Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Solomon Kane (Chief Science Officer/Research & Development) in Trolling for Trolls

Posted by Lieutenant Alexis Bonner (Scientist, Medical Researcher) in Trolling for Trolls

Posted by Lieutenant Dr. Solomon Kane (Chief Science Officer/Research & Development) in Trolling for Trolls
Posted by… suppressed (6) by the Post Ghost! 👻

Solomon wanted Alexis to stay, permanently, and she wanted to stay. And so rather than wondering if she should ask, she went ahead and asked him to take her to get the last of her stuff. There wasn’t much: a few of Frigga’s things, a veterinary med kit, a shoe box in the top of the closet, and a couple odds and ends things. Just like the time before, Solomon had Frigga stand outside with her while he checked to make sure the room was empty and all the lights were on. Without needing to be told Alexis knew not to say anything. The only sign of the events of that night were a roundish dent in the bulkhead where Kane had slammed Soulis’ skull into it and the missing coffee table. There was no blood or tissue stains, no broken glass. The room looked like it was waiting for someone to move in.

Except for the flashing and beeping of the desk console. Alexis walked over and looked at it, there were at least a dozen messages which was strange because she’d routed her messages to her work station. These were not from her parents or from Hannah. These had no sender, no location, and required her voice authorization to open. What Alexis didn’t realize from the glance was they would open as soon as the computer detected her voice, whether she wanted to open them or not. She moved out of the way so that Solomon could look at them while she cleared the quarters of anything that was hers, whether she was keeping it or not.

Bonner

Alexis walked back into the main room and glanced at Solomon who pointed at her and then made an open and closing motion with his fingers and thumb. He wanted her to say something. Alexis walked over to the replicator, “Frigga come here, time to eat,” while she keyed in a request.

“Hello Alexis.” The words sounded from all around the room, the tenor of his Irish brogue sounding softly like an intimate whisper from everywhere, surrounding her. She hated those words, they always prefaced things that were not good for her. “I see I was too kind on my last visit, what a waste. That dog causes me far too many problems, so I think it’s time to say goodbye. Your mind is so brilliant my dear, but your heart makes everything far too convoluted. Find her a good home, Alexis, or what I did on Giliv will seem….tame.”

Alexis froze as the voice surrounded her. She knew it was a recording, but it affected none-the-less. She seemed to fold in on herself as she dropped to the floor, pulling Frigga to her.

Bonner

Solomon scowled slightly and then paid close attention. Then…

He laughed.

“Don’t worry, Lex… it’s a recording. And listen! When he makes ‘Buh’ and ‘Puh’ sounds… his jaw clicks. Heh he heh… permanent TMJ from the elbow I gave him.” and he chuckled again. “So let’s see what Roderick SanIvertedPickle has to say…” and he flipped down in a chair, chuckling.

Kane

Alexis looked over at him and just nodded, running her hands over Frigga in a very clinical way, checking old injuries. Frigga was growling low at the voice. “Shhh, hush Frigga.”

“Awwww, little Alexis has a boy sniffing around! How… quaint. Did you understand he was interested in you? No, I didn’t think so. Has he given up, realized there is nothing but your mind there or is he still around simply hoping to bed you? How disappointed he will be. And you, of course. You know I’m the only one who can service those distracting physical needs of yours.”

Alexis closed her eyes, she felt sick. It was bad enough she had to hear it, how much worse that Solomon was hearing it too.

Bonner

Solomon laughed loudly. “Are you f@<×ing serious?!” Kane looked at Alexis and said “Oh no… this nothing to be upset about, love. This? This comedy gold! Besides, you know he’s full of it! So don’t get worked up, gorgeous. He ain’t worth it.” and he grinned at her.

Kane

Alexis turned her head away from Frigga, who was still growling but no longer bristled, and looked at him. His presence, the laughter, his words. Her mind raced, but focused as her eyes reflected the internal process. Her life was different now, she was different now. She was ashamed, bitter, almost heart broken over the person she had been. This woman he was describing, but she wasn’t that person anymore, was she? “No, he isn’t.” And with her voice the next one started…

The PaDD he left in her quarters was not sending back any information and he couldn’t link to it. Kane it had to be, Alexis would never notice one extra PaDD in all the others. Why was he in her quarters, handling things, interfering? This time his voice was softer, using his accent to gentle his voice, “Hello Alexis…do you remember that security officer? The one whose heart was failing? Everyone thought the physical strain of his job and exercise routine over strained his heart, but you knew better. You were amazing, intense, you didn’t give up. You cured him and made him better than he was. Your mind is beautiful, the most amazing part of you. And you know I’m the only one who can truly appreciate your gifts.”

Bonner

“HA!” Kane almost yelled the exclamation. “Mother fu$#er, you couldn’t truly appreciate ‘gifts’ like hers if you had a map and written instructions.” and he laughed gain.

Kane

Alexis sighed, gently running her hands over Frigga, who was stressed and confused over the man’s voice sounding but not in the room. She’d resorted to whining rather than growling. It was obvious, after the second message, it was simply Alexis’ voice that triggered them. She didn’t speak for awhile. She hated that voice and she didn’t care what he had to say. Alexis was relieved to realize it was true, not just a platitude. But if they contained anything that would help, they had to listen and her voice was what unlocked them. She stood up and took the bowl from the replicator and then sat back down, next to Frigga and put the bowl in front of her. “Go ahead and eat, Frigga.”

