Wolf In Riley's Clothing

Posted on Mon Aug 17th, 2015 @ 10:51pm by Lieutenant Commander Nicolao & Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Ensign Six of Ten & Lieutenant Commander Gilroy & Seyla
Edited on on Fri Sep 4th, 2015 @ 10:24pm

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Piper Medical Center / Saturnalia

Frowning, Riley idly flicked through various articles on the padd he held. He was bored, antsy to go do something (something that involved seeing Six of Ten, of all people), and irritated that he'd been left in Sickbay for half the day already. He tried to focus on an article about the state of organic computing modules but found himself, again, wondering about Six. Somewhere in his head, he knew he should be concerned about Reva, not her Borg friend.

"Lieutenant Sukotav." Riley let the padd rest in his lap as the tall part-Klingon entered the room. "I'm Lieutenant Gilroy. Did Lt. Darwin tell you why you were held for observation?"

"No, he just said I had to be here," Riley responded, annoyed. "Look, I have places to be."

"Not right now, you don't," Gilroy informed him. Part of him was tempted to claim he was in Sickbay because of his association with an Orion, but that wasn't the truth. Though, in Gilroy's opinion, any male who voluntarily associated with an Orion needed his head examined. That applied to Darwin as well. "We have a telepath coming in to take a look in your head; he should be here in a few minutes."

"What if I say no?" Riley challenged the Security officer.

Gilroy's features hardened. "Don't."

The door of Riley’s room opened and Ophelia looked in. “Lt. Gilroy? Nico’s here if you’re ready?”

"We are. Please, send him in," Gilroy was polite with Ophelia.

She stepped aside and Nico entered, now dressed in uniform. He nodded to Gilroy, then approached Riley.

“Lt. Sukotav? I’m Lt. Commander Nicolao, Intel. I’ve been asked to assist Lt. Gilroy with some questions. I gather there is some concern over what Reva described as a black hole in your memory.”

"Reva? I'm here because of her?" Riley frowned, his anger sparking to life. "I should have known she'd be vindictive. I broke up with her and she tells you I have something wrong in my head?" He was about to start calling her things, but Gilroy cleared his throat.

"Another party, actually, brought this to our attention." Gilroy said. He didn't like the Orion, but he also wasn't in favor of throwing mud where it didn't belong. "LC Nicolao is going to take a look, Lieutenant." He nodded at the Intel officer.

“You have my word I’ll avoid anything personal,” Nico informed him. He rested a hand on Riley’s shoulder and slipped into his thoughts. True to his word, he bypassed anything personal. He knew firsthand what it was like having personal memories invaded. He easily found what Reva had described, and Niro was right, it was a block, not missing memory. He probed slightly to get a feel for the situation, then pushed harder.

Riley glanced at Gilroy and frowned. He didn't like any of this, and didn't believe for a minute that someone besides Reva had told Security about this 'black hole'. Still, he could tell Nico was probing; his touch was more ...polite..., but felt familiar. "Niro. You're his brother, aren't you?"

“I am.” There was a distinct note of distaste in Nico’s voice. “My apologies but this may be a little rough for a second or two.” He fell silent and pushed harder, finally breaking through the memory plug. What Niro had described was accurate. He could see Riley in a small, dimly lit room with no windows. The voices were indistinct at first but grew louder. They seemed to be questioning him about...some location coordinates. He watched Riley carefully, waiting for signs that the memory was returning.

Shifting on the biobed, Riley tried to pull away from Nico. Then he grimaced and said, "A cell. I remember that. I don't know where I was, just the cell." He looked at Nico, and saw Niro. He wanted to punch the man.

"Woah, nope, no hitting the telepath," Gilroy caught Riley's fist and forced it to the biobed. "Nico?"

Nico nodded. “I can see him in the cell. There are three men with him and one is….” Nico frowned, his gaze looking off into the distance as he sifted through the memory. “One is manipulating Riley’s mind. He’s the one who left this block. What coordinates are they talking about Riley?”

Letting the memory play through (at least it wasn't unpleasant), Riley tried to catch what was being asked. "Oh," his brow furrowed, "the Iconian slab. I've been working on the coordinates for it. That's what they're asking about."

Nico glanced to Gilroy and frowned. So someone snatched Riley to question him about this and then attempted to cover it up?

"Why? Are the coordinates otherwise unknown?" Gilroy asked Riley and shrugged at Nico.

"Hmm. Sort of. They're on an old slab. Planets and stars have moved since then. Finding where the coordinates might be in today's space is tricky. I haven't finished the calculations," Riley said.

“They gave no names,” Nico reported. “Nor did they say why they were interested. It seems like a lot of trouble to transport this man to wherever to ask him questions, then try to cover it up. There was…..” he paused and frowned. “A matter of secrecy but I can’t tell what. They were very careful to keep everything vague, Gilroy.”

