Hi, sorry to lie about the updating time, but Zakharov decided to be difficult. And to Reflectivity I am aware the couple may be 'cliched' in terms to the actual couple, and was hoping to do something a little bit different with them, in time. Besides, this fic is a treat to write after slaving away at original stuff for so long, and I would be more worried about cliches in my original writing. This is how it was supposed to come out, and this is how it did.

Convergence

Ch. 3-Emergence

Deidre awoke from cryostasis with a jolt. “Welcome back,” said a kindly voice. Standing with the cryo technicians was none other than Captain Garland himself. “All the leaders are being roused to prepare the ship for the awakening of everyone. I’ve looked in at your lab, and it still looks marvelous.”

“Oh!” she said. “I feel…weak…”

“That’s the usual,” he assured her. “Here, why don’t I help you to your quarters so you can rest.”

It was all coming back to her now- after she had readied her lab, her helpers, people who worked underneath her, were woken in shifts by the cryostasis people in order to maintain it. She herself had been asleep for as long as it took to get very close to the planet.

As John assiduously helped her remember how to walk, she wondered exactly who else was awake yet. Since she was the head ecologist, none of her friends would be- they all either worked under her or in minor positions for someone else. Once again she thanked her lucky stars for earning the post she had in such a short time; although people told her again and again that she had talent, she believed most of the impetus behind her getting the job was luck.

But she was too tired to get into the old patterns her thoughts usually took, and so she just blearily wished for her bed. “It’s funny. I’ve been asleep for so long, and yet all I can think of right now is bed.”

“Also normal,” he said. “I think I slept for a week- which would have been quite the achievement if I hadn’t slept for years before that!”

“That’s right. We’re all older now,” she said, but of course there was no trace of it in him. He had always looked just the right age for a leader- old enough to hold the position, young enough to instill new life into it. She knew logically, somewhere in the recesses of her brain that she was currently too tired to access, that she looked no older than she had the day she had been frozen, how many years ago that had been notwithstanding.

“You, my dear, are always permitted to lie about your age,” he teased, “though I suspect that you for one wish you were older, not younger.”

“Yes,” she said, reflecting on that bit of irony. “I suppose I’ll reach a certain…critical age…and start lying about it the other way.”

“I’m sure you’ll never need to,” he answered her. Taken aback by his compliment, she said nothing but smiled to show it was welcome.

“Can you manage from here?” he asked. They had reached their destination. She nodded her assent. “Will I see you in about a week or so?” he added.

“If it’s been two, make sure I haven’t died,” she said tiredly, searching for a nightgown.

“Will do!” he replied. “Sleep well!” and he shut the door on his way out.

As she was drifting back to sleep, she heard voices in the hallway: “She’s too young…” The accent was plainly Russian, and Deidre had a good idea to whom it belonged.

“That’s ridiculous, Zakharov!” snapped John. “You know full well…”

His next words were unintelligible, but then he raised his voice again. “Deidre is perfectly capable of making her own decisions. She’s not a four-year old.”

“But it seems like it, doesn’t it…she might as well be. It’d be best for her if she didn’t know.”

Deidre was incensed. How dare he go about behind her back branding her inadequate? How dare he voice his objections to the captain, all the awhile pretending to be her friend? She stood again, fighting a rush of blood reminding her how tired she was, and made it to the door when she heard, “No one wants to know that the cranky old scientist has feelings for them.”

Shocked, and halfway convinced she was hearing things, Deidre tried to steady herself on the door- and ended up turning the handle. Since she was leaning on it pretty heavily, she fell out into the hallway, and basically onto the feet of the two men.

“Deidre!” said John. “Are you alright?”

“Been better,” she said. That was a bit of an understatement. Not only had she tipped them off to the fact that she had been listening, but she felt as though she was about to…

Both men weren’t really surprised when she fainted. “Coming out of cryo is always hard,” said John sympathetically. He stepped back, letting Zakharov do the honors.

But Zakharov was staring at her as if she came from another planet. “Did she overhear?”

“Do you hope so?” countered Garland.

“No!” That would give him a whole new set of problems that he hadn’t had time to contemplate. He glanced again at the woman on the floor, which was a totally unhelpful thing to do, since he noticed her attire. “Oh,” he said.

He could have sworn Garland was laughing at him, but whenever he looked at the captain, his face was expressionless. “We should probably get her back to bed,” he said.

