Preparations

Posted on Thu Jan 10th, 2013 @ 7:55pm by Lieutenant Commander Robin Swift M.D., PhD & Lieutenant Nick Marcinko & Lieutenant Commander Leto
Edited on on Thu Jan 10th, 2013 @ 7:56pm

Mission: The Struggle Within
Location: Nick's Quarters / Swift's Office
Timeline: Current

Nick’s Quarters

Leto appeared at Nick’s door, still in her Archadian dress and her hair pulled up and back from her face, long in back in a rather formal style that matched the dress. She shifted from one foot to the other as she waited, knowing this might not go over well, at least to start.

Nick opened the door and instantly smiled seeing Leto there. “Hey, gorgeous,” he said, finally getting back to normal with her. Sometimes he felt as if he were trying a bit too hard but things were finally easing up. “What’s with the funky dress, which looks sexy as hell on you, by the way,” he said as he gestured her in the door and closed it behind her.

“I’m going back down,” she answered as she slipped in and gave him a kiss. “I’ve actually been down already, I just came up to see you before you go play waiter for the big dinner. I have another stop to make and I’ll be back on Archadia sometime during that dinner.”

He stopped. “Wait...you’ve been down on Archadia doing what? Anything I need to know?”

Leto smiled but then she stepped away a little, a dead giveaway that he wasn’t going to be thrilled with what she said next. “I’m getting close to someone in the palace to see what we can get from them. This is me we’re talking about here so it should be easy enough.”

The hint of a smile he’d had as she walked in dropped away to a blank face. Everyone knew that he was insanely jealous of Leto--well, they knew he was insanely jealous over Nenita, but few knew he was actually with Leto now. But she knew.

He took a deep breath and said to himself, “Be cool, man. Be cool.” Other than her looks, she hadn’t changed, so she knew him as well as he did himself. Having to come and tell him this was probably something she hadn’t looked forward to, but at least she was telling him.

“I, uh... You’re--you mean...” He was almost afraid to ask. “Close?” he finally said. “To, uh...to what end?”

He knew of her past, how she’d been able to use her feminine wiles to lure many a mark into her trap. Before they were an item he’d heard the whole story of several instances. Now, she usually didn’t mention them around him, but the history was still there. And that was what worried him.

“We need to know what’s going on in that palace. We both know that something’s brewing. Just because Lynch/Levin is gone doesn’t mean it all came to a screeching halt. And someone is killing off everyone involved in removing the old queen. You’re in a position to overhear a lot since people tend to forget that wait staff has ears and brains. What we need now is someone close to the Prime minister’s staff.” She didn’t mention Veist, she was carefully easing into it.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said as he waved his hands to stop her, his face growing more and more concerned and dark. “But how close? I’ve done, and will do, all kinds of dirty things in the line of duty, Leto, but one thing I won’t do is share--not even for Starfleet.”

“I don’t intend to either, Nick. Don’t worry, okay?” She kept her tone light, hoping to ease his worries. His unhappy expression wasn’t lost on her. “It will be fine.” She left it at that.

The stone expression never changed. He could only stare, hoping nothing would happen. “People don’t intend on many things happening,” he muttered and slumped down on the sofa. He didn’t want to know more but curiosity got the best of him. “Who’s the mark?”

“He may think he had a good time when all he got was a glass of wine and some happy dust.” Leto crossed her arms and steeled herself for the explosion. “Veist.”

And the explosion...it came.

“What!?” he said, jumping up. “Of all the--what the hell?” he roared. Growling, he kicked a lamp across the room and slammed his hand on the glass end table, shattering it. “Is this some kind of test or something? What the fuck? Why him?”

He was worked up, breathing heavy and angry as hell. But in the back of his mind he knew that Veist was the perfect target, which made it that much more unbearable. “That sonofabitch!”

“Which sonofabitch would that be Nicky?” she asked, her voice calm despite the rage storm.

“Veist! This is all his goddamn fault!” he said, catching himself mid-sentence from yelling at her and trying to calm himself. No matter the problem, she didn’t deserve to be yelled at. “All of this is his fault. You’re not you anymore because of him. I acted like a moron over you not being you, because of him. Now you’re gonna’ go cozy up to him! I’d rather just go shove a knife through his face!”

