The Island of Doctor Meyiou, Part IV

Posted on Jul 07, 2017 @ 9:03pm by Finn Shackleton

Mission: Section 31

FINN SHACKLETON
in
"THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MEYIOU"


CHAPTER FOUR
******************************

Location: Dr. Meyiou's compound, Coral Key, Risa
Stardate: [2.17]0707.1710
Scene: Bedroom -> Hallway


As the appointed hour drew to a close, Finn Shackleton was ready. He examined himself in the full-length mirror that had been hung on the wall of his opulent prison cell - he looked good. The dinner jacket had been replicated perfectly and fitted him like a glove. The blazer was form-fitting without being tight, and the slacks accentuated his muscular thighs and magnificently pert butt. He wet his thumb and slicked his eyebrows down, winking at himself in the mirror and clicking his tongue.

So, this was the mysterious Coral Key, and he was currently being held by the mysterious 'Doctor' who had had Bentley killed. Shackleton's Section 31 colleague had gone missing on Risa while investigating a strange thaleron radiation signal coming from one of the supposedly-uninhabited islands off the western coast of the southern continent. After digging around a bit, Shackleton had made landfall on this island, bumping into a delectable Human girl named Tiki Devine, being they were both captured and brought here. Now, they were preparing to be brought before the 'Doctor' who ruled Coral Key, the man who had ordered Bentley to be murdered to stop him revealing to Starfleet what he had found here.

Although Shackleton was ready, Tiki had not reappeared for the past hour. Shackleton rapped the wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom. "Hurry up in there!" he called. "No point in making yourself up too much if you're having male company for dinner, right?" He shook his head in irritation. He had first seen mocha-skinned Tiki Devine in an ivory-coloured bikini, emerging from the ocean like Aphrodite from her shell, but despite her sweet, sweet rack, Tiki was pretty uptight about sex. She had even claimed to prefer girls in order to deny her obvious attraction to Shackleton, and if there was one thing that annoyed Shackleton no end, it was girls pretending that they didn't fancy him.

The bathroom door opened and Tiki reappeared. Now she was Aphrodite and Gaia all rolled into one - she wore a figure-enveloping strapless golden mermaid gown that sparkled with sequins and stretched right down to the floor, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. She had accessorised with a pair of tasteful low heels and a delicately thin necklace with a single pearl. Her smoky makeup highlighted her brown eyes and lips.

She looked beautiful.

"Why are you looking at me like a dog that's just been shown a card trick?" she asked. "Haven't you ever seen a woman before?"

"I thought I had." Shackleton had never meant anything he'd ever said as much as that sentence. It was weird. The perfect cleavage, the feminine curve of her waist, the heady aroma of her perfume - it was an exotic and enticing mixture.

Tiki frowned at him, unsure how to take that statement.

The main door chimed, then hissed open to admit the Ferengi butler that had greeted them earlier. The diminutive troll was also dressed up to the nines in a black-and-white dinner jacket with tails that clashed starkly with his orange skin and gigantic earlobes. The Ferengi bowed at the waist. "Mister Shackleton, Miss Devine," it said, revealing a nasty-looking row of bodkin teeth. "I will escort you to the Doctor."

Shackleton forced himself to focus. He put on his game face. "Lead on," he said, waving his hand imperiously.

The Ferengi did, leading them out into the hallway and turning right. Shackleton and Tiki followed. The hallways, Shackleton noticed was completely featureless - the walls were a sterile enamel white, and all the doorways they passed were the same colour, with no distinguishing features or signs to indicate what lay behind them. They didn't pass anyone else, either, which bothered Shackleton no end. Where was everyone? How could this mysterious Doctor enforce a no-trespass zone on a place like Coral Key without having some kind of staff? Surely this ugly little Ferengi wasn't the only other person in this complex.

The corridor terminated in a featureless white door that opened of its own accord as they approached. It was a turbolift. The Ferengi stopped and bowed again. "Please step inside," he said, "and you will be taken to the Doctor."

