Subject: USS Grail: 'Last Look Back' - Drowning

USS Grail: 'Last Look Back' - Drowning

by

Lieutenant (jg) Eve Mallory - Chief Science Officer

Location: Personal Quarters

The doors hissed open, and Eve Mallory walked thorough,

not noticing the hissing as they closed again. For long

minutes, she stood still, staring at nothing. Then she shook

herself, and looked around.

She moved to the bathroom, her mouth quirking upwards as

she noticed her appearance for the first time. Hair a mess,

face and hands stained with... whatever, and a uniform with

a huge melted patch over one shoulder; you could see the

skin underneath.

No wonder she'd been getting some strange looks since

leaving the Indiana's engine room. And while she was there,

come to think of it, after she'd come back to herself.

She stripped off the uniform, and activated the shower,

stopping to look at her naked form in the long mirror. There

was a fading bruise where the disruptor blast had hit, but

nothing else. No indication she'd stood in the middle of a

cloud of plasma, unaffected but hearing the cut-off scream

of....

No. Force that down, Eve. Send it to the little box where you

put everything you can't handle. Then lock it and throw

the key away.

But that box was getting very full, it almost didn't close. She

was going to have to deal with it all soon, before it picked

the time and burst open on its own. And there couldn't

be anything more pathetic than a machine having a nervous

breakdown. Maybe she could talk to Logan...

That startled her. Logan? When had he moved from being

Logan Castle, to just Logan? And why did she think he'd

understand? No one could. No one could understand the

way she felt; alone, scared and filled with the feeling that

her string was just about played out. She'd gone on for the

last three months, trying to deny her differences to just

about everyone, but it was becoming increasingly difficult

to keep that up. Especially when she'd become something

machine-like, been shot, and been unharmed while standing

at ground-zero in a plasma leak.

So why did she have to restrain herself from calling him?

From wanting to just hear his voice, look into those eyes

that had looked into hers in the Indiana's Transporter

Room? Eyes that had held no fear or pity. Just a warm

sympathy...

No. Leave it. It's best to be alone. You get close, allow

yourself to care, and they leave, like your parents and

Ceece, or they betray you, like Blake. Being alone is safe.

The work will keep you going.

She stepped into the shower, letting the water sluice away

the grease, feeling nothing, calling up the old instincts that

let her drown herself in work, blocking out everything else.

=/\=Lirzinji'kav to Mallory=/\=

She sighed. Now what? She had to meet Prynne and Blake

soon, to start work on the Cloaking Device.

"Mallory here. What is it?"

=/\=Come to Science Lab 4, Lieutenant,=/\= It was practically

an order; a sure sign that the Cygnan was very distracted or

very worried. And considering that Science Lab 4 was the main

link to the Computer Core (without actually being there), that

was disturbing in its own right.

"What's wrong, Ensign?" She added that last to remind him

of protocol. He probably wouldn't notice, but it did no harm.

There was a pause, then his voice came back, full of impatience.

=/\=Just come down. I don't want to say this over a commlink.=/\=

Eve sighed. "I'm on my way. Mallory out." She padded from

the shower dressed only in a towel, and picked up her commbadge.

"Mallory to Blake."

=/\= Blake here. =/\=

"I'm going to be delayed helping you and Lt. Prynne; something's

come up with the computer. I'll be there as soon as possible."

=/\= We'll start without you, sir. Blake out. =/\=

Mallory dressed quickly, grabbed her jacket, not noticing it

was the one with the burn, then left, walking at a half run.

<Location: Science Lab 4>

Mallory arrived at the door to the Science Lab, and was

surprised that it didn't open. She hit the door chime.

=/\= Yes? =/\=

Mallory sighed. "It's me, Lirzinji'kav. Open up."

The door slid open, and she entered. The Cygnan was

sitting in front of a big bank of terminals, typing away.

But that wasn't what drerw her attention. It was the cable

plugged into one of the terminals that caught her eye.

"What the hell is that?" She asked quietly.

Lirzinji'kav turned. "That was what I wondered." He replied.

"I have just spent the last half an hour going through the

computer logs to try and find out."

Mallory closed her eyes, and rubbed her face with her

hands. Against all laws of science and logic, she could

swear she was getting a headache. She could also feel

her temper stretching on a very fine thread.

"Ensign, I do not want you to slowly build me a picture

of what has happened in here," Her voice was low, but

strained. "Just tell me what has happened."

"Someone, using a positronic network, entered the computer

through that cable, and operated the shield and weapon

fluctuations." Lirzinji'kav replied.

Mallory dropped her hands. "Is that possible?" She asked

in astonishment.

The Cygnan nodded. "Yes, if you are an android. And no,

there are no registered Androids on board."

"An android." Mallory repeated. "Registered?" She looked

at Lirzinji'kav. "There's an android registry?"

He nodded. "It is not very large, and most of those on it are

no longer functioning."

Mallory paced back and forth. "All right," She said finally,

"What else?"

"I have checked the time index, and the incident occured

during our battle with the Romulans. During that period

this room was sealed for a period of 10 minutes using the

authorisation of a senior staff member." Lirzinij'kav paused.

"Lt. Commander Janice Hargen. Who, according to Ensign

Prexis, left the Bridge during that period of time."

Mallory stopped pacing, staring down at one of the the

terminals, not really seeing the display. She was getting a

headache, she was sure of it.

Why would Hargen have sealed this lab? Where was she

during that period? Who was the android? And why was

Hargen protecting it?

She should go to Terrakian, and Logan Castle with this

information first, and was sorely tempted to do so. But

she wanted to know why Hargen had done what she'd

done. And who the android was that she was protecting.

"Was any damage done to the core?" She asked.

"No," Came the reply. "If anything, it might have speeded

up the reaction time by a fraction."

*Hell with it.* Mallory slapped her commbadge.

"Mallory to Hargen."

=/\= Hargen here.=/\=

"I need to speak with you, Lt. Commander," Mallory

said firmly. "In Science Lab 4." She paused, then added

a note of iron and steel to her voice. "Now."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Jason Cleaver

Doctor Eve Mallory (Lieutenant)

Assistant Chief Science Officer: USS Nova

www.startreksim.com/e-mail/uss-nova/