Daughter of Darkness
Chapter 1: The Beginning
By Gaz Destiny
Rated: PG-13
Spoilers: um…I don't happen to know episode names…this takes place not long after the dinner at Sloan's house…but before the next episode where they decode the page
Disclaimer: the show and it's respective characters (except for Claudia and my ingenious plot) were created by J.J.Abrams and are owned by ABC.
A/N: read and review…after that I have nothing to say right now…except Sloan and Vaughn may sound a little OOC…it's just that I don't know what Sloan would sound like towards his kid (if he had one) or what Vaughn would sound like in love…creepy concept I know…don't comment on anything I have to say in the little author's notes…it's not a genuinely safe thing to do…
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"To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see." -11:1-Hebrews (Bible)
Have you ever woken up one morning and wondered what would your life be like if you'd done everything different? I do. Every single day of my life I wonder that. I wonder if I would have been happy living in a nice little house, having a safe little job, and married to the ideal man in America. Then, I take a look around me, I think about what I go through everyday, just to stay alive, and I know deep down that I'd be miserable living the average life. I wouldn't be able to take it, not even the pampered rich life that I'd most likely have had.
My name is Claudia Sloane, and I am one of few double agents. I work for my father, Arvin Sloane, at SD-6, and I work at the CIA, where I met my fiancée. I am an Information Recovery Agent and a Classified Operations Officer for SD-6, and a double agent for the CIA. With my connections in both the CIA and SD-6, I am a very valuable person to both agencies, I know things that put me in even more danger than I'd like to be in, but that's all part of the game.
That's exactly what it is, a game. I take my time before taking my next move; I calculate the other players counter moves using everything I've been trained to know. I've been taught well by my father, though he did try to keep me out, saying that it would break both mother's and his heart, if anything ever happened to me, but he is my father, and he knew well enough that that was never enough to keep me out.
~*~
"No, I strictly forbid it, you will not join," Arvin Sloane said standing up from his seat at his desk.
"Give me a reason why not; I know so much, I'd be a very valuable person on your little team. I've already proven that I can do it, and I know too much to just suddenly 'forget.' I want in," his black haired daughter said in her English accent, coming from years of English boarding schools, leaning with her hands flat on his desk.
"I won't allow it," Arvin said once again, though much louder than the time before.
"Quite, you might just wake mummy, and then I'll just have to tell her everything," the girl said her face telling him that she was totally serious about joining.
~*~
I joined at fifteen, I knew almost everything about SD-6, having eavesdropped on all of father's calls, sifting through the trash in his study every night, and finally, what would probably get me in the most trouble, having followed him to far off countries, to the places where he had "investment meetings" for the last five years.
Fifteen must sound like a young age to start the job I do. It was, but I must admit, that if I had the chance to change it, I wouldn't. I'd keep everything the same. One day I grew tired of all his lies, so I waited, waited for the perfect time to confront him. My chance came only a few days later, when he got one of his midnight calls, the ones that always woke me up and annoyed me for days. I slipped downstairs and waited outside his study till he was done. The instant he hung up, I was in there, surprising him greatly. I told him I knew everything, every truth behind everyone of his lies. I demanded to in, telling him some, most likely, fucked up lie.
~*~
"Good bye," Arvin said before hanging up.
Rubbing his temples he looked up from the papers on his desk, only to see his tall fifteen-year-old daughter standing in front of his desk, arms crossed, a look of complete distaste on her pale face. She seemed perfectly prepared for the moment, her large white t-shirt and baggy pajama pants straightened as if she were dressed to go somewhere, and her pure black hair pulled up into a tight pony-tale, a loose strand on either side.
"You finally let your hair go natural," Arvin commented, ignoring the look on her face.
"Yes, I seemed to blend in better in Moscow with it dark," she retorted in a cold voice, one he had never heard before…from her…his happy bubbly daughter, the one that had been so happy to get on the cheerleading squad only a year before…or so he had thought till he went to surprise her after a pep rally weeks later, when he found out that she had quite the team days after getting on it…never getting a reason out of her for quitting.
"What's wrong, Dia?" he asked silently, praying in his mind that she knew nothing of SD-6, or at least stayed out of it.
"I know everything, dear father, and don't try to deny it. I've known for five years now, and started seeing it for myself last year," Claudia said crossly as if reading his mind. "I know that SD-6 is said to be a black ops division of the CIA, while only being a part of that group of twelve whatever, no government association, the only black being black market."
"And how do you know this," he asked as if she were just another agent.
"I have my ways, and I'm tired of using them," she said simply. "I want in. I want to work for SD-6."
"No, you're too young," her father said shaking his head, wishing silently that she'd realize it was a big mistake.
"That would only prove to be one of many assets, who'd really suspect a teenager of it, the innocence of childhood," she said with a laugh.
"No, I strictly forbid it, you will not join," he said, knowing whatever reason he'd come up with, she'd come up with a counter reason.
~*~
At sixteen, I graduated from high school, having taken all the courses I needed to go on to college, which I did. Father thought that as soon as I graduated and went onto college I'd at least try and get out of SD-6, much to his displeasure, I only threw myself more into the work I was doing. For three years I went on doing extra work for SD-6, planning to go to Berkley when I was nineteen, so as to feel more comfortable around people my own age than I would at the age of sixteen around people three years older than me.
