something terrible. "I'm not going to hurt you Doctor but I've been ordered to report for a medical exam after my abduction. Is that ok?"

She could see he was on the verge of panic, and it was troubling her greatly. "Syvar it's me... Amelia. Is there anything I can do to reassure you?"

Syvar stared, relaxing only minutely as she respected the created distance between them. "I don't know," he confessed, then tilted his head just a fraction. "How is your sister?"

She frowned for a moment, knowing he was testing her. If that's what it takes she thought.

"I Don't have a sister, two older brothers. Boby and Jo." She smiled politely at him. "Anything else?"

"How do you like your coffee?" he continued, gesturing towards the small replictor in his office. He knew full well that Amelia drank tea, and not coffee, but her mirror had insisted on coffee.

Amelia still keeping her voice low and soothing answered "I prefer a tea with milk, please. I've never been a coffee drinker. A nice cup of tea can be very soothing. Perhaps you should try one Doctor?"

Seemingly satisfied, Syvar inched towards the replicator, ordered two cups of tea and see them on the desk. "I had to make sure," he said gingerly as he picked up his chair and sat back down. The last days have been... stressful."

Amelia raised her eyebrows she picked up her cup and held it for a moment. “That seems to be a bit of an understatement Doctor. The last time we spoke I wasn’t entirely professional but you brushed it off with no problem. I do apologise for my outburst. Now it looks like you’re afraid for your life and I can’t help feel...”.
She paused. This was hard for her to put into words. “You know and I know that she’s not me but it was our plan, the Captain’s and mine that was partially responsible for her being on board with free reign for so long. I’m not her, but I still feel some responsibility for her actions. Does that make any sense?”

"You're only responsible for your own actions, not hers," Syvar answered, occasionally looking up towards the door, "same as I'm responsible for mine. Perhaps I could have fought her....but somehow I just... couldn't. It allowed her a certain power over me." He shifted his gaze towards her. "I assume the captain briefed you?"

The knot in Amelia's stomach worsened. "I haven't spoken to the Captain yet. When I got back on board yesterday, i didn't want to do anything but sleep. My debriefing is after this medical." She paused as she watched the his eyes. "Doctor you keep glancing at the door as if you expect me to leap out of my chair and attack you. What exactly did the other Fox do?"

"Part of me does..." Syvar admitted, "but I'm also not supposed to be here as I'm relieved of duty. However this office...is more relaxing to me than my own quarters at the moment. The captain relieved me of my duties pending psychological evaluation. I saw the counselor last night so really I'm awaiting a verdict."

He sipped his tea as if to gather his thoughts. "As for telling you what your counterpart did... would you permit me to show you? It's easier, than talking about it."

She took a deep breath before she nodded slowly. "Go on then. Show me." She wasn't a hundred percent about this, but, she needed to know.

Taking his left hand glove off, he held it firmly in his right hand as he inched around the desk. There was apprehension in his eyes as he came close to her, his mind in conflict over the sense of it all. Part of him wanted to stay away, while another part craved her proximity. The latter he didn't understand, but he forced himself closer anyway. Carefully, he positioned his left hand on the side of her face and closed his eyes in concentration. As mind melds were considered intimate, he hadn't really performed a great many of them so far. He knew how of course, had sufficient training to initiate and control them, but his mental prowess was lacking. His experience falling short. "My mind to your mind..." he whispered, his voice trembling.

Her mind was suddenly flooded with an onslaught of images and emotions. His thoughts and feelings racing through her mind. OH GOD!!! Pain... agony... humiliation... arousal... dependence... but it seemed a thousand times stronger, like she was hit by a freight train of emotion. Wait!!!! She did WHAT! NO! NO! STOP! PLEASE!

As she thought she was screaming in her mind, she was also shouting out loud. "STOP! PLEASE, STOP!"

Tears were streaming down his face as he lifted his hand. With trembling hand he pulled his glove back on and watched her for a reaction. He said nothing, allowing her the time she needed to collect herself. He too, needed time to adjust.

As he broke the connection she staggered back slightly, processing what she was still seeing in her mind's eye. It was her turn to go pale. Her breathing was fast and ragged and her legs felt weak. for a moment, she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to her she said quietly "Excuse me." She walked as quickly as she could to the small washroom adjoining the office and threw up in the sink.

She then came back into the room, looked him right in the eyes with a death stare and said firmly "I'm going to kill her...." before her legs gave out and she crumpled to the floor. The normally reserved and in control officer reduced to sobbing like a small child in a heap on the floor.

