Max/Cecily - Change of Plans

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > TBD
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > TBD
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

Max practically leapt from his desk chair in alarm as the computer alerted him to an incoming request for his location. He had been hiding in his office for some time, worrying about a number of trivial matters. For example, if he assigned the Sector 6 observation tasks to Ensign Ptah, would Ensign Brasky be jealous? Would it strain their relationship? Would they both be angry at him? And now this…

"Computer, display officer requesting my location," he said nervously. When Cecily appeared on his LCARS, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's her. Terror gripped him at the thought of why Cecily might be looking for him. Was she angry? Had she had time to reconsider, to work up a righteous feminine fury at his inappropriate advances? Did she want to confront him about it before dragging him before the Captain and an eventual court-martial? Would she even wait for that, or had she found out about his advances towards Lillian and was even now powering up a phaser with his name on it?

His insides felt watery, and he took a deep breath to stop the nervous shaking that gripped him. It was so strange. Earlier he had strode the corridors on the way back from the Science Labs, bursting with confidence and whistling a jaunty tune. But as he had made his way back to his office, doubt and eventually despair had gripped him. The past few hours had seen him hiding in his office, gnawing his fingernails.

But the chime again told him the computer wanted a response. What to do? "Uh, computer…block location command- I mean, no that'll be suspicious. Wait! Yes! Block it. Or no…maybe I should…computer, delay output for…uhh…" his voice trailed off because his heart was beating too fast, and he gripped the desk with sweaty palms. "Computer…what is...why is she looking for me?"

-Invalid command. Lieutenant Branton has been informed of your location-

Max felt gooseflesh all over his body, and, sweating profusely despite how cold he was he slumped in his chair and stared at the door to his office, as if expecting a horde of Borg drones to burst through it at any moment. If only he knew what to do…but at the moment all he could feel was panic.


(Sorry for the delay, laptop was FUBAR)

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > Max's Office
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

Max practically leapt from his desk chair in alarm as the computer alerted him to an incoming request for his location. He had been hiding in his office for some time, worrying about a number of trivial matters. For example, if he assigned the Sector 6 observation tasks to Ensign Ptah, would Ensign Brasky be jealous? Would it strain their relationship? Would they both be angry at him? And now this…

"Computer, display officer requesting my location," he said nervously. When Cecily appeared on his LCARS, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's her. Terror gripped him at the thought of why Cecily might be looking for him. Was she angry? Had she had time to reconsider, to work up a righteous feminine fury at his inappropriate advances? Did she want to confront him about it before dragging him before the Captain and an eventual court-martial? Would she even wait for that, or had she found out about his advances towards Lillian and was even now powering up a phaser with his name on it?

His insides felt watery, and he took a deep breath to stop the nervous shaking that gripped him. It was so strange. Earlier he had strode the corridors on the way back from the Science Labs, bursting with confidence and whistling a jaunty tune. But as he had made his way back to his office, doubt and eventually despair had gripped him. The past few hours had seen him hiding in his office, gnawing his fingernails.

But the chime again told him the computer wanted a response. What to do? "Uh, computer…block location command- I mean, no that'll be suspicious. Wait! Yes! Block it. Or no…maybe I should…computer, delay output for…uhh…" his voice trailed off because his heart was beating too fast, and he gripped the desk with sweaty palms. "Computer…what is...why is she looking for me?"

-Invalid command. Lieutenant Branton has been informed of your location-

Max felt gooseflesh all over his body, and, sweating profusely despite how cold he was he slumped in his chair and stared at the door to his office, as if expecting a horde of Borg drones to burst through it at any moment. If only he knew what to do…but at the moment all he could feel was panic.

Cecily made it to Max's Office with no problems at all--in fact the only problem that she could have thought was perhaps a problem she had just waved off. A fight in the corridors was none of her concern. Perhaps it was a little bit because she was a Senior Officer, but all that she wanted to do was get to Max and focus all of this attention she had on him. Part of her still didn't know why that was happening, but she decided to just go with it because everyone else seemed to and why deny herself that? A man hadn't hit on her in a while and maybe it was an itch that needed to be scratched.

