[21] The Fire To My Ice
I hugged the strange white tablet to my chest as I strolled through the strikingly white halls. My heart pounded furiously in my chest. Sure, nothing too horrible had happened yet, but I knew that the issue in the Warp Core was just the beginning; a portent for what was to come. Nervous anticipation sat like a boulder in my stomach. As I walked, I subconsciously tugged on the end of my braid, much harder than I meant to.
Sighing, I held the tablet in front of me and decided to figure out how it worked. I lightly grazed my fingers over the dark screen, which lit up immediately at my touch. A single bar graph appeared, surrounded by several electronic dials and legends. As I walked, I studied the strange graph, unsure of how it would help me. Though there were too many different scales and measurements to keep track of them all, I finally found a circular one that was pulsing red. The brighter the red became, the more the bar filled up. I quickly figured out that as the bar filled up more, the level of radiation went up as well.
South hallway, deck 31, I noted mentally. Small traces of radiation.
I continued onward, feeling exceedingly proud of myself for working out the mechanism myself. I tucked the tablet under my arm and walked quickly, desperate to get back to Chekov. Sure, I had just met him, but at least he was somewhat familiar. I frowned as my scalp began to ache from my incessant yanking. I quickly dropped my shaking hand back down to my side, deciding that it might be a good idea to do so.
I slowly made my way through each level, checking every corner, every hall, and every room that I could find. As far as I knew, there weren’t many areas affected by the Warp Core’s malfunction, but that didn’t mean I was any less nervous for the performance of the Enterprise because of it. I finished my rounds on deck 27 and proceeded upwards to continue my checkup. I had managed to get my hands to stop shaking, but nothing could stop the incessant pounding of my heart or the scrambled mess that was my mind.
My thoughts sporadically shifted from Astrid to Scotty, but most of all, they focused on Bones. I knew I should be worrying more about my best friend and second father, but all I could think of was him. I was so scared. I knew Astrid would calm me down, as would Scotty, but nothing was more comforting than the thought of him. I didn’t know why. All I knew was that I wanted to be with him more than anything at the moment.
The doors in front of me slid open, and I entered deck 26. This deck’s design was much more open. Whereas the previous levels I had visited were rife with intricate hallways and several rooms, deck 26 was an open space, with only a few columns here and there and a sunken floor with a control board in the center. I looked down at my screen and began to scan for radiation, taking each step slowly so that I didn’t trip over my own feet. I managed to get a few yards in without any spikes in the radiation levels.
When I looked up, I nearly dropped the device. Somehow I had failed to notice the prison with a glass wall as a blockade upon entering the room. Inside, there was a man with dark hair and icy blue eyes that he had trained on the wall across from him. He was tall and well built, and something about him seemed altogether mysterious and unnerving. I shivered.Even though no one had told me, I knew that this was the terrorist, John Harrison.
Before I could gather my thoughts and continue with my work, he glanced up and caught my eye. I froze in spot, unsure of how else to respond to the situation. He cocked his head and began to eye me from head to toe. At first it looked like he was creepily checking me out, but then I realized that there were no flirtatious intentions behind his actions. He was examining me, almost like I was a test-subject, or a puzzle that needed to be solved. This made me more uncomfortable than my previous flirtation theory.
I finally regained control of my bewildered mind and tore my eyes away from him. I locked my gaze on my screen once more, hoping that he would go back to staring at the wall. To my great discomfort, however, he decided to address me.
“So,” he said. His voice was low and disquieting. “You’re the ice then.”
I turned back to him and raised an eyebrow.
“What do you-” I began.
“Astrid Scott is like a wildfire,” he said slowly, emphasizing every syllable that he could. “I knew that there must be an icy personality to control her. After all, every flame needs its chill.”
I stared him down, suspicion slithering through my shot nerves. “How on earth do you know Astrid?” I nearly growled.
“You have the same blaze in you, you know,” he continued, ignoring my question.
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” I snapped, trying to brush aside his strange connotations of mine and Astrid’s personalities.
“Don’t use that blaze unless you need to, though,” he said sternly, searching my eyes with his. “Proceed as the ice, for Astrid’s sake. She needs it.”
I placed a hand on my hip. “So you’re just saying that I need to keep on being pragmatic so I can keep Astrid under control?”
“Not necessarily,” he said, turning back to the wall. “I’m just saying that you need to control the amount of fire that you use. Because I know you have a fire in you, Ms. Taylor.”