That or be executed, thought Shackleton, but forced himself to play it cool. "I do hope I haven't put this dinner jacket on for nothing." He stepped inside, and Tiki followed. The girl was nervous, he could see it in her face and her body language.

The doors closed, and the turbolift hummed smoothly into life, going down. Tiki grabbed Shackleton's hand. Her own hand was soft, but it was cold and clammy from perspiration. "Where are we going?"

"To meet the Doctor, I should think," said Shackleton. He slipped an arm around her waist, noting with satisfaction that she didn't pull away. "Then perhaps we'll finally find out what's going on around here." To his disappointment, the turbolift began to slow down, and a moment later it slid to a halt.

*********************************

Scene: Doctor Meyiou's Inner Sanctum


Shackleton and Tiki stepped out of the turbolift into a palatial underwater room. It was magnificent. The floor was made of a highly-polished marble, and the steps and walls were hewed from the living bedrock of the planet itself. The whole effect was that of an opulently-decorated cave, and the soft colour emanating from expertly-placed recessed lights created a relaxing atmosphere. Along one wall was an anachronistic holographic fireplace, the orange flames licking along the stonework and casting shadows into the corners. Along the wall at the other end was a short flight of steps that led up to a raised area, on which a laid mahogany table was waiting. Silver cutlery gleamed next to fine china dishware, and the pure white tablecloth was crisp and impeccable.

But it was the wall opposite the turbolift that made the room. It was a window, contoured into a bay, lit by a series of understated lights, that shone out into the Risean ocean, but there was a magnification effect on the glass that looked like a fish-eye lens. Shoals of colourful alien fish darted by in the clear green water, ballooning to a large size as they passed the centre of the window, then fading back to their normal size at the edges.

It was a magnificent spectacle, and one that Tiki was immediately drawn to. She broke free of Shackleton's grip and moved to the window, looking out in wonder at the underwater panorama. "Sea tulips!" she exclaimed, pointing towards the seabed to where a clump of delicate red fronds were swaying in the current. "They don't grow above a hundred feet. We must be very deep here."

"Mmm." Shackleton was looking around at the opulence. It was clear that something big was going on - this compound on Coral key was bigger than anyone had realised. If it went this far underwater, then it was nothing less than a fortress. It must have cost a fortune to put all this together, he thought -

"One billion credits, Mister Shackleton!"

Shackleton and Tiki started in alarm. A side-door had opened, admitting a figure who was standing up on the raised area near the dinner table. It was a Human male, slim and a little shorter in height than average. His black hair was slicked back in a widow's peak, lying atop a face with definite Asian features. The man looked to be somewhere in his mid-sixties - lines were appearing under his narrow eyes, and his mouth was downturned into a cruel sneer. He was dressed an an immaculate white suit reminiscent of a barong jacket without the embroidery, white slacks, and polished black shoes. The man had an unmistakable formal air of authority and command.

"My name is Jianyu Meyiou, and this is my island." As Tiki moved to Shackleton's side, the man stepped forward. "You were wondering how much my aquarium cost to assemble, yes?"

Shackleton looked around. The man was unprotected - no guards, no visible weapons. He looked easy meat, but something held Shackleton back. No-one would be stupid enough to expose themselves to a man as dangerous as Shackleton without holding something in reserve. "It's very impressive, yes."

Doctor Meyiou looked at Tiki, and gestured to the panoramic window. "How do you like the view, my dear? The window is convex, twenty-five inches thick, which accounts for the magnification effect." He beckoned them forward. "Please, sit down. Let us behave like civilised people."

Shackleton led Tiki forward, and the three of them sat down around the table. Under a central lidded dish was a delicious-looking pot of steaming chowder, and Doctor Meyiou passed it around. "Something to drink, Mister Shackleton?"

"Single malt whiskey, in a rock glass."

Doctor Meyiou keyed the instruction into a control pad on his chair, and the drink fizzed into existence on the table, right in front of Shackleton. "Not a scotch man?" he asked. "I enjoy a glass of scotch, myself."

