Two Misfits Enter a Holodeck...

Posted on Thu Dec 5th, 2024 @ 6:10am by Senior Chief Petty Officer Mason Malone & Lieutenant JG Nayisa Wrea

Mission: Character Development
Location: USS Athena :: Holodeck
Timeline: Before 'Pandora's Box' mission
3004 words - 6 OF Standard Post Measure

After a lengthy, conversational dinner with Didrea, who seemed a little more appreciative of their friendship after nearly dying to Q, Nayisa left the security chief's quarters, rolling her head around to ease some tension in her neck. That feeling, of being unable to reach a crewmate in time, had stuck with her since they all reappeared in the party venue. While she didn't like Xavier and his stuck-up attitude, seeing him in genuine fear and moments away from death was jarring. It reminded her of Eli. Her mind's eye could still see her terrified face, her wide blue eyes through tousled blond-ish hair, just seconds before she was killed. She remembered thinking about how if she had been a couple seconds faster, then maybe Eli would still be alive. It likely would have been Xavier's fate if Zora not stepped in when she did.

Nayisa didn't know where she was going. She let her body run on autopilot while she let her mind wander. It had been a while since something truly bothered her. As she was thinking of what she wanted to do to blow off steam, she turned a corner, snapping back to reality when she physically stopped, and not by choice. She ran into something- no, someone. Taking a small step back, she looked up, seeing who she recognized as one of the other security officers. Her efforts to identify him were vastly overshadowed by the realization that she ran into someone instead of swerving at the last second. Man, maybe she was affected by what happened in the fairytale. "Sorry," she said, quickly putting on her usual cheerful mask as she pointed over her shoulder. "Blind corner."

Mason had equally been aimlessly walking around, thankfully off duty for at least another day. He'd been withdrawn since his return and he knew he had to seek out Teyo soon enough, they did have a lot to discuss if only because he didn't want the people in their story to be forgotten.

He too had been moving on autopilot, not sure where he had to go, until something solid had abruptly halted his path. He had reached out in reflex to steady himself, and whoever he had walked into. "Must've been," he mumbled absently as he took a step aside. "Lieutenant Wrea," he acknowledged as the image of the grey haired woman suddenly clicked with a name. "Were you going somewhere particular?"

Oh, this was Malone, Didrea's petty officer. Immediately, Nayisa noticed that he seemed to be lost in thought as well, judging by the weight he seemed to carry on his shoulders. "Not really, just wandering to clear my head. You?"

"Same, I'm afraid.... can't get that story out of my head. Q threw us one alright, it was... nerve-wracking. And I don't feel I'm that easily rattled, I think. But this....I keep seeing the end flash before me, I can't shake it. What about you? Did you at least get something fun?"

Nayisa scoffed, though her expression hardly contained any humor. "It wasn't too bad. Just a talking wolf that tried to eat us." Even as she looked at this young man, all she could see was when Xavier was seconds away from death, the wolf towering over him with teeth bared... "You want to go with me to the holodeck?" she asked suddenly, blinking away the memory.

"A talking wolf huh..." Mason hesitated, biting back a retort about his own adventure. "Yeah sure," he answered absently, shivering visibly at a memory of his own. "What kind of program are you thinking of ma'am," he added, more formally now, "something relaxing, I would assume?" But what? He didn't know Wrea very well, certainly not well enough to know which program she favoured. "Forest picnic? Seaside lounge and tiki bar?" Very unlike his nature to remain sober because lord knew what might happen, he suddenly had a craving for a stiff drink.

"A seaside lounge sounds nice." Giving him a lightly teasing look, she added, "but don't ma'am me, I'm neither your boss nor my grandmother. First or last name is fine." The shiver didn’t go unnoticed, but Nayisa didn't comment on it, instead leading the way to the holodeck.

"You outrank me....and my sisters very much drilled into me that a lady should be addressed as ma'am," Mason answered apologetically as he followed her. "Seaside lounge it is then, any particular preference to where? And if you insist on first name, then you should call me by mine." As they reached their destination, Mason set a few parameters such as temperature and sunshine, as well as the lounge, then stepped aside to allow for her to finish the program.

"Smart sisters," Nayisa said with a wink, before adding in her own touches to the program, namely the type of sand some music. After a few seconds, the computer confirmed that the program was ready. She gave her uniform a light tug as she approached the holodeck doors, "I don't know about you, Mason, but I'm getting into something more comfortable."

"Of course," Mason agreed, "uniform is going to be a tad warm I reckon."

