Fic: Hiding in Plain Sight - Part Two
Leonard walked into the small café at precisely 3 p.m. as he had been instructed to earlier in the day. Two of the Sokolov brothers were sitting by the back door with it’s beaded curtain hanging in place. Elsewhere around the café, there were card games and one or two chess games happening with little Russian men and louder Russian conversation occurring. Leonard headed in the direction of the back door and nodded at the brothers as he parted the curtain and walked into the back room.
He heard the beads falling back into place slowly, clicking against each other as they swayed. He quickly glanced around the room. There was no Vasily Novikov in sight, but there was another door off to the right and standing next to it, making no attempt to look anything but menacing, was Ilia Lebedev. Where ever Vasily was, Lebedev was normally right at his back.
Lebedev reached over, turned the door handle and pushed the door open as Leonard watched.
Leonard took the unspoken hint and walked across the room, noting the silence in this room compared to the café. The two other Sokolov brothers were seated off to one side with Semyon Kuznetsov, a bottle and three glasses on the table in front of them. There was no sign of Marat Golubev, but with most of the main contenders in this one room, Leonard knew he had probable cause to be worried.
Leonard steeled himself as he walked through the door. He had been in this room only twice before; for his first ‘interview’ and then for his acceptance into the fold.
“Leonard,” Vasily greeted him as he entered. “Please, sit.” Vasily indicated the chair directly in front of his ornate desk, the Louis XIV style seeming very out of place in the small room.
As Leonard sat down he heard the door click shut behind him. He glanced back to see that Lebedev had followed him into the room and now stood guard in front of the door.
“Mr. Novikov,” Leonard said as he turned back to face one of the most powerful men in San Francisco.
“Please, Leonard, I told you before, call me Vasily,” Vasily said as he placed a small glass in front of Leonard. He then proceeded to pour a generous amount of vodka into the glass.
“Drink,” Vasily urged once he had put the bottle back down on the table. “I know you prefer that bourbon, but this is mother’s milk and you are one of us.”
Leonard lifted his glass up and saluted Vasily with it before bringing it to his mouth and tipping backwards, downing the whole shot. He had drunk enough vodka in his time working for Vasily that he no longer coughed as the alcohol burned its way down his throat. He couldn’t stop his eyes from watering though.
“See, Ilia,” Vasily said to his shadow, “the good doctor is almost true Russian now. Dear Ilia worries about you,” Vasily confided.
“He does? I’m flattered,” Leonard replied as he placed the glass back on the table.
“He worries you will not have my best interests at heart, but I tell him that we can trust you.”
“It’s his job to protect you,” Leonard told Vasily.
“True. True,” Vasily agreed as he sat back into the well worn leather of his chair.
Leonard waited patiently while Vasily narrowed his eyes and contemplated him. Finally Vasily spoke again.
“Now, yesterday was a busy day for you? No?” Vasily didn’t wait for him to answer and Leonard had had enough interactions with Vasily to know to wait longer before answering him anyway. “I recall we had a discussion about how you could be of assistance to me some more. I have thought on the matter and decided that you need to encourage your shadow more.”
“Encourage?” Leonard queried.
“I should have thought that was clear,” Vasily said. “Your wife made it very clear that you did not find her fully satisfying during your marriage.”
Leonard bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself for answering back in such a way that could end up with him dead or worse. Instead he just quietly said, “And?”
“Agent Kirk is very intrigued by you. He even took you off for an interview on your own. That is very against the rules. Now why would he single you out? Just a doctor caught up in something that is not of his own making. So, with his special interest, I would consider it a very great favor if you were to encourage that interest.”
“Right,” Leonard said in a lukewarm tone.
“You will encourage him and you will agree to his offer for ‘protection’. In return he will want information. We will provide that to you. Secrets told over a pillow are always believed,” Vasily had steepled his hands in front of his chin as he told Leonard all that was going to happen. “Now go back to your house and call Agent Kirk. Agree to his offer. I know you have his card still. Thank you, Leonard, your assistance will be rewarded.”
Leonard was dismissed and he knew it. He stood and nodded at Vasily before turning and heading towards the door that Lebedev was now holding open.
He walked out of the café and headed towards his car, knowing that eyes were still likely on him. He got in and drove towards his small practice, and parked a little distance away and a street behind. He took a couple of different paths and once he ascertained that he hadn’t been followed, he ducked into a phone booth outside McDonalds and dialed Pike’s direct line.
