...And Into the Light (Part 2) [Leela Kaz/Zero Alpha]

Leela smiled and turned her back to the window and moved to the bar. She took a position next to Zero and grasped the bar with her right hand, facing Zero her eyes closed, she lifted her leg. Without consideration or thought her right leg went to a point, all of her weight shifted onto her big toe. Her left leg and the corresponding arm lifted together in one seamless motion. It were as if both were tied together with an invisible string. The Trill held the position for a moment and then slowly lowered her extremities back into a more natural position. A smile flooded her face and an audible laughter emitted. "I had no idea. Where did that come from... was .... was that you? None of my previous hosts could do that!" She exclaimed.

Zero gave Leela a faint smile as she watched the Trill discovering what she could do with the bits and pieces of knowledge she had apparently picked up from Zero's mind. Stepping away from the bar for a moment, she called out to the computer to provide her with suitable attire.

It was as if the computer remembered her preferences from the many times before where she had danced in that studio. It changed her uniform for an ice blue leotard with a matching short, sheer skirt. A smattering of beading decorating the low neckline sparkled in the light. Silvery pointe shoes replaced her boots.

"Do... Do you wish the computer to provide you with appropriate clothing? It is uncomfortable to dance in uniform."

Zero Alpha wrote:

Zero gave Leela a faint smile as she watched the Trill discovering what she could do with the bits and pieces of knowledge she had apparently picked up from Zero's mind.  Stepping away from the bar for a moment, she called out to the computer to provide her with suitable attire.  

It was as if the computer remembered her preferences from the many times before where she had danced in that studio.  It changed her uniform for an ice blue leotard with a matching short, sheer skirt.  A smattering of beading decorating the low neckline sparkled in the light.  Silvery pointe shoes replaced her boots.  

"Do... Do you wish the computer to provide you with appropriate clothing?  It is uncomfortable to dance in uniform."

As Zero's appearance changed Leela's expression shifted from a smile to an expression of awe. "Zero, you... you look amazing." She blinked her eyes a few times as if she was making certain that the image was true. She then looked down to her own uniform and realized how out of place she looked. With a chuckle she added; "Maybe you're right. A costume change may be in order."

A pale pink blush crept over Zero's cheeks as Leela stared at her, suddenly feeling self conscious in the leotard. Very few people had ever seen her like this, only four others that she was aware of, in fact. Now five. Suddenly, she started being afraid of sharing this, the hobby she had been forced to give up by Corinth. If he ever found out that she had even set foot in her studio again...

Trying to hide the flash of fear that threatened to show on her face, she turned away and addressed the computer.

"Computer, provide Ensign Kaz with attire appropriate to the setting."

A deep purple leotard quickly replaced Leela's uniform in a feat that even her engineering mind struggled to comprehend. Suddenly visible were the long thin lines of spots that ran down either leg all the way into the new flats that had replaced the boots she had been wearing. She suddenly felt somehow exposed. She blushed knowing that Zero was seeing her in such an outfit. Then she looked to Zero and could read the apprehension on her face. Leela had gained a new understanding. She simply approached the augment and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He won't find out Zero."

Zero flinched at the hand on her shoulder, shifting away from it. The more she thought about it, the more she realised that she had just screwed up Leela's life by going through with the memory transfer.

"He will. It may take him a few days, perhaps as extended a time as a month, but he will discover that I have used this program once more and know that I have disobeyed his orders. I am sure that I no longer have to inform you what that will entail."

"Zero, he hasn't found you out here yet. He's not going to." Leela took a deep breathe and came to the realization that they have been put in the position where they would be forced to save each other. "He won't know what your doing, besides, you will be cut from him soon enough. Now that I have gained these experiences I am more determined than ever to see you a free woman."

"Now that you have insight into my experiences, you will also know that he will not allow me to leave his custody," Zero replied quietly. "I will not be permitted freedom." She took a deep breath, straightening her spine and attempting to shove what she considered to be her utterly futile search for freedom to one side of her mind.

"You will likely experience nightmares for several sleep shifts. If it becomes a problem, I will be able to prescribe elements to assist you with your rest."

Leela tried to muster enough courage to tell her that everything would be alright but she couldn't lie. She had gained, for better or worse, a better understanding of her situation. The Trill was confident that he could be defeated but today was not that day. "Zero, there are some Vulcan meditation techniques that can be beneficial in mitigating post traumatic stress. I tend too use them to suppress some of these memories. I can teach them to you sometime, if you like? Your mind is well disciplined... it should be relatively easy for you to pick up."

"I do not believe that meditation will solve the problem," Zero replied, noting that Leela had completely ignored her attempt to change the subject. She took a deep breath, straightening her posture and taking a place at the bar, starting to warm up her muscles, bending, stretching and flexing. "I have lived with these memories for long enough. I am more concerned with how you intend to live with them."

Leela smiled. "I have a lot of memories floating around. Some of them are great, many of them are not. I will be okay." Leela backed away from Zero. "I am sure I can suppress the worst of it. But I don't wish to suppress it all. Its important! And now that trauma will live on indefinitely through Kaz. Corinth's crimes will be known long after he is gone. It will taint his legacy."

Zero was silent for a few moments, continuing her warm up exercises. She hadn't thought about that, about the fact that all of the Trill's subsequent hosts would now know about her, have all of her memories as if she had been a host herself. She stumbled slightly, her mind on things other than what her feet were doing.

