Arresting Matters

Posted on Thu Dec 8th, 2011 @ 6:05pm by Captain Li Hawke & Commander Sakkath & Commander Oralia Zeferino

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Deck 532 / The Brig

* * *Security Offices* * *

Gilroy tossed a phaser to Darwin, who handily caught and holstered it, then looked Eric Edwards up and down. "Ready? We've got a lock on a commbadge signal on Deck 532, Section E. It's Li Hawke's badge, but the sounds coming from it... aren't a conversation she'd have, I'd hope," the last was muttered almost under his breath. "It seems that, if it is Commander Hawke, she's giving us a heads up on where Suresh is."

Eric took a moment to check his own weapon before nodding. "Ready as I'll ever be. What's the plan? Secure Commander Hawke and detain Suresh?" Inwardly, he was half-hoping Gilroy would suggest beating the hell out of Suresh first, but that was more Klingon justice than Starfleet. He imagined that Suresh would be making it to the brig primarily unscathed, unless he started the fight himself.

Had Gilroy known Eric's thoughts, he'd have agreed with the idea of beating the tar out of Suresh. Sadly, he was part-Klingon, not part-Betazoid. He'd already told the team that Suresh had injured Oz and had had her hair cut off. "The plan is: storm the castle, shoot anyone who gives us grief and arrest everyone near Hawke's commbadge. Got it?"

The others on the team nodded and Darwin said, "Ready Freddy!"

Gilroy paused and looked at Darwin, then at the others on the team. "Who is Freddy?"

"Um... we don't have a Freddy."

"Then...?" Gilroy shook his head, and motioned the team to the turbolift. "Let's get moving, quickly."

Edwards joined the others in the turbolift, smirking slightly at the exchange but scratching his head. "So, wait... there's a castle in the Cherry Pit?" he asked, as the doors hissed shut.


* * * Deck 532 - Guest Quarters * * *

Li could hear him moving around in the bedroom - the soft rustle of clothes, the sheets being turned back. The surface of the portal was cool against her forehead and she counted several seconds, forcing her breathing to slow. She had no intention of following through, she just needed a few more minutes.

"Isha?" Suresh called softly. "Come." The last was not as soft; it was as much of a command as he dared use with her.

She turned and moved to the door of the bedroom, resting her hand against the frame. Suresh was sitting up in the bed, the sheet drawn over his lower body, his bare chest visible. He smiled and beckoned her forward.

"A moment, arr'hae." She passed by, aiming for the bathroom. He grabbed hold of her wrist, pulling her to a stop.

"Don't take too long."

Li nodded and without a word, pulled her hand away and stepped into the bathroom. Leaning back against the wall, she closed her eyes. Another minute or two....surely. She crossed her fingers.

Minutes ticked by; four point five, to be exact. Finally, the door slid open - but it was, for Suresh, the wrong door: it was the main door into the guest quarters, snapping open as the result of a Security override. Footsteps pounded into the room and Gilroy was the first into the bedroom, where he slid to a halt, phaser trained on the bed. He nodded for Edwards to check the bathroom.

Eric slipped behind the half-Klingon Lieutenant, his phaser drawn as he gave a sideways glance to the half-naked Romulan in the bed. If the Commander hadn't been stunned walking out of a turbolift, he doubted Suresh could've given her too much of a fight. Not after what he'd seen her do in the Speaker's quarters.

He placed his back against the wall before activating the override on the bathroom door. Leading with his weapon, he made a quick move to block the exit and detain anyone hidden inside.

The woman inside was stunning, with a shock of red hair, but thankfully that couldn't do much to distract this Security Officer. "Hands where I can see them," he said, his finger resting on a phaser set to heavy stun. "One woman," he called back to Gilroy.

Li slowly raised her hands, resisting a smile at seeing Edwards. "Of course," she said softly, then raised her finger to her lips, a sign to hopefully ward off any exclamation should he recognize her.

Eric blinked, wondering just what that was supposed to mean as he reached in to take her by the arm, bodily leading her into the bedroom with his phaser trained on her back.

