The First Rule of Fight Club

Posted on Fri Aug 8th, 2025 @ 3:43pm by Lieutenant JG James Phoenix

1,488 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Wounds From the Mirror
Location: USS Saber
Timeline: Right Before "The Game Begins"

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Another violence warning folks!

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Ashlynn walked slowly through the jefferies tubes. She was still feeling the pain. The bandages only stopped the bleeding, and even then they would need to be replaced if it was going to be a while before she would be in a medical bay. She remained quiet. Anyone could be in there with her. Even herself.

She was beginning to feel concerned for the mirror James. There had been no sign of a sabotage like he said. Had he failed? Or did he lie to her in a cliche-style Terran betrayal. She couldn't grasp why he would given he busted her out of her holding cell. Her answer would only come a few minutes later. Perhaps better news than she thought. She continued on before she came to a corner and heard footsteps around the other side. She raised her phaser and put herself against the wall. She was ready for whoever it was.

It was a familiar face. He turned around the bend. "Flash!" He called out.

"Thunder?" She asked before lowering her phaser. It was Phoenix again. "How did you know that?"

James lowered his own phaser. "Like your best friend I watched Band of Brothers. I also studied Terran history when I wasn't being pursued by the alliance. It came up a few times in the tactical articles."

Ash sighed. "Fair enough. Were you able to tamper with anything."

"No. I wasn't able to make it to my objective without being seen. The rest of us were recalled from the Washington. Seems like your friends have backup but with they seem to be rescuing your colleagues but killing us, which is warranted but"

"It means you're in more danger now" Ashlynn interjected. "I got your back."

"You do?"

"I would have been better off in that cell if you wanted to do anything to harm me. Not to mention you saved my ass. So, I'll save yours, as long as you stick with me."

"But you're injured" mirror James objected.

"Oh honey, don't underestimate us Starfleet types" Ashlynn sassed.

"Do you sass my counterpart this often?" He teased.

"Before Alpha Three, constantly. But we haven't seen each other since."

He raised an eyebrow. "But you know he's alive?"

"I was forbidden from trying to see him. I can't even tell you how or why because I'd be violating an Admiral's orders. James didn't even know I was alive. I was told any records of me was classified to him. I bet he knows now, and assuming we get out of here, we'll be on the Washington which means reuniting with him is inevitable."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"For the most part, assuming we're allowed to see each other after this" she shook her head. "Anyways, I can only focus on getting out of here alive. That's a concern for later."

"How did you find me anyway?" Ashlynn added.

James nodded. "After I realized I couldn't carry out my plan, I realized that the Ojnas is the perfect distraction provided my colleagues don't focus on finding us. It's very likely that they know that you escaped and had help."

"Yeah we know" a voice came before a phaser bolt struck James. "It seems you've been busted my love" the voice sneered.

Ashlynn made a quick glance at James. He wasn't dead. Shran would probably wanted the honors to off him for that betrayal stunt. She turned back to the familiar voice and raised her phaser, only to see herself.

"How'd you figure it out?" she mocked, already knowing the answer.

"It's pitiful how naive you think" Mirror Ash said before motioning to James. "It's a pity I can't kill him myself. It would almost do as much good as offing your own love" she began.

"But you on the other hand" she sneered. "As much as Shran wants you alive. I now want you dead too. And I want you to die a slow and painful death, while your last worlds are begging for mercy."

"It seems we have the same sentiment" she quipped back. "I think we're at an impasse. We have each other in our sights. Let's make it a fair fight" Prime Ashlynn offered.

Mirror Ash tilted her head. "And why would I do that?"

"You want me to die a slow death. You can't do that with a phaser now can you?" She challenged.

The Mirror woman sneered as she slowly holstered her phaser in response and drew her dagger. Ashlynn followed suit.

Before the two adversaries knew it, they started to charge each other, albeit slowing since it was a cramped corridor. The second she saw her counterpart was about to strike her, Prime Ash dropped to the ground quick enough to allow herself to slide a few paces. As she did she managed to strike Mirror Ashlynn on the leg, making her wince. Prime Ash, who was still in pain from her earlier wounds, hopped up as quickly as she could in her current state.

Mirror Ash slid to a halt on the ground before turning around to see her counterpart rise up. She twirled the dagger in her hand and started charging again, this time with a slight limp.

Prime Ashlynn, who was still in pain, instead attempted to remain put a wait until the last second. The second her counterpart was engaging her again, she preformed a tactical trip on her, sending them both to the ground.

Ash managed to get Mirror Ashlynn into a headlock and she held on tight to bring her unconscious. Her Mirror struggled to regain herself. It was almost working. Almost. She felt her counterpart stab her deep in her thigh, causing her to scream out in pain. The Terran turned herself around to the point where she was hovering over Ash. She tried striking her again with the dagger. Ashlynn moved at the last second. She tried again. Missed. Ash managed to flip her dagger upright and strike her Mirror in the dominant arm.

In retaliation, she tried to strike Prime Ashlynn with her dagger again. She struggled to hit her, with her right arm now in pain and bleeding. She forced herself to strike Ash, except she missed again. She tried again and managed to get another deep cut on Ashlynn, who screamed again.

She was loosing her strength and she was bleeding out. Mirror Ash rose the dagger once more in what appeared to be a final blow, and as she was going to strike Ash again, she was struck by a phaser blast in the arm, from none other than the Mirror Phoenix, who had risen from his temporary slumber. It was enough to push her off of Ash, but not enough to down her.

Ash squirmed out of the strike zone before unholstering her phaser discreetly. Mirror Ashlynn painfully straddled Ash and rose her arm again. She saw the phaser pointed at her. "Oh you lying b*tch" she sneered and rose the dagger to strike her.

The second she rose her arms to stab her, Ash fired the phaser once. Downing her. She squirmed out of the way to avoid the knife from hitting her.

"I guess you're the one who's naive. I don't fight fair" she muttered coldly at her counterpart's unconscious body. She had won, but at what cost?

James quickly moved over to her and sat her up. "I've got you." His face looked pale.

"For a Terran you look quite concerned" she muttered as he held her while he bandaged her fresh wounds and re-bandaged her older ones.

"James will kill me if I let you die" he quipped.

Ash chuckled, her voice coarse. "I'll kill him first" she joked. "He wouldn't blame you if he knew what you did to save me."

"You look bad. You really need sickbay" he said, with a panicky voice. "He can't loose you again."

"He won't" she coughed. "Have faith James. They'll come for us. The last thing we want to do is lose hope..." she passed out.

James felt her pulse. She was just unconscious. But if she didn't receive proper medical attention soon beyond bandages, she would be as good as dead.

Speaking of which, he turned to look at her counterpart's body. He felt guilty. Maybe he could have prevented her from going on this path. Helping the man who was responsible for her original death. He also felt shame. Not for himself, but for her. She was so blinded for her hatred for him that she forgot her own struggles against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. He turned back to Prime Ashlynn. He envied her and James. They were only frozen and separated; there was no hatred towards each other, unlike their counterparts. He knew that he had to do everything to protect that. Otherwise the Prime James Phoenix would be destroyed mentally.

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tbc

 

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