Questionable Morality - Chapter 16
Questionable Morality
Chapter Sixteen
Dr. Cutler handled the hypospray with ease, almost sad that
she couldn't torture the woman before the kill. Now if only her dimwitted
captain would get out of the way.
God, the man was clueless and useless. She rolled her eyes.
Explosive charges were set aboard the Intrepid, Kennedy and
Grissom. This was her biggest kill ever and she was excited. Explosives weren't
really her field, but she was sure the charges she had set were enough to
cripple the ships so that the others could move in for an easy disposal. She
had only one individual assignment left and it was a live one. She was more an
individualized assassin and she likened herself to God -- deciding who would
die and when. She liked it that way and she got off on it, each soul she took
etched into a little black book she held near and dear to her heart. There
weren't too many people out there that could truly say they enjoyed their work.
The sickbay door opened and Liz started as Mayweather
entered the room closely followed by two armed security guards.
"Doctor Cutler," Travis nodded, "Please
follow the security detail to your quarters."
"What..." Liz scoffed, covering her sense of
alarm.
Trip was about to ask the same question, but Travis
interrupted.
"Sir, article 958.36 section 12 a, states that any
medical personnel involved in an 'accidental' death shall have their medical
privileges revoked until an independent autopsy can be performed and..."
"That's ridiculous." Tucker approached his first
officer cautiously, placing himself between Travis and Liz. I've made an
official reprimand in her record and she will probably face a court martial,
once we get back. For now, we need a chief medical officer."
"With all due respect, sir. The regulations
state..." Mayweather asserted.
"I'm well aware of the regulations, Commander,"
Trip drawled slowly and walked to the examining table and helped Lita off.
"Ensign," he addressed a security officer. "Could you please
escort Ms. Mukai to my quarters?"
"Aye, sir."
Lita followed the ensign without question for she could tell
by the tone in Trip's voice that he was pissed.
Cutler set the hypospray down. If she killed again, she
would be exposed. She crossed her arms over her chest and attempted to look
wounded. At least the stupid fool was sticking up for her.
Trip watched as Lita left and once the door was closed
behind her, he let loose. "What the hell is going on, Commander?"
"Regardless of the charges against him, we will still
be held accountable for his death. I'm just making sure everything is in
order..." Travis stated.
"I've already done the autopsy," Liz started to
argue.
"Commander Mayweather is right," Trip sighed.
"If Doctor Janus or the doctors onboard Intrepid or the Grissom could
perform the autopsy�"
"I'll contact Dr. Smith on the Intrepid and see
if..." Liz suggested.
"This is the commander's project. He can arrange for
the independent review." Tucker turned to leave then stopped. "Doc,
was there any kind of supplement Lita needed to start taking?"
Liz walked over to a cabinet and took out a small container.
"These should help with the side effects if she experiences any
more."
"Thanks, doc," Tucker called out over his shoulder
and left.
She watched as Mayweather followed him to pursue his
witch-hunt and she knew the time to act was now and she set out to crippled Enterprise
and track her final target.
--
"Where do you think you're going?" Reed asked
gruffly watching the play of muscle over Hoshi's naked back.
She shoved her feet into her gray jumpsuit and stood up.
"I'm going to track down the rest of my crew and..."
"No, you're not." Reed leaned on one elbow on the
bed.
She scoffed and continued to get dressed.
Reed sat up in bed fully and repeated, "No, you're not.
"
"Yes," Hoshi paused and shoved one foot into a boot,
"I am."
She had no time to react as he pounced on her, pulling her
forcefully into his arms, pinning her beneath him.
"As tempting as it is, I'm afraid I won't be able to
strip you naked and hold you down," his breath whispered across her cheek
before his lips caught hers. The kiss was gentle yet forceful, his tongue
demanding to mate with hers. He broke the kiss slowly and sighed in
frustration. "You drive me crazy."
She smirked and wiggled under him. "I try."
He rolled over and released her and she sprang from the bed,
intent on leaving the safety of his quarters. "Please� stay."
