Nobody's Girls - Part II

Posted on Mon Jun 27th, 2016 @ 10:34pm by Lieutenant Riley Sukotav & Ensign Six of Ten & Suresh & Niro & Ensign Leela Carter & Ensign Reva Madhava
Edited on on Sun Sep 4th, 2016 @ 9:31pm

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: EFS Korenna - Alternate Universe

* EFS Korenna Brig - Alternate Universe *

Enraged, realizing what Niro had done, Leela reached for her phaser and roared with frustration on finding it was no longer in its holster. “Niro!”, she shouted.

“Carter?” Reva called from her cell. “What the hell just happened? I was running calculations with Riley and now...? Oh, hell.”

The doors to the brig opened and Niro strolled in. “Hello ladies. Comfortable I hope?”

“Niro!” Carter shouted again, stepping up to the forcefield to glare at him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Where is Riley?”, Reva asked, noticing that Marie was in a third cell and Suresh was settling Six into a fourth. Memories of Fisher rose up. Terror closed her throat and she sunk towards the back of the cell.

“Riley’s back at work where he should be,” Niro answered. “Why? You want to see him? I’m sure he’d like that.” He turned to watch as Suresh laid Six on the bunk in the fourth cell, sat down beside her and activated the forcefield. “He’s going to find the way to get you home. How’s that? And Marie there is going to help him. As are you, Reva.”

“That’s what we were working on, on the ship that needs to take us home,” Reva said, her voice soft.

Leela demanded Niro’s attention, “Just what do you intend to do? Go back to our universe with us?”

“Eventually, yes. We’re always up for a little adventure. We may even get to 900 one of these days. I couldn’t let the chance to regain some things we lost pass us by, could I? Not when you’ve all been so conveniently dropped in our laps. Marie especially. She can take us anywhere we might want to go...and any...when.”

“Any when?” Leela could see all of the possibilities there, few of them good. “We won’t let you mess with the timeline, Niro. Not in this universe or any other.”

“I don’t intend to, merely observe. But those are rather hypocritical words coming from you, Leela. You see I’ve seen into Six’s head. I know her Suresh isn’t the original but from another dimension. I also know that she and several others went back in time and seriously messed with the timeline.” He crossed his arms. “So? Your point?”

“They didn’t go back in time purposefully. They ended up there by accident,” she argued. “We have our own lives to get back to. Reva is marrying her Riley; Six is married to Suresh,” she knew that if he’d looked into Six’s head, then he already knew that tidbit, too. She didn’t mention that she had her own companion to get back to. “You’ll ruin their happiness for ...what?”

“Ours of course. There’s some things you need to know, Leela.” Niro moved closer to her forcefield and looked into her eyes. Effortlessly, he slipped into her thoughts and in a flash, he had transferred his memories of his time with her counterpart, along with the deep emotions that went along with those memories. “I have my reasons.”

Overwhelmed, Leela stepped back and sat heavily on the bunk. “Oh....”

Niro was silent as he watched Leela, but finally nodded. “Perhaps, if we ever got to your 900, I’ll find that JAG officer who killed her. Your JAG officer actually.” He turned away and stopped by the cell that held Six and Suresh. “Revive her and get to engineering. I need you two down there. Check the warp drive and the progress of the rest of the ship. The Kohana won’t be far behind.”

“The Kohana’s engines are better than the Korenna’s; they can easily overtake this ship,” Reva muttered from her cell. She was sitting against the far wall of the cell, knees tucked to her chin. She glared at him, defiant and terrified.

Suresh spoke up from Six’s cell, “Shut up, Orion. He said Six and I are to go to Engineering. You’ll stay here.” He moved to the Brig command console and started entering an order for the stimulant he’d need to wake Six.

“I have another job for you Reva.” Niro’s smile returned. Her posture and fear weren’t lost on him. “You’ll be sent to Riley to work out opening the rift. And as long as Six cooperates, you’ll be just fine. I think you’ll be good inspiration for her.” He tapped his badge and called for Reva’s transport to Riley’s location.

“Let’s hope Riley isn’t still soft for her,” Suresh said, re-entering Six’s cell and pressing a hypospray to her neck. “She’ll be awake in a minute, then we’ll head down to Engineering and I’ll check on Riley, too.”

“Good. As for Riley? He is, which is what I am counting on.” Niro’s smile widened. “Marie? Get some rest, it’s going to be a busy day for you later, once we’ve lost the Kohana. I’ll see you in a few minutes, Leela.” He turned and departed the brig.

Leela watched him walk out, feeling a yearning for him while also feeling repulsed by him. She could recall things that made her blush. Pushing her own angst aside, she moved towards the forcefield so she could look at Reva. “Reva? You okay?” Even the human could tell Reva wasn’t.

“I’m fine,” came her curt reply. “I’ll sabotage the engines, make sure the Kohana catches us. Or the shields... that might be a better idea. The Kohana has enough engine power to catch this ship.”

Six woke up to hear their familiar voices, along with that of Suresh as he spoke softly to her. She was confused at first, wondering if somehow they had gotten home, or her Suresh had reached them. It took only a split second to detect the difference however. She took his hands and he helped her sit up. “What’s happening?”

“Six?”, Reva called, “Are you okay?” Before Six could answer, Reva disappeared in the transporter’s haze.

“I’m -- where’d she go? Leela? Marie? Why are you here? What have you all done?” she demanded of Suresh.

“Shh,” he tried to calm her, “You’re fine and all of you will be taken care of. We’re heading to Engineering, so you’ll be able to see Reva again in a few minutes.”

“Six, they’ve stolen us from the Kohana,” Leela said.

