Burning Down The House

Posted on Fri Mar 1st, 2013 @ 9:41pm by Lieutenant Commander Leto & Lieutenant Nick Marcinko

Mission: The Struggle Within
Location: Archadia III / Nick's Quarters

* * * Archadia III * * *

When Leto arrived, she moved like a woman on a mission. She was. It was late and she had detoured to watch the execution and now was on her way once more. She reached Veist’s house and bypassing the house proper, went to the outer storage building. A brief search got what she needed and soon she was at work, moving from room to room, setting things up just so. In the bedroom, she removed one item, then hurried to the back door. Removing the phaser from the folds of her skirt, she fired at the long curtains that framed the arch into the living room. It took several seconds but finally she was rewarded with a bright leaping flame. After one last look, she hurried out.

Fifteen minutes later, Leto was seated on the grass of the hill that overlooked Veist’s house - a house which was now completely aflame. The fire has spread quickly, thanks to the heaping helping of flammable chemicals scattered throughout. She sat in silence now, the fire a bright orange glow in the dark, hurting her eyes as she hugged her knees to her chest.

Nick had watched with curiosity as she went to the storage building and then back to the house. He could see, through the windows, that she was moving things around but couldn’t tell exactly what she had been doing. That was until he saw smoke and flames. For a moment he got nervous thinking she may have been trapped in the house, and began wondering how he’d get her out of there, but when she popped out and took a seat on a hill, he calmed. She was across the way from him, over one hundred yards, but he could still see her. He couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret at what had happened between them but he still felt disgust when he thought about it fully. She looked so beautiful sitting there even though it was hard for him to watch her. The whole situation was so...off.

Oddly, no one came to the rescue of the residence. Nick had thought some sort of fire brigade would arrive to put out the fire, but after an hour with no one coming it was apparent no one would. The house was still burning strong but it was mostly now a shell of what it had been with little of the outer structure still in place. Every once in a while he’d look back at Leto to see if she had moved yet. She seemed transfixed on the image of the house burning down as her position hadn’t changed since she’d first sat.

Gone.

The house was all but destroyed and still the fire burned, though much lower than before. It wouldn’t take it back but at least the place it had happened was soon to be no more. It was as gone as Veist was. She had no idea how to begin to make things up with Nick but at least this was a start. Whether it did anything for him she had no way to know but it sure as hell made her feel better. A sudden flare of anger flashed through her and with it came a loud crack as part of the roof gave way and collapsed. She growled aloud as frustration overwhelmed her. Near at hand was a large rock and she scooped it up and threw it, the shot straight and true as a baseball flying to first base.

As Nick watched her throwing the rock at the house, he wondered what her motivation was for burning down the house. Was it because she felt angst at what had happened between she and him, or was it something more? Maybe she felt like, even though she opted for the mission, that Zoudin had violated her and, after killing him, wanted to eradicate everything associated with his memory, and her memory of what had happened? Nick suddenly had a thought--even though, as he’d thought earlier, Leto had volunteered for the mission, did she liken the ordeal to some sort of sexual assault, a sort of out-of-body (mind?) rape?

Suddenly he felt bad for having his own feelings on the situation. Sure, he felt betrayed, but the lengths in which she had gone to obtain the information from Veist were crazy, at least to him. Needed? Possibly. He still didn’t agree with it having been her, however. But he now felt a bit sad at how he’d been acting the past few days. It didn’t excuse anything from her, but he’d never really given how she actually felt about it any thought. Despite this, he wasn’t sure that making amends would be any easier.

After a few more moments, he decided to go home. Contacting 900, he stood and waited for the pull of the transporter to take him and, in seconds, he was gone.

The dying glow of the fire had allowed the shadows to return. So it was that when the transporter beam took Nick, the glow in the darkness across beyond the house caught her eye. She knew in an instant what it was and more specifically, who. Nick. He’d been watching. She jumped to her feet, for a second unsure what she intended to do. Then, with a quick look around to make sure she was unobserved, she called for transport. As she, too, was swept away, she finally heard the siren call of the approaching fire brigade.