He knew he was a little short with the Captain than was normally polite or respectful to a superior, but he had some frustration at the situation he had to work out. Pike seemed to understand and let it go. He assured Leonard that he would explain the situation to Jim, who was at his desk at the moment. Leonard took the hint and hung up on Pike. He headed to his practice to touch base with Christine before heading home to place that call to Jim that he knew was going to be monitored.
***
He sat and looked at his phone as he twiddled the card that Jim had given him, close on three months ago, between his fingers. Subtle was not a word to associate with Jim Kirk. Leonard had heard things about the notorious son of the heroic George Kirk when he was at training. His medical training and the lessons his father had drilled into him told him to never judge a book by its cover or a patient by the symptoms they told you. He was sure that he wasn’t going to judge Kirk by what others said or George’s memory. The kid most definitely didn’t live up to those expectations anyway.
Leonard sighed as he picked up the phone after running through in his head what he was going to say to Kirk.
He dialled the number and waited for the call to be picked up, one leg twitching slightly as he waited.
“Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Francisco Office. Janice Rand speaking, how can I help you?”
“Agent Jim Kirk, please,” Leonard said as he brought his hand down to rest on his thigh and still his leg movement.
“May I say who is calling?” the melodious voice of the receptionist asked. Leonard remembered her from the day before. She appeared quite young, but competent and in a way reminded him of Christine.
“McCoy, Dr. Leonard McCoy,” he told her. He looked around his room while he waited for the hold music to end. It was almost as sparsely furnished as when he had moved in. He literally had left his life back in Georgia when Pike finally dragged him out of his self-imposed exile.
“Jim Kirk,” Jim’s voice happily proclaimed over the line.
“Agent Kirk, it’s Dr. Leonard McCoy,” Leonard introduced himself.
“McCoy. McCoy, hmm kinda rings a bell,” Jim said. Leonard swore he knew exactly the smug little expression that was on Kirk’s face.
“How many doctors did you arrest yesterday on the raid in the Bayshore warehouse? You Feds might want to invest in some memory tests. Are you sponsoring a city-wide doctor ‘catch and release’ policy now?” Leonard couldn’t resist firing back at him. The little shit knew exactly who he was.
“Oh, that, Dr. McCoy,” Jim said. “And what can the Federal Bureau of Investigations do for the good doctor?”
“I was thinking about what you said yesterday,” Leonard started.
“I remember saying a lot of things yesterday,” Jim responded.
“About looking out for my back,” Leonard told him, desperately trying not to roll his eyes at Kirk’s responses and failing.
“Ahh, yes that. Looking out for your back. I’m sure we could discuss it,” Jim’s tone was still amused.
“Can I meet you somewhere? With that Captain of yours too? Pike wasn’t it?” Leonard tried to keep the phone call all business.
“I’ll see what I can do, hang on,” Jim said and he heard what was Jim obviously putting down the phone.
Leonard was left staring around his living room again. The TV in the corner on the little stand, the bookcase to it’s left; full of medical texts and the occasional dog-eared novel. He could hear voices and office noises through the ear piece of the phone but nothing distinct.
“You there?” Jim said, surprising Leonard with how quickly he returned and how quietly he picked up the phone.
“Yeah,” Leonard replied.
“Do you know Amelia’s café just down from our office?”
“Sure, I saw it yesterday, but that’s too close for my liking. How about Java on Mission Street instead?” Leonard offered. “Not anywhere I normally go.”
“I know it, just around the corner from Starbucks. Sounds good to me. See you tomorrow at ten then?” Jim said.
“Ten,” Leonard agreed and he hung up the phone.
He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face as he sunk further into the cool leather of his armchair.
He sat that way for a while, waiting for the call he knew was still to come. Vasily didn’t keep him waiting too long.
“Do you have news for me, Leonard?” he said even before Leonard could say his name or an opening greeting.
“I am meeting them tomorrow at ten. Going to be at the Java café on Mission down in SoMa,” Leonard replied tiredly.
“Are you tired, Leonard? I hope that you were suitably interesting to Agent Kirk as we discussed,” Vasily’s smooth voice gently rebuked Leonard.
“I was as interesting to him as I normally have been,” Leonard explained himself.
