A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Part 16 - The Plan

Posted on Sun Jun 16th, 2024 @ 11:16pm by Commodore Finchley Kerr & Lieutenant Commander Shr'Nesh Karadis & Lieutenant Commander Wyatt Steele & Lieutenant Evelyn Steele

Mission: The missions never over.
Location: Finchley’s Ready Room
Timeline: Current.

Rejoining Wyatt for the sharing of their plan, Eve looked at Wyatt curiously as they stood in the turbolift enroute to the bridge. “Did you work out the kinks in the plan?” She smiled a wry smile.

"I hope so Eve, I decided to go with the KISS approach. Keep it Simple Stupid. We'll call Admiral Brown, tell him we're ready to make our reports but we don't want to come to his office for fear of being seen by Thall personnel. We'll meet him in the Japanese restaurant on the promenade. Where the Captain and Commander Kilbane will be waiting in the shadows to confront the admiral." Wyatt answered.

Eve nodded. “It sounds wonderfully simple, we could even make out that we’re there to have, lunch with the Admiral, arrange a table as close to the back of the restaurant as we can away from prying eyes. Let’s hope my uncle goes for it.”

Reaching the Ready Room door Eve pressed the chime.

Inside, Finchley was still muttering to himself about his visit to see Karadis. Kilbane was having fun watching him, he could only guess at what had gone on, though the Captain had confided his reason for the visit.

Finally distracted by the sound of the chime, Finchley said, “Come in.”

Hearing the captain's voice to come in. Wyatt and eve enter. Entering they see Karadis there with the captain. "Commander good to see you up and about." Wyatt greets her before addressing the captain. "Sir, we have a plan for meeting and hopefully taking down Admiral Brown." He announces.

Finchley was intrigued to hear the plan, so offering for both Wyatt and Eve to sit down he said, “Carry on Commander, Lieutenant, let me hear what you have.”

Wyatt and Eve sat in the chairs across from Finchley and Karadis. "The plan sir is simple. Eve and I will contact Admiral Brown to tell him we're ready to make our reports. But we want to make them in a public place. We'll suggest we meet in the Japanese restaurant on the promenade. We'll ask for a table at the back away from prying eyes. It will allow you and Commander Kilbane to be waiting in the shadows to make your move."

“It might also help me to avoid the need to play deaf, Brown wouldn’t dare make a move in a place where he’s in public. He’s not that stupid.” Eve offered a hopeful smile.

"Good point Eve." Wyatt answered.

“You’ll forgive this next question, it’s not a get at for either of you, but do you really have any idea who Admiral Brown really is?” Finchley asked.

Wyatt looked at Eve and then to Finchley. "No sir." He answered simply.

"The Admiral has many fingers in many pies" Finchley replied, "his reach is...shall we say, further than it should be. Don't you find it odd that the both of you were chosen to be sent here for this mission? It's a rare thing for family members to serve together in Starfleet, it's an altogether different level of rarity for family members to serve together on a Starfleet Intelligence ship. There's something odd about the timing, a deep undercover Intelligence agent goes AWOL, the Klingon's moving key personnel around, Sestus One being a primary target, and us being sent there when any Intelligence ship could have been sent. Couple that with an Intelligence Officer able to set mind blocks against a telepath when that's not part of the training...something's not as it seems and I want to know why. The common denominator in all of this is Admiral Brown" he finished.

Eve nodded, she had a secret that she hadn’t even told Wyatt about yet. “It’s more than you realise” she paused. “Admiral Brown is using sleeper agents, people implanted with personalities they don’t know are there. Once triggered they are totally loyal to him, their old personalities buried so deep they don’t usually resurface. It’s only happened once that I know of.”

Unnoticed by those in the room, as they'd all been concentrating on what Eve was explaining. the Ready Room doors silently opened and Karadis slowly entered. She heard what Eve had just said, and realising what she was about to admit spoke out, "Eve, don't say anything else, this will only cause difficulties for you."

Eve turned to look at Karadis, last time they’d spoken Karadis hadn’t wanted anymore to do with her, now it seemed they were on level ground again. “I know Commander, I was just warning the Captain that’s all.”

"Wait a minute, firstly, Karadis, what the hell are you doing here when you should be in Sickbay?" Finchley asked, "Secondly, what is it with this secret squirrel shit between you two that I'm only hearing about these 'sleeper agents Brown has, and thirdly, if it's only happened once, who was it that it happened to?"

"Bird, please don't ask us" Karadis began.

"Fuck that!" Finchley said, now standing up, "Start talking now or there's going to be some serious trouble."

Karadis looked at Eve and quietly said, "Don't do it Eve, if you do, there's no going back and you'll start a chain of events with far reaching consequences."

Eve looked between Karadis and Finchley uncertain what she should do. “Shit!” She hung her head before looking back at Finchley. “Karadis has nothing to do with this, leave her out of it...please.” Eve paused. “It was me alright! I was the sleeper.” She sighed as she took a seat. “It was when Karadis was playing my shadow. Long story very short a way was found to trigger it, and I was helped to overcome it. I...She...We...are the person you see here today.” She looked towards Wyatt. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, but know this, it was your love for me that saved me.”

