Planning the Storm [Gavin/Zero]

As Jiseth walked into their quarters, Zero and Ghost looked up, the canine giving a quiet 'wuff' of greeting and wagging his tail. The Romulan seemed to be more preoccupied with the contents of her PADD, or at least she was until she realised just who was sitting on the couch.

There were a handful of people who had earned the Augment's respect, but the two people in front of her were the only ones that she could truly call friends. She had hoped that they would be able to get on, or at least make the attempt to, despite the fact that she knew that Jiseth could be territorial and prickly. It probably didn't help that Gavin was reporting to SFM, whether or not he was doing it to help her.

She was halfway out of her seat as Jiseth criticised the arrangement that the Augment and Gavin had put in place to keep Zero out of Medical's grasp, but then all hell decided to break loose as Gavin tore into Jiseth. What little colour Zero had in her face drained away and she sat down again. There was no denying what he said either. It was all true. He had done everything he could to help her, up to and including sacrificing any hope he had of a career. She dropped her head into her hands, wondering if she was going to be able to get these two people to somehow accept each other.

Finally it came out. She could say for certainty that he was indeed here to help. Still, while Jiseth found a humbling respect for his convictions, her anger had peaked. There was little expression on her face other than the usual Romulan scowl though her eyes would have shot baleful green disruptor fire if they could.

Taking a step closer, their height difference because more apparent. A fraction of a meter turning into almost a thousand as her wrath would be made manifest. A tidal wave of pent up aggression. The flight departments of every ship she served on feared her for it. A flick of her forearm could send Gavin across the room or up against the ceiling to unceremoniously fall back. A punch could impale him if she tried hard enough. Or a dismissive smack across the face would get the point across as well with contemptuous ease.

Jiseth could not bring herself to. He had only said what she had been thinking ever since she returned. Sometimes it was tempting to leave again. Hope that somehow Zero would end up happier without her much in the same way T'Koris was with her own life. There was no longer any denying it. The Lieutenant had been marked. A badge of shame that would be worn for years perhaps.

It was no pleasure cruise or escape in her absence, however. How many time had she been kissed by a gloved fist or starved for days and when finally fed have it all punched out of her. Then the mind probes. The worst of it all were the wounds that Zero could not mend with her array of medical tools. She had nothing to show for all that occurred, not any longer. Just the shame and self-hatred.

The most damning thing was she found Gavin's words a relief. Refreshing even. They were by no means gentle. No attempt made to divert blame or seek a silver lining. He a language she understood quite clearly.

"I'm glad we've come to terms."

"Terms, huh. That's what we're calling this." Gavin shook his head, running his fingers through his thick auburn hair. "Am I harsh? Am I unfair? Does it bother you to have someone utterly clueless about what's been going on walk into someone's lives and drop down some judgement? Well, hold up a mirror, sweetheart. Because you're flying blind."

Zero was obviously upset by the whole scene. Who could blame her? Jiseth, however, had knocked a floodwall loose. There wasn't a lot left to stop it. Everything. All that he'd given up, sacrificed. The road map of his life, so conveniently laid out...burned. Gone. He'd likely have just washed out of Starfleet altogether, had it not been for Thelos.

Gavin knew that he should say something to Zero. Anything at all. She was family, and seeing the two of them argue hurt her. He wished that he was the bigger person, so that he could do that. He wished he was better.

"You've got all the answers, obviously," he said, rubbing his temples. "I guess we've just got a room full of geniuses, now. I guess three is one too many." He looked out from between his fingertips to the Romulan, his voice low. "Figure it out for yourself."

With that, he headed for the door.

"That is enough!"

Zero was surprised to find herself on her feet as she glared between the two most important people in her life. Ghost, having been disturbed by his owner's sudden movements, jumped off the couch and pressed himself against the Augment's leg, seeking some form of reassurance from her.

"Why must you attack each other?" she demanded. In the back of her mind, she wondered if this was what people with parents felt like when those parents argued. She glowered first at Gavin, daring him to move another inch toward the door. She wouldn't hesitate to send Ghost to pin him to the deck if she had to, but she turned her attention first to Jiseth

"You do not have the right to criticise that which we did in your absence. We attempted to do the best that we could with that which was available to us. He was given the opportunity to advance rapidly through the officer ranks if only he would report on my behaviour in return. After our first encounter, he abandoned the assignment. He gave up his career in medical for the reason that he would not collaborate with Admiral Corinth. The Admiral recalled me due to the fact that Gavin would not cooperate and-" She found her jaw clenching, as if her subconscious mind refused to speak of what had happened. Jiseth knew, in any case. "He was the one who did what he could to release me from Medical. I spent many of my days there wishing that it would be you who would return to find me, but you were not there. You do not have the right to criticise the lengths that he was willing to go, nor what we must do now!"