“Hello Alexis. Are you over your little trip in the dark?” Soulis thought that one was very clever, not only had Alexis physically tripped right into the dark room to get away from him, she’d taken a little journey through horror land because of it. His voice turned cajoling, soothing if you didn’t know him. “Did the monsters get you this time? Don’t you remember? I told you monsters are still there in the light…”

Bonner

Kane yawned. “Ok… now he’s boring. And SOOOOO melodramatic. I bet all the popular girls in his middle school find him hysterical…”

Kane

Alright, so Alexis understood what Solomon meant. When she was in ‘middle school’ she was too young to understand what the kids were talking about, but she remembered what the ‘popular’ kids were like, and she began to laugh. Nothing like Solomon’s hard, loud, amused laughter, but she was laughing. She picked up the now empty bowl and put it in the recycler, “Computer activate recycler.” It disappeared, Frigga got up and walked over to Kane and nosed his hand for attention. As the next message began to play Alexis curled up on the couch.

She wasn’t reading the letters. She didn’t even have to choose to read them. Simply the sound of her voice would trigger them to play. Alexis always ‘thought’ out loud. Soulis paced back and forth, his anger and frustration building. Maybe she really did get hurt in that fall? Or maybe she had a complete break from her phobia? That must be it! That would work in his favor. She had to return to her quarters some time. “Hello Alexis. I tried very hard my dear, to help you not be afraid. How could someone as smart as you be afraid of the dark? You could have avoided that dark room if you had just Done. What. You. Were. Told. But just so you know I’m serious…” and the lights in her quarters went out…

She heard the popping of his jaw as the recording played and each time she heard it she relaxed a little more. Solomon did that. But Alexis tensed as she recognized the tone in his voice as he ground out her misdeed, he was angry. He scared her when he was angry, and then she reminded herself he wasn’t there, and he couldn’t hurt her. Then the lights went out. Frigga barked once in warning to Solomon before Alexis began to scream.

Bonner

Kane didn’t move but shouted loudly over her “ALEXIS!!! STOP!!! USE THE LIGHT!! REMEMBER RHE LIGHT!” and he trained his ears around him, wary that maybe… just maybe… Thimblepenis McSpitnugget was back.

Kane

His voice registered in the dark. It was like her nightmare and her voice cut off suddenly. In the mere seconds of the onset of terror there was disorientation and confusion and that inability to move. But his voice brought a strange sense of instinctual focus. He said he would find her and he was talking to her, she could hear him.

Then a spark of blue white light as she reached into her waistband and gripped the edge of the light and then the room was flooded as she crumpled it in her fist. She was looking right at the light, afraid to look up. Whether because she didn’t want to see the dark room or that McS#@&gibbon was there, or both she had no idea. She tried to breathe calmly and was not doing a very good job of it.

.....then the lights came back on. “Understand now?”

Bonner

Kane looked around and then said “Oh yeah… I understand… but you don’t.” with a level of venom in his words Alexis had never been exposed to.

Kane

The light was still gripped tightly in her hand; an overload of Adrenaline encouraging her body to tighten her grip rather than relax as the lights came back on. Alexis flinched and then looked at him from the corner of her eye when he spoke. Fear was most evident on her face, in the still overly dilated eyes and uneven breaths and racing heart beat, but if asked Alexis could clearly identify she was terrified of him and not the sudden change in Solomon. The sudden…she didn’t even know how to describe it…change only reiterated to her how dangerous the situation she was in was. She didn’t say anything. What good would it do to say she both hated and was terrified of him? He was coming here, again, and he might want that fake orange more but he would take her too if he could manage it. Her thumb played over the fake ring…no he would try, but she wouldn’t go, not willingly anyway.

Bonner

Kane stood up and paced backa forth, the feral look on his face and his jaw clenched as he ground his teeth together. “This ends now.” he growled. He walked over to Alexis and dropped to the floor in front of her. “Lex… honey… we’re ending this.“

Kane

Frigga watched as he paced, head tipped in confusion. When he finally sat, she padded over and sat next to him pressed gently but firmly against his side.

Alexis watched him pace - pace and turn and pace and turn. Her breathing strangely matching the rhythm - inhale and exhale and inhale and exhale. Solomon didn’t look dangerous, he was. She was aware that she wasn’t responding even though she was processing, or trying. Her gaze flicked away as he paced only to quickly return. Watching him brought focus rather than allowing her mind to sink into chaos and fear and remembrance of everything he had done and her own self-loathing at her fear.

When he sat she reached out her free hand and traced the edge of the fire tattoo along his neck. Her eyes raised to his as he spoke and she nodded. She started to say something but stopped, her throat tight from the panic. Her hand trailed, trembling, down to his, her thumb rubbing over the compass rose on his palm. She opened her mouth again and then stopped glancing at the computer. She had no idea if there were more waiting to be unlocked by her voice print. Her gaze was steadier and she nodded. Whatever and however he wanted to stop this she would go along with.

She breathed, swallowed, and looked from Frigga to him. “Do… don’t let him hurt her again, okay?”

Bonner