Seeing Through His Eyes

Posted on Mon Nov 19th, 2012 @ 7:42pm by Janice Gree & Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad & Lieutenant Eric Edwards

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Piper Medical

* * * Piper Medical Center * * *

It was all a blur. When Eli reached Piper Medical, the place seemed eerily calm. And why shouldn’t it? Chance was somewhere deep within, stashed away in a room somewhere while medical personnel frantically tried to save him. At least he hoped they were trying to save him and not merely making notes for Chance’s file before packing him in stasis while Security did its thing. No. He couldn’t think that. He realized he’d been standing at the front desk saying nothing while Kiere looked worried.

“Eli?”

He had the impression that this wasn’t the first time she’d called his name.

“Eli?” She came out from behind the desk and gently took his arm. “They’ll do everything possible, I promise you that. Why don’t you come with me and We’ll get you somewhere out of the public eye to wait? Jackson and Oz are down in one of the waiting rooms, let’s try that, alright?”

Oz... she’d grabbed him, seemed to think he was responsible. Surely she couldn’t think that he’d hurt Chance? Footsteps sounded behind him but they were faint, barely penetrating his haze. He felt familiar arms around him, however and after a moment, his derailed brain recognized Janice’s perfume.

“Eli?” Janice quietly said his name as she held him close. “Baby,” she whispered, sounding more like a mother than she realized, “They need to ask you some questions.”

“I didn’t do it, Jan.” His voice was broken as he spoke. “How could they think that I --” He stopped speaking, sensing the presence of someone else there. Raising his head from her shoulder, he saw a man appearing in a transporter swirl behind Jan and wearing security gold. He knew the man...Eric. The one Norval had admitted to being in love with the night of a very enlightening conversation.

“Jay said Oz asked you that. I’m sure that was just shock and emotions,” she rubbed his back, trying to sooth him. “It’ll be okay, honey. She didn’t mean it.” And if she had, Jan was quite willing to kick her out an airlock. “Come with me, we’ll sit and talk with the Security officer, okay?” She tried to catch his gaze with hers.

Eli looked to Kiere before he answered. “You’ll call if anything changes?” When she nodded, he looked to Eric. “Very well.”

Even just seeing Eli was breaking Eric’s heart, but he was doing his level best not to let it show. Darwin and Gilroy were both occupied with the smuggling and slaving issues, Oz was too close to this and he... well, his medical leave had been understandably cut short. He wished he had been happier to put the two new pips on his collar.

“Miss Gree,” Eric said with a nod, “Eli. Let’s step inside, hmm?” he offered, gesturing to an empty examination room and waiting for the two to enter before following. He pulled a seat over such that he could look directly at Eli.

He just looked at the young man for a few minutes, his mind racing with what he should say. He sighed heavily, hanging his head and rubbing the back of his neck. “I... I know it must be awful to have to relive this, Eli, but I need you to tell me what happened.” He managed to lock eyes with the Enaran again, wondering not about the cause of the grief and anger there, but the depth of it.

Eli rubbed his eyes as he tried to focus, turn his mind back to the time leading up to his discovery. “We weren’t having a second live set tonight, since Jackson and Jan were both taking the night off. They’d reserved J’s usual table for them and Oz and Woodford.” His voice was monotone as he began to relate the tale of his evening, lacking any emotion whatsoever. “I did my first set as usual, then filled in so Cass could take a break. It was almost the end of her break when Chance arrived at the club.”

Eric gave a nod, removing a PADD and taking notes as Eli spoke. “Do you have any idea what he was doing prior to meeting you at the Nexus?”

Eli shook his head. “No. I mean we had some astrophysics work due but it was mostly done. Maybe that? Hard to say with Chance. He tended to bounce all over the place.” Eli paused and focused once more. “We went to the storeroom that’s across the hall from J’s office.” He tensed at just the mention of that office. “He dragged me in as he was in the mood to play. We got as far as untying my tie and he suggested we get out of there and go to Jackson’s office and use the sofa, or to Jan’s room.” He cut a glance at Jan for a moment. “Chance wanted to use the office. He’s much less afraid of J then he is of Jan. You know, in case we got caught.”

Despite the awful circumstances, Jan’s mouth twitched upward, trying for a smile. Oz’s brother had nothing to worry about from her - though if she’d caught him and Eli fooling around in her dressing room? Well, maybe then, yes.

Eric happened to also glance Jan’s way just as Eli did. He was more than a little surprised Eli volunteered that information so readily instead of needing it dragged out of him, given her presence. “So this wasn’t planned. No one could have known either of you were going to be inside of Jackson Banning’s office in advance?”

“I don’t see how they could. I mean I’m in and’ out of Jackson’s office all the time but Chance rarely.” A thought struck him and both Jan and Eric could see him visibly tense. He carried on with his story, however, not mentioning that thought. “He led me across the hall by pulling on my waistband,” and here he blushed a trifle, due to Jan’s presence. “Just as we reached the door, I heard my name called from the end of the hall, where it opens out near the bar. When I got there, no one had called me. They were all busy and no one seemed to need me.”

Holding Eli’s hand in both of hers, Janice frowned. She was starting to form the same question that Vic and Oralia had already thought.

Eric noticed the change in Eli’s demeanor, but chose not to say anything immediately. “Was it a voice you recognized?” he asked. “And besides you and, ostensibly, Jackson... who else would you say comes and goes frequently from his office?” That question he directed more towards the both of them, looking at Janice in the process.

Eli shook his head. “I don’t know. In a crowded club, unless it was Jackson or Vic....Jan, maybe Cass? It could have been anyone. So much noise...you know what I mean.” He paused and rubbed his eyes. The shock was beginning to abate and now his eyes stung. He really didn’t want to cry in front of Eric but it seemed they had other ideas, filling faster than he could wipe them. The first tear escaped, slipping down his cheek. “Besides Jackson and I? Jan and Oz are the most frequent. Vic and Cass. Benny now and then, he directs the orchestra.”

