REPERCUSSIONS

By:  M. J. Cogburn and C. E. Krawiec

rate the episode

PART ONE

         As they left the Logistics Sector for their morning break, both Trevor Conroy and Allen McCalister were in a light banter about what had happened this morning in the cafeteria. 

"You said what?"  Allen asked with a grin.  "You've got to be kidding me."

Trevor shook his head.  "Nope.  I couldn't help it.  She never should have mentioned my family."  The elevator door opened before them and the figure leaning in the corner caught both of their attentions drawing their conversation to a close.

        Neither could believe the vulnerable position she was in.  They had considered Tala - 'the goddess' – to be one of the few women in the complex that were untouchable.  She seemed to be off limits to everyone.  And when one did see her, she was always at attention, very matter of factual, and not into conversations.  Seeing her in this position was most definitely a sight to see.

Allen jerked his thumb at her as he hit Trevor lightly on the arm.  "Long time since we've seen something like that," he whispered.

        "Mr. McCalister, do you think this is a show for your amusement? Wake her immediately," Lothos ordered firmly through his implants, watching as the young man stepped in closer to look at the beauty reclining in the corner. 

He knew though the minute that his eyes fell on her form that it was trouble and hearing Lothos' order in his ear, he responded, "No sir.  Yes sir."    Taking a hesitant step over to her, he lightly tapped her shoulder.  "Miss…" he said firmly.  He didn't particularly want to startle her, but he also didn't want to wake her.  She looked rather peaceful.  But, orders were orders.  "Miss…" he said this time much louder and placed his hand on her shoulder and giving her a soft shake.

It was the sensation of a hand on her shoulder accompanied by someone calling out a name … her name… that drew Tala back from sleep.  "What?" she questioned lightly, blinking her eyes up at the man before her. 

"Tala, the elevator is not your quarters. Stand up immediately." ‘It's uncomely for my daughter to be slouched in a corner in public,’ Lothos thought in annoyance.

Tala’s face was suddenly stained crimson, embarrassed heat warming her cheeks at finding herself the focus of the man and his friend as Lothos’ voice filled the small compartment in the elevator. 

"Yes, Lothos.  Forgive me.”  She immediately obeyed his commands, scrambling to her feet.  But as she felt the heat in her face growing, embarrassment moving up to another level as something suddenly filtered through her brain.  That something was the realization that the two men standing in front of her, watching her, were none other than the same two men she had observed with such interest a short time ago on the monitor at her work station.  But Lothos addressing her again banished the thought from her mind.

"Go to your quarters immediately, Tala. You are not to leave until your appointment with Dr. Hugen."

Tala nodded affirmatively.  "Yes sir."   She glanced over at the two men in the compartment with her and stood at complete attention.  She couldn't believe she let this happen. ‘Why?   Why did I do this to myself?  I should have known better.  But then again... when you're running on eight hours of sleep in almost forty hours, I bet that you'll miss some marks as well.’ 

The elevator stopping and doors opening before her was, at the moment, the best thing that had happened to Tala in the past few minutes.  However, as she stepped out of the elevator, it seemed that the Fates weren’t quite finished with her impromptu lesson in humility.  Keeping her gaze straight ahead, Tala stepped out of the elevator, only to stumble then fall when the toe of one of her boots caught on a bit of the carpeting in the elevator car that was scuffed and warped up from all the tread on it.  Landing on her hands and knees with a singularly ungraceful ‘umph’, she hung her head, totally and completely embarrassed, wishing that the heat burning in her face would just incinerate her on the spot.  But that didn’t happen, leaving her to accept, as gracefully as possible, the assistance offered as both gentlemen stepped forward to help her stand up.

Lothos didn't say a word and made a note to himself to talk to Tala in private concerning her habit of working beyond her capabilities.  She was so much like her mother.

As the men helped her to stand, she squared her shoulders, the heat of embarrassment burning on her face.  Giving them both a curt, "Thank you," she nodded to both of them and headed toward her quarters.  She was not about to get detained by either of them when she had just received a direct order from Lothos to go directly to her quarters and not come out until her appointment.  Before she turned the corner, she looked back at them as they stood outside the elevator now waiting for the next car to come.  Shaking her head, she went to her quarters thinking how great this meeting that Lothos had suggested earlier, was now the biggest flop there ever was.  ‘Great.  Just peachy.’

