Well, That Was Weird

[captainawesome1701]

 It had begun during an away mission. The away team was in trouble, they were surrounded, ambushed by the planet's inhabitants, and suddenly.... they weren't. At least half a dozen warriors brandishing spears and bows and arrows were closing in on them. Kirk had closed his eyes, shielding Ensign Zahra with his body as he screamed at the Enterprise to beam them up, dammit, when suddenly.... everything went quiet. The warriors had disappeared. The team hadn't had a chance to explore their surroundings, as Scotty came through for them at that moment and they were beamed up to safety. 

They had all written it off as excellent timing, which it was, but it had stuck with the Captain. He knew that a transport beam wouldn't shield them from projectiles immediately. It would be beamed with them. No enemy weapons came through with them, so that meant no enemy weapons had been flying at them in the moment. He knew that somehow, their enemies had all disappeared. And he couldn't figure out how.

He hadn't even mentioned it to Bones or Spock, the two people he trusted the most, for fear of them declaring him unfit for duty. He'd tell them later, when they were back out in the black, not parked at a space station where Starfleet could conveniently put him on desk duty until the mystery was fully explained.

Comments

[thisisgonnasuck]

After the Barn had been destroyed, Audrey's life had changed. She no longer went away, only to return twenty-seven years later. She remembered who she was, and found out she was immortal. It was strange at first, and heartbreaking as she watched her friends grow old and die. Audrey never forgot what she was there for, and continued to help the Troubled.

She wasn't really sure why she had joined Starfleet. It provided her with something new to do, and she knew there was the possibility that some of the officers had the Troubles since they never showed up on medical tests. So she went to the academy for several years, and finally graduated as a psychiatrist, with the rank of Lieutenant, and was assigned to the Enterprise

She had heard about the close call all of them had on the planet and since it was her dury to make sure the crew was of sound mind, she sought the Captain out once they'd arrived at the space station.

"Captain? May I have a word?" she asked when she finally found him.

[captainawesome1701]

Kirk was sitting in one of the rec areas, hanging out alone in one of the corners to keep an eye on his crew and just observe for a change. He glanced up when she addressed him, but he couldn't quite place her face. Damn, he was slipping on his duties. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

[thisisgonnasuck]

Audrey gave him a smile, but didn't sit down. It wasn't her place to do so without being asked. Instead, she tucked her hands behind her back and stood there. "I was wondering if you wanted to talk about what happened on the planet the other day. I'm going to talk to everyone down there, just to make sure all of you are doing all right," she said.

[captainawesome1701]

Ah, this. He really wasn't a fan of shrinks in general, having seen and been dismissed by more than a few as a child. He was starting to admit their benefit, but he was still a long way off from lying down on a couch talking about his feelings. "Why don't we go somewhere a bit more... private?"

[thisisgonnasuck]

Audrey knew she wasn't the most popular person on the ship. Her reports were often used when determining if an officer was still fit for duty. She tried not to tell every little detail of what happened since she knew Starfleet was easy to upset and she didn't want good officers being taken away just because they had a bad day.

"We could go to my office, unless that might make you uncomfortable."

[captainawesome1701]

"No, your office is fine, lead the way." He gestured for her to take the lead, that'd he'd follow. He glanced around the rec room to make sure that everyone was still getting along fine, and since he didn't spot any potential fights, he followed after her.

[thisisgonnasuck]

"I think this might be the first time you've came to my office willingly, sir." It was a joke and Audrey smile before turning to leas him out. Her office was on the other side of the ship, but with the turbolifts it didn't take long. And once there, she waved at the chair in front of her desk. "Have a sear please."

She then rounded her desk and sat down. "How have you been feeling since the mission? I heard it was a pretty close call."

[captainawesome1701]

"Don't take it personally, I go to very few offices willingly," he smirked. Keep it light and easy, that would help him keep from freaking out or getting too grumpy.

He took the seat that he was offered, looking around her office and basically anywhere but at her. "I've had closer calls. All in a day's work, right?"


[[omg I'm so sorry, I'm on the last week of Nanowrimo, I'm probably gonna be super slow, forgive me!!]]

