Rewired (Closed/Marco)

Kali Reyes · July 25, 2016, 01:33:12 AM

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Marco winced with disgust, but he got more information than he thought he would. He looked down at Kali and almost laughed, "Who'd marry you?"

She was extremely unimpressed. "I've got a very nice list of men, plus three out of four Andorian gendered suitors who could answer that." If only she had taken on the proposal for three Andorians. She could've lived like a queen.

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As Kali distracted the gunman another security office snuck in from behind and disposed of him with a quick and well aimed phaser blast. Dijon Mustard fell forward unconscious and Marco took a deep breath. "Nice shot, ensign, but he was about to tell us where the other one is!!!" He couldn't be too angry, however, the gunman was disposed.

"Oh Dijon," she mused wistfully to his unconscious behind. "If only you hadn't been on the wrong side of the tracks... I mean, it might have been my fault you got there, but..." A beat. "Never mind." Smuggling was just so 2116. Now piracy on the other hand - she might have seriously taken him down the aisle at one point.

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He turned to Reyes once again and studied her face before speaking, "It seems, Miss Reyes, you are going to be needed by security." Marco released his hold on her and pushed her in front of him. "Go on." He pointed at her with his phaser, "Let's go find a little relish."

"Hot dog," she drawled bitterly. Despite the strange reunion, it wasn't like she was happy about it. She had put all that squatter vigilante nonsense behind when she got drafted into Starfleet. What would the high brass think if she continued to be in cahoots with fifth-rate criminals?

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The security man huffed, "What was your name, by the way." He pressed a large finger on her shoulder and spurred her forward, now that the danger was gone, "Ketchup? No wait, something a bit more tuned to your surname..yeah, hot sauce. Is that it? Did I get it right? Are you hot sauce?"

"Look bucko, just because I knew the guy doesn't mean I had a role in this!" she snapped. "And for the record, your culprit is called Sweet Relish because we can't pronounce his full name and I'm a cheeky bugger." And Dijon? Well, it was just too easy. She didn't even know his last name. For all she cared, she could have been Miss Kali Mustard and be done with it. "Also, I'm still a Starfleet officer. You don't have to treat me like a criminal."

Marco Benitez · August 18, 2016, 05:05:56 PM

Quote from: Kali Reyes on July 25, 2016, 01:33:12 AM
"Look bucko, just because I knew the guy doesn't mean I had a role in this!" she snapped. "And for the record, your culprit is called Sweet Relish because we can't pronounce his full name and I'm a cheeky bugger." And Dijon? Well, it was just too easy. She didn't even know his last name. For all she cared, she could have been Miss Kali Mustard and be done with it. "Also, I'm still a Starfleet officer. You don't have to treat me like a criminal."

Marco grabbed her, once again, by the arm and pulled her close until he could see the flecks of gold mixing with the dark brown of her eyes. She was a pretty thing, too bad she was also crazy as hell which went hand in hand with beauty. At least in Marco's experience it did. "That." He responded evenly, his deep tone vibrated wickedly in the near silence, "Is left to be seen, Ms. Reyes. Coincidence then that you were in engineering just as your friends here came on board."

His grip tightened as he narrowed his eyes, "I don't believe in coincidences and something about this leaves a bad taste in my mouth." He pursed his generous mouth until his lips reddened from the strain. "I will find the truth but in the meantime you will help me capture this Sweet Relish character" Marco released her and pointed a long finger out of the prison cell, "Now, where would the suspect go...?"

Kali Reyes · August 18, 2016, 06:02:34 PM

Quote from: Marco Benitez on August 18, 2016, 05:05:56 PM
Marco grabbed her, once again, by the arm and pulled her close until he could see the flecks of gold mixing with the dark brown of her eyes. She was a pretty thing, too bad she was also crazy as hell which went hand in hand with beauty. At least in Marco's experience it did. "That." He responded evenly, his deep tone vibrated wickedly in the near silence, "Is left to be seen, Ms. Reyes. Coincidence then that you were in engineering just as your friends here came on board."

Her mouth opened, then closed. Her friends were at the bar and probably laughing about her shenanigans, unaware that she was being conveniently arrested. This really didn't look good for her. She flexed her arm a bit. It's been awhile since she was manhandled like this. She almost missed it.

Then he squeezed. "Ah-" she squeaked out. "A little less hard loving, big guy. Kind of a delicate flower here."

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His grip tightened as he narrowed his eyes, "I don't believe in coincidences and something about this leaves a bad taste in my mouth." He pursed his generous mouth until his lips reddened from the strain. "I will find the truth but in the meantime you will help me capture this Sweet Relish character" Marco released her and pointed a long finger out of the prison cell, "Now, where would the suspect go...?"

"Wait... hold on a second!" Her lips twitched in fear. She dug her heels down and pulled out of his grip. "Capture? No one captures Sweet Relish! That guy's a brute! I'll take my shore leave in the brig before I see him again!"

