"Dark Stranger"
(previous post the "Entrance")
-------
Stardate: 60320.1610
Setting: VEGA SIGMA, Northern New Arrivals Centre, promenade
Susan was shaken to say the least. This was not good. She'd been undercover
for barely and hour and already something had gone wrong. True, the dark man
who called himself Matt had not immediately guessed that Susan wasn't Sol.
or at least it hadn't appeared he had, but there was still a problem. A
rather large problem. Someone had been expecting the real Sol to show up.
Susan took a deep breath and tried to steady her nerves. Surely Starfleet
Intel wouldn't have sent her in without first checking that the woman she'd
be covering for wouldn't also attend? But if this was so, if Sol hadn't
gotten the message Matt claimed to have sent, how come he seemed to think
she had? And how come SI hadn't warned Susan to expect him?
Her first thought was that it was a test. That SI, like her father and
like - if she dared to admit it - herself, was concerned that Susan would
not be able to cope when it came to the kind of missions that involved
deceit, espionage and danger. That they had sent her and the ANUBIS on this
seemingly routine mission just to test her.
But she brushed the thought aside. If SI had wanted to test her, they could
have found a way of doing it that involved far less danger to their trained
operatives and the highly skilled crew of the ANUBIS. No, this problem was
for real. And she had to find a real way of dealing with it.
Or did she?
Maybe it would just go away and Sol would have just lost a business
opportunity.
But what kind of business opportunity? Was it something that SI would be
interested in? After all, that's why Susan was here wasn't it? To gain
intel. Oh well, the opportunity had apparently passed uninvestigated. Susan had no idea where to find this Matt even if she had wanted to.
More freaked out than she ever would have admitted by the seemingly chance
encounter, Susan put aside all thoughts of a shopping spree and headed,
instead, to book the first shuttle to TANGIERS ORBITAL.
------------
Susan sighed as she sat back in her chair and tried to relax. She ran
through her cover several times in her head, trying to comb out any weak
spots. Sometime during the trip she fell asleep. She woke with a start to
discover that the previously empty seat next to her was now occupied.
A familiar white smile greeted her.
"About time." Matt said as he put down the PADD he'd been reading.
Susan sat up with a start. "Wha - what are you doing here? How did you get
here?"
He shrugged and said, "I followed you." casually. "I was sitting in economy
class but then I thought, what the hell? Why not move up in society? After
all, my good friend Sol came into all this money and I'm sure she'd be
willing to help me out in a pinch. So I requested an in-flight transfer."
Susan was completely stumped. Money? Was he referring to her inheritance?
Was she still dreaming? She blinked. "Wha- what? Why?"
Then she shook herself off, "Why are you following? I told you I..."
"...have some business to take care of, I know."
"Actually, I was going to say I told you I didn't want anything to do with
you."
He raised his eyebrows, "Really? I remember you saying you didn't "miss" me.
That's not really the same thing is it?"
Susan was beginning to *really* dislike this guy now. Not only was he
disconcerting by his very presence: he was annoying. She turned in her seat
to face him, putting her elbows on the armrest.
"Alright. What do you want?"
By cutting to the chase, Susan hoped to gain some insight into his
'business' dealings (if they offered anything of interest) and maybe some
insight into Sol. However, Matt wasn't going to make it easy for her.
He stretched out his legs, "These seats really *are* comfortable! I should
travel first class more often." He turned to meet Susan's glare before
smiling broadly, "Oh... I just want to catch up on old times."
"I'll bet." Susan replied shortly, remembering the kiss.
Matt turned to her soberly, all traces of humour gone, "What have you been
doing with yourself, Sol? Last I heard, you'd taken off into the sunsets
with your father's money."
That was a relief. At least he was no more clued up on Sol's whereabouts
than Susan.
"You make it sound as if I stole the money." Susan watched for a reaction,
there wasn't one. "I didn't. It was an inheritance."
"Yeah," Matt said smugly, "and I work for Starfleet."
Susan's heart gave an involuntary leap.
"Come on, Sol. It's me you're talking to. Your father didn't have a single
bar of latinum to his name. I know you didn't get that money from him."
This was an interesting development. In mock chagrin, Susan said briskly,
"How the hell would you know what my father did or didn't have?"
Matt just laughed. Then he looked at Sol and said seriously, "It's my
business to know these things."
The smile returned and he picked up the PADD he'd been reading earlier. "I'm
interested to know what 'business' you think you have to take care of."
Susan began to panic behind her Bajoran poker-face and she said stiffly,
"That's my business."
"Does involve money?"
"That's my business."
"Does it involve stolen Bajoran artifacts?"
The shock must of registered on Susan's face, because Matt's voice dropped
and he smiled as he said, "Relax, no-one here would give a damn if you sold
off the whole of Bajor."
Susan looked around at the various aliens sitting quite occupied in their
own lives: reading PADDs, sleeping or eating. She then looked back at Matt
and said quietly, "It might."
His smile broadened, "I was afraid my message wouldn't find you." and he
slipped her the PADD he was holding before standing up, briefly kissing her
on the forehead and walking back to economy class leaving Susan in a rather
shell-shocked state. She'd just hit the jackpot. And she hadn't even arrived
at the Casino yet!
--------------- 2005 post #165
Stardate: 60320.1630
Setting: TANGIERS SHUTTLE
Tallulah Habib {thabib@eject.co.za}
Ensign Susan Mei
Head Counselor
USS ANUBIS
---------------
"Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
Kindness in another's trouble,
Courage in your own." - Adam Lindsay Gordon
