Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Side Sim - Calloway and Pikelsimer, Head in The Cloud

Posted by Commander Shara Calloway (Chief Intelligence Officer) in Side Sim - Calloway and Pikelsimer, Head in The Cloud

Posted by Civilian Micah Pikelsimer (Federation Security Agent) in Side Sim - Calloway and Pikelsimer, Head in The Cloud
Posted by… suppressed (10) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

Micah set the pistol to the side and took her hand. “Ok. Talk to me, hun. What’s an yer mind? ‘Cause if these beauties don’t bring a smile to yer face, I don’t have much hope for us trying to break some bedroom furniture later.” he said with a slight grin, just enough to let her know that he was sincere behind the innuendo.

Micah

He was right. Heavy weaponry should be the cue for some fun and put them both in a good mood. Call it what you will, but Shara and Micah knew who they were and didn’t apologize for it. He was playing dirty by holding her hand too. She had to either give in and let her thoughts float to the surface, or pull away from him, and the latter was just not her unless she was angry. The truth was she was too scared to be angry in this moment.

Shara’s lips moved as they attempted to shape words, but no sounds came out. She shook her head, her eyes welling with tears. “Pickle, I…” She squeezed his hand as if it would help her say something and admittedly she was probably squeezing a bit hard. She inhaled deeply for a moment to steady herself, but her chest felt tight. “I’m losing the threads of all of this. I’m supposed to be keeping us ahead of the game, so we stay alive and I can’t. That means people are going to die! And I made promises to them, and I feel like I’m breaking them by sheer ignorance. Wherever that decorated covert agent I was is, she’s hiding from me and I can’t do this mission without her. I won’t make it.” This was not Shara whining. She didn’t speak her fears aloud to just anyone, even herself, without good reason. Fears were normal, but fear got you killed.

~Shara

Micah moved close to her and spoke softly. “Sha, listen… I get it. And nothin’ I can say is gonna make it better. But…” and he reached over and took her hand, “… this, anymore, I don’t think is about you and me and Blue. These guys… this crew… they are stepping up and taking this on. Face first and and reckless, sure… but hun, they’re gettin’ it done. It’s definitely not smooth-” and he laughed slightly. “- an’ it sure as shit ain’t how we’d do it. But maybe that’s a good thing. It gives the whole op a level of legitimacy I dont think we could’a fashioned for ‘em. So maybe- an’ this is just me spitballin’ here- but maybe we look at this run as less ‘our responsibility’ and more ‘on-the-job-training’.” he said with a smile.

Micah

Shara drew in a breath. “And if this was any other mission at any other time, I’d say sure and just go with it. But if this was any other mission, you and I both know that I’d be pulled. So what do we do? I’ve never done this before, Micah. Not a mission with this many people. I don’t know how to work this, and you’re solo man yourself. So we can’t just say it requires tweaking a few variables. It would be different if they trusted us, trusted me. But everything I’ve observed and my gut tells me they don’t. I don’t know how to work with that other than pretend I’m the asset and they’re all pieces of the mission. But that certainly isn’t going to help matters.” She squeezed his hand again. “You know I’m not doing okay, and it feels like something I should get my husband’s help with. The counsellor was going to talk with Doc Ryley about my situation, but clearly things keep changing. I think I’m on my own, except for you. I want it to be enough.” It was hard to spit it all out but she managed. at least honesty wasn’t an issue they had to worry about.

~Shara

Micah squeezed her hand and then leaned back. “Well, I’m just gonna take a back seat. Observe. Help as they ask. Maybe tweak a thing here and there behind the scenes to better their odds. Other than that…” and he shrugged. “Not much else to do. Not much except check-out these pistols some more.” and he winked and leaned forward.

Micah

“I’m not in the mood,” she said, barely above a whisper. Still holding onto his hand, Shara drew in even closer and for a moment dipped her gaze before she lifted her eyes to meet his. She hated that he was so much more certain about all this than her. Normally she had unshaken conviction in her work life. “Maybe, you could dance with me?” It was an honest request, nothing suggestive, and yet it felt like a strangely intimate thing to ask. They weren’t exactly newlyweds anymore, but theirs had never been a traditional courtship or wedding.

~Shara

He grinned and said “Hmmm… I dunno. Dance with you, or play with new guns… you drive a hard choice, lady.” He stood up and held his hand out to her. =/\= Computer, play ‘Through The Years’ by Earth artist Kenny Rogers. =/\= There was a chirp and the song began to play. Micah looked down at her and said “C’mon, hun.”

Micah
( https://youtu.be/qJ4BHM9CgGU?si=TtGwu5BV–Pu8KxI )

She slipped her other hand in his and let him draw her closer. Her mind drifted back to dancing with him back at the cabin in Tennessee in what she called the music room. Despite the chaos of that adventure, there had been significant safety there. It was a place and a moment in time that felt threaded through everything. Perhaps that was why right now she could trust him and feel safe. They had earned that with each other and it had happened early in their relationship before they even knew what they were to each other.

Drawing her body against his, Shara allowed herself to move in time with him, listening to the music, but also relaxing into the familiar feel and scent of Micah. “We need more of this,” she murmured into his ear.

~Shara

“Oh, I agree with that fer sure.” he said softly into her neck as he nuzzled her skin with his cheek. “I think once we get this here operation under our belts, we head back to the house and take some much needed R&R. Whaddya think?”

Micah

She smiled and exhaled in a moment of contentment. “Thats a great idea. Maybe invite the kids for part of it? As it is, the second we resurface I’m anticipating some very intense calls. Being all together again might help. Besides, I’m strangely missing Tennessee, though I don’t think I’d be happy there without you.”

~Shara

“Sure you would.” he said and wrapped her up in his one flesh arm. “You just wouldn’t be as happy. But the same can be said of almost anywhere.” and he grinned at her.

Micah

She matched his grin and she danced ever closer to him. “Now, now, you know full well I’ve never let myself belong to a place since Tracken. I can be anywhere, but to want to be somewhere specific? That’s new. And in my head, Tennessee is where I became whole again… with you. I don’t know, I just don’t ever see myself running off to the cabin without you at my side.”

~Shara

Bump

Micah waved off the statement with his metal hand. “Bull. There’s gonna be a time, I’m sure, that I’m gonna be off doing gods-knows-what for the ‘safety and security of the Federation’ and you’ll just want to be left alone for a bit. So go. It’s yours now, anyways. Mine and yours. So let it be home. It may not be Tracken… but I think it’ll do ya just fine.” and he smiled at her.

Micah