<USS Avalon> "Purpose"

Purpose
Anthony Manson
and 
Jayden Cross


There wasn't much time, there weren't enough people. He still answered to 
Quinn, he still needed Alder in on this. The pressures were building on him and 
it felt like a weight on his shoulders. He blinked, having found himself in 
front of Jayden's qaurters. He didn't remember exactly how he manage to get 
here, and figured his thoughts had consumed his body functions. Anthony shook 
his head, feeling the migraine in his head compliments of Quinn. Tapping the 
chime, he waited as patiently as he could. 

Jayden thought she heard the chime ring in her quarters of desolation, but it 
no longer mattered. Elijah was gone and Vevay was under the watchful eye of 
that tripped out Chief Engineer. There was no revenge to be had. Nothing left 
for her but misery. 

The chime rang again, this time, Anthony's voice came right after it, "Jayden, 
open the door. Jayden!" 

A vague sense of a familiarity in the voice cause her to look up, but Jayden 
focused on the knife in front of her. Most female suicides were performed by 
taking pills. She had lived her life as a statistic and didn't want to die as 
one, so she picked up the blade and held it to her wrist. It occurred to her to 
mumble something cliche to the computer as a good-bye. She decided against it, 
as she pushed the sharp edge into her skin. 

The doors wisped open, overriding the locks as Anthony walked into Jayden's 
quarters. He looked to his left and instinctively rushed over and smacked the 
weapon away from her. "What the fuck are you thinking!?" Anthony shouted as he 
grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her up. "I need you now, more than ever. 
Do you hear me, Jay? The time to act is now, and I don?t need you doing some 
fucking suicide stunt on me!" 

"Nice to see you too, you nosey bastard. Go away, Anthony. You don't need me, 
you're still fucking around with Alder. Eli is gone... there's nothing. Nothing 
but my work which does nothing but destroy things. And that secret has been 
unleashed. No one needs me. Just... let me have this moment of peace, would 
you?" She spoke slowly, despondent, never even trying to pull herself from 
Anthony's grasp. 

"And that's the very secret you're gonna use against this ship. Remember what I 
said about power, and security and safety? It's still within your grasp. All 
you need is your weapon. I read what your weapon can do. And in an isolated 
event, it can take care of some people quickly, neatly, and with very few 
incidents. You do that, and you'll get what is promised." 

Looking up at him with tear filled eyes, she asked, "Don't you understand? I 
don't want anything anymore. I have no focus, no purpose. You can't conjure me 
a reason to live in that scheming head of yours, can you? I don't think so." 
Her lip quivered, but she didn't look away. 

"Did everything I just said go right through your fucking skull, Jayden? Or are 
you so into killing yourself you can only hear your self pity? Get it in your 
head, with you to help us, we can take this ship over and we'll get everything 
we ever wanted. Fuck Eli, he's gone, but you still can go after Vevay. You can 
go after anyone you want with that weapon of yours." He shook her lightly, 
"Don?t you see the power you have right now?" 

She blinked. "Take over the ship?" 

Anthony nodded in confirmation, "We are. And I need you with us. You can take 
out your enemies, I do the same, we have our little fun, and in the end we have 
the ship. Are you with me? Because this is your last chance, Jayden. Your 
chance to advance further than you've ever hoped." 

"I have no hope. But this is important to you. I feel it. You radiate with the 
determination. Why?" 

"Because I can regain everything I lost in a matter of minutes if we pull this 
off correctly. I'll have the power and security I lost to Alder. And when I do, 
there's a list of people I intend to get rid off." Anthony shook his head, "But 
that doesn't matter right now. I?m giving you a chance to a better life. Now 
will you help me?" 

"I don't care about power, Anthony. You know that." She finally moved her 
wrists and he released her from his grasp. Rubbing her hands over the pressure 
points, she assessed his eyes. He hadn't been the same since he'd lost so much 
to Alder. It still hurt him, though he'd never say it. And if it was within her 
power to give it back to him, she would. Anthony had been the only constant in 
her life. "What do you need me to do?" 

There was nearly a grin forming at the corners of his mouth, but he suppressed 
it, "You are no doubt aware that science operations have environmental controls 
similar to medical, and hell- Operations- itself. You can isolate the targets 
with the weapon you have and eliminate them. I'll give you a list later. Hell, 
add Vevay to it, no one would care. And if they do, add them to it too." 
Anthony shrugged, "Don't target Alder though. As much as I hate to admit it, 
the man has more access than I do. And my resources have dwindled. I can't 
spare them until I regain my rank. After that, I'll dispose of Alder. We have 
the ship, and our new lives will be for our taking." 

"Anthony, do your realise how dangerous that will be? That virus could spread 
past where we want it. It's a weapon of mass destruction. It's not meant for 
small targets... though..." Her eyes lit up with figuring out this new problem 
dropped in her lap. "I have to get to the lab," she exclaimed. 

"Alright," he nodded, giving a small smile, "I'll give you the targets and when 
we're hitting them. I have to.. talk to Alder."

"Yeah... it'll have to be coordinated, but we can do it. Tell me who we're 
working for, Anthony. I just want to know that much. Everything else I have is 
yours." 

"Quinn," came the reply. Letting that sink in for a few moments, he gave her a 
nod and left.


                
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