“Leonard, Leonard, Leonard. What is that expression, hmm? Catch more flies with honey than with vinegar? You should be nicer to Agent Kirk,” Vasily said.
“Yeah well, you tried to distract him with honey a few weeks ago and that didn’t work so well,” Leonard replied. “He seems to like how I talk to him. Kept him interested so far and if I had changed my manner he would well know that something was up.”
“See, this is why I like you Leonard. You think clever. Gaila is a lovely honeypot and she is most upset that she wasn’t able to fully capture the agent’s interest. Now rest up, we want you looking your best for the agents tomorrow,” Vasily said before he hung up on Leonard.
“Great,” Leonard breathed out tiredly, before pushing himself out of the chair and heading into his kitchen to make himself some dinner.
***
Christopher Pike pulled his sunglasses off his face as he walked into the café. The little bell above the door tinkling as he and his two agents entered.
McCoy was seated, waiting for them at a table in the middle of the room, although he had placed himself in the chair with his back to the wall. This was obviously so he could watch the front door but also the door to the kitchen area. Chris smiled to himself slightly as McCoy was showing his training without realizing it. The same situation had been seen just two days before, when McCoy moved to the chair facing the door once Kirk had left him alone. Although that could also have been him just wanting to annoy Kirk as well. The Bureau had had their eye on McCoy for a very long time, and it had taken an unfortunate loss in order for him to finally listen to their offer seriously. Chris knew that McCoy still held a bit of a grudge over that time, but he was an Agent now.
“Popov is over the other side of the road,” Sulu said, sotto voce, as they paused just inside the door way.
Chris nodded in acknowledgement and smiled towards McCoy. “Dr. McCoy,” he greeted as he started to walk over towards the table.
McCoy had stood as they approached. He held out his hand for Chris to shake.
After shaking his hand, Chris turned to indicate the two men with him. “You know Jim Kirk and Hikaru Sulu?”
“I do,” McCoy said as he nodded at each of the two men as he started to lower back down into his seat.
“Are we waiting on anyone else?” Jim asked as he took his own seat to the right of McCoy.
“Nope, only our friend across the road,” McCoy told him.
“Have you ordered yet, Doctor?” Chris asked him.
McCoy turned his head back towards Chris. “I was waiting for you.”
“Good, good,” Chris said. “Jim, go order us some coffee.”
Chris ignored the look from Jim and turned back to McCoy. “How do you have your coffee?”
“Black is fine,” McCoy said.
“Off you go, Jim,” Chris ordered.
Jim got up from his chair and walked over to the counter to order their coffee. Chris casually glanced around the café. There was only one other table occupied and it was right by the front window. Far enough away that they could speak freely but quietly without being overheard.
“We can speak freely gentlemen,” Chris said as he casually leaned forward on the table.
Sulu had been sitting back and just watching the others speak. This is why Chris had teamed Jim with him.
He was a local, always a bonus with an out of town agent, but more importantly he was one of those men that would observe first before action in most instances. In opposition to Jim, who was action first, second and sometimes fourth times, before he seemed to do any thinking. Though at times, Jim could be a slightly bad influence. The fact that they had been told to not follow McCoy anymore and yet they had continued to do so spoke eloquently of Jim’s ‘dog with a bone’ attitude that had driven his bosses back in Omaha crazy. But that had given him one of the highest capture rates in the Midwest.
“Sulu, Leonard McCoy is one of our agents,” Chris said, watching McCoy’s reaction out of the corner of his eye. The man was holding himself very calm and still.
“Wait, you mean he’s a Fed too?” Sulu asked, the surprise evident in his voice.
“He’s from the Atlanta branch, but we brought him in specifically to be undercover with the Russians for this investigation,” Chris explained.
Jim had returned to the table by this stage to hear the end of Chris speaking. “So Sulu knows now too?”
“When did you know?” Sulu asked Jim before Chris could respond.
“Only the other day. Our captain likes to keep secrets,” Jim said as he sat back in his chair, sprawling with his normal ability to try and claim as much space as possible.
“Your captain had his reasons,” Chris interjected. “This is still to not go any further than those of us around this table. It is to be assumed amongst the rest that McCoy is an informant.”
Sulu had a puzzled look on his face while Chris had been speaking.
