More Perils of Pheromones

Posted on Sun Aug 23rd, 2015 @ 1:03pm by Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Ensign Reva Madhava & Lieutenant Commander Nicolao

Mission: Further Challenges

“What?” Reva frowned at her commbadge, or would have, if it weren’t buried in a fold of her dress.

“Ensign? Are you listening?” Darwin sounded put out with her, which was, she figured, his usual state where she was concerned.

“Yes,” she stressed the syllable as she dug the commbadge from where she’d hidden it. “What do you want?” That was a bit insubordinate-sounding. “Uh, Lieutenant.”

“Bad save, Reva. I know you’re on Niro’s ship, but I don’t want to meet you there. Come to Seyla’s in an hour.”

“Why?”

“Did you really just ask a superior officer why?”

She could tell his irritation had just ramped up a notch. “Um, no, of course not. Seyla’s, an hour.”

* Seyla’s, An Hour *

She’d told Niro that Darwin was summoning her; he’d said he’d go with her, but she told him it was fine, she had another errand to run and would be back in just a little bit. She donned jeans and a v-neck t-shirt, intentionally leaving off a bra.

When she arrived at Seyla’s, she found Darwin alone, sitting on Seyla’s sofa, drinking something from Seyla’s bar. “Seyla sure trusts you, doesn’t she?”

He looked her over, silently wishing she was in uniform - a chunky, thick, figure-hiding uniform. “She does, though I haven’t made the mistake of entirely trusting her. Unlike you, it seems,” he made the observation sound like an insult.

Smiling slyly, Reva thought about her pheromones and a second later, she could smell them. She approached Darwin, asking, “What it is you wanted to see me about, Michael?”

He watched her approach, reminded of Seyla by her movements, and momentarily hypnotised by the way her hips swayed. When she sat beside him, he was both thankful and rueful. Thankful, because the visual temptation was removed. Rueful because now there was a tactile temptation: her breast against his arm. He glanced at her and started to shift away from her. He could see down her shirt. Reva leaned into him a touch more and looked up at him innocently. “You...,” he stopped as a particularly inappropriate thought entered his head.

“Ah, you’ve been given three days’ leave, Ensign. That doesn’t mean....” He paused, momentarily entranced by her. Out of the blue, he was fiercely jealous of Riley and Niro. Well, not so much Riley at the moment, all things considered. But Niro... the damned man seemed to be everywhere, and he had a hold on this one.... “Reva,” he whispered, one hand on her jawline. He was bending to kiss her when he stopped and stared at her. What the hell was he thinking? He coughed, cleared his throat and tried to disengage himself from her touch. “Seyla must have... entertained last night.”

“Oh, of course,” she concentrated a little, putting out more pheromones. “So, three days’ leave, you were saying?” She went to Seyla’s bar, then looked back at him. “A drink, Michael?”

He followed her. “Just water, thanks.” He felt parched, hot and dry, feverish almost. “Reva? Don’t go back to Niro.” He blinked. That wasn’t how he had meant to phrase his lecture.

She passed him a glass of water, which he drained and reached past her to put on the bar. He then put his other hand on the bar and trapped her.

Standing within the circle of his arms, she put her hands on his chest and asked, “Michael, would you... what would you do to convince me not to?” She undid a button on his shirt.

He noticed, but didn’t mind. “What wouldn’t I do for you?”, he asked. More than he ever had with Seyla, more than he did with Edana, he meant it.

She paused, reading him. He wasn’t reacting solely to her pheromones, she knew that - she’d known he was attracted to her, just not how much he was. Suddenly nervous, realizing that she could seduce him, easily, if she wanted to (which she did want to), but she wondered what regrets she’d leave him with if she did. Ducking under his arm, she laughed and took her drink back to the sofa.

Darwin turned to watch her, smiling slightly. He had just caught a whiff of her game. “Well, kitten, you’re skittish. Why?” He sat beside her and drew her against him. “Should your question have been ‘will you fuck me, Michael?’?”, he whispered against her ear.

“Would you? I already know that answer, Darwin,” she teased him. “But aren’t I just too young for you?”

“Holy gods, you are. You could be my daughter. But,” he kissed her neck, “You aren’t. Which makes you fair game. Especially if you’re going to use pheromones on me. You realize that you aren’t a woman who needs them, don’t you?"

Her eyes went wide, “Oh, you know?”