"Scotch is for girls, Doctor Meyiou," said Shackleton sincerely. "If you can't handle the Irish, then you shouldn't be drinking whiskey. It puts hair on your chest."

"I'll stick to water," said Tiki, rolling her eyes.

Doctor Meyiou ignored Shackleton's barb. The two of them were smiling, but they were smiles as sharp as blades in an alley. "Let me begin with an important truth, Mister Shackleton. It may help you to understand how much power I am capable of wielding. Everything you have experienced on Risa since your arrival, everything you have seen or heard at the Taino resort, everything you have done since you arrived here on Coral Key, is all controlled by the mention of two words - Doctor Meyiou."

Shackleton tasted the chowder. "This is excellent," he said. "My compliments to that Ferengi of yours."

Doctor Meyiou sat back in his seat. "I grew up on a backwater planet whose name is unimportant. What is important is that as I grew up I became involved in various criminal activity, beginning from petty theft, and as I served my apprenticeship, graduating to murder. I came to the attention of the Orion Syndicate, who saw my talent and hired me to assist them on several low-key enterprises. My association with the Syndicate led, a few years later, to my current association - a criminal organisation that spans the galaxy, but which has remained hidden until now. Risa is to be the first projection of our power - the destruction of this planet's ecosystem and the deaths of billions of tourists will shatter the Federation's economy and cause intergalactic repercussions for many years."

Shackleton nodded. "The thaleron. You're going to release thaleron into the ocean."

Doctor Meyiou held up his scotch. "Indeed."

"I take it that this Coral Key installation is a front for the construction of a thaleron generator of some sort, and that Bentley was close to uncovering the secret before his death?"

"Indeed, Mister Shackleton. Bentley's death drew further unwanted attention from Starfleet Intelligence. That is the sole reason you have been kept alive. If your superiors on Earth think your investigation is ongoing, then they will be content to wait, and wait they shall - until it is too late."

"I see. And this criminal organisation you claim to belong to - what about them?"

Doctor Meyiou smiled. "They must remain in the shadows for the time being, Mister Shackleton, but I shouldn't worry - you and Miss Devine here will not be alive when news of our existence breaks."

Tiki dropped her spoon into her chowder, her face a mask of fear. Shackleton reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "Don't be stupid, Doctor Meyiou. If I go missing, it will only intensify our investigation into this planet."

"As I said, Mister Shackleton, it will be far too late. This island has already been converted into one huge thaleron generator, and soon it will be ready to be unleashed."

"You'll die too!" said Tiki desperately.

Doctor Meyiou looked at her like she was a child. "We are quite well protected inside this compound, Miss Devine. Afterward, we will depart the planet safely. I assure you, the plan is completely foolproof. And now - " he touched a control on his chair arm - "our time together has drawn to an end."

The side-door near the table opened again, and the Ferengi butler reappeared, but this time he was brandishing a disruptor pistol aimed right at Shackleton. Doctor Meyiou stood up. "It's time for you to return to your quarters to await the end, Mister Shackleton. The delectable Miss Devine will remain here with me for a brief period. Dessert is my favourite part of dinner."

Shackleton thought about fighting his way out, but the Ferengi seemed on edge and ready to shoot. The thought of leaving Tiki alone with Meyious made his blood boil, but there was too much at stake. He looked helplessly at the girl. "I'm sorry," he said, and turned to go.

"No!" she exclaimed, but Doctor Meyiou stilled her with a dangerous look.

Shackleton moved back to the turbolift, the Ferengi butler right behind him, the low buzzing of the disruptor's power cell letting him know that the thing was set to kill. He stepped into the turbolift, flanked by the Ferengi, the barrel of the disruptor pushed up against his ribs.

His last sight of the room was of the leering Doctor Meyiou turning his attention to Tiki, and the girl squirming back in her seat.

*******************************************
*******************************************

NRPG: This is the fourth chapter of Finn Shackleton's adventure on Risa, with tongue planted firmly in cheek ;)


Jerome McKee
the Soul of Finn Shackleton
Agent
Section 31

******************************************
******************************************