911: Descent into Darkness

by Rada Dengar, Michael Blakeney, and Gem Lassiter
90630.16
Hours after The Mother of Invention

-=Sickbay, USS Serendipity=-

Darkness. That was all she saw.

It was the darkness that helped hold her memories down; memories that were struggling violently to rise again and be free from their captors’ weakening hands.

She didn’t have the choice to doubt they were there. She could feel them tapping on every side of her consciousness, like a skilled invader looking for the weakest point on a wall so he could break in.

All she could do was to try deny what those memories were. They couldn’t mean what they claimed to; she couldn’t have meant what she’d said.

She lay flat on her back in the empty black of a night that would stretch on as long as she could make it. Where she was, she didn’t know. How she’d gotten here, it didn’t matter.

Her chest and arms ached but it was such inconsequential pain.

Gemini Lassiter had just awoken.

The darkness was not by just her choice but her insistence as she forced her eyes so tightly to remain shut and prayed that it was all just a dream.

No, just a nightmare.

This wasn’t just some selfish want. She needed to hear someone say that it’d all be a lie and that Nicholas Lassiter, that her son, was alive and well and standing by her side, where he belonged.

Never one to be timid and needing so much to hear those words now, she demanded her eyelids to part, just a little.

Just enough.

Just the slightest amount, so she could test whether or not she could bear the cold glare of the brightest of all possible lights; the blinding light of reality. Reality that could, in an instant, betray and destroy the warm seductive lure of that dark and the dreaming that belonged to it.

As she involuntarily groaned with the effort to breathe in, she wished that she could somehow just remain here, in that hazy netherworld between waking and sleep, for the rest of her existence.

She opened her eyes.

The faces passing over her were no more than a blur of motion and distorted colors, but there was no doubt in her mind that not one of them was her son.

Though Gemini Lassiter was no weakling and never one to hide, she was still too weak to remain truly conscious, and her eyes faded shut again on their own as she was enveloped by sweet darkness once again.

-=Flashback; 2357, Current Timeline=-

“Just follow my lead.” Michael Blakeney insisted with an easy smile as he attempted to charge ahead into whatever adventure he thought he’d find there.

“Not a chance.” Gem replied, increasing the speed of her steps just enough to try to get in front of him but not enough to draw attention from any passersby. “I’m going first.”

He made no move to stop her from taking the lead as she’d thought he would, just graciously stepping to the side and flashing her a knowing grin which said he had absolutely no problem if she wished to walk in front of him. Any possible feeling of victory she may have had dissolved the instant she saw that smile.

Really Michael didn’t mind one bit if she wanted to be the first to the door. While Gem was even more firmly in official mode than normal and focused solely on the mission at hand, he found himself much more interested by his surroundings and was perfectly content to take them in.

They had beamed to the location where their scans had located the Tetratinium. It was a larger building in the heart of the city, old enough to have been outdone and towered over by its surroundings but still too youthful to be considered as heritage.

The short path to the door was framed by understated but well maintained gardens and its bleak yet immaculately clean grey walls rarely broken by windows, to allow the light to pass seemingly entirely unaltered by the day’s young Sun.

Certainly it could hide in plain sight, but it still didn’t seem quite to fit with the choice of residence of an assassin trying to hide away. Something about it just didn’t feel right.

Michael had known many places like this before and more importantly, he’d known exactly the type of people who wanted to live in them. Influential, arrogant people, who didn’t want to be seen at all but especially didn’t want to be seen below a certain level of luxury. Barely alive, they were not at all the type to get their hands dirty with something as low and common as attempted murder.

Perhaps he would have thought it further through but he began to notice that Gem was now pulling away. He certainly wasn’t going to miss out on the fun, so he increased his pace and dismissed surplus thought from his mind.

For the remainder of the walk he always stayed no more than half a step behind. Gem found it almost disturbing how unusual it was that he now opted to avoid his usual string of meaningless flirtations and there were times that at the utmost peripheral of her vision she could swear she’d almost caught him looking thoughtful.

She quickly dismissed it though, reminding herself that the sooner she found out what clues this building had to offer the sooner she’d get him out of her life. So instead of breaking the silence with unnecessary chatter, she silently repeated in her mind how sure she was that that was what she still wanted.

Having mounted the single step at the entrance they were soon standing in the doorway. Gem took a quick and efficient scan of the doorframe in search of a bell or instructions explaining the appropriate way to request entry. Though there was a notable area clearly set aside for names of residents and intercom buttons with which to contact them, all seemed to have been removed except for a single name. Seeing no other option Gem depressed that button.

“Yes?” Said the unfamiliar, feminine voice on the other end. “May I help you?”

Gem instantly ran through the stages of the extensive plan she’d prepared on her way here for this very question. She was quickly ready to put it into place but not quick enough, as Michael beat her to it and cut in first.