I felt my eyes go wide, but only for a moment. I quickly narrowed them.
“Okay, Mr. Harrison-”
“Not my name-”
“I don’t actually care that you used a fake name at the moment,” I snarled. “What I want to know is why you know mine.”
He almost smiled. “See, there’s the flame I was telling you about.”
“Answer my question,” I demanded.
“Astrid mentioned you once or twice.”
“HOW do you know my best friend?” I shouted, my voice breaking. His seemingly vast knowledge of my personal life was pushing me beyond my normal tolerance of discomfort.
“We spoke a few moments before you arrived.”
“Why?”
“She was ‘guarding’ me, I believe.”
I dropped my head and sighed. “Kirk,” I muttered under my breath, a little displeased with his usage of Astrid’s presence aboard the ship.
“You seem vexed, Ms. Taylor,” he murmured coolly. A small smirk played at the corners of his lips.
“Yes, I’m piqued!” I yelled, my fists clenched. “And now, I’m leaving.”
I turned on my heel and stormed out the room, glaring at the ground. I could still feel his eyes on me as I made my exit. Why did I respond like that? I thought, irritated. I knew I probably could’ve handled the situation better, but something about him creeped me out so badly that I could hardly bear being in the same room with him for any longer. Guilt washed over me as I realized that I didn’t finish checking the radiation, but I was too perturbed to return and complete my work. It’s probably fine, I tried to tell myself, but I knew that I was doing the wrong thing.
Suddenly, a person barreled into me out of nowhere. We both went tumbling backwards. I groaned as I collided with the hard floor.
“Ugh,” I mumbled. “Watch where you’re going next time, will you?”
“Catherine?”
I immediately lifted me eyes and saw Astrid sitting in front of me, a look of pure bewilderment on her face.
“Ast?”
Her surprised face quickly turned angry.
“’OW COULD YA NOT TELL ME YOU WERE COMIN’?” she demanded, jumping to her feet. I followed suit.
“I’m so sorry, Astrid, I didn’t know I was coming. Captain Kirk recruited me last minute-”
“Don’ even speak ta me abou’ tha’ despicable man!” she interrupted.
I shut up.
“Do ya ‘ave any idea wha’ I ‘ave been through?” she shouted, throwing her hands in the air and stomping towards me. “Uncle Scott resigned because of ‘im! He made me watch the prisoner, who isn’t completely unjustified in ‘is actions, by the way! An’ now e’s sendin’ me all over ta ship, ‘Astrid do this,’ ‘Astrid do tha’’, as if nothin’ is wrong!”
She grabbed me by the shoulder.
“’An now you come in ‘ere, actin’ like everythin’ is all sunshine ‘n rainbows after neglectin’ ta tell me tha’ you were on board? SERIOUSLY?”
“Astrid-” I tried again.
But, I didn’t get the chance to finish. Astrid threw her arms around me, buried her face in my shoulder, and began to sob. I was so stunned by her sudden change in temperament that for a moment, I stood there like an idiot, gaping. But, eventually, I wrapped my arms around her and held her as tightly as I could.
“I’m sorry, lass,” she moaned as she pulled away, wiping her eyes. “I didn’ mean ta snap at ya. I’m jus’ so upset…I’m truly glad ta see ya.”
“I’m happy to see you too,” I said smiling. “I’m so sorry about Uncle Scott.”
She rolled her eyes. “Not yer fault. It’s Kirk’s.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I don’ quite know where my loyalties lie right now, Cat. I mean, I’m sidin’ with a bloody criminal rather than my own captain. Tell me there’s not somethin’ wrong with tha’.”
“You’re just sad,” I said gently, taking her hands. “You’re sad, and scared, and confused. I understand. But right now, we need to remember that we are here with Starfleet, whether or not we favor the captain in charge. We have to follow our orders, Ast.”
She sighed. “I know.”
She quickly hugged me again. “Thank ya, lass.”
“Always,” I murmured, kissing her on the temple. “As much as I’d love to stay here hugging you and ignoring the chaos going on around us, we have to keep working.”
She cringed. “I know.”
When we pulled apart, she gave me a large, bright smile.
“See ya later then, I guess,” she said.
“Definitely,” I returned, grinning back.
She ducked her head and walked past me, back to John Harrison’s (or whatever his name was) cell. I watched her until she rounded the corner and passed from my sight. Then, I took a deep breath, lifted my head high, and kept working.