Relics - Michael Jan Friedman [47]
For a moment, Picard looked as if he was going to continue to argue otherwise. But he didn’t. He just sat there.
Looking up at the computer grid somewhere above him, Scott called “Computer-shut this bloody thing off. It’s time-high time-I acted my age.”
Instantly, the old bridge vanished, leaving the two men on the stark, empty holodeck. Scott harrumphed at the sight of the yellow-on-black grid.
So this was what a dream looked like after all the trappings were stripped away. Somehow, it made him feel even emptier inside than before.
He nodded to Picard. Picard nodded back. And without another word, Montgomery Scott headed for the exit.
Chapter Nine
AS SOUSA ENTERED THE REC, he saw Kane sitting all alone. Tranh and the others were there too, but at the opposite end of the room.
That didn’t seem right, somehow. Kane belonged with the group, in the middle of the conversation. After all, he was their unofficial leader. He was the one about whom everyone else revolved.
“Andy!” said Tranh, beckoning to Sousa. “Come on, have a seat.”
Kane looked up for a moment and took note. Then he turned away again.
Sousa went over to the group and sat down, but he couldn’t help glancing in Kane’s direction. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Why’s Kane over there all by himself?”
Tranh shrugged. “It’s his choice, no one else’s. We asked him to join us, but he refused.” And then, in a lower voice “If you ask me, he’s embarrassed. After all that hype about being in tight with the captain, he’s still getting the worst assignments imaginable.”
“That’s not his fault,” Sousa countered.
“No one said it was,” replied Tranh. “Personally, I sympathize with him. But I don’t think he wants any of my sympathy.”
Sousa made a decision. “Excuse me,” he said. And getting up, he crossed the room to where Kane was sitting.
His fellow ensign looked up. He didn’t seem any different. He still had that air of confidence about him-that bravado that had made Sousa envy him so. Hell, he still envied him, despite the fact that Kane’s fortunes had taken a turn for the worse.
“Hey,” he said. “Mind if I sit down?”
Kane shrugged. “Suit yourself, helm-jockey.”
Sousa sat. “How are things down in the shuttlebay?” he asked.
His friend smiled-but it wasn’t his usual grin. It didn’t have that old Kane charm in it. Instead, it seemed brassy, fake, as if Kane was hiding something behind it. Something he didn’t dare allow anyone else to see.
“They’re fine, just fine. How are things up on the bridge?”
Sousa shrugged. “I’ve got no complaints.”
Kane grunted. “Of course you don’t.” A pause. “That’s the problem with you. You’ve got no ambition. You think you’ve gotten to the bridge, you’ve made it,” His expression turned sour. “But it’s a long race, y’know? And the winner isn’t always the one who starts off the fastest.”
Sousa shook his head. “I’m not racing with you, Kane. You’re my friend.” He leaned closer. “If you’re hurting, I’m hurting. If you’re angry about how they’re treating you, I’m angry too.”
The other man looked at him for a second or two. Then he started to laugh. It was a cutting kind of laughter, intended to hurt. And it did.
“That’s good, Sousa. Like I really believe that. Like you really care what happens to the competition.”
Sousa frowned. “Listen, man. I know what you’re feeling. You’re down. You’re disappointed. But that’s not going to last forever, okay?”
Kane chuckled derisively. “You’ve got it wrong, buddy. Very wrong. I’m not down and I’m not disappointed.” He stood up. “I’m Damn Kane. And I don’t need you or anybody else. Got it?”
Suddenly, Sousa was angry. Here he’d tried to help the poor bastard-and look what he was getting for his trouble.
He stood, too. “You know, Kane, I used to think you were really something. But you want to prove me wrong, that’s fine. You sit here in the corner and feel sorry for yourself. But don’t think I don’t see through you. Don’t think there’s anyone here who doesn’t see through you.