“I tried to say something when the shields went down Leela, but Niro stopped me from speaking. Then everything went dark. What do you want with them Suresh? I can guess why I’m here but them? Reva will lose it. Where is she?”

“She’ll be fine; she’s with Riley. In Engineering,” he said, helping her stand. “We’re going to take the slow way and walk there. Just us.”

“Go with him, Six, see if you can find Reva. Marie and I will be fine here,” Leela said.

“Alright.” She stepped out of the cell with Suresh. “I’ll check on you two soon, I promise.” She fell silent as Suresh led her out of the brig and into the corridor, holding her close against him. “Why are we taking the slow way? I assume there’s something you want to talk about that you don’t want overheard?”

“It’s simply more time with you,” he reasoned.

Six was momentarily at a loss as to how to respond to that. She slipped out of his arm and stopped, turning to face him. “You realize that they will catch up? The engines are going to shut down soon so the nanoprobes can do the conversion. Until then, their engines are better.” It was a safe topic, she thought.

“Then delay the nanoprobes or order them to keep the ship at maximum speed,” he said. “Do something - Niro is cunning and won’t hesitate to destroy that ship.”

Six’s eyes widened. “They will catch up either way. The nanoprobes could probably convert the engines at impulse but it would take a few minutes. It will be a gamble on whether they catch us or not.” She looked back up at Suresh and his hopes washed over her again. “They will get to us.”

“I hope not, Six,” he said as they kept walking. “But, if they do, then they do and we’ll see who has the better ship then.”

“I’m not her,” Six said quietly. “It wouldn’t be the same. Surely you see that?” He also wasn’t her Suresh and that was the biggest issue. She had to get to Reva.

* Engineering *

Though she’d been transported to the engine room to work on getting more power from them, Reva was, instead, curled in a corner, glaring at Riley.

Do you want to get home or not? He shot her a glance, then turned to check the engine monitors. I get it, I do. I can’t make you pay for something the Reva in my world did. But, we need to widen that rift, though, if your ship is going to get through and get away from the Borg.

Realizing he wasn’t going to hurt her, Reva got to her feet and went to the console farthest from him. “Did he steal your tongue?”, she asked as she accessed the engine controls. “Here’s one way to open that rift...,” she muttered as she vented plasma from the engine and let the exhaust ignite it. The ship rocked violently as the plasma exploded and burned into the engine, killing it.

What did you --

Niro’s voice came immediately over the comm. “What the hell happened?”

“I vented plasma and ignited it, Niro,” Reva snarled. “And the plasma burned right back into the port engine, killing it. We’re at half-power until it’s repaired, which means the Kohana will easily catch up.”

Niro was silent for a few seconds, but when he spoke, his voice was acid. “You have one hour. Have it fixed and have your Borg friend speed it along. Believe me when I say you won’t like the consequences if you fail. Niro out.”

Riley looked at her, his expression worried now. We have to hurry.

“Careful, I might decide to do the same to the other engine,” she warned Riley.

Do you want the Borg to catch up? Or have Niro decide you need to be dealt with? Neither option is good. Riley turned back to the warp engine panel, which had already remade itself during his brief conversation with Reva. Help.

He seemed... scared..., something that both irked and concerned Reva. Afraid of his captain? That couldn’t be much of a life. She shook her head. “No, I won’t. He can’t do anything worse than what’s already been done. Besides, the nanites will fix it; the engine couldn’t be online while they go in there.”

The engineering doors opened and Six stepped through, followed by Suresh. She took a quick look around, noting what had already changed, then hurried over to Reva’s side. “Are you alright?”

She hugged Six, imparting some of her thoughts via touch. “I’m okay. I killed one of the engines. What about you, are you okay?” She looked past Six’s shoulder at Suresh.

“We’ll see. That engine will self-repair in another few minutes, based on the progress I can see here.” Six looked from Riley to Suresh, then back. “He intends to go back through, doesn’t he?”

“To go to our universe? That’d screw some things up royally.” We can’t let them into our space.

Six nodded slowly. “It might but we’d be better equipped to deal with them there than here. Otherwise, I don’t doubt he would turn tail and fly as far from the rift and as fast as he could. We might never get home if so.” Besides, if they are there, the station can handle them and send them away.

Good point, Reva conceded. “Okay, the engines will be repaired. Let’s lay in a course that loops us back to the rift. Can you get a message to the Kohana?”

“Yes.” Six turned to look at Suresh, her expression hesitant. She had no way to know if he would tell Niro or not.

Then try. Tell them the idea.

Six nodded once more. “Suresh? Will you tell him?”

Suresh looked up from where he’d been looking at the console. “He’ll likely read it in my head. Or in Riley’s. He tends to push Riley’s boundaries.”

“Then perhaps you two should stay down here,” Six suggested. “Sounds like it’s safer. Where’s Leela?”

“Likely with Niro,” Suresh answered.

“With Niro?” Reva glanced at Six. She’d had a moment of concern for the woman but remembered that she was a security officer. Not exactly easy prey.

“As much as I hate to say this, maybe she will keep him distracted.” Sigh sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Let’s get these engines done and I’ll see what I can to do speed up the nanoprobes.” She glanced to Reva, her hand still resting on the Orion’s shoulder.. And I’ll have them contact the Kohanna. Can Riley be trusted, since he can overhear this?

I don’t know, Reva answered, looking at Riley. He’s afraid of Niro.

It’s a long story, Reva. But no, I won’t tell him. Let’s do this. The thought reached all of them.

“Well, you all heard the man.” Six moved to one of the consoles, raised her hand, and the two tubules snaked out and injected themselves in its surface.

***************
Lt.(j.g.) Leela Carter
Ensign Reva Madhava
Niro (Alt)
Suresh (Alt)
Ensign Six Of Ten
Riley (Alt)