Maybe it was more than that, but she at least knew that Max seemed like the kind of man that liked a challenge. Cecily had a feeling that maybe she wasn't the only woman that he had propositioned on the station--Hell, half of the station thought that he and Lillian had a flirtation going on--but Cecily could still do this. She was a single, independent woman and for some reason she wanted to just go with the flow and see how far she could take her feminine wiles...she hadn't ever really pushed that envelope and Max had made her want to test it out even though she should be working right now. Why wasn't work as appealing to her as Max was?

"Max?" Cecily asked as she rang the door chime.


(All kinds of okay. ^.^)

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > Max's Office
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

Max practically leapt from his desk chair in alarm as the computer alerted him to an incoming request for his location. He had been hiding in his office for some time, worrying about a number of trivial matters. For example, if he assigned the Sector 6 observation tasks to Ensign Ptah, would Ensign Brasky be jealous? Would it strain their relationship? Would they both be angry at him? And now this…

"Computer, display officer requesting my location," he said nervously. When Cecily appeared on his LCARS, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's her. Terror gripped him at the thought of why Cecily might be looking for him. Was she angry? Had she had time to reconsider, to work up a righteous feminine fury at his inappropriate advances? Did she want to confront him about it before dragging him before the Captain and an eventual court-martial? Would she even wait for that, or had she found out about his advances towards Lillian and was even now powering up a phaser with his name on it?

His insides felt watery, and he took a deep breath to stop the nervous shaking that gripped him. It was so strange. Earlier he had strode the corridors on the way back from the Science Labs, bursting with confidence and whistling a jaunty tune. But as he had made his way back to his office, doubt and eventually despair had gripped him. The past few hours had seen him hiding in his office, gnawing his fingernails.

But the chime again told him the computer wanted a response. What to do? "Uh, computer…block location command- I mean, no that'll be suspicious. Wait! Yes! Block it. Or no…maybe I should…computer, delay output for…uhh…" his voice trailed off because his heart was beating too fast, and he gripped the desk with sweaty palms. "Computer…what is...why is she looking for me?"

-Invalid command. Lieutenant Branton has been informed of your location-

Max felt gooseflesh all over his body, and, sweating profusely despite how cold he was he slumped in his chair and stared at the door to his office, as if expecting a horde of Borg drones to burst through it at any moment. If only he knew what to do…but at the moment all he could feel was panic.

Cecily made it to Max's Office with no problems at all--in fact the only problem that she could have thought was perhaps a problem she had just waved off. A fight in the corridors was none of her concern. Perhaps it was a little bit because she was a Senior Officer, but all that she wanted to do was get to Max and focus all of this attention she had on him. Part of her still didn't know why that was happening, but she decided to just go with it because everyone else seemed to and why deny herself that? A man hadn't hit on her in a while and maybe it was an itch that needed to be scratched.

Maybe it was more than that, but she at least knew that Max seemed like the kind of man that liked a challenge. Cecily had a feeling that maybe she wasn't the only woman that he had propositioned on the station--Hell, half of the station thought that he and Lillian had a flirtation going on--but Cecily could still do this. She was a single, independent woman and for some reason she wanted to just go with the flow and see how far she could take her feminine wiles...she hadn't ever really pushed that envelope and Max had made her want to test it out even though she should be working right now. Why wasn't work as appealing to her as Max was?

"Max?" Cecily asked as she rang the door chime.

"Computer…stand by for emergency transport to Intel safe room…" Max whispered hoarsely, his finger resting on the LCARS key that would execute the command. His mind and heart racing, he sat frozen for a moment, unsure what to do. She had found him, and now she was outside waiting to confront him. But about what? All kinds of terrifying possibilities were crossing his mind, each more horrifying and implausible than the next.

The door chimed again, making him jump for the umpteenth time in the past hour. Cecily was clearly not going away, he realized. Besides, she was a science officer. If she couldn't see him face to face, she'd probably release some horrendous retrovirus in the life support that would exclusively target him. A nasty, lingering death, full of convulsions and running sores…and Lillian hovering over him the whole time in Sickbay, a look of pained disappointment on her face the whole time.

No. Anything but that. Better to go quick, with a disruptor blast to the face or whatever it was she had planned. That triggered a momentary flash of bravery in Max, and he keyed the command to open the door. Instantly he regretted it, but it was too late then, the doors hissing open and Cecily's form in the doorway. He froze, sitting rigidly in his desk chair, and slowly pushed a congenial smile onto his face. It looked forced at best, but it would have to do.

