Echo

Chapter 34: Back in the Saddle

Author's Notes: Hey all, this is a bit early as I might not have service for the next couple of weeks:) Enjoy!

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Echo

It took you hardly any time to return to your room, and you discovered that Arianne was waiting for you there, which was unfortunate.

"How'd it go?" She inquired, setting down her PADD and sitting up from her bed.

Putting on a front, you answered airily, "It went alright, no major injuries or losses."

She didn't miss the way you pulled out your makeup bag and walked into the bathroom to begin preparing for what you had been waiting for since the start of your romantic interest in Leonard. Tonight, you were finally going to have sex with him.

"Where's the fire?" Arianne inquired, rising from her bed and coming to stand in the bathroom doorway.

Sighing, you removed your toothbrush from its case, met her gaze, and replied, "I have a date."

"After a mission?" She asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," you replied impatiently, grabbing the door by its edge as a hint that you wanted her to leave.

"You know, I'm getting tired of you hiding this mystery guy from me." She stated, glancing at her hand and then meeting your gaze defiantly, "I might just be tempted to follow you this time."

Sighing, you gazed upon the indignant face of your roommate and pondered your options. She wasn't going to let it go, and you didn't put it past her to tail you. Arianne was trustworthy, though, and you had only been friends with Sulu for a little while. He knew only by circumstance, but still, you supposed you owed her an explanation.

Holding out your pinky, you stated, "You must swear on your mother's life that you won't tell anyone if I say who it is."

Smirking excitedly, she hooked her little finger around yours, shook it, and replied, "I swear."

"It's McCoy," you stated, releasing her.

Her jaw dropped open in a half-grin, and she replied, "Shut up. Are you serious?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to be late meeting him if you keep distracting me," you stated, shooting her a stern look, "remember, you swore not to say anything."

Looking extremely pleased with herself, she drew a zipper across her lips and then pretended to throw away the key before walking back to her bed. You shut the door behind her for good measure, then looked at your reflection and sighed.

While you were grateful that nothing bad had happened to anyone, and felt blessed to have avoided being injured on this trip, you found the fact that you were so out of practice disconcerting. It wasn't as if you missed it, the life of an assassin, but you were formerly skilled enough to take down assailants without even blinking.

Before, you had been so good that you could guess what an opponent was planning to do before they even did it. Your efficiency, coupled with your apparent handicap when it came to looking intimidating was what had gotten you aboard the Enterprise in the first place. You got the feeling that if the captain asked for reports about your performance, they would come back as unremarkable, and that bothered you.

You had no desire to change professions again; you wanted to stick with your subject of herpetology. It was what you liked, and you were decent at it. But in fighting, you had always been proficient; among the elite. What was it that had changed?

You squeezed some toothpaste onto the brush, and stuck it in your mouth to scrub your teeth as you thought. Why was it that suddenly you were less strong, less fast, and less fierce than you had been? Admittedly, no longer training with the other agents had taken its toll, but you thought that working out regularly and eating well would keep you at least on par with your former state.