A Brief Briefing

Posted on Sun Feb 24th, 2013 @ 5:32pm by Lieutenant Commander Leto & Major Patrick Smith & Lieutenant Nick Marcinko

Mission: The Struggle Within
Location: Intel Offices / Nick's Quarters

Deck 33 - Intelligence Offices

Nick and Leto had come across quite a bit of information while searching Zoudin’s residence on the planet below, information that would bring the reign of Aegina to a screeching halt. But it had to be disseminated to the rest of the intelligence personnel to put a plan into action. Leto had summoned Patrick, several other intel operators and Nick, the last being sent a computer notification instead of being notified by Leto herself. She assumed quite correctly that he would ignore any calls from her so the computer was the only viable way to get him there.

Leto was the first in the conference room with Patrick and four others following shortly afterward. They had to wait a full ten minutes before Nick decided to grace them with his presence, and when he’d arrived, they truly wish he hadn’t. He was only in half of a uniform, he smelled like he’d bathed in rum and dog shit, he desperately needed to shave and his eyes were bloodshot and looking like a spider had spun a red web in his eyes.

He slouched down into the last chair at the table, belching loudly as he did so and obviously taking every bit of his concentration to remain upright. It was obvious that he’d been drinking, probably everything on the base all at once from the state he was in.

Leto shot Nick a glance, then pointedly looked away, back to Patrick. “Nice of you to drop in, Master Chief.” She pushed the padds across to Patrick, minus the one that held only the videos that Nick had discovered. “Here’s what we have. It’s a long list and enough to bury Aegina, including the hunter she sent to kill Zoudin Veist....and me. The queen is next on her list, after she changes the rules of succession and removes the prime minister office. It’s all there....plots, weapons, plans with the now-dead Levin to screw the relationship with 900.”

“Speaking of screwing...” Nick slurred but was cut off by Leto.

“That’s enough.” Her eyes blazed and her voice was deadly calm. “Save it for off-duty time, Nick.”

Patrick was about to reply to Leto before her and Nick’s little bout cut him off. “I’m not sure I want to know what I missed this time,” he commented. “However you are correct Leto. This evidence is more than enough to end this once and for all I hope. Glad you found it. I barely had time to check to make sure no one was going to attack me when I dropped round evidently while you were flying about.”

“Yeah, well, I never expected to be drugged and kidnapped. It was Nick who found Veist’s secret stash where all the damning evidence was located. All that remains is for you and Admiral Hawke to bring this to light.” Leto shrugged. “My killing of Veist was explained to everyone’s satisfaction. I know Nick took the brunt of that attack but the final shot was mine and it was safer for all of us if I took the blame.”

“No one will be able to hold anything against either of you for that death. And of course Veist was responsible for the assassin’s death so that one is the Archadians’ problem,” he added. “I’ll go to see the Admiral as soon as we finish here so we can get this wrapped up quickly. I have no doubt that our dear Prime Minister will be using her contingency plans.”

Leto nodded. “The second she gets a single whiff that anyone suspects, yes. If there’s anything more you need from me, just ask. I think it will be better if the credit here goes to Nick when you see the Queen and leave me out of the evidence discovery. As far as they all know, I’m a local and it’s better that it stays that way.”

“Yep,” Nick finally said, his eyes having difficulty focusing. “Went and got herself married an’ evurry...thang.” It was becoming more and more apparent that Nick had tossed down about six bottles by now. He only started slurring his speech around that time and it was getting pretty bad. “Woulda’ been jusss’ fine settin’ up house.”

Leto sighed as the other crew present looked between the two of them, surprise on their faces. Finally, she looked up at Patrick. “Do you mind if I get him home and hosed off?” When Patrick motioned her away, she stood. “Let’s go Nick.”

“I’m not goin’ with you!” he said angrily. “We don’t have a home together, you and I,” he said, in an odd moment of clarity. “Unlike you and your dead beau.”

“I meant yours and you know it.” Leto’s voice was suddenly pitched low and steely. “You need to be anywhere but here right now, before you go too far. Now move it.”