The doors parted, giving way to their combined program. Their shoes sank a little into the olivine sand, the early afternoon sun providing a comfortable warmth. The holodeck created some people milling about for atmosphere, with some on the beach, in the water, and around the lounge that Mason had programmed in. Out in the water were some rocks, beckoning the adventurous to climb its sides, and off in the distance were a couple of passing boats. Near the holodeck arch was a bamboo table, where a set of clothes and towels sat waiting.

Mason reached for a set, then gallantly offered it to Nayisa before grabbing the other. "I'll see you shortly," he smiled before disappearing into one of the cabins. Within a minute or two he came out wearing very colourful swimming shorts, the towel nonchalantly thrown across his shoulder. On his feet were a pair of slippers though he considered going barefoot now. He had folded his Starfleet uniform, his boots set on top and he placed the neat pile on to the bench. "Drinks first?" He asked once Nayisa emerged.

Nayisa had accepted the clothes offered by Mason, then also disappeared to change. Her swimsuit of choice was an orange bikini, the bottom half hidden by the towel wrapped around her waist. She deposited her uniform on the bench next to his and smiled at him. "Last one there takes a shot of lemon juice," she joked, starting an encouraging jog toward the lounge. Maybe, deep down, it was an attempt to bury her own thoughts, but in any case, both of them had stuff on their minds and it was an attempt to cheer them up.

"And what if I like lemon juice?" Mason challenged as he broke into a run as well. His smile didn't reach his eyes however, and his heart wasn't in the run either. When he reached the bar he flopped down on a stool and leaned against the structure made of dark wood. "I don't really feel like running anywhere today," he admitted, "I'm not sure if I feel anything at all... know what I mean?"

The lack of enthusiasm was relatable, enough for Nayisa to let him just barely win. "Yeah," she said, sitting down next to him. She ordered herself some kind of blended drink from the holographic barkeep, along with the promised shot of lemon juice. A bet was a bet, even if they weren't that into it at the moment. "There's a lot of weight to carry but you just don't quite know what to do with it."

Mason pulled the lemon shot towards himself. "You would've won if you hadn't held back," he told her before downing the drink in one go. He shuddered visibly before ordering a very colourful cocktail. "Right, weight. I guess there's something about dying twice within minutes.." he shuddered again, colour draining from his face at the memory. "And I can't figure out why it happened twice, and why the first seems so much worse when the second was so quick and near painless." He looked up. "Q got us killed... me and Teyo. I haven't seen him since we returned, I haven't...had the heart to find him yet."

Nayisa couldn't help the brief look of surprise that appeared on her expression when he mentioned dying twice within minutes. "That's rough," she commented. What else could she say, sorry you died? That sounded insensitive, but silence wouldn't do because they were together so they could relieve some of their burdens. "He's probably as shocked by the experience as you are. What's holding you back from talking to him?"

"Probably," Mason admitted, "and I actually don't know... I should, and I will but .." he sipped his drink then downed it in one go as if hoping it would numb his feelings. "The first time we died...he pulled us off a cliff. Then we were returned to the exact same spot and... I remember hearing a shot being fired, and falling, and then nothing. I think... maybe I should talk to the counsellor first." His eyes were hollow as he spoke, the horror audible in his voice. "We knew we wouldn't leave our story alive, Teyo indicated that much once he recognised the settings. It was a Trill fairytale of sorts, a legend which may well have been true."

He fell silent, twirling the now empty glass around on the counter. "You're the first I told about this. I haven't even told George yet, and I know I should but he'll only get worried and that's the last thing I want him to be."

Silence came from Nayisa as she took in the information. It was a lot to carry on his shoulders. "It's one thing to do what we do, going into dangerous situations knowing that death is an option, but it's a completely different thing to actually experience it as an inevitable. The counselor is there to help process such things, so do what's best for you." Pausing, she took a long sip of her own drink as she recalled who George was from her mental copy of the manifest. "If you don't mind my asking, why are you worried about how George will respond to this? Usually when someone worried about another, it's a sign of affection."

"He worries as it is, and we're only just seeing each other again after going through a rough patch. I don't want to bother him with it." Mason sighed softly. "I've not even seen him since we returned, I don't know what he went through but I suppose he doesn't want to bug me either." He smiled sadly at his companion. "What about you? What did Q put you through and with who?" He flagged the barkeeper for another drink as he waited for her to respond.

"Some silly story about a wolf off to go eat an old lady," Nayisa said, her efforts to dismiss it half-hearted. She took another sip of her drink before continuing. "I was with Leiko, which, talk about a wet blanket. He was grumpy and irritable the whole time, which, I guess Q does that to people, but he didn't need to take it out on me. Anyways, we knew that the Commander was in danger, she was the grandma in this twisted story. We didn't know if it was actually Zora or the work of Q, but Leiko and I agreed that we needed to at least try to save her from the wolf." Her fingers idly traced the curved shape of the glass in front of her. "While we were saving Zora, the wolf attacked Leiko, pinning him and ready to kill him, and I was just too far away to make it to him in time. I could see the fear in his eyes. I've only been in that situation once before, seeing a crewmate seconds from death, knowing they were going to die afraid, and being too slow to stop it. Fortunately, Zora stepped in and got the wolf to back off."

