Tango

By Kerry McCommon

Part 4

Executive Officer Joan Warren was furious. She left the CO’s office and returned to her quarters despite the fact that there was still an hour until she was relieved on the bridge. She stopped for the retinal scan that allowed her to enter her rooms, then repeated the scan plus a voice scan to access her tightly controlled terminal. She manipulated the already oversecured comm link to open an encoded outside line. She sent out her cryptic message with a sense of joyless anticipation, and then returned to the bridge to pass the time until she received a reply.

*

At the end of her shift, Lt. Carter Laughlin stood in the CO’s office for the second time that day. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, lieutenant, I do. As of today, I have cleared you from bridge duty for the duration of this situation with the Ultharians."

Carter blanched. "Sir, I don’t know what I did to make you lose faith in me, but I’m not…"

"You haven’t done anything wrong, Lieutenant. I’m reassigning you as a liaison officer. Lazarus is coming aboard as a civilian consultant, and I want you to help her out with whatever she needs. This will include flying combat missions with her if that should prove necessary. In fact, she will not be allowed to fly without you. Are you up for that?"

Sister Rabbit’s being thrown in the brier patch, thought Carter exultantly. "Yes, sir, I am," she replied calmly. "I appreciate the opportunity." How did she swing this? Carter wondered.

"You will report directly to me. Understood?" DeForest asked. Carter understood the implication that the XO was cut out of the loop.

"Yes, sir," Carter wondered how XO Warren had reacted to this news. Not good, would be her guess. And now Carter was cut from her staff altogether. Yes, she thought it would seem prudent to avoid the XO for now. As Carter took her leave of the CO, her mind raced ahead to the advantages this assignment would bring to her. First and foremost, she got to be with Kay. Second, she was relieved of duty under the XO who was obviously out to make her life miserable. Third, combat duty brought the fastest advancement through the Federation should she choose to stay in the service. A week ago that thought would never have crossed her mind. She had every intention of being a career officer and was on the fast track to advancement. Now, everything was different. Change is the only thing that’s consistent, she thought ironically.

She walked briskly back to officer’s quarters as she mulled over the changes of the last few days. Entering her quarters, she was pleased to see she had a message waiting. She had intended to meet Kay Lazarus for a few minutes during her break but somehow that break had never come. "Retrieve," she instructed the terminal.

As Kay’s image appeared, Carter felt a loopy grin steal across her face that she had no control over whatsoever. "Hi Carter," said the smiling image. "Call me when you get in. We have things to discuss," Kay’s voice lowered a register, "And I’m hungry." The image disappeared, but Carter’s grin didn’t. Carter told the terminal to connect her to Lazarus’s quarters.

After a moment, Kay appeared. "Hi," she said happily.

"Hi," Carter replied, gazing at the face she had longed to see all day. "So you’re hungry, huh?"

"Yep," Kay pinned her with those ice blue eyes. "I sure am."

Carter sighed. "Why don’t you pick something up and come to my quarters? I need to eat and work out, and mostly I need to see you."

"Okay," Kay smiled at her. "I’ll be there in a few minutes."

"Kay?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring your toothbrush with you," Carter smiled sweetly at her.

*

Carter had replaced her uniform with work out clothes and was just finishing up her yoga exercises when the door chimed to let her know someone was there. "Come in," she called, automatically opening the door. Kay Lazarus walked in and sat a container down on the small table. Never taking her eyes off of Carter, she slowly moved to where Carter stood, reached her right hand behind Carter’s head and got a firm grip on her hair. Tugging her head back, Kay leaned down to meet Carter’s lips with her own and kissed her with such depth and passion that Carter felt her knees give way. Realizing that she had basically swooned, she wrapped one leg behind Kay’s waist. Kay’s hands moved underneath Carter and lifted her up as Carter wrapped her other leg behind Kay. In this embrace, Kay carried Carter over to her bunk. Then Carter was lying on the bed with Kay on top of her and Kay was saying really wicked things and doing wonderful things with her tongue. Carter was thankful she was lying down because otherwise she surely would have fallen.

Later, as they sat eating the food that Kay had brought, Carter said, "The funniest thing happened to me today."

Feeling the setup, Kay smiled and bit. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I got called to the CO’s office after my duty shift and I was relieved of bridge duty. Now I have to tag along being a sidekick to some civilian."

