From: Jamie LeBlanc (plainsimplegarak_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Thu Jul 24 2008 - 00:45:03 PDT
“On The Wall” (Continued from “133”)
~*~*~*~*~
Location: USS COMMENDATION
Stardate: 2.80724.0245
Scene: Lounge
Time Index: awhile ago
~*~*~*~*~*
“Mirror, mirror on the wall…”
~*~*~*~*~*~
It had all started so innocently. They were sitting in the bar – or more clearly Zel was working and Cade was sitting behind the bar trying to blend in with the background. Casual conversation was filtering across Ten-Forward when a pair of security officers sat down. The elder of the pair, a graying human looked up. “Synthale, the strongest you have.”
The hybrid bartender blinked. “Do you care about the taste?”
“It’s synthale. It all tastes like shit anyways.” The older human groused.
Zel flicked a glace across the bar. “If you are off duty…” he murmured, the implications of real alcohol being held somewhere within that statement.
The security guard looked up, hope welling in his green eyes. “Well, if there is a possibility of a Sumerian Sunset…”
“Coming right up.” Rohan looked up and gave the man a small grin before his tiny form disappeared behind the bar. Pulling a plethora of bottles from the stash, he set them on the bar in order and pulled a tall glass, pouring a bit of Tarkalian bitters in, and a layer of Denobulan Scotch.
“That’s not how you make it.” Cade’s voice rasped like a teacher no one ever wants to face.
Zel clicked his tongue at the civilian doctor. “Just watch.”
“It won’t flare…” his voice was singsong.
The little hybrid smirked and sprinkled Acada root powder over the entire concoction, the white crystals sank smoothly into the colorless fluid and settled. Nothing happened. Cade chuckled, and leaned forward, ready to pull the bottles off of the shelf and show this young pup how to really mix drinks when the Cardassian flicked the glass with a finger. It let out a clear crystalline tone, and a brilliant flare of orange, red and yello fanned out from the bottom of the glass to the very top, ending in an effervescent fizz. The security guard looked duly impressed and Zel grinned. “Won’t flare, eh?”
Cade rolled his eyes and was about to go back to reading technical essays on neuro-pharmacology when the guard looked up from his drink and pointed a finger at him. “You look familiar,” he murmured.
The physician snapped his head up, sudden panic rising in him that he might be recognized. “I don’t know you,” he countered.
The guard took another drink. “Yeah, you’re him exactly. One of the dimensional clones… said his name was Cade something or other.”
Zel’s mouth dropped open a bit at that, and Cade nearly spat out the coffee he was drinking. “Foster?” the Cardassian queried with abject fascination.
The guard nodded and pointed directly at Zel. “Yeah, Foster… that’s it exactly.”
“Well, sounds like Commander Davidson isn’t the only one to have a universal duplicate, hm?” Zel asked in a quiet tone, turning to the chair Cade had been sitting in.
No Cade.
The little Hybrid blinked and looked about the lounge. No Cade. He cursed under his breath and paced a bit, filling the other security guards order.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Scene: Brig
“Of *course* they have a full security detail posted.” Cade groused to himself nearing the brig. He pushed himself up against a wall, and waited until the guards took their rounds before sneaking in. Very slowly he found his jaw dropping – it was like walking through a freak show of people he almost knew, all on display. He gaped at P’Trella and Jobilo before creeping forward. “Hot damn…” were the words that drained from his mouth.
Mr. Foster looked up, his jaw crashing floorwards. “What is the meaning of this?” he murmured, standing and stepping in front of Sylvia protectively, like a father might, his eyes widening as the physician came into view. “Who… who are you?”
“Doctor Cade Foster. Who the hell are you?” came the heated reply.
His counterpart blinked, rather thoroughly confused. “That cannot be.”
“That cannot be!” Dr. Foster sniped back in a mocking tone. “Why the hell can’t it?” He paused and raised a hand, “and you didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m Cade Foster.” The counterpart murmured. “No doctor attached.”
“What the hell are you then? A Girl-Scout cookie seller?”
His counterpart blinked slowly. “No. I was an instructor of metaphysics on Delev II before it was destroyed.”
“And what are you now?” The testier man put his hands on his hips and started to pace as he pressed his interrogation. “The personal loveslave for that crazy desecration of Daisy?”
Cade looked aghast. “I would never have sexual relations with her.”
“Good for you. I’ve done it with mine quite a bit. She’s really quite good in the sack.” The retired Starfleet officer punctuated this with a pleased smirk.
The freedom fighter blinked. “From what I understand, your version of Captain Byrne is not a megalomaniacal, schizophrenic dictator.”
“Jury is still out on that one.” Cade grinned for a bit and then sobered. “But no, in all actuality she is a fine woman.” He paused and stared his counterpart down before resuming his pacing. “So wait a second… if you weren’t part of her crew, what the hell are you doing in the brig?”
“You say hell a lot.” Syliva Warren groused lightly, wondering if this Doctor Foster was somehow the evil version of the man she called her surrogate father.
“I sure do, Sylvie, honey.” The older man smiled back through the forcefield.
