by DsignG4
This is my attempt at writing something fairly short and silly. Hope you like it. I had a blast writing it.
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He stepped out of the steamy water. His body tensed at the sudden chill of the surrounding air. He shivered and quickly grabbed the towel and began to dry off. He yawned while combing out his hair quickly with his fingers, giving it a toss backwards to keep the wet strands out his eyes for the walk home. He exited to the outer room to redress.
"Welcome back," A cheerful mystery voice greeted him as he entered. His eyes panned he room to find Ivanova in the shadows of the darkened Medlab with her arms crossed and a bemused scolding look. One eyebrow raised like a triumphant predator.
Then he realized, brutally, that he was naked as a jaybird as the old expression went. He looked up, he down down....he looked up...
"Ahhhh!" He yelped, nimbly jumping back behind the door. He quickly fumbled with the towel in his hand around his hips gripping it tightly with his right hand.
He scrambled for words as he peeked out from behind the door.
"Uhm, hello... Ah, ah....and how long have you been there? Commander?" He asked creeping out slowly from behind his shelter fighting to look at ease in his current condition.
"Long enough to hear half of 'Pirates of Penzance'," She croaked dryly. "What are YOU doing here? This is lab shutdown during the night."
He bit his lip, "Here? Ah... well, you see, Stephen gave me access codes to use the shower here when it closed. I only have a vibe bath and... I have been on assignment for two weeks... uhm, need I say more?" he asked hoping indeed he did not have to say more. He didn't know what more he could say that she hadn't already seen.
She cracked an eyebrow up on her impassive face, "Yes. Get dressed." She said marching towards the door. She turned back and smirked at him with a glanced up and down his nearly nude form and walked out into the hall. The door closed.
"Oh bugger, now I'm in for it," He sighed rubbing his face with both hands and there by releasing his towel to fall to the floor.
He shook his head, well, he now truly new the origin of the word embarrassed. Didn't he? The root, of course, was bare-assed. And that rather explained it all, didn't it?
He was never gonna live this down. She'd tell others, oh yes she'd delight in it. I could transfer I suppose, I mean there was never really much here for me after all, he mused. Just her, and well, she's seen all I have to offer now.
He dressed quickly and was shoving his feet into his boots when the door opened again. She walked back in.
"How'd you know it was me?" He asked looking up while he adjusted his pant cuffs.
"I didn't. I worked the late shift this week, saw entry codes into a closed Medlab and then the water usage begin. Knew it had to be someone. Didn't know who. I was bored, thought I'd handle it myself." She took a deep breath in and her face turned somber. "You know I have to file charges with security for illegal usage of station facilities, don't you? You'll have to stay onboard just long enough for the hearing and pay a fine. Shouldn't be much maybe thirty or forty cred-"
"Are you kidding?" He said incredulously standing up putting his hands on his hips, "You are joking right? A fine?!"
She shook her head no. "You diverted station resources without authorization-"
"I told you I had Dr. Franklin's permission!" He protested.
"Franklin didn't have the authority to do that, and you know it." She said without flinching.
"Oh excuse me, I guess it only was the Chief of the bloody medical staff!" He belted out. "I suppose I thought that counted for something around here! Evidentially I was wrong."
"You have to have specific command authorization. Unless you have written -" she said maintaining her composure as she began to rattle off mandate and code.
Oh oh, time to pull out the big guns, he thought wearily. He puckered his mouth, and rubbed his hands together, thickening the air with tension. He'd been holding this trump for quite sometime, in fact this was the perfect time. It was like it was made for it. He was going to enjoy this.
"What if, hypothetically of course," he said throwing his hands out. "But, what if I had information on other people on board illegally using said station facilities for personal gain?"
Ivanova's face went slack. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.
"Oh, let's just say, purely for discussions sake, it's about a person diverting a small portion of the hydroponics house, in a time of war and crippling sanctions mind you, for personal agricultural pursuits. Something about coffee plants, I believe. Not something I'd call a crop of high yield for the space they take, if you ask me.
"And.... say.... the suspect was a powerful person on board, a 'commanding' presence as it were," He said with a wink. "Could such information change the minds of the civil authority to take it easy on me? Even commute my sentence for such an atrocity? Hrmmm?" He smirked stroking the under side of his chin methodically. He looked down on her as she squirmed. She opened her mouth to speak.
He interrupted. Timing was everything with her, "No, no, you're right of course, I suppose it is a far lesser crime than serial showering. Now isn't it?" he droned melodramatically, Susan rolled her eyes.