"That’s a drag," Kay plastered on an expression of fake sympathy.

"No kidding. And the worst part is," Carter paused and looked dramatically from side to side, "I’ll have to spend all day, every day with her."

"Eeeww, that’s icky," Kay solemnly agreed. More seriously, she asked, "How do you really feel about this?"

"I think it’s great," Carter told her. "At first I was a little shocked that I was not going to be working on the bridge anymore, but then the more I thought about it, the better it sounded. I’ll get in-flight combat experience, and I’ll get to be with you. Sounds like an adventure to me."

"Yeah," Kay said. "It’s the combat part that has me a little worried. Your life will be in my hands and that’s an awesome responsibility. Plus, there is the fact that I find you more than a little distracting. I’ll have to learn to separate the working you from the you that’s my lover."

Carter felt a thrill run down her spine at those words. My lover. She watched Kay as she spoke, the proud tilt of her chin, the pale blue eyes that turned from ice to smoke in a space of a word. She was aware of Lazarus’s reputation as a pilot and as a leader. Carter’s was a little baffled by what this stunning woman saw in an engineering geek like her.

Kay watched Carter with a studied nonchalance. What in world did this brilliant, outgoing young woman see in an outcast like her? Her obvious kindness and willingness to see the best in everyone bespoke a touch of naivete, and yet she had made it to the bridge of a deep space station at a relatively tender age. That indicated a degree of political astuteness that she managed to keep under wraps. She was both an open book, and something of an enigma.

"I don’t think separating work from play will be a problem," Carter told her. "I’m looking forward to learning from you. It might be to our advantage actually, to have someone that you’re really connected with as a partner."

A partner. Kay smiled at the sound of that. "That’s a positive point of view. I like that."

Carter felt absurdly pleased by these small words of praise from Kay. "You know I haven’t really flown in a fighter too many times."

"Starting tomorrow we’ll be going out a lot on reconnaissance and to familiarize the pilots with me and the types of formations I like to use. I have a few tricks to teach them."

"Ooh, I’m excited," Carter grinned. "Let’s go check out the fighter."

"Okay," Kay agreed. "I’m going to bring my work out clothes too. I need some exercise that takes place vertically."

Carter laughed. "Let’s go."

*

The next few days were bliss for Carter. Kay Lazarus’s skill as a pilot was mind boggling. She sat at the controls as if she had been born there and handled the fighter easily and gracefully. Carter was deeply impressed, but when she saw how inspired the other pilots were by Kay’s presence, she allowed herself to acknowledge a quiet pride in her lover’s skill. Meanwhile, Carter acquainted herself with riding shotgun. She quickly learned all the technical details of the weapon and shield systems. The comm system was nothing new to her, but she familiarized herself with every nook and cranny on board. She soon felt as home on the fighter as she ever had on the bridge. Carter knew that part of that comfort was derived from the knowledge that Kay Lazarus was sitting beside her as the pilot of the fighter. Kay made her feel safe.

One day when Lazarus was drilling the fighters on a hit and run tactic designed to annoy and confuse the enemy, Carter said, "You should hear the way the other pilots talk about you. They’re all trying to be as good as you. Of course, we both know that’s not possible," she smiled at Kay, her admiration plainly written on her face.

Kay glanced over at Carter uneasily and didn’t respond. Carter started to wonder what she had said wrong when Kay finally spoke. "I don’t want to be hero worshipped. I don’t deserve it. I’m ultimately responsible for the lives of all these pilots, and if I lead them into a bad situation…"

The distress in her expression made Carter scramble. "Honey, what happened years ago has nothing to do with what’s happening now. You’re out here leading the squadron because you’re the best pilot for the job. DeForest wouldn’t have sent you out if that wasn’t true. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe it and the rest of the squadron wouldn’t be willing to follow you if wasn’t true. You’ve pulled the whole team together. They’re sharper and more focused than they’ve ever been. And it’s because of you." She watched Kay. "And if I want to hero worship you, I will."

