Stitches In Time
Episode Name: Stitches In Time Written By: Starfleet Cast: Poole, O'Rielly, Turtledove and Tyler. Produced By: Starfleet Directed By: Starfleet Aired On: Fri Jan 10 16:20:21 2003 Stardate: 52916.4
Time: Thu Jan 09 12:36:06 2003
Stardate: 52913.7
Blue-gray carpeting reaches from gunmetal gray wall to gunmetal gray wall. These quarters are among some of the largest on the station. A spacious living area is the center of attention when first entering the door. In the far bulkhead three sets of large viewports gaze out to the cosmos. To the right side of the living area doors open up into a large bedroom. A bathroom can also be reached from both the living area and the bedroom. On the left side of the living space is an area for dining and food preparation with a replicator set into the wall. Soft white light, which can be easily adjusted, blankets the entire quarters. As you enter, your attention is immediately drawn to a hulking ancient diving suit standing in the far right hand corner of the living area. To the left of the door is the dining area, is an antique wooden table that is surrounded by four chairs. Sitting in the center of the table is a potted plant. Above the area where the table is set up is a transparent aluminum sculpture.
The door chime sounds from the direction of Out.
Tyler says into Out comm, "Come in?"
Turtledove comes in from the corridor.
Turtledove has arrived.
Tyler's busying herself about the quarters, straightening things up, it would seem. "Tera," she says, and she breaks out into a wide smile. "Hi, come in, come in."
Turtledove wanders quietly into the room. Her mouth curves upward slightly. "Hey, Wendy. Sorry about the late visit." She looks around. "I have something important to talk to you about. It's classified stuff..." She looks around the room, perhaps assessing the security of the room for top-secret discussions.
"Don't worry about the time," Wendy says. Her smile falters somewhat at the mention of classified material, but she nods. She gestures toward the sofa and says, "Have a seat. The quarters are secure, it's a secure deck."
Turtledove's eyes move around the room as Tyler talks, but come to rest on the diving suit. She looks away, back to Tyler, smiles, then moves to the sofa and takes a seata. Her hands clasped and resting in her lap, she says, "Yes, of course." She takes another quick look around the room. "...As I was saying. Is it normal for people to... recognize time disparities? For example, people on the station who've lost relatives in London..." She trails off. "...how should they perceive that event? Should they except that it has always been? In general?"
Tyler blows out a breath through her lips. She too glances toward the suit before moving to sit down. "Station 419 is a temporal anchor. It's why we're stationed out of here. Causal changes to the timeline expand like a wave, and can cross dimensional boundaries too. As the universe 'snaps' into its new place, outside the anchor all changes will go unnoticed. It was always so from their perspective, because it's relative. Now, here, at the anchor, time does not snap into its new place. We have a consistent timeline. Models suggest that it is permanent, but I'm not convinced, the results are pretty erratic still." She breathes in, breathes out. She could probably talk about her job all day since she rarely gets the opportunity to. "So, people here are going to recognize changes in the timeline. DTI has assigned Agent Duncan and Agent Bailey to perform spin control."
Turtledove listens intently to Tyler. Any trace of a smile disappears. Especially in her eyes. She looks away. "How are they going to do that? Spin control, I mean." Her eyes rest on the diving suit again, avoiding Tyler.
Tyler's humor fades as well. "Tera, what's going on?" she asks, her face growing serious.
Turtledove looks back at Tyler. "I'm not sure." Her expression is dark, muted, unreadable. "I mean. It's just so... it hurts, you know?" She shakes her head gently, quietly distressed. "It's not the deaths, I can handle that. I am steadfast in that. I believe in the necessity of what we did, Wendy." She pauses, her eyes shining with faith, and firm belief. "But, it's just... the judgement, the distrust. The way people look at me, sometimes, I wonder... how they judge me, for what the suspect or know. And it hurts." Her eyes search Tyler's quietly, for some sort of understanding. Even as an emotional wreck, she manages to be unobtrusive, quietly wringing her hands, and speaking softly.
