<USS Avalon> "Faces in the Dark"
- From: "Brad Ruder" <groundzero@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 17:37:12 -0800
“Faces in the Dark”
by Commander Javan Sierra
He watched him. In the shadows, where he found solace in his solidarity, Tel watched him. The man had grown up even better than Tel had expected, the skills that he was suppose to teach his younger brother had been honed in such a way that even Tel was doubtful he could’ve managed to teach it that well. It almost made him...feel. There was a love for his brother, his kinsmen, that he knew was there and somehow it wasn’t. Thank you, Section 31, your emotional dabbling has been so beneficial.
Tel moved a little further into the quarters of his brother. Javan’s back was still towards the man, fixing himself a drink on the bar that he had specially replicated when he was first assigned to the ship. It was good to have family again. Yes he had other brothers, but they weren’t like Tel and Javan. It was a hard concept to explain - to anyone - but it still created a rift. And with Javan being as gifted as he was, they clicked.
Javan turned carrying two drinks, “You should really think about your entrance. I know that your transporter is suppose to be sound-less, but I definitely heard the whine. Your alignment resonator must be out of alignment.” He took a sip, “Where have you been?”
Taking the drink, Tel plopped onto the couch. The cushions padded him as he felt he was going to sink into a leather-like oblivion, “I was out watching people, what else would I be doing?”
“I don’t know. I assume you made several visits to certain female officer’s quarters.” Javan smirked, raised his glass a little bit, and then downed the shot glass of liquid. It went down slowly, burning as it went, but that was a sign that it was good stuff. “Abusing the ability.”
“No,” Tel said, shaking his head, “I was merely observing possible recruits and possible contacts. You know, those sleeper agents that we use when we have to and nothing else. We should’ve made Anthony a sleeper.”
Javan coughed a little, laughing, “He would’ve never agreed to that.”
“Well, it would’ve been worth the effort I think. Anyway, I was just perusing the decks looking at people. I ran into your Covert Operations chief. She is one impressive person, I’ll tell you that.” Tel finished his glass and placed it delicately on the glass table.
Javan rolled his eyes, “You think that I don’t know that?”
“I assumed you knew what I was talking about.”
He stood, moving to the windows. “Tel, I was there in the future, remember? I saw the records of what happened to Section 31 - which was averted, by the way - and all of the records that went hand in hand with this crew. I saw things that I should’ve have seen and I was more than aware of the defector we brought back with us.”
Tel blinked, hearing a bit more than he already knew, “Then why didn’t you tell the Section? You know as well as I that someone with that kind of experience would’ve been worth a lot. I mean, the Section is always looking for advancement in all departments and new operatives.” He paused, “It was her, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Commander Skyler. She watched Lyryn - that was her name - and made sure that no one got close. I didn’t have a chance. I wanted to, plotted a couple of times, but never found the time or the ability to get in and get out.” Javan ran a tired hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was.
“That’s not who I was referring to, bro.”
It clicked. “Caine?”
Tel nodded, almost absently, and stood. “I know that she knew about Section 31 and your affiliation thereof. I know that you went through an extensive cover-up to eliminate her memory of what she knew. I think that Skyler and Lyryn underwent a similar procedure. You made the right choice.”
It had been so long since he had thought about her. Hell, it had been even longer since he had seen and talked to her. Too much going on, too much career to handle, too much to cover-up and uncover all at the same time - what a life to lead. “It wasn’t my choice. She volunteered to get it done. I was happy that there was no longer any secrets, but she knew it was a threat to both of us.”
“She did it for love.”
“Love is shit, and you know it.”
“I stopped thinking like that, Javan.”
“Bull shit,” Javan said, staring his brother down. There was a look in his brother’s eye that he hadn’t seen before. It had almost been too long for Javan to recognize it, but he realized it nonetheless. “You’ve found someone?”
Tel smiled, rubbing his eyes, “You could say that. You could say that I’ve found two people. I have to pick my times to be with the one I want. The other is still a bit dominant. I didn’t understand what had happened at first, but an inner turmoil is present. I wish that I could change it...”
“Tel, you’re babbling. Who...” Javan thought for moment over his brother’s cryptic explanation of a new love life. Neurons fired, connections were made, and Javan had to fight from letting his jaw drop through the floor. “Elissabeth?”
“No...”
“Lyryn,” Javan heaved a surprised sigh, “How does she...? How did you...?”
“Mesmerized the hell out of me too, man. It was designed at first to just keep her off Anthony and all the stuff with Flubb, but it sort of blossomed into something more than that,” Tel sighed himself, “I can’t explain it to you. It’s one of those things that just is. Love is funny that way, I suppose, but it’s there.”
Javan nodded, albeit somewhat confused, “I heard that she was in sickbay because of radiation poisoning. I’m quite amazed with her candor and her dedication to her team over on that Marauder. She’s done Starfleet a good service.”
There was a pause. “She lost John Forester.”
“I know,” Javan said simply, “we all lose people under our command. It’s a fact of life and she knows that.”
“I think she’s struggling.”
“With John’s death?”
Tel looked out the window into the abysmal abyss of stars. The uncertainty was apparent without the Betazoid link between them. “No, I think she’s in conflict because of me. When I’m around she’s Lyryn, but everywhere else she is Elissabeth. It’s a difficult situation to explain...”
“You seem to have a multitude of those as of late,” Javan smirked, ribbing his brother a bit in the shoulder, “I can’t let her indecision with herself affect the leadership of the Covert Ops department. Her second in command is capable, but not ready for the role. If I have to, I’ll plant some evidence to get those watching her to erase her memory again.”
“Javan, no.”
Javan stopped, turned away from the window, and looked at his brother. “You love her that much that you’d risk the safety of a Starfleet crew and possibly her own life? I can’t imagine that my brother, with his past and his subsequent future ahead of him, would make such a rash and irresponsible decision.”
“I’ll make you a deal, Telfer...”
“Tel, or I’ll break your neck,” the man smiled.
“Anyway, I’ll make you a deal. I will just give her a little verbal reminder about her attitude as a Starfleet officer and a member of this crew, and we’ll just go about our business. If she does anything to jeopardize this crew, I’ll make sure that her memory and inhibitions are properly taken care of.”
Tel looked at his younger sibling, unsure of what to do. “You have a deal.”
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