Kay smiled a little sadly. "That day…" She stopped and then slowly began again. "That day that everything went wrong, was the worst day of my life. It was as if they were in the ready room with us. They knew every tactic before we did it. They knew our strategies, they knew our formations, it was almost as if they sat in on the meeting and were tapped into our comm links. I’ve never had something go so badly. Everything we had planned, they had an answer waiting for us. It was spooky. And the worst part was that there was nothing I could do about it except watch the fighters being picked off one by one. We couldn’t even retreat. We were lucky to save as many as we did."

Carter listened to Kay Lazarus talk about the incident that led to the resignation of her commission with a sense of foreboding. She let Kay talk without interruptions or questions, knowing how difficult it was to rehash the day that caused her so much grief and guilt. When Kay finished talking she managed to say some small comforting thing that drew a grateful look from Kay. But Carter went back to her job with the wheels spinning in her head, repulsed by the idea that Kay’s story had planted.

*

At the end of that day’s training as they were putting the fighter to bed, Kay asked, "Want to go to the gym with me?" They had easily slipped into a routine together that included an extensive workout at the end of the workday.

"I don’t think so," Carter avoided looking at Kay. "I have some stuff I need to catch up on. I’ll see you later tonight, okay?"

"Oh," Kay’s face remained impassive. "Okay. Maybe I’ll call you later then."

Carter immediately reached out and put her hand on Kay’s arm. Kay managed not to pull away but Carter could tell it took an effort. "Kay, I have an idea about something I need to check out. It’s important."

"Fine," Kay said, but Carter could tell it was anything but fine.

"What’s wrong? Have I done something to upset you?"

"No, of course not," Carter felt Kay’s tension level drop slightly. "I thought maybe…" She stopped.

"What?" Carter asked gently.

"I thought maybe you were freaked out about the story I told you today. You haven’t said two words to me since then."

"Oh sweetheart, no. No," Carter was immediately contrite. "I have been thinking about it but not in the way that you think. I haven’t lost one iota of faith in you. You’re still the only reason I would be out there instead of on the bridge."

"Are you sure?" Kay scanned her face carefully.

"Absolutely. I love you, Kay. There’s nothing you can say about your past that will make me change my mind about that," Carter looked intently into Kay’s face. "And the only thing you could say about the future is that you don’t want me in it. And even that wouldn’t change the way I feel."

Kay was too stunned to speak for a minute. "You had to say that here, huh? In the ready room with everyone around so I can’t kiss you."

Carter smiled. "It feels like I’ve said it a thousand times before."

Kay never took her eyes from Carter’s. "I love you too, Carter," she said softly. "Now go do what you have to do, and then come get me. I’ll be in my quarters."

"Okay," Carter was reluctant to let go of her lover. "But I’ll remember that you owe me a kiss."

"Oh, you’ll get it. With interest."

*

"Hi, Lazarus," John Lyra waved her down in the corridor as she walked to her quarters. "How’s it going chief?"

"Hi, Johnny," she looked at him fondly. "Guess you’re staying pretty busy these days, huh?"

"Not as busy as you," he replied. Lazarus was slightly startled by his smirky tone. "I mean, you know, with all the training you’ve been doing," he hastened to clarify. He had heard the rumors about Lazarus and Lt. Laughlin like everyone else on board the station. In a sealed environment such as the space station the circle was small, and the rumor mill was faster than the central network.

"Yeah," she looked warily at him and decided to let it drop. "It’s been hectic, but productive. They’re a good group."

"Do you have time to grab a bite to eat?" he asked. "I’ve hardly seen much of you since you’ve been here."

"I’m sorry, Johnny," she told him. "I’ve got some times to go over before tomorrow’s training. Maybe some other time." She saw his disappointment hastily concealed. "Soon," she amended.

"Sure," he said. "Soon. I’ll see you later." Kay watched him go trying to shake off her feeling that she had let him down. She really did have work to do, but Johnny had been a good friend. She would have to make time for him soon. She moved purposefully toward her quarters mulling over her feelings of uneasiness.

*

Carter entered her PIChip in the comm terminal in engineering and requested a security level diagnostics. After submitting to the retinal scan for authorization, she began to input the parameters of her search. Turning up nothing, she thought for a moment and narrowed her search. Again, she turned up nothing. Thinking she must have been mistaken, she started to remove her PIChip and give up when an idea occurred to her. Restarting the search from scratch, she entered new parameters. Information began scrolling across the screen. Gotcha, she thought.

