"Caught In The Act"

[Aidan Driscol 0]

"Caught In The Act"

A joint log by Lieutenant (S.g.) Odile Condacin and Ensign Aidan Driscol

 

 

A short fingernail tapped at the comm unit built into the chief of science's desk, and a sing-song voice called out to the main lab. "Oh... Ensign Driscol... would you like to stop by my office? Now?"

 

The voice surprised Aidan just as he was settling behind his desk after returning from sickbay where he had stored the samples he had gotten from the Soltans not too long ago. He knew this didn't mean anything good; he sighed and walked over to the Chief's office. "Yes, ma'am?"

 

"Oh, I just need some help with a solid, scientific explanation for something. Care to help?"

 

"Yes of course." Aidan straightened up, definitely not good, not good at all. He was in trouble.

 

She watched as he came into her office, and smiled, gesturing to the seats in front of her desk. "Please, Ensign! Have a seat!"

 

He sat down and started to wonder if the Colonels would believe him if he said it was self defence. Or maybe he should be wondering if they would believe his chief. This was not going to be pretty.

 

"So, how's your day going? Any new developments I should know about?"

 

"Busy as always, Chief. Shadow and I have been fishing and I had a meeting with the Doctors in sickbay to discuss how we would proceed, and then I... erm... proceeded." He wasn't going to lie, and he knew that the chief would ask more questions, he also knew that she was very much aware of what he had been up to. But if she wasn't going to make this easy neither was he.

 

"Mmm." She sighed, leaning her back to the chair. "Security called over a bit ago -- asked if we'd be needing any more samples. Any more samples. So in your scientific opinion, why would they be asking about more samples when... I haven't ordered any more samples?"

 

"Gallantry, Chief." He looked straight at her and said this with a deadpan expression, he wasn't mocking her and he wouldn't want her to think he might be.

 

Odile dropped one hand off the table out of habit to tap against the hilt of her dagger before catching herself, clasping both hands on the metal surface. "You didn't see fit to ask me before proceeding?" she asked, ignoring his cocky reply.

 

"You had said I was clear to work with medical on this, ma'am, and that's what I did. I hear certain people want to beam the Soltans into space, so before that happens we need more samples." This was going far, but he knew he was right.

 

"This was drastic," she snapped. "You should have known to ask me first."

 

"With all due respect, ma'am, but you have been quite busy lately," at this he looked at the stack of paperwork on Condacin's desk.

 

"Not so busy," she started, her voice beyond chilly, "that I can have my authority undermined without my notice. You'll have to try for me being dead on top of all this," she motioned to the collected padds, "to accomplish that."

 

Aidan nodded. "I'm sorry, ma'am, it won't happen again." The way he said this made clear that he wasn't sorry at all but it would indeed not happen again. "What's up next for me then? Do I go off to the torture chambers or will you be happier if you get to carve your initials into my skin somewhere?"

 

She eyed him for a moment. "Medusa might take away my knife, tempting though it is. No, I'll remember it in case it happens again, then make the necessary reprimands in your file." She smiled at her own self-control. "You don't have to thank me, either."

 

Aidan got up. "If that's all, I shall go back to work then."

 

"Yes. But just remember..." She put a menacing tone in her voice, for all the good it would do. "... I'm watching you, Driscol."

 

The doors opened before him but he turned around and looked at the chief again. "I did exactly what you would have done as well. We need to find out how to cure this disease. And I think we both know that I don't need you to hold my hand, and what's more, you don't want to do that either."

 

"When we're dealing with things like the Soltan," she stressed 'things' very heavily, "you will always let me... 'hold your hand'."

 

"Aye ma'am." With that he turned around and left the office.

 

Odile watched him go, and suddenly had the urge to lay her head upon her desk. So this job really was going to be harder than just extra paperwork. Not for the first time, she pitied herself.