The Glitch IV - Inversion (Ch. 1)

[frigidmagi]

The sickbay! Damn it all!

"Thank you, crewmen." Magneto said as he left. Riker would have to wait longer than he liked. Magneto headed for the sickbay.

[Charon]

Matthew stirred and slowly his eyes openned. Blinking a few times he looked up to see Picard looking back down at him. Matthew slipped the datapad that he had been holding onto the table next to him.

"How long have I been out? Where's Yuffie?" Matthew looked back towards the window, hoping to see Yuffie's smiling face on the other side. No matter how much he knew that she wasn't going to make it.

Matthew looked back at Picard and looked into his eyes. Matthew swallowed hard and looked away a few seconds later. "She isn't gonna make it. Is she?"

[Dark Silver]

Picard looked at the man, heard the tone of his voice, and didn't want to shatter the man. But unfortunatly, it seemed he already knew.

"Doctor Crusher is doing everything she can.." he said softly, moving to sit next to Matthew. "But...it doesn't look good. It says alot aout her character she is still even alive..."

He wasn't particularly good at this, no matter how many times he had to give the speech.

"I'm sorry" he said lamely, even as the sickbay door opened.

[frigidmagi]

Magneto stepped through the doors, helmet carried in the crook of his arm, cape flowing around him. He looked old... He felt damn old.

"I just heard Captain. How is she?" Magneto asked quietly.

[Comrade Tortoise]

It was not long after he had disposed of the kender that Justin started making his way toward the residence section of the ship. He needed a shower. He sniffed himself.

He needed a shower baddly.

[Charon]

Matthew choked up for a few seconds. Trying valiently to keep the tears away. Looking down, trying hard to center himself he heard the doors slide open and another figure walk in. Glancing up Matthew saw the man who had been at the castle to save them. He hadn't succeeded, not by a long shot.

Matthew looked over at Picard. "Can I see her?" Tears threatened to wash down his face, it was almost frightening seeing such a twisted and scared face on the brink of tears. Droplets of the forming tears began rolling down the long scar that ran down the right side of Ottoman's face.

[frigidmagi]

"I think it would be best to allow the young man to see her Captain. She would like that as well I think, even if she is... currently unwake." Magneto said quietly.

[Dark Silver]

"That is not my call, Mr Lensher..." Picard said softly, looking up to Magneto, "That depends on Doctor Crusher, and she and her team is currently working on the girl. I'm sorry..."

Picard rose from his seat, looking between the two. There was nothing he could do.

[Charon]

Matthew looked at Picard for a moment before hanging his head back down in sorrow. Matthew slowly got to his feet, tears running somewhat freely now as he stepped up to the window and looked in on the doctors. He was still exhausted, but the sleep he'd gotten had helped.

"So the Council was behind this huh? Promising power to whoever will join?" Matthew looked over at Picard. "Why did Cloud join them? He never desired power. You're in charge here right? Why would he join the Glitch?" Matthew's eyes burned with anger as he asked the question.

[Agent Fisher]

Jack watched Justin go. He wasn't tired. Wasn't hungry. Had already choosen what weapons he would use if he could get his hands on them.

He walked to a turbolift, his booted feet make a soft thud on the ground. He entered the lift and called out.

"Ten-Forward."

The turbolift hummed and after a few seconds, he reached his stop. He walked into Ten-Forward, and looked around, stars to his right, the bar to his left.

He took a seat, and ordered a beer.

[Devonie]

Angela sighed, cuddling in the heavy robe she'd managed to charm out of the replicator. Thank goodness she'd always had a way with computers; she really had no idea how to "tell" a computer to fashion garb for the twisted frame of a goblin. Luckily she knew to have the computer scan her for measurements and adjustments for race, then requested a uniform-like outfit that she would put on when she felt like getting dressed.

She sat at the desk in her room. "Computer - mirror, please" She knew enough about Trek to know the screen in front of her would allow her to see her reflection. She sighed again, "Well, at least this much hair doesn't take long to dry -- or brush."