Recording her findings on her PIChip, she then decided to go back to the hangar where the fighters were docked. Opening the hatch door on the ship that she and Kay had been flying that day, she slipped inside and closed the hatch behind her. Sliding down under the console she began going over the fighter inch by inch. She was disassembling the third transceiver when she found the small disc that didn’t belong there. Feeling sick at the implications, she pocketed the disc and continued her search. That was all she found but it was enough. After she had everything put back where it belonged, she scooted out, pulled her now stiff body upright and looked at the chronometer. Amazed at the time that had passed, she hurried toward the hatch door and never saw the phaser butt that came down on the back of her head.

*

Kay Lazarus showered and changed into her workout clothes. Still feeling vaguely guilty about turning John Lyra down, she decided to forego the gym for the night and work on the timing of the formations they had worked on that day. She changed again into a tunic and padded barefoot over to her terminal. Inserting her PIChip, which had been upgraded to temporary military status, she began downloading and organizing the data. Eventually she felt as if her body was caving in on itself and glanced at the time. Hours had passed. Where was Carter? She felt a little wary about calling her after their conversation earlier. I guess she’ll get here when she gets here, Kay thought.

She tried to settle down and continue her work but as time dragged on, her anxiety rose exponentially. Where was Carter? Deciding to listen to her instincts, she queried the terminal. Locate Lt. Carter Laughlin she told it. "Lt. Carter Laughlin is in the fighter hangar," the gender neutral computer voice said. Tell her to contact Kay Lazarus, she told the terminal. "No response," replied the computer.

Kay pulled on leggings and boots in seconds and scrambled out the door. Flying down the corridors, she reigned in her panic knowing she would need a cool head if something was wrong. And something was wrong. She could feel it. Bursting into the hangar, a quick look around showed her nothing. She hurried to the fighter she and Carter had flown that day and opened the hatch. And there was Carter, lying on her side on the floor. A patch of blood matted her blond hair at the base of her skull. Kay felt the bottom fall out of her world. Stepping to the console she activated the comm link. "I need a medic immediately in the fighter hangar," she spoke more calmly than she would have thought possible.

"What’s the problem?" the operator at the med center asked.

"Head injury, maybe more," she responded.

"Don’t move the patient. We’ll be right there," the voice answered.

Kay moved back to where Carter lay. She kneeled down next to her and felt for her pulse, which was rapid and erratic. She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Carter," she called softly to her unconscious lover. "Carter, wake up. Come on, sweetheart, wake up." Carter’s eyelids fluttered and she moaned. "Don’t move, help is on the way." Kay held Carter’s head still, speaking softly to her until medics came through the open door of the fighter.

Kay reluctantly let go of Carter as the medics stabilized her for transport to the infirmary. As they were lifting her to take her out of the ship, Kay felt the eyes of one of the medics on her. It took Kay a moment to place the woman who was watching her. Sarah Morrison, briefly an interest of Carter’s before Kay came along, gave a weak smile to Kay. "Try not to worry. We’ll take care of her," she told Kay. Kay nodded mutely and hurried behind the medics as they rolled Carter away.

Once they arrived at the med center, Carter was whisked from Kay’s sight and she was forced to sit and wait. Only a few minutes passed before John Lyra entered the waiting room. "What happened?" he asked without preamble.

"I don’t know," Kay felt something like fear or panic rising in her chest. She had to stop and control her emotions before she could continue. "I found her like that. Obviously someone hit her. There was nothing out of place that I could tell."

"Where?"

"In the hangar."

"When did you see her last?" he asked gently.

"When we finished the run today. She said she had some things she wanted to check out," Kay told him.

"Did she say what?" he looked at Kay quizzically.

"No," she said, impatient with his questioning when Carter lay hurt in the next room.

At that moment Sarah walked into the room from the area where Carter had been taken. "She’s stable. She’s still not conscious, but her vital signs are better. She has a concussion. You can go see her if you want to," she said to Kay.

Kay followed Sarah back to a room where Carter lay hooked up to monitors. She looked so small and defenseless that Kay felt tears well in her eyes before she could stop them. Sarah thoughtfully looked away and walked over to a chair in the corner. After giving Kay a minute to compose herself, she picked up a bag and handed it to Kay. "These are her clothes and the personal things she had on her. Her PIChip was missing, so you might want to go back and look for it."