“We’re here to see Mr. Jones.” Michael smiled again and Gem could only roll her eyes as the charm behind that smile seemed to convey itself through just the sound of his voice as he spoke. He even stressed the last word as he said it, reading the name from the wall as he leant across her to get a closer look at it even though he didn't actually need one.

Gem glared at him and he had to stifle the urge to laugh as he widened his eyes and continued speaking smoothly to the woman they needed to get past. “He’ll know what it’s about.”

As much as she objected to his cutting across her, Gem found it frankly remarkable how genuine he was able to sound. Of course, that was the natural art of the well practiced liar. She was coming to believe less and less that he could actually be the fool that he played.

"He's asked not to be disturbed." The woman replied. There was a regret in her voice, something that betrayed that she was enjoying the sound of Michael's polished, elegant accent and she didn't wish for him to stop speaking to her so soon. "I'm sorry..."

"Oh, well that is a shame...but don't feel bad, love, it's not your fault. You're just following instructions. Doing quite a fine job of it too, might I add." Michael sighed, now exaggerating a pout so that too would come through in the sound of his voice. "It's just that...I've...come a very long way to see Jonesy, you know. We're such old friends, and I'd hate to go all the way home and then have him find out that I'd arrived in town a day early for our visit but that I'd been sent away by mistake."

Gem felt panic rising in her throat. What was he doing? He was saying far too much! This was not efficient, it was not rational and it was not sane...

There was a pause of consideration before the voice responded. "Just a minute."

Then the intercom cut out.

Inside the building a woman not quite as young as she’d once been but not as quite as old as she feared switched the settings on the communications console before her.

“Mr. Jones.” She said meekly. “There’s someone downstairs to see you.”

“Well, what do they want?” The man asked with the impatience of someone who absolutely did not want to be disturbed and with just a hint of condescension added in.

“They said you’d know what it’s about.” The woman awkwardly added, always finding this particular man slightly frightening.

This gave the man pause. No one was supposed to know he was here and few people did. Those he had informed weren’t likely to try to contact him like this. At the same time, his associates rarely kept to scheduled meetings and he knew better than to make them wait.

Evidently he thought about it for a bit too long as the woman felt compelled to speak again. “Shall I send them up to you, Sir?”

“No,” He replied, looking around this room and knowing that he’d hidden within it several things it was better to keep most people from seeing. “I’ll meet them down there.”

With the press a button he secured the computer terminal before him and then proceeded towards the nearest turbolift so he could greet his guests.

Outside the door Michael and Gem were still waiting. Michael was almost ready to try a different approach, when the woman inside signaled that they could enter.

As the door swung open before them it revealed an utterly empty room. A vast lobby with no more furniture than an unmanned desk and Spartan walls where once there’d clearly been decoration. There was little indication of where they should go except for what appeared to be turbolift doors.

As those doors began to part and the occupant saw their faces his eyebrows seemed to shoot towards the roof as his tone turned to fury.

“What is the meaning of this?” demanded Ambassador Braylan.

-=End Flashback=-

Even the darkness could not provide a place to hide from the truth forever, and once again Gem’s eyes began to open.

Though her mind was still mired in fog it wasn’t hard to conclude as her vision returned to her that she was in a Federation sickbay. She wasn’t on board the Gauntlet, and this room was too small to be in sickbay on the Zenith.

This must be the Serendipity.

If that was the case, then there was no doubt that it’d all been real.

“No…” she whispered to herself as she tried desperately to search for some sort of other explanation of how she’d gotten here. "Nicholas..."

She closed her eyes again, tightly against the realization she did not want to accept.

In doing so, she missed entirely the look of devastation upon the face of the young woman standing beside her bed. It was the face of her daughter.

The daughter who had been tirelessly keeping vigil at her bedside from the moment she had emerged from surgery, and spent restless hours pacing the waiting room before that. The daughter who wanted nothing more than to see in her mother's eyes, just once, the love and natural, unforced affection that had been so easily given to her brother but never to her.

Standing in the doorway, a tall man with sandy hair and a bearded chin did catch sight of what had happened, and as the young woman rushed from the room in tears, he stopped her gently with a steady hand on her shoulder.

"Gira," Keiran rumbled softly, "Littlest, don't-"

"He's all she wants." Gira whispered, tears spilling down onto Keiran's shoulder as he comforted her tenderly. "He's all she ever wanted. I wish." She looked up at him, pulling away with a strength that surprised him. "I wish he'd lived and I'd died instead."

"Gira," Keiran called after her as she hurried down the corridor. Before he could go after her, a pleading voice asked him to wait.

"Sir," Dane requested softly, "Please, let me."

"Carefully, Cristiane." Keiran warned sternly in his most commanding, fatherly tone. "Very carefully."