Marco Benitez · August 19, 2016, 01:29:10 AM

Marco rolled his eyes. He hardly believed that the woman was a delicate anything but was shocked by the fear she suddenly produced. She was definitely afraid, but not of him. He wondered briefly if he was losing his touch. His frowned deepened as did the crinkle between his dark eyebrows, "I don't believe I gave you a choice, Ms Reyes." Marco's voice was a rumble of fury and he fought the urge to grab her again. "I think you underestimate my desire to rid my station off this scum....and.." He raked his fingers through his dark hair to get it out of his eyes, "...if he refuses to be captured then dead would do." Long fingers moved his phasers setting from stun to kill. It was time to stop being the nice guy....

Kali Reyes · August 19, 2016, 03:49:10 AM

Undeterred, Kali folded her arms and planted herself like a tree along the river of justice (or was it truth?). "He's not scum. He's the bottom of a refuse station. You're going to need more than a security grunt and moi who barely passed the self-defense requisite." She gestured desperately with her hands. "Sweet Relish is a... well..." It was hard for the distasteful race to leave her tongue. "Just depressurize the entire maintenance deck and space whatever's down there through the airlock. It won't kill him, but it'll definitely inconvenience him."

Marco Benitez · August 19, 2016, 04:07:33 PM

Reyes' insult slipped off Marco, he was used to the insults and to being underestimated just because he was a crewman. He frowned in concentration as he checked the security status on a nearby computer, his long fingers easily moved across the glass surface. Marco was taking in everything she was saying and the certain fear and doubt in her voice but he was not too worried. The station's computer and security systems were very familiar to him and he knew them like the back of his hand.

Quote from: Kali Reyes on August 19, 2016, 03:49:10 AM
"Sweet Relish is a... well..." It was hard for the distasteful race to leave her tongue. "Just depressurize the entire maintenance deck and space whatever's down there through the airlock. It won't kill him, but it'll definitely inconvenience him."

Marco shut down the console and turned to her, bending down close as he shoved his generous nose against her personal space. "Then I'll make sure to blast him out of existence using the station's cannons. Do you think I will hesitate to exterminate your boyfriend and wipe his presence from the galaxy?"

He straightened to his full height, back rigid, and he pointed, "So he's in the maintenance deck, well let's go see if you're correct, Ms. Reyes, lead the way." Marco ordered, he wanted to keep an eye on her. She seemed to know a great deal about this Á¢â,¬ËœSweet Relish' and why she did he had no idea. Women had crazy ideas about who and what they found attractive. Some of them liked the danger and he had a feeling that Kali was one such woman. Fact was, he didn't trust her as far as he could throw her and Starfleet or not, she had yet to win his confidence.

Kali Reyes · August 19, 2016, 05:54:48 PM

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Marco shut down the console and turned to her, bending down close as he shoved his generous nose against her personal space. "Then I'll make sure to blast him out of existence using the station's cannons. Do you think I will hesitate to exterminate your boyfriend and wipe his presence from the galaxy?"

Her lips pursed, unimpressed with the boast. "Not my boyfriend. Not important." It was like talking to a brick wall.

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He straightened to his full height, back rigid, and he pointed, "So he's in the maintenance deck, well let's go see if you're correct, Ms. Reyes, lead the way."

"I. Don't. Want. To. Go." The last time she caught up with Sweet Relish was during the final colonial stand. It wasn't pleasant. The brig was safe. She liked safe.

She pointed defiantly at her cell. "You put me back in there right now!"

Marco Benitez · August 19, 2016, 06:19:36 PM

Marco withheld a growl, he had growled enough around Ms. Reyes and it was starting to get old. As she stood her ground he reached to the wall near the cell and took out a pair of handcuffs and without a word latched them on her wrists and set them to the control he wore on his belt at all times.

"I." He explained.

"Did."

"Not."

"Ask." He activated the cuffs which locked together in front of her and if need be would release a surge of electrical shock if she thought of running. Marco then roughly took her by the upper arm and shook her off her feet a bit. The woman weighed as much as he bench pressed in junior high school and it would not be difficult at all to carry her but it would be cumbersome and he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Roughly, he began to frog march her towards the maintenance bay his voice a low rumble as he kept his temper in check, "You have priors with the suspect, he knows you which will cause him to lower his guard. Don't worry, Ms. Reyes, I promise that you will come out of this relatively unharmed." His generous mouth twitched slightly, "Relatively."

Kali Reyes · August 19, 2016, 07:05:35 PM

When he retreated towards the cell, a flicker of hope bloomed - then it was pulverized when he cuffed her. "Oh, no, no, no- yeow!" She had instinctively recoiled and it was fast enough for her to get shocked. "Klingon restraints?! Seriously?!"