Wendy's eyes show the depths of her own pain. She knows exactly what Turtledove is feeling right now, and the empathy shows in her eyes. She nods ever so slightly. "It hurts," she says. "It's been a hurt that has pained me for three years. I am horribly sorry that you have to taste that pain." She swallows, glancing down to her hands. "In fact, tonight I cried in Aaron's arms because of that s-same hurt. I was told that basically the only reason anyone is nice to me around here is because they're t-terrified of me."
Turtledove reaches out to quietly cover Wendy's hand with her own. Her eyes lighten momentarily, registering sadness, distress, and traces of relief mingled with disbelief and spark of anger. "Who said that?"
Tyler swallows and shakes her head. "That's... That's not important." She looks close to tears herself, but instead of succumbing to them she pushes herself up off the couch. "I want to show you something, Tera. Put on your hiking boots."
Turtledove's eyebrows twitch curiously. She stands. "Are we going to the holodeck?"
Tyler shakes her head. She smiles just a little. "Metaphorically. We've got a long trip."
The two women walk from Tyler's quarters to Deck 4 of the USS Aegis.
Tyler has remained quiet throughout the walk, contemplative. Then they approach the familiar door to the computer core. Familiar, because Tera's been posted here many times, pulling Core Duty, guarding who knows what behind the core's large metal doors. Personnel never went through those doors, except Tyler. She would smile at Tera, but keep things on a very professional basis when coming or going from the area. Rarely would she have visitors, and only then under escort from Tyler (or her permission from within). Two guards, Ensigns as well, are standing there right now. She approaches them without hesitation and gives each one a nod. "Good evening, Ensigns." They straighten up and answer off as Tyler keys in her security codes. "After you," she says to Tera.
As she and Tyler step out of the turbolift, it is apparent that Turtledove is fairly certain where Tyler is leading her. A familiar route, indeed. Her expression is serious as well, though she can't conceal the thread of exhiliaration in her eyes as she glances at Tyler, then steps through the door, and into the room that has no doubt intrigued her curious mind since the first time she set eyes on it.
Cylindrical in shape and three full stories tall, the computer core is unlike any standard issue core. Catwalks line the circumference at the upper levels, with standard Starfleet doors leading off of them. Banks of isolinear cores surround this lower level, in the center of which is something entirely alien. A three meter tall cyan crystalline stump, of a barely opaque substance, sits in the center of it all. It rests on a meter-tall circular base of what appears to be exposed circuitry, and the 'roots' of the stump burrow into the very circuitry that is below it. It appears to be suspended by a forcefield, as the base has a glowing white ring around it. Taut tethers reach down from the ceiling to suspend the stump should the fields ever fail. An interface console faces the stump about a meter away from its base. The whole room hums with the sound of electricity, and the stump appears to pulsate with a gentle inner light. The area, unlike other computer cores on starships, is deserted of personnel.
The room is alive with the pulsing and humming of it, suspended off the ground, its tendrils forking down into the interface dais like fingers of glass. The blueish, aqua-marine colored stump, crystalline in form, hangs suspended by forcefields and anchor tethers. The taut tethers come down from the heights of a computer core similar to the DTI core that Tera just stormed. Similar to computer cores everywhere. But this one is way, way different. Wendy remains silent, but her eyes never stray from Turtledove.
Turtledove slows her pace as she enters, then stops, regarding the artifact with an expression of quiet awe. Her eyes sweep over it's tendrils, the force-field, the anchor tethers... Her movements are subdued, more so than usual, perhaps because of the absolute presence of it. She looks at Tyler, surprised and questioning. Sure, she knows it's the artifact, but she obviously hasn't any idea what it actually is.
"It's alive," Tyler whispers. "And it is sentient." She approaches it, her own eyes filled with awe even after all this time, and pauses to lean against what is apparently her duty console. "It protects me, Tera. If I... If I feel threatened, it will lash out. With energies from consoles, from anywhere on the ship. It has killed a Romulan agent. It has zapped several of our crew, including Lt. Havaris. It killed a lot of Dulcais security officers here to take me off the station for a courts martial." She swallows and looks down, then tilts her head up to regard the spectacle of the artifact. "Are you afraid of me now?"
