Heart Attack in Progress - Part 1

Posted on Fri Feb 8th, 2019 @ 7:09pm by Lieutenant Commander Catrina (Cat) Tendai & Ensign Connor Turner & Candy Templeton
Edited on on Mon Mar 11th, 2019 @ 2:26pm

4,101 words; about a 21 minute read

Mission: Mission 2: Into The Breach
Location: Faltan Station Bar and Candy's Quarters
Timeline: MD05 - 1200

Connor woke up from his mandatory sleep cycle. He was more than a little displeased that Mint and Cat had ordered him to take the time for sleep even if he knew it. Working with computers was always better when one's mind was attuned to theirs. He wondered if he lost attunement while working on the Medway. As far as he knew, it would last a month. However, was it possible that he miscalculated due to exhaustion. He doubted it.

Since he was unsure of when he would be on shift next, he decided that he would go out to eat. There was no better place to go than a bar. Usually, they were not crowded and when they were, it was usually men hitting on women and he had no reason to be a part of that. He would be safe. After all, women rarely came to him, especially since he kept his head low.

He was just about to enter when a site caused him to stop in his tracks. At the bar was a blonde haired woman with a figure to die for. He then heard her laugh. No! It can't be! He tapped his commbadge and said, =^=Ensign Turner to Lieutenant Tendai, I have a personal emergency. Can you meet me here immediately. =^=

Raising an eyebrow hearing Turner calling her, Cat sighed and pushed herself up from her chair in her office. She had gone back to work, against Mint’s wishes, and would hear about it later. But why would Connor have a personal emergency? =^= I’m on my way, Turner. =^=

When Cat arrived, Connor was as white as a ghost. He said, "See her!" pointing at Candy. "That's her! That's Holly! It can't be! But it is! You have to help me!"

Looking where Connor had pointed, Cat’s eyes went wide. “You mean Candy? The reporter that almost got me in trouble?”

"That is NOT Candy," Connor insisted. "That's Holly Moore! I'd know her anywhere! And why would anyone get you in trouble?"

Cat rubbed the back of her neck, “Because they think I was late arriving, even though I wasn’t..never mind. I interviewed with her and she give the name of Candy Templeton. Why would she show up here like this and not tell you?”

"I don't know!" Connor panicked. "Please! I need you to find out! I can't do this. Please!" His eyes begged Cat for mercy.

"Connor..." Cat pinched the bridge of her nose. "How would I even ask? Remind me why I'm even considering this...."

"Because you wanted to be my friend, remember?" Connor hoped that she did. "I don't know how you would ask. Don't women talk to each other in some way? You're smart! Help me out! If your Candy is my Holly, that leaves a lot of questions and I don't know what to do!"

Letting out a groan, more from tiredness than anything else, she did want to help. "Fine, but you owe me, Connor." Shaking her head, she pulled her hair up with the hair tie that was around her wrist and walked over, slipping into the seat at the bar next to Candy/Holly. "Your article went over well," came a sarcastic tone, but it'd at least catch her attention.

Candy shrugged her shoulders and sipped at her Andorian Sunrise. "Yes, apparently so well that I'm banned from taking interviews. Have you come to gloat? Or was there something that you really wanted to talk about? Have you taken my advice, yet?"

"I don't gloat. Haven't had any time to take your advice yet, if you couldn't tell things have been a bit hectic." Nodding to the bartender, he brought her over a margarita. "But I heard something of my own, in passing. Strictly off the record that is, if you're interested."

Perking up, Candy asked interested, "Is that a fact? You know, you could be violating your Captain's order by telling me."

Sipping the margarita, "Mmm, but see, this has nothing to do with station operations. And it likely is not anything you'd want to put into a report as it is." She could tell Connor was likely still watching from where she'd left him, but she didn't look at him or at Candy. "Something about a girl named Holly..Moore?"

Candy was about to say something witty, regarding not wanting to report when she heard the name Holly Moore. For a moment, she stiffened. She then took a healthy gulp of her Andorian Sunrise, composed herself and asked, "Why about a girl named Holly Moore? That hardly sounds interesting."

"You see, you already gave it away. You know exactly about the Holly Moore girl, don't you?" Cat glanced over out of the corner of her eye at the woman. "And I'm not even here for me, for a friend. That friend recognized you," she said in a lowered voice.

"A lot of people recognize me," Candy replied with false bravado. "I am a famous reporter."

She could not help but roll her eyes. "Oh get over yourself, Holly. This friend happens to be a shy engineer who..I don't know what you did to them...but just the way you reacted when I said that name, you really think I didn't notice?"

Relenting and bringing her voice to a whisper, Candy asked, "What in the world is Connor doing out here? And my name IS Candy. He just never knew."