Gilroy focused on Riley, frowning heavily and looking generally very unhappy. It was simply his thinking face, though. "Lot of trouble for something they didn't get," he agreed. He turned his look on Nico and asked, "Is it a... decoy?"

“It’s possible this was put here as a throwaway memory, something harmless since they might expect him to be scanned.” Nico poked around more in Riley’s head but finally, he grunted. “If there’s something else there, I can’t find it. There are so many ways to do this sort of thing. I’m sorry.” He removed his hand from Riley’s shoulder. “But at least you now know that he didn’t simply take off to have some fun and it raises some important questions.”

"No details on the interrogators? Anything about the cell or technology that might point to something useful?" Gilroy was fishing for something other than a static Iconian slab to go on.

Riley answered, "I'm not recalling details."

“I think that was purposeful.” Nico sighed and brushed his hair back. Then he addressed Riley. “It’s possible that my prodding may knock something loose later, so be ready. If you need me, you can always call if something in there feels wrong.”

"Sure," Riley nodded. "Don't suppose you could erase a few memories?"

Nico smiled. “That’s not such a good idea, Riley. If it was? I have a lot I’d like to be rid of, trust me.”

"No doubt we all do," Gilroy said. "Lieutenant, we'll send Medical in then you can go when they say you can. Nico," he titled his head towards the door and directed him through it.

“Take care Riley.” Nico turned and stepped through the door. Once he and Gil were out in the hall and the door closed, he shook his head. “What the hell happened to him? What is so interesting about that slab?”

"The slab? I don't know." Gil shook his head. "But as to what happened to him... Is this something your brother could do?" He'd gotten a quick briefing from Darwin that had included the most recent gossip about Riley and Reva and Niro.

Nico shook his head. “No. This was a real memory, not one implanted. I am not laying aside the possibility that here’s more in there but if so I can’t find it. It could be something with a specific trigger and will be invisible until that happens, it’s hard to say. Besides, Niro would know nothing about a translation going on in science and this is specifically tied to that.”

He grunted. "Perhaps. But Riley and your brother are vying for the same Orion. He could have gotten information about the slab from her; maybe this slab shows the way to a valuable trinket."

Nico laughed and shook his head. “No, that’s way too much effort for Niro. If he wants Reva, it’s for his own reasons. He wouldn’t go to all this trouble to get to some obscure artifact. Riley does bear her quite a lot of resentment, though. I couldn’t miss that, but I’d say that’s normal.”

"Seems to me he got what all men who play with Orions get: nothing good." He sighed. "Anyway, thanks for doing the probing. I'll get with Science and see if those coordinates have been mapped."

"I’ll have to report this to Dae and I’ll get you a copy as soon as it’s done. If you need me again, just call.” Niro hesitated, then continued. “I did notice a strong desire to see Ensign Six. Are they friends?”

"Ensign Six was working on the Iconian slab before Riley started working on it. Same department, same shift. I suppose they might be friends. But... A strong desire? That would mean more than friends to me."

Nico pulled out his padd and tapped the surface. After a moment, he nodded. “This says they were stationed together before they both got here. I suppose she might be a friend to go to for advice? She is friends with Reva too. I’ve seen them on the Promenade a lot. Not that it means anything, just something I picked up.”

"I see. Perhaps we could accommodate that before he leaves Piper." Gilroy considered that a second before looking at Nico again. "If we need him read again, I'll contact you."

“Sure. Six wasn’t among the missing, but given what we saw in Riley, I’d be asking why.” Nico smiled. “Take care Gil. I’ll see you around.” Nico moved off and was joined by Ophelia, who gave him a quick hug. Nico endured it with good humor, then fell in step with her as they moved on down the corridor.

*Saturnalia*

Pausing as he approached Saturnalia, Riley took a look around. For the life of him, he couldn't see why this place drew Six and Reva the way it did. Perhaps an element of danger that he just didn't understand? He shook his head and pushed the door open to enter. Startled, he said, "Six! Um, Hi!"

Six looked up and smiled brightly. She started to hug him but in light of yesterday’s scene here, she settled for the smile and didn’t touch him. “Riley! It’s so good to see you! I’m sorry I haven’t called in so long. How are you?”

"Fine," he nodded, "Yeah, good. Do you have a few minutes to talk?"

“Sure, just a few. I’m supposed to be home soon and I don’t like to be late.” She drew him aside to an empty table and sat beside him. “I’m all yours. What’s up?”

"I'm just... It's all this crap with Reva, Six. You know I broke up with her?"

Six nodded. “Last night.” She looked around and given they were in a rather dark corner, and unobserved, she reached over and took his hand. “I’m so sorry. I thought that you….that maybe...you’d settle her down some. What can I do?”

"Settle her down?" He grimaced with disgust and shook his head. "She's a lost cause. Just ran all over me, rough-shod." He paused then added, "I can tell you're in a hurry to go. Come see me tomorrow?"