[thisisgonnasuck]

"Knowing that makes me feel a little better, Captain," Audrey said with a grin before they headed out to her office.

Once he was seated, she sat down, too, and waited for him to answer. Somehow, she knew that would be his answer and nodded. "I've read your files so I know that," she told him. "However, a few crew members that were there with you said something strange happened, and they claimed they had never seen anything like it. I even spoke to your Chief Engineer, and he can't even explain what happened."

ooc: No worries! I've been slow with the holiday and whatnot. :)

[captainawesome1701]

"Yeah? What are they saying they saw?" Jim Kirk? Difficult? Neeeeeever....

[thisisgonnasuck]

Audrey stares at him for a moment, wondering if he'll answer her. When he doesn't, she blows out a puff of air. "You and your crew got out of there rather fast, and no one can explain why, Captain. But, a few of the crew members that were down there are sure you did something to cause it," she says. "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

[captainawesome1701]

"Nothing comes to mind, no," he says innocently. One thing he's learned over and over again is that if something weird or bad happens, you keep your mouth shut. He can't abide by that rule when it concerns other people, but when it only affects himself? Oh yeah. That's his number one rule.

[thisisgonnasuck]

Audrey is pretty sure Kirk's lying since she's dealt with this before for well over a century, and she knows the signs. However, he's her captain and she knows she needs to tread lightly. "May I speak freely, Captain?" she asks.

[captainawesome1701]

"Absolutely. It's your office, after all." Normally, this means bad things, but honestly, what could she tell him that could be so bad?

[thisisgonnasuck]

Audrey leans forward a bit, her elbows on her desk. "I think you have an ability, and that ability caused you and the crew to be beamed back to the ship," she says. It sounds crazy, but she needs to say it. Audrey hopes it will make him be honest with her. "I've been working with people that have them for a very, very long time, and I can help you."

[captainawesome1701]

Alright, so maybe she isn't one of those people he needs to keep his mouth shut around. But still, it's a bit strange, abilities, and he's not ready to be completely honest yet. "What do you mean, a long time? What kind of abilities?"

[thisisgonnasuck]

"I'm immortal, which is in my file somewhere, and I've been given the job of helping the Troubled. Or, people with abilities," Audrey says, knowing she'll need to explain what she means. It's not easy explaining it to someone whose never heard of them before. "Abilities... extraordinary skills that others don't have. Mine is being immune to other people's abilities. For example, if someone had the ability to put people to sleep by just thinking it, they wouldn't be able to do it to me. Troubles tend to activate when someone is under a lot of stress, which you were on that mission, which is why you were able to transport everyone out of there."

[captainawesome1701]

"Immortal?" He lets out a whistle. Yeah, it may have said that in her file - and he did read the personnel file for each and every member of his crew and did his best to commit it to memory - but some things were too incredible for him to believe without some kind of proof. "So you think that.... the thing on the planet's surface, that was me?"

[thisisgonnasuck]

"Yes, immortal. I've been alive for a very long time," Audrey tells him. At least he wasn't freaking out on her like some people did. That'll make all of this a little easier on her. She then nods at his question. "I think it was. We can test it out sometime, just to be sure, but I'm pretty sure it was. I can help you through this, you know."

[captainawesome1701]

He's seen enough weird things to know when to just accept things about other people. About himself, though, that's a bit harder. "How would you help? I mean, theoretically. Because it's ridiculous, being able to teleport people."

[thisisgonnasuck]

"If you can teach yourself not to get so stressed out and emotional about things, you should be able to control it," Audrey tells him. "I know that sounds impossible since you're the captain and stress is part of the job, but I think I can help you." She then pauses and looks at him for a moment. "And, I promise not to tell Starfleet about this."

[captainawesome1701]

"Nooo, please do not tell Starfleet about this." If they knew about Audrey, chances were they wouldn't mind terribly about him having a trouble, but that last thing Jim needed was another reason for certain admirals to breathe down his neck. "So... it's just about handling stress?"