“Wait, isn’t it risky to have a fake doctor out there?” Sulu asked. “As far as we know you have been treating the locals as well as the Russians or is that a set up too?”
“I’m not a fake, I am a doctor,” McCoy said.
“He is a doctor,” Chris confirmed. “It was one of the reasons he is right for this job. Now the Russians want him to give us false information. Which makes it easier for us to get updates, but we have to make sure that the Russians and others don’t suspect. What exactly did Novikov order you to do?”
McCoy did not look pleased at the question. Chris knew that there was something that had set him off yesterday but he didn’t fully express it in the phone call with him. He thought that maybe the presence of the others might allow him to get a better idea of what had upset McCoy. He was an emotional man who needed to vent occasionally.
“I was to ‘encourage’ Kirk’s interest as he hasn’t been too subtle about it,” McCoy grumbled.
Chris sat back in his chair and crossed his arms as he considered this information. “Encourage?” he queried.
“Encourage,” McCoy repeated, his tone indicating his displeasure at the suggestion.
“Wait. What?” Kirk asked.
“Sometime you are so slow on the uptake, Jim,” Sulu laughed at him.
“Well, you were the one to let the Russians in on that little bit of information,” McCoy glared at Chris.
“It’s public record, they were able to find that themselves. But, yes, we didn’t hide that information,” Chris calmly replied.
“What record?” Jim asked.
He had to wait for an answer though as the café staff started to bring over their coffee and Jim had to direct whose coffee went where.
They waited until the coffee had been placed in front of them and the staff member was back behind the counter and out of earshot.
“Well? Are you going to let us in on the information?” Jim asked.
McCoy looked at Chris but kept silent on the matter.
“It appears Jim, that the Russians have seen your interest in the good doctor and interpreted it in a certain way,” Chris explained.
Sulu snorted into his coffee before he took a sip. “That’s one way of explaining it,” he murmured.
“What?” Jim asked again.
“Is he always this clueless?” McCoy asked of Chris and Sulu.
“Not always, but this is amusing,” Sulu replied.
“Jim,” Sulu said as he placed his hand on Jim’s arm and started rubbing up and down on it slowly. “Novikov thinks that you might be distracted by the presence of Dr. McCoy.”
Jim looked down at Sulu’s hand before the light seemed to go on in his head, “Oh!” he exclaimed before looking over at McCoy and then back at the others. “But. Oh. Damn.”
“He’s eloquent to go with quick on the uptake,” McCoy told Chris.
“I’m not the one who is apparently having to be Mata Hari,” Jim replied.
“I wouldn’t have to be if you weren’t so damn blatant,” McCoy drawled back at him.
“I was just doing my job. Not my fault the Russians can’t put two and two together properly,” Kirk said.
McCoy raised one eyebrow at him. “Oh I think going to gay bars was a little obvious,” McCoy said as he raised his own cup and took a sip, his eyes challenging Kirk over the cup.
Sulu made to interject, but Chris just shook his head to tell him to keep his silence, wanting his two agents to figure things out for themselves.
Kirk opened his mouth and did a fair impression of a fish before snapping it shut and mumbling, “Fine, I can see where they got that idea, but it’s not me that’s gay, it’s Sulu. I was just going out with my buddy. A beer’s a beer no matter where it’s served.”
McCoy looked towards Sulu enquiringly.
“Yeah, I’m gay and most of the guys in the office know. Jim’s not as far as I know, but I can see why they might think it if they saw him out with me at those places. Not many straight guys go to those bars.”
“Lots of straight chicks go there though,” Kirk added.
“Kirk!” Chris admonished. Kirk just smiled at him unrepentantly.
“Anyway,” Jim continued, “if they think I’m gay cause of that, then what do they have on you that makes them think you would be up for pretending?”
“They don’t think I would be pretending,” McCoy said, staring at Kirk seriously.
“But you were married. I at least was able to find that out,” Kirk replied.
“He’s been to gay bars and hasn’t heard of anyone being bi-sexual? Where have you been taking him?” McCoy asked Sulu, who just laughed in response.
“You’re gay?” Jim asked McCoy.
“No, the term is bi-sexual. Yes, I was married and I have been interested in both women and men previously. The Russians found out about that and used it as one of their little pushes to get me to work for them. They like having things on the people they have working for them so that they can control them. Now enough about my private life. I’m not happy with the turn of events, but I figure I can keep acting the same way as before if Kirk can continue his reactions the same. Seems to have fooled them into thinking one thing,” McCoy said quietly.