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > Max's Office
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

Max practically leapt from his desk chair in alarm as the computer alerted him to an incoming request for his location. He had been hiding in his office for some time, worrying about a number of trivial matters. For example, if he assigned the Sector 6 observation tasks to Ensign Ptah, would Ensign Brasky be jealous? Would it strain their relationship? Would they both be angry at him? And now this…

"Computer, display officer requesting my location," he said nervously. When Cecily appeared on his LCARS, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's her. Terror gripped him at the thought of why Cecily might be looking for him. Was she angry? Had she had time to reconsider, to work up a righteous feminine fury at his inappropriate advances? Did she want to confront him about it before dragging him before the Captain and an eventual court-martial? Would she even wait for that, or had she found out about his advances towards Lillian and was even now powering up a phaser with his name on it?

His insides felt watery, and he took a deep breath to stop the nervous shaking that gripped him. It was so strange. Earlier he had strode the corridors on the way back from the Science Labs, bursting with confidence and whistling a jaunty tune. But as he had made his way back to his office, doubt and eventually despair had gripped him. The past few hours had seen him hiding in his office, gnawing his fingernails.

But the chime again told him the computer wanted a response. What to do? "Uh, computer…block location command- I mean, no that'll be suspicious. Wait! Yes! Block it. Or no…maybe I should…computer, delay output for…uhh…" his voice trailed off because his heart was beating too fast, and he gripped the desk with sweaty palms. "Computer…what is...why is she looking for me?"

-Invalid command. Lieutenant Branton has been informed of your location-

Max felt gooseflesh all over his body, and, sweating profusely despite how cold he was he slumped in his chair and stared at the door to his office, as if expecting a horde of Borg drones to burst through it at any moment. If only he knew what to do…but at the moment all he could feel was panic.

Cecily made it to Max's Office with no problems at all--in fact the only problem that she could have thought was perhaps a problem she had just waved off. A fight in the corridors was none of her concern. Perhaps it was a little bit because she was a Senior Officer, but all that she wanted to do was get to Max and focus all of this attention she had on him. Part of her still didn't know why that was happening, but she decided to just go with it because everyone else seemed to and why deny herself that? A man hadn't hit on her in a while and maybe it was an itch that needed to be scratched.

Maybe it was more than that, but she at least knew that Max seemed like the kind of man that liked a challenge. Cecily had a feeling that maybe she wasn't the only woman that he had propositioned on the station--Hell, half of the station thought that he and Lillian had a flirtation going on--but Cecily could still do this. She was a single, independent woman and for some reason she wanted to just go with the flow and see how far she could take her feminine wiles...she hadn't ever really pushed that envelope and Max had made her want to test it out even though she should be working right now. Why wasn't work as appealing to her as Max was?

"Max?" Cecily asked as she rang the door chime.

"Computer…stand by for emergency transport to Intel safe room…" Max whispered hoarsely, his finger resting on the LCARS key that would execute the command. His mind and heart racing, he sat frozen for a moment, unsure what to do. She had found him, and now she was outside waiting to confront him. But about what? All kinds of terrifying possibilities were crossing his mind, each more horrifying and implausible than the next.

The door chimed again, making him jump for the umpteenth time in the past hour. Cecily was clearly not going away, he realized. Besides, she was a science officer. If she couldn't see him face to face, she'd probably release some horrendous retrovirus in the life support that would exclusively target him. A nasty, lingering death, full of convulsions and running sores…and Lillian hovering over him the whole time in Sickbay, a look of pained disappointment on her face the whole time.

No. Anything but that. Better to go quick, with a disruptor blast to the face or whatever it was she had planned. That triggered a momentary flash of bravery in Max, and he keyed the command to open the door. Instantly he regretted it, but it was too late then, the doors hissing open and Cecily's form in the doorway. He froze, sitting rigidly in his desk chair, and slowly pushed a congenial smile onto his face. It looked forced at best, but it would have to do.

Cecily smiled when she got inside, but Max seemed a little less happy to see her than she hoped he would be. She had a smile on her face and it slowly faded a moment, but then she took a deep breath and put a fresh smile on her face. Right now, she was determined to get Max all for herself and yet she knew she needed to care about how nervous he was.

"A girl comes to see you and you get all nervous?" Cecily teased before nearing his desk. "I just wanted to see if you were up for a bit of fun with a pretty lady."