Allen huffed slightly as he watched the ‘princess’ walk away. "You're welcome," he said to her back and gestured to Trevor. "Let's go. We've got a job to do."

Trevor also watched as she walked away, bidding her a, "You're welcome."  He couldn't help but look at her.  Graceful, lithe and wow... her body was something to look at… to watch her move.  He closed his eyes and shook his head as he heard Allen huff. 

He glanced down the corridor after Tala again then turned back to the elevator.  "Well, thanks an awful lot, there pal.  Just what I needed is for our supervisor unhappy with me today."  He gave him the evil eye.

"Hey, it's not my fault the princess fell asleep on the job," he returned with a shrug. "We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, I think the boss is more upset with Tala than with us."

Trevor shrugged his shoulders at his friend's remark.  Whether or not that was true, he had wanted to meet this woman for a long time.  Here was his chance and he didn't even get to tell her his name... the time of day... how the sun rotated... anything.  "Yea, well, come on Tonto, let's see if we can head off them logarithms at the pass," he said with a slight twang as they entered the elevator once more.

"Sounds like a plan, Kimosabe," Allen replied as the elevator doors closed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Upon entering her quarters, Tala had already begun to change her clothes for bed.  She stripped out of the latex uniform, and put on her nightgown.  As she climbed into bed, pulling the covers up over her legs, she heard Lothos address her.  "Yes Lothos?"  She could almost tell by the sound in his voice, that she was in deep.

"Tala, you have been neglecting your health. You have been favoring work over sleep and nutrition. If you continue this, I will be forced to order you to remain in the infirmary during your scheduled free time. That I do not wish to do because you are my best junior programmer and personal assistant."

Never had she felt so much like a child as when Lothos spoke to her in the confines of her room.  He was right but that wasn’t what made her feel so bad.  It was how he phrased his last sentence.  She hung her head at his words, feeling extremely guilty.  "I don't want to fail you, Lothos.  I was doing what I thought was best for the Project."  She raised her head for only a moment.  "Aren't the needs of the project more important than the needs of one person?" 

"The needs of the project will not come to pass if the needs of each person in this project are not met. Sleep Tala. We have much to discuss when you awaken."

She heard his dismissal, his annoyance and his disapproval of what happened in the elevator all at once.  "Yes sir," she said softly and lay back against her pillow.  She reached over and turned off the light and tried to get comfortable in the darkness that now encompassing her room. 

Laying quietly for a moment, she finally said, "Lothos?"

"Yes Tala?"

She wondered how he would take the next bit of information that she was going to tell him.  Closing her eyes, she sighed briefly. "I apologize for disappointing you.  That in itself is enough punishment for me..." She let the sentence fade out not wanting to think about the possibility of having punishment again.  Having not had one in such a long time period, one would forget what they were like... but she hadn't; the last one nine years ago was enough for her.

"You have received a warning, Tala. Do not take the warning lightly. Now, go to sleep."

"Yes, sir," she said then yawned tiredly.  Snuggling down into the blankets and her pillow, she couldn't help but think of the one factor that has been here her entire life.  Lothos had been the one that had talked with her when she needed help, walked her through tough passages in her life, and the one who punished her when she went astray as well.  Closing her eyes, she swallowed hard knowing that his warning was enough to keep her straight as an arrow.  "Goodnight, Lothos," she whispered even as she fell asleep.

Even as he responded softly, "Good night, Tala," Lothos noticed Dr. Hugen, in his office and shifted his focus there.

PART TWO

Finishing the paperwork for rescheduling Tala’s stress test for later in the evening, Peter Hugen checked his watch again, nodding to himself; it had been a couple of hours since he had checked on Zoë.  Leaving his office he made his way down the corridor then went to Recovery Room 2 where Dr. Malvison lay in the bed, nodding to the nurse checking the patient’s vital signs.

Looking down at her, he saw her eyes flutter open and she blinked.  He gave her a small smile, but the smile faded as he saw her looking down at her body, trying to comprehend why her body wasn’t cooperating with her.  "Dr. Malvison, how do you feel?"

She raised her eyes to him. She frowned at his question and decided not to answer it. ‘How does he think I feel?’ she thought aggravated at the question.  She noticed that she couldn't take a deep breath; almost as if she was struggling to take in a breath in a thick haze of ash. ‘Gawd, I hurt so much.’  Suddenly a flash of recollection came to her. ‘He shot me! That bastard of an Admiral shot me! ’ She looked down at her body and tried to struggle to get off the bed, but found that her body was barely even wiggling against the straps holding her.  Finally, she demanded, "Why…am I…restrained like this?"  

