<USS Avalon> "The Searching" Pt. 4
- From: "Brad Ruder" <groundzero@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: avalon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 16:08:02 -0800
“The Searching” - Part Five
by Commander Javan Sierra
& Petty Officer 2nd Class Lol Kendrick
He felt like he beamed into an ocean. When he finally materialized completely he looked around for a torrent of water and raging rapids, but found nothing but wet pavement and the distant sight of Ferengi concealed under tarp-like material. Smiling, he let the water hit him without even attempting to cover up. What would be the point?
His eyes darted around to the other beam in points and found both Savannah Eckstein and Ryan Hollander trying - unsuccessfully - to avoid getting drown. They both looked like drowned rats and it brought a smile to his face. Javan made his way over to them, avoiding the main thoroughfare of Ferengi traffic in which they had transported next to. Carefully easing himself, and his comrades, into a gulch just off the beaten trail, Javan flipped out his tricorder.
“I don’t see how we’re suppose to find him in all this.”
“Savvy,” Ryan said, staring her down, “he’s a human on a Ferengi-covered planet. How do you THINK we’re going to find him?”
“Bite me.”
“Is that an invitation?”
Javan sighed, “Children, behave. Yes, Savannah, that’s exactly how we’re going to find him. However, the range of our tricorders only have a certain amount of range. Which means - ”
“We’ll have to split up to cover more ground and then merge together when one of us finds something,” Ryan nodded and looked over his shoulder as if he expected a Ferengi patrol or something to come stumbling over the hill. “I’ll go North.”
The security commander nodded, “I’ll go southeast. Savannah you go - ”
“Southwest,” Ryan chimed in, nodding a consensus for the entire group before pulling his own tricorder from the holster on his belt. Checking his phaser because the rifles had to be left behind, Ryan started out and then turned when he realized that no one was dispersing. “Change of plans?”
“Are we an old married couple, Mr. Hollander,” Javan said, forcing himself not to smile.
“Sir?” A confused _expression_ danced its way across the young ensign’s face.
Javan finally smirked, “then would you please stop finishing my sentences? Yes, you all go your respective ways and we’ll contact each other if you detect him. Do no, I repeat, do not engage him single-handedly unless you cannot avoid it. Understand?”
Accepting and acknowledging gestures circled the small group and Javan nodded as they moved away. He knew that they weren’t going to find anything. He knew where Lol Kendrick was hiding. Turning on his heel, he holstered his tricorder and began to walk back towards the lights from the small settlement. Maps, routes, distances, it didn’t matter. Javan knew where he was going.
**********
The street had long since branched off: four times already. More and more he walked into a deeper and deeper desolation of the city. The light, what little there was to begin with, had slowly faded into an unnoticeable oblivion and he was walking solely by the ambient light of the moon above him. His walking was covered by the downpour of rain. Perfect cover.
Rounding the corner, the street dead-ended at a single durasteel door with an old conventional handle on it. Smiling, he remembered it fondly. There were some skeletons in his closet that he didn’t want to reveal, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t like them and remember them often. Turning the handle slowly, he stepped into the pitch-black establishment.
He knew what was there. A table to his left and a bookcase against the far wall about seven and a half steps away. There was another table to his right and a lamp fixture on top of it. There was a couch - a worn out and used couch - in the center of the room looking at the view that was on the far left wall. It was just as he had left it several years ago. “Hello, Lol.”
The lights flickered on and Javan saw Lol standing against the wall with a phaser aimed directly at Javan’s heart. There was an intensity in his eyes - almost a look of total and utter shock at the situation - that made Javan smirk with satisfaction. “How’d you find me?”
“Easy, scans.”
“This room is shielded from them.”
“I know that.”
There was a brief stare down between the two men before they both holstered their equipment and met in the center of the room. There was another momentary sizing up of each other before Lol extended his hand out to Javan, “It was a pleasure working with you.”
Javan nodded, grabbing the man’s hand, “Pleasure was mine, Jack. The Section has a good agent in you. I’m sorry that we had to test your official abilities in this way, but you understand that action was called for, right?”
“Of course.”
“Do you know where they’re going to send you next?”
Jack shook his head as he sat down on the armrest of the chair, “I don’t know. I heard something somewhere that may suggest I’ll be heading to Cardassia for some reconstruction sabotaging assignment. Most of it is already done, but they may need an overseer.”
“We shouldn’t be involved with Cardassia, they’re almost back on their feet.”
There was a sigh, “We go where we’re told, Javan, you above all should know that. We’re soldiers that do the willing of those above us. I’m not saying I like it anymore than you do, but it’s just the way things are. We get our fair compensation at the end.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Javan crossed and sat down as well.
“How’s your mission going?”
“Not bad. I don’t think I’m in any position to act yet, but I think the time is coming soon enough. The medical staff is trying to keep the whole mental anguish thing under wraps still. Skyler and Miss Marksbury, or I should say Lyryn, are having all sorts of problems,” Javan cracked his knuckles loudly, “Which is fine, gives me plenty of time to explore all the parts of my mission.”
Jack smiled, “Good diversion and distraction. Lucky devil. Javan, there is one thing that I don’t understand about our joint collaboration on this mission. Why did you get Anthony Manson to attempt to kill Flubb as well?”
Javan blinked, “what?”
“After I left the room, Anthony Manson came in to do the same job that I did. Why?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea of what you’re talking about, Jack,” Javan tilted his head and ran a hand through his hair trying to understand what it meant. “I didn’t talk to anyone about anything. So, in essence, you’re saying that someone was commissioned to do your job for you?”
“Yes.”
Javan had to think about it for a moment, “Interesting, I’ll inquire when we get back to Avalon. Are you ready?”
“I hate this part of the job.”
“It’s necessary,” Javan said, standing.
“I know.” Jack stood up and walked over in front of Javan.
Javan laid into the man. A punch here, a kick to the ribs, another cross the opposite direction, and another kick to his legs; in mere moments the man was on the ground in pain. Javan kicked the man in the ribs, forcing him to roll over onto his back and grunt in agony. “I actually like this part of the job.”
“Fuck you,” Jack said as he coughed and laughed at the same time. “Believable?”
“No,” Javan said, kneeling down and laying another couple of punches to the man’s chest and one last jab to his face. “There we go.”
Jack got up, placing a finger to his nose and seeing his own blood coating the extremity. “God, damn it. You get too much pleasure out of that, you know?” He wiped it on his uniform and then grabbed his bag. Handing it to Javan, Jack smiled, “Nothing like these staged apprehensions.” Jack threw a punch and caught Javan off guard - Javan’s first lapse in concentration in a long time - and it sent Javan spiraling into the wall.
“You little bastard.”
“Got to look real, remember? You’re good, but not THAT good.”
Javan smiled and grabbed the man and put him in a pair of binders. “Let’s go there, runt.” They stepped back onto the dark street and Javan tapped his communication badge. “Sierra to Hollander and Eckstein, I found him. Meet me back at the rendezvous point. He’ll pay for his crimes and we can go home.”
The acknowledgment came and then the channel closed. “He’ll pay for his crimes?”
“I thought it was a nice touch, did it seem forced?”
“No, it was good.”
They both laughed and moved back down the path towards the place at which they beamed in. Sharing in a couple of laughs before rounding the first corner, Javan and Jack went back to their guard-prisoner relationship. And no one was any the wiser.
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