“Kirk?” Chris asked him.
“Yeah, I suppose, but really... yeah, it can be done,” Jim agreed, while obviously still thinking the new information through. “It really is weird though. I follow you around and generally harass you, even arrest you. You sass back at me and they think we want to get it on? They’ve got a weird idea of relationships.”
“Don’t underestimate Vasily,” McCoy warned. “He’s managed to stay out of jail for a long time while not really hiding his business. He’s well-respected, but more importantly, well-feared by the others.”
“He appears to like you though, McCoy,” Pike commented.
“Yeah, must be my winning ways. I’m useful to him at the moment. The instant I ain’t anymore, then my days are very numbered,” McCoy replied. “How much pressure are you still getting from Interpol about information?”
“Considering that we have two of their agents living out of our pockets and sticking their noses into everything? Yeah, not a lot of interest at all,” Kirk said sarcastically.
“It’s their job, Kirk. The sooner the Romanians surface then the less on edge everyone will be. Their information was very solid with the links back to the Russians here. We know that Novikov has ties back to former KGB agents in Russia. Spock has been invaluable with Interpol’s resources and we should trust them. We are here to help them bring war criminals to trial. Any bonuses we can gain from information about the Russians, and more specifically bring Novikov down, the better it all will be for both agencies,” Chris explained.
“Yeah, I know, I just wish that man would learn to crack a smile or an expression or something. He’s too serious,” Kirk complained. “Does he know about the good doctor?”
“No, but he does know that we have information coming in. He will be informed, like the others, that McCoy has turned informant on us. Now any other questions or I think we should wrap this up and let your watchdog out there stop drawing attention to himself,” Chris said towards McCoy.
“None, apart from I will still call into the office from pay phones. I’m pretty sure they have bugged my apartment and listen in to any calls I make from there. I reckon they have the office bugged too. They did arrange for me to rent both places,” McCoy said.
“They really are suspicious bastards aren’t they?” Kirk observed.
“If they weren’t they wouldn’t still be on the streets,” McCoy replied.
“True,” Kirk agreed. “Yeah, nothing more from me either.”
“I’m good,” Sulu commented.
“Good,” Chris said as he stood up. “Sulu, I’m trusting you to keep an eye on these two for me. Make sure they don’t deviate from the patterns of behavior that have been established. We want information on when those bastards land here so we can get them into Interpol’s hands.”
“Yes, sir,” Sulu agreed, over the protestations of McCoy and Kirk who were both silenced by a glare from Chris.
The men all walked out the front door and paused to say their farewells. McCoy shook Sulu’s and then Chris’ hand before Kirk turned towards him.
“Am I meant to give you a kiss goodbye now?” Kirk smirked at McCoy.
“Do that and remember I am a doctor. I will hurt you in ways you can’t even imagine,” McCoy replied as he held out his hand for Kirk to shake, a smile on his face giving anyone observing the impression that it was a cordial parting greeting.
Kirk laughed as he gripped McCoy’s hand and shook it goodbye. He held onto it a moment longer than the norm Chris observed as he turned away to walk back toward their car, Sulu joining him.
“Later, ‘Bones’,” Jim said, that smirk still on his face before letting go and jogged off to join Chris and Sulu.
“Unbelievable,” Chris heard McCoy mutter to their retreating backs.
***
Jim was leaning on the reception desk as he chatted with Janice. When the phone rang, Jim remained leaning on the desk while she answered it, all the better to watch the young woman with her scary efficiency and professionalism.
He had been flirting with her for months, but she always had a ready answer and little twinkle of a smile for him. It was now a challenge to see what reaction he could get.
“Jim,” Janice looked up at him with a little smile on her face, and still on the phone, “Don’t you have a team meeting you are supposed to be at?” Janice looked pointedly at the clock on the wall.
“Aw, shit. Laters, Janice and thanks for the reminder,” Jim said as he waved and walked quickly down the hallway.
“Thank Hikaru,” Janice called after him. He turned and looked at her enquiringly. She pointed at her headset and Jim got the message.
“Thanks anyway,” Jim said again as he turned back and headed for the conference room where their team meetings were always held.