From the main room, another shout came: "Clear!", and Darwin appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. Gilroy nodded, staring at the man on the bed and said, "Suresh, you are under arrest for the kidnapping and assault of Lieutenant Commander Zeferino. Please stand, keeping your hands where we can see them."

Suresh grumbled menacingly, seeing Edwards holding on to Li. He turned his dark eyes to Gilroy and smiled, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Really? On what grounds? I can assure you I had nothing to do with either charge."

"We have information that says otherwise." Gilroy bluffed.

"Is that so? I'll be interested to hear from any witnesses" He eyed the phasers, then raised his voice. "Isha, we will have to delay this evening, it appears." He threw the sheet aside and climbed from the bed, completely bare, but apparently not caring.

Darwin sighed and shot a look at Gilroy, who motioned to him to move in and cuff the naked Romulan. "Nice and tight, Dar," Gilroy said, and grinned slightly.

"Funny, that's what I was saying earlier to my evening's entertainment." Suresh winked at Gilroy, then turned his attention to Li and Edwards.

Holstering his phaser, Darwin did just as Gilroy ordered, cinching the zip-tie cuffs tight around Suresh's wrists. He knew they could have let Suresh pull on pants, first, but... he'd threatened Oz. This was part of his payback.

With Suresh secured, hands away from any sort of weapon, Gilroy turned his attention towards the woman. He looked her over then said, "You are also under arrest. Just bad proximity for you."

"Let her go." Suresh's words were obviously not a request as he continued to look at Edwards.

"Can't do that," Edwards said. "We're going to hold her for questioning in connection to this whole affair. I'm going to need you to put your hands behind your back, Isha was it?"

"Yes," Li answered. She moved her hands behind her as requested.

Suresh spoke again, this time his voice was sharp as steel. "I meant, take your hands off her. I do not want you touching her."

His Starfleet training and the fact that two of his superior officers were standing in the room were the only things that prevented Eric from running his hands down Isha's bare arms to torment their captive. As it was, he simply applied the manacles to her hand-by-hand, having to go slowly so as not to lower his weapon. Once Isha was secure, he holstered the hand phaser once more, giving a nod to Lieutenant Gilroy.

Returning the nod, Gilroy gestured towards the door and waited till Darwin roughly hauled Suresh towards it before adding, "Our Brig is currently having a mild pest issue. As a precaution, to prevent you from bringing any new pests in or taking any pests out, we're going to shave your head." He coughed lightly as Darwin 'accidentally' ran Suresh's shoulder into the doorjamb. "Ah, careful there, Suresh. Watch your step."

"No!" Suresh pulled back from the doorjamb with a grunt. "Not my hair!" he hissed at Darwin. "I'll be out before you know it. And I won't be happy. I suspect neither will those assigned to defend me."

Eric chuckled. "I'd be less worried about your hair. Seems a shame for the lady to lose those crimson locks."

That was too much for Suresh and he let loose a string of curses that even defied the translators. "Not hers!"

Li stopped moving, leaning close enough to touch her shoulder to Suresh's. She did not speak but held his gaze for several moments. Instantly, he calmed down, falling silent. A smile appeared on his face, his expression almost dreamy.

"Oh, yes, hers," Gilroy assured Suresh, "Possibly *all* of hers." He leered at Li/Isha, even as he wondered just what the hell the woman had just done to Suresh. "All right, we're changing your charges to unlicensed prostitution. Unless, of course, you have one."

"I am sure you are not calling her a whore. That would be a mistake indeed." Suresh spoke, but there was no threat in the words now. He was so mellow as to be almost comatose now.

Holding the prisoner by the arm, Darwin suggested, "Maybe we should go ahead and shave his head now. Hers, too."

Gilroy agreed and one of their teammates replicated clippers, while others moved to take hold of Li/Isha and Suresh. "Lieutenant Edwards, would you care to do the honors?"

"Me?" he asked, slightly taken aback, but all he had to do was imagine the Commander, shorn, and he readily accepted the clippers. He started with Suresh, watching as the shiny black strands fell to the floor in heaps, leaving Suresh's pale green-tinged scalp bald against his pointed ears. If nothing else, he supposed he'd have a story to tell Norval later.