Kay peeked in the bag and saw clothes, a watch, and boots. "It must still be on the flyer." She wasn’t worried about it. It would be incredibly difficult for someone to steal her personal information, software, and credits without submitting to a retinal scan. "I’ll ask John to look for it," she said.

"Look for what?" John stuck his head in the door.

"Her PIChip," Kay said. "It wasn’t with her other things." The triviality of a missing PIChip when Carter was in danger was getting quickly on her nerves.

"Okay. I need to go check out the flyer anyway. I’ll need to get permission from the captain to check her quarters too," John planned aloud.

Kay looked sharply at him. "Is that necessary?" She would hate for someone to rummage through her things and couldn’t imagine that Carter would be pleased.

"Standard operating procedure in an investigation. I’ll do it myself, if it’ll make you feel better," He told her.

"Okay," she said crestfallen.

"I’ll be in touch," John told her as he left the room. Kay watched him leave wondering why that exchange had left her with a vague sense of uneasiness. Shrugging it off, she turned her attention back to her lover. Carter lay very still and pale. She pulled the chair up next to the bed and took Carter’s hand in her own.

Stroking her hand, she whispered to her, "Wake up, Carter. Come on, baby."

Sarah sadly watched her for a moment. "I’ll be back in few minutes to check on her. Call me if anything changes."

Kay looked up at Sarah, a little surprised that she was still there. "Okay. Um, Sarah, thanks for everything you did today. I…" Kay trailed off, not really knowing what to say.

Sarah nodded. "It’s okay." She looked at the small, still form lying on the bed. "I love Carter too." She smiled at Kay and left the room.

Kay sat by the bed holding Carter’s hand and talking softly to her for the rest of the evening. Close to midnight, James DeForest came in to check on her, asking basically the same questions that John Lyra had asked. Sarah stopped in about every fifteen minutes to check her vital signs. She finally told Kay she was going off duty, but if Kay needed her, to call. Kay eventually fell asleep in the chair and woke up stiff and sore several hours later.

She was disappointed to see Carter seemed not to have moved all night. Her color was a little better though, and her pulse felt stronger to Kay. She realized that she desperately needed to stretch her legs and visit a lavatory, so she walked down the hall and found one unoccupied. Splashing some water on her face and running her fingers through her hair somehow made her feel better. She started back to the room where Carter lay to see a familiar figure walking into the room.

"What are you doing here?" she burst into the room to see Joan Warren bending over the bed. Kay’s anger seethed just below the surface, visible to anyone who looked in her icy eyes.

Joan Warren turned and calmly spoke. "I’m checking on a staff member. Is that all right with you?"

"No, as a matter of fact, it isn’t," Kay’s words were clipped.

"That’s too bad," she replied. "Lt. Laughlin has worked with me for three years and I care about her, no matter what you think. As a senior member of this station it’s not only my right, but my duty to check on her."

"Just leave her alone, Joan," Kay’s tone softened, but the coldness remained in her eyes.

Joan Warren looked at Kay Lazarus for a minute without responding. Then she turned to leave the room, stopping at the door. "Keep us updated on her condition. Please," she said without turning around and left the room. Kay stared at the door behind her.

All that morning Kay sat by the bed watching for a sign of improvement on Carter’s part. Sarah came by and stuck her head in even though she wasn’t on duty yet. "How’s she doing?" she asked Kay.

"As far as I can tell about the same," Kay replied. "Her color seems better."

Sarah felt Carter’s pulse and checked her pupils. "She seems a bit more responsive this morning. That was a nasty crack someone gave her. Good thing she’s hardheaded." Kay looked at Sarah with surprise to see that the young woman was trying to make her relax a little. "They’ll scan her again this morning to make sure there’s no swelling or bleeding." Sarah placed her hand on Kay’s shoulder. "Try not to worry." Kay took comfort from this young woman’s presence, despite the uncomfortable fact that Carter had broken off with Sarah to be with Kay. She could see why Carter had been attracted to her. Sarah was a nice person. She promised to return later.