She crossed her arms angrily. Her brow furrowed, making a cute crinkle on the bridge of her nose. God, he was enjoying this.
They stared at each other determinedly. Both trying to psyche out the other. Neither wanting to give in. Marcus let a small smile curl his lips. She didn't know who she was messing with. His business was information and manipulation. He did this all day.
"Ok, ok! You win! I won't go to security on this, god you can make a pain out of anything," she sighed, shaking her head defeated.
He straightened himself up, tugged his duster back into place and couldn't resist fighting back the smug smile.
"I see we have reached an agreement. Good!" He slapped his hands together and turned to walk away, then turned back. "You are very good at what you do Commander, I greatly admire that. But don't forget, there are others of us that excel in our fields as well, you just happened to walk face first into mine." He smiled pointing to the entrance to the Medlab "Oh, and uhm, I would appreciate a knock on the door in future."
Now Susan smiled. "Oh, no no, I never said that. I never agreed to let you continue, just that I wouldn't press the issue to security," She said raising the eyebrow once more in subjugation.
"What? Oh, hold the horses!" He protested. "I won that fair and square!"
She nodded, slowly beginning to circle him, looking very much like the cat the ate the canary.
"You're right, I am good at what I do. Very. I know every thing about this station," She laid a hand on his shoulder from behind and leaned next to his ear, whispering sinisterly. "Everything," She said pulling away and crossing in front of him again the arrogant smile plastered on her face.
"Like how to override the temperature controls for the various environments, the water... I could say, hypothetically of course," she said mimicking him, "Set the overnight controls for the water in this Medlab to say twelve degrees. Add a gold level password, and not the Medical Chief of the Staff could override it." She sneered victorious, crossing her arms again.
"You wouldn't," he challenged.
"I would. But not until I saw that it was in use at the time. Just to get my point across, of course." She said with a twisted smile.
Marcus frowned. "That would be cruel and unusual punishment. And very petty, if I might say so."
"Eh! Whatever works." She shrugged suddenly looking uninterested. She leaned in and in a low measured growl she warned him. "Just remember - I'm God here. I know all. I see all. Is that perfectly clear?" She said standing straight, tugging her uniform to it's proper position.
He smirked, she certainly had seen all, hadn't she.
"Crystal. Alright, I'll find another way I suppose," He sighed shoving his hands in his pockets. "Just uhm.. one more thing..." he said stepping closer, his voice lower so as to make it personal. "I do trust that this won't get out? Right? It could be very embarrassing," He motioned his head towards the shower nervously. "Hmm?"
For he first time he saw Susan Ivanova look mischievous.
"I suppose it could," She smiled turning to leave with a cock of her head, walking through the door into the hallway. "But, you have nothing to be embarrassed about from what I saw," He just barely heard her insinuate sultrily before it shut.
Marcus' jaw dropped and stared after for several seconds as the full impact of what she said sunk in over and over. Oh dear god.
"Whoo boy! You don't do things slowly do you?" Stephen laughed. "I never saw you as the flasher type," He laughed in the usual lunchtime place in the Zocolo.
Marcus shook his head. "Oh shut up! I never should have told you! I don't know what I was thinking. My mistake," He growled in mock chagrin.
"Did you tell her I said it was ok with me?"
"Of course I did! Then she told me I'd have to face charges for misuse of station facilities and pay a fine, and that you didn't have the authority to say that."
"You're kidding!"
"I wish I was." He bemoaned.
"God, she must really hate you to go that far with it."
"I luckily managed to persuade her out of it."
Franklin leered, "How did you do that?"
"I simply began collective bargaining - I said wouldn't tell what I knew if she didn't tell what she knew."
"Blackmail then," Stephen said nodding.
"Oh, that's such a negative term, but yes!" He smiled back
"So what do you know about her?" Stephen asked curiously with a greedy leer.
"I can't tell you that now can I?" He snorted. He fingered a melted ice cube out of his empty glass and into his mouth, rolling it around his tongue looking around his busy surroundings.
"Hey there, Streak," Sheridan said with a wide smile as he passed, slapping Marcus on the back solidly.
Marcus' eyes bulged in shock as the ice cube fought it's way down his throat. He sputtered. Stephen slapped him on the back to help clear it. He gripped the bar for support and shot a look at a leaving Sheridan.
He snapped back a look of horror to his companion, "She didn't."
"Looks like she did," Stephen said trying to look placid, though his eyes gave him away as ready to bust out laughing. "Can you tell me now?"
Marcus shot him an admonishing look. "No!"