“And you’re the queen of going too--” he stopped to belch, almost retching, “far. Whew, damn, that stinks!” His head whipped around as Leto forcibly stood him up and walked him to the door.

“Yea probably best to take him home and get him some sleep. Hopefully he will come around once he is sober,” Patrick said. “I’m off to visit an Admiral I guess.”

“Call if you need us,” Leto called back to Patrick and then the doors opened and she marched Nick out. Once they closed, leaving the pair in the secure corridor, Leto didn’t speak but continued to move Nick along to the turbolift.

“Why are you touching me!?” he asked, very loudly, but of no apparent surprise to anyone who may have seen. He was normally loud, rude and crude. Finally, he jerked away. “Stop it!”

“You need to get a grip, Nick, before you make a mistake you cannot come back from.” Whether she meant as far as his career was concerned, or them, she didn’t say. “I’ve done worse in our time and you know it. You’re also not so stupid as to forget how I feel about you or the fact that sometimes in this job we have to put on a good show. That’s all it was.” She was fighting valiantly to keep her voice level, but what she really wanted to do was wring his neck.


“Ohhhhhhhhh yeah,” he said, going in and out of slurring and trying to regain what little sense he was born with. “You sure did put on a grand show, Leto. A grand ol’ show! But that didn’t seem to keep you from giving shoo tits--er, two shits about making mistakes you couldn’t come back from.” He shook his head, trying to get some clarity. “When you did worse, as you say, we weren’t exclusive. Now we are, or were. If I recall you made me swear to you that I wouldn’t go catting around! I didn’t realize that it only applied to me.”

He held up a finger to stop her a moment. She furrowed her brow and cocked her head. His response to lean over as a gush of vomit spewed all over the corridor floor, just in front of the lift. “Holy shit! When the hell did I eat corn!?” He chuckled. “Cleanup in aisle three!”

“Catting around and doing what I had to do to get the intel we needed are far different and you know it! I wasn't running around with Veist because I liked him and you know it!” She grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed him against the turbolift doors, ignoring the barf on the floor.

He looked into her eyes, his own feeling like they were spinning. “It’s not different to me, Leto, and that’s what you just don’t get,” he said softly. “But it’s obvious that you don’t care what I think--even after I asked you, almost begged you not to go.”

He gently removed her hands from his shirt and turned to signal the lift. When it arrived he sighed heavily, slumped a bit and shook his head as he stepped in.

She followed him in, waiting until the doors closed. “How dare you assume you know what I think or what I care about? And how could you know right now anyway? All you cared about was a bottle...or several and it’s left you blind and stupid Nick. Does it make you feel better to insult me? Torture me with how hurt you are? If it helps, then fine, go ahead!”

“I’m not insulting you, Leto,” he said, his voice still calm and quiet. “I’m telling you what I see. And you not caring how I feel about this, at all--or so it seems, tells me all I need to know. I’m not so blind to see that it’s all about getting the job done, duty and all that shit for you, to hell with my feelings on the matter.” He finally turned to face her, wiping vomit off of his chin. “I thought we were a couple? Couples talk, communicate, meet people halfway. So far, for this whole deal here, it’s been about what you want and not a thing about what I want.” Running his fingers through the stubble of hair on his head he continued. “I get that you want to do your job. You’ve always been spectacular with it--always. But I thought, when we said we were going to be exclusive, that things would change. It did for me. I guess I just made the mistake of assuming that it did for you as well.” With a shrug he lowered his eyes back to the floor.

“Have you forgotten how much was riding on this Nick? Everything we have here Nick. You are operating off a faulty assumption - that I don’t give a rat’s ass how you feel and that I enjoyed it. You’re wrong on both counts.” The doors opened on Nick’s deck and she stepped out, leaving him in the lift.