"Perhaps," she replied, moving away from the bar and starting to do a few practise spins and bobs. Her muscles felt stiff and unresponsive, despite being far more limber than the majority of humans. She hadn't practised in so long... "I... I did not wish for anyone to know the exact details of what occurred at Starfleet Medical. It... it places you in danger should they discover that you are aware."

"Corinth can't get me." Leela stood next to Zero and began to mimic her warm up routine. As the pair began to move in unison Leela continued to speak. "The truth is, I know too much. I could have him for breakfast any time I wanted too and he knows it. Why do you think he so readily yielded to me?"

A slight snort of mirth came out of Zero's nose. She could see Leela in the mirrors, trying to keep up with the Augment's movements. "It would appear that the man we seem to know as Corinth is in fact two distinct personalities." She thought back to the first time she had met him. Two security officers had just pulled her out of the small cargo container they had shoved her into at Kincaede's lab. She had been shaking, her throat raw from screaming for them to let her out. When Corinth had stepped in front of her, she had demanded to know his name, only to receive a slap hard enough to send her sprawling to the floor and the barrage of demeaning and condescending torments had begun.

The memory springing to the forefront of her mind caused her to wobble during her arabesque. She landed hard on the wooden floor but rapidly got back to her feet, starting the movement again as if nothing had happened. "No matter how much an individual may believe that information will protect them, it will not necessarily be so. Corinth has many doctors to speak on his behalf, and the paperwork is in his favour."

Leela stopped the motions when Zero fell to the floor. As she resumed the movements Leela followed in kind. It was soothing. Movements that Leela would have found impossible a day before flowed from her body effortlessly. "As much as I'm enjoying our conversation about Corinth, that's not why we're here." Her voice was riddled with sarcasm. She was definitely not enjoying this particular conversation. But somehow the movements made the stressful talk easier to bear. "You never did tell me, what did you think of Preta? Fascinating experience, for me at least. What were your observations?"

Zero was quietly relieved to turn the conversation away from Corinth. He preyed enough on her mind, the thought of him affecting her every move and action as she debated whether or not it was something that she could be punished for.

Then again, changing the subject to Preta and the experience of having another individual in her mind was not exactly much better in her view. It was something she would rather try to forget as soon as possible.

"I do not wish to discuss it. It was more horrific than fascinating."

Leela was surprised to hear Zero describe the event as 'horrific.' She had always found Preta to be a calming warm influence. Preta served as a sea of tranquility in a turbulant world. "Why did you find so uncomfortable, I can see the whole concept a little off-putting. But i would of thought that you would of found Preta to be warm."

For a moment, the Augment remained silent, continuing her movements, moving on to more and more complex ones as she fell back into the so very familiar rhythm of her workouts.  A light sheen of sweat gave her overly-pale skin an almost healthy glow.  

"Perhaps the personality of the individual could be characterised as warm.  However, her presence in my mind was intrusive and excruciating.  The majority of my life is outwith my control, including my thought processes.  The additional loss of control due to an alien presence in my mind was not comfortable in the slightest."

"I can understand that, of course." Leela continued to perform parallel motions alongside the augment. "But beyond that. Can you remember her experiences? Do you remember the way it felt when her children were born? Can you see the universe through her eyes? What did you take away?" Leela felt like she was pushing the issue, but she needed to know what Zero left the experience with.

"I am attempting to suppress those memories," Zero replied truthfully. It was an experience that she was going to try her hardest to forget, along with her experiences at the hand of the Romulans.

Thankfully, before much more could be said, an alarm sounded from Zero's commbadge, still on her uniform jacket which was neatly folded on a bench next to Leela's. Her face lost what little colour it had.

"Callion..."

Leela broke from the formation and followed Zero to her commbadge. She could sense the panic but she wasn't certain if it was Leela's line of questioning or the alarm that had just sounded. Truth was, it was likely a combination of the two. "Callion? What's going on Zero? Is everything alright?"

Zero grabbed her uniform, but didn't bother to change out of her leotard. If one looked closely enough, the trembling in her hands that had been steadily getting better since the Romulans was back with a vengeance.

"I programmed an alarm to alert me should Callion's incubation chamber fail for any reason!" she replied, bolting out of the door and heading for her quarters.

Leela grabbed her own uniform jacket and threw it over the leotard. Scrambling she ran behind Zero attempting to catch up. "Failed? What does that mean? Is the baby okay. What do we do? Zero, wait up!" Leela was surprised at how fast the augment moved. Leela was almost running attempting to keep up with her.

"Callion relies on the environment of the artificial womb I constructed for her," Zero replied, not slowing her stride as she tore down the halls of the ship. "If I am unable to repair it, I will have to remove her from it."

Her quarters were unsurprisingly neat and tidy. Ghost was whining, pacing outside a closed door and giving the occasional 'woof' as if he knew that something was wrong. Zero opened that same door to reveal what was essentially a medical laboratory crammed into a small space. Warning lights were flashing all over the place, especially on the small chamber housing a humanoid baby curled into a foetal position in the synthetic amniotic fluid.

Leela followed the augment into Her quarters. Warning lights lilt up the chamber. One didn't have to be a doctor to know that something wasn't right. As they passed through the door Leela uttered a single sentence. "Do you mean... Are we having a baby?"