Hope Floats

Posted on Sat Dec 19th, 2015 @ 1:34am by Ensign Six of Ten & Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Suresh & Cadet Senior Grade Chance Conradi

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: Archadia

* Suresh’s House - Archadia *

The sun was just beginning to drop down towards the horizon when Six stepped out onto the porch that ran around the house. The breeze was warm as it blew threw her hair and against her skirt and she was transported back to a time not so long ago, a memory that had escaped Niro’s touch. She’s stood on this same porch, the day that she and Suresh had decided to get married immediately, here on Archadia. They had stood together, enjoying the warmth and the solitude, the time away from their crazy life. She focused on it, held on to it, waiting for it to scatter away but it remained. Her relief was immediate and she smiled. It was the first good sign that perhaps they could fix all this, that she could go back home where she belonged.

“Six?” Suresh came out onto the veranda to join her and looked out toward the horizon, like she was. “It’s beautiful. Though I find it pales in comparison to you.” He turned to look at her.

Her smile lingered as she turned to look up at him. “Thank you. I remember this...the day we were standing here...before the ceremony on the beach. It was all so lovely, Suresh. I was on cloud nine, is that the right saying?”

“Yes.” He smiled and put an arm around her waist. “If we need to do it again so that you have a clean, clear memory of it, I’d be happy to do that.”

“Maybe we will...once...once I can recall the rest. Darwin tried his best you know? To run interference but Niro took advantage of Darwin being down.” Her hands tightened into fists. “He stole my time with you and somehow I have to get it back. To see all of it besides the bad bits he left and made worse.”

“I talked to Eli Ziyad. He’s agreed to come here and fix this.” He held her a little tighter. “He should be here shortly. He mentioned something about missing classes. Oh, and his boyfriend is coming along, too. When I was in their apartment, I saw some of those spiders - you know, the big ones.”

“Iggy’s babies.” Six laughed for a moment. “A lot of personality in those little packages, I’m warning you.” She wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. “Is it wrong that I want to take Niro, wreck his life as he has mine? Make him suffer?”

“Absolutely not,” he assured her. “How about some dinner? I can cook up an egg or two, or, more likely, call one of the local places and order some food.” Holding her felt good and right; he’d kill Niro for interfering with this.

“In a bit, maybe once the guys are here. They’re always hungry.” She could sense his anger at Niro, something she shared. “There’s something you need to know and it’s important that I say this now.”

“Is this something I want to hear?”, he asked, hesitantly, then relented, “Go ahead, tell me.”

“When Lt. Imal was with us in sickbay, checking my thoughts, there was one that she saw that I was certain was real. It was a betrayal, Suresh.” Six’s voice caught and she stopped to calm herself. “She said it was fake and I wanted you to know that….nothing happened. Whatever he tried to do, he wasn’t successful. That’s a big part of why I was afraid to see you at first. I was so sure I had failed you.”

“What? No, no, Six, my dear,” Suresh held her at arms’ length for a moment before pulling her close and kissing her forehead. “You haven’t - and couldn’t - fail me.” He wrapped her in his arms.

“I think it frustrated him too.” Her voice was muffled against his chest. “He’d planned to toss Darwin and Julisa back on the station and take off with me. We had plans to go away...well, I seemed to recall we did. Darwin shot him after we left Bajor. If he hadn’t, there’s no telling where I’d be. I owe him big time.”

Resolving to do something nice for Darwin, Suresh just held her. “Hey, do you blame Reva or your friend Falasin for hanging out with Niro? I mean... knowing that he messes with people’s heads. It’s likely he did that to both of them, right?”

“I have no doubt he did, so no I don’t. It was no fault of theirs. There’s something else you should know too.” She leaned back and looked up at him once more. “Xerena’s little plan with you? Was his idea.” The minute the words came out she gasped aloud. “Oh!”

“What? Did you just recall something else?”

“Only that….I’m not sure how but I suspect that as much time as he spent in my head, he left a few things behind.” Six shivered for a moment. “Such cold-blooded plotting...who does that to someone?”