Turtledove regards Tyler intently, then shifts her attention to the artifact. She ponders her response, choosing her words carefully. "No. I'm not." She looks back to Tyler. She smiles faintly. "Apart from my philisophical leanings... I judge people by their motives, Wendy, not by their acts." She pauses, her slight smile fades, but the light of it remains in her eyes. "I believe that your motives are good, Wendy."
Tyler swallows and looks to Turtledove. The dam on her emotions almost bursts, and she threatens to start crying. She manages to suck it in after a single whimper. But through it all, she manages a gentle smile. "You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that," she says.
Turtledove's eyebrows ascend gently. Her eyes take on a new emotion. Bittersweet memory mingled with irrepressible warmth. She nods gently. "You keep so much in... you worry... so much." Her mouth curves into a faint smile again. She shakes her head. "It comes from the heart. I don't know why, but I feel very close to you, Wendy, in spite of the short length of our friendship. And I know good from bad, trust me."
Tyler can't help but grin. She can blush too, and she looks down at her feet. "I feel the same way about you, Tera. I hope you see that," Wendy says softly. She reaches up and does the Tyler maneuver to her ear. She looks at Turtledove again, briefly, before looking at the artifact. "You're one of the few people that see it. It's not easy, Tera. Dealing with this project... It's a difficult burden to bear, and it is, it is a burden. I hate it that you have to feel it, too." She looks back at her friend with empathy. "So I don't know what I can tell you to make it all better. Because I can't. I deal with it every day, and it's a weakness of mine to be so hurt by it. It nearly... It nearly incapacitates me."
Turtledove's smile widens slightly at Tyler's blushing response, then relaxes into a more somber, thoughtful line, as she listens. Her eyes never stray from Tyler. "I don't know, either. I'm working on acceptance at the moment. But it's been so monumentally difficult. This." She hrms gently. "Talking about it. Has really helped." She gives Wendy a genuine smile. "Thank-you."
Tyler parries it with a wide smile of her own. She shakes her head, though. "No. Thank you." She pushes off the console and straightens up. "We should have a lot more of them, you know? It might make things easier on us both."
Turtledove says, "We should." Turtledove's smile remains. Her eyes shift to the artifact. "I've never really had a close friend. The closest thing that I've ever had to it was my sister, but she died a long time ago. We used to spend every moment together, though, and I miss that. It's no secret that sharing a burden lightens the load, I suppose, but... heck. I guess I'm sort of distant, and... try to solve my own problems. Myself. You know?"
Tyler nods briefly and sits down on the dais her console is on. "Yes," she says. "You're probably the closest friend I've had, honestly. You know I grew up on a boat. There wasn't much opportunity to play with kids my age on the ocean." She hitches up her shoulders. "Then came the Academy, and I was well despised, so I kept to myself... Then here. Yet, still despised. I have people who I like and people who - well, maybe - like me, I think, but I don't think I'd consider many of them friends. Maybe Gwen Poole. But that will probably all change, considering what happened to London. She's already sent me word that she wants to talk to me. I'm scared of that encounter."
Turtledove turns away from the artifact. She considers Tyler quietly for a moment. "Be prepared for the worst. I saw Gwen in the Warp Core coffee house this evening, just before visiting your quarters. She was upset. Not surprising, considering. But still, she's a clever officer, probably one of the craftiest I've worked under. And one of the most stubborn." She speaks at a pace as if reporting to a CO, though her tone is light. "Plus, some of the stuff she said to the server gave me a bad feeling... I didn't hear all of her words, though. What will you do if she confronts you?"
Tyler swallows audibly and shrugs. "Run?" She offers a half-smile and says, "I'll send her to DTI, just like everyone else. But see, she knows the work I do, and like you said, she's quite clever. If she's not put two and two together, she's at least put one and one together, and knows I could have a hand in 'fixing' it if she doesn't suspect I had a hand in it to begin with." She picks at the carpeting on the stairs of the dais, then looks over at Tera.