He entered to find most of the others already seated around the table. He walked around to sit next to Sulu and wait for Pike and Spock to finish conferring at the head of the table.
Scotty and Pavel were comparing notes over something that was probably highly technical, so Jim just looked at Sulu who had the same expression on his face, one of necessary boredom. Team meetings, the highlight of their weeks.
“Right,” Pike said as Spock moved away from him to sit primly in his chair.
Jim nudged Sulu under the table, who just glared at him like they were back in school and teacher was going to tell them off if they didn’t behave.
“Okay everyone, I think this will be a short one today, but there has been a new development,” Pike announced. “The raid picked up a few guys that the State Department were interested in, but nothing really concrete. One of the associates picked up has agreed to become an informant for us.”
At this Spock looked towards Pike with what Jim was coming to ascertain was his ‘interested’ face. A slight creasing between his brows was the only indication of his interest, but it was one that Jim had noticed and filed away in his mind.
“Excuse me Captain, but is this informant on top of the one you already have within the organization?” Spock asked as he politely raised a finger.
“Yes, this is a new informant. Jim was responsible for bringing this one to our attention. He and Sulu have been working on the man for a number of weeks,” Pike replied.
“Are we to be briefed as to who the informant may be?” Spock queried.
“It is the doctor who administers to the mob. We shall see what information he is able to glean. Our understanding is that he has been involved in health checks for all the new arrivals that are ‘fresh off the boat’ so to speak. So, he may be able to lead us towards the Romanians when and if they show,” Pike explained.
“That is an eminently logical conclusion. I take it precautions are being put in place to ensure that the Novikov organization is unaware that he is now an informant?”
“Kirk and Sulu will continue to be his handlers at this time, as they are who he is familiar with. They have been briefed as to the importance of any and all information. The Novikovs are aware that he has had ‘chats’ with our agents of a, shall we say ‘cantankerous’ nature, so those will continue while he feeds us information under their noses. The best informants, in my experience with these type of people, are the ones that they have decided not to suspect. Now I understand you had some information for us from Interpol?” Pike asked.
“Thank you Captain, yes I do. We have secured the services of an excellent translator from the United Nations who is exceptionally fluent in the regional Romanian dialect that our suspects have been known to converse in. She is currently located in this city and will be joining us over the next few days. We have worked with her before and she will be brought in to look over the transcripts we have to ascertain if there is anything that has been missed.” Spock made sure that he looked from person to person as he spoke.
Once Spock had finished speaking there was that uncomfortable silence that permeates many a meeting when nobody had anything more to say. Pike clapped his hands together and informed the team that the meeting was over. Jim and Sulu stood almost as one in order to get out. As they both converged on the only doorway out of the room, they were met like merging traffic on the freeways at peak hour by Pavel and Scotty.
Jim slapped Sulu on the shoulder and proclaimed, “Beauty before age and all the rest of that crap!”
While the others blinked at his statement, he strode through the doorway and headed back towards the office area.
“Jim, you’re a little shit, you know that?” Sulu said to him as he strode briskly so that he join him.
“Shh, don’t let Pike hear you speak like that Agent Sulu,” Jim mockingly told him off.
“You are an ass!” Sulu retorted.
“Your ass,” Jim countered as he waggled his heavy set eyebrows at his partner.
Sulu’s response was to whack him across the top of his arm. Scotty and Pavel had joined them by this stage. Jim was laughing at the annoyed expression on Sulu’s face. They had all stopped at a point in the corridor just before the entrance back into the bull pen area.
“He really is always like this, isn’t he?” Scotty asked in his thick Scottish brogue.
“Unfortunately, and man I must have pissed off the captain real good to be assigned with him,” Sulu agreed.
Jim stopped laughing to protest with a cry of “Hey!” and his slightly miffed look then turned to one of curiosity as he tilted his head to the side and looked at Scotty. “So, what’s up with this translator that got Spock all excited?”
“Excited?” Pavel piped into the conversation from where he had been standing quietly watching the play by play.
“His eyebrow raised .24 of an inch and there was that little tick at the edge of his lips, how did you miss it?” Jim asked.
“Don’t mind him, Pavel,” Sulu said. “Yeah, Scotty what is up with that translator? Aren’t our resources enough?”