"Thinking you are still his girlfriend, doing a damned good job in engineering" Cat matched the whisper. "Why the hell would you lead him on?"

"Lead him on?!" Candy whispered outraged. "Why do you think I would ever do that? I left because it was better for both of us. I told him it would be better if we went our separate ways because I was heading back out to space." She polished off her Andorian Sunrise. "What do you know of us? What has he told you?" she demanded in harsh whispers. The normally composed Candy seemed to be on the verge of having a breakdown of some sort.

Pushing her margarita aside, Cat sighed. "Nothing more than that. He's the one who recognized you, asked me to talk to you. He still cares about you. He still thinks there is something between the two of you." She did her best to not let her eyes turn to where Connor was. "Candy," she put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "What is it?" She realized in the back of her head she had way to big of a soft spot, even if this woman had caused issues for her with the article.

"I need another drink," Candy replied heavily. "And another location." She sighed as she ordered another drink. "This is just fucking perfect...." She hesitated for a bit before coming to a decision. "So much you can't understand and so much you probably wouldn't believe...."

“If you want to talk, Candy, I’ll listen.” It was one thing she really never properly got when she needed it: someone to listen to her. Cat wasn’t going to do that to someone else if they needed to talk. “Doesn’t have to be here.”

"Fine," Candy replied in an annoyed tone. "Come on. Your place or mine?" She grabbed the Andorian Sunrise that arrived and put it in her left hand. Her head swiveled about, looking for Connor. She suspected that he was here somewhere.

Grabbing the new margarita that was brought, Cat sighed, “Doesn’t matter. Wherever you’re more comfortable. And if you’re looking for him?” Her eyes glanced over to the doorway.

"Oh, God!" Candy replied in a hushed and urgent tone to disappear. "Please, my quarters, now." Without looking further in Connor's direction, she tried to look as if she was calmly walking off with Cat for a perfectly normal conversation. Candy's insides, however, were tearing her apart.

When they arrived at her guest quarters, Candy put her Andorian Sunrise on the nightstand and then flopped on the bed. "Why now?" she asked to nobody in particular.

Following Candy to her quarters, Cat wondered what was actually going on here. Making sure the door closed behind her, she set her own drink on the nearby desk before sitting near the bed. “Candy? What is going on?”

"Is it not evident?" Candy asked, wondering if she made a mistake in inviting Cat over.

"Candy...I have an idea but I'd rather not make assumptions."

"An idea?" Candy sat up and looked at Cat. Her voice became a bit snarky as she replied, "This should be good. Do tell."

Raising an eyebrow a the snarky voice, Cat shook her head, "That you still care about him...a lot."

Candy did not respond for a long while and then sighed. She took her Andorian Sunrise and drank a large gulp before saying, "Of course I do. That's why I had to leave."

"I don't understand. If you care about him so much, why did you leave him?"

"Because it could never work," Candy answered as if it was obvious. "I'm not the stay at home type. I could never be in one place. Connor is not the kind of person to leave Earth. I'm actually shocked that he's out here. This is so far out of his comfort zone." She smiled warmly when she uttered her last sentence. "Besides, it was jeopardizing my career. I had already stayed at least six months more than I should have. My investigation had long been wrapped up."

Listening, Cat rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know why he's out here any more than you do. But he still thinks there is something between you two, still thinks you are his girlfriend. If you care about him as much as it seems you do," she said putting a hand on Candy's arm, "You should at least go talk to him. He knows you're here. I can even stay while you talk if you want me to."

"This is foolish," Candy responded. "I should have deleted all traces of Holly or had her die. I never thought he wouldn't move on. I mean, time and space.... It is the logical thing to do!" she firmly exclaimed.

"You know him better than I do. Do you seriously think he would have moved on? When is Connor ever logical?"

Candy's eyes grew large. "How could you ask that sort of thing? How long have you worked with him? Connor's extremely logical. He's gifted with computers. He's just very shy." She giggled like a schoolgirl. "Has he ever been able to look you in the eye for more than a few seconds without blushing or turning his head?" She laughed again before getting an answer. "It took me a month before I could corner him. That's probably why I couldn't resist him, you know? I can't resist a challenge or finding out what's really going on with the world."

Cat gave a small chuckle, "I meant logical about this type of thing. Computers? He can out-school me any day honestly. He's looked me in the eye on occasion, not often. Stammers a lot. But when it came to talking about you?" She tried to catch Candy's eye. "He's very serious."

"What'd he say?" Candy moved forward to the edge of the bed, anxiously.

"I can't even remember what we were talking about, but he was very clear about making sure I knew he had a girlfriend named Holly. Told him he was lucky to have her. Obviously didn't know who she really was."

