The “Milli-Cochrane Caper" 3.75

Posted on Wed 28th Sep, 2022 @ 5:10pm by Commander Paul Graves PsyD & Renato Solis

2,273 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: The Hunted
Location: Brown Sector
Timeline: MD4, 2100

Previously ...

Without worrying about herself, she just replied candidly, “Can you cook? I always cook. Maybe after all this you make me something sweet?”

Reon's hands stilled. She'd surprised him. "As a matter of survival, I did learn to cook at a young age. I wouldn't say I can do anything fancy, but no one would starve with me cooking." He grinned at her and went on with his sorting. "Sweet ... maybe? Again, not fancy, but Abuela Carmelita made apple pie enchiladas that nothing can beat ... even Death by Chocolate Cake at Orchids & Jazz. In my opinion. She taught me to make them, though I never think mine are quite as good as Abuela's."


***

As they each held their tricorder close and attempted to filter out the erroneous and ghost readings, Andrew spoke to Baro as he followed her around the common area they were searching, "Do you think we can apply this process to a larger area while also relaying our approach to each team? I'd prefer to tap into our internal sensors to see if any of the devices happen to be out of range of our tricorders," he paused, "or your spider friends?"

An incoming call from Kya caught their attention, "Apparition reported on Section C, 2240!"

They had cleared the C block already manually, but her panic caused another second of careful thought - that was just next to the Community Center. Those manifolds weren't reported clear yet, any moment a device could be set off in the midst of dozens of families. Scans were still unclear, but the fear lead to the realization of peril at any moment.

Over the comms Kya panicked, she was a deck away with crowds in between, "... Is anyone nearby, I need help!"

***

Section M was an area of Brown Sector that Paul rarely ventured into without someone to accompany him. He'd first encountered it during his initial explorations of Brown Sector. It was where he'd felt his help was needed the most, so that was where he'd gone. He'd quickly learned that there was safety in numbers. He'd also learned that rigorously-maintained self-defense practice and knowledge of de-escalation techniques were a must for anyone who visited Section M often. No matter how dusty he directed the replicator to make his clothing, and no matter how frayed or wrinkled it was, and no matter how often he'd sat with the drug addicts to get the smell right, the residents always pegged him as someone who didn't belong there--and they usually didn't like people who didn't belong. Even now, they only grudgingly tolerated his presence.

Renato kept silent as the lights around the corner dimmed to near darkness at a distance. Blankets, shawls, grime itself covering the sources, and menace oozing from the recesses, darkness was a friend who didn't look out for your best interests here. Section M was a place for those who had given up, but somehow woke up each day still and had to occupy their time. Fights, vice, crime, and worse were common here. It was a cloister of depravity, self-contained. Renato had spent some time here, lost to himself. Coming here was a problem, but with Paul at his side, there was no fear at least, just shame.

"It's right ahead, end of this corridor in the anteroom of 100M." Renato didn't bother to disguise in his voice how much he didn't want to be here.

Paul let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. "Do you know if Edge still lives down here?" Edge was one of the people Paul had met, and knowing someone in Section M helped. Renato, though, undoubtedly knew far more people in M than Paul ever would.

Just the name brought back memories of vomit and clenched teeth. "Yeah, Edge still works this beat. Wouldn't surprise me if he was in the same slum... ok then, Edge will probably let us into 100M without issue... you're right."

Edge didn't live anywhere; cockroaches were nomads. However a drug dealer has one need in life, customers. The warmth and light of the EPS manifolds made for an excellent place to set up shop, so where there were people, it only took time to find others like Edge. Renato could walk these corridors blindly, had done so many times. 100M was deep in the belly of the beast, and secrets were guarded down here. The straightaway leading to 100M was littered with trash, debris, people, and the omnipresent lights dimmed nearly to twilight. The door hung slightly ajar, broken for years. Renato knew the trick to opening it; this had been a familiar place once.

"Paul, you'll need to stay back, that uniform will send them running. Just be ready, ok?"

"If they don't know me by now..." Paul said dryly, letting his voice trail off while he stepped back to allow Renato to precede him. He kept his senses alert for any sudden burst of alarm from others.

“Hey, it's the uniform, and if it helps, they would rather a goon than a shrink. Your face pulls double duty with the uniform.” Renato winked and opened the door to a room in black shroud. He left the door open as he entered, an invitation for Paul from a former resident following protocol. No surprise Starfleet. There had been scurrying the whole way, no doubt the barking chain of feral children had relayed the message to all that a wolf was in the hen house. He also clocked the four men staring them down, obviously guarding the entrance to the interior chamber past the entry hallway.

Paul had noticed the children's presence, too, as excited, wary twitterings of warnings in his mind that he had to make note of and then dismiss or regard as threats. The guards awaiting them he expected. Renato's distaste at being there was almost palpable.

Paul kept his gaze fixed on the leader of the four men--to make him think his guests would not be ready for a flank attack and also to avoid any seeming contempt for the denizens of 100M if he paid too much attention to them.

“Allyn, Teddy… let’s not make this a thing. I need to talk to Edge. He is in danger; all of you are.”

Paul was intimidating enough, but these guys were the simple but effective variety of thug. They followed orders and didn’t listen to anyone but the paycheck man. Starfleet was impotent so long as everyone kept the peace, so Renato traded in a precious commodity when he revealed his hand without effort to obfuscate.

“Teddy, your girlfriend is within range of a Rigelian Bulb grenade primed with a Thalaron core. We think it is in the power supply Edge uses for his work. We don’t need to do anything but scan around and remove the explosive. You wanna keep staring at me, or you gonna get your girl to safety? Allyn, I know you want to live forever; just standing there is gonna get you killed too.”