She finished preparing for sleep, then crawled into the waiting bunk. "Lights," she said wearily.

And noone was there to see her cry herself to sleep....

[Dark Silver]

"So the Council was behind this huh? Promising power to whoever will join?" Matthew looked over at Picard. "Why did Cloud join them? He never desired power. You're in charge here right? Why would he join the Glitch?" Matthew's eyes burned with anger as he asked the question.

So..that's what he was reading the PADD about...

He sighed, looked to Magnus, then to Matthew, and spoke evenly, "The Council is no more, they broke apart after the last War. They are all simply petty Warlords, the one thing which held them together in allience has been defeated, the Glitch is dead and gone."

he stepped up to the transparisteel window, and watched the doctors work on Yuffie, "As for why Cloud would join them? I don't know...we didn't know he had joined one of them. I'm simply incharge of this ship, nothing more."

[Comrade Tortoise]

Justin finally got the shower. Disrobed, and stepped in

"Computer." he commanded "Set shower temperature to 42 degrees centigrade. And begin playing music file Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings"

As the scalding water hit him, and the sad sad music started to play, Justin let all the tension he had built up over the last few days out. His tears mixed with the shower water as sobs exploded from his vocal chords. He couldnt let anyone see him in this weekend state if they walked in. "Computer" he said, his voice cracking "warn me of someone comes in"

[Charon]

Matthew looked over at Picard. Tears still fresh on his face but for now they'd stopped. "Well someone should know who the fuck is on who's side so we can be warned when someone like Cloud is running around with the bad guys! You have your own fucking ship and you can't be half-assed to know who's running around on who's side? Some captain you are."

Matthew was yelling now. Someone had to be blamed for this. How could they let something like this happen? "What about you Magneto? Master of fucking magnetism? Where the fuck were you? Us lowly humans not worth putting the 110 percent in!?"

[frigidmagi]

... Magneto was tired, bruised, sore. He had nearly been killed by the nullcron and this Boy would question HIM? After all he had seen and lost? Inpertenent child! A steel tray flew off a nearby shelf and wrapped itself around the boy slamming him into the wall behind him and dragging him off his feet. Power wrapped itself around him in blue current.

"Do not lecture me boy. I was nearly killed coming to your aid today. I may be sitting here to find a friend I have known for a good amont of time is dying, a friend I have known and protected while you were still playing child games on that dirtball of yours. I have lost my world, my family and my friends to these monsters. My people are now but a memory that will not be remembered after I pass. My world is a den of null monsters and their spawn. My Own Son May Be Among Them. And you? You have barely known they exist for a few days. Do not push me boy." Magneto snarled quietly so not to disburb the doctors at their work, he sighed and dropped the boy and stepped over to him.

"Do not lash out at us, we are trying to help you." He said looking him in the eye.

[Dark Silver]

"Magnus" Picard's voice was commanding, as his mere presence seemed to expand to rival that of Magneto on his best day. It was a rare gift in a baseline, but Picard walked up to Magneto, looked him square in the eye, and stared the taller man down.

"This is a trying day, for everyone," he said, never flinching at Magneto, "He is in as much pain as you and I over what happened to Yuffie, we all need to lash out. If you've been debriefed, goto the holodeck and work some of your aggression out there. I'm sure Commander Worf would gladly oblige you."

With that, Picard turned from the mutant, and looked to Matthew, "I'll make sure Doctor Crusher informs you," he turned his head to Magneto, "both of you, when it's safe. Until then, I sugest trying to relax, get something to eat, and rest."

With that, Picard turned from them both, and walked through the double doors of the Sickbay. Then they slide closed behind him, he sagged slightly, took a moment to compose himself, and walked towards a turbolift. Taking sometime to ease his own aggresion in the holodeck wasn't a bad idea.....

