Star Trek: Bendross
Episode 22 - Kung Fu Fighting
(Spring, 2083)
By
And
The Bendross Players
Jon Dou Blinked Slowly "Why do you want to wake this… Hanson Mychels?"
"We have to question him about his wife, the Murder victim." Hamilton explained.
"Why?"
"Because we want to find out why she was killed."
"You think this guy knows."
"I think it's possible he knows something."
"Why don't you find out first and then decide if you need to wake him up?" Jon Dou asked. Her tone suggested that Hamilton was excessively brain damaged.
"And how do you suggest I find that out?" Hamilton asked.
"I don't know. I'm not the one playing Cops in a Can."
"We find out by asking the guy questions, that's how!"
"This ship has enough life support to make it to the Bendross system and maybe a 15% reserve. I don't want to waste any of it on you screwing around." Jon Dou said.
Hamilton felt his face grow red. He stopped himself from saying anything.
"Doctor. As the Chief of Security, I am asking you to revive Hanson Mychels." Kerenski said.
Jon Dou looked at Kerenski. Kerenski looked at her as steadily as a rock.
"Alright. I'll do it. But only because you asked, Martin."
Hamilton grinned at her. "Space Marines are always the voice of reason."
-*-
Hanson Mychels was almost as tall as Kerenski and a little broader. Hamilton's hind brain was warning him of danger as soon as he laid eyes on the man.
Mychels was tattooed extensively. Hamilton couldn't make out heads or tails out of the designs. Martin read them carefully. They were claims to membership in The US Army, several notably brutal mercenary troops, a biker gang and the San Francisco Police Department's legendary Special Weapons Unit.
Kerenski carefully hid his reaction.
Mychels was awake and dressed in shorts when Hamilton and Kerenski met him in the sickbay.
"Mr. Mychels?" Kerenski said.
"Yeah." Mychels sized up Hamilton and Kerenski. Hamilton he discounted immediately. Kerenski drew his attention. There was an immediate tension between the two.
"I have some bad news, Sir." Kerenski said.
"What's up?"
"I regret to inform that your wife, Crystal is dead."
Mychels grew a bit pale and sat down heavily on a chair. "Shit." He took a deep breath. "Shit."
After a few moments he asked "What happened?"
"She was murdered." Kerenski said.
Mychel's face whipped up. "What!? Who did it?"
"We don't know that yet."
Mychel's face grew hard. Hamilton never, ever wanted to be alone near the man.
"I'll find out, then." Mychels said simply.
"You are a subject of questioning right now. We'll talk about whether you get to aid the investigation after we're satisfied you didn't kill her, Sir." Kerenski said.
Mychels rose to face Kerenski. His muscles bunched and moved under his skin. Besides tattoos, Hamilton could see numerous scars.
Hamilton looked at Jon Dou. She was puttering. It seemed aimless, but Hamilton saw her ready a syringe. Hamilton hoped it was filled with Rhinoceros sedative.
"You're the Chief of Security for this watch?" Mychels said. His tone was almost laconic.
"Yes. Myself and Mr. Ashby."
"What sort of qualifications do you bring to the investigation Mr…"
"Martin Kerenski. I served four terms in the United States Marine Corps."
"But no police or investigation experience?"
"No."
"How about you?" Mychel's indicated Hamilton with the merest glance.
"I'm qualified to investigate because I'm here, and that's going to have to do you, Sport." Hamilton said
Mychels turned towards Hamilton. "Are you flipping me attitude?"
"You don't get to interview us until you're ready to hire us. Mr. Bendross has already hired me to do my part to make sure the ship gets to the planet." Hamilton said. Usually Fighter Pilot overconfidence was one of Hamilton's assets. Now it was about to get him thoroughly killed. "If that includes finding out who killed your wife, then that's what I do."
Mychels stepped up into Hamilton's face "You're a goddamned amateur." He looked at Jon Dou and Kerenski "You're all amateurs. I'm going to find out who killed my wife. Stay the hell out of my way."
Kerenski shook his head. "No, Sir. This is my show. We'll do it my way."
"You still have some questions to answer." Hamilton added unhelpfully.
"Fuck you, twerp." Mychels back handed Hamilton.
Hamilton saw a flash of motion and his head exploded in a blue-ish lightning bolt. Then he was half way across the sick bay. He landed and fetched up against the bulkhead and deck fairly hard.
Hamilton picked himself up to all fours and shook his head to clear it. Then he rose to a kneeling position.
He saw Mychels and Kerenski locked in a mutual martial arts hold. It looked Judo-like. Both men were bright red. Veins and muscles stood corded up all over them. Both were breathing deeply and rhythmically.