Turtledove regards Tyler with a measure of dread, but she nods an acknowledgement, nonetheless. Her mouth curves upward slightly, ironically. Her eyes remain dark and dreading. "Let me guess. It's nothing you haven't had to deal with before?"
"Nothing like this," Tyler admits. "Most of the stuff I've done, I've done /for/ the crew. Like... Poole - I followed her orders when she wanted to rescue Commander Balin. And I let her use the artifact for transport to do it. Edwards, too. When that Orion kidnapped his wife, I sent him and Ghorev off to rescue her. This is all, uh, off the record, of course," she says. She sighs softly and brings her knees to her chin. "But I've never, well, 'crossed' anyone like this, no."
Turtledove says, "Me neither." Turtledove's composure cracks just a bit more. She crosses her arms and taps her fingers lightly against the cloth of her sleeves. "That's some pretty shocking stuff, really, wow." Her eyebrows go up slightly. "But again..." She regards Tyler with quiet warmth and earnestness. "...it sure goes a long way toward supporting the argument that your motives are good. If people have any reason at all, they will remember that. Lt. Poole's anger is understandable, but it is, ultimately, short-sighted." Tera's eyes study her friend quietly through her schpiel. "I hope I'm not... shattering your perceptions of me here, Wendy. It's not often I speak so frankly about these things. I mean, it sounds cold even to me. But I believe it, I truly do."
Tyler shakes her head. "You're not shattering any perceptions. I like you for you, for who you are - for better or worse." She gives her friend a smile and says, "It's understandable. But I don't know what I'll say to her when the time comes. She's known me for a long, long time, Tera, and she knows how to push my buttons to get me to do things for her. I should probably just admit it all to her."
Turtledove's eyes lock onto Tyler. "If Poole has any idea, any suspicion, I have little doubt that it would require an outstanding performance on your part to lay those suspiscions to rest." She pauses. "If you aren't up to that... the best you can do is to not say anything that would compromise yourself." Her voice raises in volume slightly. "Wendy, you have to be careful. I was one of the people that apprehended Dr. Clough for whatever she did, whatever got her court-martialled... Admitting it all to Poole is probably the worst thing that you can do. For yourself, for the project. Even if Command can't take you away from here... they can make things *very* difficult for you. Even more difficult than they are now." Her distress is mounting, it seems. Her expression is tinged with desperation, not a typical emotion for the RRT melee scout.
Tyler smiles softly. "I know. But Poole knows most of it already - she used to be second officer on the station. She and Jinn Accolon were the two officers who actually retrieved the artifact from the anomaly." She shrugs up her shoulders. "Don't worry about me, Tera. I've dealt with /that/ for three years at least. I have a wide latitude on who I can personally clear for information." She shrugs up her shoulders again and says, "Though, you're right. Admitting it to Gwen, if she's mad, is probably a bad idea."
Turtledove steps down a bit on the desperation meter. "Oh." She grins slightly, a self-effacing little grin. It quickly goes away, considering the subject matter. "I guess it depends on your objective. What reason would you have to tell her?"
"Because... Because I've always admired Gwen Poole," Wendy says. "She's always been nice to me despite the problems I've had with the other crew. And while I can't go so far to say that she's been a friend, I can say that she's been someone I look up to, and it kills me to know she's hurt by all of this." She reaches up to the back of her neck and scratches it.
Turtledove nods softly, an acknowledgement. "If she's coming to you in anger, you have two options. As I see it, you can deny it or you can tell her everything. She won't believe you, likely, if you deny it..." She pauses, smiling, sadly. "...and, that will destroy any relationship that you may have had, as I see it." Her mouth tightens. "If you tell her everything, tell her about Timefleet, the mission... it could go either way, friendship-wise. Either she will accept the mission objective for what it was, the greater good... or she won't." She pauses. "At least... that's my perspective, as an outsider."
Tyler nods a few times. "Yes," she says. "Or perhaps I can just... Avoid her. Forever. I can maybe, like, move in here. Security will keep her out." She offers her friend a half-smile. She's not serious of course. Well, maybe not entirely. "Thank you for being there for me, Tera. It means a lot to me. More than anything."
