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This is a list of characters who are referenced and appear in this story.
Anthoni Chapman, Species: Human, Sex&Gender: They/them, Title: Crewman, Speciality: Geology, Description: Loves their job until a freak transporter accident.
Freddy Washington, Species: Human, Beta, Sex&Gender: He/Him, Title: Crewperson, Speciality: Security, Description: From the Blue Ridge Mountains, Georgia. Talks about his grandmother. Bit naive when the series starts. During the polywater incident on the Bakerstreet, he and Lucy Hebron had sex, which resulted in a child. He and Lucy remain friends, but are not interested in pursuing a relationship.
Ji-yoo Cho, Species: Human, Beta, Sex&Gender: She/Her, Title: Crewperson, Speciality: Security, Description: From Xi Chou Station. Space born. Slight agoraphobia. Collects images of various space stations.
John Watson, Species: Human, Augment, Sex&Gender: He/Him, Omega, Title: Cadet, Doctor, Civilian, Captain, Speciality: Medicine, Description: One of our main characters. Child of a theater family. Can trace his augmentations to 3 nation states: British, India, and America. Wants to be a doctor as a result of childhood illnesses and his father's stories about problems in the colony worlds. Same stories influenced his desire to join Starfleet. Has a naturally attractive scent.
Julian, Species: Emergency Medical Hologram, Sex&Gender: He/Him, Title: None, Speciality: Medicine, Description: Hologram modeled on Doctor Julian Bashir. Was provided with additional memory in the Pegasus Chimera ships to supplement medical staff given shortages of doctors after Wolf 359. Intended to last until John Watson finishes his medical training.
Killian McCarthy, Species: Human, Sex&Gender: He/Him, Title: Chief, Speciality: Transporter, Description: Maintains the shipwide pool on when John and Sherlock will get together.
Lucy Hebron, Species: Human, Augment, Sex&Gender: She/Her, Omega, Title: Cadet, Ensign, Lieutenant, Speciality: Biology, Description: Botanist. Friend of John Watson's since the academy. She's passionate about Augment rights. Can trace Her background to 2 augment nation states: South Africa (Himba tribe) and British. Wears otjize, a type of skin clay worn by the Himba tribe (where the South African nation state got most of the human DNA for the super soldier program) as sunscreen, skin care, and cosmetic. When into heat during the polywater incident and had a child, Eva, with Freddy Washington.
Martha Hudson, Species: Betazed, Sex&Gender: She/Her, Title: Lt. Cmdr, 1st officer, Speciality: Mechanical Eng, Description: Plays up being sweet old thing, but actually quite dangerous. Was an instructor at Starfleet Academy and was pulled back into active service after the Borg/Wolf 359. Formerly a Section 31 agent, but retired to non active status after she went through the Betazed change of life.
Owen Tregennis, Species: Human, Augment, Sex&Gender: He/Him, Omega, Title: Crewperson, Speciality: Engineering, Description: In his early 30s at the start of the series. Left a job working for starliners (cruise ships in space) to join Starfleet when admissions opened up as a result of the casualties at Wolf 359. Talks a lot. Sometimes funny. Some malapropisms. Can trace his augmentation to 1 nation state: Britain.
Sally Donovan, Species: Human, Beta, Sex&Gender: She/Her, Title: Chief Security Officer, Ltd, Speciality: Security, Description: Previously posted on the USS Bozeman and caught in a timeloop for 80 years. Has a family history with Britannus. Her father was Thomas Harewood, who betrayed Starfleet/Section 31 in exchange for a cure for an illness his infant daughter (Sally) was suffering from. Sally's mother changed their names and moved them after everything went down with Britannus.
Soo Lin Yao, Species: Human, Augment, Sex&Gender: She/Her, Alpha, Title: Lieutenant, Speciality: Engineering head, Description: She joins the Bakerstreet as the new head of Engineering when Hatherly leaves. She's eager to get to know Sherlock and often attempts to spend time with him. Also, pursuing (awkwardly) a relationship with Billy, the 21st century refugee they rescue from WWIII). Has a pleasant Alpha scent.
Victor Hatherley, Species: Human, Augment: Alpha, Sex&Gender: He/Him, Alpha, Title: Lieutenant, Speciality: Engineering, Description: Attractive augment, who John briefly had a relationship with at the Academy. He was three years ahead of John at the Academy. Looking to settle down. Can trace his augmentation to 2 nation states: British and America.
William Scott Sherlock Holmes, Species: Human, Augment, Sex&Gender: He/Him, Alpha, Title: Professor, Lt. Cmdr, Cmdr, Speciality: ExoBiology, Engineering, Space based species, all the things, Description: One of our main characters. Mysterious background. Claims to be from Taurus IV, which suffered a disaster that destroyed their computer infrastructure. Says he Can trace his augmentation to 3 nation states: British, Indian, and America. Has a pleasantly appealing Alpha scent.
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Anthoni loved their work on the Bakerstreet.They hadn't expected to when they'd gotten the assignment. Pegasus Chimera class ship. Small. Thrown together. Thought they'd probably would be stuck doing patrols or courier work.Alpha Augment captain, who rumor in the service had it had completely flamed out as a second officer when he'd told off the science officer for being a moron or some such. Rumor had it he had only gotten this command because a good chunk of the command staff were blown to heck by the Borg.Anthoni'd figured they'd put in twelve months serving under a know it all twerp and then put in for a transfer.But Commander Holmes was a hoot and a half, and just so gosh darn in love with Mr. Watson, it made Anthoni's heart go pitter-patter and hope those two crazy kids could make it work.Plus, Anthoni actually got to play in the dirt.A lot of geologists assigned to Starfleet vessels spent most of their time polishing rock collections while the astrophysicists got all the fun.Anthoni was beaming down to planets and examining some really out there mineralogical phenomenon. They held up a yellow mineral that they were going to dub Chapmaninium if as they suspected it was a completely newerific mineral and howdy.Not the sort of thing to flip the wig on most people, but Anthoni, they were minerals folk.They bagged their sample with a happy sigh.
