Lt Alex Storm - Thunder from More than a Waterfall
Karen Morris
((Holodeck 4, Deck 3, USS Artemis-A))
Having just got her left hand into a crevice and reached her next hand hold with her left hand, she was reach to give herself a long push to reach the next right hand hold, which was just out of reach, but just before she did, she felt an unusual breeze. She wasn’t about to go for the next hand hold not knowing what was going on. Before she could twist her neck around she heard a voice.
Bancroft: ::shouting:: Lieutenant Storm, ma’am! This is a long way off from a light jog!
Alex heard … something. From her precarious position, she craned her head around. No one should have been able to get in here but the Captain, the XO, Sil, or … there he stood. The doctor. The one who had not-so-much-ordered as suggested it would be a really bad idea if she didn’t take it easy. ‘Doctor Kumbaya’ himself.
Storm: I can’t hear you. Can you repeat that? ::Inclining her head toward the waterfall, though she wasn’t going to turn the volume down in case he was going to chide her.::
Bancroft: ::deadpan, to himself:: Oh good. She left the ‘ignore the doctor’ setting toggled to on.
Storm: ::Over her shoulder:: Still can’t year ya. I tell you what. I’m over halfway to that ledge up there? Do you see that?
Alex glanced back again. She could sense he was looking at the height like a an officer looks at a person he’s pulled a second time for speeding - with disdain and a sniff of “you’ve got to be kidding me.’
Bancroft: ::squinting:: I see it! Looks… unnecessarily high. You know you can simulate lower cliffs, right?
Storm: ::Calling down loudly:: Still can’t hear you. oO Mostly Oo If I stop here for too long in this awkward position, my muscles will freeze up. Let me get up there, and then we can talk.
Alex winced at the overflow of emotions like a parent telling their child that they’re on their way to the hospital because they were doing something they’ve been warned countless times not to do. oO Maybe I deserve that - just a little Oo
Bancroft: ::muttering:: Next time, I’m prescribing yoga.
(( Holodeck 4 – Cliffside Ledge ))
Alex caught him out of the corner of her eye as she reached for the ledge with one hand. Then her second hand. After that, she swung her leg up, and used her knee to leverage her up onto the spot. It was about a meter and a half deep and about three meters long. When her whole body was on top of the ledge, she walked its length twice catching her breath. Her little break in the middle took more out of her than she realized it would.
Bancroft: ::hovering, deadpan:: Spock called. He wants his boots back.
Alex looked at him and rolled her eyes. She had two ways she could play this: Contrite pupil to his righteous indignation or Wide-eyed innocent to his consternation. Being real and leveling with him should have been on the list, but … tactical officers could be stubborn … not that she was describing herself. She took in a deep breath and let it out with a puff.
Bancroft: Don’t worry, I’m not here to ruin your fun. ::beat:: I just… well… scaling vertical death traps wasn’t exactly on the list of ‘keep it balanced’ exercises we talked about.
Alex looked at him a moment and with a bit of a frustrated sigh, she sat herself down on the ledge with her legs dangling over the side. But her eyes were off on the horizon - like she was watching the sunset with it’s brilliant oranges and golds, and some pinks were coming into view, but she didn’t see any of them.
Storm: I know what you said. It wasn’t that I was purposefully ignoring you. ::She shook her head and cocked her jaw, until she could say:: I just really needed to do something hard tonight.
Despite the fact she wasn’t looking at him, she saw him take a seat on the ledge next to her. The Betazoid appreciated the duration of time … the emotional space that he gave her. But it only lasted for several breaths.
Bancroft: You’re in excellent shape, that much is abundantly clear. ::more gently:: But usually, when people pick something this intense… and this isolating… it’s not just about the endorphins.
She watched him pick up pebble, roll it over in his hand and then tipped his fingers so that it fell down into the precipice.
Bancroft: I don’t need to know the details – unless you feel like sharing. But if you’re chasing silence, or pain, or control, or all three – just… be honest with yourself about what this is. That’s all I’m asking.
Storm: Sometimes people just need to blow off steam, work out the kinks, take out their frustration in a positive way. ::She glanced sideways at him and with a cheeky smile said:: And as you can see, I arrived in one piece.
Bancroft: ::nodding:: Fair. You’re allowed all of that. Hell, you’re even allowed to ignore me – provided you keep showing up for duty in one piece. ::beat:: But… as your physician – and possibly your friend – I’d like more than just ‘in one piece’ for you.
He looked over the edge, as if he were looking for the pebble he just allowed to fall. Then he looked at her with a gentle, patient smile.
That smile … that soft, kind, damned smile. She could have taken anything but that. Alex looked away from him despite the fact that she could still feel the imprint of his expression on her psyche.
That smile said that she wasn’t just a patient on a chart. She was a person. One that he guessed was having issues even if she hadn’t spoken about them. But that smile held onto her. It wouldn’t let go. It was going to remind her that she had value … that she didn’t have to be alone … that if she was going to be alone, it was a choice - her choice.
Was that what she wanted? Hadn’t Kona taught her it was easier for her to be alone? She bit at the inside of her lip. No. Kona taught her it hurt to be left behind. There was a difference.
Alex gave her head a slow deliberate shake and quirked her jaw. When she looked back at Roy, her expression had changed from one of playfully annoying a colleague to one in pain. Her eyes threatened to rain, and for that moment, the veneer was gone.
Storm: I’m married.
She had been so steeped in her emotions that she hadn’t thought about what that would sound like when she said it. Her eyes went wide. She scooted away slightly, then waved her hands back and forth between them as her cheeks went crimson and she finally found words - bumbling, confused, inept words.
Storm: Not that you were asking. ::Beat. She turned even more crimson as she realized what else that could imply:: not that I was offering.
Alex covered her face with her hands.
Bancroft: Response
Slowly, tentatively, Alex uncovered her face and looked at Roy.
Storm: Two years ago, without an honest warning, my husband took our two year old daughter and left. From time to time, I initiate searches for them. I want to see my daughter. ::She looked away, unable to watch his eyes as she said…:: I miss her. ::nod:: A lot. ::pause …gentle wipe of an eye.:: I need to know if she’s happy. That she’s healthy. She should be starting school this year, and I’m not there to take her. ::long pause, with several incidents of slow, intentional exhales blown through her lips. Then, trying to sound more ‘normal’:: I initiated a search for them today. ::beat:: I … needed a way to work off the anticipation of being frustrated again. That’s why I’m here. ::Sniff:: I love the scenery here. I love the sunset, and the rush of the water drowns everything out … tears, or screams, or the wail as I fall before the safety’s kick in. ::Finally able to look him in the eye again.:: This climb is usually very cathartic.
Bancroft: Response
Storm: Most often by the time I get to the top, my body is too tired to care, and my emotions can enjoy what is always a beautiful sunset.
Bancroft: Response
~*~
Tags / TBC
~*~
Lt Alex Storm
Tactical Officer
USS Artemis
O240103SK2