Jon Dou was walking around behind Mychels on cat feet.
The left side of Hamilton's head was screaming that it had just been brutally murdered. Hamilton wasn't sure if he was seeing out of his left eye, or if that was sweat or blood he felt running down the inside of his shirt.
It didn't matter terribly at that moment however. Hamilton was filled with an angry, fearful adrenaline reaction. He lumbered to his feet at a speed that felt about as slow as a Sam Peckinpah slow motion shot.
"Yaaaaahhhhh!" Hamilton yelled.
Kerenski and Mychels noted the sound but had much more pressing concerns at the moment.
Hamilton took two big steps over to Mychels. Mychels said something, but Hamilton didn't hear what. Hamilton got the range right and used the fact that Mychels was tied up with Kerenski to his advantage.
Hamilton swung a short, sharp uppercut with his hips behind it into Mychel's side.
"(oof) Punk," Mychel's said mildly. "If you keep that up I will kill you."
Hamilton swung again and again.
"(oof) Every time you hit me, (oof), is just making it harder when I come to get you.(oof)." Mychels said. Hamilton found it especially disconcerting that Mychels spoke in such a calm tone while Hamilton was hitting him as hard as he could.
"Keep going." Kerenski said in that same weird deadpan. "You're doing fine."
Hamilton stomped Mychels right foot as hard as he could.
"Arg!" Mychels yelled but he didn't let go of Kerenski. Instead he said, enunciating very clearly, "I will kill the whole fucking bunch of you."
Hamilton spent a moment hopping around on his own foot which objected to being slammed down on an uneven surface.
Then he stepped in and threw another uppercut into Mychel's gut.
Jon Dou tapped Hamilton on the shoulder lightly. When Hamilton looked she held up the syringe filled with mystery fluid. Hamilton stepped back and gestured gallantly.
Jon Dou stepped in and gently but firmly and precisely inserted the needle of the syringe into Mychel's neck.
"Okay." Mychels said. His breathing was not as even. "I give. I surrender. Don't push the plunger."
Jon Dou's wrist tensed and she started pushing the plunger.
Kerenski was breathing as evenly as ever "Go ahead, Doctor. We'll settle this for real later."
"Damnit!" Mychels cursed.
Jon Dou pushed the plunger home.
-*-
The next day Hamilton and Kerenski went into sickbay to resume questioning Mychels.
He was still in Sickbay, tied to a bunk in five point heavy duty restraints.
Hamilton's face felt puffy and sensitive, as if it weighed twice as much and was only half as well attached to his face. He was stiff all over.
Kerenski didn't seem any different. Hamilton was on the verge of resenting that.
"Are you ready to answer some questions?" Kerenski asked Mychels.
"Sure. First thing I owe you guys an apology. I was a little out of my head yesterday. I'm sorry for starting a ruckus." Mychels smiled a very earnest but insincere smile.
Hamilton blinked twice and then looked at Jon Dou.
Jon Dou was watching Mychels. "Very good. We'll see how well you do answering their questions, and if they say so, We'll let you out."
Hamilton looked back at Mychels in shock to see the hint of an angry, hateful expression flee across the man's face. "Okay, Doc."
"What's a thug like you doing on this mission anyway?" Hamilton asked Mychels.
"I was part of Bendross Corporate Security." Mychels said. "Crystal was one of their research biologists. A genetic engineer."
Hamilton repressed a shudder. No one wanted to admit to being part of the genetics field after the Rampage of the Genetic Supermen across the globe.
"Crystal and I applied as a team. We were accepted. I thought it was because of her mainly. But they told me that the Bendross higher ups wanted everything run smooth on the far end, and so they put a hand picked group of Security in the mix, to help reinforce company loyalty." Mychels explained.
"That Tattoo implies that you're part of the SFPD Special Weapons Unit." Kerenski said.
"You're a snuffy?" Hamilton asked, alarmed.
Mychels smiled faintly at the mention of the nickname. "Ex-Snuffy. Me and my unit went to go quell a Bar riot. Seems a pack o' cyberpunks didn’t like the band, so they gunned 'em down. We went in and taught the cyberpunks what a nihilistic gun battle was all about. Some news hound was there and caught us on tape. There was a big public stink, and the chief let us go and made a big show out of it to convince the civilians that we was still there lookin' out for their rights. There was a message from Bendross Security waiting for me before I even got home that day."
"Greeeaaaaat." Hamilton said "I feel more secure already."
Mychels laughed. "You're Bendross Property, Dude. If I break you, I have to pay for you. You're safe from me." His look let Hamilton know that this was not the case.
"Well, Let's get down to business." Kerenski said. "Tell us everything you can about Crystal."
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this story for me.