“He does. And he’s been doing it since he arrived here. Just as you don’t blame Reva or Falasin for falling prey to him, I can’t blame you,” he assured her. As he leaned in to kiss her again, the house’s computer chimed and announced visitors were approaching. “That must be Eli.”

They could hear voices approaching the house and Eli seemed to be mid-story. “So then, I asked her how much and she looked me up and down and said ‘As much as you want.’ I think my mouth was hanging open or something. I mean have you ever known me to be speechless, Archadian or not?”

Laughing loudly, Chance was struggling to breathe he was laughing so hard. “The look on your face was priceless.”

A third ‘voice’ piped up, I do not understand. How much of what and for what? It was Ariadne asking the question.

“All I wanted was some flowers to bring for Six,” Eli answered. “Apparently negotiating down here is a little more interesting than on the station. At least I got the flowers. Hey Six! We’re here!” he called out.

“I think that’s our cue. You ready for this?” Six reached up to touch Suresh’s cheek. “Cross your fingers?”

He nodded, smiling softly at her. “Let’s go greet our guests.”

As Suresh and Six appeared in the doorway, Chance waved. “We thought we’d bring a party!” He was carrying a box and a bag, one had food in it, the other had bottles of wine.

“That’s so sweet. Suresh was just saying we should see to dinner but you saved us the trouble.” She took the bag of food. “Suresh, will you handle the wine? And bring Eli’s flowers?”

“Certainly,” he took the bottles from Chance then the flowers from Eli and led the group to the villa’s large kitchen. He set about putting the wine away, opening one bottle, and finding glasses for the wine and a vase for the flowers.

“Wow. Nice place,” Chance said. He set Ariadne on the counter; she immediately made a beeline towards the box of food. Chance moved to block her from crawling into it.

“Thanks.” Six laughed at the spider’s antics as she began to unpack the food. “We found this house a while back and liked it so much we couldn’t part with it. It became our little oasis, you could say. It was also ignored by Niro so things that happened here are clear as a bell in my head.”

"Well, that's good, right? He must not have had time to mess with the memories associated with this place," Chance commented, picking up the spider and moving her to the far end of the kitchen island.

Stop that, she admonished him.

"Stop trying to get into the food, then!" He set her down again and waited for her to move.

“It does give us a good place to start from,” Eli agreed. “It stands to reason that other things are tied to your time here, so it may be our way in.” He looked over at Ariadne now. “Behave and Chance will take you out to the beach once Six and I get started.”

Ariadne had started to move again when Eli told her to behave. Beach?

“Shush,” Chance said. “Do you two want to take that to another room and get started? Suresh and I can prepare for dinner.”

And take me to see this beach thing, Ariadne reminded him, as if he might have forgotten in the last two seconds.

Six looked back at Suresh, suddenly nervous. “We...I suppose we could yes.” She realized she was crimping the front of her skirt with her fingers and forced herself to stop. “No time like the present.”

“Chance and I will be just fine. And the spider, too,” Suresh said, frowning at Ariadne. “Go on into the study.”

“Suresh, if you don’t mind, I’ll take Ariadne outside,” Chance said.

Suresh nodded, “Go ahead. The kitchen is all mine.”

Six nodded and silently led the way out of the kitchen. She and Eli went down a hall and into the small study. There was a sofa and two chairs facing the empty fireplace. She closed the door behind them.

“How’s this?”

“Good, good,” Eli said, entering behind her and looking around. “Guess it’s too warm for a fire. How about we sit on the sofa together? I need to touch you to do this.”

“Alright.” She settled on the sofa and turned so she could face him, tucking her legs beneath her. “I’m a little uncertain about this, Eli. There’s probably things in there you don’t really want to see.”

He sat in much the same way she had. “Like Suresh and you being sexy?” He laughed. “If it’s that you’re still Fleet, Chance and I already know.”