Mr. Foster flickered his glance back and forth between Sylvia and his counterpart. “How did you know her name?”
“Dimensional co-incidence.” The surgeon replied. “I knew one’a her, too.” He sighed again, “and you didn’t answer my question…. Again. You’re a duplicitous bastard. I like that.” He punctuated his last bit with a grin.
Cade took in a slight breath. “I was on board the ship as a tradesman. Or at least my colleagues were.” He paced slightly, his voice falling. “Why should I tell you?”
Dr. Foster waggled a finger at him. “You were doing something illicit, weren’t you?”
“How…?”
“Come on. You really don’t think you can lie to yourself, can you?”
From across the brig a thin dry voice came through the air. “It’s obvious, isn’t it? Cade Foster, leader of humanities largest resistance movement was here to destroy the BFOV SHIV.” It was female and cold. Cade imagined it coming from an Andorian and was thoroughly unsurprised to find that come true. Eish stared coolly forward. “Come now, the Dark Lord has already appeared, slain all those truly loyal to Byrne and left. Why not admit your true purpose? It’s not like most of us haven’t tried to dispose of her prior to.”
As the color drained from Mr. Foster’s face, the doctor pursed his lips together tightly. “You’re an… idealist.” He said softly towards his copy.
Cade turned back, passion stirring in his deep blue eyes. “I did everything to save what I though was good in the world. I would still do anything. I was never afraid, and I will not be judged.”
Doctor Foster stared back at his counterpart, and his jaw dropped slightly. He had expected to say something like ‘you disgust me’ or ‘shut up you insipid fool’ but he couldn’t. He just stood and stared at the other man, as if he had just professed some hidden inner desire in Cade’s own heart, something he hid under layers of deception, sarcasm and arrogance: nobility. “I… I guess I can live with that.”
“You had better.” Came a light, taunting, familiar voice from behind him. “Otherwise you may earn more enemies than friends here.”
Cade turned, moving from the cell of his counterpart to the cell of the voice, and he felt his jaw drop slowly. The incredulous words dribbled out. “Screw me sideways.”
“Is that a come on?” The rockstar styled Andorian pirate asked, knitting his brows. “I’m sorry you’re not my type.”
“Is this universe just a collection of everybody I know set together to taunt me?” The former CMO asked, knitting his brows.
It was Arjan’s turn to look stunned. “You know me?”
“Yeah, and your little brother, Toto, too.” He gestured towards the recalcitrant Andorian at the back of the cell. “He never changes at all, does he?” he quipped, actually rather stunned at the difference. But not the introverted, sidelong glare he got.
“How the hell do you know us?” Aerdan asked drily
Cade pointed into the cell with a look of positive glee towards Sylvia. “See? He says ‘hell’ a lot too.”
“Well, he’s a space pirate. You’re not.” The young woman reasoned coolly.
Cade huffed a bit. Fair was fair he guessed. “In my universe Arjan there is a doctor.” The elder of the brothers blinked, looking a bit astounded. He had never ventured a name, so hearing this Cade say it rattled him a little. “I’m a doctor, he’s a doctor, out two and two together.”
“A … doctor?” the elder queried.
“Yeah. A decent one, even” He sucked in a breath. “And his mopey baby brother was my assistant medical officer…” he paused and added the rest in a low, fast tone. “Well, until I retired and he was promoted and now he’s running the joint.”
“Doctors…” Cade’s counterpart said, staring at the brothers. “You’re kidding me? Doctors?”
“Freedom fighter… you have to be kidding *me*” Cade snipped back.
“Is everyone in your universe a doctor?” Sylvia asked
Cade opened his mouth to reply but was cut off. “No. This man is going to be arrested if he doesn’t leave the area.” One of the returned security guards said.
The retired Starfleet officer slumped his shoulders and sighed. He cast one last look towards his counterpart and with a small look of empathy murmured, “Maybe I’ll see you on the other side of a forcefield… if I can get out myself.”
~*~*~*~
NRPG: This is old. I have been working on it for literally weeks, and I thought I’d toss it out for the heck of it, to give some sort of nod to the alt-characters. Everyone seems to be taking them in sixteen different directions so I didn’t really want to post much about them. So this is sort of just for fun. I figured it might be good for a chuckle. Besides, I love writing dialogue (as you might glean) and this was a fun dialogue to hammer out.
A note on alt-Cade. He was created as a contrast from our Cade, and I dunno – I don’t see him nearly as sarcastic or arrogant as the Cade we know. He’s sort of Cade stripped down to his most vulnerable. Feel free to shout out if ya disagree.
A note in general: Girl Scout cookies…. Are they an enduring enough icon to survive into the twenty-fifth century? Or is Cade just crazy? Discuss… ;-)
~*~*~*~*~*
Jamie LeBlanc
Ensign Sardra Vol
Chief of Security
GS2
Civillian Zel Rohan
Bartender
GS2
"Why do we fly? Because we have dreamt of it for so long that we must"
~Julian Beck
From HyperNews_at_youth.net
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