A Long Awaited Reunion
Posted on 12/22/2022 @ 5:33am by Captain Cornelius Harrington & Colonel Jack Patton
Edited on on 12/22/2022 @ 6:05am
3,043 words; about a 15 minute read
Mission:
Mission 22: The Other Side of the Mirror
Location: MU: Whereabouts Unknown
Timeline: MD005 1045 hrs (January 7 2397 1045 hrs station time)
Neil couldn't help but look down the corridor in the direction the Marine had indicated. For a brief second, he swore he could see a figure. Neil tucked in behind some sort of panel as the Marines went to work keeping their position safe. He was able to make out some of the details of the figure.
He could tell it was a female, but not much more. Fear took over for a second as he realized he could be looking at Ana. Neil grabbed the closest functional tricorder and made his way down the corridor; leaving the Marines behind. If he was reading this correctly, he wouldn't be alone too long. He tucked into an open doorway, hearing voices coming from the other side of the room. He suddenly regretted not bringing Jack with him.
It seemed that the Kingsmen were a moment too late. The Captain had entered a room and the doors which were once opened now not only were closed but also sealed. "Set a bunker. This is where we make our stand. We hold the line until the Captain gets it done." Jack ordered his people and they went right to work. Now he wondered if Harrington could get the mission done alone.
A door wooshed open as a figure adorned in a dark cloak emerged from a room behind Neil. The void area, the center of the female's dark eyes, locked upon the Federation officer before her. She could sense this was the man described by Valentine; she looked forward to what the woman would have in store for this man.
"You are Neil Harrington?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.
"And you are?" he replied, not really answering the question. He looked at the figure, his hand instinctively going for his weapon, just in case. His mind couldn't help but drift back to the previous trip here and the lesson he learned; don't trust anyone. "I am looking for a friend of mine that might be here," he stated, "clearly, he wasn't going to hide the fact of who he wasn't. The look on her face said she already knew who he was.
The woman's eyes lowered toward the holster on the man's waist. "That would be inadvisable.....however, I will take you to your 'friend,'" the woman replied, her wide sinister grin hidden behind her mask.
Neil took a deep breath, uncertain of what he was about to get into. He'd left her here in the Mirror Universe, no doubt in her own opinion, to die. She would have had no way of knowing the information they were told. He was told her cover had been blown, and she was sentenced to death. There is no way she could have known that.
He couldn't have risked the entire crew to save one person, no matter how hard he wanted to. At the time, the Nogura was stuck in the Mirror Universe. They had no friends, no support, and no way of knowing anything. He wanted to meet up with Ana but was she still his Ana? Could he reach her?
"She was not told anything; she made her own conclusions based on your actions. Her thoughts are her own; there was no manipulation despite any that was offered to her." the woman replied to Neil as he did nothing to suppress his thoughts.
Neil looked at her, "clearly, you have no problem reading thoughts. There is no way she could have known what happened or what we were told. And I don't blame her for thinking the worst. Obviously, this place and being stuck here hasn't helped her in that either. Something says I should have brought more than a weapon."
The woman stopped crossing her arms. "What do you think you should have brought? She inquired; his response piqued her interest.
"Another weapon, a shield, flowers," he shrugged, "just take me to her, and let's get this over with."
"We shall soon see. Follow me." the figure stated, motioning Harrington down the corridor.
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Moments later, the woman led Harrington into a dimly lit room where only the moon from a nearby planet provided light through the window.
"Wait here." the woman stated as she left the room.
Neil looked around the room to get an idea of anything that could help him. Nothing, however, stuck out. Furniture, stray clothing, books... there was nothing. He needed something, but there was nothing. This was just a room. He sighed, "oh Ana," he sighed again, "I wish I had known." He knew the comment was meaningless. He couldn't and wouldn't have risked the entire crew. And he also knew that if the situation were reversed, Ana wouldn't have either. They both knew the danger of wearing this uniform.
Besides, Ana wouldn't have risked anything happening to Tess. Any attempt to recover Ana would have put Tess and everyone else at risk.
"If only you had known." came a reply from within the darkness. The feminine voice was very familiar to Harrington. "Always an excuse Captain Harrington."
There was a slight pause. "Tell me, what is it you wish you had known?"
"Ana," he commented as he turned to face the direction of the voice. "That you were alive, that there was a chance, and we could have rescued you. We were told you had been discovered. You were sentenced to death...." He took a step forward, "I didn't know." He spoke nearly above a whisper as the emotions came back to him.
"I'm sorry, it just seems too insignificant," he added.
"So now I am significant?" Valentine replied as she let out a very audible laugh. She stopped, her facial expression turned cold in the darkness. "Perhaps what you meant to say was that I was too insignificant to even look for."