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John stumbled out of the Holodeck on wobbly legs.Ever since Sherlock had gone around Hatherley to make an update integrate the holo emitters with the replicators, something had sharpened in the storytelling. Certainly the integration of actual scents didn't hurt.It always hurt a little to delete the record of the program, but John braced himself with one hand on the wall and pecked his way through removing the passionate adventure of Warlord Sherlock and the slave he'd conquered on the battlefield and then conquered again with his mighty cock in the bedroom.He felt a little sick as well.Back at the Academy, he'd barely known Sherlock. This kind of invasion of privacy had been a sort of game. Part of the ever escalating cycle of behavior to push against people's stereotypes that he now recognized had started when he'd arrived as a plebe.Now he did know Sherlock. He shouldn't be doing this. Using his image this way.John wasn't even living up to the cadet who'd fucked around out of sheer annoyance.He should stop.He should, but he wouldn't.But after meeting not one, but two of Sherlock's siblings, hearing some of the comments Sherlock had let drop about his past, John did not want to hurt Sherlock.So he deleted.John staggered his way back to his quarters. He passed Lucy, who was due any day now. She'd taken to pacing the halls to deal with the lower back pain associated with pregnancy.John slumped into his room and peeled out of his uniform as soon as he made it back to his quarters. Opting for a very long, very hot shower. He imagined Sherlock there with him. Soaping him and holding him against the walls while he… John added that to his list of scenarios.He was just finishing his shower when he got a com from the away team on Beta 177 that Chapman had been injured in a rock fall while surveying geological formations that had brought the Bakerstreet to this planet. "We don't really want to move them without you taking a look.""I'll be right down." John pulled on a new uniform from the replicator.He was joined by Sherlock in Transporter Room Cloud. A faint flush crossed Sherlock's pale cheeks when he saw John. He mumbled something about needing to complete Chapman's geological samples. John didn't quite make it out given his own embarrassment. Usually, there were at least eight hours between when he took his holodeck time and when he saw Sherlock. He felt as if what he'd been doing was written on his face.Duty. He should focus on duty.He told Chief McCarthy, "Be ready to beam us from here to sickbay."Yes, sir."When they arrived, they found Chapman was covered in yellow dust. For that matter, the entire away team appeared to have been liberally coated with the stuff.John crouched down next to Chapman and scanned them with his tricorder. "Don't you know you're supposed to study the rocks, not bathe in them?"Chapman shivered in shock, flecks of blood wet on their lips."Looks like you broke some ribs." John did not say that Chapman had come dangerously close to puncturing a lung, or go into their other internal injuries. No reason to frighten the geologist. He applied several hydro patches and applies a stasis field to keep him steady.As he was preparing to beam up, Sherlock scrambled back down the hillside. "Doctor, I'll come back with you. I have Chapman's samples." Ever since two missions back when Cho cut her hand on some strange minerals and turned into a giant spider, it was standard procedure to bring back geologic samples anytime there was an injury off ship."Better if you transport to Forest, while we take Cloud. The Chief will be retransporting us back directly to sickbay.""Commander, as long as you're going up. We have some specimens to take up as well," said Khatri holding up a carrier with several horned doglike looking things in it.Sherlock grumbled and waved John off.John and Chapman flickered on the transport pad. The yellow dust puffed around them, before they reappeared in sickbay.John felt fuzzy. As if he were thinking through a fog. Ordinarily, he could have chatted with Julian about his latest tennis match with Hunter, while treating Chapman's injuries. Now it took all his concentration to decide what to do at each step. There were so many possible solutions.Julian noticed and took the lead, directing John, as they completed the surgery.In PostOp with Chapman sedated in a biobay, Julian said, "John, you seemed a little hesitant, second guessing your options. This is common at this point in training, when a student realizes how much they don't know. Just focus on what you've learned and you'll pull through this."John shrugged helplessly. "Ta." Perhaps he shouldn't have eased back on his class load, or maybe he was working too hard. Putting in too much time. Suddenly, even his very decision to join Starfleet seemed ridiculous. The idea that he could be a Doctor seemed far outside his capabilities.He was in the process of tying himself into knots, when two things happened. First, Owen came in. He said, "Hey, Docs. Accidentally, touched the water reclamation unit again, and got myself a bit of a burn. I know, I know. Gotta apply the safeties and put on the gloves first." He held up his right hand. The skin was shiny and pink. He stopped and starred at John. He took a deep breath and held it in. He came closer and closer to John. As if mesmerized.John said, "What is it?"Owen said, "What happened to your scent?""What do you mean?" John inhaled. The room smelled anti-sceptic. Clean."It's gone. You smell…" he seemed to sort through words for a moment before grimacing, "Normal."Julian said, "Isn't normal good?""No," said Owen firmly.
