exastris_scientia | retired open post // will still tag in if threads are ongoing!

[ Jim looks over a few requests and sends them in before showering and settling in for the night. He sets one of the classical records he has to a low volume, and lets it play as he drags the covers up to fall asleep.

After a day like that, he's out not long after.

He dreams, which isn't uncommon, but the dreams don't make sense. There's a waterfall. Blue, blue water. Someone he doesn't recognize but feels he should. Khan, he knows Khan in this place, but he's---they---are a lot younger. They? He recognizes the man from the Enterprise repair crew earlier. The one he said he'd owe a coffee to.

"I can get there. Just a little closer.

You'll fall and break your neck."

Never seen water that blue. Bubblegum, what's that? Keep the bitter stuff, he's not interested. Even though he's dreaming, he's still fast asleep. ]

[after the lights go out in the window, joaquin waits a bit longer with his tea before leaving. the locks are easy enough to bypass--he doesn't have the hand with technology that some of the others do, especially chris, but he can manage.

the security on the door takes a little longer to disable. he is a captain after all. only makes sense.

when he gains access, he moves silently, checking the room for listening devices. he finds them. no cameras, apparently that's not subtle enough. even so, just the bugs are interesting enough. he deactivates each and lines them up in a neat little row on the coffee table. finds his communicator, and puts it in a pocket.

then he waits. he could use some rest, just like he's sure chris can. and despite being in enemy territory, with a man that doesn't remember him...joaquin feels safer here than he has in a long time.

he dozes on the couch, sitting up, ready to wake when he hears chris stirring.]

[ Jim is still fast asleep. He hasn't woken up during Joaquin's inspection of the room and apartment. He's not as light a sleeper as he used to be. He still sleeps lighter than most, though, but not an augment whose abilities are still in tact.

When he finally wakes, the sun is already up, and his alarm hasn't gone off just because he's not due back on the ship anytime soon. He's got a few days, and he's glad for that. He could use some time to catch up on some stuff.

He shuffles out toward the kitchen when he does get up, intent on getting some coffee, and waking himself up. Weird dreams. Definitely weird. He's gonna chalk it up to a side effect of superman blood and not tell Bones. Ever. ]

[he's torn between thinking it's adorable and thinking it's a terrible thing. if he doesn't wake now, well, he might not when he actually needs to. though for now he can be the one around for that.

he sits up straight when he first hears chris moving around, and is fully upright by the time he comes out of the room, waiting on the couch with the listening devices spread out in full view before him.

they were ones that didn't broadcast, or else he would've proceeded differently. it was the reason he was able to get through the door so easily too, there was a weakness in the security protocols that whoever set the bugs--probably section 31--could exploit to obtain access and download the recordings for later review.

he was glad to deny them that particular trick. especially since he was pretty sure it was about to get loud in here.]

Good morning.

[as opposed to yesterday, his smirk this time is real.]

[ Jim is completely unaware of anyone else being in his apartment until he was nearly to the kitchen, and then he hears the other man's voice. He practically jumps out of his skin, shouts in surprise, and backs away from the living room and the couch there. It takes him a few minutes to recover his wits, but he's still seriously unnerved. Too much weird shit has been going on in his life since Khan.

Way too much. ]

Man, when I told you I'd owe you coffee, that was not an invite to help yourself here.

[ He looks to his room, where his communicator should still be on the nightstand, and then towards the door where there is a comm unit as well. He's not sure which he can get to first. ]

[he waves a hand.]

Not what I'm here for. You could thank me for taking out the listening devices they planted. I won't be able to reprogram your door security to remove the hidden bypass, though. Not my area of expertise.

[joaquin is completely unruffled. if you call anyone, he can be gone in moments and you won't see him again until you least expect it.]

I came to talk.

[ He's real nonchalant about the fact that he just broke into a ranking starfleet officer's apartment like it's nothing. But then he tenses when he mentions listening devices. He looks around and his eyes land on the table with all the little bugs lined up in a row. He feels sick suddenly. Oh. Oh, god. ]

Section 31. [ It isn't a question. The door too? He---He'll have to look at it later. God, he's just going to find another place to stay. ]

Fine. Obviously you don't much care for them either. So talk before I call in Security I know I can trust.