Turtledove gives Tyler a little 'fogetaboutit' smile. "Anytime." She grins. "What say we get out of here? It's getting pretty late."
"Okay," Wendy whispers. She returns Tera's smile and she pushes up off the console dais. She looks over her shoulder at the artifact, then back at Tera. "It likes you, you know. C'mon, I'm buying."
Turtledove's eyes shine with surprise and warmth. She smiles as Tyler turns to leave. They say there is a time to every purpose. But what darkness springs from darkness, what mistrust breeds in the shadows where secrets lie? Very sobering thoughts indeed. Tera's eyes dim slightly, her grin faltering as she follows Tyler out the door.
Time: Fri Jan 10 15:49:58 2003
Stardate: 52916.4
... Sometime later, in the Ward Room, Lt. Tyler has called Lt. O'Rielly to meet with her ...
O'Rielly steps into the ward room, and the door slides shut behind him.
O'Rielly has arrived.
Tyler's standing at the windows, looking out over the darkened hull of the Aegis silhouetted against the anomaly. She turns slightly to regard O'Rielly as he enters. "Hello," she says. "You wanted to speak to me?"
O'Rielly nods to Tyler, "Yes, I was told that you and Lieutenant Ghorev had an intelligence issue you needed to speak with me about."
Tyler ohs. She turns fully around. "Well, Lt. Ghorev and I have been assigned to work together concerning JOC issues, and part of that concerned classified information, and how to effectively go about keeping it separate between the two fleets. If you have any ideas on how to go about handling that, I'm open to them. There's also... London. We should probably talk about London, too." She reaches up and tucks some hair behind her ear.
O'Rielly looks slightly confused for a moment, "Two fleets?" He pauses before he says, "Yes, let's talk about London."
Tyler moves to sit down. "I'm part of an offshoot of the Department of Temporal Investigations, Lieutenant, a new branch of service, which is highly classified, called the Timefleet. Where Starfleet patrols the space lanes, Timefleet patrols the timestream." She settles back in her chair and says, "During the Breen attack on Earth, eight Romulan agents from the future interrupted the Breen ship assigned to attack London - and prevented it from keeping to its mission. Eight other agents of the Romulan empire snuck into DTI HQ, and stole a large amount of classified data related to the Federation's temporal programs. My crew and I were given orders, from the highest seat in the Federation, to prevent the theft and stop the Romulans from interfering in the preferred timeline." She tucks some hair behind her ear again, needlessly. Her voice is almost hollow, as if this has weighed heavily upon her. "My crew succeeded in their mission."
O'Rielly nods, "That being the case, it should have been in all our memories. There must be something I'm missing here Lieutenant."
"Station 419 is a temporal anchor," Tyler says. "We maintain a constant timeline here on the station. The universe snaps in place around us. It's why we're stationed out here instead of closer to the core worlds."
As the station rotates, the anomaly passes out of view.
O'Rielly notices the Anomaly as it turns away from view. He looks at it a little more closely. "That would make sense."
Tyler spreads her hands. "DTI is working on spin control. But I'm afraid you'll have to get involved, too, at least in Starfleet's case, to keep things quiet."
O'Rielly says, "I take it you keep a currently tight clearance on this for the case of standard officers?"
Tyler nods once. "Yes. Our status as Timefleet officers is classified to level 6 and above," she says. "As far as London is concerned, that's at level 8. The rest, such as 419 being an anchor, and other details, is at level 7."
O'Rielly nods slowly, "All of which I meet." He walks around the room, "Curious that I wasn't let into this during my pre-briefing."
Tyler replies quietly, "The station's command crew doesn't know about London, Lieutenant. We've agreed to share all intelligence /as it relates to Station 419's security/, but the rest, well, it just doesn't fall in their need-to-know. As for the other details, well, the President leaves it up to me to with whom share and how much." She shifts in her chair. "They're DTI and the Federation Science Council's secrets, not Starfleet's. Which is probably why you weren't pre-briefed on it."
