Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 14:51:06 -0600 (CST) From: Matt Hydeman Subject: USS OBERON: Voices In The Distance SD: 110109.22 Scene: Oberon Medical "...Okay, settle down," said Commander Adam Crown, M.D., as he looked around the main conference room at his staff, the hushed voices slowly dying out as the OBERON's CMO glanced over at his Assistant CMO, Doctor Jennifer Switzer. Even Switzer, usually quick to match Adam's actions with her own, was still whispering delightedly to the man on her right, her on-again, off-again lover, MedTech Michael Garner. "I know we were all thrown for a loop when Captain LuCypher awarded us with that honor at the awards ceremony, but back to the business at hand." "You must admit it's a delightful surprise, Adam," said the man on Crown's left, his quiet voice tinged with amusement. "Can you really blame us?" Doctor Barak V'ann knew his question was more than just a query to Adam regarding the awards the Medical department had received. He'd seen only too well how Adam had reacted when Iona Zinoviev embraced him after walking off of the stage where she'd been awarded not only the Golden Nebula Award for her performance on the OBERON's mission, but also re-enstating herself as a Starfleet officer. And, thought V'ann to himself, another secret smile quirking his lips, so had Adam.... <<<<<<<< Scene: Awards Ceremony Time: Minutes after Iona's re-enstatement and promotion As Iona Zinoviev drew away from the eyes of all those officers, the first person she saw was Commander Adam Crown. "Adam!" she cried. Her heart was so light that it never occurred to her that he might not want her to throw herself into his arms. "I can stay! I don't have to leave you! This... this ship... this is where I belong." Her voice was filled with such raw emotion, it threatened to make even the most stoic Vulcan raise an eyebrow. Adam was taken aback at Iona's words, but quickly regained his composure. He couldn't believe the honesty in Iona's words. A split-second of giddy emotion tweaked his stomach as his own arms wrapped around Iona, both in reflex and in genuine emotion. It was probably no great secret among the senior staff that Adam and Iona had become closer over time -- certainly Captain Stae-faan LuCypher, the missing Thomas Lawrence and Lexia Tremaine, Adam's ex-wife, were aware of the attraction between Adam and Iona, despite both of them denying what each secretly admitted to themselves in the privacy of their own minds. However, such a public display of affection, coupled with Iona's words in the emotion of the moment, seemingly would fuel the grapevine of the OBERON for days to come. Had Iona known that Adam had, indeed, been thinking of Lexia for a few minutes during the awards ceremony, she might have reconsidered her actions. But what she didn't know was that the CMO's thoughts about his ex-wife were no more than a passing thought, a voice from the distance that forced him to face the facts of what he'd been trying to tell himself wasn't true -- couldn't be true. |I was a fool to even disbelieve Lexia when she told me I'd be powerless to resist falling in love again,| thought Adam as he looked down to look into Iona's eyes, his own aqua eyes twinkling with delight...and something more. "Congratulations, Commander Zinoviev," he said, his voice edging on huskiness as he leaned down to kiss her on the lips, in the best attempt at a platonic, friendly kiss. He almost succeeded. But it lasted a moment too long...and both of them knew it. Suddenly aware of their surroundings, Adam and Iona drew apart, even as Doctor Barak V'ann grinned at his supervisor's sudden realization -- something he'd figured out a long time ago. There was no going back now. And he was amused that he'd probably be Adam's sounding board on this from now on.... >>>>>>>> "That notwithstanding," admitted Adam, smiling. "We've still got this staff meeting to conclude and then you all can go down to Six-Forward and synthehol yourselves into submission." A wave of laughter followed Adam's words, as a blonde-haired woman raised a hand and Adam nodded to her. "Nichole." Doctor Nichole Mohning, one of Oberon Medical's Associate CMOs, looked from Adam Crown to her PADD and then back to the CMO. "I can simplify all of this and make everyone happy, Doctor Crown. Move to dismiss the meeting!" A chorus of "ayes" resounded from the staff around the conference table as Adam laughed softly, shaking his head, his blond ponytail catching on one broad shoulder. "Very well. I know when I've been outnumbered. Go celebrate." As the assembled Medical staff filed out of the conference room, Nichole moved to Adam's side, handing him a PADD he'd yet to have picked up, resting one hand on his arm. "Adam?" "Hmm?" "Could we set up a time to meet in the next few days?" Her voice was hesitant, even meek, thought Adam as he looked up at her, his aqua eyes veiled with curiosity. "Is everything all right? We could meet now--" "No," said Nichole, waving a hand at Adam's suggestion. "It's nothing too terribly pressing. Besides," she said, walking to the door of the conference room, Adam following, "If you think I'm missing out Jenn buying drinks, you're crazy." Without another word, she strode down the hallway leading to her office, leaving a puzzled Adam looking at her retreating form. [Aquilla to Dr. Crown.] The low, musical voice of one of his Head Nurses seemed to fill the air as Adam tapped his combadge. "Crown here. What may I do for you, Aquilla?" [You are on call to perform any new crew physicals for the next two hours. An Ensign Kr'tara is here to see you along with a gentleman who purports to be our new Ship's Counselor]. If it were capable for Aquilla to have a note of stunned shock in her voice, she had it, thought Adam to himself as he felt himself tense reflexively at the mention of the man who was here to replace Thomas. "I'll be there immediately. Crown out." ***** One thing was certain, thought Adam to himself as he finished with the last of the physical on Kr'tara, his fingers moving across the touchpads of the biobed automatically, Lieutenant Commander Nigel Ellsworth and he were going to lock horns. It wasn't enough that he'd walked into Main Treatment to see Ellsworth badgering a young Klingon female, the aforementioned Ensign Kr'tara that Aquilla had told him about, but the man was broadcasting enough arrogance that Adam had to strengthen his empathic shields in response. After he'd gotten Ellsworth out of Oberon Medical -- the price being that he'd have to meet with the new Counselor later -- Adam got down to the