JP - Lt. Ikaia Wong & Arthur Summerside: Tip of the Iceberg (Part 2)

[Lt. JG Kivik]

((Several minutes later, Terminal C - Purple Line Station))

Summerside: Isn’t she a beauty?

Arthur pointed to the quaint retro diner hidden away amongst massive cargo crates in Terminal C. A holographic neon sign read “Edna’s Chat n’ Chew” – they’d gotten every detail right, down to the annoying buzz the sign gave off.

Ikaia tilted his head curiously. He had no idea such a place even existed here. Edna's had a certain energy to it. It felt like the sort of location pulled from a holonovel. 

Wong: Huh. Of all the time I've been here, I have never known such a place existed.

Summerside: ::Chuckling:: Well, you gotta get off the Mezz now and then if you want to see what this station really has to offer. Come on. We’re going to start this little tour off right. You drink milk?

Wong: It's good for bone development in many species so yes. That's a yes. 

oO Unless that's a euphemism for something else… Oo

Arthur pushed open the glass door, a little bell ringing overhead. His favourite spot was open and he led Wong straight to the booth.

Summerside: Great. You’ll want to get a milkshake - any flavour. You can’t go wrong.

Moments later, a server appeared. Her bright blonde hair was tied back in a high bun that harkened back to Earth’s 1950s. Her name tag read “Lorraine”.

Ikaia found it strange that a place called “Edna’s” appeared to be run by a woman named “Lorraine.” But he wasn’t going to judge.

Lorraine: Hi Arty ::jokingly:: long time no see. ::To Ikaia:: And who’s this? Don’t think we’ve seen you ‘round here before.

Well, he wasn't investigating Edna's. So he was going to be a little more casual here.

Wong: My name is Lieutenant Ikaia Wong. Mister Summerside has told me a bit about this establishment. He's really talked it up.

Summerside: Mr. Wong here is a friend of mine. We’re doing a bit of a resto-tour of the station today and we had to start off here, you know?

Lorraine: Oh, sure. Well, welcome to Edna’s. You know what you wanna order already?

Summerside: We’ll get two milkshakes. One Vanilla and one…?

Ikaia, like many Klingons, had a sweet tooth and for him it was horrible. Chocolate was something that was typically at the top of the list of his favorite sweet foods.

Wong: Double chocolate if that's available?

Lorraine: Sure thing, darlin’. Best milkshake in the Quadrant. I’ll be back with those in a minute.

Arthur raised his eyebrows at Wong as Lorraine walked away.

Summerside: She ain’t lying, kid. You won’t be disappointed.

Wong: I can't say no to a good double chocolate.

Summerside: And I can’t say no to Lorraine…

As if summoned by her name, the server returned with a small tray. Two milkshakes in tall clear glasses with long striped cardboard straws sat atop it, accompanied by two frosty-looking metal shakers full of extra milkshake – for when the glasses were emptied.

Lorraine: Here you go. ::A smile at Wong and a wink at Arthur:: Enjoy!

With that, she sidled away, Summerside watching her go as he stuck the straw absent-mindedly in his eye.

Wong waited for Lorraine to leave before speaking to Summerside again. Ikaia leaned across the table slightly. The leather of the seats squeaked as he did so.

Wong: So. You said that this place has a connection to the case? Or at least a lead?

Summerside: ::Rubbing his eye:: Hmm? Oh, right. Sure. You see, there’s only so many suppliers that can bring goods all the way out here to the D.Q. what with slipstream technology still being so new. You’ve also got limited connections here in the quadrant.

Ikaia paused to take a sip of his milkshake. He had to admit it was a good double chocolate! But back to the task at hand...

Wong: Correct. I suspect it'd be something in a recent shipment that's causing the outbreak. Now as to what it is, it's hard to say. I'd have to run tests or at least be able to get a tricorder in to look.

Summerside: Right. I can convince Clai- ::clearing throat:: Lorraine to show me the back room for a few minutes and I’ll take a look at the recent invoices, get you a list of all the suppliers who’ve stopped by Amity in the past few weeks.

Ikaia nearly choked on his milkshake. That was definitely NOT a Starfleet way of handling things.

Wong: ::Coughing for a moment. His voice raspy:: Wait what!? ::Clears his throat:: Mister Summerside, is that even ethical? How?

Summerside: Don’t talk to me about ethics right now, kid. I know my way around the law and there ain't no law against using your eyes. We can take that list of vendors which I observe and swing by the docks next. Grease the right palms and we might find out who received shipments from those same vendors. I suspect one of them is the culprit we’re looking for.