She nodded at the news. “I was told you two were joining the spooks. It was in the department report that came through just before I left. I think it’s the perfect choice for you both.” She stopped and shook her head. “No, not Suresh. That’s what Imal found...in my head. The fake memories.”

“The fake memories are why I’m here, Six,” he said gently. “Let me just see.”

“Very well. Just promise me you won’t think any less of me after? Please?” She managed a faint smile but it faded immediately. As Eli reached out, she grew still and closed her eyes.

“Think of one of the spoiled memories,” he said. “It’s easier to find if you’re thinking of it. Then I can follow his tracks, see how he did this,” he explained. He delved into her mind, waited a moment for her to come up with a memory then examined it. After a moment, he pulled back slightly. “How’s that memory now?”

Six nodded slowly. The interference is gone. I was thinking of the night Suresh first took me to dinner. That one was only slightly affected. I suppose Niro didn’t think it overly important. Can you tell the fakes from the rest? If you can, please Eli, get rid of those first. It’s hard to face Suresh with such garbage in my head.”

“Yeah, I think I can. I mean... I’ll guess that any memories with Niro in a golden light are fake,” he said. He reentered Six’s mind and looked for Niro’s imprint. It wasn’t hard to find; removing it was even easier. “How long did he have with you? To plant these, I mean?”

“We were on Bajor for…” she stopped to think a moment. “A little over two days by our time there. He was with me for all of it. Even when I slept.” Her face flushed suddenly as the memory of waking up in his arms came. “That one is real and I wish more than anything I could lose it.”

“Do you want me to remove it? You know that when an Enaran deletes a memory, it’s gone, right? You’re really lucky he didn’t have more time, otherwise he could have removed all your good memories of Suresh. It looks like he was rushing and just covering things up.”

“That’s what Imal thought too. If he’d succeeded in dumping Darwin and Julisa, he intended to take the Korenna and me and disappear for a while. There would’ve been nothing left if we ever came back.” She licked her lips, then shook her head. “No, I need it. Security still has to have a full report from me on actual events, as does Dae. Imal has reported all that she found. I also need it for when I face Niro. After that...maybe.”

“Okay. How about this one?” He touched on one, activating it in her head. “Fake, right?” When she nodded, he removed it.

She sighed with relief, then her brow furrowed as the most intimate of the memories surfaced. “That one. Take it!”

“I got it,” he said and removed the memory. It took longer than the others had. “Okay, I need to take a break.”

* The Beach *

Once dinner was in the oven, Suresh shed his shoes and jumped down from the verandah to the sand. He could see Chance down near the water and soon he drew near. The sun was low, touching the water at the horizon, the light shimmering across the water. He was wound up tight, knowing that Eli was working with Six and he was hoping for the best. He hadn’t realized till just this moment how much he had his hopes pinned to the cadet’s efforts. When he reached Chance and Ariadne, he stopped, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“So, what do you think?”

“Goliath Tarantulas are not meant for beaches,” Chance said, watching as Ariadne carefully stalked across the sand, picking up each foot in turn and shaking the sand off of it before setting it back in the sand.

I am getting sand in my hair, she complained. All over my legs. It is probably on my belly and fangs.

Chance laughed, walking alongside of her. “She wanted to be in the sand, though, to feel what it’s like.”

“At least it’s warm,” Suresh observed. “That is a good thing, isn’t it?” He watched as the spider moved slowly over the sand. Not far ahead, a tiny sand crab crawled out of a hole. “Is that a problem?”

That is dinner. The spider kept moving, though she picked up her pace.

Chance winced as he looked at the crab. “Maybe you shouldn’t...? It has claws.”

And I have fangs, she said. When she was within a foot of the creature, she pounced for it. And missed. Oh dear. The crab disappeared into its hole.

“And that’s not dinner now.” Chance laughed. “Don’t worry, Ari, we have something you can eat. You’re right, Suresh, it’s warm, which is nice. She’ll be fine.” He didn’t mean Ari.