“Ah, the lovely Miss Uhura is worth a thousand of your translators. No offense, Pavel,” Scotty sighed as he pronounced the translators name. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with that fine woman before and she has this ability to pick up voices in the background that some machines can’t. Underestimate her at your peril!”
“Gentlemen,” Pike said from the doorway where he was standing, watching them converse. “You missed the meeting so much you decided to have another one?”
“You know us, Captain,” Jim said. “Never miss the opportunity for a good meeting.”
Pike just pursed his lips and stared at his agents, who took the silent hint and headed back to work.
***
Christine turned her head when she heard the door opening to her boss’ office. She carefully tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and tried to look busy with the papers in front of her.
The pale gray of the desk melded with the patient information sheets that she had been filling out. She blinked to refocus her eyesight.
“Perfect bill of health, Mr. Popov,” Leonard said as he escorted his patient out.
“Thank you, doctor,” Kirill Popov responded, his accent proving how recent an emigre he was from Russia. “Nurse Chapel,” he addressed Christine.
She turned her chair so that she could face the two men. It would have been rude if she hadn’t acknowledged his greeting and her mother hadn’t raised a rude daughter. So, she nodded at him and only then realized that he had a hand extended towards her.
Warily, she placed her hand in his and inhaled involuntarily as he raised her hand to his mouth so he could place a kiss upon her knuckles. His gray eyes were staring into her own and a little smile playing around the corners of his mouth.
She pulled her hand away quickly as soon as he raised his lips off her hand.
“No one does that anymore,” she said as she sent a glare towards her boss who was chuckling not so silently. “You might want to take some lessons in modern day etiquette.”
Mr. Popov continued to smile at her, not at all put aback by her correction. “If you were the teacher, I would be the most attentive of students,” he declared with a hand over his heart.
“Pish!” Christine responded. If she was a different kind of girl, the response might have been a little stronger.
“Pish?” Mr. Popov asked turning to look towards Leonard who had stepped away from the doorway to clap him on the shoulder.
“Just a strange expression, don’t you worry none about that,” Leonard said as he started to direct the other man towards the front door. Leonard gave him one final pat on the shoulder as he opened the door.
Mr. Popov took the hint and with a final nod towards her, exited the practice.
Christine waited until Leonard had closed the front door and was leaning back against it, smiling at her.
“Don’t you start,” she warned as she pointed her pen at him.
“I didn’t say anything,” Leonard responded as he walked away from the door and back toward her desk.
“You didn’t have to, that expression was one my mother would have been proud of!” Christine declared, before launching into an imitation of her mother. “‘Christine, when are you going to find yourself a nice young man again. I don’t know what was going through your fool head when you dropped poor Roger stone cold.’” She screwed up her nose at the mention of her ex-fiancé.
“A nice young man might do you good and you could be a little bit nicer to my patients,” Leonard said as he leaned upon the counter of the desk.
“You, lecturing me, about being nice to people?” she responded back, giving him her most incredulous look.
“Only one of us is allowed to be grumpy and you should be flattered at the kiss on the hand. Quite a smooth little move that. Gentlemanly,” Leonard steered the conversation back towards Mr. Popov.
“He is not a gentleman, he’s a common thug and I really don’t know why you continue to treat those men,” she complained.
“Christine, we treat everyone who needs treating, regardless of rumors about them.” Leonard’s smile had disappeared.
”I know that, but I see so many of those men come through here and I worry about you,” Christine tried to mollify him.
“Don’t you worry about me, and I wouldn’t let anything hurt you, either,” Leonard said as he straightened up and headed back into his office.
She watched him, realizing that she didn’t want him hurt either and resolved to make sure nothing could. His ex-wife had done a complete number on the man. They made an odd pair. Some had thought, with her hurt by a man and him by a woman, that they shouldn’t be friends but something about their shared pain just seemed to click. She was glad to have seen the job advertised, and couldn’t and wouldn’t consider working for any other doctor.
***
Jim hung up the phone and finished making his notes.
He could feel Sulu’s eyes on him but he kept trying to ignore him.
It became difficult to do so when Sulu scooted his chair over right next to his and literally rested his head on his shoulder.
“Haven’t you ever heard of personal space?” Jim asked him.
“Aren’t you Jim Kirk? Have you seen this office?” Sulu responded as he gestured around the office. The area had little cubicles with walls that only came up to chest height on most people, providing no seclusion at all.