business of getting to knew the new Chief Science Officer while conducting the routine physical. "You're all done here, Ensign," he said as Kr'tara slipped off of the biobed and straightened her uniform, more out of habit rather than actual necessity. "Since you had had a physical on SSE1 a few days ago, I see no reason to dispute those results. You're cleared for duty. Welcome to the OBERON." He gave a warm smile as Kr'tara nodded. "Thank you, Doctor Crown." "Call me Adam," he replied genially, as Kr'tara murmured something and walked out of Sickbay, Adam watching her leave, a hand absently stroking his jaw. She was going to be interesting to work with, he thought. He wondered idly what her life must have been like when she was younger, then put that query out of his mind for the time being. There were more pressing issues at hand. ***** Scene: Elsewhere The woman rested on a rough cot in one corner of the small room, murmuring something unintelligible in her sleep, as the other woman watched her, her arms resting on the satchel in her lap. "You ever let that thing out of your hands?" asked the man called Archer, his hands playing with something she had no doubt was one of his "toys" that had probably saved his life at one time or another. "Not if I can help it," she said quietly, as Archer's eyebrows raised imperceptibly. "I like to know where my stuff is at all times." She shifted position a bit, her arm still resting on the satchel as Archer shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself." He paused a moment, slipping one of his devices into a pocket of his heavy leather duster, then returned his gaze back to her. "I don't even know your name, despite our cozy situation." He gestured around the small room at that last part. She took a deep breath, feeling an eddy of tension press against her shoulderblades at his question. Despite him having saved both she and the woman she had rescued, she wasn't sure she could trust him...not completely. "You may call me...Cassandra. Cassie, actually." Archer rubbed his jaw a moment. He wasn't sure she was telling him the truth, but if she wanted to give herself an assumed name, so be it. He wondered if she'd forget what she had told him later, but set that thought aside. He'd had enough of wondering whether an assumed name would end up revealing something far more personal. |It wasn't enough to find out that Draen played my father and even *he* wasn't my father,| thought the man to himself, hearing a quiet voice from a long distance deep within his thoughts, changing his life forever. * ...after all, a father and his son should be able to work things out, don't you think...? * He snapped back to the present at Cassie's question to him. "What?" She gestured to the woman on the cot. "I think she's regaining consciousness, but I'm not sure." She moved closer to the woman, as Archer allowed himself to hear what had become a constant murmuring from the delirious female. It was still very slurred and murmured, but a few words could be discerned. "...mark...door...temptation..." murmured the female as Cassie looked up at Archer, her brows drawn in puzzlement. "I think she may really be injured. Isn't there anyone you can find to treat her?" "I'm not a butler," said Archer caustically, as Cassie's face flushed, her eyes narrowing. "I got you away from that mob and I found this place. Don't start thinking I'm going to play your savior for the rest of my days." "I wouldn't dream of it," she replied archly. "I'd hate to think I was cutting into your exciting social life. You've got hoverball at six on the Lido Deck, I'm sure." She returned her gaze to the woman on the cot, as she brushed a lock of hair from the delirious woman's forehead. Archer gave a slight snort, then went back to looking out the window towards the city square below. ***** Scene: Holodeck 3 "Computer, run program Crown Eleven." The metallic walls bristling with holotechnology faded away as an expanse of green grass appeared under a dazzling blue sky, tinged with a few fluffy white clouds. A few feet away was a brilliant white gazebo, a round table set with a white lace tablecloth, surmounted with an intricate silver tea set, a couple pastry towers and linen napkins underneath it. Two white wicker chairs flanked the table as Adam strode toward it. "It's about time you got here," came a voice, as Adam turned, a shimmering note of sadness twinging in his heart as he faced the person who stood behind him. The holographic representation of Commander Thomas Edward Lawrence, XI, would always pale in comparison to the real thing, but for someone who had only met Lawrence a couple of times, they would never know the difference, thought Adam to himself as he gave a brave smile. "Hello, Thomas." "Hello yourself," said Lawrence, giving a smile, gesturing to the table under the gazebo. "I was wondering if you were going to let me have tea all by myself." Adam willed his hands not to show the stress they had in them as he seated himself, "Thomas" sitting across from him. "You'd have had my head if I didn't, Counselor." "Lawrence" nodded as he picked up the ornate teapot and poured Adam some tea, then proffered the bowl of lump sugar. At Adam's shake of his head, he poured himself a cup of his own and prepared it as was his fashion, as Adam looked on, his mind far away. Why had he done this? It was a simple thing for the holodeck's computer systems to create a hologram of Thomas Lawrence, even simpler to extrapolate a decent personality of the OBERON's former Counselor based on his research and the hundreds of hours of datalogs T.E. had been featured in. But why did he need to remind himself that he'd lost one of his closest friends? It was readily apparent every day when Adam passed by the sealed quarters where Thomas and his brother, James, had been deceived by the Guardian of Forever in Adam's image-- "Computer, freeze program," snapped Adam, as "Lawrence" froze in mid-sip, his blue eyes looking at Adam. "Delete program, authorization Crown-Omega." And then he found himself huddled on the floor of the empty holodeck, pain thrumming in his soul, unshed tears brimming in his eyes at the losses this mission had racked up. ************************************** NRPG: I'm going to stop here because I've hit a block. :\ I'll figure something out later on...sorry, Susan. :( Commander Adam Trennell Crown, M.D. Chief Medical Officer USS OBERON, NCC-0111 Director, Starfleet Medical -- Matt Hydeman |***** Copyright 1999, Stormchaser Endeavours ***** voyage@cjnetworks.com |************** All rights reserved ***************