"I'm not going to hide just because you think there
might be somebody gunning for me," she insisted and put her other boot on.
Sure there were no grand emissions of love and proposals of marriage, but they
had crossed over a plateau which had brought them closer. They had rested after
making love and she had told him things she had never told another living soul
� mostly things about her childhood and her relationship with her father.
"Please," he reiterated and rose from the bed,
collecting his discarded clothes and putting them on.
She heard the inflection in his voice and it almost sounded
scared. She eyed him curiously as he pulled his Henley on and buttoned it. Next,
he pulled on his uniform and zipped it up. "I can't hide," she
whispered.
Reed stopped while putting his socks on and looked up at
her. "I don't expect you to, but�"
"I won't hide," she affirmed, her voice shaky and
filled with resolve. "I have a duty to the rest of my crew."
"You discharged them," he reminded her, trying to
remain calm and trying to keep her calm.
Hoshi shook her head as the memory came rushing back to her.
"I may have fired them, but they are still my responsibility."
"I�"
"Gomez to Reed," the intrusive com panel squawked.
Hoshi heard the slight curse under his breath as he answered
the hail.
"Sir, you better come down to F deck, section nine A.
We've found something you might want to take a look at," requested Gomez.
He tugged on his boot. "I'll be right there." He
turned grasped her upper arms and nestled his cheek against her hair.
"Please �"
She heard the catch in his voice, yet her resolve could not
be swayed. "I can't."
Reed sighed for his lover was like a granite statue in his
arms. She would never change her mind and he had the sneaky suspicion he would
spend the rest of his life trying to change it.
Hoshi felt the ghost of his lips against her forehead and
sighed as he walked away from her. The door stood open before her.
--
Reed crawled down the ladder and into the shaft. "What
is it?" he called, as he peered over his shoulder and looked at the
lieutenant and an ensign. They were huddled next to an open panel.
Gomez held a small device in her hand. "It's a class two
Tellerite JANFUD device sir, poorly armed and easily disarmed. It was on a
timing mechanism. Ensign Mathers discovered it upon a routine inspection of the
impulse manifolds."
Reed's stomach jumped to his gut and his thoughts went
directly to Hoshi. "Is there any timing signature on the device? When was
it placed?"
Em scanned the device and looked at her scanner
thoughtfully. "It was placed sometime last night, sir."
She was with him then. There was no way she could have
planted the device and a sense of relief and remorse washed over him. He really
was a bastard and he would never change. It was his nature to think the worst
of people, even people he loved. She had poured her heart out to him last
night, telling him about her father and her childhood. He knew without a doubt
that if he ever met her father he would kill him without hesitation. The man
was a monster. "Alert the other ships. Tell them what to look for and run
an analysis of the device. Perhaps the saboteur was careless and left some clue
as to their identity behind."
"Aye, sir," replied Em, as she carried out the
order.
--
He had spent the better part of half an hour trying to
convince Dr. Phlox he wouldn't be lynched once he set foot on Enterprise. The
halls were darkened because it was night time aboard all of the ships. Beta
shift was on and the Constitution's crew was settling in to their new duties.
Travis was still trying to put faces with names. Luckily there weren't many
crewmembers roaming the halls at this hour. As far as the crew was concerned,
Dr. Phlox was guilty by association. He harmed no one, only patched them up so
that they could be raped or tortured some more. Nobody knew his motives or his
reason for being among humans, but he was here now and he had the ability to perform
the independent autopsy that was gnawing at Travis to complete.
Travis had poured over each crewmembers records and every
file was in order, all but one � Liz Cutler. It was just too perfect and
something about it niggled at the back of his mind. Maybe it was his
intelligence training. Maybe it was the last few years of acting on raw
instinct, but he knew Archer's death heeded more investigation. His captain was
a trusting fool.
Phlox prattled nervously at his side as they entered a
darkened sickbay. "Dr. Cutler?" Travis called out.
