What Did You Do, Captain?

Not in the Cards

Everything was black and white now and Mark was wearing an attractive coat with his tie loose about his neck. Illuminated by the stripes of light coming through the blinds, his deep and silky voice monologued his worries as Captain prepared for another choice that would inevitably lead them into more destruction.

Captain stopped in their tracks, tilting their head at Mark's current inner monologue.

"Perhaps I will get up the courage to ask them on that date." He scoffed aloud and shook his head, barely showing his canine on one side of his grin, rounding his cheeks. They were glad that Mark couldn't see the flush of their cheeks.

"So Captain. Got a plan? or are you just happy to see me?" Marks voice flowed through the room. Captain was glad that their own inner monologue was mute in this verse too.

The captain paused. There were two choices before them, two they had seen many times, but what if they made a third one, a different one? What if they waited to see what would happen.

"Come again, Captain?" Mark asked quietly, trying not to make the crew suspicious as he did so. How was he able to under stand them so easily? No one had been this attuned to them before. It was almost as if they were developing a secret language with their head engineer. No one had communicated with them in so long, they didn't know how. Mark somehow did.

"We can do that, now that the ship isn't in immediate crisis. Have a few drinks, a few laughs, a few much needed z's. I've got ya." He said, winking as he sipped from his whiskey.

He lead them down the corridor,  making sure no one followed as they both entered an office with his title and name on the door. He pulled the blinds once the door was shut.

"Can i ask you something, Captain?" Mark asked, his monologue starting again, "The things I would like to know about Captain. The things I would like to learn. Such burning and deep things, but would I just bore them in the end? Will this nightmare bring us closer together? My gut twists in anticipation of another shoe ready to drop."

This time Captain wanted to actually give answers and not just empty gestures, so they sat on the desk, crossing their legs and grabbed a pen and papers from the center of the desk.

"You can ask me anything."
They wrote.

"Why dont you ever take your helmet off, Captain? And why is your name classified?" Mark asked, leaning on both hands on the desk. There was less than a foot between them, and even less between their faces as the monologue rose,"I want to trust captain, but there is so much to them, such complexities, I could never understand.  We are a team but this time something feels off."

"I have a scar from a childhood accident."
The captain answered.

They weren't lying. They were just choosing not to answer the second question.

"Did you see Gunther's face, has a nasty scar on his cheek? Covers most of his face, the poor thing. We can somewhat see you, you know. The suit is transparent to show the clothing you choose underneath-..." He scoffed," ...-but you know what your suit looks like, why am I explaining this to you? " He said, his brain saying so much more, "From what I can see, though, I wish the captain wouldn't choose something to cover that beautiful and handsome body and face of theirs. What a mystery they present."

"If I show you, will you tell anyone else?"
They asked.

"Captain, I'd never do such a thing to a bunny like you." He whispered, sipping again from his whiskey. He was sincere. They were once again glad that they were in black and white so Mark couldn't see them blushing once more.

The captain slowly put their notepad down and crossed their legs, reaching up to their helmet. Something shifted on Mark's face.  His smile is slightly askew and his head slightly dropped. He watched Captain, his eyes barely visible past the brim of his hat.

"It's not everyday someone as special as the Captain looks your way, but we just aren't in the cards. Trust isn't something easily gained back once lost, and it has been lost many lives now. The things I have seen the captain do. That shoe was dangling and I don't know if I can handle the heartbreak if the Captain keeps making these choices. I feel like a dame just standing in a dark alley with some creep breathing down my neck ready for the easy kill. If we ever want to get out of this repeating time loop, I don't think the Captain is going to be the one to do it. Are they just a pretty face? Or are they planning something sinister I won't see coming?" His inner monologue said, rambling on.

What had changed his mind like this? What had they done to make him think this way? They paused, their hands hovering over the helmet straps. 

Adrenaline suddenly spiked into the Captain's fingertips as the door opened and Cici came in. Mark had lifted his hands like he would attack them with a karate chop.

"Captain, We've got a problem." She said, making eye contact with Mark and making a face at him. Captain gestured for her to continue as they got up to follow her, "There is someone approaching. We can't get into communication with them. another ship."

Captain knew who it was. Wug. Captain didn't want to leave this ship just yet, but the choice had been made for them. When presented with sending out a distress signal, knowing Wug would answer, Captain had refused to make a choice, so this universe made it for them. They closed their eyes as they were teleported onto Wug's ship again. How many times had they been through this same scenario? Maybe this time they would try the food Wug offered.