“And you just can’t seem to wrap your head around the fact that somebody else could have been Imara. But, no...it had to be you. You just had to let him use your body. You and I both know it could have been anyone else. And you and I both knew that it would come to...that. I knew it so much that I was going to quit over it. But, like I said, duty first, Nick last.” He laughed. “It’s not even like it was your head there! The mission didn’t call for your smarts or your intel background. It called for an attractive woman to have her mind wiped and replaced to be an Archadian. So you didn’t have to do it and everything that was riding on it could have been attained by someone else! It may not have been your mind, but it sure as hell was your body. I can’t just forget about that as easily as you can. You knew what was at stake between you and I if you did that, and you went anyway.”

Leto kept walking until she reached the doors to his quarters and keyed in the entry code. “You’re wrong. It did have to be me. He came close to killing me as Nenita. I knew how he operated, I knew what secrets he’d be looking for and I alone knew how to cover those safely. You need to look past the surface of what you think you know and what you think you saw. We’ve saved everything here Nick. Any other outcome would’ve been disastrous. Please.”

“And how exactly were you going to know what to look for? You weren’t there. Imara was, and she knew nothing about you or your past history.” He walked into his quarters. “That’s a load of bullshit and you know it. All you wanted to do was help catch him. Funny, though...back in the day if someone tried to kill us, we killed them instead. Now they get rewarded with sex. Strange universe we’re living in these days.”

He thought the doors would close, leaving her outside and away from him. It didn’t work out that way.

They closed behind her and after she ordered them locked, she was across the room like lightning, in Nick’s face. “I’m going to take a lot of that as the booze talking, mainly so I don’t beat you to a pulp or break down myself. The Nick I love wouldn’t be such an asshole or purposely mean and hurtful. Get your clothes off. Now. You’re going in the shower.”

He was just stunned that she wouldn’t budge at all on this. It was all his fault, no matter what had happened. She hurt him, he told her about it and he’s a mean, hurtful asshole. “No,” he said. “Not with you, anyway. I’m telling you how I feel and it means dick to you. If you think I’m too drunk, then you can go. You can try again tomorrow, but my responses haven’t changed since I found out about this.” He began removing his shirt and tossed it through the bedroom door to be recycled later. He was going to shower but he wanted her to leave. “Say what you want, but you’ve hurt me more than you know and you show no signs of even acknowledging it.”

Leto’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “You’ve not given me a chance Nick. Not once have you entertained the idea that this may be killing me. You’re too busy lashing out and being the victim here. You know what happened second-hand, sure, but you don’t have to live with the fact that you did it and you don’t have to stand here and see the look on your face or hear the words directed at you.” She felt her eyes begin to burn and blinked rapidly to hold the tears at bay. “Not once have you stopped to look at what you’ve been doing the last couple of hours and then taken a look at where I am. You think I don’t care and you couldn’t be more wrong.” A shiver ran over Leto and she knew she had to get out before she did break down completely, and that was something he’d never seen her do. Running a hand over her mouth was only partly effective at blocking the sob that rose to her lips. “So fine. If it helps you to think what you do, carry on.”

Rushing to the doors did nothing and belatedly she realized she’d had the computer lock them. The delay was her undoing and all she could do was rest her head against the doors and let the tears come.

He wanted to go to her. She really did mean the world to him, but she had cut him deep. He didn’t know how to deal with it. Apparently telling her how he felt about it was the wrong thing to do. So much for communication. Was this how any relationship between them was going to be in the future? She does something to hurt him, he tells her about it, he gets yelled at for it and is the bad guy? Where was the fairness in that? Sure, he knew she probably felt horrible about it, but that didn’t excuse it. She had a choice not to do it, but she did it anyway, for her own personal reasons. She had to have known how it would affect him, but she did it anyway.

But now...now she was standing in his quarters sobbing at the door. This whole ordeal had shown a side of each of them that the other had never seen. He’d cried, he’d shown jealousy and had become faithful only to her. Now here she was, the one crying.

The alcohol had all but worn off, his physiology working overtime to process the alcohol out of his system. And despite what had happened, he couldn’t leave her like this.