Nothing except the stirrings of the creatures Phlox had left
behind was heard. "He's over there," Travis instructed and pointed
toward the wall that held Archer's cadaver. "How long will you need?"
"Half an hour." Phlox opened the hatch and pulled
the table out and started taking scans as Travis stood watch.
--
She had just set the last of the charges on board Enterprise
and a thrill bubbled in her stomach. She had to find a way to capture Hoshi
Sato alive and hide until her ride arrived. Her daddy wanted to talk to her.
--
Hoshi stepped off the transporter pad and strode down the
hall. She had no idea if they were even still on board Enterprise. A crewman
passed by. "Excuse me, but could you direct me to the Celestial
crew?"
The crewman thought for a moment. "I'm not sure where
they are, but I know that Ms. Mukai is with Captain Tucker. His quarters are
located on B deck."
She muttered a quick thank you and went to see Lita. She
owed her an apology.
--
Phlox took the sample and placed it on an analysis tray. It
was human and it didn't belong to the deceased captain. Even by Denobulan
values, Archer was depraved. The captain had always been suspicious of the
alien in his midst, always asking him why he had stayed on board as his tenure
was overdue. Phlox simply shrugged his shoulders. "My dear captain, I am a
scientist first and a doctor second. I find the human condition fascinating if
not at times barbaric. Besides, who would 'patch' up your numerous victims and
get them ready for sale?"
Archer had actually laughed and slapped Phlox on the back.
"I'm glad that we can assuage your curiosity, Doctor."
Phlox hooked the analysis tray up to the Starfleet database
and cross-referenced with the ECS database. It was only a matter of time before
the DNA was linked to the murderer. Phlox examined the puncture holes in
Archer's corded neck where the supposed serums were injected. There was no
doubt about which serums Dr. Cutler had used, but it looked as though the serums
were injected after the captain was dead. If that were the case, there must be
another cause of death.
--
Hoshi stood at the captain's quarters and hesitated to
knock. If her drunken memory served her right, she was a bit harsh on Lita and
she wondered if her engineer would accept her apology. Before she could knock,
the lights in the corridor started to flash red and a siren-like sound blared.
She started as the door swept open and Tucker collided with her, knocking her
to the floor. He didn't stop to help her up, only shouting a quick apology and
a succinct, "Take care of Lita for me!"
She walked into the spacious quarters, which were so similar
to Reeds and called out. "Lita!"
Lita stepped out of the bathroom dabbing her mouth with a
washcloth, her complexion ashen and alarmed.
"Are you okay?" Hoshi grasped the other woman's
elbow and helped her to the bed.
"I'm just having a bad reaction to the neuro
chemical," Lita sighed and reclined onto the bed. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. All things considered," Hoshi smiled
sadly, but relieved her friend hadn't shut her out completely. "I'm sorry
and�"
Lita raised her hands. "There's no need to apologize.
We're all hurting."
Hoshi fought for control over the tears that threatened, but
they fell upon her cheeks anyway. "Where are the others," she sniffed
and tried unsuccessfully to compose herself.
Lita grasped her hands in hers. "They're fine. They are
shacked up on D deck."
"We have prices on our heads," Hoshi whispered
finally.
Lita paled considerably and started trembling, her hands
cupping her stomach protectively. She had just gotten used to idea of
motherhood and now her child was threatened.
"I have to find the others and let them know they need
to watch their backs." Hoshi stood and walked to the door. "Are you
going to be okay by yourself?"
Lita nodded.
--
"Bridge report," Travis barked into the nearest
com panel.
"Sir, we received a transmission from the Intrepid.
They found an explosive device onboard and have informed us to look for explosives
of Tellerite origins. All crew have been ordered to search the ship,"
reported the com officer.
Travis shut the com down and walked back into sickbay.
"Any status doc?" he asked and started scanning the room for
explosives.
"I've located the primary cause of death. It wasn't as
Doctor Cutler reported. Someone injected the captain with palan poison. It's
very rare and not easily detectable. The serum was administered after his
death." The computer beeped and Phlox stared at its findings. "I took
a sample from the captain's cadaver and matched the DNA to all available
databases and based on my findings, Doctor Cutler's initial autopsy is
flawed."