When Zoë didn't respond to his question, but turns the tables, Peter closed his eyes, thinking to himself, ‘Finer than frog hair.’  Taking a deep breath, he told her point blank. "We didn't want you to fall out of the bed.  You just had surgery from a gunshot wound that has left you paralyzed from the middle of your back -- down.  I'm very sorry, Dr. Malvison."

"Paralyzed?" she demanded more than ask. "That's impossible!" She attempted to struggle again and found it was a very bad idea. The pain in her chest increased, causing her to close her eyes tightly.

"It's quite possible and is so."  Peter watched as she tested herself again and saw how the pain caused her to calm down but only a little.  "You shouldn't stress yourself now, it'll just make the healing process harder on you, Zoë."

As Zoë struggled with herself to prove Hugen wrong, she fought herself.  ‘He can't be right.  Nothing has EVER kept me down.’  Her breathing became more and more difficult to the point that she couldn't catch a breath.  Her chest felt as if it was on fire from the pain and she stopped struggling, feeling helpless. 

Dr. Hugen stood beside the bed watching her struggle, only succeeding in making herself become more and more out of breath.  He raised an eyebrow to her and said plainly, "If you continue to make yourself worse, I'll sedate you until you are better, Zoë.  I already have orders from Lothos to get you well... not to have you worse, and if you continue to struggle, you'll pull out the stitches."  He glanced over to the small shelf beside the bed and saw that the medication was ready, if need be.  "What will it be, hmmm?"

Zoë shook her head slowly, feeling totally exhausted from just the small struggle.  She almost felt lost without the fight … the determination that used to be hers.  "C.. Can't  breathe," she mouthed hoarsely. ‘I hate this feeling! I hate being a damn invalid.’

Peter looked down at her, then reached down and got the oxygen mask hanging down from the side of the bed.  Without to much fuss, he strapped the mask around Zoë’s face and turned on the oxygen to help her breathe once more.

"Breathe slowly and deeply," he instructed.  Even as she did so, he could see the desired effect and he began to explain what had happened.  "The bullet not only did damage to your spinal cord, it also damaged one of your lungs.  Actually, one of them had deflated.  It'll be fine," he said seeing the frown cross her face, "but you won't be able to hyperventilate yourself anymore, and I'm sure that you know what I mean."

Zoë glared at his choice of words but didn't say anything.  All she could think of at the moment was how her once perfect body, aside from a few scars, now refused to act the way it should.

Peter saw the glare from her and continued. "You will have a wheelchair that will be ordered this morning, and then I'll have Thames work some of his technological magic on it to devise a way to keep an oxygen bottle attached to it at all times.  Do you understand?"

Zoë swallowed, breathing in the oxygen slowly as her racing mind would let her. "Understood," she said, her voice muffled by the mask. ‘But my anger will not be abated that easily,’ she thought. "Are they finding the bastard who shot me?" she asked with viciousness. ‘If I can't at least act on my vengeance, I want to at least watch as Calavicci and Beckett are torn apart slowly and painfully.’

Peter adjusted the oxygen intake on her mask as he answered her question.  "I don't know if Lothos is in the process of locating that person or not.  However, I do want you to remain calm, Zoë.  Getting agitated and thinking about what has happened won't help.  I will sedate you if I need to; I'm only going to tell you this last time.  Calm down."

Zoë glared at him. "Then you might as well put me in a damn coma, Hugen. Because I am not going to calm down until I have Calavicci's head on a platter!" She coughed harshly. Even though she was furious, she couldn't help feeling light headed from the pure oxygen that she was breathing.

"I will give you your vengeance, Zoë," Lothos voice said into the infirmary.  His voice had an edge to it -- that same edge that would snap at any moment.  "And you will be present to see it carried out."

Zoë looked up to the ceiling, hearing Lothos' voice and his vow of revenge. "Give me his head," she requested, closing her eyes. However much she wanted to get her revenge, she was beginning to think being sedated isn't such a bad idea after all. At least unconscious, she won't notice the pain in her chest and in her lungs.