She hoped that Max would let her show him a good time, taking a deep breath and moving to rub his shoulders. Massages always seemed to make everyone feel better and Cecily was trying to get him to feel better...mostly about her. Honestly, she had no problem trying to get him to see her in a different light and her focus was on Max. She just wanted Max--not an admission she wanted to say out loud to prove her vulnerability.

"I've been thinking about that kiss in the labs..." Cecily told him to give him the hint.

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > Max's Office
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

Max practically leapt from his desk chair in alarm as the computer alerted him to an incoming request for his location. He had been hiding in his office for some time, worrying about a number of trivial matters. For example, if he assigned the Sector 6 observation tasks to Ensign Ptah, would Ensign Brasky be jealous? Would it strain their relationship? Would they both be angry at him? And now this…

"Computer, display officer requesting my location," he said nervously. When Cecily appeared on his LCARS, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's her. Terror gripped him at the thought of why Cecily might be looking for him. Was she angry? Had she had time to reconsider, to work up a righteous feminine fury at his inappropriate advances? Did she want to confront him about it before dragging him before the Captain and an eventual court-martial? Would she even wait for that, or had she found out about his advances towards Lillian and was even now powering up a phaser with his name on it?

His insides felt watery, and he took a deep breath to stop the nervous shaking that gripped him. It was so strange. Earlier he had strode the corridors on the way back from the Science Labs, bursting with confidence and whistling a jaunty tune. But as he had made his way back to his office, doubt and eventually despair had gripped him. The past few hours had seen him hiding in his office, gnawing his fingernails.

But the chime again told him the computer wanted a response. What to do? "Uh, computer…block location command- I mean, no that'll be suspicious. Wait! Yes! Block it. Or no…maybe I should…computer, delay output for…uhh…" his voice trailed off because his heart was beating too fast, and he gripped the desk with sweaty palms. "Computer…what is...why is she looking for me?"

-Invalid command. Lieutenant Branton has been informed of your location-

Max felt gooseflesh all over his body, and, sweating profusely despite how cold he was he slumped in his chair and stared at the door to his office, as if expecting a horde of Borg drones to burst through it at any moment. If only he knew what to do…but at the moment all he could feel was panic.

Cecily made it to Max's Office with no problems at all--in fact the only problem that she could have thought was perhaps a problem she had just waved off. A fight in the corridors was none of her concern. Perhaps it was a little bit because she was a Senior Officer, but all that she wanted to do was get to Max and focus all of this attention she had on him. Part of her still didn't know why that was happening, but she decided to just go with it because everyone else seemed to and why deny herself that? A man hadn't hit on her in a while and maybe it was an itch that needed to be scratched.

Maybe it was more than that, but she at least knew that Max seemed like the kind of man that liked a challenge. Cecily had a feeling that maybe she wasn't the only woman that he had propositioned on the station--Hell, half of the station thought that he and Lillian had a flirtation going on--but Cecily could still do this. She was a single, independent woman and for some reason she wanted to just go with the flow and see how far she could take her feminine wiles...she hadn't ever really pushed that envelope and Max had made her want to test it out even though she should be working right now. Why wasn't work as appealing to her as Max was?

"Max?" Cecily asked as she rang the door chime.

"Computer…stand by for emergency transport to Intel safe room…" Max whispered hoarsely, his finger resting on the LCARS key that would execute the command. His mind and heart racing, he sat frozen for a moment, unsure what to do. She had found him, and now she was outside waiting to confront him. But about what? All kinds of terrifying possibilities were crossing his mind, each more horrifying and implausible than the next.

The door chimed again, making him jump for the umpteenth time in the past hour. Cecily was clearly not going away, he realized. Besides, she was a science officer. If she couldn't see him face to face, she'd probably release some horrendous retrovirus in the life support that would exclusively target him. A nasty, lingering death, full of convulsions and running sores…and Lillian hovering over him the whole time in Sickbay, a look of pained disappointment on her face the whole time.

No. Anything but that. Better to go quick, with a disruptor blast to the face or whatever it was she had planned. That triggered a momentary flash of bravery in Max, and he keyed the command to open the door. Instantly he regretted it, but it was too late then, the doors hissing open and Cecily's form in the doorway. He froze, sitting rigidly in his desk chair, and slowly pushed a congenial smile onto his face. It looked forced at best, but it would have to do.