Travis flipped open his communicator, getting ready to call
security to arrest Cutler, but he snapped it shut instead. He would track her
down himself.
--
"Sir, the Grissom and Kennedy have reported in. They
have found and disarmed two similar devices� Enterprise has yet to report
in," Em reported, her hands dancing over her console. "The sweep of
Intrepid is complete. No more charges have been found."
Reed nodded in acknowledgement. Duty asserted itself over his desire to protect his lover
and the sense of dread he felt quickly passed. "Advise the other ships we
are breaking formation. Until the bomb sweep is clear I want to put as much
distance between Enterprise and us. I would recommend the same for the Grissom and the
Kennedy. Gather volunteers and help the Enterprise complete their sweep."
"Sir,
the Grissom reports a clean sweep," interjected the com officer.
Em summoned the elevator and concurred with her superior
officer's assessment. "I'm on my way, sir."
--
Cutler held the scanner ahead of her as various
crewmembers ran past her scanning for the bomb they would never find. While she
was tinkering her time away in sickbay, she had alter one of the creatures the
good doctor had left, one whose chemical makeup was easily combustible once the
right chemical was added to its tank. Her scanner was checking for the faint
signature of Hoshi Sato. All the tattoos had a tracking device implanted within
them, part of the mistrust the syndicate expounded to all its members.
She would be a rich woman after this job, and able to
retire. Who the hell was she kidding she would never retire. Her kind never
retired. Her scanner beeped and she smiled for her target was actually moving
toward her. She moved to intercept.
--
"God damn!" Hoshi exclaimed as she rushed down
the hall, everybody running around her and not answering any of her question.
She had overshot D deck and had found herself on E deck. Somebody called out
for her and she turned quickly and saw Dr. Cutler running toward her.
She was breathless by the time she caught up with Hoshi.
"There's been reports of sabotage on the other ships," Liz panted, "and
everybody is looking for bombs. I think I found something." She motioned
for Hoshi to follow her down a corridor and into a crewman's quarters that had
already passed inspection. She just needed to hide out here and wait for her
ride. Mentally she cursed her dumb luck as obviously someone had come across
one of the bombs on one of the other ships.
"What is it?" Hoshi asked, oblivious to the
assassin's intentions and crossing over the threshold of the darkened quarters.
Suddenly the deck plating shifted violently under her feet and she fell to the
floor. She didn't see or hear the communicator in the doctor's hand as it
announced the enemy's arrival, much less the phase pistol in her other hand.
Hoshi winced as the beam hit her square in the chest and
she lost consciousness.
Liz hurriedly injected the stunned woman with a sedative
and flipped the communicator open. "Lock on to our coordinates and beam us
aboard. Once we're aboard you have carte blanche."
A gruff Klingon response followed and the doctor watched
as the prone body of her victim dematerialized in front of her. Then she felt
the warm tingle of the beam grasp her and she knew she was home free. She
transmitted the proper signal to induce the proper chemical reaction and
grinned.
--
Reed watched the view screen pensively, a sense of alarm
settling deep within his soul as the Enterprise dropped out of warp and listed
in space. Luckily, no bulkheads had been blown and no one had been lost to the
vacuum of space. Various crewmembers reported information and readings
regarding the status of Enterprise, but he could see the information for
himself on the panel in front of him. He could also see the string of Klingon
vessels surround the wounded ship and open fire.
The Intrepid took a blow as a ship fired from the stern.
Reed pushed the ensign away from tactical and entered in a plan of attack, and
while doing so shouted across the bridge to the com officer. "Tell the
Grissom and Kennedy to concentrate all fire power on the underside of the battle
cruiser's hull!"
The Intrepid rocked violently as it registered another
hit.
One of the cruisers broke formation and went to warp,
leaving the battle and speeding quickly to Vega colony.
*****
TBC