A Sign to Leave

Posted on Tue Aug 31st, 2021 @ 6:16am by Captain Natalya Markova

Mission: Into Our Past
Location: Earth, London

Earth
London
O’Malley’s Bar
2100 Hours

A hand slammed into the side of the old-fashioned style jukebox. It was amazing to find one of those, let alone one that worked – almost. The garbled sound cleared, and Natalya stepped back with a self-satisfied smile. The display screen settled down, and she ran her finger down the list of entries. Punching in three, the woman walked back to the bar, and the drink that was already waiting for her.

She hadn’t needed to order it. She had been in almost every night for the last four months. From getting off-duty to whatever time she decided to stagger home. Sometimes alone, sometimes not. She liked this place. They didn’t serve synthehol. More importantly, hardly anyone knew who she was.

Although she worked just across the channel in Paris, she had an apartment in London. The separation kept anyone from finding out who she was, and from where, finding out she was ’that’ Natalya Markova. Picking up the glass, she raised it to the bartender in salute, and knocked it back.

“Quiet night.” The marine commented, taking a look around. Barely half a dozen in the place. “Something else going on?” Between work, drink, and sleep, Nat didn’t keep up with any sorts of goings on that didn’t involve those three things.

“Some show going on down at the river.” The bartender replied, setting a second drink in front of the woman. “Fireworks and celebrating some such thing.”

Picking up the fresh glass, Nat registered two figures slide into either side of her peripheral vision. Glancing to either side, she saw they were human – probably – male, late 20s to early 30s, and not altogether unattractive. Their body language clearly shouted it was no mistake they had chosen to put her in the middle.

Maybe this was gonna be a good night after all, she mused. It wouldn’t be the first time.

“Can I help you, gentleman?” Nat put on a more Russian accent, something that had been learned back at home. The only thing she had brought with her when she left. It was a husky voice. A voice designed to get what she wanted.

The one on her left was eyeing her up and down. Nat gave im a look that sais she appreciated the attention. The other, on her right, held up two fingers to the bartender. “Two beers.”

The drinks were set down, and Nat’s skin was beginning to prickle. This was not how things usually went. There was often far more conversation, if they were interested in her.

Taking half a step backward, Nat wanted to keep both men in sight at once. At first, it had seemed almost comical how they had split to either side of her. Now she was wondering if it hadn’t been deliberate for more than merely suggestive reasons.

“You’re a marine?” Lefty asked, noting the seal on her jacket, with the winged delta, Federation starfield, and traditional anchor.

Something about his tone was ringing alarm bells in her mind. It was an accusation, not a comment. What were these two aiming for. She locked eyes with the bartender for the space of a heartbeat, before trying to set her fears aside, and offered what she hoped was a smile. “That’s right. Kick-ass, defend the Federation, and have fun doing it.”

“My niece was a Marine.” Righty added, not looking at her, staring straight ahead as he held his drink, leaning on the bar. “Got sent out to fight the Breen. Never came back.”

Now on full alert, and knowing where this was headed, Nat tried to take another step back. She wanted distance from these two. Needed the space, which she could trade for time.

One foot came back, and before she could even shift her weight onto it, white and grey filled her vision as pain exploded in the back of her head. She didn’t even remember going down, but her sight cleared but a few seconds later, and she was on her knees, dazed.

A foot came into contact with her side, the force enough to send her over onto her back. Something cold and wet splashed across her face, and she was trying to regain her mind even as sound was all around around her.

“That’s for my niece you bitch.” A voice was saying. For the space of two seconds, nothing happened. It was all she needed.

Three now were looking down at her. One by her feet, two near her midsection. Nat locked her ankles around a leg of the one at her feet, twisted, and heard him hit the ground with a satisfying yell. Scrambling, even as the other two reacted, she moved faster than they, and whirled around, locking the man’s arm behind his back, and using the bulk of his form as a shield.

“I’ll snap it off if you two fuckers don’t back off.” She snarled, managing to haul her captive to his feet, keeping a painful pressure on his shoulder joint.

“Break it. See if we care. We’ll do far worse to you, bitch.” Righty retorted. The two keep a step closer, and a second.

Nat weighed her options. She increased the angle of the man’s arm, and he screamed as the pain increased as well. Desperate, whimpering, and just wanting to make it end, he snapped his head back, connecting with the bridge of her nose.

Nat instinctively let go of his arm, taking a step back as her nose broke under the force of the blow. She could taste blood seeping down, and before she could do anything, Righty was there, a fist pulled back.

Nat’s world went black, even as she could hear sirens getting louder, and voices ringing out all around her.