<USS Avalon> "Charade"

Charade
Javan Sierra
and
Elissabeth Marksbury


She transported onto the ship pretty much unannounced, hoping that most 
everyone was already on the station. "Computer, location of Commander Sierra."

"Commander Sierra is located in the Security Offices."

Quietly, she exited the transporter room and stole her way to security, not 
wanting to be stopped by anyone she had to greet and make small talk with. Her 
goal was too important. Elissabeth found herself without incident standing in 
front of Sierra's office. Waiting for his call to enter, she stepped inside and 
greeted softly with confidence, "Commander." 

Javan nodded as he poured over more PADDs. Things had finally quieted down and 
returned to the semblance of normal that the Avalon harbored, but it was still 
work. His eyes glanced up and he smirked slightly, "Commander, I hope your trip 
to Earth went well? We could've used your help during our last mission, but not 
to worry, I beat up several Maquis with your tactics in mind. What can I do for 
you?" 

Reaching into her pack, since she hadn't even stopped to put it down, 
Elissabeth claimed a case and opened it to retrieve a data chip. "This is for 
you." Standing back, she waited in silence. 

It perked his eyebrow and he took it almost hesitantly. There was a brief 
moment of indecision as he slid it into his computer console and looked at the 
encryption algorithm. Again, his mind raced as the code spiraled across the 
screen. This is a Section code. Once more his eyes locked with hers, his mind 
searching hers for answers, but found none. "What's this?" He asked 
non-chalantly, attempting in earnest to downplay his suspicions. 

"Your new orders." It was hard to keep the smirk off her face, but she managed 
an impassive facade. It was nice to have an upper hand with him though it was 
only for a moment. 

"Orders? Starfleet rarely sends such information through the hands of superior 
officers, or other officers at all for that matter." The code stared him in the 
face, repeating over and over again in the same taunting sequence on the 
screen. "Why would they have you deliver it on a shuttle ride when a subspace 
communique would go so much faster?" 

Elissabeth said nothing, just stood still, waiting for him to stop talking and 
actually read the orders. It wasn't exactly hard to make contact with the 
Section after all the questions she'd been whispering into the right ears. In 
fact, they sought her out, just as she'd planned. 

The file opened, the plethora of information crossing from one side of the 
screen to the other and then repeating over itself. No more than two sentences 
ever appeared on the monitor at the same time. Javan's eyes darted back and 
forth, taking in the situation, and when the last word had faded into obscurity 
they looked up again. "What the fuck is this?" 

"I was under the impression that the orders were specific." 

"Computer, disengage all audio recording abilities within this room." The 
computer acknowledged quietly and Javan stood, his gaze focused intently on 
Lissi. "You mean to tell me that the Section is recruiting you by faking your 
death? While I'm still hesitant to admit the Section's existence at all, I 
rarely seen confirmation codes of his magnitude on my orders. Plus, they've 
never been hand delivered." 

"I thought it was a nice touch," she smiled. Then she moved over and sat in the 
seat across from him, leaning forward. "How much of my background do you know, 
Commander?" 

"All of it." 

"Then you know who I worked for. Why is it such a leap of logic to believe that 
the Section would want me? You've turned in reports of my potential usefulness 
yourself." 

Javan agreed, bowing his head briefly to show that. However, the Section had 
informed him of this plan out of nowhere. He hadn't been warned, hadn't been 
told about the workings of things, and the immediate cooperation proved highly 
unsettling. "I don't understand the need to move so rapidly. Your death after 
your return to the Avalon is going to raise many suspicions. More so than if 
you died in, say, a regular away mission." 

She reached into the pack for a PADD. "Here's my medical records. Cazook has 
the same ones. My health is stable for now - the entire reason to return to 
Earth to begin with. But Cazook was kept out of the loop. She's told the 
prognosis was good and that was the truth. However, a death by natural cause 
won't be unbelievable. Aneurysm of the brain, actually. Sudden and without 
medical treatment. Should suffice." 

"Well thought out." 

"I will be dead. Clinically and completely. Per my request, I do not wish to be 
resuscitated. My body will be ejected into space and claimed by another group 
of operatives. And Elissabeth Marksbury has ceased to exist." 

"And what about Mr. Quinn?" Javan found himself seated again, his hands clasped 
and his eyes now peering over them. "You've gotten quite close to him and I'm 
sure that leaving him is going to be fairly difficult for both of you. If you 
show that kind of weakness, the Section will think twice about their decision 
to take you into their ranks." 

"Do you think I don't understand this? Emotions are a tricky thing, Javan, as 
you proved by your attachment to Caine. But work is work and orders are orders. 
If I didn't have it in me to walk away, I would not have accepted them. Bryce 
will hurt, but he will live and love again. It's the course of nature." 

"And what about you?" Javan wasn't entirely convinced, if at all. "I've been 
down that road and I've faced the challenge of loving someone completely as I 
know you and Bryce care for each other. Caine and I were different, but it's a 
more complex and difficult thing to explain. You will feel his absence as 
well." 

"Pain is the price of love." She shifted in her seat. It was difficult. She 
truly loved him and she would have to say good bye. But Elissabeth would not be 
shaken in her determination. "Now, we need to discuss how you're going to help 
me, I suppose. I need an accomplice." 

"First, I think, we need to discuss Mr. Quinn's involvement in this charade."


                
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