[to be fair, it would've been much harder if 31 hadn't gotten there first.]

Got it in one. You're as sharp as ever.

[joaquin leans forward, propping his chin on the back of his hand, elbow on his knee. the smile melts off his face, leaving him completely stone-faced.]

Of course I don't. They're hurting people I care about.

[he sits back, then. despite being in his pajamas, chris--or jim, as he thinks of himself currently--is in a position of power, standing as he is. joaquin remains seated, it's a calculated position.]

Your first officer? You know who I am, that wouldn't end well. It'd end actually with quite a lot of yelling and possibly broken windows. Not usually something I'm completely against, but in this case I'd rather avoid it.

[he's sure the conclusion will come naturally enough. he's dropped enough hints, and from what you said in your sleep he's guessing chris isn't buried quite so far as marcus had hoped.]

Hurting people you---[ He takes a step back away from Joaquin. Jim's been on the receiving end of an ass-kicking from an augment once, he's not looking for a repeat. Dammit!

So why isn't he running? He should at least be trying for the door, but there's something about the other man that feels trustworthy and he doesn't understand it. It's like that strange moment in the brig on the Enterprise. A whispered mention. You don't remember. He'd backtracked, had he met Harrison--Khan--whoever before? He didn't look familiar, but maybe---Blue water. You'll break your neck.

He gets so caught up in that for a moment that it's hard to shake himself to the present, but he does. ]

You're an augment.

['i'm not the only one' probably won't go over too well. he already looks ready to bolt--best to save that for later.

he presses his hand to his chest.]

Joaquin. Shalom, Captain.

[he's hoping you remember sooner rather than later. he knows he doesn't have the patience to deal with this for long.]

[ Not precisely, no. Definitely be bolting if that came up. Jim watches carefully as he introduces himself, and nods. He decides to take the greeting literally, like an olive branch, and moves to sit in a chair not far from the couch. He's still facing him, still watching carefully---but he's not quite as tense. ]

What do you want?

To talk only.

[well, he also wants you to remember. to come back with him, to help him throw section 31 into chaos and rescue their kin. but that's going to be a hard sell.]

You said on the ship that I seemed familiar.

Okay, talk. Sure.

[ He nods when he mentions that, not sure how he feels about it currently. He's got a feeling this guy has cards up his sleeves he isn't showing yet. It's unnerving. ]

Yeah, I remember saying that.

[ Blue water. Coffee. Bubblegum. Computer parts strewn around like broken toys. He closes his eyes briefly to dismiss the sudden rush of images that he's not sure where they came from. ]

[his poker face is excellent except for when it isn't. like now, when the mask cracks to display the sheer hurt and weariness in his eyes. they're safe, currently, he might be able to speak candidly. hope that it doesn't drive his brother--who doesn't remember him--away.]

Mm. You were right, we have met before.

[how can he say this without everything blowing up in his face? he really wished kati or julian were here. they were far better at this than he was.]

I just don't know how to tell you how, where, or why you don't remember it.

You told me we hadn't. That I didn't know you.

[ So where? He can feel a headache coming on behind his eyes and he knows it's going to be a bad one. He's not sure what Joaquin is going for, but he's not moving. He's listening, and that's something, right?

Jim's trying to be diplomatic, but this is unnerving as hell. ]

Well, I'm still sitting here. So how about you try, and we go from there. You already found your way here, so I'm going to assume that Khan got a message out. Why he sent you to me is a little beyond me, but fine. I'll go with it.

[ Joaquin doesn't seem to hold any ill will towards him, but he can't speak for the others that might show up if he calls for help. He's got enough blood on his hands. ]

Jim Kirk doesn't know me, just like he didn't know Khan when you encountered him.

[he sighs, running a hamd through his curly hair and muttering in Hebrew I am not the best for this.]

I'm the only one of us that are both awake and free to come. I don't know who else might still be held captive. That, and I'm his second.

[ Jim opened his mouth in question, but then stopped. Wait, was he trying to say that he suddenly wasn't who he thought he was? That's insane. He shakes his head and then his eyes widen. His second in command? So much for luck.

