Not so fun fair

Posted on Sun Oct 27th, 2024 @ 3:39pm by Lieutenant Adrianna Baciami & Lieutenant Fang Lee

1,436 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Stars Around the Well
Location: Unknown
Timeline: ---Past---

ON:

The crew had to split up. Starfleet were on their tail and the information on the PaDD was crucial. Adrianna had already taken a copy to send to her handler later. For now, she had to play her part in not getting arrested by a Starfleet officer... in this case, her brother. She ran at full speed to get away from him, surprised that she was still faster than her brother: now a chief of security, sent to arrest the crew. Adrianna's lungs burned as she tore through the carnival grounds, her heart thrumming in her chest like a caged animal. The twisted paths of the funfair blurred around her, a chaotic mess of neon lights and rusted metal that seemed to shift with each step.

A few paces behind, she caught sight of her brother. He moved steadily, like a shadow keeping pace, his eyes a dark void that gleamed in the fractured light.

She plunged into the maze of mirrors, disoriented by the sharp turns and looming reflections that surrounded her. Every direction, every flicker of movement, she saw him — a flash of his outline here, his reflection there, always closing in. Her own face appeared beside his in countless panes, pale with fear, her reflection merging with his in a warped, ghostly tableau.

She stumbled, catching herself just before crashing into one of the mirrors, her breath fogging up the glass. In its hazy surface, she saw him directly behind her, so close she could feel his presence without even turning around.

The only way was forward, deeper into the labyrinth, and as she ran, the maze twisted further, his distorted figure trailing her at every turn.

"Merde, Vance! You scared me," she screamed in a whisper not wanting to give away their position, genuinely thinking that she'd lost the Starfleet officers.

"How the hell did the fleeters know we were here?"

"I don't know, but we need to get out," it was clear Ade was panicking. Of all the people to be on the team after her, she hadn't predicted her brother to be part of the crew. She would be busted for sure. At least panicking seemed to blend in with the situation.

He sat down. "I....I can't."

Adrianna watched him slide down the mirror. As he did it shifted a little. "Madonna! Get up! We can hide behind the mirror until they're gone," she reached behind him and showed him a tiny closet like space behind the tilted mirror.

"As long as ... can you check, make sure there is no clown in there. That bastard's been chasing me all morning."

"Oh, mi prendi in giro cazzo? I'm more scared of Fleeters than a Klingon in clown make-up," She attempted to pull him up quickly, hearing footsteps closing in on them. "Move! Move! Move!" She demanded, pulling back the mirror. The space was just about big enough for the two of them.

Vance stumbled into the space whacking his shoulder hard. He suppressed a yelp. "not me. I'd rather be in a Starfleet dungeon then in the same room as a clown."

"Shhhhhh!" She demanded, listening to the enclosing footsteps as the mirror closed behind them. It was a tight squeeze, there was barely enough room for them to breathe as they were so close together. She tried to suppress her heavy, panicked breathing to try and keep her quiet.

Vance maneuvered them so that he was blocking her. He slipped something in her hand. "Remote transporter. If they break our hiding place you press it and you're gone. You can get me out later. Deal?"

She shook her head, slipping it back into his trousers pocket on the front of his jeans, rather awkwardly due to the lack of room, "madonna, capitano, save that heroic move for when there's a chance of death," She was still new to the crew but she had not been blind to how he seemed to favour her. She hoped he trusted her enough, but she'd not seen him like this before -- defeated. Perhaps it was time she took over and showed how valuable she could be, instead of just a translator, "If anything, give me the data PaDD. It's only male Starfleet officers. If we get caught -- they can't search me. Now shhh!"

Vacne was quite aware, suddenly, of how tight the quarters were. They were awkwardly pressed together in a small space and his mind...well that was going places that were quite interesting. He shook his head. "You can have the data PaDD but take the transporter too. I could use a smack or two from the Fleeters to clear my head."

Adrianna couldn't help but grin up at him when he mentioned Fleeters hitting him. She then whispered, not knowing how close or far the Fleeters were from them, "I can find a costume shop and beat you if you want-- means no risk of arrest and you can still be hit and I can enjoy smacking you out of your depressive state." She took the data PaDD and transporter from him and manoeuvred to put them into her bra.

"Damn it woman forget the hit you're determined to kill me aren't you." He was proud of himself for not looking where she put the items he'd given her. "Clowns. I'm thinking of clowns."

She looked up to his eyes, "look at me, cucciolo, look at my eyes."

He did look at her.

Adrianna offered a smile, "I'll get us out of this-- ok? And if we so happen to push a clown or two in the river on our way back to the ship-- so be it. But I'm going to get us out of here and when I do, you will talk to the crew about calming down the hazing. It's growing old. If they continue, I will snap and I will make it a blood bath."

He waved a hand. "Don't worry the all have a special stay at the airlock cafe on the way back." he paused. "No offense but being pressed up against you: Clowns, as scary as they are, are saving me from other thoughts."

The phrase caught her off guard. She blushed and tried to hide it. Undercover or not, she was not immune to the flirtation. "That a phaser in your pocket, or is you mind really in that place?" She smirked, returning her gaze to his.

"Both. I mean phaser, phaser!" He blushed. "I'm going to take those fleeters apart."

"Madonna, Amore mio, you are in trouble if you think you could handle a woman like me," She giggled and leaned back a little to look out the crack between the mirror and wall, "lucky for you, it looks like the Fleeters are leaving, so we can be out of here soon." Her eyes returned to his, "must say-- I'm impressed if that's not a phaser." She smirked, returning her gaze to his, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Oh for the sake of my sanity don't say things like that." He heard the door close and all but jumped out of the hiding place.

She chuckled and shook her head, watching him leave. She soon joined him, adjusting the data PaDD a little. Once happy she nodded out of the entrance, "I suggest we count to five and then get out of here and run to the ship. If we get stopped, we push a clown at them and run. Don't stop until we're at the ship. Sound good, Amore mio?"

"Lead the way, you're in charge of Clown guard."

Adrianna nodded and silently stepped around him, cracking the door of the mirror maze open. She gasped and quickly turned around thinking. Outside, her brother, Giovanni, was talking to a clown. She muttered something in Italian, cursing her situation. "Want to push a clown into the river? I will not be strong enough to topple a Klingon, even if he is off-guard. You can take out a fleeter at the same time. Get over your fear for just this one time, and I promise not to tell anyone about the phaser situation that we've just had behind the mirror."

"Of for the love of...." He ran full out bowling over both Klingon and Fleeter. Each letting out a yelp as they flew back into the water. "Go go go!" He shouted at Adrianna.

Adrianna didn't have to be asked twice, although did look over her shoulder to ensure that her brother was ok, before following after Vance at full speed, just about managing to keep up.

OFF:

 

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