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Posted on Fri Jan 24th, 2025 @ 5:20pm by Commander Arianna Frost & Lieutenant JG Jaya Maera Garlake
Edited on on Sat Jan 25th, 2025 @ 5:24pm
2,081 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
S1E6: Where Skies End
Location: Infirmary, Overwatch
Timeline: MD 11
Frost didn't expect a call from the EMH of all people, especially not while Doctor T'Bela was away. While she knew that T"Bela would let her know the results of her surgery, she didn't expect that to happen while she was not there. So, with some apprehension, Ari stepped into the infirmary early in the morning as requested.
The infirmary was a quiet affair, as usual. Overwatch and Memory Theta weren't a big affair, so staff weren't as readily filing in and out as they would on a starship.
Arianna looked around, on reflex, as if she were looking for a humanoid, not a holographic physician.
"Ferrofax, can you please notify the EMH that Commander Frost is in Sickbay as requested?" she said towards the ceiling.
"The fact that I have properly domesticated so many flesh bags in the use of manners brings me no end of delight." Ferrofax did resent being ordered to do anything. "The EMH has been made aware."
After a moment, the hologram materialized. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," it said in a droll monotone voice.
"You called for me? Said you have results for case 1135 Lambda?" Ari said, finding her voice surprisingly hoarse. She was anxious, she realized. Not a feeling she expected to feel, not now, after all these years.
1335 Lambda was the codified name for her case, the removal of the mass behind her eye in the surgery performed by Doctor T'Bela before she left. Classified up to the eyeballs. The EMH would have to initiate scrambling of the recorders before it could talk about the case.
The hologram flickered as the updated information accessed different protocols. "Ah, yes," he said with an updated instantiation. "There was an unknown mass behind your right eye identified for excision. The chief medical officer had elected to defer this procedure to automated systems whereupon the records will be deleted. I am required to advise you that this is against standard protocol and is permitted only under authorization. Do you wish to proceed? I am required to reiterate: Upon completion I will retain no record of the procedure."
Arianna nodded, swallowing hard. "Please proceed, Authorization Frost Omega 935 Mi Ro."
Her heart thundered in her chest and it tightened, anxiety broiling within her. For all that she knew it could be a simple mass that was removed and Bob was her uncle, her gut wouldn't let her live in the 'good news' feeling. With no family or prior history of ocular masses, she had a hard time convincing herself the news was going to be good.
The EMH gave a brief nod. "While performing the excision of the mass behind your right eye, it was discovered that a microscopic mechanism had become embedded within the tissue. This is not typical biological matter. The mechanism appears to be highly advanced, and it is definitely not of Federation design." The way the EMH spoke was almost casual. "The device is quite small, designed to integrate seamlessly with organic tissue. It appears to be a recording device, though its full function is unknown from a medical perspective. From what was determined by initial scans, its purpose is passive. It doesn't seem to have affected your biological systems in any noticeable way, but it has likely been gathering and storing data for an unknown period of time." It called up a sealed medical container from a storage compartment. "It was retained. I suggest you take it with you if you do not wish for it to become lost in storage after all records are deleted."
Ari felt like she'd been gut-punched. And had a heart attack at the same time. A hidden recording device? Behind her eye? Knowing what she knew so far of what Taskmaster had done to the butlers, to Vokau, she really shouldn't have been this surprised.
"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" She asked in a breathless tone.
She almost felt like consciousness was pressing inward on her and like she was going to collapse. She had to reach out and grasp the console for support as she felt her legs giving out.
The EMH gave a brief nod and repeated itself verbatim. "While performing the excision of the mass behind your right eye, it was discovered that a microscopic mechanism had become embedded within the tissue. This is not typical biological matter. The mechanism appears to be highly advanced, and it is definitely not of Federation design." The EMH's casual tone did not deviate in the slightest. "The device is quite small, designed to integrate seamlessly with organic tissue. It appears to be a recording device, though its full function is unknown from a medical perspective. From what was determined by initial scans, its purpose is passive. It doesn't seem to have affected your biological systems in any noticeable way, but it has likely been gathering and storing data for an unknown period of time." Again pointing to the sample inside the container, it continued repeating itself. "It was retained. I suggest you take it with you if you do not wish for it to become lost in storage after all records are deleted."
It seemed like her heart thundered a lot lately, and she was really starting to resent her own reactions. Especially because she couldn't help it. Arianna reached for the small container and picked it up.
"What the fuck did you do to us?" She whispered, looking at the container, behind her eyes an image of the Taskmaster formed. His cold, calculating, empty gaze.
Frost then blinked the thoughts away and refocused on the EMH. "Thank you. Does this mean I won't need any more surgeries and my eyes are fine? Or am I still heading down progressive blindness route?"
"Pleasebetheformerpleasebetheformerpleasebetheformer." A mantra chanted in her mind.
"I am not programmed to make such a prognosis," the EMH said, "but it does seem favorable. Please consult your Chief Medical Officer for an official opinion."