She turned to Gavin, her mental crosshairs focusing on the young genius. "Gavin, please. It is difficult enough for me to understand human and humanoid emotions. I am incapable of understanding the level of hardship that your relations with me have caused you. Jiseth was the first humanoid to show me any form of love. There are elements to our relationship that require work, but my understanding is that the same is true of any relationship."

She could feel wet tracks on her cheeks, traces of tears that had escaped from her eyes. The knowledge that they were there disgusted her. She hated crying. It was a sign of emotional weakness that she was unwilling to show. Crouching down, she wrapped her arms around Ghost's neck, pressing her face into his soft, warm fur, her next words somewhat muffled. "Please do not make me chose with which of you I would wish to spend time. It is not a decision I am capable of making."

Jiseth's eyes flashed wide open with surprise for a moment before her jaw clenched as she herself fought off her tears. It was a red letter moment. Zero had yelled at her in anger and while the occasion was not one of celebration, she was somewhat proud of the Augment.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Gavin."

Jiseth wrote:

Jiseth's eyes flashed wide open with surprise for a moment before her jaw clenched as she herself fought off her tears. It was a red letter moment. Zero had yelled at her in anger and while the occasion was not one of celebration, she was somewhat proud of the Augment.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Gavin."

You should be, Gavin thought, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe, shooting a hooded glower in the Romulan's direction. For Zero's sake, he'd decided not to leave, but he was keeping his distance. Zero's sake...and the fact that he was pretty damn sure she looked poised to send the dog after him.

This all was, in a way, Jiseth's fault. If Zero hadn't felt the need to somehow prove that she loved her, and wanted her around, then there would be no baby to begin with. Anyone in their right mind could see that Zero Alpha lacked the emotional capacity to understand the full implications of something like that. Yes, relationships required work, but thanks to the Romulan, Zero had more than she could have handled in a year. Maybe five. Jiseth's fault, only if you connected half a dozen strings of blame.

Then again, finding connections was something at which he had always excelled.

Keeping his arms crossed, Gavin only gave the most tacit of nods in Jiseth's direction. He accepted her apology, but the woman was utterly clueless as to what he and Zero had already gone through in her absence.

Hearing Jiseth apologise, Zero had peeked up at Gavin to gauge his reaction. Seeing that is was, albeit a somewhat muted and discreet, positive reaction, the Augment found herself breathing out a sigh of relief. That came as something of a surprise to her, but she brushed it off, concentrating on the now.

Standing up again, although keeping one hand on Ghost's head for reassurance, she looked between the two. Her lover and her cousin.

"Jiseth is unaware of much that has happened in her absence, just as Gavin is unaware of most that which happens with Admiral Corinth. There can be no accusations while the full picture is not known."

Turning her head toward the view port, Jiseth moved toward it and sat on the armrest of the couch looking out. Her braids were undone and lay on the slope of her back. She could feel Gargantua's pull, a constant tug toward the abyss. What was beyond the horizon, what had the Tal'Shiar put there? It was like an itch that she was not allowed to scratch.

"It went well with Chira. I still need to schedule a meeting with the Captain and followups with both of them. At the very least I know I'm going to be debriefed on what information I gave during the interrogations..."

They would have executed me on Romulus for such a thing. Running her fingertips across her brow, the Romulan looked over her shoulder to the two.

"So... What's the plan?"

Zero Alpha wrote:

Hearing Jiseth apologise, Zero had peeked up at Gavin to gauge his reaction.  Seeing that is was, albeit a somewhat muted and discreet, positive reaction, the Augment found herself breathing out a sigh of relief.  That came as something of a surprise to her, but she brushed it off, concentrating on the now.

Standing up again, although keeping one hand on Ghost's head for reassurance, she looked between the two.  Her lover and her cousin.  

"Jiseth is unaware of much that has happened in her absence, just as Gavin is unaware of most that which happens with Admiral Corinth.  There can be no accusations while the full picture is not known."

Gavin still stayed right where he was, leaning against the wall, his expression as cool as he imagined Thelos' homeworld to be. He knew that, in order to continue being a part of Zero's life, he'd have to accept Jiseth. He just wasn't the biggest fan of the Romulan right this second.

He factored in what she said about being debriefed and all that, but something the Augment mentioned caught his attention. "Wait, Zero, what do you mean I don't know about what Admiral Corinth did? What haven't you told me?"

Jiseth wrote:

Turning her head toward the view port, Jiseth moved toward it and sat on the armrest of the couch looking out. Her braids were undone and lay on the slope of her back. She could feel Gargantua's pull, a constant tug toward the abyss. What was beyond the horizon, what had the Tal'Shiar put there? It was like an itch that she was not allowed to scratch.

"It went well with Chira. I still need to schedule a meeting with the Captain and followups with both of them. At the very least I know I'm going to be debriefed on what information I gave during the interrogations..."