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Sherlock appeared on the transporter pad of Transporter Room Forest. There was something slightly foreboding about the dark colors. The serpent peering out of one of the trees. The tiger's eyes that gleamed from a painted bush."Sir?" said a new crewman behind the controls, whose name he hadn't bothered to learn, but why. He couldn't understand why he hadn't learned his name. To be forgotten must be painful. "Are you injured? Sir?"Sherlock thought about that. He didn't think he was injured. The room was darker than usual. It had lost much of the scents he associated with it."Sir, do you need me to take those samples to the biology and geology labs?"He thought about that, but it wouldn't make sense.Crewman Bailey Hansen came in. "Here let me help you with that, sir." They took the carrier with the creatures. Sherlock let them. Still trying to decide if he should or should not.He followed Hansen to the biology lab. Uncertain about what he should be doing. Uncertain about what was wrong. He examined the evidence of his nose and found that he could neither discern trace elements of omega pheromones remaining in Hansen's scent, nor their new alpha pheromones. He could detect nothing.That was a clue. The scents that could not be observed. It could mean his olfactory senses were affected by the yellow mineral. It could mean that his olfactory senses had been damaged through transport or interaction with the yellow mineral during transport. As Hansen put the animals in a holding area, he observed his own body. There were no other significant changes.Hansen finished what they were doing and flushed a brilliant red. They said, "Sir, please don't consider this impertinent, but are you wearing a pheromone suppressor?""Not that I'm aware of.""Oh, it's just, your scent is normal."That observation made no sense. Sherlock ought to go to the geology lab with his samples. He ought to follow up on what Hansen meant by that observation. But Hansen flushed a deeper red, shook his head, and left the biology lab with a simple, "Sorry, sir. I didn't meant to imply that you're not an alpha."Sherlock stood there alone.He went to the geology lab, because reason told him it was where he was meant to go. Reason and the bag of rocks. Yet, he felt no drive to do it. Merely logical inference. As it was, when he arrived in the lab, he couldn't decide on the best way to analyze the yellow mineral. He stood there for thirty minutes considering his options. Finally, by process of elimination, he initiated the analysis. He felt no pleasure in doing so. A completely new and unknown substance with any number of possible properties.He felt nothing.Around him, a nameless tech did their work. Another name, he'd deleted.Why did he delete so many names?He went to the place of the first deletion. Redbeard had no color. It whined at him, but he neither felt like comforting him, nor running away. He felt nothing. Certainly no desire to force the door.Logically, he should seek out John. See how he was doing. So that's what he did.Sherlock went into sickbay, hoping that if he told John something, he'd feel something. "I've completed my analysis of the minerals that Chapman was exposed to. Magnetic, but non-toxic."Tregennis was there. He stepped back. "Bloody, fuck! It's catching." He put his left hand over his genitals. "You both smell like Normal Humans." He backed towards the door. "Don't let whatever it is take my wee pussy or dodger. I love 'em both.""Our aren't gone," said Sherlock, who had checked."Oh," said John. "How odd."That's when Sherlock understood. As always, John was a wonderful catalyst. Even in this their altered state. "John, it doesn't feel odd at all. It's freeing," said Sherlock, who for the first time in his life was free of everything that had come before. Any of the impulses that came with biology. "I was always told that I'd fail as an alpha. Be subject to an alpha's need to rut and react. But I doubt they meant this."Julian pointed at a biobed. "Let's see what Owen's talking about."Sherlock felt no curiosity. He lay down on the bed while Julian worked.
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He appeared on the transporter pad.
A Beta was there. That and the lingering scent of another alpha. He liked the room. The darkness and shadowed spaces. He purred to show his approval. Marked the corners of it while the Beta chattered at him until he barred his teeth.
He followed the scent of the other alpha. They were a member of his pride. His pride. He let them know that when he found them.
They said, "Sir, your scent it's. Did you wash it off? Are you testing me?"
He grunted, because all he wanted was the other alphas submission. To ensure that they understood their place. He crowded over him. Humped against their back lightly, while the alpha displayed submission by curling forward.
A new scent. A pregnant omega. One that he hadn't bred and the scent of the fertile, nubile, wonderful, delicious, breedable omega. The omega prime. His mate. His perfect hunting partner. His perfect breeding partner.
He abandoned the alpha with a final growl to let them know, there could only be one alpha prime in the pride.
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He appeared on the transporter pad.
A Normal said, "Sir, sorry sir. I was sure that I just transported you to sickbay. I'm afraid that it may have something to do with that mineral you and Chapman were covered with. I'll run a full diagnostic immediately. You may want to take the lift in the meantime."
He scanned the room for danger. The Normal was no danger to him. Not an apex predator. Not like him.
The room was bright. Blue as an open sky. Beautiful. He didn't like it. He preferred it dark and leafy. Plenty of cover for his attack. To hide his young when they were born. They would be helpless when they came into the world.
His eyes widened. His young were unprotected. Sitting in a box under his bed. Alone. He darted from the sky room. He kept to the corners of the corridors. Crawling through the tunnels. Careful to lead no one to his nest. As he emerged into the open corridor, he came upon another omega and a dull scented male.
She was heavy with child. She would give birth soon. He knew her for his pride. Her child could enrich the pride. But her children were not his. It was not right than an omega prime such as himself hunt for her children and have none of his own. The pride existed to serve his young.
She only had a dull scented male to hunt for her. He'd only bred a single child. He rubbed against the omega to trigger his own heat. By the time she was ready to hunt again, he would be gravid. He purred to let her know that both their litters would enrich the pride. Unless, she went into heat after she gave birth. He nipped the cloth on her arm to let her know he'd have to kill that litter. She should stay in her nest after birthing and avoid the alphas.
"John, what are you doing?" said the male.
The pregnant omega made a display of submission, which was good. She understood he was stronger than she was. That he was prime. She said, "What did you do to your scent? It's," she waved her hand in front of her nose, "very strong."
From down the hall, there was a growl. An alpha. The alpha prime. The one who had been making courtship displays. They had mated many times. Their young were in John's nest.
The alpha puffed his chest. Scented the air. He could already tell John was in going into heat. He smashed a wall to show his strength and roared. It was a good display.
Another alpha came from the other direction. Also tall. Well-muscled. Also, a potential provider of young. There would be a fight for dominance.