Hugen glanced up at the ceiling at what Lothos had said and heard Zoë’s request, he shook his head and reached over her for the sedative.  Holding her arm steady, he injected the sedative into her arm and threw the syringe away.  Knowing that it would take effect quickly, he turned away from her, and then headed toward the door.

Zoë winced at the pinch of the needle into her arm, but she couldn't help but thank Hugen in her mind.  She could feel the effects almost immediately; and began to grow sleepier by the second.  Finally, she couldn't fight the feeling and gave in.

"She is to have someone with her at all times," Lothos ordered him firmly but softly not wanting to disturb her slumber. "Around the clock until I advise you differently."

Hugen acknowledged his order and put it into effect immediately.  When he finally left Zoë’s room, Lothos waited until Hugen was back in his office.  "Is there any possibility at all...however slim... that Zoë will ever regain the use of her lower body and legs?"

Peter didn't have to think about his answer. He had seen the mess that her spinal cord was in.  Even the best of surgeons couldn't have repaired it any better than what he had.  "No, Lothos.  Not by human means."  He knew that he had stepped out on a limb with his statement, but it would be the only way that he could see that anything could be done.  Any other way would never work.

"Very well," Lothos responded to Hugen plainly blunt reply.  "See to it that she gets the best of care." As he moved toward his desk, Peter couldn't help but pause in his steps as he heard the malice as Lothos stated quietly "Calavicci's and Beckett's days have just become numbered." 

Sitting down in his chair, he scooted himself up toward it and swallowed then arched an eyebrow with a slight tilt to his head before he picked up his pen and started to work.

PART THREE

          After an uneventful lunch, the afternoon was finally settling down, as was Trevor’s temper as he got back into the comparison report that he'd been working through before lunch. A couple of times, he had glanced across the room at his best friend, noticing that even Allen had been unusually quiet. The last couple of times that he had glanced over, Allen appeared to be totally absorbed in chewing his pen into scraps. He had just taken another look at Allen when the intercom buzzed and he heard a voice that instantly made his hackles stand up. He hit the button hard. "Yes, Madam Supervisor?" he said smoothly. “You want something?"  ‘I'm ready for round two. Boy! Am I ready!’

Allen looked up from the file he was working on and stared at Trevor.

‘What in the hell is he thinking of?’ Open-mouthed, he turned in his chair, dropped the pen that he had been chewing on into his lap, staring at his friend for a long moment. He shook his head at his friend's words and hoped that Trevor wasn't about to tread out on thin ice; he knew from experience that it could get even thinner really fast.

Siren heard the tone in his voice even though he had turned on the same charm that he had when he had plowed into her in the cafeteria earlier in the day. Pushing her hair over her shoulder, she leaned forward on the desk as she looked down at the report.

"About yesterday's comparison report, I see some errors. Do you have your copy in front of you, or is this the only copy that is available?" she asked. ‘You stated that while you were on my time that I had the last say… well, Mr. Conroy, now it's my time…. And you better use it wisely or I'll have your butt in a sling -- fast!’ she thought hotly.

"You have the only copy...ma'am," he kept his tone smooth and even. 

"If there are mistakes perhaps you should bring the report out here and show them to me so I can correct them." Jerking his hand away from the intercom button Trevor leaned back in his chair, glaring at the inoffensive piece of desk equipment.

Allen moved over to Trevor's desk and leaned against it as he looked

down at him. "Have you slipped a disc? Drank seawater? Eaten a rotten snail? You better calm down there, pard, or you'll be in so deep that you'll have to have a shovel to dig yourself out."

In spite of Allen's best intentions, Trevor turned a look on him that

could have melted rolled steel on the surface of Pluto. "Allen…" he said in a soft warning tone, his eyes flashing. "Don't you have a pen to chew on or something?"

Listening to his response, it was more than plain that this man was going to be insolent and possibly even insubordinate on the speaker. "Why can't I have my mask?" she asked quietly to herself. Pursing her lips, she sighed before pushing the button. She tried to remember how Xavier had taught her -- to be firm, but kind, and at the same time not take any bullshit from anyone -- especially this one. "Mr. Conroy, I don't believe that would be an alternative at the present moment. How...."

"Then I'll come in there," Trevor said, hitting the button just long enough to speak. Getting to his feet, he took the five steps that brought him to her office door.  He knocked loudly, but barely respectfully, and when there was no answer, he twisted the knob only to discover that it was locked. "Okay," he muttered under his breath. "If that's how she wants to play it....” He went back to his desk and waited. The intercom, had it been a small animal, would have scuttled off to hide from the glare he aimed at it.