[Charon]

To say Matthew had been cowed by Magneto's words would be an understatement. At first he had struggled as the metal had wrapped around him, but eventually Magneto's words burst through the haze of irrational hate and Matthew went limp as he was set down. Tears openly fell again. He did not look up at Magneto, simply whispering. "I'm sorry..."

Matthew sat encased in the metal as Picard then spoke. "Thank you captain. I'm... I'm sorry I did that it's just... this week..." Matthew began fighting to hold the tears back as he sat there, completely cowed and miserable.

[frigidmagi]

"Do not dwell upon it. It happens. But keep in mind we are trying to help you. For now I intend to sit and wait for awhile, just in case. Feel free to do the same if you desire." Magneto said sitting down and placing his helmet next to him.

[Charon]

Matthew said nothing to Magneto. He simply stood and left the room a few minutes after Picard. Returning to the stateroom Matthew entered the room he had chosen and locked the door behind him.

"Computer, open an art tablet. Input the image of a human face to my specifications." Matthew began to describe his real features to the computer as it created and molded the image to Matthew's specifications. Once he got it close enough he used a finger tablet to shape some of the features down to finer detail to match his and then finally went to sleep after having the computer download the image of his face to a PADD. The last thought of Matthew before he passed out was that Yuffie was going to get to see the real him once before the end. When Matthew was overcome by sleep, a smile was on his face. The first one in his sleep since this mess had begun.

[Comrade Tortoise]

The computer beeped in warning when Matthew entered the stateroom. But Justin had regained his composure he dried off, put his clothes back on, and stepped out of the shower.

He walked over to the replicator

"Green tea. Hot, with a touch of honey"

The warm soothing liquid materialized in front of him.

"Computer, locate Tasselhoff Burfoot"

[Shark Bait]

She reached up and touched the necklace smiling a bit sadly "It's like the one I wear at home. And this didn't come easily. I forgot that this body isn't the same size as my real one, and the computer doesn't like me much. The again, I was never really a star treck fan." She toyed with the purple charm on the sliver chain.

Through the meal they continued to talk learning more about each other, Ted shaired stories about things that he and Justin had done together and the foolishness of his students. They found that despite their different backgrounds they had a good bit in common and shaired similar interests besides just their choice in online games. As the night went on they laughed and shaired and somehow despite their situation mannaged to forget how crazy things had gotten if just for a little while.

[Dark Silver]

"Tasselhoff Burrfoot is not onboard the Enterprise..."

For some reason, those words seemed to releive a weight from the entire ship....

Night passed into morning...

[Rukia]

After dinner when there was a slight lull in the conversation Rory suddenly stood. "Come wth me.." She took his hands and brought him to his feet and started out the main room. "Computer, directions to the nearest unoccupied holodeck." The computer obliged with no qualms. When they reached the holodeck she spoke again. "Computer please run program, sunset on a hawiian island."

"Please specify what island."

Rory sighed and rolled her eyes, "Ummm Lana'i's Lopa beach will do computer. And we need a large blanket, a bottle of Riesling Ice Wine and two glasses. Also when the sun fully sets make a full moon rise."

Still holding Ted's hand she watched the room turn into a beautiful scene, complete with white sand tinted orange from the sun and a light mist from the water. She looked at Ted and smiled before sitting down on the blanket.

"It's almost real, yea? A tiny bit of heaven in all this hell..." She sniffed trying to hold back the tears pressing on the back of her eyes. She placed her head on Ted's shoulder.

They had a glass of wine and continued to talk, Rory holding herself together before cuddling up next to him and falling asleep with her head on his chest.

[Comrade Tortoise]

"Thank god" Justin said as the computer told him the walking hurricane was no longer on the ship. He loved reading about the little guy, but actually meeting him was something a hell of a lot scarier. Of course, who he really wanted to meet was Raistlin. Oh well. One cannot have what they wish for.

Justin sat down on the bed.

"Computer, play audio file 'Beethoven's 9th' "

As the music played, ustin drifted off to a well deserved sleep

[Agent Fisher]

Jack had managed to get back to his room, kick off his boots, and then fell asleep.