<USS Avalon> Connection Lines by Lieutenant Anthony Manson and Junior Lieutenant Alder Shimbrodus

Connection Lines

by Lieutenant Anthony Manson and Junior Lieutenant Alder Shimbrodus

I wasn?t too certain what Anthony had in mind as he left for the bridge. So, 
instead of pondering, I went back to work. There were still problems getting 
the computer to accept commands and I found that circumnavigating them were 
futile. I needed his codes again. Fortunately, I got Anthony to unlock the 
encryptions and within a few minutes I cleared just about all of the lockouts. 
I felt this sharp tingling in my hands and realized that I needed to get my 
wrists stretched a little. I?d been so busy with the systems that I hadn?t 
noticed the pain until now. 

And just as pain was a reminder, so were my memories. I really did wonder what 
Anthony had in store. He seemed hesitant about something, and it was beginning 
to bug the hell out of me since I didn?t know what it was. Admittedly, he 
doesn?t need to tell me everything, or that I be informed about everything that 
goes in his mind; but at the same time I wanted to know, to be there. Natural 
instinct I suppose. 

At about seven in the evening found me in the mess hall. Engineering was still 
busy, but quieter at in the very least at ease. Now that we weren?t being 
attacked anymore. Which is good, is not as if stress does anything good for us. 
Well one thing; it?s makes us determined as hell. Anyway, I sat in the mess 
hall, just taking a much needed break as my body seemed to scream with 
tiredness. Just here before I went over to Anthony?s. I looked around as 
looking at my empty cup did nothing but bore me. Hoping to catch a few people I 
knew- but apparently not here- I got up and left. Earlier today, Anthony 
contacted me telling me he?d be at his quarters around seven, hopefully he was 
right. Bridge duties never ceased, but maybe he got off lucky for now. 

As I stood at the front of his quarters, I realized that I couldn?t wait to 
find out what he was talking about. I honestly didn?t care if it was good or 
bad since I wasn?t aware of what it was; I just wanted to find out. I touched 
the door alert and almost instantly the doors just wisped open. I guess I 
didn?t need an approval, confident person he was that it was me and not some 
other person. I looked around, I never really saw the inside of Anthony?s place 
before, so I tried to take my time looking around. It was plain, like mine, 
except that I had more personal items. What he lacked in personal items like 
pictures and small little trophies, he substituted with art that were really 
stunning. I was never much of an artist and stick figures was as far as I 
gotten to drawing anything. 

They were nice, one caught my attention. It was a woman, with wings, soaring in 
the air. For a- to my surprise- a pencil drawing, it looked pretty real. Her 
hair made wild and wavy to give the effect she was flying, and even her outfit 
had that same...aim?...to give the intention on movement. Really spectacular. 
Of course, this was in no way being rude for when I walked in I saw Anthony 
sitting a sofa. I would have said it was gray but from the looks of it, the 
couch looked more like a dark midnight blue. I really couldn?t tell for the 
lights were dim.

"Nice drawing."

Anthony smiled, "thanks. Sit down."

I sat. I wanted to look more at the various artworks, but hopefully later I 
could. "So what?s up?" I looked at him and he still was hesitant, which made me 
frown, "what?s wrong?"

"I did some checking, when we return home...well, our memories are to be 
erased. Those are direct orders from both the Federation Department of Temporal 
Investigations, and Starfleet Command." I just looked at him as he paused. And 
then he continued, "that?s why I had you come over, because there?s a way 
to...protect certain key memories. I know you?re not a telepath or have any 
sort of psychic ability, but I can help you, if you want."

"Of course I want that. This memory erasing thing will take everything, won?t 
it? That means if we went through it, there won?t be an ?us? because we won?t 
remember it, right?" Anthony just nodded at my conclusion. I certainly didn?t 
want that to happen, not when I felt attached to him. Not now, and indeed, not 
ever.

"So what do we do?"

Anthony got up to only settle down onto the carpet. He motioned for me to sit 
as well. I got up and tried to get comfortable on the carpeting. In that time, 
my eyes had never moved past him; I couldn?t quite explain why not, but there 
was an intensity in those gray eyes I?ve never seen before. It wasn?t distant, 
but they didn?t seem to be there either. 