Pleasing. What he deserved.
He pushed the pregnant omega behind him. Nudged her towards her nest. Neither of the alphas had bred her. They would kill her young if she gave birth now. She would go into heat. She would breed with both of them. Then she would be competition for his mates. She understood and slunk away. It was good.
The second alpha said, "Commander Holmes, is there something wrong?"
The alpha prime didn't hesitate. He attacked. Swift and strong. He lifted the second alpha up and smashed him against the wall with a loud crack. The dull scented male tried to interfere and was tossed aside.
From inside her nest, the pregnant omega screamed.
He would lead the alphas away from her. Breed with them himself.
He took off at a run.
The alpha prime broke off immediately in pursuit.
He was fast and they had bred successfully before, but the alpha would need to prove himself again before being allowed to breed again.
He cut through a green room full of plants. Beautiful. Full of luscious scents to hide behind. He could hear the alpha following him. He ducked down a narrow tunnel at the back of the room. Swung down the ladder easily. He no longer heard the alpha prime behind him. He snarled. Made his marks on the tunnel, but the alpha did not appear.
He sorrowfully decided the alpha prime was not interested in mating, or was more interested in returning to the pregnant omega to kill her infant and mate with her.
Aching and empty, he headed back to his nest. He slipped inside and paused. The air was rich with the scent of the alpha prime. He looked around, but did not see him. He stepped carefully into the room. The alpha dropped from the ceiling. Slamming him against the wall. The alpha pressing his long body against his back.
The alpha was very interested in mating.
He twisted away and bared his teeth.
The alpha made his display again. Came closer. He allowed it. Closer. Again it was allowed. They shifted against each other. He allowed the alpha to claw off the coverings on his body. He was too hot. He burned. He twisted away, barring his teeth in his own display. The alpha clawed off his own coverings and roared. His sex was red and hard. His scent sharp and aromatic.
He lay down in a nest he'd made of his clothes. He allowed the alpha to approach. To nuzzle at his neck, but he snapped his teeth when the alpha tried to mount him. Not yet. The alpha rubbed his long body against him, purring and licking.
He spread his legs wide to give the alpha's tongue better access to his sex. The alpha licked and nuzzled.
He had many eggs. The alpha had been working hard to encourage him to make them by mating often.
He shifted his position to let the alpha know he could mount him.
The alpha quickly thrust inside.
He keened at the alpha's size. A good strong alpha. Filling him. Pleasing him. He pushed his hips back to let the alpha know he was ready.
The alpha's knot grew quickly in response. It was a good knot. Forcing three eggs to drop in pleasurable bursts. None of the alpha's seed escaped. No matter how much the alpha pumped in, none came out. Ensuring he would be bred.
He offered his neck to the alpha. The alpha snapped sharp teeth over the base of his neck, breaking the skin. Their mating was good.
But the alpha was not done. The alpha tugged and pulled. His knot pleasingly rubbed. Another egg dropped and another.
He yowled in pleasure.
When the alpha pulled out, the alpha licked his neck. Tended to the wounds on his neck. Purred with pleasure at their success.
He lay with slitted eyes, waiting for the alpha to fall asleep. When the alpha did, he would seek out the other alpha and mate with him. This would ensure neither alpha would be able to tell which children in the litter was his. Both alphas would fight to protect all the children in the litter and hunt to feed them. It would be even better if he could find the third alpha in the hunting range and mate there too.
The alpha's eyes did not close. He kept nuzzling John.
John could not wait. He rolled away from the alpha and came to his feet.
They circled each other. John's need to mate with another alpha as strong as the alpha's desire to prevent him.
The alpha made another display of strength and size.
This was no proof. Mating with the more alphas was safer for the litter. Healthier.
He struck the alpha on the face and belly, and darted for the door, but the alpha was faster. Stronger. Barely noticed the blows. The alpha threw him away from the door. Deeper into the nest. Into the water room.
As the alpha approached, he struck the alpha again. In the struggle, knocked the wall and water poured down over them. The alpha pinned him against the wall of the water pool. Lifted him up. Thrust inside of him.
Water fell over their struggling bodies.
He scratched at the alpha. He had already bred with this alpha. There was no benefit breeding. If any of the eggs this alpha had bred did not attach as a result of breeding with another alpha, all the better for the health of the litter.
He snapped his teeth at the alpha, but the alpha did not let go. Not even when he twisted his teeth on the flesh of the alpha's chest and drew blood. The alpha pinned him with his feet not touching the ground. Hips moving in a pleasing way. Strong. Powerful. Not giving way even to the rain.
The alpha bit down on his exposed neck.
He yowled in pleasure as the touch of such a strong alpha. The alpha quickly knotted him in response, causing eggs to drop. Ripe for breeding, but he didn't want to be bred by this alpha.
He squirmed angrily against the knot, but the alpha did not let go.
He relented as the alpha purred against him. Rubbed against him and filled him until he was happy again that this alpha had mounted him.
He tried to leave when he thought the alpha had grown sleepy. Again and again.
Each time, the alpha stopped him. Each time, the alpha successfully mated with him in the nest until there were no more eggs.
He fell asleep while the alpha nuzzled him to encourage all of the eggs he'd bred to attach.
He thought sleepily that when woke, he'd find the omega with her infant. The alpha had bred him so well, he would be unable to hunt soon. He would need to kill her baby while he was still able.
His litter would be so large, all the pride would need to be dedicated to feeding his young and no resources could be used anywhere else.