His rage was gone. He sighed, heavily, and sat in a chair across the room from her. He didn’t want to be close to her right now--not because he didn’t love her, but because she’d be completely justified in kneeing him in the balls for his outburst. And she probably would.

“Can’t I just kill him?” he asked softly. “We can find some other rube for you to mess with.”

Silence hung between them for too many seconds before she spoke. “You know he’s the perfect target, no one else is as close to her as he is. And I am still me.” She sighed aloud now. “I know that is going to take time, I understand that. But I still have a job to do and I intend to do it. You know I won’t betray you and you know he means less than the dirt under my shoe. Now I have to go see Robin before I go back down.”

She stood to go. He blurted out, “Let’s quit.”

“Quit what?” She turned back to face him, uncomprehending.

“Quit this fucking, shitty-ass job,” he said, standing and walking to her. “Haven’t we done enough for king and country? We can get the hell out of here, go anywhere we want, do anything we want. Raise a family, start our own business, become hermits--whatever!” Putting his hands on her arms he stood in front of her. “I have quite a bit of latinum saved up, more than enough to keep us happy for a long, long time.”

She paused for a moment and finally smiled. “I appreciate the thought but Nicky, you know we’d be bored senseless inside of two weeks. I don’t know if we just found the right positions for us, or if we became the job but in the end, it’s the same isn’t it?”

“I thought that’s what you wanted, though? A family.” He dropped his hands. “I can do that, you know. Raise some little me’s, some little you’s...take them out camping, teach ‘em how to fight.” Looking down, he added, “I know this is your job. I don’t want you to do it. I won’t try to stop you, other than offering you another life than this, but...” His voice trailed off, unsure of how to continue. He knew she wouldn’t bite, but what she probably didn’t know was that he was sincere.

“I’ll be fine, he won’t suspect a thing, and it will be over with soon. I promise. And when the time is right, Nick, we will do those things. I promise that too.” She smiled now, her sincere moment gone and gave him a wink. “He won’t know what hit him and I’ll be back here in a few days but I’ll be making drops in the meantime.” Stepping in closer, she hugged him tight, then gave him a kiss. “You be careful tonight around Veist.”

He said nothing as they embraced and as she kissed him. He knew she would be careful, but it was Veist he was concerned about. Men can act strangely around women and, if they don’t get what they want, sometimes bad men take steps to take it. Nick had seen her kick as many asses as he could count, but sometimes even the best get bested, and he prayed to no one in particular that this wasn’t going to be one of those times.

He squeezed her hand gently just as she turned and walked out the door. As she walked away she heard a loud bellow of anger from his room. She hesitated for an instant, then continued on to the lift, her pace quickening as she reached it and stepped inside.


Robin’s Office

Robin had Leto sitting comfortably in one of his overstuffed chairs for this process. To hypnotize someone they had to become very relaxed to a point where they were highly suggestible. In this particular case, Leto was going undercover with someone of an undetermined race, which in her line of work could be very detrimental if the subject she were to contact had the ability to read minds, like a Betazoid. Simply having a cover story wouldn’t do, so she was seeing Robin to have certain memories temporarily blocked and a new identity ‘installed’,

“Okay, dear,” he said as he looked through her medical file. “Oh--” he laughed. “Nenita? I...what happened to your lovely face? You seem to have replaced it with one equally as lovely.” He handed her a cup of Ashwaganda tea to start the relaxation process while lavender scents played through the room.

“Long story, honey.” Leto relaxed back into the chair and leaned her head against the cushion. The lavender smelled wonderful. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice, but it was sudden for me too and this one’s dangerous, Robin. He’s why I had to change faces.”

The counselor frowned. “Then you should be extra careful--of course, if this works, or I should say when this works, he wouldn’t know you from Adam.”

They made some small-talk while she finished the tea and he began assembling the tools of the trade. “This hypospray contains Crediline,” he said as he held it up. “It makes people more likely to believe what they’re told. Before you come out of your hypnotic state in your new identity, I’ll apply this so that she will believe what I’m telling her.”