Cecily smiled when she got inside, but Max seemed a little less happy to see her than she hoped he would be. She had a smile on her face and it slowly faded a moment, but then she took a deep breath and put a fresh smile on her face. Right now, she was determined to get Max all for herself and yet she knew she needed to care about how nervous he was.

"A girl comes to see you and you get all nervous?" Cecily teased before nearing his desk. "I just wanted to see if you were up for a bit of fun with a pretty lady."

She hoped that Max would let her show him a good time, taking a deep breath and moving to rub his shoulders. Massages always seemed to make everyone feel better and Cecily was trying to get him to feel better...mostly about her. Honestly, she had no problem trying to get him to see her in a different light and her focus was on Max. She just wanted Max--not an admission she wanted to say out loud to prove her vulnerability.

"I've been thinking about that kiss in the labs..." Cecily told him to give him the hint.

The whole time she entered and spoke to him, Max sat stock still in his chair. Only his eyes moved to follow her, sizing Cecily up as she approached him. No weapons as far as he could tell, but it had been a while since his threat assessment training and maybe he was getting a bit rusty. Doubtt plagued him then, doubt that she actually meant him harm in retaliation for some imagined slight. So he allowed her to get behind him, but he tensed all the same when she put her hands on his shoulders.

His mind was racing as she start to massage him. All of the training for resisting the advances of enemy agents, particularly the attractive female variety. But at the moment his memories of those courses were all jumbled up into a confusing mass of contradictory suggested actions, none of which seemed appropriate at the moment. And at the moment the only thing he feared more than her plotting to kill him was her plotting to set him up for an embarrassing disciplinary review board or court martial for sexual harassment. So he did the one thing he could remember from his training for situations in which one has limited intelligence: bide one's time and try to gather more intelligence.

"Wha-what about the kiss in the labs?" he asked hoarsely, his voice cracking slightly at the end. Max hoped she didn't notice how he was beginning to sweat, or how his knuckles were white from tension as he gripped the arm rests of his desk chair.

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > Max's Office
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

Max practically leapt from his desk chair in alarm as the computer alerted him to an incoming request for his location. He had been hiding in his office for some time, worrying about a number of trivial matters. For example, if he assigned the Sector 6 observation tasks to Ensign Ptah, would Ensign Brasky be jealous? Would it strain their relationship? Would they both be angry at him? And now this…

"Computer, display officer requesting my location," he said nervously. When Cecily appeared on his LCARS, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's her. Terror gripped him at the thought of why Cecily might be looking for him. Was she angry? Had she had time to reconsider, to work up a righteous feminine fury at his inappropriate advances? Did she want to confront him about it before dragging him before the Captain and an eventual court-martial? Would she even wait for that, or had she found out about his advances towards Lillian and was even now powering up a phaser with his name on it?

His insides felt watery, and he took a deep breath to stop the nervous shaking that gripped him. It was so strange. Earlier he had strode the corridors on the way back from the Science Labs, bursting with confidence and whistling a jaunty tune. But as he had made his way back to his office, doubt and eventually despair had gripped him. The past few hours had seen him hiding in his office, gnawing his fingernails.

But the chime again told him the computer wanted a response. What to do? "Uh, computer…block location command- I mean, no that'll be suspicious. Wait! Yes! Block it. Or no…maybe I should…computer, delay output for…uhh…" his voice trailed off because his heart was beating too fast, and he gripped the desk with sweaty palms. "Computer…what is...why is she looking for me?"

-Invalid command. Lieutenant Branton has been informed of your location-

Max felt gooseflesh all over his body, and, sweating profusely despite how cold he was he slumped in his chair and stared at the door to his office, as if expecting a horde of Borg drones to burst through it at any moment. If only he knew what to do…but at the moment all he could feel was panic.

Cecily made it to Max's Office with no problems at all--in fact the only problem that she could have thought was perhaps a problem she had just waved off. A fight in the corridors was none of her concern. Perhaps it was a little bit because she was a Senior Officer, but all that she wanted to do was get to Max and focus all of this attention she had on him. Part of her still didn't know why that was happening, but she decided to just go with it because everyone else seemed to and why deny herself that? A man hadn't hit on her in a while and maybe it was an itch that needed to be scratched.