Soon after Sarah left the room, Carter began to move slightly and moaned aloud once. Kay called the medic on duty who checked Carter’s responses and smiled broadly at Kay. "I think she’s coming around finally. She was starting to give us a scare."

Starting to, Kay thought. How about scared the life out of me? But Carter put off consciousness a while longer. John Lyra stopped in and said hello. "Didn’t find her PIChip," he told her. "I guess this may have been a robbery, but for the life of me I don’t know why."

"I don’t understand," Kay said. "No one can use her PIChip. It’s not of any use if you can’t scan it."

He shrugged. "We’ll find out. It may take a while, but we will find out."

Carter moaned again and stirred. "Wake up, Carter," Kay said to her for what felt like the hundredth time. This time Carter’s eyelids actually fluttered and slowly opened. "Hey baby," Kay said softly with a huge grin on her face.

Carter tried to focus her blurry vision. All she could see was an indistinct face with very white teeth and two spots of blue. "Hi," she managed to warble. She couldn’t see Kay’s face very clearly but she recognized the voice and the smell and most of all, the feel of her lover. "Am I glad to see you," she croaked out.

"Let me give you some water," Kay tended to her gently, helping her to drink small sips. Exhausted by the effort, Carter put her head back down on the pillow.

John Lyra moved beside Kay. "Hi Carter. Glad you’re back with us," he smiled at her. She tried to focus on his face but her head was hurting so badly she had to close her eyes.

"It’s John Lyra," Kay told her. "He’s trying to find out who did this to you."

"Do you remember anything, Carter?" he asked her.

She tried opening her eyes again to look at him. "No. Last thing I remember was coming back to the station after the run. What time is it?"

"It’s eleven hundred hours. You’ve been out since last night," Kay told her, stroking her face.

"Oh," Carter said weakly. "That’s not good."

"I’ll come back later," said John. "Maybe you’ll remember details after you’ve woken up a little more."

"Thanks for everything, Johnny," Kay said. The warrant officer gave her an encouraging smile and left.

Kay immediately turned her attention back to Carter. "God, you scared me," she whispered, stroking Carter’s cheek.

"Sorry," Carter managed a small smile. She was so tired.

"I’ll forgive you this time. I think you’d better try to sleep some more, sweetheart. Sleep helps you heal faster and I want you back."

"I want you too," Carter mumbled as she drifted off. "But not tonight, honey. I have a headache."

Kay held her hand and stroked her face, unable to keep her hands off of her lover. The relief she felt threatened to emotionally overwhelm her once again. I’ve cried more today than in my entire life, she thought.

"Remind me to tell you something, Kay," Carter struggled back up through sleep for a moment. "I can’t think of it right now…" She slipped back down as Kay watched her.

*

When Carter awoke late that afternoon she was much better. That sounds like Sarah, she thought. And that sounds like Kay. Ooh, maybe I’d better go back to sleep, she thought, but it was too late.

"I think she’s awake," Kay still held her hand. "Hi, Carter. Feeling better?"

"I think so," Carter replied in a voice that sounded more like the old Carter.

"Hi," Sarah sounded shy. "You’re finally back."

"Hi, Sarah," Carter smiled at her. "It’s nice to see you," she said, meaning it.

Kay and Sarah laughed softly. "It’s nice to see you too, Carter," Sarah’s shyness disappeared. She checked Carter’s vitals and gave her the thumbs up. "I gotta go on rounds. I’ll check on you later." She waved as she left the room.

"Here, try to drink some water," Kay held the glass as Carter gingerly raised her head to drink.

"What I really need is food," Carter told her. "I’m starving."

"She lives!" Kay laughed. "That’s my girl. I’ll call and see what they’ll let you have." She called the medic station and told them the patient was awake and hungry. "You seem so much better. Are you?"

"I think so," Carter said. "What time is it?"

"About seventeen hundred hours. I’m not surprised you’re hungry. You haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday."

"Have you?" Carter asked wryly.

Kay looked surprised. "I think I have," she said with a questioning look that told Carter she probably had not.

"I’ll share whatever they bring me," Carter told her. The paleness of Kay’s face and the dark circles under her eyes gave away her diligence at Carter’s bedside.

"I’m supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around," Kay said with mock severity. She suddenly felt very hungry and her stomach growled. "Tattletale," she looked down.