"She's not worth the effort, please.. don't do it," Syvar murmured as he knelt down next to her. "I'm sorry you had to see that, but it was easier than recounting it all. Less stressful." Knowing he wasn't supposed to do this, he reached for a hypospray and his tricorder, flipping it open to take a few readings. "You'll be alright in a minute," he said, offering her the hypo. "A mild sedative... it won't knock you out but it'll help you relax."

He too was breathing fast, his mind trying to process what it had learned in those brief seconds. "What did they do you you?" he whispered as he closed his tricorder.

Her breathing was slowing as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "They didn't do anything really other than knock me out, It's what she's doing, what she's done, what she is going to do. All the lies, the manipulation. It was fun for her." She said with quiet disbelief. "It's like looking in a dark mirror and seeing the worst version of yourself. How is she capable of being so sadistic? And if she can do those things, deep down could I do those things."

She stopped as realisation suddenly hit her. She looked at him with wide eyes. "She's really carrying Aidan's child?"

"She claims it is his yes," Syvar answered, again that peculiar look in his eyes as he said it, "all I can tell from the scans I took, is that she's pregnant. It's too early to tell if she spoke the truth." He hesitated as he forced himself to look at her. "What she did to me... she did enjoy it, I could tell she did, but she was also...pleasant? She wasn't entirely cruel." He made her look at him, cupping her jaw in his gloved hand. "You're nothing like her," he promised, "nothing."

She took some comfort from his words and for a moment she just looked at him as his hand rested on her face and her expression softened. She placed her hand on his. "Thank you, Syvar. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me." There was a moment when it was if she could still tell what he was feeling but it passed and she dismissed it as her imagination.

Releasing her, he returned to his seat, idly staring at his blank computer screen for a moment. Occasionally he glanced her way but decided to give her the time she might need to recover from the meld.

Once she had fully calmed down, she got up off the floor. "So, I suppose if you've been relieved of duty you won't be doing any medicals today?" Remembering why she had come in here in the first place. "Errrm... Shouldn't you be in your quarters?" She asked gently?

"I shouldn't do it no," Syvar agreed, "but I can if you really want me to." He offered the faintest of smiles, though it wasn't a heartfelt one as his eyes didn't sparkle as they used to if he was amused. "And yes technically I should be, but I find being here more restful. I'm not doing any work, I'm not seeing patients and I'm not interfering with the nurses. I'm just sitting here."

Amelia thought for a moment. At least he was beginning to relax. "Well, technically you're not supposed to do medical exams, but I don't mind you being present as an observer." She had an idea. "Computer. Activate EMH program."

Syvar actually hadn't used the EMH before so he nearly jumped as the hologram appeared right next to him.

Amelia addressed the hologram. "I need a medical to clear me for duty Doctor. Syvar.... I mean Doctor Syvar is just here as an observer."

The EMH frowned, glancing from Syvar to Amelia and back. Then, the hologram nodded and picked up the tricorder present in the room. "You appear to be fully functional," he stated dryly, "I see no abnormalities beyond a few scrapes that are easily self treated. I see no reason to keep you from your duties."

Syvar arched a single eyebrow at the hologram's lack of personality. "Well then I observe you're cleared for duty ma'am... and those scrapes I'm sure I can apply a bandage here and there, I don't need to be on duty for band-aids do I?"

Amelia had to suppress to chuckle. "Thank you Doctor, That will be all. Computer, deactivate EMH."

When the hologram vanished, Amelia burst out laughing. Not only at the attitude of the hologram, but the look on Syvar's face. "I think our EMH needs an overhaul. You'd think by now after the Mark 1 fiasco they would have made some improvements by now."

"You think? I never use the EMH, I find it too... static. No room for interpretation. He didn't even mention the sedatives in your blood, which by the way will flush themselves out in a few hours. As long as you suffer no ill effects you should be alright." He shrugged as he offered his own diagnosis, since he had peered at the tricorder's read-out. "That would be my diagnosis, had I been on duty," he added slowly. "And I'd suggest some rest in case you feel any after effects from the mind meld... I know I will..."

Amelia noticed that he was starting to act more like himself around her, which was good. "Thank you Syvar. I've got so report to the Captain but I'll make sure I take it easy." Then she added before she realised what she was saying. "Join me for dinner tonight at The Medusa's Head?" She blushed slightly, but didn't remove the offer.

"If I'm allowed to go anywhere, then I will," Syvar answered after a moment of thought. "Since technically I am confined to quarters..."

She tilted her head to one side in a gesture very similar to what he had done earlier. "You shouldn't be on your own. I'll be there from 2000Hrs. I do hope you join me. Till this evening."

Syvar merely nodded, hoping he would be able to.

And with one last smile, she left his office.

OFF:

●● Lieutenant Amelia Fox
Executive Officer
USS Andromeda


Ensign Syvar
Acting CMO
pnpc Aidan