Maybe it was more than that, but she at least knew that Max seemed like the kind of man that liked a challenge. Cecily had a feeling that maybe she wasn't the only woman that he had propositioned on the station--Hell, half of the station thought that he and Lillian had a flirtation going on--but Cecily could still do this. She was a single, independent woman and for some reason she wanted to just go with the flow and see how far she could take her feminine wiles...she hadn't ever really pushed that envelope and Max had made her want to test it out even though she should be working right now. Why wasn't work as appealing to her as Max was?

"Max?" Cecily asked as she rang the door chime.

"Computer…stand by for emergency transport to Intel safe room…" Max whispered hoarsely, his finger resting on the LCARS key that would execute the command. His mind and heart racing, he sat frozen for a moment, unsure what to do. She had found him, and now she was outside waiting to confront him. But about what? All kinds of terrifying possibilities were crossing his mind, each more horrifying and implausible than the next.

The door chimed again, making him jump for the umpteenth time in the past hour. Cecily was clearly not going away, he realized. Besides, she was a science officer. If she couldn't see him face to face, she'd probably release some horrendous retrovirus in the life support that would exclusively target him. A nasty, lingering death, full of convulsions and running sores…and Lillian hovering over him the whole time in Sickbay, a look of pained disappointment on her face the whole time.

No. Anything but that. Better to go quick, with a disruptor blast to the face or whatever it was she had planned. That triggered a momentary flash of bravery in Max, and he keyed the command to open the door. Instantly he regretted it, but it was too late then, the doors hissing open and Cecily's form in the doorway. He froze, sitting rigidly in his desk chair, and slowly pushed a congenial smile onto his face. It looked forced at best, but it would have to do.

Cecily smiled when she got inside, but Max seemed a little less happy to see her than she hoped he would be. She had a smile on her face and it slowly faded a moment, but then she took a deep breath and put a fresh smile on her face. Right now, she was determined to get Max all for herself and yet she knew she needed to care about how nervous he was.

"A girl comes to see you and you get all nervous?" Cecily teased before nearing his desk. "I just wanted to see if you were up for a bit of fun with a pretty lady."

She hoped that Max would let her show him a good time, taking a deep breath and moving to rub his shoulders. Massages always seemed to make everyone feel better and Cecily was trying to get him to feel better...mostly about her. Honestly, she had no problem trying to get him to see her in a different light and her focus was on Max. She just wanted Max--not an admission she wanted to say out loud to prove her vulnerability.

"I've been thinking about that kiss in the labs..." Cecily told him to give him the hint.

The whole time she entered and spoke to him, Max sat stock still in his chair. Only his eyes moved to follow her, sizing Cecily up as she approached him. No weapons as far as he could tell, but it had been a while since his threat assessment training and maybe he was getting a bit rusty. Doubtt plagued him then, doubt that she actually meant him harm in retaliation for some imagined slight. So he allowed her to get behind him, but he tensed all the same when she put her hands on his shoulders.

His mind was racing as she start to massage him. All of the training for resisting the advances of enemy agents, particularly the attractive female variety. But at the moment his memories of those courses were all jumbled up into a confusing mass of contradictory suggested actions, none of which seemed appropriate at the moment. And at the moment the only thing he feared more than her plotting to kill him was her plotting to set him up for an embarrassing disciplinary review board or court martial for sexual harassment. So he did the one thing he could remember from his training for situations in which one has limited intelligence: bide one's time and try to gather more intelligence.

"Wha-what about the kiss in the labs?" he asked hoarsely, his voice cracking slightly at the end. Max hoped she didn't notice how he was beginning to sweat, or how his knuckles were white from tension as he gripped the arm rests of his desk chair.

Cecily could tell that he was really tense and so she maneuvered so she was sitting on his lap, looking him in the eye. "Maybe you peaked an interest in me for more than just Intel."

It was forward and it was to the point and she really wanted him to understand that it was all about him right now even though she wasn't used to this. She was used to following orders and doing her job and letting men not be the center of her attention, but Max had caught her attention and now she was a goner and it bothered her deep down...so deep down she couldn't be bothered to act on how much it bothered her. Right now, she was focused on the man whose lap she was currently occupying and she smiled as she cupped his face and tried to assess what he was thinking.