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Donovan came into sickbay carrying Washington followed by Hatherley, whose forehead was bruised and bleeding. She snapped, "I knew it. I knew this was going to happen. The freak was exposed to something and he snapped. It was just a matter of time."John felt like he should mention the time Euros had Donovan attacking Hatherley and stashing him in a shuttle, but it would just cause friction. So, he also felt like he shouldn't say anything.Lucy hobbled in, supported by Cho. "The Commander attacked Hatherley. Freddy tried to help and was knocked out, and," she groaned, "and my water broke."John helped Donovan put Washington onto a biobed. He had a concussion. His brain was swelling against his skull. There were three possible treatments. Joh stared down at Washington before Julian leaned over and applied a micro cranial transduction.Lucy gasped sharply. "The contractions are getting closer. John, I don't know what you did when you rubbed against me, but…" she screamed, then said through gritted teeth, "baby's coming quick.""John has been here since he transported up from the planet," said Julian, helping Lucy onto a biobed."I saw John before the Commander went berserk," said Hatherley weakly sitting down on a biobed. "He was acting strange. Not as… strange… as…" he blinked, "the Commander."Julian looked at Sherlock. "Why haven't you haven't ordered me to turn off.""Why would I?" asked Sherlock. "You are a perfectly competent doctor and your programming means that you're fully trained unlike John, not that John is deficient. Merely he has not completed his training."Donovan pulled her phaser and pointed it at both of them. "I do not know what is going on, but I'm taking you both to the brig until I can figure it out."Just then, McCarthy said, "Emergency transport to sickbay. Man down."Chapman materialized on the remaining bio-bed. His breathing was thready.Julian said, "John, help him. You can do this. I need to stay with Lucy." Julian tapped some controls and engaged a privacy field.John could feel Sherlock watching him. He injected Chapman with a hypospray. He engaged a pathogen field, and attempted to recreate the surgery that had just happened. But he was too late or too slow. A last breath rattled out of Chapman's lungs. In the bed next to them, also Crewman Chapman lay quietly under sedation.He said, feeling lost, "I couldn't save Chapman."Sherlock shook his head. "Chapman's death was not a reflection on your skills as a doctor." He paused. Tugged at his hair. "It's not a pathogen." He plucked off his communicator and tossed it to John, who caught it easily."I used my right hand.""Yes, you did, my left handed friend.""Oh, fuck!" Donovan tapped her communicator, "Chief McCarthy, don't allow anyone to beam up from the planet.""But, ma'am, they're due to come up in thirty minutes." There was an audible gulp. "Once night falls, it'll be negative thirty down there. I'm sorry about Chapman, sir. I don't know what happened.""It's fine. It's not fine. We don't know. I should want to know the answer." Sherlock paced in a tight circle. "Think. Think. Think." He turned to John and simply stared at him.John blurted, "The mineral. It must have infected us. No, that makes no sense. It infected the transporter."Sherlock threw up his hands. "It's a computer system not a lifeform." He pointed at the privacy shield where Lucy was giving birth."Ah! Haploids," shouted Sherlock. He tapped his com. "Chief McCarthy, examine the calibration on the Heisenberg compensators. I believe that the magnetic particles from the planet have caused a fragmented Doppler loop in the annular confinement beam, which is resulting in anyone beamed off the planet being split. Difficult to say how it will affect Beta Humans given half of Chapman just died.""Yes, sir."Julian dropped the privacy shield. Lucy was holding a small bundle. Lucy said, "Say hi to Eva Adam."The infant was beautiful. Squished and red. Beautiful."Hi," said Donovan. She turned to Cho, who'd been watching all of this. "We need to find where the other halves of Sherlock and John have gone."
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The omega prime lay sleeping in their nest, weary from their many matings. They had wanted to mate with others of the pride, but he had prevented it.
Mated successfully all through the omega prime's heat.
Now dual urges pushed at him.
There were other omegas in the pride. One had been mated by someone outside the pride. He needed to find her. Kill the infant when it came. Mate with her. Mate with any other omegas that were going into heat. He needed to do this.
The omega prime was warm. Body soft in sleep. Their scent rich with the scent of their mating. With his own scent. With the scent of being well bred. Their neck well marked by his marks. Making sleepy accepting movements, encouraging him to stay in the nest.
If he left, another alpha might find his sleeping omega. The wonderful, strong, fast, vicious omega, who he'd bred, who would need to be cared for if their young were to survive. Who would need the care of the entire pride.
He felt. He longed. He needed. The urge to leave was nothing. Nothing in comparison to where he was. He nuzzled and licked at the omega prime and wrapped his own body around theirs in contentment.
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The alpha was still purring when he woke up. Smugly satisfied with his success.
He growled. Butting his head irritably at the alpha's chest.
The alpha rolled over meekly now that he'd managed to breed him.
He climbed on top of the alpha and mounted him. He wanted to ease the pain of their young attaching. Let his body know that there was a strong alpha to protect their litter. Still, he could not resist snapping at the alpha and biting his chest. Twisting his teeth in the flesh to let the alpha know how irritated he was that the alpha had bred him through all his heat.
The alpha accepted the wound smugly. Thrusting up. Until they were both satisfied.
He wanted to remain in the nest. Nesting and mating until all their young had attached. This many would be painful. The thought was worth another snap at the alpha, who accepted it just as smugly.
But he couldn't. He could feel his scent shifting. His body changing to accept such a large litter. He growled. Not all of them would survive.
The alpha whined. Sniffed and licked comfortingly.
He rubbed against the alpha. The more of the pride that hunted to support this litter while he was gravid, the more that would survive to birth. After that, he would need to work hard to keep the alpha prime interested in this litter and not any others he bred on other omegas.
He followed the scent of the omega easily. The alpha trotted happily beside him. Rubbing and touching him. Indicating his willingness to mount again if there was any pain. He was eager to please.