“We got a lead?” Sulu pressed.
“Interesting info, but probably more Hannity’s area. She knows those shakedown boys better than us,” Jim said as he picked up his pad to better contemplate the information he had jotted down. “What do you think?” he asked Sulu.
“Looks good and you are right, that it’s more Hannity’s area. Lover boy has done good,” Sulu winked at him.
Jim pushed his chair away from Sulu and resorted with the mature response of poking his tongue out at his partner.
“I’ll just take this over to her,” Jim said as he walked away, waving the piece of paper he had torn out of his pad.
He wended his way, through the maze of cubicles, over towards Hannity’s desk. Before he reached it, he was able to see that she wasn’t there. He stopped and looked around the floor, trying to spot her and then he did. She was out front talking to Janice and someone else who was around the walled partition and out of his sight.
As he walked around the corner, he was finally able to see the other person that they were talking to. Another attractive woman. Today was definitely his day.
“Janice, Agent Hannity,” he greeted the two women that he knew and then turned towards the other woman. She was a slim, African American woman in a red business suit that he greatly approved of. He pushed his way past Hannity so that he could hold his hand out towards the new person. “Special Agent Jim Kirk, how can I be of assistance to you?”
“Very special agent, he is too,” he heard Beth Hannity scoff from just behind him.
He ignored the comment and smiled winningly at the visitor, waiting for her to introduce herself.
“Thank you, but I am fine,” she replied.
Her voice had a trace of an accent that he couldn’t quite pick up exactly where she was from, but he would bet next month’s pay that she wasn’t a native of the US.
He took up a casual leaning stance against the desk as he perused her.
“You are fine,” he couldn’t help himself responding quietly.
There was another snort from Hannity, so he turned towards her and held out the piece of notepad paper he had in his hand. “Agent Hannity, I do believe this information is pertinent to one of your current cases.”
She just tilted her head at the side towards him so that she could give him a look that blatantly said “I don’t believe a word that is coming out of your mouth.” He knew that was what she was thinking as she had previously given him that same look and actually said those words at him. They did get on fine most of the time, but there was a slight bit of possible annoyance on her side occasionally. It could mostly be traced back to the incident that had him nicknaming her partner ‘Cupcake.’ So, he shook the paper trying to get her attention on it.
Jim noted that Janice had received another call and was speaking quietly in the background.
Beth sighed as she reached for the paper and looked down at what was written on it. Jim noted her attitude change once she realized what information was on there.
She looked up at Jim in surprise. He smiled at her.
“Really?” she asked.
“Yup,” he responded.
“Thanks,” she said as she turned to head back into the office area.
The visitor was still standing patiently and serenely by the desk. Her hair had escaped over her shoulder and it seemed that she didn’t want it there, so with a little flick of her head, she moved her pony tail back to fall elegantly down her back. Jim smiled as he admired the natural grace of her movements.
“Are you sure I can’t help you, Ms...?” Jim asked, waiting to find out her name.
“I am sure you can’t. I am waiting on someone,” she responded, a little smile playing on her lips.
First Sulu was paying too close attention when he was on the phone with Bones and now this woman was blowing him off. He walked the remaining steps towards her.
“Really sure?” he asked in a low voice.
“Thank you, Special Agent Kirk,” he heard Spock say from behind him.
Jim looked over his shoulder in surprise and then the memory of the team meeting yesterday had him turning back toward the woman.
“Miss Uhura?” he asked.
“Yes, that is my name,” she replied with a little nod of acknowledgment.
“Well, damn. Pleasure to meet you and I look very forward to working with you,” he smiled at her.
Her face had a little confused look on it as she peered over Jim’s shoulder.
“Special Agent Kirk is one of the agents assigned to the task force that I have informed you about,” Spock said to her. “If you would like to come this way.” Spock was now standing next to Jim and indicating a path down the corridor and toward where the meeting rooms were.
Jim watched the pair of them walk down the corridor and away from him.
He turned back to find Janice leaning back in her chair, arms crossed and a smug little smile on her face.
“What?” he asked.
“You really do like impossible challenges, don’t you?” she said.
He leaned over the desk to tug on a curl that she had left to fall loosely down the side of her face, he matched that with a poke out of his tongue. He pulled back quickly before she could swat at his hand and headed back to his desk, ignoring her protesting “Jim!”
Part three this way