He watched as Cristiane disappeared, and then suddenly thought it better that he went after the girl himself after all. He strode down the hall with long purposeful strides in the direction the pair had headed.

Unaware entirely of the scene playing out nearby, Gem desperately sought refuge from the emotions that were pulling her forcefully downward. Yet there was no escape.

There was nothing to hold on to. There was no way out, no way back, and no way she could possibly cope. To think was to hurt, to see was to suffer, to know was to end.

It seemed they’d seen no reason to keep her restrained as she was able to raise her hand to her eyes, to block them from the world as she felt the sting of tears biting at them from behind. Then like a fearful child alone in her bed, this powerful, stable and unemotional woman started to cry.

As the first cold wet tear struck her cheek it was like the first drop of rain which broke the drought. It held a promise of so many more and was such a shock to this barren land that it started to shake. Yet the rest was not to come as she deeply scolded herself. Gemini Lassiter did not break into tears, especially not in a place this public.

She didn’t have the time to cry anyway. Somewhere on this ship was the person who had killed her son. A person who it was both her duty and her right to make answer for what they’d done.

To make them pay for what they’d done.

If Zanh Liis or anyone else were to try to stop her from finding out who it was, or to try to shield the criminal from the consequences of their actions, then they would find just how quickly the entire weight of a Starfleet Admiral could crush them underfoot.

As she lowered her hand from her eyes she discovered that she was no longer here alone. A Lieutenant Commander dressed in engineering colors had wandered into the room. Wandered was the only word to describe it. His lethargic steps were without purpose or thought as he randomly chose his next destination, walked there then turned to walk somewhere else.

There was a haunting vacancy to his eyes, it was as if he was desperately looking for something he knew he couldn’t find but still never stopped his pursuit. It seemed he found nowhere to be comfortable as he constantly needed to squirm.

Gem was not happy having someone tower over her and so she slid back until she was sitting up in the bed. Every muscle in her chest seemed to want pull in another direction but like this visitor it didn’t matter now.

She tried to ignore them both as she set about creating a list she could run down of people with the necessary skill to have done this most horrible of things.

Something in her movement though must have been perceived by the engineer as though it was not a sudden move he began to step towards where she lay. Then he stopped, not speaking or even looking at her, just staring into the distance standing over her as if waiting for something to change.

His breathing was heavy and he was becoming harder and harder to ignore. She had no patience for someone like that right now.

“Get away from me.” Gem insisted, putting the list in her mind on hold.

Yet he made no move to go away. Aside from the softest of mumbles, he showed no indication that he’d even heard her speak.

“Is there something wrong with your hearing?” Gem asked with frustration and eerily his eyes began to lower until they were looking at a far off point in her direction.

“Had, no, had to.” He said at little more than a whisper. “Nothing else. Answer, only one answer. Varion only one…”

Though at first she’d dismissed what he was saying as the nonsensical ravings of a madman that all changed with that one word.

“What was that about Varion particles?” She demanded as with utter disregard for trivial things like her pain and her health she tried to stand. His lips parted but he offered no response.

“You know something, don’t you?” She added viciously as she forced her weakened legs to the ground. “Do you know who killed him?”

“Not who, no. What.” He protested shaking his head, still not sounding like he was talking to her. “Yes, that’s it. Was a dark creature did the deed.”

Though her wobbling knees couldn’t be trusted to support her, still seated on the bed she grabbed the front of his uniform to ensure he couldn’t get away.

“What the hell are you talking about?” She demanded, rapidly losing her composure as her eyes became wild. “Do you know who did this?”

“Know?” He asked with confusion in his eyes. “Oh yes. Everyone knows it was Dengar. Evil little Dengar.”

Dengar, somehow Gem knew that name. What was more, she knew the face. The pieces fit themselves together in the puzzle of her thoughts and suddenly she realized- this man was Rada Dengar.

Before she could question him further, medical staff began entering the room.

“She’s awake.” Nurse July observed.

“Admiral, you should not be up." T'Dara took hold of Gem's arms and tried to detach them from the engineer’s shirt.

“You don’t understand.” Gem insisted, trying vainly in her weakened state to struggle against the doctor. “He knows something!”

The Vulcan wasn’t listening and Gem felt a hypo spray being applied to her neck. With every ounce of her strength she fought to stay awake, but into darkness she began to descend once more.

She fell back into the bed and the world seemed to be muffled again, yet in the last seconds of her consciousness she heard the nurse speak softly to this engineer.

“Come along, Commander Dengar. You should not have been allowed in here.”

It was him. He was the reason why she’d lost her son. Just like she lost his father, once upon a time.

-----------------------
Lt. Commander Rada Dengar
Chief Engineering Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012


Lt. Commander Michael Blakeney
Temporal Investigations

and

//// Gemini Lassiter
Director, The Alchemy Project