He's starting to think the past few years were just a fluke. ]

Look, it's not that I don't appreciate the being brought back thing. I don't know what made him want to do that after he had that private chat with the Admiral, I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life, thanks, but---I don't know what you're getting at.

I don't know what you want from me. I'm Jim Kirk, and I don't you. I don't know him. I never did. [ A beat and a sound of frustration escapes him. ] He said it too. I think---he thought I couldn't hear him, but I did.

Khan said I didn't remember. Now I'm---having dreams I can't explain and remembering things that are impossible and I don't know why I am telling you this or I trust you to tell you this---but I am.

I do. It doesn't make sense.

[It could be worse. He could be Khan's second in command and out for blood. Khan's an excellent fighter, but there's a reason Joaquin had been his bodyguard, and it wasn't just to keep up appearances.]

Of course he brought you back. He wasn't going to let you die, just like he wasn't going to walk away from us.

[Joaquin wants to break something. He'd like for it to be Marcus's face, but Khan had already summarily taken care of that, and he wouldn't have denied their leader the kill anyway.]

I am not a patient man, and not one to keep secrets. You are not Jim Kirk. Not really. You are remembering who you are, and who we were to you.

[ It's probably for the best, currently, that he doesn't remember the fact that Joaquin was his bodyguard. That he doesn't remember his own hand in their methods. If he did, there'd probably be a little more panic on Jim's end, but he's also not an idiot.

If he is an augment, like them, there's no denying the blood on his hands. ]

Join the club, it isn't one of my strongest suits either. Why should I believe you?

[They had done what they needed to. It was what they were made for, and then it had been to protect their own.

They had no choice. They had tried to be better than the others, above the conflict that had embroiled their brothers and sisters, and look where that had gotten them.]

I stand to gain nothing by lying to you, and risk far more by coming to you like this. Isn't that enough to hear what I have to say?

[ He doesn't remember that. He remembers what the history books say, and his dreams are disorienting at the best of times. ]

I'm still listening. I said I would.

[He huffs, runs a hand through his hair.]

They woke four of us. Khan, myself, you, Julian. Khan they used for his mind. Me, they poked and prodded--I don't know what they were trying to take from me, but judging from the blood and tissue samples all I can think is trying to reverse-engineer the genetics used to make us.

[He hasn't mentioned Julian yet. He doesn't know where he is, he doesn't know if he's still alive, or if they pulled him apart to the bones like he was nothing more than a science experiment, and the thought makes him furious, so much so that he has to hiss a breath through his teeth.]

Neither of us know what 31 has done with Julian.

[ His brow furrows at the mention of Julian. Something---aches in his chest when he says the name. Like the name of an old friend not heard in a very long time. ]

I'm one of the ones that they decided to wake up, so---what? They wiped my memory? I don't have any augmented abilities, the only thing I've got, is a long list of allergies.

[Joaquin sees it, and his heart hurts. He knew how close the two of them were, and for Chris not to remember--it would be like him not remembering Khan, and he can't even imagine that.]

You were close.

[He murmurs softly.]

Think about that for a moment. Allergies are symptoms of an overactive immune system. Like an augmented immune system trying to reassert itself after being suppressed. Aside from that, we were all built for different purposes. Our abilities are similar, not the same. Some of us are stronger, some faster, some smarter. You were--are--smarter.

[ Blue water. Falling. His arm hurting. Why does he remember that when he mentions that he and Julian were close. Why---why does he remember bits and pieces of computer parts found thrown away by others but given as a gift in a room he doesn't remember?

His head is hurting again. Headaches have been a pretty regular thing for him these days. He closes his eyes briefly, focuses on breathing, and then opens them again. ]

Basic medical at the Academy wasn't one of my best subjects. So, uh, Khan bringing me back, the introduction of still augmented blood is getting rid of whatever damage they did to me, if we're following that line of thought.

[ He laughs a little helplessly. ] You've---you've got to have something other than this. Something ---some kind of proof. You can't expect me to take you at your word about this.

wow you're a creeper

y e p. were you expecting anything else?

not really no

oh good.

what an ass.

but at least he's cute.

that's not in his favor right at this moment

aw. :C

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