Blowing In The Wind

Posted on Sun Oct 12th, 2014 @ 1:44am by Lieutenant Nick Marcinko & Lieutenant Commander Leto

Mission: Breaking New Ground
Location: Charu
Timeline: Current

* * * Charu * * *

“All I have to say is that I’ll be glad to be back at the camp. I’m starving.” Leto jumped up on a large rock and studied the sky. “And it will be dark soon. About two hundred yards ahead and back through that grove we saw earlier and we can kick back and light a fire.” She winked at Nick.

“I could definitely eat. And I need a drink,” he said as he watched her perched atop the rock. “And if we ever get some downtime, I have some ideas on what we can do around that fire.” He saw her wink and raised her an eyebrow waggle.

“I’ll just bet you do. Lucky for you, I stashed a little bit of your favorite whiskey, courtesy of Riley. He picked it up for me in the rush to get loaded up, so be sure to thank him later.” Leto jumped down to the grass. “Let’s get moving. I’d rather not get caught in that grove in the dark. They say this place is uninhabited but until we’ve proven it, I’ll err on the side of caution. Ready?”

“Lead on, lady. I’d follow you anywhere,” he said as they made their way back toward the camp. “So what do you think about this place? Tactically speaking, it doesn’t appear to have any major issues. I still think we should be doing more aerial scans with the shuttles for other signs of life, but that’ll come later. It would definitely be faster.”

“That’s for Sakkath and Patrick to do since they get to hang out in orbit.” Leto checked her tricorder, nodded and tucked it into her belt. I was off by 3 yards. Not bad.” They had reached the grove now and Leto led the way into the trees. A few feet in she sniffed the air. “I still smell your little friend.”

He pulled a large knife from the small of his back. “I’ll cut that little bastard to shreds this time,” he grumbled.

A breeze stirred, bringing with it a sweet, and stronger, floral aroma. Leto actually giggled. “I don’t think it would appreciate that at all. It liked you so much, Nicky.”

“It may have, but I don’t like the idea of putting flowers in my hair, not bathing for weeks at a time and wearing blue tinted sunglasses.” He did his best to describe the hippies he had read about in Earth’s history, but he wasn’t certain he was doing it justice. Either way, he didn’t like the effects of the flower power from last time. “I think I’m just gonna’ hold my breath until we get through here. If I pass out, just run. Save yourself.”

He was seriously considering it, but he hoped Leto knew he was somewhat joking.

“Nah, I’ll fight it for you. How’s that?” They rounded a curve in the path and there, before them, stood the tall yellow and purple flower. Immediately it turned towards Nick. “You’re still turning heads I see.”

He growled. “I swear, I’ll kill it. I’ll take out the entire grove if I have to, but I’m not letting that thing turn me into a drooling idiot again!” He was trying to skirt around it getting as far away as he could. “I hope it’s the only one of those things. If we’re caught right in the middle of a forest of flowers of death, you’ll see a side of me I haven’t let loose in a long time!”

His growl got Leto’s attention and she moved between him and the tall blossom. “Okay, okay, I’ll protect you.” Leto leaned towards the flower and stuck out her tongue and the flower leaned back away from her. “See?”

“Huh,” he said, then looked at her. “I wonder…” He took one step closer and the flower leaned toward him. “Weird. Makes me think it’s idea of beauty is off. I mean, you’re the hottest thing on two feet in the galaxy, but it almost runs from you. But me, ugly as sin, and it leans right in.” He tilted his head. “I wonder how it does that with no eyes?”

“That’s a question for the scientists, not the spooks.” She gave him a nudge. “Let’s go, I need food and drink. And you need to stop flirting with the foliage.”

She turned back to see him swaying back and forth, with the flower following. He even tried to trick it a few times by quickly going back the other direction. The whole time he was shaking his head and muttering, “Weird…”

Another nudge from Leto finally got his attention. “Okay, okay,” he said and muttered something about her “...sharp-ass elbow.”

“You never complained before.”

She nudged him once more for good measure, and they continued on, finally emerging from the grove. The wind had picked up quite a bit, now that they were out in the open and the fragrance still hung heavy in the air. Leto stopped several yards from the grove and stood silent, listening.Several seconds later, she shook her head and continued on.

