When I Close My Eyes

Posted on Tue Dec 18th, 2012 @ 10:37am by Captain Li Hawke & Suresh & Admiral Ricky Wegener

Mission: The Struggle Within
Location: Alternate Dimension SB900

* * * The Arboretum - Alternate Universe SB900 * * *

Suresh had spent the better part of an hour talking to Li and trying his best to ease her. Holding her in his arms while she cried had been both strange and wonderful. Then again, the situation here was off the map completely, so he supposed that the fact she’d allowed him to touch her, hold her close shouldn’t surprise him. He’d also discovered that it had been far too long since she’d had any sleep and so at his urging, she had finally stretched out beneath the tree with the pillow and blanket he’d rounded up, and drifted off. He sat now, holding her hand and gently stroking her hair, wishing there was more he could do.

Across the large room, Isha glared, primarily at Suresh but also at the woman that looked so much like her. Why would she allow him to touch her like that? She knew what kind of person he was, what scum he was, the murderer that he was. But she lay her head on his shoulder for comfort? She snarled her lip and shook her head in disgust. Why not find Rick for some solace? At least they were friends.

“Hmph,” was the only noise she made as her eyes burned a hole through Suresh as he sat there acting as if he were an honest man, a good man. “Murderer,” she said under her breath.

When Suresh was sure Li was sleeping soundly, he did something he’d only managed once before and that time it earned him a slap - he kissed her cheek. Then he stood and stretched. He needed to move a bit, loosen up the kinks from sitting at the computer terminal and then from sitting holding Li. He wouldn’t go far, but she should be fine here. This was the only place on the station even remotely safe right now. With one last look back at Li, he strolled on down the path.

Isha’s eyes were on him as he dared kiss her then walked away. She still hated him--it didn’t matter where this particular Suresh came from, he was the enemy. And what do you do with the enemy? Kill them.

Standing, she touched her pocket to make sure her tool was there and followed him on a perpendicular route. He wouldn’t have seen her, it was the arboretum after all. The trees and bushes were thick, but he was tall enough that she could see him walking. She shoved her hand into her pocket and grasped the knife, one she’d found lying around, probably left over from an Archadian prisoner. But it was no matter...Suresh would soon be dead.

Gaining speed, she started to launch herself at him but she stopped short. He stopped to talk to someone, one of the security officers. “Dammit,” she cursed.

Suresh and the officer spoke for a few minutes and the surreality of it hit Suresh and he laughed softly. Passing the time of day with a security officer is one thing he’d never do on 900. Ever. Here, he was just another man.Rick’s offer came back to him and it stirred the beginnings of an idea. It wasn’t fully formed yet but it was there and he had some time to consider it as he continued to talk to the officer.

She could feel the anger rising in her, like lava before it erupts from the mouth of the volcano. The only thing keeping it back now was the fact that she didn’t want to be stopped before striking a fatal blow and she didn’t want to hurt anyone other than Suresh. “Come on.....come onnnnnnn...” she grumbled. Her jaw clenched and her teeth ground into each other.

Suddenly, the both turned in her direction. She fell to the deck, flattening herself against the large planter and prayed that they didn’t see her. For the security officer it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but Suresh seeing her? He knew how she felt about him. All he would have to do is surround himself with other crew and he’d be safe. That cannot happen.

A faint rustle in the bushes pulled both Suresh’s attention and the officer’s but neither paid it any attention. It was hard to move around here without rustling some plant or the other. Suresh asked about the replicators as he hadn’t eaten in what felt like days. The officer gave him some instructions and he nodded, deciding to wait until Li was awake.

Clenching her fists in anger, Isha tired of waiting. How could he be so chatty with these strangers? Didn’t they know who he was? Shaking her head she pulled back behind some overgrown bushes and sat with her arms hugging her legs to her chest. She had to do something. That man had taken her world from her. He had taken her everything. He’d taken her husband.

Suddenly it hit her. “He took my husband,” she whispered. “The one person I loved the most.” A wicked smile crept across her face. “I will take the person he loves.” Her eyes scanned the arboretum and found the woman still lying there. It didn’t take her long to get out of the area where Suresh stood so she could make her way back to the woman he’d called Li. She’d only known her as Eyas, but that mattered nothing to her. It was revenge that she wanted.

Twenty yards away she stopped and smelled the roses, literally, as a group of three walked past her. If she’d kept on they might have stopped her simply from the ferocity in her eyes. The roses made a nice diversion for her rage. Once they passed, however, she reached into her pocket and clung to the knife.

Suresh and the officer continued their stroll on a path that would wind back to where Li lay asleep. He stopped beneath an apple tree and plucked one from a low branch, then a second and gave it to the officer at his side. They both bit into the apples with a satisfying crunches as they moved on down the path.