Siren growled lowly in her throat as she was cut off then heard the knock as well as her subordinate muttering something under his breath. Closing her eyes, she pushed the intercom once more. "Mr. Conroy, if you had let me finish, I was going to tell you that since this is the only copy of the report that I have, I will discuss this with you tomorrow." As she talked, she glanced down at her watch and saw that it was four o'clock. "Since you have worked diligently on the comparison report that was placed on your desk early this morning, you and Mr. McCalister may leave. Enjoy your evening, gentlemen." With that said, she released the button and blew out a breath.

Trevor listened to ‘Madam Supervisor’s’ now generous words, his upper lip curling derisively at what she obviously perceived as a slick 'out.’ He heard the intercom click and knew that she had turned it off. But he also knew that she couldn't turn off her hearing.  Getting up, he went to her office door and knocked again, knowing that he was going to have a very hard time keeping his tongue civil.

"Ma'am...." he drew out the word. "The previous supervisor authorized me to work late this evening to finish my reports since tomorrow is my authorized day off. I'll be staying in the office until eight o'clock." Satisfied that he had put a wrinkle in her smooth plan, he went back to his desk and sat down to wait. He glanced at Allen and saw the goofy grin. “Outside... 'Mickey' or I'll chow down on roasted mouse tonight!"

Tilting her head slightly, Siren listened to him, smiling to herself at his

words. She had seen the authorized sheet from the previous director.  He had barely finished when she reached over and she pushed the intercom back on.

"Why, Mr. Conroy, it is very admirable to see someone so diligent in

their work instead of taking an extra hours off courtesy of their director. However, my offer still stands. As well as your scheduled day off... which I knew of.... I will require that you show to work...” she paused knowing that outside this office he was probably about to beat the intercom with his hand. "... Wednesday promptly at 10:00am, not at the required 7:30, to make up for any time that you might have taken for your time that you are making up for tonight. Good evening to you."

Leaning back in her seat she left the intercom button pressed down so that the office could hear movement as well as anything else that was said. "If he doesn't want the time... then he doesn't want it.... I'd want that time... an extra hour for myself. Oh well... his loss... or gain... whatever the case might be,” then she made a dramatic gasp then un-pressed the button wondering if he would respond.

Trevor shook his head. ‘She's slick, I'll give her that much, and a fair actress to boot. But I didn't attain my rank by being gullible.’ Having grown up with a sneaky younger brother, Trevor had learned a lot of the tricks, both from practicing them on him as well as watching what he came up with. Now, hearing her gasp, followed by the click as she finally turned off the intercom, he recognized the ploy.  This time, he didn't bother to get out of his chair. ‘Mom always said that when I got mad she could hear me whisper three floors away!’

Turning, he turned to look at Allen and began to speak, ostensibly, to him. "Diligent, smilligent," he told him. "I'm just working my scheduled time. Besides, I volunteered to work over to finish these reports for Mr. Devlin... You know... so he wouldn't get his ass chewed because they weren't done," he paused, shaking his head.   "You know, Allen, a good... honest... easy to get along with boss is hard to find." He paused again then ‘dropped the rat in the girls’ dressing room.’  "Those kind of guys are few and far between."

Allen's jaw hit the floor as he stared at Trevor.

"And, you know good and well that I’ve never taken advantage of the

boss. No," Trevor shook his head as he picked up his pen and turned back to his work. "I'll be here bright and early... 7:30 on the mark... Wednesday morning. Can't have the new boss thinking I'm a no good, shiftless, mean-spirited, spoiled sport of a worker, now can I?" He glanced at the intercom and then at the door and smiled. There was no mistaking the narrow shadow line he saw under the bottom edge of the door.  "Trevor Conroy doesn't shirk his work," he said just softly enough to make her strain to hear the words. 

Allen couldn't believe what he was hearing.  Trevor had never purposely made Mr. Devlin, their last supervisor, mad, but at this point, all that he could see was that Trevor was doing his level best to piss off their new boss, whom he hadn't even met yet.  Allen leaned in toward him not wanting their boss to hear his words, holding up his hand to ward of any type of response.