Arthur sipped his milkshake excitedly. oO Who knew vigilantism would feel so good? Oo

Ikaia bit his bottom lip.

Wong: True. One of them is likely our culprit. But can't we just ask for the invoices or at least talk to Lorraine and ask about her suppliers?

Summerside laughed – then when he realized Wong wasn’t joking – he quickly became quiet and secretive. Leaning in, he explained.

Summerside: Look, we’re not all Starfleet out here. Private businesses don’t like interference – and they certainly don’t want to be connected to something that’s made their customers sick. Nobody’s going to be forthcoming about this. Sure, you can force the issue, but that’ll take a little time. A lot of unnecessary PADDwork, you know?

Wong:  ::Raising an eyebrow:: Are you sure of this?

Summerside: The clock is ticking, Wong. Lives are at stake. You want to risk that to avoid a little underhanded – but ultimately harmless – looking around? It ain’t illegal to happen to catch a glimpse of a shipping manifest is it? It ain’t unethical for a couple of concerned citizens to ask a few questions in the name of public health and safety, is it?

Once again, Ikaia bit the bottom of his lip nervously. He didn't like this idea. But he didn't want anyone else getting sick either.

Wong: …. One quick accidental peek. This had better not bite us later when I'm filling out my report.

Summerside: Right then. Give me three minutes. ::Smiling and raising his hands in a gesture that seemed meant to reassure:: Enjoy your milkshake, kid.

With that, Arthur straightened his tie and walked through the swinging door to the hallway that joined the kitchens and the back office.

Summerside: ::Distant:: Hey, Lorraine, dollface… I seem to have lost my way again… Maybe you could show me around?

Ikaia watched as Summerside took his leave. He was hoping he wasn't going to regret this.

((A few minutes later))

The door swung to-and-fro as Arthur sat back down on the leather seat and picked up his milkshake. oO Still cold. Oo He smiled. He sipped it as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair, trying and failing to straighten it all out.

And the CMO was regretting this. He looked over at the reporter in wide eyed disbelief. At this point, he was glad that he had finished his milkshake or it would have found itself all over the table right about now. His mind put far too many pieces together and he really didn't like the mental image that was forming.

oOPlease don't be in my nightmares tonight….Oo

Wong: Ahem! Uh… Mister Summerside, you have a bit ah…. ::Gesturing at his face:: you know….

Summerside: ::Wiping a spot of lipstick from his mouth:: Hmm? Oh, sure. I got the list right here.

With that, Arthur removed his tie and set it down on the table, showing the modified camera to the Klingon CMO. It was a simple mechanism really. A gag gift he had purchased in a gift shop on some resort planet years ago. A small lens hidden in the knot - the trigger activated by tugging gently on the tie itself. He then pulled a small datapad from his pocket and began looking through the images.

Ikaia had a moment to look at the tie on the table. Oh he knew that Summerside was a shady sort. But this was a surprise to him.

Summerside: Ah - no, this one was taken by Lorraine. Ignore that. Ah yes, here we go… The photo I took ‘accidentally’ when I ‘forgot’ I was wearing my ‘special tie’...

Ikaia could have done without that image of Lorraine. That just made his mental image of the scene even worse.

oOThis is going to be in my nightmares tonight...Oo

Arthur grinned at Wong’s evident discomfort. As far as he was concerned, the kid needed to loosen up a little.

Summerside: Don’t get all crackerjack about it, now. Here, see? We got it.

But sure enough, there it was. A list - clear as day - of Edna’s shipping manifest and a list of suppliers.

Wong: The manifest… now it's just a matter of cross referencing the ingredients of the things my patient ate and the manifest itself in order to narrow down the culprit.

Summerside: Looks like we have a few candidates. ::Pointing:: There’s a handful of suppliers who’ve offloaded in the last few weeks. What say we finish our shakes and make our way over to the docks to ‘poke around’ a bit more?

Wong: Please. And let's hope the next time we speak to anyone, we can use more Starfleet tactics.

Summerside: Whateeeever floats your boat. But don’t try and tell me my methods don’t get the job done.

There was some more banter. Ikaia was careful about what he told the reporter. The warnings about Summerside from his higher ups was still fresh in his mind. But he was grateful for the progress made in the case. However, he made a mental note about poor McLaren. She had no idea how much of a scoundrel Summerside was. He wasn't sure yet how to approach what he has learned. But for now, he was going to stay quiet.

Continued in Part 3 / 8…

Lieutenant Ikaia Wong PA-C

Chief Medical Officer

Amity Outpost

V239711IW0

Arthur Summerside

Civilian Journalist,

Amity Outpost

V239806K11