Behind Renato, Paul gave a sharp nod to--was it Teddy?--to affirm that Renato was telling the truth and that the situation was serious. He swept a gaze over the younger, scruffier-looking man, whose emotions were a confused, anticipatory tangle.

The other two Renato didn’t know, Edge was Human, these two were Human, it stood to reason Edge was a bigot and only consorted with Humans, the other two behind these guys were likely Human as well. Renato looked over both of the mysterious men, taking in the details and following up quickly.

Pointing at the man just behind Allyn, Renato smirked, once the final conclusions were drawn, and followed up with his final entreaty. 2.1 meters, 95 kilos, black hair, tucked shirt no folds, tailored cuffs, pants over boots, boots of fish leather, no weathering on heels but heavy scoring, weathered chronometer strap bearing military time and deep scuffs, Service Emblem for Phoenix Brigade, Fought Cardassians prior to Dominion War, love for Bajorans, Wedding Ring, Blue stone, Jadonite, no earring, unmarried then, widowed! …Maquis sympathizer turned refugee after collapse of DMZ to Cardassians 2372, arrival 2373, former serviceman, terrorist, turned hired bodyguard, took lesser job for higher pay to support child, from widowed wife...

“You didn’t survive the loss of your wife just to raise your child here and die to a madman’s trinket. And you?”

Renato then turned onto the other one, edging into a flank position behind Paul who had adjusted to accommodate the movement. This was going to turn fast if he didn’t disarm them all. 1.95 meters, dirt blonde, blue eyes, man of untidy habits, shaggy hair, long nails, uncalloused but strong hands… former athlete turned mob muscle, favors left leg, but pretends it's not a limp, carries a second pistol under his coat, other three aren’t armed, they don’t like he has pistols; team members avoiding his gaze. Working alone to corner Paul, aggressive stance for no reason, unhinged wild card. Not hired; family. Too old to be child, not father. Edge came here alone five years ago; not a brother… Edge’s sister, however, came to live here a year ago…Nephew.

“Please just tell your uncle he is about to get himself killed.”

Those two stopped staring so intently, and changed to annoyed curiosity. Allyn almost smirked himself. Renato’s little party trick had never failed to entertain.

“Starfleet can’t come in. This is a private establishment.”

"I can certainly wait to be invited--but I know what the explosive looks like. You might want another pair of eyes looking for it," Paul pointed out.

Renato started walking with confidence, the point was made, danger was at the door. "Sooner we get it, sooner we leave this godawful place. Paul?" He gestured at his friend, whose Starfleet Uniform stood out in a holy manner, to follow, separating him from the wretches at a glance. They entered the wardroom turned mini-fiefdom of Edge, a man who earned his nickname on the slicing action of his blade.

The omnipresent darkness throughout most of Brown Sector was by choice, people here liked shadows. Inside 100M, a cargo bay had been converted into eight units housing ten each, then rebuilt into a small favela holding twice as many. In the middle of the anterior wall, the semicircular junction for the EPS manifolds was visible. It was open, the radiant light and heat a constant source of comfort for the folks who had nothing, but today it was a threat to the hundreds of people packed in here. The shanty town in here had long since given itself over to vice, but there was order here of a kind. Edge was one of the people who kept the peace in a way, he was adamant never to let anyone be killed down here, knowing it would bring Starfleet.

Renato felt the years come back to him. He had slept in a sweet blissful high, starving to death and filthy right on this floor. Kya had been here to help him during his lowest points, but sometimes she lay next to him riding that same high. Her pregnancy had changed her life. Lexy needed a mother, and Kya needed someone in her life to support her after her husband took everything and left her alone. Promises to return with money were all he left behind.

Pointing at the only remotely clean hovel close to the manifold, it was simple to figure out where Edge was; "He's over there."

Reverie produced within him the desire to succumb to his emotions, a peculiar exhaustion from the wasted life and memories of what came before pressing on him. Perhaps once he would have used any substance to cope with these feelings. Now he grit his teeth, and in his mind proclaimed, "More Weight."

Edge had gotten word and came out to greet them. Several hard looking men and women, all Human, surrounded them. No weapons yet, nothing to alarm the uniformed officer, but long faces and deliberate gazes carried the intent well enough. Tall, gangly, wearing a phaser armor vest from the 23rd century over a smock given to refugees on their first day coming to SB109. The Blue was faded to gray, and the White Federation logo had been burned off. He smiled with crocodile eyes and cannibal teeth. Renato felt the place on his face where Edge had slapped him once, the burning resentment still fresh.

"Edge... We need to scan the manifold here, someone has snuck in-"

Edge interrupted, "Renny, this your dad? You can't come down here by yourself so you get Starfleet to protect you?"

"Two pairs of eyes are better than one, Edge," Paul said. He fell silent, to interfere with the conversation as little as possible. Paul darted his gaze all over the manifold as if he could pick out the explosive device without the tricorder. He couldn't, of course, but to convey urgency, he would do whatever he had to.

Kya's plea for assistance came strong over their comms, Edge could hear as well, and no sooner did she yell out "... Is anyone nearby, I need help!" than Renato lost all patience and took Edge by the hand, making direct contact.

In an instant, Edge turned on his heel and motioned them to follow. "Get it out, please!"

The instantaneous change in Edge's demeanor told Paul what had happened. He fell into step beside Renato and went where Edge led them, deeper into section M.

To Be Continued ....

 

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