“I’d love to,” she answered and squeezed his hand tight. “Meet me at Cravings? Out on the patio? Then we can do to the Arboretum if you like.”

"Yeah, okay," he nodded, showing his hurt. "Say about noon?"

“Noon.” Six studied his face and spoke once more. “We’ll talk about everything tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

"Thanks," he said, relaxing a little, "Go on, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

She stood and leaned down to hug him tight. “Tomorrow.” With a peck on the cheek, she scampered off, leaving Riley alone at the table.

He rubbed his cheek and slowly smiled.

A man at the next table leaned closer, looking at Riley with curiosity. “You’ve got some balls my friend. The last guy that touched her got his face rearranged in here yesterday. Just fair warning.”

He laughed. "I didn't touch her. She touched me. I suppose I'm just irresistible."

The man laughed heartily. “You think Suresh is gonna quibble over who touched who? Good luck with that.” With a shake of his head, the man went back to his drink.

Riley’s smile lingered as did the feel of Six’s lips on his cheek. Part of him felt the familiar tenderness for Six but another felt a rush of excitement as he considered the next day. The Arboretum, as she had suggested, would be perfect. Shelly stopped by his table and greeted him. The note of sympathy in her voice was unmistakable and it irritated him. He ordered a drink, thanked her politely and began to scan the room. With Six out of the picture for now, likely stretched out beneath Suresh, he had some time to kill.

To one side of Saturnalia, a young blonde woman was laughing about something her companion said. She spied Riley, checked a device hung around her neck then excused herself from the conversation. She stood, smoothed her rather conservative black skirt and walked towards Riley. "This seat taken?" She asked.

Riley looked up at the soft, feminine voice and liked what he saw. A lot. A quick scan told him she was one of Seyla’s but that was a mark in her favor as far as he was concerned. He stood quickly and pulled out the chair for her.

“Please, join me. Can I get you a drink?”

"Certainly. You're Riley, aren't you?" She had, as she had promised Seyla, cleaned up her diction. She had cleaned up a lot of things - her makeup was soft, her hair curled and coiffed, her attire simple. Her appearance was, in short, Reva's opposite. "I'm Nemi."

“Nemi. It’s a pleasure.” He held the chair as she was seated, then moved his around beside her. A wave of his hand had Shelly back at the table. Once she’d ordered, Riley rested his arms on the table, leaning just a trifle closer. “So what brought me to your attention?”

Smiling at him, she cupped his cheek in her hand, "You are so cute, Riley. Just by your good looks, you should be attracting every girl in here. And getting their complete, undivided attention." Her fingers trailed along his jaw then to his chest. "But you've been occupied by a girl who ignored you."

Slowly he nodded. “So you’ve heard too. Is there anyone who hasn’t?” He gave her his best dejected look for a moment. “I did everything for her you know? I suppose I wasn’t good enough in the end.” He reached for his drink and took a light sip. He was in no mood for a repeat of the headache from Archadia. “So, I had to move on.”

"It wasn't you. It was her. She's an Orion, that's how they are. Completely faithless and unable to settle down. Why, she was just in here last night, tarted up and celebrating with some guy." She shook her head and sighed, "She sure doesn't deserve you."

Riley tensed immediately at her words. “She was?” He was quiet as that sunk in and then he shook his head. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Let me guess, Niro, right?”

"Yeah, I think it was him," she nodded. "See? Feckless." Shelly brought her a drink and she sipped it then changed the subject. "Did you come here just to see Six?"

“I did stop in to see if she was around. She and I go way back.” He laughed for a moment. “Before Reva? She was the last woman I kissed, back before we were here. Not that I ever would tell Suresh that.” He shrugged and his smile lingered. “She’s one of my closest friends. I figured she might be good for some advice. She had to get home, but I’ll see her tomorrow.”

"And between now and then? Do you have plans or could I suggest some?" She laughed and dropped her hand to his thigh. "You might find me good for some advice, too."

“I was hoping you’d ask.” He leaned in to whisper the words at Nemi’s ear. “I’m all yours until I steal Six away at noon.”

A delicious shiver was all set to run down her spine, but the way he put his words together turned it into a chilly one. She blinked then made herself chuckle. "Well, then, in that case, I have a place nearby and my time is all yours." She took his hand and stood.

Riley picked up on the shiver as he stood and took her in his arms. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound strange, just a figure of speech. Your place you say?” That suited him. He didn’t really want her knowing where he lived or having to deal with an awkward morning of having to get rid of her. “Shall we?”

"Just follow me," she led him out of Saturnalia.

***********
Lt. Riley Sukotav
Holes in His Head

Lt. Gilroy
Trying to Blame Someone

Lt. Commander Nicolao
Doing The Digging

Ensign Six Of Ten
Caring For A Friend

Nemi
Leading Him Astray