“Yeah, hard to miss when suddenly I’m jealous of Niro and want nothing more than to chain you to a bed.” He smiled. “Although, honestly, that’s something I wanted before, like that day I delivered you to Riley’s quarters.” Kissing her, he pulled at her shirt; when it gave him resistance, he ripped it and tossed it aside. She squealed with surprise, then again as he pushed her back and lightly bit at her breast.

As he kissed her and wrestled with her jeans, she laughed and wriggled, not helping him at all. Suddenly, she froze. Frowning, she pushed him away, then straddled him. She held his neck in both hands and kissed him, distracting him while she read him. With a gasp, she growled, “Six is still in the Fleet? It’s all a lie?” Her anger flared hotly.

He went from kissing her to defending himself from her in a heartbeat. “What?” For a moment, he was utterly confused, then he kicked himself. “Shit! You damned touch telepath!” He shifted their position, pressing her into the sofa. “Dammit, Reva!”

“Me? What the hell? You’ve been lying to me! Six has been lying to me!” She struggled under him. “You ass! You take my best friend and turn her into a... what? A front for your friend, Suresh?” She got an arm free and slapped him.

“Stop!” He shouted at her and shook her.

She struggled with him, trying to both hit him and pull away from him. "Gods, you are such an ass, Darwin!"

"I am!" He shouted again, shifting to grab her by both shoulders and shake her. "Because I'm trying to protect you! I’m trying to protect Six and Suresh and every other non-criminal resident of this Station! And you seem to be willing to do everything you can to fuck it all up! You are the most aggravating problem I have! First you’re challenging Suresh and screwing up his position in the Pit and now... now you’re down here with pheromones! What the hell are you doing, Reva?” He sat her up, forcefully, and stalked several paces away from the couch.

When she didn’t answer him, he yelled at her again, “What are you doing, Reva?”

She shrank into herself and crossed an arm over her breasts. “I’m just... I’m just doing what Seyla does!”, she blurted out. “I want to know what life is like for Orions!”

“Really? You really want to know what Seyla’s life is like? Has she bothered to tell you that some of her girls are...,” he paused, looking for the wording, “...professional punching bags? No? You should know that none of them are exempt from that sort of treatment - not even Seyla. I've treated her bruises after she's gone a round with just such a client."

“No!” She didn’t believe him, but then grabbed his arm and read him. Her eyes went wide. "Suresh? She loved him. But he...? Oh, he didn't love her, did he?" She let go of him.

He shook his head. “Or, if he did, it was the most twisted kind of love I’ve ever seen. Why do you think Seyla was so quick to give up her clients? She's still in her prime; there's nothing wrong with her. But a man offered her stability - the chance to serve only him - and she took it."

"No, she loves him," Reva argued, but she didn’t actually know that; she’d avoided knowing who Seyla’s current lover, client?, whatever was.

Darwin scoffed, "Orions don't love." It wasn’t the first time he’d said that to her. He caught her glare and added, "What? They don’t. Any that say they do are lying.” He sighed and muttered several curse words, rubbing his face as he did. “Stay there,” he ordered. She hadn’t moved from where he’d put her.

He stepped towards the door, where he entered a lock code only he or Gilroy could override (Oz was off on an adventure with Li and the Admiral), then tapped his commbadge and spoke quietly to someone on the other end. He then went to the replicator. Coming back, he tossed a shirt at Reva, who donned it. It was several sizes too large.

“Pheromones, Reva? What happened?” He sat in the armchair near the sofa.

She looked everywhere but at him and finally said, “Seyla has an antidote. Or had. She gave it to me last night, knowing that I have three days off. She said it’d just suppress the inhibitor and would wear off.”

Darwin found that he couldn’t express his irritation. “Dammit. And you let her? You let her just inject you with something? Do you even know where she got it from?”

“The Orion Syndicate,” she answered him, making it sound like it was a stupid question because the answer was so obvious.

Someone knocked at the door and he went to answer it, letting in Nicolao.

Reva startled and exclaimed, “Niro!” She didn’t sound happy to see him.

Nico frowned as he looked down at her. “Not even close,” he answered. He studied her a moment and turned his attention to Darwin. Then he sniffed the air and muttered.

Reva was quick to realize this was Nico. She looked at Darwin. "Why is he here?"

Frowning, Darwin ignored her. "Yeah, she's potent with 'em. Your brother and Seyla helped her get an Orion Syndicate antidote to her inhibitor. But that's not why I called you." He glanced at Reva and snarled, "She's a touch telepath and read about Six. She can't go back to Niro with that in her head."