"Unless the kiss was a fluke..." Cecily said suddenly, like it had dawned on her that Max was just using her before. "I thought you could show a girl a good time, but if it was all a mistake, I could take my leave..."

||Starbase 12
||Science Labs > Max's Office
||August 27, 2387
||1610


Cecily wasn't sure exactly what was going on with her, but she knew one thing: she wasn't focusing on her work. It was very not like her to let personal thoughts cloud her judgment while deep in a project, but all she could think about was Max. She was certain that was because she was looking forward to later, but everyone had seemed off...no, it had to be Max. In fact, right now she was so single minded about him she had half the mind to just go see him now.

That was too eager though, wasn't it? He was going to think that she was some silly school girl, and yet maybe that would be to her advantage right now for him to underestimate her. It was after all partly a game and it would be nice to stretch the old seduction legs for a little bit...not that Cecily really knew how to seduce anyone. Still, her mind was made up.

"Computer, locate Commander Ritter..."

Max practically leapt from his desk chair in alarm as the computer alerted him to an incoming request for his location. He had been hiding in his office for some time, worrying about a number of trivial matters. For example, if he assigned the Sector 6 observation tasks to Ensign Ptah, would Ensign Brasky be jealous? Would it strain their relationship? Would they both be angry at him? And now this…

"Computer, display officer requesting my location," he said nervously. When Cecily appeared on his LCARS, his heart skipped a beat. Oh no, it's her. Terror gripped him at the thought of why Cecily might be looking for him. Was she angry? Had she had time to reconsider, to work up a righteous feminine fury at his inappropriate advances? Did she want to confront him about it before dragging him before the Captain and an eventual court-martial? Would she even wait for that, or had she found out about his advances towards Lillian and was even now powering up a phaser with his name on it?

His insides felt watery, and he took a deep breath to stop the nervous shaking that gripped him. It was so strange. Earlier he had strode the corridors on the way back from the Science Labs, bursting with confidence and whistling a jaunty tune. But as he had made his way back to his office, doubt and eventually despair had gripped him. The past few hours had seen him hiding in his office, gnawing his fingernails.

But the chime again told him the computer wanted a response. What to do? "Uh, computer…block location command- I mean, no that'll be suspicious. Wait! Yes! Block it. Or no…maybe I should…computer, delay output for…uhh…" his voice trailed off because his heart was beating too fast, and he gripped the desk with sweaty palms. "Computer…what is...why is she looking for me?"

-Invalid command. Lieutenant Branton has been informed of your location-

Max felt gooseflesh all over his body, and, sweating profusely despite how cold he was he slumped in his chair and stared at the door to his office, as if expecting a horde of Borg drones to burst through it at any moment. If only he knew what to do…but at the moment all he could feel was panic.

Cecily made it to Max's Office with no problems at all--in fact the only problem that she could have thought was perhaps a problem she had just waved off. A fight in the corridors was none of her concern. Perhaps it was a little bit because she was a Senior Officer, but all that she wanted to do was get to Max and focus all of this attention she had on him. Part of her still didn't know why that was happening, but she decided to just go with it because everyone else seemed to and why deny herself that? A man hadn't hit on her in a while and maybe it was an itch that needed to be scratched.

Maybe it was more than that, but she at least knew that Max seemed like the kind of man that liked a challenge. Cecily had a feeling that maybe she wasn't the only woman that he had propositioned on the station--Hell, half of the station thought that he and Lillian had a flirtation going on--but Cecily could still do this. She was a single, independent woman and for some reason she wanted to just go with the flow and see how far she could take her feminine wiles...she hadn't ever really pushed that envelope and Max had made her want to test it out even though she should be working right now. Why wasn't work as appealing to her as Max was?

"Max?" Cecily asked as she rang the door chime.

"Computer…stand by for emergency transport to Intel safe room…" Max whispered hoarsely, his finger resting on the LCARS key that would execute the command. His mind and heart racing, he sat frozen for a moment, unsure what to do. She had found him, and now she was outside waiting to confront him. But about what? All kinds of terrifying possibilities were crossing his mind, each more horrifying and implausible than the next.

The door chimed again, making him jump for the umpteenth time in the past hour. Cecily was clearly not going away, he realized. Besides, she was a science officer. If she couldn't see him face to face, she'd probably release some horrendous retrovirus in the life support that would exclusively target him. A nasty, lingering death, full of convulsions and running sores…and Lillian hovering over him the whole time in Sickbay, a look of pained disappointment on her face the whole time.