All she had planned to do today was fix a damn squeaker on this starbase. She didn't ask for a holodrama as an entrée. But here she was being dragged around like roadkill to be bait by an old colleague that tolerated disloyalty almost as much as a Ferengi would parting with his latinum.

"So I'm bait. Well, aren't you Starfleet's most distinguished," she hissed nastily. While they headed down the hallway toward the turbolift, Kali settled her flared up emotions enough to consider her options. She really didn't want to commit mutiny twice in one lifetime. She really liked her Captain and that lovely smile of his.

Oh god, he was going to be so disappointed in her. The thought twisted her gut a bit. It seemed like he had enough to deal with from his weirdly tempered crew. She was just adding onto it.

But Sweet Relish? She'd rather deal with a ten armed Klingons barehanded. Her fingers twitched and felt around the restraints as they walked. They weren't cheap - nor the kind she could magic her way out of with simple physics like her last incarceration. Her thoughts whirred.

"I... um..." her eyes turned downcast. "There's a reason I can't see Sweet Relish." She let out a deep inhale and dropped her head down. "He's my... um. He's my slaver."

Marco Benitez · August 19, 2016, 07:50:14 PM

Quote from: Kali Reyes on August 19, 2016, 07:05:35 PM
"So I'm bait. Well, aren't you Starfleet's most distinguished," she hissed nastily. While they headed down the hallway toward the turbolift, Kali settled her flared up emotions enough to consider her options. She really didn't want to commit mutiny twice in one lifetime. She really liked her Captain and that lovely smile of his.

"Bait? Hardly." Marco frowned at the idea, then shrugged his lips as it could work although he didn't realize that Sweet Relish wanted her that badly. Interesting. He brought her closer to himself so she could hear him better, "I thought YOU were Starfleet's most distinguished, after all, engineering can't live without you meddling into everything." He gave her a cold grin, there was no emotion in it at all, "Besides, you said that you are more than willing to help your fellow crewman, Ms Reyes. I'm just assisting you.." He let out a sigh through his clenched teeth, "...I'm nice that way."

He continued to lead her towards the stairway, not trusting the lifts at the moment but the maintenance bay was not too far. He didn't want to go directly to the bay area but to the control rooms which were locked whenever the emergency alerts were issued. Marco knew all the codes by heart, even when they changed suddenly he stuck them into his thick head. He quickly unlocked the control room which was lined with windows looking into the bays. The computer turned on at their presence causing the darken room to light up giving the area an erie glow. Marco then locked the door behind them and released the woman from his grip.

Quote from: Kali Reyes on August 19, 2016, 07:05:35 PM
"I... um..." her eyes turned downcast. "There's a reason I can't see Sweet Relish." She let out a deep inhale and dropped her head down. "He's my... um. He's my slaver."

He bent over the console and scanned the area using heat detection but did not turn on the lights. Marco hoped that the man was there and that he was alone but if he wasn't he had to make sure the others weren't civilians. As he told Kali, he had no problem depressurizing the bay and blowing him out into space, but he hoped he didn't have to do that.

Her last words, however made him halt and he turned towards her in clear shock. "Your what??!"

Kali Reyes · August 19, 2016, 08:25:02 PM

Kali snorted. Distinguished? Engineer? Clapped in irons and drafted into Operations, sure. Starfleet wasn't exactly the best gig for an escape artist like her. Once upon a time, maybe. She remembered almost making it to Memory Alpha when she was young until... well, that didn't matter.

It was quite remarkable how easy it was for someone as angry as this security officer to physically pull her into his personal space like nothing. When he let go, her wrists swayed stiffly in front of her while her fingers worked.

She paused when he turned incredulously back. "Erm... that's right. You heard me." The story weaved itself from her lips. "Indentured servitude back in New Canton. Made me do awful, vile things. Very humiliating." She clicked her tongue in disappointment. "Cleaned his shanty, washed his clothes, fixed his atmospheric hoods - the whole nine light years."

Marco Benitez · August 19, 2016, 08:47:40 PM

Marco stood silent for a moment. Like some unmovable hulking statue as his brandy brown eyes studied the woman before him. It always amazed him how something as precious as being born under the freedom of the Federation could be taken for granted. He blinked slowly and frowned angrily but not at Kali. If she was telling the truth then this Á¢â,¬ËœSweet Relish' person was worse than anything he had ever come across and Marco suddenly wanted to punish him personally. Depressurizing the bay was too easy a death for this man.

She revealed a few of the things she did for her captor but he was certain she was leaving a lot out. Ms Reyes' personality was now becoming more apparently obvious. She was a creature of life's situation and he put that into perspective. "I will kill him." Marco promised, his voice was barely a whisper as he kept his rage in control. It was difficult however, so much so that his fingers trembled as he went back to work on the console.