"I don't know exactly what the hell you're doing, but I ain't gonna stick around here to watch the fireworks. M-kay?  I don't know why you are being a hardheaded s.o.b. but," he slapped Trevor lightly on the shoulder.  "Keep up the good work."  Giving him a thumbs up signal, he turned then shook his head as he left the office.

        Siren also couldn't believe what she heard.  Trevor mentioning that a good supervisor was hard to find?  And she didn't miss the snide comment about 'those guys' being few and far between.  She shook her head and clenched her jaw tightly to keep herself from yelling out.  But upon hearing 'Can't have the new boss thinking I'm a no good, shiftless, mean-spirited, spoiled sport of a worker, now can I?' she couldn't help but growl lowly under her breath. He was already that and then some, but his next sentence even topped it: “Trevor Conroy doesn't shirk his work.”

'As if insinuating that I do,' she thought irritatedly.  She couldn't take

it any longer.  She marched herself directly to the door and put her hand on the lock.  But Xavier's words floated back into her mind, reminding her again not to open the door.

Siren was seething, physically shaking from the anger that she was striving contain.  It was in the midst of her anger that she felt the attack coming on.

Though she had taken the small amount of insulin required this morning but obviously the interactions taken place between then and up to the present with the stress factors involved had enticed the seizure anyway.   Hurrying to her desk, she opened the right hand drawer and found the small stash of sweets that would help to equalize her system, to try to ward off the seizure.  Ripping into the piece of candy, she lowered herself to the floor. The last thing that she needed was to have a seizure and get hurt in the process. She barely swallowed the small bite that she had in her mouth when the convulsions began.

As the last softly uttered word passed his lips, Trevor watched the shadow under the door, grinning at Allen as they listened to 'Madam Supervisor' at first, pacing, and then stomping around inside the office.  He turned in his chair to face the door at the sight and sound of the doorknob being rattled lightly, wondering,  ‘Will she or won't she?’ He could only shrug when the door didn't open, turning back to the file open on his desk.  ‘Well, score round two for me.’

His focus on the file was momentarily distracted by a small sound inside the locked office.  It sounded like a cellophane candy wrapper being torn and then another less familiar sound, but when he didn’t hear anything else, he dismissed it without another thought and once again returned his attention to the file.

Among the myriad of tasks he performed with unceasing effortless ease, Lothos had been watching his minions working, others whiling away their time on their time off.  But even as he did so, he kept track of his daughters.  From the time she had wakened this morning, he had observed Siren, especially with today being her first day as the Logistics Supervisor.  He had observed the interactions that she had with her stepfather, Xavier as well as her encounter with Trevor Conroy.  He was pleased with how she had handled each interaction, especially the last one with Trevor Conroy.  Yet, when he saw her in distress and in the throws of a diabetic seizure in a locked room by herself, without her mask to conceal her, he took immediate action, notifying Dr. Peter Hugen through his implants.

"Siren is having a diabetic seizure, she's in her office in the Logistics Sector."

Peter Hugen had just finished the paperwork dealing with Tala coming into the infirmary when he heard Lothos speaking to him about Siren.  Jumping up, he grabbed up his medical bag, pausing only long enough to ascertain that it had been checked and supplied with fresh insulin supplies, before running out of his office. There were about a dozen people in the complex that also suffered with diabetes seizures, but this wasn't just any employee; this was Lothos' daughter.

Racing down toward the elevator, he entered it and waited impatiently for it ascend to Level Ten then waited barely long enough for the doors to open before racing out of it and down the hall toward the Logistics Sector.

Trevor and Allen’s focused attention to work lasted little more than thirty seconds later, both men starting suddenly when the outer door was flung open as Dr. Peter Hugen came tearing in, medical bag in hand, his gaze falling first on Trevor.

"Where is she?  Where's Siren?” Seeing the other man glance at the office door to his left, Peter hurried over to it and put his hand on the knob.  Hearing the locking mechanism slide back, he quickly opened the door, not bothering to close it.

        The sight of Siren on the floor, her body shaking and jerking, confirmed what Lothos had told him just minute ago.  Seeing that she didn’t have her mask on, Peter removed his lab coat and draped it over her upper body and also her face.  Opening his bag, he took out one of the pre-loaded insulin syringes marked with her name, then held her arm still for a moment then injected it into her arm.  That done, he gently held her, letting the seizure run its course.

Turning his head, Peter saw a curious Trevor Conroy standing in the doorway and glared at him then ignored him.