Uneasily he wondered if she had heard their conversation. He was going to have to prepare if she had.

“You’ll have plenty of time before she’s ready to leave her room,” said Garland. Zakharov swore the man could tell what he was thinking. “You should come by and visit when you’ve thought everything out. Just remember that human beings are capable of emotions as well as logic.”

“How inconvenient,” joked Zakharov. “Maybe I’ll be back.” Both of them knew he couldn’t stay away, which was why he had memorized exactly when Deidre would be ‘awakened’ and waited near her room- he had just wanted to see her again.

Five days later, outside the selfsame room, he couldn’t help but feel that if he never saw her again, that would be okay. The last few days had been excruciating, as he had both tangled with his own contorted feelings and the possibilities of what she would say. He had tried to prepare himself for every eventuality, even the negative ones.

He raised his hand to knock, and heard a snatch of conversation. “Zakharov’s evil…”

Sweet infinite damnation, was that Miriam? Was she spewing her invective into Deidre’s ear?

He heard a weaker voice saying, “He’s not evil…please go away…”

Miriam’s reply, “Zakharov stands for science without reason, for progress without heart. He cares not where or how he obtains knowledge; he is a machine, not a man, and he doesn’t really love you. He’s only using you because you are young, and pretty, and intelligent enough for a computer like him to tolerate.”

That was enough. Zakharov stormed into the room, fairly screaming, “Why are you bothering her? She clearly doesn’t want you here.”

What he saw was a pathetic sight. Miriam, in her righteous sermonizing, had advanced threateningly on Deidre, who was sitting at her desk in wide-eyed Shock. She looked tired, hardly fit to have company, and yet here Miriam was preaching to her! He grew even more incensed, tried to stop himself from grabbing the chaplain and throwing her out forcefully…it was so tempting…

“She received me,” Miriam said defiantly.

“Not for you to talk at her, I’m sure!” he countered, regaining his sense of logic and rational behavior. “Now, if you are interested in talking to her at some point, do so somewhere where it can’t get out of hand. Otherwise, don’t come near her again. Goodbye.”

Miriam didn’t move.

“GET OUT!” yelled Zakharov, holding the door open and shaking it.

Miriam fled. She hadn’t known he would be so scary, or so possessive. But whether or not Deidre believed Zakharov over her, she already knew the answer. Deidre would doubtless come to believe Zakharov, and become as lost and evil as he. So there was no use in trying to persuade Deidre of anything, for her heart was as good as gone.

As soon as she had left, Deidre broke into sobs. Between Miriam’s oh-so-righteous falsehoods and Zakharov’s outright rage, she didn’t know what to think. How could Miriam believe such lies? She wondered with dread if the woman had spread them around the Unity, because that would be damning. Between the shock of awakening from cryostasis and the shock of hearing Miriam’s speech, Deidre had had enough. She just wanted to recover in peace.

Zakharov looked distinctly uncomfortable then, as if he sensed that his outburst had unsettled her as much as Miriam’s outrage. “I’m so sorry,” he said, daring to touch her despite the uneasy feeling of his heart. “I don’t know where she conjured up such venom, but Miriam has ever been the ‘upright’ and ‘noble’ Voice in the Wilderness. No one with any sense will listen to her if she spreads her lies, except those who are equally as poisonous. I’ll let you recover now.”

“Thanks,” she said with a soft smile. “I plan to go check on the lab this afternoon and see how it’s been doing in my absence.” It was a definite invite, to return to the routine they had established before the long sleep, and yet he didn’t know what to think of it.

“Maybe I’ll see you there,” he said half-promising, then left her to her sleep. He shut the door gently and wondered if he would indeed see her there. It might be best not to go, to begin removing any trace of the rumours he was sure Miriam had spread or would be spreading. To not be seen with her. To not even look upon her or acknowledge her existence. But then his heart shriveled a little at the thought, and he ruled against the idea. “We have nothing to hide,” he said grimly, half-hoping that someday the opposite would be true. “But even if it were, I wouldn’t hide it- I would be proud of a relationship with her.” He would let the future write itself, and let Miriam think what she would.

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Comments? I'd love 'em. I myself am not as satisfied with this chapter, so I might revise it within a week or two. Also, updates: due to the fact that I have three papers due in the span of one week, I probably won't be updating until after next Monday. Sorry about that, but it's the way of college. If you want an update sooner, write my freaking politics paper.