Neil took a chance and stepped a bit closer, "no, I meant I owe you more than just an I am sorry. Leaving you here was the hardest thing I have ever done. You have no idea." He could feel the emotion in his voice. His check was becoming red as he kept speaking. "We had nothing to work with and were chased by the Empire and the Rebellion after Lucia's death. I would have turned over every rock if there was a way, but we couldn’t.”
Valentine rose from her seat and began slowly pacing in the darkness. "That is a very interesting story, Captain, but do you want to know what really happened? Do you want to hear about the story where the Captain had to wait mere a few seconds for the love of his life to get back on ship.....but didn't." The venom in her tone was made apparent in her pronunciation.
"I guess I was not worth a few more seconds," Valentine said as she walked away from his voice.
"What did you expect me to do, chase you around the Mirror Universe, potentially lose others? Lose Tess?" Neil replied, "Lucia kidnapped her? Your counterpart killed Adira? We lost a few people. I couldn't risk more, not with the information we had, at the time."
Valentine let out a whimper at the mention of Tess' name. A tear fell from her eye and ran down her cheek. The droplet clung to her chin for a moment before it was absorbed into the carpet. "I expected a few more seconds," she said through her teeth as she wiped her cheek and regained her composure.
"I can't fix that," Neil stated, "We made a mistake, and now that we know we are here to fix it," he responded, as his comm badge sounded. Neil ignored the comm message knowing that the here and now were more important. All he could make out was a message from Jack asking what was taking so long. Neil looked at her, "we have a lot to discuss, but right now, we need to get you out of here and back home."
"It's time to go, Commander," Neil opted to use the rank as she kept referring to him as Captain. He raised his hand reaching for her.
Valentine's body began to shake in rage as she noticed the ring on Neil's finger. Her skin tone began to redden as she clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into the palms of her hand. She could have turned and killed him where he stood, but then again, what would he learn? She let out a sigh as she suppressed her rage and walked towards the lit window.
The veil of darkness peeled back across Valentine's figure as she stepped into the light. She wore a royal purple skin-tight suit with a crimson cape that dragged slightly on the ground as she walked. She did not face Harrington leaving only half her face revealed to Harrington. Valentine smiled. "It seems like you have already moved on, Captain, which begs the question of why I should even consider coming with you."
"It's been two years, Ana," he reminded her, "a lot can happen in that time." He didn't want to stun her, but he wasn't opposed to the idea. He hoped she would come willingly. She needed to; this mistake needed to be fixed. "We both have changed over that time," he added, "but I am here, now that should count. Trust me," he extended a hand, "or don't trust me. But we can't sit here arguing; we need to move. The marines won't be able to hold them back forever."
Valentine slowly turned towards Harrington. Her silk cape slithered across the floor, the light now encompassing her full figure. Neil could now see the large scar across the left side of Valentine's cheek. "Some more than others," she smirked.
A short pause.
"Now, since we are keeping score." Valentine tapped one of the clasps on her cape. "Kill them all; if it even smells like Starfleet or any filth affiliated with it, kill that too." Her smirk grew wider.
"Your move Captain, I suggest you use it wisely."
Neil gasped; he couldn't help himself. Clearly, he underestimated what she had to endure in order just to survive. He watched as she spoke in that moment, knowing that the Ana he had left behind no longer existed. The Mirror Universe had taken her.
He could hear the Marines taking up a position outside the door; for now, their position was secure. Jack and his men were the best. They could hold their own. Neil tried something different, an approach that he hoped might work.
He pulled a padd from his jacket pocket as he pulled up an image of Tess. "She's eight years old now," he set the padd on the floor as he slid it over to her. "That was taken almost a month ago in the Promenade. She's becoming quite sassy, definitely the preteen."
He looked at Ana, "she still talks about you and some of the memories the two of you made. It hasn't been easy, and yes, I did move on for a time, but things didn't work out. They rarely do in our line of work."
Valentine momentarily looked down at the photo, but only for a brief second. She would not allow Neil to use his daughter to trifle with her emotions. It also showed how little he had learned. "It is amusing and very much a coincidence how women in your life always seem to have to suffer the worst while you escape unscathed. Perhaps you are the exception to the rule."
"Ana," he sighed, "you want to be honest, here it is. The DTI asked me to come here. They had assumed that I might be able to get through. You were an Officer; hell, you're still an Officer. You know the DTI and their abilities. You opt not to come back; they will send in an extraction team. They will come here, stun your ass, and bring you back. You know that they can and they will."