"Lothos?" he asked the air.  "Did Siren have her medication this morning?"

It took a few nanoseconds for Lothos to review his daughter’s morning routine. "Yes, she had the required dosage.  Her father helped her with it this morning."

The sight of the usually taciturn Dr. Hugen rushing into 'Madam Supervisor's" office when Lothos released the locking mechanism on the door, got the better of Trevor’s curiosity.  Moving quietly, he got up from his desk and moved to the open door and looked in.  He was a bit startled by the sight of the attractive young woman on the floor having a seizure of some sort. Watching the doctor give her an injection, coupled with the fact that her head and upper body were covered with his white lab coat, only served to nudge his curiosity.  When the seizure at last eased and Dr. Hugen lifted one side the coat covering Siren to look at her face, the 'little voice' in Trevor’s head urged him to go over and see if he could get at look at the face that had been covered by a mask for as long as he could remember.  Carefully he stepped inside and started toward the doctor and Siren.

As the seizure began to ease then fade away, Siren's eyelids started to flutter and her breathing became steady and regular, Peter told her softly, "You're going to be okay.  Just lay still for a few minutes."  Giving her a reassuring smile, he carefully helped her to lay flat on the floor before replacing the coat over her face as she closed her eyes.

He knew Siren to have a levelheaded, common sense approach to controlling her diabetes. In the years since being able to give herself the daily insulin injection she required, Peter had never known her to forget it.   Looking back down at her, noting that her body was beginning to calm from the seizure, he knew that Siren wouldn't have had a seizure unless her temper flared, one of the attributes she had inherited from her father, causing her stress level to max out, or if she had eaten way to many sweets.  But again, he knew Siren much too well; the later of the three wouldn't be one of those. But Lothos had eliminated the first possibility – her forgetting to take her shot – leaving only one option for the present situation.  

Satisfied that she was going to be okay, Peter Hugen rose to his feet, shifting the full bore of his attention to Trevor. "What was going on here, Mr. Conroy?" he demanded, leveling a hard look at the man now standing a couple of feet away from him.

The expression in Peter Hugen’s eyes as he demanded, “What was going on, here, Mr. Conroy?” caused Trevor to lift his chin a bit as he met the doctor’s gaze levelly.  It was plain enough by the look in Hugen’s eyes that the only thing that the smartass remark balancing on the tip of his tongue would get him was a fast write up for correction.  Dr. Peter Hugen's reputation for zero tolerance for bullshit was common knowledge throughout the complex, especially when he wanted answers.

Meeting his unwavering, somewhat unnerving unblinking gaze, Trevor cleared his throat and said, "I don't know what the hell she was doing in there.  The door was locked until you got here."  Seeing the doctor’s eyes begin to darken, Trevor chose his words carefully as he defended himself.  "You might call it an indirect difference of opinions."

The first clear signs of his temper were beginning to show as Peter started toward the younger man, effectively backing him up into the outer office. "You were arguing with her, weren't you?" he demanded more than questioned.

"No, sir," Trevor responded instantly, his tone just barely respectful, not dropping his eyes for an instant.  "She…" he glanced at Siren's draped, prostrate form on the floor, unable to hold back the bit of a smile as he added, "She… might have overheard something that lit her fuse…"  

Trevor's not quite smart-ass remark got him Peter Hugen in his face along with the rough edge of the doctor’s tongue.  "Give me another answer like that, Mister Conroy," he snapped, "and you'll find yourself on the wrong side of a whip!  Now, wipe that smile off your face and answer me!  What was going on here?"

But as Trevor faced off with one highly irritated Dr. Hugen now squarely in his face, there were those elsewhere in the complex who were rather enjoying the tasks assigned them by Lothos.

PART FOUR

..."If you want to be in the running for a win-win situation, keep holding on to my lapels.”...

There was no mistaking the heavy sarcasm in Thames' tone when Vaughn started to tighten his grip on the copper-colored satin material, ready, if need be to shake the promotion out of him.  No, that sarcasm said it all.  Coming up through the ranks, the younger man had seen others just where he was now.  When Thames, or any one as superior in rank as he, held the golden ring you wanted, you danced to his or her tune, jumped...or at least hopped...when he or she said so.  For another split second the ambitious leaper toyed with the idea of giving the smug observer in front of him a shake and a shove, but.... no.  He WANTED that promotion, wanted the title of senior *leaper*.  Senior observer be damned!  So, even though their heights were about the same, he lifted his chin slightly so he could look down into the dark brown eyes fixed on him then slowly and completely released his hold on the jacket.  He even went so far as to make a vague show of smoothing the somewhat wrinkled lapels before taking a step back.