They would have executed me on Romulus for such a thing. Running her fingertips across her brow, the Romulan looked over her shoulder to the two.

"So... What's the plan?"

Zero sat down on the couch again, Ghost jumping up to join her, putting his head on her lap. Now that the two of them were no longer at each others' throats, even if they weren't exactly on good terms, she found that the constricted feeling in her ribs was easing. Curious.

As Jiseth spoke about her appointments, the Augment found herself feeling a little guilty that she wouldn't be able to accompany the Romulan to those sessions. She was relieved to hear that Jiseth was going to them, but she did wish that she could be there to support her.

Her attention was pulled back to Gavin when he asked about what Admiral Corinth had done. She looked down at Ghost, rubbing the dog's ears. "I was not aware that many of the things that he did were wrong. I was lead to believe that they were normal."

"It's not something that can be just... told."

From her pocket came the isolinear chip that Zero had given her earlier. Slowly she looked over her shoulder to Gavin, in a small way daring him to take it from her, but an offer nonetheless should he truly wish to see the contents of the files. To Jiseth it was more valuable than all her gold-pressed latinum or any shuttle craft combined. Not even her grandfather's disruptor was so precious.

"On this are recorded the encounters. I'll need it to show to the Captain, but if we're in this together..."

Rising from the couch, she moved to the dropped helmet and PADD. The latter she picked up and held out to Gavin, along with the chip.

Jiseth wrote:

"It's not something that can be just... told."

From her pocket came the isolinear chip that Zero had given her earlier. Slowly she looked over her shoulder to Gavin, in a small way daring him to take it from her, but an offer nonetheless should he truly wish to see the contents of the files. To Jiseth it was more valuable than all her gold-pressed latinum or any shuttle craft combined. Not even her grandfather's disruptor was so precious.

"On this are recorded the encounters. I'll need it to show to the Captain, but if we're in this together..."

Rising from the couch, she moved to the dropped helmet and PADD. The latter she picked up and held out to Gavin, along with the chip.

"Normal...?" Gavin asked, his eyebrow raising. Any further questions were cut off by the Romulan pulling out a datachip and passing him a padd. Obviously, there was an undercurrent of something that was going on here...about which he knew nothing. It didn't take a genius to know that.

He took the padd somewhat warily, considering that Jiseth still looked as if she wanted to take him out back and put a phaser blast in the back of his skull. Moving to the couch, he sat down on the arm and turned it on.

Gavin only made it about thirty seconds in.

A wave of sick nausea hit him like a tidal pull of garbage, like an oil slick that history books told about Old Earth, back when the inhabitants of his home planet seemed hell-bent on destroying themselves. What was on the screen was a violation. There was no other word in any language for it. A violation of his profession...be it science or medical. A violation of oaths, both of the Federation and Hippocrates. And, last but not least, a violation of a member of his family. Probably the person he cared about the most, right after Thelos.

Silently, Gav handed the padd back, a haunted look on his face. "I'm sorry, Zero," he said, his voice very quiet.

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

"Normal...?" Gavin asked, his eyebrow raising.  Any further questions were cut off by the Romulan pulling out a datachip and passing him a padd.  Obviously, there was an undercurrent of something that was going on here...about which he knew nothing.  It didn't take a genius to know that.  

He took the padd somewhat warily, considering that Jiseth still looked as if she wanted to take him out back and put a phaser blast in the back of his skull.  Moving to the couch, he sat down on the arm and turned it on.

Gavin only made it about thirty seconds in.

A wave of sick nausea hit him like a tidal pull of garbage, like an oil slick that history books told about Old Earth, back when the inhabitants of his home planet seemed hell-bent on destroying themselves.  What was on the screen was a violation.  There was no other word in any language for it.  A violation of his profession...be it science or medical.  A violation of oaths, both of the Federation and Hippocrates.  And, last but not least, a violation of a member of his family.  Probably the person he cared about the most, right after Thelos.

Silently, Gav handed the padd back, a haunted look on his face.  "I'm sorry, Zero," he said, his voice very quiet.

Still stroking Ghost's head with a rhythm intended to be both soothing for the canine and for herself, Zero made no move to stop Jiseth from handing over the datachip that she had programmed with the recordings and data gathered during her last stay at Starfleet Medical. Recovery from different levels of stun blasts, evacuation times of different drugs from her system and psychological testing, to name but a few. And the one that seemed to floor the few people outside of Corinth's little circle who knew about it: testing just how well her body had matured and how well it could accommodate mates.