Standing from his chair he attached a small device to her forehead. “This little jewel is what we call the Engramatic Purge, to erase specific thoughts from your little noggin’. But don’t worry, I can get it all back later with a few other doo-dads, so you’ll be right as rain when you return.” Once it was actived she was instructed to think specifically about her job with Intelligence, then Starfleet and Nick. He could map out those particular memory engrams to target their removal once she was under.

“Alright,” he said as he attached a somnetic inducer to make her sleep. “This will begin to put you under but not so far that you’ll actually fall asleep. I need you just on the edge so that we can begin. Any questions?”

“None that come to me at the moment, let’s just get on with this. I have a date tonight.” Leto smiled as the drowse began to overtake her, leaving her body feeling heavy. “Geez, Robin....I should have you do this more often.”

“It’s good stuff, isn’t it?” he said with a smile. “Okay, just relax and clear your mind. Think only of the vastness of space, the emptiness. Don’t focus on anything but the big, black void.” After a few moments of this he could see her body relaxing and began in earnest.

Using the tools at hand he began removing the specific memories he’d had her focus on and implanting the new memories of Imara. The entire procedure only took about thirty minutes, minus the tea and the chatting, but now it was time to see if all had gone as planned. He administered the crediline to her arm and began the process of bringing her to.

“Imara?” he said gently. “Imara, it’s time to wake up. You dozed off, it seems.” She began stirring. “I guess the lavender and the tea did a number on you. I didn’t realize that Archadian women were so susceptible to that sort of thing.” He was winging it, but it sounded believable.

She covered a yawn, then smiled. “It’s been a busy few days, Doctor. Thank you for seeing me, the doctor at home was right, I feel so much better. I have to get back now, though. I have a date tonight. And it’s with the Prime Minister’s assistant, can you believe it?”

“I can’t say that I’ve met him,” he said as he helped her stand, “but he must be something pretty special if he’s caught your eye.” He walked her to the door. “Just remember, if he gets ‘handsy’, knock his block off.”

“I will. Thanks again.” She flashed him a smile, then hurried out. She had to get home, get her hair done, get changed so she looked perfect, then keep herself just out of Veist’s reach enough that he couldn’t resist her. Moments later she stepped into the turbolift and vanished from Robin’s sight.

Once she was gone he accessed the terminal on his desk and contacted Nick, hoping to catch him before he left. After what seemed like an eternity he finally answered. His face was covered with sweat and he looked very, very angry. But...what else was new?

“What!?” he yelled into the monitor.

Arching an eyebrow, Robin levelled his gaze on him. “I believe that should have been ‘What, sir?’,” he said tersely. “But you appear to be having a bit of an issue at the moment so I’ll keep it short and forgive you this time. Leto has gone back to the planet under the guise of an Archadian named Imara. She has no memory of you or anyone else right now as she is in a hypnotic state.”

He pulled his head back as Nick grabbed his own monitor and stuck his face right in the camera. “What the hell are you saying, sir?”

“I’m saying, Chief, that if you see her down there you won’t be able to approach her as you normally would. She thinks she is this Imara.” Robin had only dealt with Nick on a few occasions, and each time the man rubbed him the wrong way. Robin had never really been one to stand on his rank but when it was so blatantly ignored...well, it really pissed him off. “Once she has completed her mission and is ready to come back here, you will have to approach her. She’s been implanted with a code word that will return her consciousness to Leto. I made sure that it’s not a word used by the Archadians.”

After some silence, Nick finally said, “Well...??”

Robin ground his teeth against each other, trying hard not to have the man written up on insubordination charges. “Pay attention, Nick,” he said. “The word is: muskrat.”

“Thank you, sir,” Nick said and slammed the console shut, closing the connection.

As he sat back in the chair shaking his head, the only word that came to Robin was, “Assclown.”

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

Lt.(jg) Leto
On A Mental Vacation

Lt. Cmdr. Robin Swift
The Amazing Kreskin

MCPO Nick Marcinko
Looking for an Out