"Who's my competition?" he demanded straight out.

Thames couldn’t help but smack his lips just a little when Vaughn even made the attempt at smoothing the lapels of his jacket before taking a step back.  But to his question, he raised his hand to his mouth and rubbed at it lightly.  "You'll find out this evening.  The test starts tonight at 7 PM in the lecture hall on the 10th floor.  If you are serious about your...” he paused for a moment then said, "... desires of being a senior leaper, you'll be there.  If you aren't there, I'll be calling someone else up in your stead."  Seeing him open his mouth to say something, Thames raised his hand up to stop him.  "I'm in charge here, Vaughn.  Lothos handed me the gun, the bullet and the signed death wish for his nemesis.  It's up to you to see if you want to be the one holding that gun when it goes off." 

When Thames held his hand up to prevent him from interrupting, Vaughn listened.  All his words did was just increase his hunger for the prize Thames now had the power to bestow.  When he finished, Vaughn nodded his understanding.

        "I'll be there," he said without qualm.  "Do I have to advise my duty supervisor about this, or has he been notified?"

Hearing the question from Vaughn and in the same instant hearing the answer from Lothos, Thames reached out toward the elevator and pressed the call button.  "He's been notified."  Stepping past Vaughn, he turned back to him to see him facing him once more, the eagerness for position blatant in his expression.

        "It won't be easy, Vaughn,” Thames said.  “We have a lot of work to do and only a little time to get it done."  The bell chimed as the elevator doors opened behind him.  Stepping back into the elevator, he reached over and pressed a button to keep the doors open.  Looking back at him, he added, his tone shifting to one of pure business  "Whether you end up as observer or leaper, you win... especially if you nab, capture and kill Dr. Beckett."    Releasing the button, he raised his hand in a final goodbye to him then started on his way to find Johanna Royden, the other participant in the winner take all competition that would take place later that evening.

The itch to demand …ask Thames a second time who his competition was, bordered on maddening for Vaughn.  But a lesson he had learned a long time ago was that some itches were better left unscratched.  So instead he just stood there facing the slowly closing elevator doors, giving Thames a single curt nod in response to his salute.

Once the doors closed, he wasted no time in doing an about face and heading for his quarters, glancing at watch as he walked.  It was just about seven thirty, plenty of time to get a shower and about seven hours sleep.  Ten minutes after locking his door and showering, the tall, lean-bodied and now, ambition-driven leaper toweled off and crawled into bed after setting his alarm clock for 2:30 later that afternoon.  It took a few minutes for him to calm his mind and clear his thoughts enough to allow sleep to claim him.

Highly pleased at the near effortless ease with which he’d gotten Vaughn Rickar well and truly hooked, Thames continued on to the bachelor women's quarters, seventh floor. But he was the only one of the eight intermediate male leapers he had any intention of approaching.  Lothos had given him this to do, and Thames knew that Lothos expected him to put only the two best against each other for the two senior titles.  Vaughn was one; Johanna Royden was the other.

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, there were several young women approaching the elevator, heading, he knew, for their jobs.  Waiting inside the elevator, holding the button to keep the doors open until they all stepped inside, he made a point of making eye contact with each, giving each one a special smile.  It was a good thing none of them could read minds.

"Ladies," he took his leave of them politely, scanning the group after exiting and turning to face them.  "Do any of you happen to know if Johanna Royden is in her quarters?"  A redhead in the back called out that, yes, Johanna was in her quarters.  "Thank you, my dear," Thames, ever and always the ladies man, purred sweetly, giving her a wink.  Most of them giggled; the redhead waved shyly at him as the doors closed. 

        In the moment it took the elevator doors to close, Thames just stood and daydreamed a dream that not only had as its star the redhead he’d winked at but was also several "x's" beyond triple before turning and continue in search of Johanna Royden’s quarters.  Moving along the halls, he soon found door marked 733, he pressed the doorbell and waited for it to be answered.  A moment later he heard soft footsteps inside approaching the door, then the door opened and... my, my, my, my, my!