"Little red riding hood?" Being Human, Mason recognised the reference. "How did she get the wolf to back off? Didn't the wolf devour everyone in the fairytale?" He wondered who played which part. "I don't know Commander Zora very well, if at all but from what I have seen of her, she doesn't strike me as a hunter. And Leiko being afraid? He's always so .. confident..."

"Ugh, yeah, that one." It was evident that Nayisa likely didn't care for the fairytales, and likely despised them. "Funny enough, she got it to back off with a water bottle. Like... sprayed the wolf with water." The moment of seeing Leiko, wide-eyed, staring down the mouth of the wolf, flashed in her head again, prompting that knot in her stomach to return. "I don't know what stick was up his butt, but it didn't matter. He was seconds from death, Mason, it's enough to scare anyone."

Nayisa took another long sip of her drink, gesturing to the bartender to prep another one as she was probably going to finish soon. "It was the same turn of events, that's why it spooked me," she admitted quietly. The information was declassified anyways, so there was no problem talking to Mason about it if she cared to go into more detail. "There was a recon mission several years ago, and my teammate, Eli, and I split to cover more ground. I heard a scream, and I came running back in time to see our target kill her. I ran as fast as I could, but couldn't reach her in time." Her dark eyes stared through the table as she remembered. "With Leiko, we needed to get into the house to rescue Zora, so we split up, I heard a scream for help and came running back to see him about to be killed, and I was two seconds too far away to do anything."

"Sounds like Q played on your fears," Mason concluded as he listened, "a fear of not being in time to save someone? Could you have saved him if you hadn't split up? Or her in case of your teammate?"

"Probably," she replied with a shrug. It wasn't like Nayisa to admit something vulnerable so openly, which was perhaps a testament to just how badly it spooked her. "It's probably more like a fear of making the wrong choice. Or maybe a fear of... I dunno, not being good enough at my job." Predicting a classic attempt at assurance, Nayisa dismissed any potential commentary with a wave of her hand. "Yeah, I know, it's only a couple of decisions in the entirety of my career, everyone makes mistakes, whatever. I shouldn't even be making those mistakes, not this far into my career."

"Everyone makes mistakes, its what-" he faltered as he looked at her, then smiled sheepishly. "It's what makes us who we are," he finished, "we can't grow or learn,if we're perfect all time. You're still young right? What's the life span of a Trill? Similar to a Human right... so you got plenty of time to ah...get perfect."

Nayisa was about to remind Mason that she was in fact Human, but something in his eyes made her pause. There were a few seconds of silence between them as the intelligence officer studied the security one, slowly piecing together what might be on his mind. With his adventures with death and their discussion, there was no doubt that he was feeling something, but what did it have to do with his boss? "You're thinking about Didrea," she said matter-of-factly. Furrowing her brow slightly, she studied him for a few more seconds before adding, "Are... you worried? That she might think differently of you, if she finds out about your Q experiences?"

"I don't know," Mason was -too- quick to answer, "I'm a security officer, a former marine. I'm not supposed to be scared of death am I? But this experience, it was strange." He paused. "If anything...I saw a side to Fenn that I've not seen before. And think he deserves better now." He shook his head. "Let's just say I've got a different perspective now, but yes I guess I'm concerned. Q scares me beyond belief, worse than actual combat."

The way he answered, more specifically how fast he answered, hinted to Nayisa that he was definitely worried long before he verbally admitted it. "I don't know that much about Fenn, but the way you're describing things makes it sound like you both need a friend. You're the only one who understands what he went through, and I know he's kind of full of himself but I think we both know it's just a facade. If you can, try talking to him." She gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow. "As for your boss, don't worry about it. She of all people gets it. Take it from someone who's known her for 13 years."

Mason smiled, more genuinely now. "She's a good boss. I like her and I trust her. I'm just worried she won't trust me." He set the empty glass he'd been twirling down and slid off the stool. "I'm going for a swim," he said, "coming?"

Nayisa gave a brief chuckle. "She does trust you, and if she doesn't then I'll beat some sense into her." Standing up from the stool in silent agreement, Nayisa stretched, giving her body a faint shake to get rid of the stress. "Yeah, a swim sounds like a great way to shake off that tension." She then removed her towel from her waist with a simple tug, abandoning it on her stool before jogging after him.