Soon as the cutting was halfway done, Gilroy spoke to Isha, "It's your lucky day: I just heard that our pest problem in the Brig is all taken care of. No need to lose that pretty red hair." He looked at his team and ordered, "Get her out of here, process her into the Brig. We'll have questions for her later." His men nodded and took Isha out with them.

"Save the hair for Isha?" Suresh asked. "She will know what to do with it." He looked down at his hair scattered at his feet and sighed. "Think she will ever look at me again?"

"We'll collect the hair. I believe Oz plans to burn it," Gilroy informed him, smiling meanly.

"I'll be out soon you know." Suresh's voice was a mellow sing-song now as his high really settled in. "Gentlemen, shall we?"

"I wouldn't be so fast to call us gentle," Eric tossed back as he set down the clippers and set to collecting the clippings of Suresh's latest hairstyle.

* * *Brig* * *

With Suresh being processed and secured as per the usual protocol, Gilroy asked the Brig Clerk where the prisoner, Isha, had been taken.

"Oh, she's in holding cell C. We haven't processed her through, yet. Haven't had a female officer down here yet."

"Yeah, I don't think we'll need one," Gilroy answered and headed towards the holding cell, Edwards and Darwin following behind him. "Isha? Enjoying Security's hospitality?"

She looked up from the narrow bed where she sat as the three men arrived outside the force field. "The mattress is a bit hard." A smile spread slowly over her face as she addressed Gilroy. "I was beginning to think you'd never get there and then I'd be in a difficult situation."

Eric looked confused behind Gilroy, wondering just how being in the brig was somehow less difficult than what was clearly a romantic encounter of some kind.

"Seems to me that you handled him just fine. He's still got that zoned-out grin. Makes me want to bang him up a little, just to wipe it off his face."

Darwin shot a shocked look at Gilroy, wondering just what the part-Klingon was up to. Everyone knew you didn't say stuff like that to a prisoner!

"He'll be happy for another couple of hours, then sleep it off for a while," Li answered. Noting the confusion in Edwards and Darwin, she reached up, tugging off the red wig. Laying it aside, she fluffed out her own hair, then rubbed her eyes. "There's two you need, Gil. The ones actually responsible. They are the only ones who you will be able to sway and get the truth from if you want to hold him."

As understanding dawned, Eric smirked. "Good thing we didn't try to cut that wig off of you. Things would have gotten awkward. Or, as awkward as they can when you've already got a naked man in handcuffs."

Li shuddered. "Don't remind me, that is far more than I ever wanted to see." She lowered the wig to her lap, biting her lip. "I need sleep." She didn't mention that it might be long in coming, that she had a Vulcan to find.

Understanding had also dawned for Darwin. He had to give Gilroy credit for knowing and recalling that Li's commbadge would have been on someone in that apartment. Still, he wasn't a fan of not having gotten that himself. He keyed in a code on the cell's keypad and the forcefield shut off. "Right. Suppose you'd rather do that at home than here, Commander Hawke."

She started to answer, then paused. Her whole reason for going down below was to avoid exactly what Darwin suggested. Still, at this point, Sakkath's modifications to his terminal in their quarters might come in handy. Finally, she nodded.

"You should probably be back here in the morning," Eric suggested. "If we can't find these other two, we'll have to release you both, and I'm sure our friend in the other cell will be asking about you."

"Very well, though he is used to my coming and going as I please, I can handle him if he starts kicking up a fuss." Li stood, tucking the wig under her arm. "I'll go out the other way so as not to be seen, unless you want to transport me from here."

"That'd require too many overrides; Ops as well as Security," Gilroy replied. "We could replicate a uniform for you. That dress is ...notable."

"Thank you. Just bring it in and I'll get out of your hair. If you'll pardon the pun."

___________________________

Lt. Commander Li Hawke
At The End Of A Very Long Night

Suresh
Five Pounds Lighter

Lieutenant Gilroy
Lieutenant Darwin
Lieutenant JG Edwards
A good team