[Backlog] JL Cmdr Bailey & Hawk | Burned

Posted on 241708.13 @ 9:47am by Rear Admiral Indi Hawk & Admiral Sabine Scholtz-Archer

Mission: Reconciliation & Reconstruction [Fleet Plot]

=/\= Earth - Lisbon - District Warehouse 85 =/\=

"You all know what to do," Indi nodded, and received nods in reply from all around the room. There was 4 of them, 5 if you counted Indi. One was sitting on a chair next to the table, cleaning his gun. One was leaning against the wall closest to the door, looking out through a crack. Two of them were sitting on the window sill, leaning back and appearing not to be overly interested. Indi herself was leaning against the small kitchen's counter, and was wondering what the hell they were doing here.

As nobody made any move, she put her hands on her hips. "Well? What are you waiting for?!"

Finally, she got them on their feet and into the next room. They expected their company within the next fifteen minutes. Her companions were at least competent enough to know what Indi expected of them, so they all moved silently into position. She'd do the talking, she always did, but they'd cover her back. For the most part.

The minutes passed by slowly, and Indi started to get worried. Something was off, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. The hour passed, and they were already five minutes past. She was about to have them pack up and go home.

What happened next was a thing of absolute nightmares and lunacy. Twenty-five of Starfleet's finest security officers, the ones kept on the planet and not farmed to the far reaches of the known universe, swarmed into the warehouse like a hoard of angry wasps that had just had their hive disturbed. There was yelling, the heavy clacking of body armor and assault weaponry, and it seemed as if there were to be no end in sight.

For months they'd been watching, waiting, carefully feeding this along - and now the time had come for them to act and apprehend yet another cell in what they considered to be another faction of Federation First. Admiral Archer would accept nothing less as a show of complete force and singularity. "MOVE MOVE MOVE MOVE!" Was the chant, like an old Maori haka, it rose from the Commander's mouth with vehemence and urgency alike. It was seconds, really, before the swarm met the office door and it imploded, never truly standing a chance against the men that suddenly flooded the small space with their weapons hot and trained on the group.

"HANDS UP!"

"GET ON THE GROUND!"

"DON'T MOVE!"

Voices all around sounded like concussion grenades, bombarded ears with their conflicting demands until each of the team were thrown to the ground and held prone on their bellies. The Commander bullied his way through moments later, about the same time that Indi was being drug back to her feet, her hands secured by thick plastic bracelets behind her back. That was a face he recognized, a blast from the past, but he recognized her instantly. How the chocolate dipped... Didn't matter, "Hawk?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as he got near, "Hawk is that really you?"

It all happened so fast that Indi found herself secured before she could blink. Ironically, she could only admire what had happened. Given her Security background, it was impressive that they'd manage to overcome her so easily. Of course, they outnumbered her greatly. And her Security days, well, they were a long time ago. She wasn't as quick off the mark anymore. As she was dragged to her feet, she winced. They'd obviously bruised a couple of her ribs while taking her down. Oh well, she'd live.

As her name was called, she slowly turned her head to face the man. Her implants immediately focused, sending a full spectrum impression to her brain that was vaguely familiar. She had to dig deep in her memory. Years back. But so much had happened during those years that it were hard memories to reach. It was probably the last time she'd heard her real last name said out loud. It was a cloud, a mist that didn't lift because the sun was too weak to reach through. "Bailey?" she finally asked slowly.

"Sweet Jesus it really is you... Let her go!" Commander Frank Bailey was an old salt. His career had lived and now was beginning to die in Security - to the point where he'd refused promotions out of sheer stubborn love of his line of work. Indi had been one of those who had come to rise to super star status back during a time when he was young and thought that leaving Security to run work for a then Commodore Sabine Scholtz, about a year before she married Sean Archer, was a brilliant idea. He'd been bored to tears. The grunt holding Indi hesitated before letting go of her cuffs, and Bailey was quick to take up position. "Gonna get you out into fresh air..." Frank muttered more to himself than to Indi as they followed the crowd back out into the fading light of day. Night would come soon, but at least work was done and over with - of course then came the question of Indi.

He sighed heavily, his head shaking, as he cut her cuffs and set her completely free, "I never thought I'd live to see the day that you got burned, Indi Hawk. Least of all that I'd be the unlucky son of a bitch that did it." His arms crossed across his chest and his toe nudged a wasted cigarette butt on the sidewalk. "I'd say I was sorry but we both know that I'm not sorry for doing my job... More that I'm sorry that you got sucked up into whatever this is." Frank added, gesturing to the air in a vague motion of composition.

Indi followed him out and made the familiar subconscious movement of rubbing her wrists where the cuffs had cut into them. Ignoring Frank, she walked over to where the sidewalk was a bit wider and slid with her back down the wall. Crossing her legs, she rested her face back against the wall and closed her eyes. She'd heard most of what he had said, but it didn't sound interesting. Words of being burned, doing a job and getting sucked into an unreal situation were just that: words. Empty words. She'd breathed them every day for the last four years. Every day, at least at first, she'd handed over names because she was doing a job. And now? What had it mattered? Every person you got off the streets, was replaced by a dozen more.

She considered getting up and running off, but quickly dismissed the idea. Of the 25 officers she'd counted inside, at least 10 were back outside again. And the short walk here had revealed at least 10 more. She didn't feel up to a game of cat and mouse. That left few options to make it through the night. She had no idea what he was planning on doing now that he'd arrested and released her. Obviously, she couldn't go undercover to the same group again. She honestly had no idea whether or not that idea was appealing. It was something familiar. Something gone forever now. The best option, for now, was not to say anything at all.

"Earth to Hawk, are you even listening to me?" Frank waved a hand in front of the woman's face, "I said I might have a consolation prize you'd be interested in."

As Indi's eyes were still closed, she didn't actually see him wave, but she'd heard him approach easily enough. Somebody with his heavy footsteps could be heard from a mile off. Even by somebody who wasn't blind. "Good for you," she replied without opening her eyes.

Tugging on a pant leg, he knelt in front of her, "Don't be sore with me." he chided, "Someone of your expertise and status is valuable back in Fleet life. Vice Admiral Archer controls Alpha Quadrant now, her husband is the Commander in Chief. She owes me a favor and she needs someone in Security. I'm getting old, Hawk... No one wants an old dog up there. I have no doubt that you'd do well and it would get you out of these hell holes." The Commander snorted, "You smell like you haven't bathed in days."

It sounded like a buzz to Indi. She couldn't be bothered to really listen to him. She was perfectly comfortable here, sitting on the sidewalk. Deep down, she felt an ease that she had long since forgotten. She felt like she could sit here for hours, and her life wouldn't be in danger. Even in her apartment, that feeling never left her. The feeling of being under constant attack. Constant vigil. Here, it felt like it wasn't necessary. A now unfamiliar feeling. When he finally shut up, she peered at him. It were hollow words he'd spoken, words that hadn't registered, but his voice had been kind. That was something, at least. "What are you doing here, Frank?" she asked at last.

Stunned silent, it took Frank a couple moments to organize a response to her question. "Saving your ass, Indi... Saving your ass." He sighed. "C'mon. I'll buy you dinner."

--

RAdm Indi Hawk
(soon to be) Senior Security Advisor
Alpha Quadrant

&

Cmdr Frank Bailey
NPC apb October