“I hope so.” Suresh turned to look out over the water, silent for several seconds. “It was right here on this beach that we were married. We were both so excited about it but now, I wonder. If I hadn’t pulled her into my world, she never would have been a target.”

“You’re not the Suresh that belongs in the Pit, are you? She’s not part of your world; she’s part of that Suresh’s world. You’re both caught up in it. I suppose you have my sister to thank for that. My sister and Captain Hawke.”

Suresh turned to Chance, considering his words. “Maybe but neither of them had a choice. If I hadn’t taken his place, we might have had a war erupt down below the equator. So I did it. It was only after that I met Six and Reva by accident in Saturnalia and the rest is history.” He smiled for a moment. “I never stood a chance after laying eyes on her. But she was painted into a corner as well. Her association with ‘the crime lord’ was beginning to harm her career. We had to make a choice.”

“There you go: you said ‘we’; the two of you made it, so it wasn’t just you dragging her down.” Chance watched as Ariadne headed for the water. Each time the water lapped towards her, she skittered backwards then moved forward again.

“Can she drown?” It wasn’t clear whether Suresh meant the spider or Six.

“No. Actually, tarantulas float. The hairs on their legs trap air. Apparently they’re also waterproof,” Chance commented as a particularly energetic wave rose up and splashed Ari. The spider looked no worse for the wear.

She, however, was unconvinced, Augh! I got wet! Chance, pick me up. She was already walking back towards him and reaching for a pant leg when he scooped her up.

“No, no one here is spoiled, not at all,” he muttered and grinned at Suresh.

Suresh laughed and it felt so very good. “Not at all. We'll do anything for those we love, won’t we? Whatever form they are in.” HIs smile lingered and he turned as he heard someone approaching. It was Eli.

“Hello men, and lady.” Sensing Suresh’s immediate question, he nodded. “We’re making some progress. It’s a bit of a slog because he left a mess but we’ll get there. We’re taking a break for tonight though. It’s somewhat straining.”

Suresh felt such intense relief, he thought his knees would buckle. “Thank you,” he whispered, then unexpectedly hugged Eli briefly.

Chance’s brows went up in surprise. Seeing Eli enveloped in Suresh’s arms wasn’t a thing he’d ever thought he’d see. In true Conradi fashion, he ruined the moment by asking, “Do you two need a moment? I can take the kid and stroll back towards the house?”

Eli was as surprised as Chance but he laughed along with Suresh. “No, no need. Six was a little wiped so I left her stretched out in your bedroom. A little nap before dinner should do her good.” He felt suddenly awkward, given the unusual situation with her and Suresh. “It seemed better than the sofa.”

Suresh waved that aside. “It’s okay. So, is there reason to believe she’ll come out of this in one piece?”

Eli nodded. “I believe so. We should get back and check on dinner though. It smells good.”

Are we having chicken for dinner?

“No, it’s….well...I guess it’s sorta Archadian chicken,” Eli admitted. “But it tasted fine..when it’s not burnt.”

“I’ll get to it then.” Suresh hurried up the steps to the verandah and vanished into the house.

After he was gone, Eli turned to Chance. “All I can say is...wow.”

“The mind-fuckery? I don’t doubt it and Six is hardly the first he’s done this to,” Chance said. For just a moment, he completely understand his sister’s aversion to telepaths. She didn’t trust most of them.

“Hey I resemble that remark..er..thought.” Eli smiled, however. “Most are not like him, thank goodness. I feel...slimy. I also feel sorry for Suresh. I can understand what it’s like to have the one you love have someone messing in their heads. But, we got you past it, we’ll get Six there too.”

“Yes, Hazari mindmelds be damned!” Chance laughed and pulled Eli close for a kiss. As they turned to walk back up to the house, he conversationally asked, “Did you know that tarantulas float and are waterproof?”

**************
Ensign Six Of Ten
Suresh
Cadet JG Eli Ziyad
Cadet JG Chance Conradi
Ariadne
Beach Party