O'Rielly continues to nod slowly. "This would be why Commander Balin mentioned you having even higher clearance than he did." He looks around a bit, "And of course now that there is somebody here to do the job of making sure certain secrets... well all secrets don't get out, it provides you with an opportunity."
Tyler shakes her head slowly. "Frankly, I probably wouldn't have told you at all. Except for London. People are already starting to ask questions," she says, her voice growing grave and low. Her eyebrows pinch together and she frowns slightly to herself. She fidgets with the tabletop, rubbing her index finger on its surface. "That's probably a little too much honesty. In any case, we're stuck with a problem. There's a really big security breach out there, and it's called the universe." She pauses a moment, then says, "Now, I know we're under different commands. You take your orders from Commander Balin and Starfleet Command, I take mine from the Federation Science Council and the Federation President. However, I'm sure that you will agree: Timefleet's security is Federation security. And that falls within Starfleet's jurisdiction. I'm hoping you'll help me."
O'Rielly looks at you, "Well, how the command structure is set up on my side is also a little more fuzzy, waiting for the whole JOC setup to be completed in the sector." He breathes deeply for the moment, "It is my job to protect the Federation's secrets from those who need not know. And that does appear to be your... Timefleet as well." Another pause, "However, as you are still a Starfleet officer, you'll also have to make sure you keep your part in keeping things secure. But I doubt that will be a problem."
"It won't be a problem," Tyler replies softly. She stops fidgeting with the table and looks at O'Rielly. "I'm willing to work together to make things between our organizations as smooth as possible. If you need anything, feel free to contact me. I can't always guarantee that I can tell you the things you want to know. But I promise that I'll do my best with what you need to know."
O'Rielly smiles slightly, "And I'll do my best to make sure both our interests are served."
Tyler returns the half-smile and nods. "I'm glad. I recommend that you coordinate with the DTI representatives on board the station, Agents Duncan and Bailey, and solidify a cover story."
O'Rielly says, "Hiding something such as London won't exactly be easy."
Tyler nods. "My suggestion is to blame it on an uninvolved government. The Founders would probably be good, considering feelings towards them couldn't get any worse. Explain the anchor situation, and that Starfleet has its best men on trying to fix it. But it will take time. Remind them that the rest of the universe sees the events as, well, grounded fact, it happened for them - and that if they talk too much, they'll likely be considered crazy."
O'Rielly grins slowly, "And I thought fighting founder spies was tough." He looks at you, "Oh yeah, it was. This should be easy." He looks to the door, "Anything else?"
Tyler shakes her head. "Give me a call if you need me." She gives him another haunted half-smile. "And it was nice meeting you, Lieutenant."
O'Rielly nods, "Likewise Lieutenant."
... Later, Poole finally catches up with Tyler in her quarters ...
Poole comes in from the corridor.
Poole has arrived.
Tyler is sitting on the couch, and has been reading over a PADD. She is setting it down as Poole steps in and she pushes herself up off the sofa. "Uh, hi, Gwen," she says, darting a lock of hair behind her ear. "This is a surprise."
"Is it really?" Poole asks softly, halting just by the door. "I did let you know I was looking for you... There's something we need to speak about, and I know that you know what I'm talking about."
Wendy looks at Poole curiously and arches an eyebrow. "Yes, it is. I got your message, but I didn't expect you to be showing up at my door." She makes her way toward the replicator. "Do you w-want anything? To drink I mean?" she asks.
Poole shakes her head and slinks over to the couch, taking a seat. "Water. Please." She tangles her fingers together in a ball in front of her, perhaps the only outward sign of anything other than calm weariness in Gwen.
Tyler orders two waters, and takes one back to Gwen. "Well, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asks, offering the glass to Poole.
Poole accepts her drink, wrapping her fingers about the glass. Lifting the glass to her lips, she keeps her eyes on Tyler and says, "How about home... Let's talk about home." And she hides her expression by taking a sip.
Tyler looks at her glass and sets it down without taking a sip. "What about home?" she asks, glancing out the window briefly before looking at Gwen.