* * * SB 900 * * *

Nick stepped off of the transporter pad and walked out of the room saying nothing to the operator behind the console. He slowly walked down the corridor to find a turbolift while he thought about the whole situation with Leto. He knew, deep down, that he still loved her but he felt so betrayed. To him that was a conundrum that was not easy to fix. Betrayal was not something that he, especially his Klingon side, took lightly. It was an enormous slight to his honor, but this was much more personal. He had given everything to this woman. He felt vulnerable but trusted her implicitly, well, before all of this had happened. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Reaching his own deck he entered his quarters. Most NCOs, even Master Chiefs, shared quarters but each XO on the station, normally responsible for doling out room assignments, had finally figured out that Nick didn’t play well with others. He was happy that he had the entire room to himself and that he had an outside window. Pulling off his shirt he ordered a large pitcher of beer from the replicator and sat, looking out at the stars.

“Computer, turn the lights off.”

He sat in the darkness hoping he’d be able to find a way to forgive Leto and regain what they’d had. Sadly, he wasn’t so good at this sort of thing and became concerned that he’d never again have the same relationship with her.

Not long after Nick passed through the transporter room, Leto appeared and did much the same - she passed on through without a word to the transporter chief. She had one destination in mind and she went that way without hesitation. It took about fifteen minutes but finally she emerged on his deck. The looks she got at her Archadian dress were lost on Leto. She’d worn the native dress so much of late that she didn’t even think of it any longer. Finally, she arrived at his door. It was only when she reached for the chime that she hesitated.

It was quiet in Nick’s quarters. Even with the constant hum of the station around him. He’d been through three drinks already as he sat staring off into space and in the time he’d been there he hadn’t come up with any sort of solution at all. With his quarters silent as the grave he’d heard several people, or groups of people, walking up and down the corridor passing his quarters. He heard another someone walking as he raised another glass to his mouth, then paused as they seemed to stop just outside his door. Lowering his head and turning slightly to the door, he waited and listened. It could have been anyone, he knew. They may have just been standing there going over something difficult on a data PADD, trying to figure it out. But after a moment he wondered if it might be Leto.

He didn’t move. He would probably have let her in if she rang the chime, but to what end? Would they talk? Would they yell? ...would he make her cry again? He definitely didn’t want that, but he knew he still wasn’t able to look at her, at least not for long. Finally, he took another gulp of the cool beer and waited for something to happen.

“Are you gonna sit there sipping all night or come back to bed?” a very familiar drawl drifted out to Nick from the door of his bedroom.

He stopped, mid-drink, and turned his head, cup and all, to the direction of the familiar voice. Finally, he swallowed the drink and lowered the cup stating, “How did you get--”

He stopped, unsure of what he was seeing. He looked at the cup in his hand, then turned to the pitcher and wondered if he’d ordered some strange concoction that would make him see things that weren’t there. He then slapped himself, hard, to make sure he wasn’t sleeping.

“Nenita?” he said, now starting to stand. “Leto? What...? This isn’t possible,” he finally said. “You’re not you anymore, you’re her.”

But as sure as he was standing there, Nenita stood in his bedroom doorway, dressed as if she had been sleeping, which meant she barely had anything on at all. But it was her, not Leto, and Nick was confused as hell. “If you changed back to this you’ve made a major mistake. Veist may be dead and you don’t need to hide your identity anymore, but becoming Nenita again won’t change what has happened between us.” He tried to resign himself to what was happening but he couldn’t make sense of it. Finally he said, “You need to leave.”

Nenita looked surprised. “Veist is dead? What the hell happened? And what do you mean what happened between us? Unless you mean that thing you do......” Nenita, as she has been, grinned at him.

“Don’t play coy with me, Nenita, Leto, whatever! You know exactly what happened.” He regarded her again, truly missing who she had been, but his ire was still up. “This shit isn’t funny, whoever you are, or whatever you want to be called now.”

Nenita held up her hands. “Look, Nick, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. We were in bed and you got up to have a drink and I waited so long I thought I’d see what was up.”

He was so angry now that the glass in his hand shattered. “Goddammit, woman, you slept with him! Even after I asked you not to go on that damned assignment! Now, I don’t know what the hell you’re playing at,” he said as he walked over to the door, “but I’ve had it! I don’t know how you got in here, I don’t know why you’re here, but you need to,” he said as he opened the door, “get the fuck out!”

He stood just inside the door looking back toward his bedroom, his finger pointing out the door, just inches from Leto’s face.