"I don't want to see this," he added, "your getting left here wasn't your fault. It was mine. I want to fix my mistakes, somehow. I also wouldn't refer to my lift as unscathed; a lot has happened. I am a divorced father of four, dropped down a notch or two in rank, and on my last legs. My daughter barely talks to me, and things are not that great." He waved his hand, "and none of that compares to what you have grown through, I know. I can see that you have done everything you can just to survive."
"You don't have to trust me; I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. However, I don't want to see you hurt. Come back willingly, please?"
Valentine began to laugh loudly, arching her back slightly as she did so. "They sent you? To appeal to me? Oh, Captain, what a dear you are, ever the willing diplomat." her laugh dissipated, but her amusement did not. "Let me begin with the first lesson of this universe. If you want something..." Valentine crossed her arms. "You must take it by force. The question is, Captain, are you willing to do what it takes to accomplish your goal, even if it means breaking a few more rules?" she chided.
Neil knew what needed to be done; with his hand still on his phaser, he angled it upwards as he fired a shot at Valentine. He honestly didn't want to see her hurt; he still had some feelings for her despite all that happened. He knew this was a long shot; in fact, he had told Thorrin several times that his presence here wouldn't help. He looked at the figure on the floor, tapping his comm badge, "Harrington to Patton," he stated, "Jack, Valentine has been rendered unconscious. We are ready for extraction whenever you are?"
Neil waited for a reply, but his comm channel fizzled out. He tapped his badge again and got nothing. From behind him, he heard a door open up; he instinctively reached for his weapon once more. Tapping his comm badge in a final attempt, "Jack, do you read me?"
Suddenly a flash of orange light filled the room and was soon replaced by the woman's figure in the dark cloak. "Communications.....so unreliable..." the woman stated as she walked over to the unconscious Valentine. She stood above Valentine's head and kneeled down. "Seems like you don't have very good luck when it comes to communications, does it?" she said mockingly as she lowered her hand and began to brush aside Valentine's hair. "Such a shame to waste such a pretty face."
The woman looked up at Harrington, who was still holding the phaser. "The best part of it all, the last thing she will ever have seen was her former lover shooting her in the chest....how romantic."
Just as quickly as the words left the woman's mouth, her other hand swiftly withdrew a knife from her cloak, driving the blade cleanly across Valentine's neck. Instantly, a crimson line formed, and blood began to spill from the wound, down her skin, and onto the floor. Valentine started to audibly struggle to breathe; her body twitched as life began to leave her body.
The woman rose, wiping the blade of the knife on her cloak. Her eyes locked on Harrington's until the orange light engulfed her again, leaving Harrington alone with a dying Valentine.
Neil walked over to Ana's body, trying hard not to show emotion. He knew better, he brushed a strand of hair from her face as he felt for a pulse. He didn't even care that he was gotten some of her blood on his hands. Feeling no pulse, he looked down at the lifeless body below him and, with a cold voice, said, "well, that was taken care of." He demonstrated no emotion or pain, as he knew that he was more than likely being listened to. Standing up, he reached for his weapon, setting it to the maximum intensity. Looking at Valentine once more, he knew what he needed to do. The DTI sent him here on a mission, which needed to be accomplished one way or another. Firing the phaser, he took the remains of one Maurelle Anastasia Valentine out of the Mirror Universe, thus righting the wrong he had started so many years ago.
Tapping his comm badge, "Jack it's done, we need to level this place to the ground." He stood there talking as the Kingsman came into the room. He couldn't move, he'd been sent here to recover Ana. This was definitely not the way Thorrin had hoped this mission would go. He couldn't take his eyes off of the spot where Ana once laid. He felt someone approach, "Jack," his voice cracked he was trying hard to contain his composure.
"I failed," he muttered.
Still in operational mode, Jack turned to the rest of his team. "Sparks, Spitfire you heard the Captain. Take the team and get to work." Then he turned to Neil. "...No sir the way I see it you accomplished your mission. I don't know what happened in this room. But, it is a safe bet that the Commander did not want to leave and you did what you had to do." He walked up and stood next to the Captain.
"I am afraid isn't wasn't that simple, and Starfleet isn't going to see it that way," Neil replied. "You're in command down here, take care of this place," he tapped his comm badge, "one to beam up."
As Neil Harrington dissolved into the transporter effect, Jack muttered, "Yes, sir!" When Harrington was fully gone he continued to speak, "Something tells me that Starfleet is not going to know anything about what you have done here..."
Captain Neil Harrington
Commanding Officer
Poseidon Station
Cmdr Maurelle Valentine
PNPC: Former Player
played with permission
Lieutenant Colonel Jack Patton
Commanding Officer, The Kingsmen
Poseidon Strategic Command
Poseidon Station
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