I knew the risk we took. It was plain and simple, we were about to defy general 
orders and if FDTI or even Starfleet found out, we would be toast. That only 
meant Anthony was willing to risk it if he could only keep his memories- and in 
a way- he had more to lose because he was a higher rank that I was. But if he 
could do this, so could I. A few memories would seem insignificant to risk a 
career, it only becomes significant when it?s shared with someone you loved.

"What do we do now?"

"Close your eyes, focus on one thing and one thing only." I did, "try not to 
concentrate on your emotions, lose yourself to that one thought and to the 
sound of my voice." This wasn?t as easy as I heard it. One focus, one voice was 
like shutting yourself from the outside world. To be isolated, quiet...like 
Anthony- I realized. I didn?t need a better focus, since it was his voice, he 
would also be my focus- although that word didn?t really explain it all- I just 
had to trust him. And trust I do.

"Stay calm...keep your breathing regular...there you go." It felt like a wind 
blowing lightly through my mind. Cool and felt as if I could almost touch it 
and let it slip between my fingertips.

"In a calm state of mind...anything is possible. To still your mind, is to find 
your center. To find your center, you can streamline your thoughts." I felt 
something as I heard his voice. It was distant and almost like a whisper 
outside a cave. I felt something touch my face, "anything is possible."

Almost instantly I saw my memories flash like a fast forward movie crossing my 
eyes. They paused at random intervals only to continue it?s pace once again. 
There, at the mess hall where I met him. Another at the poker game, and another 
at the holodeck. On it went, repeating itself again and again. And then 
something else came through, I saw differently into another set of a stranger?s 
eyes. Cool and...gray in color. I saw his point of view as his memories flowed 
right past my eyes. I had to notice out of all this concentration that nothing 
had to do with our duties. I finally understood what he was doing, selecting 
only the key moments of our time together and leaving the rest. I felt as if I 
stood in the midst of multiple doorways, and I had all the time in the world to 
pick one I chose to step through. 

And then doors closed. One by one, they slammed shut, and I thought I could 
even hear locks being set in place. They became faster, and as I stood there, I 
was suddenly alone. There was nothing but a darkness surrounding me. My hand 
was then grabbed and as I turned around to see who it was, Anthony stood at a 
door I knew wasn?t open before. He smiled, a pulled me to him, stepping through 
the doorway.

I opened my eyes only to see those familiar gray irises look back, at peace and 
perfectly calm. My mind hadn?t felt so...rested before. Never did I feel like 
my thinking could be so refined into one smooth stream. It was refreshing, and 
it gave a new perception I have never experienced. If telepaths went through 
this for their entire life, I wanted to know how I could apply it to myself. 
Anthony?s head touched mine as semi-warm hands cupped my face. He moved back 
ever so slowly, as if he was afraid something would go wrong if he moved 
faster. His hands slipped away from my face and I didn?t act on impulse to stop 
him from moving away, I just let it slide.

I had his memories, and I felt while he sorted them out, that he too had taken 
my memories with him. Stored safely somewhere in my mind. I still felt as if I 
could sense him somehow in my head, like as if this...link, or something, 
hadn?t faded away. "What now?"

"Stay here with me, see where your mind can take you."

I smiled, I stayed.

?//\\? 

The last before he had decided to stop was almost sensing something, but it 
slipped through me like sand. I was not in anyway a telepath, or have any sort 
of psychic ability, but the few hours that past gave me an experience that was 
beyond words. My mind felt calm. And for the first time, I knew, saw, and with 
Anthony?s help, felt how his mind smoothly ran- I could understand how he could 
get uncomfortable and I understood his desire to remain close to the 
outside...activity. It was peaceful here, nothing moved so fast or stopped so 
sudden.

I hugged him closer to me, my arm wrapped around his body as I closed my eyes 
and yet saw everything, and slowly did it fade out; outlines of everything in 
my brain dissolving as sleep sucked me in and the only one still there was him. 


                
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