"Maybe... we could speak about London. I seem to recall you being upset a month or so ago... Something about millions of lives." Poole's voice isn't mean, nasty or acusing, rather, it's tired, soft and sounds as though she's been crying quite a bit. "I guess you made your decision."
Tyler sighs softly and sits down. She spreads her hands and says, "Gwen... I really shouldn't say anything. It /is/ classified, you know, and I could get in serious trouble for talking about it. I don't have to tell you anything you don't already know about elementary temporal mechanics and the preferred timeline. London was /supposed to be bombed/. What was before was a time that was never supposed to be."
"Quite a good argument. I'm sure any Vulcan would find your logic flawless." Poole leans forward in her seat, setting down her drink now too. This time she doesn't bother to hide the anguish on her face. "Unfortunately, I can't rationalize what you've done morally. ... even though I've tried very hard to... because you're my friend, and I believed you wouldn't beco...." Biting her lip, she tangles up her fingers again, fidgeting, and keeps her focus directly on Tyler, not looking away. "I was wrong. A lot of us on the station were wrong... and it makes me sad and heartsick... and I don't know what to do anymore."
Tyler asks, "Gwen, you don't think it tears me up inside?" Her own eyes reflect the anguish that she feels, herself. "To know that I am responsible for two million lives? That will never leave me, Gwen. Never." She blows a breath out and says, "The orders I had... They came from the Federation president himself. I take my duty seriously. The Romulans interfered in our timeline, I fixed it." She slumps down in her chair. "I don't blame you if you hate me, Gwen. But I wish... I wish you understood. I wish I could make you understand. I wish I could tell you something and make it all better but I /can't/. I'm a terrible person, okay, with a terrible job. And that won't change, despite how much blame you put on me." She frowns to herself and slumps down farther.
"Child, nothing in this galaxy could make me hate you." Poole replies and stands, moving to Tyler's chair and kneeling before it. She puts a hand on one of Tyler's knees, "I'm just... sad. I shouldn't be. I knew how things would turn out... It's a funny thing, realizing there is a sort of fate." Starting to tear up some, she says, "I just wished I could have helped you avoid yours.... Silly of me, really. When you think about it."
Tyler blinks several times. "You know, don't you," she says, disbelieving. "You know about what Aaron won't tell me, about the future, about why everyone is scared of me..." She pushes her fingertips to her temple and winces, tears welling up in her eyes. "What I can't remember. What I can't know." She swallows and she opens her eyes, gazing down to Poole. "I try to be a good person," she whispers.
Poole reaches up to gather Tyler's hands in hers, fingers warm. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you... even if Aaron told you." Voice trembling, she shakes her head, "Part of me came up here to make you feel bad... How's that for an admission?... /I'm/ the terrible person. ... I know how sensitive you are, but I came up here anyway..." She chews her lip a moment before adding, "If I hadn't... things could never be right between us again."
Tyler's eyes plead at Poole and she shakes her head. "You're not terrible, Gwen. I deserve it. I deserve it all. I deserve much, much worse." A tear drops down her cheek and she sniffles. She runs the back of her arm across her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Gwen. I knew this would... I knew it would hurt you. And that's torn me up for a long time now."
The station's rotation slowly brings the anomaly into view.
Poole nods and bows her head, finally breaking eye contact on her end. "You tried to tell me ahead of time...... at least... I think I was prepared for it." She swallows hard and says a little more softly, "There's a lot of emotion going on inside this head of mine... and yes, I'm sad. I'm in mourning. I'm angry, but I don't hate you," at this she looks back up, "I didn't know why you were acting so strangely... But... you can't let all these terrible feelings stay inside, Wendy. Don't keep them... Okay?... If you'll do one thing for me, do that." She moves to stand, "I... I'll let you be now."
Tyler swallows. "Where do we go from here?" she asks, her eyes turning red and puffy.
"You meet with me... to learn more about how to defend yourself... this week," Poole replies softly, backing towards the doors. "Okay?"
Wendy nods a few times and her ponytail bounces behind her. "Okay," she says softly. "Gwen, I'm sorry."
Poole's reply is almost too soft to hear before she's out the door. "I know."