Candy's eyes narrowed. Something was bothering her and her eyes narrowed on Cat. "You're not just trying to fix us up or get us together again, are you? Why can't you remember what he said? And why would it matter who she was or if it was me? Do you think that I'm not good enough for him? Or do you just not like me?"

Cat sighed, “Candy, slow down. I said nothing about trying to get you two back together. As to why I can’t remember word for word? That was when I was working days at a time with no sleep, I could barely remember what day it was. It was right near us finishing repairs, because I think I told him to go get some sleep...maybe. It’s mostly a blur.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, he’s a friend, and he asked me to talk to you. I don’t know him well enough to say who is good enough for him, but putting him through all of this? And I’m trying to get past the ‘people I don’t like’ thing.”

Studying Cat's face carefully, Candy decided that Cat was not lying. "At least you're being honest with me and not hiding things now," Candy replied. "I appreciate that even if you do not like me." She sighed and cupped her forehead in the palms of her hands. "What am I going to do? I never expected this and I don't want to hurt him."

“Start with telling him the truth? Not only about who you are but how you truly feel about him. Then...try to sort things out from there? I’m sorry...I’m not exactly great at relationship advice...”

"No, you're not," Candy told Cat bluntly. "You can't even admit to me who you're significant other is. I had to figure everything out on my own, though I admit that I still do not know her name. All I ask is that people be honest with me. I just look for the truth." She sighed, hearing her own words, her hands falling into her lap. "My report came for naught in that whole investigation when I met Connor. Perhaps I have protected him too long. If he can't handle the truth, then, well, it is his problem, not mine."

Cat didn’t mind the bluntness, as she knew she wasn’t great at it. Her relationship with Sarah...if Sarah ever came back...was her first one since what happened to her as a teen. “Some things people want to keep to themselves and not have their lives dug into...like you with Connor.” She looked directly at Candy. “I won’t say anything to anyone but you do need to talk to him.”

"Whether you wish your life dug into or not, that is part of my job and you are a public servant. You do not have the same rights to privacy, Cat." She took a deep breath, then a sip of her Andorian Sunrise. "I will keep your secret, if you keep mine," she finally concluded.

Snatching up the drink she’d brought with her, Cat took a sip and sighed. “Not that it matters much anyways..as she’s missing..” She didn’t look at Candy, rather at her drink. “Sarah...Sarah Dufrai.”

"I'm sorry," Candy replied genuinely. "If I can find her for you, I will," Candy offered.

“No, you don’t need to, Candy.” Cat tried to keep her emotions in check, but was failing.

"It is not a matter of need. If I can, I will." She put a hand on Cat's. "I want to do it."

Cat shook her head, closing her eyes. “Focus on Connor, okay? Have a long discussion with him about things. Don’t worry about trying to find Sarah...”

“Martyrdom is sweet but I can do both, Cat. But take my advice regarding your commanding officer.”

“We’ll see,” Cat stated quietly, “Too much going on right now to deal with that.”

“Oh?” Candy asked interested. She grabbed another sip of her Andorian Sunrise and the reporter’s glint was back. “Do tell.”

“I’m just busy, Candy. Not even supposed to be on duty right now as it is per Prescott, but I am because there is too much work to do. The away mission didn’t go as planned, that’s all I’ll say.” Cat quickly downed the rest of her drink and sighed.

A curl came to Candy’s mouth. I can get it from Connor when I talk to him. Fortuitous. “That’s OK, Cat. I don’t want to stress you further. Thank you for talking to me.” Candy smiled and rose to let Cat out.”

Eyeing Candy, Cat frowned. “Candy...don’t. Just don’t. Unless you seriously want him to relive the mangled bodies in his head. It’s bad enough for me that I barely slept last night, and he wouldn’t have seen much as he was keeping things stable.”

“Mangled bodies?” Candy replied most interested. “That sounds interesting. Were they in combat? Were you? Did Connor faint?”

"No, that one you'll have to wait for the report, which actually was what I was doing before Connor called me. The report will likely be out in a few days as it is." Cat sighed, "It was a long twelve hours, and I'd rather not go into the details."

"But I would," Candy answered simply. "I must know. I probably can't report on it immediately anyways," she replied mildly disappointed. "I expect I will have something bigger."

Cat did her best not to roll her eyes. "Bodies buried half in rock, half on the ship due to the impact of the ship, twisted in directions they shouldn't be. Engine malfunction."

"Engine malfunction?" Candy repeated the words, turning over Cat's phrases in her mind over and over again. "Buried half in the rock?" Nothing suspicious with that statement. "Twisted in directions they shouldn't be?" Something was wrong about that statement. But what? In any crash bodies would be twisted or contorted but in ways they shouldn't?" Candy decided that Cat was hiding something. "You're leaving something out. I'm not sure what but I know you are."