Janice shook her head at Eric, “Really, it’s just Jackson in there.” She didn’t have details on just where, or how, Chance had been attacked in the room.

The list of suspects offered by Eli didn’t do much to narrow it down, but Janice and Eric’s own suspicions did create a possible scenario. He recorded the theory in his PADD though knew voicing it would have possibly skewed the direction of the interview, and so remained silent.

“So you were away from Mister Con--- Chance,” he corrected. There was no use in being overly formal here. “Approximately how long? And did you get a look inside of the office prior to leaving him?”

“No, the doors were still closed when I went out to the bar.” Eli closed his eyes as he remembered. “I hurried. Obviously I wanted to get back as fast as I could. He told me to run see what they needed and he’d wait inside. I was gone probably two minutes?”

“And during that time you were gone... forgive me, because I honestly don’t know how this works... but did you sense anything?” He was tapping the side of his temple, as if to indicate Eli’s telepathy.

Eli frowned as he considered the question. Then it struck him that he hadn’t, which was odd. Slowly he shook his head. “No, and that’s strange. I have this...connection to Chance. He’s just sort of there in my head so I can talk to him. I do recall checking after I found him and I couldn’t feel him then either. But no, nothing ahead of time. I hurried back down the hall and opened the doors and...the smell....” The horror rose in his thoughts again and he turned, burying his face in Jan’s shoulder.

Wrapping her arms around Eli, Jan whispered nothing of importance to him.

Eric looked to Jan. It was evident he was filled with sympathy for Eli, but he did need this information. “Take all the time you need, Eli,” he tried to offer consolation. He’d rather have a firsthand account that was honest than one where he rushed their best witness to make emotional mistakes.

“I stepped in and at first I wasn’t even sure what I was seeing. I can describe it but it might be better if you see it? You might notice something that I miss in the telling.”

“Can... can you do that?” Eric said, sounding surprised.

“Yes. I can. Turn around please.” With a confused blink, Eric did as instructed. Eli raised his hand but stopped. “This will give you all my memories of tonight. You will see everything I saw and everything I noticed and it will be as real to you as one of your own memories.” He rested his palm between Eric’s shoulder blades, breathed deep, then closed his eyes as the flood of memories began to flow to Eric.

Eric was instantaneously nervous, but almost relieved when it became evident that Eli’s memories didn’t come part and parcel with his emotions. It didn’t matter, though, because Eric knew precisely how he would have reacted when that scent of blood hit his nose if it had been Norval waiting for him, how panicked he would have been in calling for the lights, in seeing all of that blood and the Trill’s lifeless eyes.

He very nearly wanted to retch as the transfer was completed and it took him a few minutes to even compose himself and process what he’d just witnessed. He had to assume this was about the best and worst interrogation ever.

“The room was dark when you came in,” he said, more as a statement than a question. It fit with his theory. He was trying to record everything in his report as vividly as possible, though he knew he’d never be able to forget what Eli had seen... what he had now seen.

“Only the small desk lamp. It showed a small section of the desk and the dark spots.” He suddenly couldn’t bear to use blood and Chance in the same sentence.

“And shortly thereafter, Oz arrived,” Eric concluded, knowing how things had progressed from that point forward. “Is there anything else you’d like to add? No matter how insignificant, these details could make a great deal of difference in our investigation.” He was particularly interested in the thought Eli had appeared to have earlier.

Eli started to shake his head, then stopped. “I think they may have been looking for me.”

Eric asked the obvious question. “They?”

Slowly, he related the story of the day their quarters had been trashed, the coin Chance had found, then the story of his flight from Saturnalia with Seyla’s help. “That was the night I told him.... never mind.” He shook his head.

“You told him...? Oh, never mind,” Jan echoed him unintentionally; she’d caught enough of the thought behind Eli’s comment to know what he’d told Chance that night. “Still, who is ‘they’? Enarans? Did you tell Oralia?”

“We called Security for that incident in our Quarters. And yes, Enarans. A group that I thought was only a rumour. Legend has it they are used to take care of ‘problems’. I can’t see any other reason. Who’d look for Chance in Jackson’s office?”

“I’ve seen that report,” Eric said with a nod, making a note to look into it as possibly related. “As for your other question... I promise you, I will try to find an answer.” He stood up and tried his best to offer a supporting smile. “I know I likely don’t have to tell you this, but don’t leave the station for the next few days. I may need to speak with you again. And, well, if you need to talk...” He wanted to say he’d be there for him, but as the officer in charge of the investigation that would have been a conflict of interest. “Norval’s door is open, and you have plenty of people who’ll take good care of you, Eli. We’re all hoping for the best.”

“It’s okay, I understand Eric.” Eli had caught the thought Eric had left unsaid. “Thank you.”

Eric gave a nod before quietly excusing himself. What a way to start a new assignment, he thought to himself, even as he began to put his thoughts on this whole matter together. Heading for the turbolift, he made his way back to the Nexus but only after stopping to ensure the medical staff would let him know the outcome of Chance Conradi’s emergency treatment.

Eli turned to Jan, now completely at a loss. “What happens now? How’s Oz?”

Pulling him close to her, Jan ached for the kid. He and Chance were too young, by far, for tragedy like this to hit them. “She’s with Jackson, honey. Now we wait. I’m sure the doctors are working hard,” she smiled bravely, though there were tears in her eyes, brought there by Eli’s pain and worry.

He hugged Jan tight and finally, let the tears fall.

______________________
Eli
Adrift

Janice Gree
Mother Hen

Lieutenant Eric Edwards
Adding Investigation to Injury