Niro’s expression darkened as he looked at Darwin. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Darwin's brow rose. "Hey, don't be Judgy McJudgerson! Pheromones, hot girl... so what if she's your brother's current toy," Darwin frowned. "Besides, nothing happened. She read me before I could get very far."

"Hey! I am sitting right here! And you're not messing with my head," Reva stood, the shirt Darwin had replicated for her billowed around her, and headed for the door, which was locked. She glared at Darwin.

“And you already have one Orion, Dar,” Nico commented. “Two would make for very tight quarters.”

"Third," Darwin gestured at Reva and shrugged. "But yeah, I think this one and Ed would make things uncomfortable for me." He shrugged, grinning slightly. "Can't blame a guy, though, can you?"

Nico laughed for a moment before he turned to Reva. “Here’s the deal, Ensign. What you know now could put several lives in danger, especially that of your friend Six. It could cause a war down below if it got out and many more would die. Are you getting the picture here?”

She frowned at him. "But she was my friend. Besides, Niro could just read her - or him!" She gestured at Darwin. "It's not like he discriminates who he reads and doesn't read."

"Haven’t you noticed that neither of them spend any time around Niro?” Nico shook his head. “My brother likes to eavesdrop, it’s true, but something usually sparks his interest. When you introduced him to Six, did you notice any?”

"When he met her... No, he didn't really seem interested. He thinks she's just decorative for Suresh." She looked over at Darwin then back to Nico. "You're judging me for sleeping with a man who looks just like you," she whispered.

“Not exactly,” Nico answered. “You’re an adult, sleep with whoever you want. My issue here is keeping the Pit from exploding and you finding your friend in pieces in a recycler. Surely you know that as a Borg, the only thing keeping her safe down there is Suresh and Darwin?” He sighed aloud. “And it’s because they think Suresh is the original that it works. It’s a delicate balancing act and one we can’t blow.” He looked at Darwin. You tell her.

"I did!" Darwin said, his frustration showing. "Just... maybe not so eloquently."

She frowned and glared at both of them. "You're asking for my permission? I don't want to give it, but I don't want Six hurt, either. Suresh can go hang." Her shoulders fell and she sighed. "Fine, Nir-- Nico. Go ahead."

“Come here.” He motioned her closer.

She stepped closer, warily. "Won't this leave a trace that your brother will feel?" She wondered whether Niro had done this to her, removed something he didn't want her knowing.

Nico shook his head. “No because I’m very good at what I do. My apologies, Ensign. I know this is a difficult choice but you’re doing a good thing for Six and Darwin, to name just a few.” He didn’t mention Vic or Edana. He rested one hand on her shoulder and placed the other on her back between her shoulder blades. The information was removed and replaced with a memory of Nico arriving. Moments later he stepped back next to Darwin. “Nice to meet you Ensign Madhava,” he said conversationally.

She looked at him and Darwin for a moment. "Ah... Nice to meet you, too, Lt. Nicolao. Michael? Um, sorry, Lieutenant, did you call me here to meet him?"

"Uh, yeah. I thought it would interesting for you to meet Niro's brother," Darwin looked at Nico and quickly surmised that he'd removed the last half-hour or so.

She nodded, "I see."

"Well, that and to warn you not to screw up during your leave, Ensign." Removing her memories also meant he had to let her go with her pheromones and all.

"Right, because otherwise, more ankle bracelets, right? Or time in the Brig?" She smiled.

“There’s another reason I’m here, actually.” Nico looked from one to the other. “This concerns you both. Lt. Sukotav was released from the Brig half an hour ago. JAG had declared there are no grounds for prosecution, given the mental program forcing him to act against his will.” His voice softened. “I knew you’d want to know, Ensign Madhava.”

She sat, heavily, and nodded. "Thanks." Tears gathered in her eyes, making Darwin start toward her to comfort her, a role he often had in his role of Special Investigator. He stopped himself, though, realizing that letting her touch him was a bad idea.

"That's great news about not prosecuting him," he said, "How about we go talk to him, Nico? Ensign, no offense, but I don't want to hear from you or about you while you're on leave."

She nodded and watched the two men leave. She then noticed her shirt, both the torn one on the floor and the too-large one she was wearing, and wondered what the hell had happened.

**************
Ensign Reva Madhava
Managed

Lieutenant M. Darwin
Sorely Tested

Lt. Commander Nicolao
Saving The Day...Mostly