Facades and Games
Posted on Wed Sep 16th, 2009 @ 1:00pm by Captain Elsie Halliwell
1,351 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
The Shining Truth
Location: Deck 6, Brig
Timeline: Current
ON:
Staring out across the bridge of the Archimedes, Arkham felt a distinct, though hollow feeling of pride. Whether it was the crew's fear of the changed Arkham or what the dark uniform that now adorned her lean physique represented, Arkham was unsure, but either way, it was appreciated. The idea of shedding the blood of one of her own crew bothered Arkham; though she'd ceased to feel guilt long ago, there was a distinct hollowness in the pit of her stomach.
"Imzadi?" Came the voice of Alexandra Harwood from somewhere behind her. Harwood had been devoted to the idea of a VISTA spy, and while Arkham kept the ship running, she worked to find what they so desperately sought.
"Yes, Alexandra?" Arkham said quietly. "Have you located our quarry?"
"I believe so, yes," Alexandra said, her tone equally quiet as she pushed her glasses further up on the bridge of her nose. "I will have to look into it a little further, but I believe we have our man."
"Excellent," Arkham said coolly. Sighing a little as she looked around, she looked back to Harwood, a distinct weariness in her features. "If you'll excuse me, my dear, I'm going to take a bit of a walk. Clear my head, so to speak."
-----
As the doors to the brig silently parted, the clobber of alien feet across the room roused Lane from his slumber. He looked over to Lieutenant Carter who slept peacefully near to his own, and as he wiped the sleep from his bleary eyes, he focused them on the Commander as she neared the hollow to the cell.
"Guards," Arkham rasped coolly as the two men snapped to a quick salute, which she half-heartedly returned, "Why don't you take Miss Carter...elsewhere? Lunch in the lounge? I need a few moments alone with...Mr. Lane here."
Doing as they were bade, Arkham smirked a little. "Well, Coltan, how are you enjoying your stay?"
Lane shifted his body from its prone position and swung his legs out to dangle over the side of the bench he had just slept on. The dream he had coursing through his mind moments earlier still resonated through his being. Dark images of nightmare- creatures tearing him frantically away from the arms of his daughter. Her screams still rang about his ears and pierced his shattered mind as he looked upon the aging woman looking at him.
“I can’t say that I’m doing particularly well, Commander. Or, is it Captain, now?� he started with, shaking his head as he spoke.�
Arkham smiled slightly. "Rank means little to me. Address me as you will, Mr. Lane. You're splitting hairs. Either way, I'm in control here."
“Come to gloat, Rowena?� he asked tiredly, the whites of his eyes red with the exhaustion and fear he had endured till now. “I wish I could tell you that I don’t have the time, but…� He lifted both arms into the air indicating the space in which he sat and chuckled to himself.
Arkham chuckled a little, "No, no I haven't. Although, the identity of the VISTA spy has been ascertained. That was much easier while you were out of the way. The only thing that truly remains is to regulate the information and dispose of the traitor" -- a pause -- "well, never mind then. I suppose I did come to gloat."
Lane stood and stepped up to the forcefield to lock his querying gaze on his former First Officer. He sighed slightly, and then narrowed his eyes, thinking for a moment before he spoke.
“Tell me, Commander, why incarcerate me to remove my meddling just to divulge the information so readily? Once you forced this situation to unfold before us, I lost the reason for you to be telling me this.� He stepped back a little and turned to face away from her, looking at the empty cell that contained him. “What’s your game, Arkham? What are you actually up to?�
"How many times have I been asked that over the years?" Arkham said, smirking a little. "Well, that's a story that begins many years ago and shows no signs of ending. Alex Harwood came to us at a very young age. Much younger than most of our...agents. Fresh out of the academy, really, little more than a girl. And I was the senior agent assigned to her. I...took everything from that girl, I took her innocence in every sense of the word. Broke her. Made her into one of us. Perhaps made her into something worse than the Arkham Horror. And now...well, it does appear the student has surpassed the master, doesn't it?"
Lane took a slight step back from the forcefield and creased his brow, thinking on what the Commander had just informed him. “You’re no longer in control of her, are you?� he questioned venomously.
Arkham smiled a little. "To tell you the truth, I don't know if I've been in control in years. I was her handler, and I was her first. I think that was the only thing that made her even consider my course of action in all this, Coltan."
“What was the alternative to your suggestion, Rowena?�
"Alex Harwood would have taken this ship completely. She would have brought other agents like her. Though she's been known to take the moral high road, she's...not always right. Things are not as black and white as they always seem. I know this. And I couldn't let her take everything away from this crew the way I did to her. So I support her in her endeavors. VISTA must be stopped, after all. But perhaps I don't need to challenge her authority, if I can undermine it. Lull her into a false sense of security, and bide my time until I'm in a position to strike. A rather comfy chair on the bridge, for example. Don't you agree, Coltan?"
“You’re mutinying on her, aren’t you?� the Trill replied, a sense of what was transpiring, dawning over him.
Without warning, a vent cover fell behind the Captain, hitting the floor of the brig with a resounding clank. Arkham smirked, shaking her head and managing a slight smile as she looked up. "This ship is a piece of trash, Coltan. I'll have to report that to maintenance and security in oh, say, ten minutes or so."
Lane looked behind him at the vacant shaft that disappeared into the darkness beyond. He turned to Rowena and shared a brief smile. “Does this mean that you’re back, Commander?�
Rowena arched a single silver eyebrow, smirking and ignoring him completely. "Really, Coltan, this ship is a death trap. After all, if you follow that vent far enough, you'd wind up right in poor old Yvaine's quarters. And what a heart attack that would give the old girl, her being holed up with your daughter and already riled up. Don't you agree?"
Lane simply nodded as the expression on his face warmed slightly. “You’re a sly fox, Rowena,� he said with a smile.
Arkham turned her back to the man, turning to leave the room. "You've got a ten minute head start, Coltan. I've given you what I can. We'll discuss this at length later."
“Discuss? You’re gonna have to do better than that, Commander. “I’ll expect a full report once this is all over.�
Arkham paused, listening to the Trill's words. Sighing a little, Arkham rasped quietly as she walked away into the hallway beyond, "Put in a good word with Catherine for me."
Lane simply smiled his reply. He knew that she could not have seen him, walking out to the corridor and disappearing from view, but he also knew that Rowena entrusted him to do this. Almost as a favour. And that should anything or anyone on this ship survive, the trust between them would have to remain fast.
OFF:
Commander Rowena Arkham
Acting Commanding Officer
AND
Captain Coltan Lane
Commanding Officer (Removed)
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