She didn't look up as he sat down and powered on the PADD, plugging in the datachip. It didn't take very long for him to turn it off again. In a way, it made Zero feel sick to her stomach. Gavin had never lied to her. He hadn't even been around her for a day before he gave up his espionage assignment. He had been the one she went to when she needed honest advice about... well, pretty much anything that she couldn't understand from the computers. The fact that he had reacted in such a way confirmed in the Augment's mind that she had been, once again, mislead by the Admiral. Mislead by the people she relied on for her life since she had been taken away from Doctor Kincaede.

"There is no need for an apology," she said, not looking up at him. "I did not understand. You now possess the majority of the information regarding my time spent with Admiral Corinth."

The chip disappeared into Jiseth's pocket as she deleted the history of its use from the PADD. If she really wanted to be thorough, she might destroy the thing, but that was not necessary just yet. At the very least she knew a disruptor blast in their quarters would not go over very well. Burn marks were hell to get out of the carpet.

Moving across the room, she picked up her helmet and continued to the bedroom stowing it away. The PADD unceremoniously discarded onto the bed like a discus. When she emerged, her course was straight for the replicator. A few moments there and then to the couch. One glass of water for Zero, two glasses of Romulan ale for herself and Gavin.

"It's not so bleak, Mr. Van Gelder. With the amount of aid missions to Cardassia, I'm sure we'll be sent there eventually. My department can deliver, but I prefer to have a diverse group. Medical and science personal are more valuable to me than pilots. We could use someone with your talents..."

Jiseth wrote:

The chip disappeared into Jiseth's pocket as she deleted the history of its use from the PADD. If she really wanted to be thorough, she might destroy the thing, but that was not necessary just yet. At the very least she knew a disruptor blast in their quarters would not go over very well. Burn marks were hell to get out of the carpet.

Moving across the room, she picked up her helmet and continued to the bedroom stowing it away. The PADD unceremoniously discarded onto the bed like a discus. When she emerged, her course was straight for the replicator. A few moments there and then to the couch. One glass of water for Zero, two glasses of Romulan ale for herself and Gavin.

"It's not so bleak, Mr. Van Gelder. With the amount of aid missions to Cardassia, I'm sure we'll be sent there eventually. My department can deliver, but I prefer to have a diverse group. Medical and science personal are more valuable to me than pilots. We could use someone with your talents..."

Gavin was immediately reminded of a quote from a researcher from Old Earth's more wild days...something to the effect of there being no haunted places, only haunted people. It sure as hell was how he felt right now.

He took the drink with a small nod of thanks, taking a sip and coughing. It was synth, but it was stronger than the Andorian stuff he liked to drink with Thelos. Gavin couldn't even imagine what the real thing was like. "You'll have me, then," he said, looking down at the blue liquid. "I've been in this since the beginning...I'm not backing out now."

Taking another drink, Gavin looked over to Zero. "You know, now, how wrong it was...right? What they did to you? It's criminal, Zero. And they're going to be punished for it."

Gavin Van Gelder wrote:

Gavin was immediately reminded of a quote from a researcher from Old Earth's more wild days...something to the effect of there being no haunted places, only haunted people.  It sure as hell was how he felt right now.

He took the drink with a small nod of thanks, taking a sip and coughing.  It was synth, but it was stronger than the Andorian stuff he liked to drink with Thelos.  Gavin couldn't even imagine what the real thing was like.  "You'll have me, then," he said, looking down at the blue liquid.  "I've been in this since the beginning...I'm not backing out now."

Taking another drink, Gavin looked over to Zero.  "You know, now, how wrong it was...right?  What they did to you?  It's criminal, Zero.  And they're going to be punished for it."

Zero accepted the glass of water from Jiseth, wishing, not for the first time, that she could afford to start drinking alcohol again. Unfortunately, that was yet another thing prohibited by Starfleet Medical. She was slightly amused by Gavin's reaction to the drink Jiseth had given him though. Strong drink had never bothered the Augment, and she had been out drinking on occasion with her cousin. Now that she thought back to those times, she realised that he had never partaken of anything that was particularly strong.

As he addressed her, she looked up at him. Ghost shifted his head on her lap, discreetly protesting the fact that she wasn't scratching his favourite place behind his ears any more. She dropped her gaze back to the canine.

"I have been told many times that what transpired at Medical was wrong, that there are laws against such acts, but I continue to find it difficult to comprehend. There was logic behind their reasoning. It was explained to me in detail." Ghost harrumphed, flicking an ear. "I have accepted that I must take your word for it."

With a half smirk Jiseth reached over and ran her fingers through Ghost's fur from the back of his head to his shoulder. Her other brought the glass up to her lips which took in a significant amount of the blue liquid within. She had had this conversation already with Zero and there seemed to be little she could input at the moment.

Her eyes drifted to her betrothed regardless. The Augment was still the most beautiful person she had ever laid eyes on. How many things she wished she could do over she lost count. Everything from their first morning together perhaps. Even so, Jiseth had her own concerns. The crusade to find justice for Zero would only mask her own suffering for so long.