Carter laughed, and then groaned. "Don’t make me laugh. Oh, I wanted to tell you something. Yesterday after we came in, I ran a diagnostics in comm engineering."

Kay looked puzzled. "I thought you couldn’t remember anything?"

"No, I remember," Carter looked at Kay seriously. "I searched for unregistered encrypted lines that were going out of the station but didn’t turn any up. So then I tried to find the same thing using different parameters and a filter that looks through viruswalls. Still didn’t find anything."

"Why were you searching for encrypted lines, Carter? What did you think you’d find?"

"I was thinking about the story you told me. About how the Ultharians seemed like they knew your every move and all your tactics and formations. And I thought maybe they did know."

"A spy?" Kay was very still. On some level, Kay had had that thought before but had always pushed it from her mind. The idea that someone she trusted would betray and sabotage the fighter squadron was too terrible to bear.

"Yeah. And then I thought about them breaking the new system net that we’ve just developed. That points to a spy too."

"But you didn’t find anything," Kay protested. "Why would someone crack your skull open?"

"Ouch, I wish you hadn’t said that," Carter winced. "I did find something. The third time I ran diagnostics, I discovered a comm link hidden deep in the routing system. I traced its path and it’s not connected to any of our satellites. It goes in the opposite direction… out toward the rim."

"Where does it go in this direction?" Kay asked coolly.

Carter hesitated and for a moment Kay thought she wouldn’t answer. Then she turned her honest eyes to Kay and said carefully, "To security."

Kay was stunned. "You think one of Johnny’s staff is a spy?" Carter didn’t say anything, letting Kay work it out for herself. "Not Johnny?" she faltered. Carter held her hand a little tighter.

"I’m sorry, honey. I think so, yeah," Carter told her. "Let me tell you what else I found. I went to the fighter to search for a bug that would monitor ship to ship communication during the actual fight, and I found one in a resistor. It’s in my coverall pocket."

"I can’t believe it," Kay said, shocked. "If that’s true then they did know every move we made before we made it. Why didn’t sensors pick up the bug?"

"I don’t know yet. I didn’t really get a chance to dissect it before I got popped." Carter face was drained of all color from the effort of talking so long. At that moment a medic walked in followed by a cart that hummed along.

"I brought food," the medic said. "And I was told to bring two trays by Lt. Morrison."

"Could you do me a favor and notify the XO that Lt. Laughlin is awake now?" Kay asked the medic.

"Sure," The medic directed the cart to unload the trays and left.

Carter blinked, but was too tired to ask.

Kay was grateful for Sarah’s thoughtfulness. "I don’t know if one’s for me or she remembered how you eat," she teased Carter, despite no longer having an appetite. "You promised to share, whatever."

Carter was nauseated by the first few bites, but then began to lose her green coloring as her body adjusted to something on her stomach. As her strength returned, she said to Kay, "When I ran the diagnostics I downloaded the information onto my PIChip. I have proof, Kay." She said this knowing it would make Kay unhappy to realize her old friend had sabotaged her.

"More bad news, babe," Kay told her. "Your PIChip is missing. Unfortunately, John went back to look for it, even though he probably had destroyed it when I asked him to look. Plus, he searched your quarters. Said it was SOP for a crime investigation."

Carter realized that Kay was telling her that she believed everything she had uncovered and the conclusions she had drawn. At least she could be on the alert from now on. Carter allowed herself to relax a little. "He can search all he wants. I have nothing to hide."

"It’s not you hiding something I’m worried about. I’m glad you told him you couldn’t remember anything. Stick to that story for now, okay?"

"Okay," Carter yawned. "Why did you send word about me to XO Warren?"

"She checked on you while you were out. I told her I’d let her know," Kay’s face was unreadable. "I’m going to ask Sarah if she’ll come sit with you for a while. I need to talk to the CO. And take a shower."

"I don’t need a babysitter," Carter said.

"Someone, probably John, tried to kill you," Kay’s anguish showed. "It’s not safe for you to be alone."

"I’m getting out of here as soon as I can," Carter replied.

"I don’t know how good an idea that is," Kay said.

"I feel safer with you than anywhere," Carter’s plainly spoken truth touched Kay deeply.

"I feel better having you close too," Kay told her. "Okay, we’ll see how it goes."

*