Paranoia, Paranoia... Everyone's Coming To Get Me

Posted on 28 Mar 2018 @ 10:32pm by Lieutenant Commander Joey Geisler

860 words; about a 4 minute read

Mission: Crossing Over
Location: Intel Complex
Timeline: MD 36 || 0800 Hours

Joey sat in her office staring at the progress of the scan that hadn't moved since the last time she checked it just five minutes ago. She was exhausted, but that's what happened to someone when they didn't sleep. A great deal of her night was spent sitting on the couch reading or watching some old movie, neither of which held her attention longer than a few minutes before powering off the PADD and returning to her desk to watch the scan move slower than a snail's pace.

She found herself glancing toward Rico and Pequeno, both of whom were curled up on the small couch her office contained, and wished for a second that she could lead the kind of life they did. To not have a care in the world, or wonder if someone had plans to stab you in the back... to be able to curl up and sleep without fear that someone would sabotage countless hours of work. Sadly... that just wasn't for her. At least, not today, and not for the foreseeable future. Maybe someday she would get there.

What ifs plagued her thoughts. The very same what ifs she had when she'd been speaking with Torg the previous morning, and sadly, with the computer not running at maximum efficiency, or knowing who she could or couldn't trust, that meant more sleepless nights inside her office where she could keep an eye on everything. As long as she stuck around, that meant no one could screw things up a second time. Though, she had to wonder if the power being knocked out once they'd entered the Zone had anything to do with it. Joey shook her head. While that was a big possibility, she wouldn't have that answer until the computer was back, then maybe there would be a little peace of mind.

Joey leaned back in her chair and stifled a yawn. If she were lucky, neither Harvey or Mila would want to check up on her. Then again, out of the two, only her husband had access to the Intel Complex without her having to grant him entry, and he already had so much going on, that it was extremely doubtful he'd even think to do it. But Mila, on the other hand... she'd be the one. The Russian woman couldn't gain access to her, but Joey wouldn't put it past her to show up and demand to see her. If that happened, she would handle it, but it wasn't a major concern right now considering Mila was on duty.

She'd thought it many times before, and would continue to think it for quite some time to come. Things were never easy, and life among the stars was never dull. This instance was no different. Maybe she should check in with someone and get an estimate on when the computer would be fully operational? Would whoever she talked to tell her the actual truth, though? Or would they lie to her about it? And now, Joey was back to square one of what ifs.

It was definitely going to be a long day, and she couldn't even stomach coffee enough to have a cup to keep herself going. Tea just wasn't going to cut it, but she'd somehow manage to motor through. Joey had done that before, and this time would be no different.

Rising to her feet, she rose to her feet and moved over to the replicator to get herself a cup of tea. As she reached out to grab it, something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. What the hell was that? With her tea in hand, she moved to the far corner and blinked. Was that... Holy shit! Webs!? Then she recalled what happened on the bridge the day before. They were real?

Things just went from bad to worse, and now the Intel Chief found herself crouched on top of her desk looking around frantically. How did she even make it up there when she was almost clear across her office only moments before? Joey didn't know, but what she did know was that one of those creepy little creatures had to be around there somewhere. That, and she needed to avoid donuts no matter how much she craved them. "Rico! Pequeno! Get it! Find it!"

Rico raised his head off of the couch and looked at his human mama with his head cocked to the side. He gave a huff, lowered his head and settled back down to go to sleep. Pequeno, on the other hand, moved from the couch and made his way toward the desk where she was perched. He looked at her for a few seconds, then jumped into her chair and onto the desk with her. Within seconds, his tail began wagging, and he went in for kisses.

Joey groaned and rubbed the big black ball of fur behind his ears while she shot daggers at Rico. Some guard dogs they were. One chose to sleep, and the other thought it was time for love. It was definite.

It was going to be a long day.

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