[thisisgonnasuck]

Audrey holds up her hand. "I already said I wasn't. It's none of their business," she says. While she doesn't mind Starfleet as a whole, she doesn't like some of those n charge. They tended to take things to the extreme, and she didn't want to see Kirk lose his position. "That'll probably do it. Do I have to tell you about deep breathing and avoiding Doctor McCoy when he's on a tear."

[captainawesome1701]

Oh, that makes him laugh. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that can handle Bones when he goes off." We'll just ignore that the captain himself is the cause of most of those explosions. Shhhhhh. "But yeah, manage the stress. I've been told I need to do that quite a bit."

[thisisgonnasuck]

"I think you're right. I won't even get into how he was when I had to do his yearly evaluation," Audrey says with a laugh. She knows Kirk is the responsible for making McCoy fly off the handle at times. "Do you need with getting rid of the stress? I mean... help with managing it."

[captainawesome1701]

"I think knowing it's even a possibility will help. Before, I didn't think there'd be any consequences if I got a little more freaked out than normal." He smiles a little bit, but then he gets this curious look on his face. "Would I ever be able to control it? I mean, not just keep it from happening, but, I don't know, activate it when I need to. Might be a handy little trick."

[thisisgonnasuck]

"I think eventually you'll be able to control and use it when you want. I've know others that have after a lot of work," Audrey explains to him. Reaching over, she picks up her PADD and brings her schedule up. "I can schedule you for weekly meetings so we can work on it together. No pressure, though. If something else comes up, you can cancel the meeting, and just reschedule it. I hasve Wednesday mornings and Friday afternoons open."

[captainawesome1701]

He brightens considerably when she tells him he might be able to willingly activate it one day. "Let's go Wednesdays. Fridays can get complicated."

Of course, this is all assuming that it's a normal, non-emergency week, but isn't that the assumption with any schedule on board the Enterprise?

[thisisgonnasuck]

"Wednesdays it is. I'll put you in, and send a reminder to your PADD later," Audrey says before she sets her own PADD to the side. She understands things get hectic around there, and she won't be upset if he has to miss a session here and there. "Do you have any questions? I don't wanna keep you away from having fun while we're here."

[captainawesome1701]

"I'm sure Janice will appreciate not having to remind me hourly to see you." He smirks, and pauses to think about her question.

"Are there any... reports or historical records about troubled people I could get my hands on?" Now that he knows this is even a thing, he wants to learn everything.

[thisisgonnasuck]

"There is actually. A lot of records are kept on a private server for those in the know to research," Audrey says before she picks up her PADD again. She tabs through it again and types something up before looking up at Kirk. "I sent you a link to the server, along with the password. Starfleet won't be able to track you there so you'll be safe. And I probably don't have to tell you not to let others see it. There are two other people on the ship with a Trouble and I haven't even trusted them with this information."

[captainawesome1701]

"Thanks, I'll be sure to keep it between us." He's really looking forward to diving head first into the research part - not that he'd let anyone know, he's got an image and everything to uphold - but that last part throws him. "There's two troubled people on my ship already?!"

[thisisgonnasuck]

"Two of the Ensigns are. They ha their Troubles under control before they joined so they aren't a danger," Audrey tells him. She then pauses and looks at him for a moment. "Are you going to make me tell you who they are, sir?"

[captainawesome1701]

"No. Definitely not. If they don't want it known, it can stay that way." It hasn't caused a problem yet, so he assumes that their troubles, whatever they are, are under control. That's a good sign. He hesitates, then adds. "But let them know that I'm one of them, too. You know, if they ever feel like telling me."

[thisisgonnasuck]

Audrey gives him a smile, glad to know he's willing to be open with the other Troubled people on the ship. She knows that will make them feel more accept since one is worried they'll get kicked off the ship. "They'll appreciate that, Captain. It'll make them feel better to know they have your support in all of this," she says.

[captainawesome1701]

"Hey, no one likes to be an outcast, especially because of something they can't help." He stands then, stretching a hand out to shake hers. "See you on Wednesday then?"

[thisisgonnasuck]

When he stands, she stands too and shakes his hand. "See you Wednesday. And, if anything happens before then, feel free to bug me," Audrey says with a smile.