He snarled. There was no time. He eyed the wide door. It was too open.
He barked sharply and went into the tunnels. Made his way over the room where the omega had gone. He watched through the grate. He saw the other alpha lying injured on a bed. He did not see the omega. Beside him, the alpha growled at the scent of his competitor.
He bumped his hip against the alpha to remind him of his success. The alpha resumed his smug nuzzling.
The omega appeared with a child, and an abomination. A thing that was there and not there. Not prey. Not pride. Not a tree or a wall. It was nothing. John's eyes narrowed. Watched.
One of the prey left the room.
He prepared to spring.
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Cho left the room.Donovan said, "I still don't trust you.""Understood," said Sherlock.Julian said, "If I may, there are violent and animalistic versions of the Commander and John currently roaming the ship." He waved a hand at Hatherley and Washington. "The other Sherlock has already claimed victims. We need to find them."She scowled at them and went to join the search."Where do you think we are?" asked John. He tried to find some humor in it. "Some dark safe space. Gnawing on the ductwork."Sherlock drew in a breath and before he could let it out, the grate on the Jeffries tube above his head exploded.John saw a naked version of himself jump out and leap for Julian's throat.Julian shifted to stand behind naked John, wrapping his arms around him. "I believe we've found one of them."A naked Sherlock jumped out the same opening. He ran straight for Hatherley.Sherlock shouted, "No."Naked Sherlock whined, that was the only word for it, looking wounded and betrayed by his more clothed self. John could tell when he spotted Lucy, because there was a sudden spike in a musky odor, which even John with his decreased sense of smell could detect."Ngh," yelled Lucy. She held her baby protectively. "What is that?"Naked Sherlock roared, pounding his puffed up chest and flung a tray of medical equipment across the room.Lucy coughed. Trying to scramble backwards on the biobed.Naked Sherlock dove for Lucy, who twisted, holding her baby away from him. Julian let go of other John to flicker across the room and catch the infant.Julian yelled, "John, help Lucy."John froze, staring at the snarling version of himself."John!"John moved. He tried to pull naked Sherlock away from Lucy, but John wasn't strong enough.Other John hissed, and hit naked Sherlock with a metal tray, knocking him to the ground. Naked Sherlock lay there while the other John kicked him, before rolling over to attack Hatherley again.Julian all but threw Hatherley towards Lucy's biobed. "Engage the privacy shield." The milky white shield went up.John froze uncertainly. Every Augment knew that there was a risk of a post-partum heat after childbirth. But Julian must know what he was doing. But he might not. John wasn't even a doctor. He stood there shifting uncertain if he should say something. Keep doing something about the naked version of himself and Sherlock. Do some other thing.Naked Sherlock sniffed the air and glared at the room. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to find the sleeping Washington a threat.Other John attacked Julian again, who turned to hold the baby away from him.Julian said, "I can't extend my arms any longer than Human norm. John you need to sedate the other you." Good instructions. John could follow instructions.John faced his other self. The other John was stronger. John had a hypospray.The door opened and Donovan came in with her phaser drawn. She fired once at naked Sherlock, but her shot went wide as he moved impossibly fast.Naked Sherlock jumped back into the Jeffries tube and was gone."Fuck, give me a boost." Sherlock lifted Donovan into the tube, and she disappeared in pursuit."Where do you think the other you went?" said John.Sherlock smiled grimly. "It doesn't matter." He pointed at the other John. "He'll be back."Julian said, "I'm going to stay with Eva in your office. There are no Jeffries tubes in there. But whatever you do, you must keep the other versions away from here. A newborn is very vulnerable."John and Sherlock stood in the room awkwardly, with an unconscious version of John sprawled on the floor.The monitor came alive. McCarthy's face, streaked with some black substance, appeared. "Commander, we've found the problem, sir, and we've recalibrated the transporters, but we can't be sure if it's safe.""We can't test with crewmembers," said John.Sherlock looked at John for a long moment. He snapped his fingers. "Chief McCarthy, there should be an animal carrier in Transporter Room Cloud with some animals in it, as well as their other halves in the biology lab. You can test with those.""Yes, sir." The monitor winked dark.They turned back to the sedated other John. The thing that had attacked an infant. "That was inside of me," whispered John. "I don't know that I want that back.""John, I lied earlier." John's gaze snapped back to Sherlock's face. "I said that you couldn't have prevented Chapman's death." Sherlock held up his hand. "You hesitated five times." He held up a finger. "Selecting the dosage of the hypospray." A second finger. "Whether to use the auto suture or the tissue stimulator." A third finger."Stop it." John couldn't hear this right then. Backing up everything he was already thinking."You need him. The John I know doesn't hesitate. Even if you're unsure, you act."John took a step back. "You seem to be fine.""John, I needed help to place an animal carrier case in a lab and analyze minerals in a process that should have taken minutes. There was no pleasure in the process of my analysis. No joy in discovery. The thought of making that thing a part of me again is utterly repellant. The enemy of reason. The reason I've failed time and again to be… But the alternative is worse."John nodded. "Yeah. Okay." He dashed at the tears gathering at the edges of his eyes. "Let's find a grav chair and take my monster down to Transport Room Forest." He grimaced. "What about the other you.""He'll track us.""How do you know?" asked John.Sherlock's reply was simple. "Because the other you is here and it's I would do."They strapped other John to the chair, which was good. He regained consciousness halfway there. He looked at John with a sort of puzzled look of betrayal. He seemed to be in incredible abdominal pain, which made no sense. The sedation shouldn't have given him more than a mild headache.John paused in the hallway to scan him. But the medical tricorder didn't note anything other than elevated HCG, progesterone, estrogen levels. John knew he was duller than normal, but it took him a horrified second to