The heat detectors found several life forms which made Marco's frown deepen. He played with the sensors and eliminated all personnel that had Starfleet combadges on them leaving only two without. Marco closed in on both presences and took the cameras from heat detection into regular mode. He motioned for Kali to come near and pointed at the two images as his eyes studied her face for reactions, "Which one is he?"

Kali Reyes · August 19, 2016, 09:28:49 PM

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"I will kill him." Marco promised, his voice was barely a whisper as he kept his rage in control. It was difficult however, so much so that his fingers trembled as he went back to work on the console.

Kali blinked in alarm and managed a nervous grin. "That's a little... no, no. Killing him sounds fine to me. Don't have to be so vindictive." Her half-truth was going to unravel quick if she didn't do something. She'd like to at least get the shock mechanism out of the way before she got an earful.

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He motioned for Kali to come near and pointed at the two images as his eyes studied her face for reactions, "Which one is he?"

Her brow furrowed. There should be only one Sweet Relish, but lo and behold, there were two figures in the screen. Kali ginger crept forward and squinted. There was Sweet Relish, a big hulking Gorn kneeling in the opposite direction from a tallish figure with a mask.

Her heart stilled in terror when the figure raised a weapon and pointed it at Relish's head. Now she knew why he was kneeling. This was an execution.

She shut her eyes when the weapon fired and opened them to find Relish collapsed on the floor, dead. Sure she didn't like the guy, but... why?

Then the figure looked at the camera and shot it. It was only a glimpse, but she recognized that type of mask. Horror gripped her hard.

It belonged to mercenaries bought by shrewd Ferengi businessmen. New Canton businessmen. This wasn't a prison bust - it was an escape.

"Head hunters..." she said with a genuine meekness. "Dijon...!"

CLICK!

The cuffs clacked loudly onto the floor. Kali took a couple steps backwards, apologetically showed the officer the control switch she filched from his belt, and then bolted out the door for the brig.

Marco Benitez · August 19, 2016, 10:34:43 PM

Marco watched dispassionately as one figure aimed a weapon at the other. His eyes flickered from the monitor to Kali's face as he gauged her emotions. The woman had so much emotion invested in this whole situation he wondered if this wasn't all set up by her. His hands reached out just as the killer aimed the weapon at the camera, how the shooter knew the camera was there he did not really know but anything was possible he guessed. He quickly switched cameras and continued to track the murderer.

He frowned but made no move to stop Kali as she unlocked the cuffs around her wrist. To be honest, he was astonished that he had kept her that long. Marco let out a sigh but stayed where he was and activated his combadge.

=^= Crewman Benitez to all security, report to bay 12 Alpha, send in a security team, we have a homicide and possible gang members. Locate and detain all suspects =^=

Marco reached down and held a still of the murderer's face then ran his image through the computer recognition program until he figured out when and where he came on the Columbus. "I don't care what you do, Mr. Murderer, just don't do it on MY station." He managed to pinpoint when this person came on board with the help of the station's computer and then sent out that information to all Security personnel.

Finally Marco concentrated on Kali. Technically she wasn't a fugitive and he wasn't about to run her name through security. After all the craziness she put him through, he liked her and didn't want to ruin her record. That being said, she was his personal responsibility and he was determined to rescue her from herself. She had already told him where she was headed and as soon as he shut down the console and reported the murder he made his way back to the brig.

Kali Reyes · August 19, 2016, 11:51:39 PM

The last time she ran like a bat out of hell, an armada of Federation soldiers descended on New Canton to combat the head hunters and put the kibosh on the colony. They really shouldn't have underestimated Ferengi businessmen. In the end, they always ended up profiting from the spoils of war.

Kali nearly skidded past the corridor to the brig - which was still dimmed out from the power surge. She had so many questions for Dijon like what the hell, why the hell, how the hell, that she plunged on through and tripped over his body.

"Wake up, Dijon! We're in big trouble!" She heaved him onto his back and started shaking him. "Dijon!"

He smelled like smoke and charred flesh. Her pupils quickly shrunk to better her sight and saw grey tendrils waft up from the wound on the center of his chest. Kali's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when she placed her palm over the still hot exit wound of a plasma weapon. "Oh, Dijon..." she hiccuped. "They got everyone."

"Well, almost everyone." The winding sound of the plasma gauge heating up made her look up. She was staring up at the barrel of the head hunter's gun. "Would have been easier for me if you had played in the maintenance tunnels, Colonist Reyes. But things never work out the way you plan them."

Kali frowned and raised her palms up in surrender. "Are you serious? New Canton is gone!"

The head hunter shrugged. "Ferengis never forget a bad business deal. And contracts never die for head hunters. Luckily for me, you're the last."

She gaped. "There were three hundred colonists in New Canton."

"And now there are 299 burials," he clicked the switch. "Let's make this an even 300."

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Rewired (Closed/Marco)