“What was that about?” Nick asked. “Did your canine-like hearing pick up on something?” He smirked.

“Did you just call me a dog? I do bite, remember.” She shook her head slowly. “Nah, I just thought I heard something. Likely just the wind. You want to get the fire going while I double check the area?”

He nodded, gathered a few pieces of wood and yanked down some small branches, slicing them into smaller pieces with his knife. He stacked them together in a small patch of dirt and, after a short blast from his phaser, the fire was lit and beginning to warm the area. “Fire’s on!” he yelled. “Don’t forget the marshmallows.”

“They’re in your case,” came Leto’s answer. She stood, listening once more. The area scans had shown no indigenous life other than some harmless wildlife, but scans could be wrong. Couldn’t they? Something was tweaking her sixth sense and she didn’t like it. “Everything okay back there Nick?” She raised her voice to be heard over the wind.

He had opened his case and, sure enough, there was a container of marshmallows. He pulled one out and, for some reason, couldn’t take his eyes off of it. “Such a pretty little thing,” he said as he turned it around in his fingers, examining its texture, shape and size. Then he smelled it. “Oh, but don’t you just smell amazing! Why in the world would anyone want to run you through with a stick and shove you into those flames?” He sat next to the fire and gazed at the flames dancing above the wood. He let out a deep sigh. “So...pretty.”

He sat like that a few moments before remembering the marshmallow in his hand. A look of panic crossed his face. “You have to get out of here, little marshmallow! You have to run before she comes back and sets you on fire!” Instinctively he stood and launched the marshmallow as far he could, then followed suit with the rest from the container. “Go! Run! You have to live!”

NIck’s raised voice caught Leto’s attention and she turned to hurry back to the camp. As she reached the circle of light cast by the fire, a marshmallow pelted her square in the face.

“What the hell? Nick?”

He gasped as she walked toward him. He held the last marshmallow in his hand. “I won’t let her eat you, little one. Flee! Go now! Live your life!” It sailed through the air and landed about thirty feet away in some overgrown grass.

Turning back to her his face was sad. “I couldn’t let you eat them. They were so young, so lovely and so full of life! They didn’t deserve to be burned alive and consumed!” He took her hand and sat on a log, pulling her gently down with him. “But don’t fret,” he said, patting her hand. “I’ll find something for you. I’ll hunt a wild boar, put it on a spit and roast it for you, if that’s what you want. Anything. You name it.” He smiled, horribly, and stroked her cheek as he looked into her eyes.

“and you were worried about looking like a hippie,” she muttered, then raised her voice. “Look Nick, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you’ve gotta get it together. There’s something out there in the woods. I need you to focus. Or at least not fall apart on me.”

He stood quickly, pulling his knife again. “Something in the woods?” He stood between her and the woods. “Don’t worry, my love. I’ll protect you. Nothing will get past me.” Turning back to her he asked, “Do you know what it is?”

Leto’s eyes were locked on the knife. Slowly she reached up to pull her hair out of her face as the wind whipped it.

“No, not yet.” The knife worried her deeply. Nick was obviously losing it. As she watched him, however, her suspicions grew. In a flash, she had her phaser in hand and pointed at Nick. “You should know.”

He looked blankly at her. “Is it the marshmallows? Are they--” A look of comprehension came across his face. “It’s the flowers! They must be moving in for the kill!” He bared his teeth and let out a low growl. Had he not had his teeth filed down in his attempts to appear more human, most would recognize that as something dangerous from a Klingon. But it just looked somewhat silly on him. “Honey, what’s with the phaser? I’m not one of those flowers. They’re out there somewhere!” he said as he pointed behind him.

“I’m not so sure. About it or you. And I’ve got a hell of a headache on top of it. But I think you need to stand very still or I will --”

“Will what?” a friendly voice asked. Stepping from the trees came a tall man who Leto recognized. Riley. He looked from Leto to Nick. “Whoa! I think everyone should drop the weapons. And what’s that smell?”

To Be Continued…..

******************************
Lt. Leto
Suspicious Mind

Lt. Nick Marcinko
Friend to Marshmallows

Lt. Riley Sukotav
Right Place….Wrong Time?