“Leto,” he said quietly as he neared her. He took hold of her arm and gently turned her around. It took a bit of doing since she seemed embarrassed that she had broken down, but he finally got her turned and pulled her to him. “Listen, this whole situation is not at all ideal. It was a bad idea from the start, but...here we are. So either we deal with it and move past it, or we move on from each other, but one way or another we’re going to have to work it out.”

A deep sob escaped her as he held her against his chest, and finally she nodded. “He killed Nenita that day, more or less,” she managed to say. “I returned the favor and killed him. But Nick, I can’t let him kill us.:

“I’m sorry, Leto, but...you chose him over me. I’m sure it hurts you the same, but it doesn’t help me any. I don’t want you to hurt, I don’t want you to feel bad and I certainly don’t want you to cry, but this is exactly why I was willing to give it all up...for you.”

A tiny spark of hope rose in her however. He’d said ‘we deal with it and move past it’. Somehow, she had to find a way to make that happen. “So what can I do?”

“I don’t--” he began to say, then had to think on it. “I don’t know. I’ve always loved you, but right now I can barely stand to look at you. It’s hard enough holding you and we sure as hell won’t be intimate for who knows how long.” He let go of her. “I thought moving from Nenita to Leto was hard but this...this is a bridge I never once in my life thought I’d have to cross.”

It had never occurred to Nick that, sometime in his lifetime, he would have feelings like this over one woman. Sure, he’d been with all kinds of women, and he knew that Leto had been with numerous men, but that was before they were an item. Hell, he’d never thought he’d ‘settle down’ with one woman, either! But here he was, in that exact situation, and it was killing him. He’d never felt so alone. So worthless. So betrayed. But it was Nenita, it was Leto, it was all of her, past and present--he didn’t want it to end with her, but where did they go from here? This wasn’t his forte by any stretch of the imagination. He had always been the “wham, bam, thank ya’ ma’am” type. But that Nick was long gone.

“I understand.” Her voice was uncharacteristically quiet. “It will take a while. I’m supposed to see Robin, maybe he could help with all of this.”

His back was to her now, but he nodded so that she could see it. “Well, like you said, I need a shower,” he said, hinting that she should go.

She stood silent for a moment, and then suddenly she was seized with an idea. “There’s something I have to do, Nick.” Her voice had lost it’s subdued tone and now was lit with a strong and urgent tone. Whatever it was clearly couldn’t wait. “I’m going back down to the planet.”

He didn’t want to guess at what it was, but the green-eyed monster still came out in him. Thoughts of retrieving mementos from Zoudin’s house and keeping them for herself ran through his mind. “Whatever you want, Leto. It’s always been about what you wanted.”

He walked out of the living room to the bedroom and into the shower. He didn’t even want to know if she stayed or left, he just didn’t want to be around her right now.

“No, this time it’s for you Nick,” she whispered. Remembering to unlock the doors this time, she hurried out and was soon on her way down to Archadia.

As Nick stepped into the sonic shower, he thought he’d heard the doors hiss open and closed. He grunted, knowing it was for the best. Within moments the shower had cleared away all of the dirt, sweat, tears and, most importantly, the chunks of vomit from him. “Computer, run water in the shower now. Eighty degrees.”

The water came down and he stood there trying to let it wash everything away. But as he stood there, the urge came over him. He fought it by turning away from the door and putting his forehead against the cool tile wall. But the urge didn’t fade. “Shit!” he yelled as he shut the water off, wiped down and grabbed some civilian clothes. He sat at his console and tapped into the main computer to find out where she had gone. His heart sank when he saw her location, but he couldn’t help himself.

He located a wooded area not far from Zoudin’s house and, using an intelligence override, initiated a site-to-site transport. The urge to follow her, to make sure she was safe, overrode everything that told him to leave her be. Despite the things he’d seen that had devastated his heart, he was compelled to follow her.

***************
Lieutenant Smith
One Padd short of a good book

Lt.(jg) Leto
Sucked Into A Black Hole

MCPO Nick Marcinko
In Uncharted Waters and Sinking Fast