process what that meant."What is it, John?" said Sherlock. "An effect of the sedation combined with some trauma related to the transporter." John brushed his fingers through the other him's hair. The other him rubbed against the hand, seeming to draw comfort.Then something changed. The other him sniffed the air and whined. There was a thump from the Jefferies tube above them."Hurry," said Sherlock.He pushed the grav chair into the transporter room, just as Naked Sherlock crashed down through the ceiling.He followed them, yelling and thumping his chest.Sherlock said, "Its display behavior. He's trying to intimidate us.""It's working," said John backing up.The other John struggled against his bonds. "None of that you." John hypoed the other him again. He lifted him out of the chair and dragged him backwards onto the transporter pad with Sherlock's help.McCarthy said, "But sir, when we merged the creatures, they died almost immediately.""We're not animals," said John firmly. He shifted his hold on the other him. He called over to the naked Sherlock. "Come on. I know what you've been doing. What you want. Come to me. We're both right here."The naked Sherlock stopped yelling. He whined and jumped on the transporter pad reaching for John.Sherlock grabbed him. "Now!"The transporter shimmered around them. That brief sense of nothingness, then they reappeared on the transporter pad. Just the two of them.John staggered forward. Suddenly assaulted by the brightness of the room. The smell of grease on McCarthy's cheek. Sherlock's scent.Sherlock's eyes widened as, no doubt, the memories of what the other them had been up to crashed in on him. He flushed a brilliant red. "I… John… I." He cleared his throat. "Chief McCarthy, let's get our crew off the planet."John made his retreat back to sickbay. The office door was still closed. The privacy shield still opaque across the room. Chapman slept on, unaware that they'd lost half of themself. John moved the body to the morgue. He had to stop three times, as terrible pains ripped through his belly. He tried to count. To calculate based on his memories of the other him, but they were hazy.When he made it back, the privacy shield was down and Lucy was cooing at Eva. He said, "Where's Julian and Hatherley?""Funny thing is, I trust the face of a man who tried to kill me more than I trust either of them." Her expression was grim. "You know what Julian told me. He told me there's no entry in the Starfleet medical base for post-partum heats. No entries at all. He told me that most Human women need vaginal stitches after giving birth. He told me that…" Eva wailed. "Sorry, sorry little one. Your mama is just very angry right now." She cradled Eva. "Give me a good reason you didn't stop Julian from putting Hatherley in there with me."John swallowed. "I can't even tell you how hard it was to do... anything while half of me was missing. I second guessed myself. Told myself that Julian knew better. Knew more. And... I'll talk to Sherlock about altering his program." Although, the thought of talking to Sherlock just then wasn't exactly on."You do that."John said, "So, I ugh, half of me just went into heat, so I'm just going to," he waved at a biobed, "check myself out."She nodded and turned away from him.He turned the privacy shield on anyway. She was a botanist. She wasn't trained to read the monitor. But still. He scanned himself. "Oh, for fuck's sake." Another thirteen tiny little blobs clung to the lining of his womb. No more than a few cells a piece, but busily dividing. He took down the privacy shield and got the utero-transporter. Turned the privacy shield back on. He placed the device on his stomach. Set the controls. A flash of light. He pulled out the fully loaded for bear stasis cube.He came out again. "Will you be alright if I leave you here?"Lucy answered him with stony silence.John went to his quarters and placed the cube in the box. Stifled a hysterical laugh. "Thirty-one." Took a breath. Took two. Put his rooms to rights. Turned the air vent on decontamination mode and went back to sickbay to treat any incoming crewman suffering from frostbites.The morning briefing the next day was chilly.Donovan sat glaring at Sherlock with her arms crossed. Hatherley was staring at his pad. Tapping away at it. John kept glancing at Sherlock and finding his gaze skittering away to anywhere that wasn't him.The Violets and Hudson came in.Hudson looked at them. "Oh, dear. I think I need another soother. I'm getting another migraine." Hudson left the room.The Violets looked at the room. Looked at each other. "I think," said Hunter, "I need to… plot the course to Starbase umm…""Me too," said Smith.They also left the room."I was in the Jeffries tubes for three hours," bit out Donovan. "Crawling on my hands and knees looking for you."Sherlock sniffed, about to say something.John said, "No." He held up a hand, palm out, not looking at Sherlock. "Whatever you're going to say, don't."The room resumed its silence.John couldn't look at Hatherley either knowing what had happened. He couldn't blame him exactly. Hormones. Pheromones. It was how they were built, but it didn’t mean he wanted to look at him.Hatherley cleared his throat. Rippling the tension like a heckler at a performance. "When we put into Starbase 436 next month, I'm putting in for a transfer. Hatherley looked back down at his pad. "I find that I'm not the person I thought I was. That's all." He got up and left.Donovan grumbled and left too.John sat there waiting. He had an obligation to the crew and he'd see that through. "Julian put Hatherley inside the privacy shield after Lucy had given birth.""I am aware of that," snapped Sherlock. "Ah, yes, of course. Post-partum heat doesn't occur in one hundred percent of Augment pregnancies, and varies based on,"John cut him off. "Yeah, I know. Thing is there's nothing in Starfleet medical records about it. Maybe it's because there's only been Augments in Starfleet for twenty years, and we're not exactly encouraged to reproduce, but nothing seems a bit... look this isn't the first time someone's come to me because there's something Julian doesn't know, and I fill in the gaps where I can, but he's supposed to be teaching me. He's not... he's programmed not to be curious. He's programmed to look at Starfleet medical and that's it, and I can't add to our database. If there's a way you could make some modifications, I'd,""Consider it done," said Sherlock hastily. "Should we discuss the other?""Not yet," said John, who really could not deal. No dealing. Lots of not dealing.John left and didn't go to the briefings the next day. Or the day after that. Lucy came in for her post-natal exam.She refused to let Julian do