Wyatt stood there, a confused look on his face but his eyes, his eyes held nothing but love for Eve. He took a step closer to her, reached his hand out to her. He nodded at her words. His eyes moved to Karadis to Finchley and back to Eve where they stayed.
Finally, he spoke. "Eve, it is alright, everything is alright. I'm sorry you went through this, but I am glad Karidis was able to help you. I will always love you Eve Always."

“Oh holy hell…” Karadis said, putting her hand on her forehead, “…you’ve done it now” she said to Eve.

Finchley made fists and leaned straight armed down on the table, looking at the desk. The flush of red spread up his neck and onto his face. He looked up slowly at Karadis, “You get back to Sickbay, I’ll deal with you later.” Looking at Wyatt he said, “You get back to your duty or if you’re not on duty just leave.” Next he looked at Kilbane, “You do…whatever it is you do when you’re not here.” Lastly he looked at Eve, “And you, you sit back down in your seat, I want a word with you.”

Wyatt opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it and instead said, "Yes sir." To Eve he said. "I'll be in our quarters waiting for you Eve." With that he gave a quick squeeze of her hand and left the ready room. Hoping with all his heart everything would be alright for Eve with her uncle.

Eve remained where she was, waiting until everyone was out before looking at her uncle. “Captain, Karadis has no stake in this. It’s me and me alone.”

“You don’t speak till I’m finished Lieutenant, am I clear?” Finchley said in a low menacing tone, “By the way, that’s a rhetorical question, in other words, shut up.”

His anger was volcanic, rage coursed through his veins, but he kept it in. “Karadis was duty bound to tell me everything that happened with you…but she neglected to report this and she’ll pay the price. If you think this is the time to stand up to me Lieutenant Steele, my God you’re wrong, so here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to explain the entire situation regarding being Brown’s sleeper agent, miss anything out at your peril because I’m going to get Karadis side as well and compare them. What concerns me before you do that is you never considered mentioning this when you came here, so what else are you hiding mmmhhh? Firstly you’re his spy on this ship, putting together a report to bring me down, then I find you were his sleeper agent and you failed to say anything about it. Can you see where this is going? Another rhetorical question by the way. You see, because both you and Karadis both kept this secret from me, I have to question whether or not either of you are trustworthy. We’re about to go up against Admiral Brown, and right now, I don’t think either of you are an asset. Start talking.”

Eve nodded, she could sense the rage he was holding in. “I don’t know any of the details concerning the sleeper program, all I do know is the part the affects me. I was on assignment for Brown, Karadis as always my shadow, although back then I didn’t know who she was or that she had been following me. It was a contact of Karadis’ that learned of the program, specifically about my involvement. All I know is that if it wasn’t for Karadis I wouldn’t be alive now, at least not as you see me now, I’d be one of Brown’s loyal followers instead. The part of me, that was her, is now a part of my personality, but I have no knowledge of the program it’s more or less a safety feature, you can’t tell what you don’t know. Brown has no idea my personality was ever triggered, as far as he knows I’m still his hidden agent without even knowing it.”

Deep inside, Finchley was trying to hold at bay that part of him that felt betrayed to such an extent it actually sickened him. "How were you recruited by Brown?" he asked.

“I already told you, I tried to invade his mind to defend my father, and failed. It was become his pawn, or face life in a prison of Brown’s choosing.” She sighed. “After that he used my gifts against me. Made me part of his sleeper program.”

“I just wanted to make sure you were being truthful” Finchley replied, “because right now, given all you done since coming onboard is basically lie and hide things…from family I may add…I don’t trust you. In fact, I’m not entirely sure what you told me when you were in T’kLars mind had been the truth, you could be conspiracy with him and Jara for all I know. Now, the sleeper programme, what mission or services were on, in, and please don’t tell me you can’t remember, there has to be some of it you’ve retained?”

Eve opened her mouth to speak before closing it again. “I...don’t recall most of it. All I remember of it was when the personality inside me was triggered, this part of me...the good part, was forced into the deepest recesses of my mind. It took time for both halves to eventually be blended into what you see now. Agents are not privy to too much information, it would cause...problems.”

“Then tell me what you do recall” Finchley replied, growing impatient.

Eve paused before nodding. “It’s Brown, he wants to...create his own army...”

“I know that, he started creating it during the war” Finchley said, “but I want to know the specifics of what you do remember. Missions, places, times, people…and why Brown specifically chose you. We have time before we make Base One to hand T’k’Lar and Jara over, if I decide to hand them over and not just summarily execute them.”

Eve nodded. “I’ll give you access to my personal logs, I encrypted them with tri-level encryption so I could use them to record what I remembered. It’s just fragments, but it should answer your question.” She paused. “Uncle Finchley, I’m sorry! I know you hate me right now I can sense that, but I was just protecting my dad. Plus Brown promised me he’d find information on what happened to my mum, I guess that’s not happening though, is it?”

“Yes, a promise of information you’d get by betraying me” Finchley replied, “We’re on duty Lieutenant, so it’s Captain or Sir. Now, knowing what I do of your underhanded ways, you’ve lost the privilege of referring to me as Uncle from here on, you’re no longer family to me, you’re just the USS Thall Chief Counsellor. Decrypt your personal logs and bring them back to me within the hour. As for the information on your mother Brown promised you, that was never going to happen, he’d kill you before he told you anything. You’re dismissed Lieutenant Steele.”

“Yes Captain!” Eve stood up to leave. If that was how her uncle wanted it then that was how it would be.