Battling Reflections

Posted on Mon Jul 21st, 2025 @ 10:37pm by Lieutenant Ayana Hillis & Lieutenant Aidan O'Connor & Lieutenant Ánderijá "Rija" Rautajärvi & Lieutenant JG James Phoenix

1,432 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Wounds From the Mirror
Location: USS Washington

Ayana and her team stood ready to enter Engineering. They had no idea what they were going into, but that didn't matter. They had to retake Engineering, and they would. That was all any of them could think at this moment. The doors opened and they rushed forward, weapons at the ready.

Ayana's team entered Engineering and the moment they did, disruptor blasts hit all around them. Ayana fired at the first person she saw, hitting him in the chest, dropping him. She pushed forward with Black, the two of them clearing a total of three hostiles. Cullen and Swan moved along the left and pushed ahead meeting no resistance on their side. Cullen spotted an insurgent near the warpcore and took careful aim before firing, hitting the target in the shoulder. As they all reached the warpcore and started dealing with any intruders remaining, the engineers entered as ordered seeing the forward stations were in the secure zone, they attempted to access systems, only to find everything still locked down and encrypted.

Ayana moved to the elevator to move to the second level, crouching down to one knee to make herself a harder target, Black joining her but remaining standing, rifle at the ready as the elevator made its way up. As they headed up, Swan and Cullen cleared out the rest of the aggressors on the main level.

A disruptor blast streamed past Ayana and Black, hitting the black of the elevator as they reached the top, missing Ayana by just a few inches. Black pushed forward, stunning the one that had fired on them. As He continued to press forward with Ayana, Ayana took a hit from behind. Black turned around and saw Ayana on the ground, and then took a hit himself, falling to the ground stunned.

"All clear" came the voice of Ayana from on high. "Will be down in a moment. Secure the area."

***

The Calvary approached the back entrance of the secondary computer core in the access corridor. Phoenix motioned to Lieutenant Granger to move next to him in-front of Lieutenant O'Connor. He then motioned to Potter and Weasley to move behind O'Connor. This would form a tactical square, which would help resist the firepower from the Terrans.

Aidan looked at Phoenix, "We got to get in there and save my lads." He was being understandably insistent.

Weasley chuckled. "What's life without a little risk, eh Harry."

"Quoting my godfather. We really need to make friends."

Granger looked back at the two of them, "Perhaps now is not the best time to be so flippant. Joke after we secure the ship."

Phoenix gave Aidan a reassuring look as they approached the entrance to the secondary computer core. The door was sealed. He turned to Granger. "Door is sealed, can you breach it?"

"Absolutely" Granger replied. She moved to the door control and opened it, bypassing the mechanism. "Stand ready." She hit the last control, and the door opened showing a grizzly sight.

The door chirped and hissed open, slowly.

Clemmie's head snapped toward it. Her jaw tightened and she took a tentative step backward.

Rija dangled from the ceiling, blood still leaking from his mouth and his brow. Every breath was a struggle. When the hiss grew into the groan of metal parting, his one unswollen eye opened just enough to catch the adjoining corridor coming into focus.

The Terran holding Cash went for his disruptor and crouched lower to gain some cover.

"Positions!" Clemmie snapped.

Two Terrans vaulted behind the main console, their boots making a sick squeak on the semi-coagulated blood that had pooled on the deck plating. One crouched low behind a conduit housing, the green barrel of his weapon trained on the widening gap in the door that was now three-quarters open. The last Terran shoved Cash aside with his foot and took a knee, ready to fire on the first Starfleet officer through the threshold.

Rija's counterpart quietly stepped behind Rija, using his suspended body for cover and removed his own disruptor from the holster.

Phoenix fired two shots on the Terran who shoved Cash aside, immediately stunning him as he was in his sightline. Everyone else was in cover. He motioned the team to get to either side of the door and he followed suit. He grabbed a flash bang from his vest. He turned to the others and said quietly, "On my signal, we enter."

As Phoenix leaned on the bulkhead and called into the room. "You know Rija, your boss wouldn't like that you're using your counterpart as a meat shield since I'm assuming you require answers," Phoenix challenged the Terran as he quietly prepared the projectile.

Mirror-Rija didn't answer.

He pressed the muzzle of the disruptor against Rija's temple--not hard, not soft, just enough that he could feel it. It was a silent message. Rija flinched but kept his head up. He continued to dangle.

There was a flicker of motion behind Rija's counterpart. It was a hand signal from Clemmie.

In a single movement, he shoved Rija forward and ducked left. The bound engineer swung like a pendulum, limp and slick.

"We got to get in there. These folks are liable to do all manners of harm to the lads" Aidan insisted.

Potter and Weasley fired into the room and then pushed forward inside. They fired wildly, forcing the people inside to remain under cover. They pushed in further, both stunning the two that were by Cash. They turned and took aim at Clemmie and Rija but held fire.

"Drop your weapons " Potter stated firmly.

Phoenix had allowed Potter and Weasley to move in front. He now stood behind the duo with his sights zeroed in on Rija. He still had the flashbang prepared. If they did not comply with Potter's order he'd throw it towards the Terrans to throw them off of their game.

Clemmie didn't flinch when Potter gave the order. Her disruptor stayed low, finger curled but unmoving.

"No," she said, voice flat. "You drop yours."

And then she moved--fast and practiced. She reached her right hand around her left arm and tapped a band resting on her triceps. She dematerialized with a wicked grin.

Granger didn't hesitate with the escape of Clemmie, having a clean shot at Mirror Rija. She took a quick breath and let it out as she depressed the trigger, firing a single phaser blast which grazed Rija and then slammed into the shoulder of his would-be counterpart, dropping him to the ground stunned.

As she raced towards them and kicked the disruptor from his hand, Potter mentioned evenly with a smile, "Nice shot Hermione."

Weasley followed, "Not nice. Bloody brilliant."

Aidan raced to look at Cash and Rija. They were both in bad shape. "Bloody bastards tortured my boys." He looked back at Phoenix, "They require immediate medical attention. Get the medics in here."

Granger looked at Aidan and Rija, "I am cross trained as a field medic. Let me take a look at him."

Potter looked to Phoenix, "Suppose these intruders are off to the brig sir?"

James slapped his badge after he put the flashbang away as he didn't need it. "Phoenix to sickbay, we need medics in the secondary computer core immediately."

Rija coughed wetly, turned his head, and spat blood down his chest.

"Cash first," he rasped.

He turned to Potter and Weasley. "Affirm. If I'm not needed elsewhere I'll join you two shortly to boost security. I'll send for additionals regardless. We can't have them escaping our custody. Stay frosty, and good work today. Once we're out of the woods I'll put a good word for you three in with Lieutenants Imik and Hillis."

"Enough with patting each other on the goddamned back," Rija snapped, and the sudden heat in his voice was startling. His right eye had swollen shut, but the left one blazed like an oil lantern in fog. "Get him to Sickbay. Now.."

Cash lay crumpled nearby, his uniform shredded, his breathing shallow and fast. There was a high, reedy whistle in his chest--air slipping where it shouldn't be. His hand trembled as he reached up toward nothing.

Suddenly Rija, Cash, and Granger dematerialized in the standard blue hue, whisked away to sickbay. When they appeared the EMH looked at them, "More wary souls in need of my gentle touch." And with that quip, it began treating Rija and Cash.

Granger hit her comm badge and informed Phoenix of their location, trying hard not to be affected by the carnage and suffering she was witnessing in sickbay.

 

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