No. Anything but that. Better to go quick, with a disruptor blast to the face or whatever it was she had planned. That triggered a momentary flash of bravery in Max, and he keyed the command to open the door. Instantly he regretted it, but it was too late then, the doors hissing open and Cecily's form in the doorway. He froze, sitting rigidly in his desk chair, and slowly pushed a congenial smile onto his face. It looked forced at best, but it would have to do.

Cecily smiled when she got inside, but Max seemed a little less happy to see her than she hoped he would be. She had a smile on her face and it slowly faded a moment, but then she took a deep breath and put a fresh smile on her face. Right now, she was determined to get Max all for herself and yet she knew she needed to care about how nervous he was.

"A girl comes to see you and you get all nervous?" Cecily teased before nearing his desk. "I just wanted to see if you were up for a bit of fun with a pretty lady."

She hoped that Max would let her show him a good time, taking a deep breath and moving to rub his shoulders. Massages always seemed to make everyone feel better and Cecily was trying to get him to feel better...mostly about her. Honestly, she had no problem trying to get him to see her in a different light and her focus was on Max. She just wanted Max--not an admission she wanted to say out loud to prove her vulnerability.

"I've been thinking about that kiss in the labs..." Cecily told him to give him the hint.

The whole time she entered and spoke to him, Max sat stock still in his chair. Only his eyes moved to follow her, sizing Cecily up as she approached him. No weapons as far as he could tell, but it had been a while since his threat assessment training and maybe he was getting a bit rusty. Doubtt plagued him then, doubt that she actually meant him harm in retaliation for some imagined slight. So he allowed her to get behind him, but he tensed all the same when she put her hands on his shoulders.

His mind was racing as she start to massage him. All of the training for resisting the advances of enemy agents, particularly the attractive female variety. But at the moment his memories of those courses were all jumbled up into a confusing mass of contradictory suggested actions, none of which seemed appropriate at the moment. And at the moment the only thing he feared more than her plotting to kill him was her plotting to set him up for an embarrassing disciplinary review board or court martial for sexual harassment. So he did the one thing he could remember from his training for situations in which one has limited intelligence: bide one's time and try to gather more intelligence.

"Wha-what about the kiss in the labs?" he asked hoarsely, his voice cracking slightly at the end. Max hoped she didn't notice how he was beginning to sweat, or how his knuckles were white from tension as he gripped the arm rests of his desk chair.

Cecily could tell that he was really tense and so she maneuvered so she was sitting on his lap, looking him in the eye. "Maybe you peaked an interest in me for more than just Intel."

It was forward and it was to the point and she really wanted him to understand that it was all about him right now even though she wasn't used to this. She was used to following orders and doing her job and letting men not be the center of her attention, but Max had caught her attention and now she was a goner and it bothered her deep down...so deep down she couldn't be bothered to act on how much it bothered her. Right now, she was focused on the man whose lap she was currently occupying and she smiled as she cupped his face and tried to assess what he was thinking.

"Unless the kiss was a fluke..." Cecily said suddenly, like it had dawned on her that Max was just using her before. "I thought you could show a girl a good time, but if it was all a mistake, I could take my leave..."

A million thoughts flickered through Max's brain, but suddenly there was a moment of clarity and he understood what was going on. The fear was gone, just like that. He was even pleased once he finally understood the situation. Normally he thought himself more coherent than this, but it had been a strange day. At least now things were making sense again, and working out nicely for him as well.

"Oh, I get it now. You want more than just Intel. You want something more…personal." His free right hand released the arm rest and ran down her thigh to the underside of the chair. "No need to leave. I think we both understand now what the kiss meant. And I think I know exactly where we go from here." He smiled, leaned in closer to her…and jammed the disruptor pistol into her ribs.

Suddenly Max's eyes were narrow, dangerous. "All right Cecily -if that is your real name- cut the Mata Hari act. Unless you want to end up as smoking cloud of miscellaneous atoms, you'll tell me exactly who you're working for and what they hired you to get. Was it the Romulans? Curious about the latest code frequencies again, are they? Or maybe our old friends the Dominion? I suppose they're due for a resurgence, aren't they? Or maybe…" he paused, his own steely visage inches from her face, then growled…"Maybe it's far worse than that, Cecily. Maybe your name isn't really Cecily at all. Maybe it's a designation…something like 5 of 17 or something like that. What do you say, drone?" Max hissed, ramming the pistol hard into her side.