Isha scanned the area. It was clear. Finally, she pulled the knife from her pocket and gripped it firmly, then she turned it blade up in her fist. As she made her way across the empty space she turned it again. It was almost as if she were undecided on how she would stab her victim repeatedly. She could actually feel the emotion leaving her, just as it did the night she had cut up the Suresh from her universe. Her eyes were dead, her nerves were calm and she was focused on only one thing.

Ten feet away, she inhaled deeply through her mouth as the knife was raised and poised to come down into her ribs. Her target slept on her side, so a collapsed lung was a start. Withdraw. Plunge again through the back, trying to strike the heart. Withdraw. Plunge again, this time to the back of the neck. Repeat until she knew she was dead with no hope of coming back. Ever. And violently ripping her away from Suresh, the way Isha’s husband had been ripped from her.

Now that she had how it was to go in her head, it was time to implement it. Five feet. Arm raised high, the knife ready to come down like a hammer, plunging deep into her chest cavity. Two feet. The arm swung down with all of the force she could put behind it.

The woman moved. The knife missed her ribs and sliced across her stomach, tearing the uniform shirt and drawing blood, but not enough to kill. Not nearly enough.

“Die!” she yelled as she raised the arm again and began to plunge the knife.

A yell echoed all around her and strong arms wrapped around her, pinning her own arms to her side. A phaser beam shot out from somewhere, burning her hand and the knife dropped away as she was slammed to the ground.

“What were you thinking?!?” The voice came from the man on top of her. Suresh.

She thrashed violently, clawing at his face with her good hand, trying to kick, knee, nudge--anything that would do some sort of damage or even cause him some discomfort. But she wanted him dead, not just uncomfortable!

“I hate you!” she screamed. “I hate you, you murdering fuck!” Managing to finally get a knee to his groin, she smiled. It lasted mere seconds, however, as others came over and dragged her up and bound her arms. She spit on him. “You took what I loved. I was going to do the same to you.” Her words were eerie to listen to, almost as if some disembodied voice spoke through her.

Suresh remained on the grass, his body curled and a groan escaped him. He felt dizzy and a little sick. The blow had been a good one, at lease from Isha’s perspective.

“I’m not him, you crazy bitch!” Then logic began to return, along with his voice and he yelled for a medic. Turning his head so he could see Li, the blood that stained the blanket set panic blooming in him. “Medic! Rick! Get over here!” He finally managed to yell.

“You’re just as bad! You’re no different, I can see it in your face!” She tried kicking at him but missed by a mile. “You would use her like you wanted to use me. And if you don’t get what you want you’ll kill her husband as well, with no thought of how it would affect her!” She looked at Li and began laughing. Small chuckles at first, but then full on out-loud laughs. With tears in her eyes. “I was going to save you,” she said as the medics attended Li. “I was going to keep you from having to go through this, what I’m going through. But don’t you see, he won’t even let that happen! He’s evil.” She raised her voice and shrieked, “He’s evil!!”

“Silence!” Suresh roared at her. “You know...nothing!” He struggled to his feet, the pain in his groin still spearing through him. “Get her out of here and contained somewhere. Now!” Just as he finished, Ricky appeared, stepping through the trees, summoned by the commotion.

“What the hell is going on here?” Rick bellowed, trying to be heard over Suresh. He noticed Li and rushed to her. “What the hell happened, Li?”

“Stabbed,” She managed, then grunted in pain as the medic shifted her a bit The cut wasn’t lethal but it was long and nasty.

There was nothing for him to do there, so Rick stood and looked around, putting it all together. It seemed, in this instance, that Suresh had actually come through. In the back of his mind Rick was certain it wasn’t solely for Li’s security that he stepped in, but it was one time that he wouldn’t complain about Suresh’s actions. He watched the man as Isha was being led away. It was strange seeing emotion on his face, confusion. When their eyes met Rick said nothing and did nothing. Despite his actions, he was still a criminal. Selfish reasons didn’t get a man off of Rick’s list. Not by a long shot.

“You’re welcome,” he muttered to Rick. Turning away, he moved around the medic and settled down on the grass by Li and took her hand.

“I don’t know what I would do if --”

“Shhh,” Li answered. “Not now.” She paused to take in a shallow breath. “Thank you.”

Suresh closed his eyes and shook his head. “She couldn’t keep me apart from the one she knew. She wanted to take the one I love she said, so I’d suffer as she has. Crazy.” He looked up again to meet Ricky’s gaze.

At the risk of bringing Li’s anger, Rick said, “And to imagine...not a bit of this would have happened had you not brought us here in the first place, Suresh.” With a cold look he stood from looking over Li and the medic, then addressed the latter. “If she needs anything, let me know,” he said, then walked off, needing to get away from Suresh before he crossed a line that he couldn’t get back over.


*************

Isha
Eye for an Eye

Commander Li Hawke
A Useful Target

Suresh
At Fault By Default

Vice Admiral Ricky Wegener
Keeping His List