A sliver of relief coursed through shock, disgust and the self berating belief of she should have expected he'd interfere with all of his staff in some form or another. Arianna sighed at herself, and the situation.
"Alright," she said, and pulled out an isolinear chit and slotted into an interface module. "Download the data into this and begin closure of the case." Once the case was closed, the data will have been downloaded and the entire case deleted from the databases.
After doing as instructed, the hologram suffered another hard glitch. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency," it said, fully reset back to the beginning.
But Ari dismissed the EMH back to ready status. As the Infirmary went dark again, Arianna was left with her thoughts. How in the hell does one deal with the latest compounding piece of information? She wondered.
Her feet carried her out, as her mind battled with itself.
She'd learned of his crimes with turning dead or near-dead people into mindless Borg automatons, with Federation's own nanites. It was a hard swallow then, but somehow, with all the other worries and stresses they have had since, she had become able to digest it.
Over time, they had all become able to.
Then came the implant. Implanted 3 years ago, she was sure, during the surgery to save her eyes. Performed by medical personnel on Castermer's retainer. The subsequent surgeries must have been tweaks to the implant rather than actual corrective surgeries.
Or so she was telling herself as she roamed the hallways.
Part of her felt ashamed at the fact that she was bristling so much at this revelation, what had happened to Vokau and the others was far worse. At least she was alive, and not a mindless automaton.
"It's still an intrusion, damn it!" An intrusion, a violation, a wounding. It was a personal attack.
The other part of her was furious and incensed. Selfish even and completely zeroed in inward.
Doors opened and closed behind her and turbolifts took her places as she remained wrapped up in the daze of the revelation, spiralling.
A small sliver in the back of her mind, tried to pull her out several times. What had happened to her was just as important as what had happened to Vokau and the others. She had to get back on the horse and get to the bottom of this. She had to help the others figure out how to stop Taskmaster and his loyal underlings.
The anger wouldn't let her climb back out. The grip of fury and selfish righteousness was too strong.
Vaguely she registered a door opening and her back hitting the wall. Arianna sunk to the floor and hugged her arms around herself.
Her chest was tight and it felt as if it was getting tighter.
"Focus! Focus! FOCUS!"
What comfort was there? She couldn't dump this on Jaya and Storr this quickly in their return. Though she did promise to stop by later in the day.
The one thing lately, she remembered, that brought her any kind of peace or comfort was...well, not a thing. A person.
Akiva.
Arianna closed her eyes and leaned the back of her head against the wall. She took a deep breath and focused on the embrace at Deep Space Nine. The peace she felt in that moment. The embrace on Risa came unbidden, with it's moment of peace and safety...and home. The embrace in the arboretum came next, carrying with it peace, safety, home and acceptance.
The images behind her eyes slowly moved from despair and anger to those of acceptance, warmth and realization.
Whenever she felt defeated, down, angry, sad, or alone, the universe had always somehow brought Akiva in her path and grounded her. It was always him who managed to reach her, see her, accept her, even when he couldn't accept himself.
The seeping yet unvoiced feelings between them. She realized that somewhere along the line they stopped being wrong, they stopped being resisted. Somewhere down the line, they had become right and welcomed.
They had become crystal clear. They had become love.
Ari opened her eyes and leaned her elbows on her knees and then her head in her arms. "Fuuuuuuuuck!" She groaned in her hands.
Yet again, even though he wasn't here, he had managed to ground her. She loved Akiva. Arianna could not deny it any more. She wouldn't.
"Fuuuuuuck!" Came out with an exhale as she leaned her head back against the wall. Another sigh, "hokay. Big girl pants on, old girl. You've got work to do before you can talk to him. You know that. Let's not be greedy yet. We can be selfish when he comes back and if he wants the same thing." She said to herself as she pulled herself back up on her feet and adjusted her uniform and hair, a small smile creeping into her features.
It's been a while since she felt that kind of love. A long while.
Arianna took a deep breath, making no move to hide the smile. "Okay..." There was a promise to keep. She tapped her commbadge, "Frost to Jaya Garlake."
After a moment, Jaya's melodic voice sang through the combadge, though there was a tinge of exasperation to it which was out of the normal. =/\="Yes, uh, hi, Ari... what's the occasion?"=/\=
Ari didn't hide a grin in the dark of her quarters, not needing any further explanation as to what was causing her friend's unusual reply. Or rather who was causing it.
"I know I promised to stop by and see the bubs after I've dealt with Zharra and all, but some things have come up, so I'll pop by tomorrow sometime?" Frost wasn't going to intrude on personal time between Jaya and Storr.
She felt her cheeks flush a bit at the thought of the potential of her and Akiva being interrupted like that and her grin grew wider without meaning to.
=/\="Ugh, yes, and... stahp! Yes, Ari, tomorrow is wonderful!"=/\= Jaya couldn't hold back a squeal of delight at the end.
Arianna chuckled and turned the communication line off as she pulled out the little container with the offending item that had been lodged behind her eye for years. Her uplifted feeling dulled down a little as the nasty reality hit. She too had been violated.
They needed to stop him sooner rather than later.
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