“Umm..Nick. Hello.” Leto leaned back a bit from his finger, confusion shadowing her face. “Who are you kicking out?”

His head whipped around and his eyes grew wide. Realizing his hand was right in her face he pulled it back and noticed the blood on his hand. “You?” he said. “But, it wasn’t...you.” His head went from the bedroom door, back to Leto. “It was Nenita, er, you.” His shoulders sagged. “Fuck. I give up. I think I’m losing my mind.”

Leto blinked up at him. “It was....who?”

“You! But, Nenita, not,” he gestured up and down at her, “you now, like this.”

Shaking his head in frustration he walked further back into his quarters but left the door open. He stopped once his shoes crunched on the broken shards of glass in the carpet. Closing his eyes, he looked to the ceiling and growled in frustration. He then looked at his bloody hand. “Dammit,” he sighed.

Leto peeked in his quarters and looked around. “Umm...there’s no one here Nick. What’s going on?”

With another heavy sigh, and without turning to her, he gestured toward the bedroom door. “You, looking like you were as Nenita, were standing there, half dressed. You--she said that we had been in bed and I went for a drink, which, I was drinking, but I had only had two or three glasses of that beer,” he said as he pointed to the pitcher. “When I told her she needed to leave, she was as confused as I am now. I mean, you look like you do, then you’re supposedly standing here again as Nenita, then the door opens and you’re you, now, again! But when I opened the door and saw you, she just sorta’ disappeared.”

He finally flopped down in the same chair he’d been in, watching the stars. Closing his eyes he thought again about the drink, and how he may have inadvertently ordered something crazy. He hoped everything would go away and return to normal.

“Give me your tricorder, Nick.” Leto stepped in but stopped just inside. “I know you. You’re not crazy and two beers doesn’t make you see visions. Something’s going on.”

Without opening his eyes, he pointed to the counter between the living room and kitchen where his pack lay. He knew that she would recognize it and find the tricorder there.

She dug it out of the pack and turned it on. Slowly she moved through his quarters, scanning as she went. Finally, she came back to stand before Nick. “The anyon readings are off the scale in here. What’s up?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea. Paying for my own sins, I guess,” he said quietly. “That can be the only explanation. Hellish torment for something I’ve done. All of this must be my retribution.”

“I don’t think hell uses anyon particles, Nick.” She pulled out her comm badge and called science.

“No, hell uses people you love against you,” he mumbled before she spoke over the comm.

=^= Ensign Rutheridge here =^=

“Tess, it’s Leto. We need someone to come check NIck’s quarters. He saw something strange and now we’re reading high levels of anyon particles.”

There was a pause, then Tess answered.

=^= I’ll send someone now. This is the third call we’ve gotten like this. Rutheridge out. =^=

“At least you know you’re not losing it Nick.”

He was unconvinced. But since it was obvious that this wasn’t some sort of dream, he picked up the remaining beer in the pitcher and began drinking straight from it. “No, I don’t,” he said finally. “I think this whole thing is driving me crazy.”

“Why don’t you leave your quarters to science tonight. Come stay in my spare room?” Leto studied him a moment, deciding that he didn’t look good. “You can close yourself up if you want but at least you can sleep undisturbed.”

He thought for a moment as he drank the last of the pitcher. Finally he stood and replaced the pitcher for recycling. Starting toward his bedroom he stopped, his back to her still. “I’m tired, Leto. I’m angry, I’m bitter and I’m,” he paused, “I’m heartbroken. I’ll stay in your quarters tonight but I want to be left alone.” He waited for her to reply before he began packing a few things.

“You’re not the only one. You know where I live.” With that she turned and left, leaving him to get his things and come when he got ready.

Once the door had closed he began packing a bag. Just a few things to get through the night, to include several bottles of alcohol but notably, no uniforms. Before he left his quarters he sent a message to Lt. Smith. It read, “Unless otherwise directed, I will be taking a leave of absence from my duties for an undetermined amount of time. I’ll still be on the station but don’t ask me to do a goddamn thing. Nick.”

He slid a few knives and a small phaser into his bag and walked out the door.

------------------------------
Master Chief Nick Marcinko
Waiting For His Rubber Room

Lt.(jg) Leto
Not In Two Places At Once