"Because I can't report it other than in an official report, and Starfleet will decide what is published of my report to the public. I likely told you too much as it was."

"Anonymous sources say quite a lot of things, especially when there are many people it could be," Candy offered Cat.

Cat pinched the bridge of her nose. "Doesn't matter. As an engineer and knowing what it was they were doing, I can't go into it without permission except with those who already know."

"The public really should know these kinds of things, Cat." She sighed. "I won't push it now," Candy conceded. "I have other matters to attend to first, including Connor."

"Candy, when they need to know they will know, okay?" Cat nodded, "Please, just talk to him, but be kind about it. Don't push him too hard."

"Remember what I said at the beginning. Truth is all the matters. The public needs to know. However, I have other matters first and I'm only one woman. And, as to Connor...." She sighed. "It will probably be much harder on me than him."

Frowning, "Why harder on you than him, Candy? You told me that you'd left him, I don't understand..." Cat had an idea, but based on what she did know of Candy, it wasn't possible, was it?

"I have to spell it out for you, don't I? You don't believe me capable of it, do you? You think that I'm just a hard nosed, cold harded bitch that will do anything for the story, right?"

"Then I go back to my original question, Candy. If you do love him, why did you leave? And it can't just be because you thought you'd stayed to long and had to leave to get more stories."

"It was. A reporter can't stay on the sideline and expect to get the good stuff. I would have been relegated to local news and stories that had little importance. I was not meant for that, Cat. I was already starting to get bypassed."

Cat sat back and sighed, "Not one to give up everything for love? Because right now I would."

"You would give up your position and your career for love?" Candy shook her head. "How would you know if that person would be there for you tomorrow? That is a huge risk and one I'm not willing to accept a wager."

Eyes turning completely serious, “Right now? I’d give up everything to find her.”

Equally serious and sympathetically, Candy replied, “Then I shall do everything I can to find her for you.”

“Her own team has had to stop looking for her, not sure how you’d find anything...”

“I have a knack for these sorts of things,” Candy replied confidently and with a smile that backed it up. “That’s why I am the reporter that I am. I don’t accept things at face value. If I can’t find her, nobody can.”

Cat lowered her head, looking down at her hands. “From what little I’ve heard, you don’t want to be out there with them. Trust me. And that’d be the only place to look.”

"You're a sweetheart," Candy told Cat sweetly. "However, I'm a big girl and wherever she is does not scare me. I'll go after my other project."

“That isn’t what I’m worried about, Candy. Just what they deal with out there, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. And that is just from what I’ve heard. Things are tough enough around here, out there...” Cat stared off to a blank wall. “I do appreciate it but you seriously don’t need to. Doesn’t matter what I feel for her.”

"Tell me what's out there that has you so worried."

Cat shook her head, “The person I love is an intel field agent, what do you expect? She’s missing, how can I not fear what is out there?”

"We determined she was in intelligence last time we talked, Cat. But you know more."

“Because her team is assuming she’s KIA, okay? Do you have any idea how hard that hit me, and yet I still try to find her in the ways that I know how. What does that say about me?” Doing her best, Catrina kept the tears at bay.

"Fools assume. You're right to suspect something else until you have concrete proof," Candy replied putting a hand on Cat's shoulder. "Give me everything you can and I will do everything I can."

“You know what I know,” Cat said quietly, “I haven’t been told anything more beyond this.”

"Not a lot but I will find more," Candy assured Cat. "Perhaps I will find something more today. One never knows."

Cat shook her head, “You have more important things to take care of right now. I might just..take tonight off on trying to find her...clear my head...I don’t know...I’ve been trying every night other than when I wasn’t here.”

"I have found that sometimes the universe puts people in the right place at the right time. I might be one such person today." She smiled knowing that she would be meeting with the Faltans soon. "But, if I am to keep my promise to you regarding Connor, I am going to have to leave my quarters with you, now. My other obligations may be pressing against me soon."

"Yeah, go, see Connor. That was the main reason for all of this anyways. Go tell him the truth, yeah? He at least deserves that if nothing else. I'll go get back to work."

"I have a feeling that this will hurt me much more than him," Candy replied. She tapped Cat lightly on the shoulder and said, "Let's go. Thank you for your time and discretion." She paused for a moment and said, "You know what? Can you tap your commbadge and call Connor here? It might be best for everyone."

Raising an eyebrow, Cat realized that Candy was probably right. =^=Tendai to Turner, please report to Candy Templeton's quarters.=^= "Want me to stay? I don't mind."

Candy debated that. Eventually this would have to be a private conversation but there was now more than one person in this room that knew she was Holly Moore and she would have to do something to correct the situation. Moving back to her bed, she gestured to Cat to take the chair and waited anxiously for the chime to ring.

 

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