it, or even have him operational in the room. John ran the scanner and stared at the results.She cradled little Eva. "Thought as much.""Have you talked with Hatherley at all?""Oh, he came by with a list of reasons why he doesn't want to know and it's all up to me." She shook her head. "Again." She sighed."Maybe, in a bit he'll..."She shot him a look and he shut up.She cradled Eva. "I'm glad I had Eva, but I don't want to go through another nine months. More immune depressants. More health risks. More months of gestational diabetes. More bone loss. And these will have Augmentation on both sides, there's all sort of more risks that they'll start... I can't be dealing with that while dealing with an infant. And what if one of them survives, or all of them. That's two plus children under the age of ten months at the same time. I'd be doing nothing but caring for them. That's my career. I see why so many omegas opt out of reproduction entirely." She laughed bitterly. "Funny thing is, my career is all about reproduction right now. Sh'Alaack's bondmates have agreed to stay on after their children are born to attempt another pregnancy.""But that would be…" John trailed off. "Most Andorian bonded sets are lucky to have one child.""Yeah, my research could save the Andorian species from extinction if it works. God…" She shook her head. "I just realized that if they have twins again, they'll have four kids," she smiled sadly. "All under the age of ten months. Must be different when there's four parents."He said hesitantly, "There's another option. You can have them removed. They'll be in saved in a stasis cube and you can decide later."She shook her head. "No. That's not what I want. I mean, yeah, use it, but I don't want to save the data." She cooed to Eva. "Just data, my love." She rocked her baby. "And maybe we could tie my tubes off. I know it can be reversed later, but um…" she shrugged, "space is a harsh mistress and I'm done being her cat toy for right now"John carried out both procedures for her. An hour later, he tied off his own tubes. As she said, it could always be reversed later with a tissue stimulator, but at this point, thirty-three possible offspring was more than enough to have sitting in a box under this bed.Hatherley and a listless looking Mr. Chapman got off at Starbase 436. Hatherley was replaced by Lieutenant Soo Lin Yao. It appeared Starfleet was wanted to keep assigning alphas to head up the Bakerstreet's engineering apartment. She was small where Hatherley had been tall. Quiet where he had been charming.Her scent was amazing. She acted like Sherlock should remember from her from some conference or another.Sherlock said, "I no doubt deleted the occasion." He spent the rest of the briefing pacing around the ready room. He even climbed on the table.John had no idea what the poor woman must have thought. He pulled her aside after and said, "Don't mind Commander Holmes. He may think he can delete people and go on like a loon, but…" he thought about how Sherlock had talked him through his fears about combining back into his whole self, "once you get to know him, he's the best being I've ever met."True enough.Also true that amazing scent or not, John was not going to take up serially dating engineers.That night John paced his room. The silence was deafening. He called up his personal data files, preparing to delete them once and for all. Ended up staring at them. Reserving a slot in the holodeck for around midnight. He kept it simple.He went into an apartment. Somewhere on Earth. London, he thought.There was violin playing from a room downstairs. He came down. Sherlock was playing, beautifully, as always. Made sense. He was playing one of the recordings John had made of Sherlock's music. Then in one of those brilliant shifts the holdodeck sometimes did, the song changed into something new. Something unutterably sad and lonely.John stood pinned to the heart by the melody. When it faded away, he said, "What's that called?""Me, Without You." Sherlock lowered the violin and bow, and looked at him. He put the violin in its case. Waited. Just staring at him with his changeable eyes wide and wounded. John opened his arms and Sherlock stepped into them. He felt warm and real. His scent exactly right to comfort John.Sherlock was shivering. "Shh…" he comforted the simulacrum of his friend. The man he was betraying by doing this. "It's all right. I have you.""You are my center," was Sherlock's muffled reply. "I revolve around you.""You know, the Milky Way has a giant black hole at the center, right?" John couldn't be certain. He'd never used this program before.Sherlock snorted against him, but didn't let go.John felt a little sick at how good this felt. Still, driven by his enemy within, he said, "I could use a shower." Pulled away only to lace his fingers through Sherlock's hand.Then went into a tiny ensuite bathroom. The shower was barely big enough for them. Sherlock picked up a sponge and soap. Tenderly, worshipfully, stroked John as they stood under a stream of warm water. All the while whispering that John was his world. His center. That everything was the cold abyss of space without him. He begged John to forget the enemy inside Sherlock. The monster that lurked within. That he hadn't meant to hurt John.It was an echo of John's own thoughts. He pulled Sherlock to his feet and kissed him.They loved each other under the warm water for at least an hour, until John's time was up.As John left, his hand hovered over the delete key. Then didn't.Maybe Sherlock would find it. Maybe this would come out.John couldn't tell him, but maybe something would happen to change things.Probably for the worse, but maybe for the better.
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Sherlock waited in the blind he'd created in the holodeck until John left. Watching John interact with a simulacrum of himself was mildly akin to having his skin peeled off. However, as long as he stayed in the blind, hidden from sight if not scent, it would be fine.He actually had replicated integrated scents and pheromones into the holodeck. Really, that was the very first programming change he'd made as an adolescent to the holo palace where he'd spent his formative years.Programming dialog was not a step too far. He was like an anthropologist studying the inhabitants of a pre-warp drive world. He needed to stimulate various responses so he could study them.To change reactions and observe them. The addition of a new composition for John was another.He was not entirely certain what he'd do with the knowledge that he was assembling, but all knowledge was worth having. Just so long as he didn't give into the enemy within, and reach out to touch the subject.