There I got to know Sydney Bristow better; before we had only seen each other when she came over to see my mom. We became friends, not close friends, but close enough that when my father came to the decision that she'd be a valuable member at SD-6 that he consulted me first. As she went through the first six to eight months in the business department of SD-6, she was surprised when I first entered, taking the 'executive' elevator to HQ.
~*~
"What do you think of Sydney Bristow?" Arvin asked his now nineteen-year-old daughter.
"Huh?" the now taller Claudia asked with the normal teenage sound, having never been able to drop the word replacement sounds and abbreviations over the last few years, brushing some of her waist long black hair over her shoulder so that it was hanging down nicely with the rest of her hair over the back of the metal chair across from her father's desk.
"I want your friend, Ms. Bristow, to join SD-6, I believe that she will be useful," Arvin explained.
"Yeah, she fits the profile, and as far as I've seen, she'd do well," Claudia said with a shrug as she propped her feet up on the edge of the desk.
"Feet down, you act like you were never disciplined as a child," Arvin said in the typical father like way, as he slipped her high-heeled army boots off his desk.
"Actually-," Claudia started to say, only to be cut off by a wave of her father's hand.
"No, don't tell me, this isn't about your childhood, it's about recruitments. Here's a list of the people I want you to check out, ok?" Arvin said handing her a small list of names.
"K," Claudia said before standing up and leaving. As she was walking through the main floor of people at computers, she read over the list in her mind, then, out loud, she whispered softly, "Noah? But he's already training…ugh…annoying that's what you are dad…making me do back up checks on my own friends."
***
"Any chance I can catch a ride up? The other elevators just filled up," Sydney asked coming to the doors of the 'executive' elevator.
"Sorry, executives only," said the elevator operator, whose nametag said Chuck Arlington, shaking his head.
"Any room left," Claudia's soft voice called as she came to a skidding stop from the fast paced run she had been in.
"Miss Sloane, your father called up here five minutes ago asking if I'd seen you, say's you're over an hour late," Chuck said with a smile.
"Yes, I know, just got caught up at the gym," Claudia said giving a weak smile. Then, as if just noticing Sydney, she said, "Oh, hey, Syd, how's your job going. I've heard that you're doing great."
"It's going great," Sydney said with a smile. "I didn't know you worked here."
"Yup, up at the top, I hear a lot of things there, too," Claudia said with a large grin, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
"Miss Sloane," Chuck said almost warningly.
"Yes, yes, sorry," Claudia said exasperatedly. With a wave, she said, "Bye, Syd, see you later."
With that she disappeared into the elevator, the whisper of her voice asking Chuck about his family left behind.
~*~
By twenty I was ready for long term undercover work. A few months after my birthday, I was offered this position, but I declined saying that I needed a few more years, which I was granted on the basis that I wouldn't do well if I didn't have the proper confidence in myself. No more than a month after that I was sent on a reconnaissance mission in Madrid, Spain, to retrieve one of Ramboldi's books, but it seemed that SD-6 wasn't the only agency after it. That's how I met Michael Vaughn, my fiancé.
~*~
"Your assignment is to go to Madrid and retrieve a stolen Ramboldi book," Arvin briefed the twenty-year-olds Claudia and Sydney.
"I'd like to work alone," Claudia said giving Arvin a look that he was unable to decipher. "I'd feel better if my friend's life wasn't in danger, no offence to you Sydney."
"Dia," Arvin said warningly and worriedly at the same time, something that had been in his voice since she joined.
"No, it'll be much easier for one person to crash rather than two, we already know that there is more than one agency after this book, they'll be sending people to crash also, making the risk only greater," Claudia explained, her English accent just as strong as it had been five years ago when she'd been explaining why she should be where she is now. "And…with my accent, I can pass for a person from the British Embassy. You know, an Englishwoman taking a long needed vacation, just happening to be invited to the event by some family friends, who's names she just so happens forget to mention."
"That sounds good, but Sydney's still going to go, you will need help getting out," Arvin said. "As you've said, there will be other agencies there, if you get caught by one of them, you'll need someone to help you get out."
"Oh alright," she answered in her most exasperated voice
***
"Syd, I'm in and mingling," Claudia whispered.
With a light brown wig over her pure black hair, and her pure black evening gown (complete with very low collar) sparkled with gold, and a black china mask covering her face, Claudia seemed to fit in perfectly. Waltzing with no one for more than a few minutes, she soon was asked to dance by a gentleman in a white mask, to which she accepted.
"So what is your name?" she asked softly in a light southern accent as they moved into the crowed, noting to herself that she wasn't the only one there that was six feet tall.
"Andrew Smith," he said just as soft as a nice tempo-ed waltz started up. "Yours?"
"Christina Anderson," Claudia said, while at the same time listening very closely for Sydney's cue.
"Now, C," Sydney's voice said, ringing through Claudia's head, while on the outside she looked just as she had before the cue.
"I am very sorry, but I must be going," Claudia said breaking away from the masked man. "Good night."
With that she quickly disappeared into the crowed.
"One more review of the plan, please," Michael Vaughn's voice said from behind the white mask.
***
"I'm almost in guys," Michael whispered as he worked on opening a large safe in a dank basement.
"That's good, cause I was getting tired of waiting," Claudia said casually as she moved to lean against the wall next to the safe, her mask and wig gone and her accent back to the original English one. "You know, you guys really are slow."
"Who are you?" Michael asked.
"Hey, Syd, it seems princess girl's run into daddy's friends," Claudia said with a laugh, having said the line telling Sydney that people from the other agencies where already there.
"Did you get the book, yet?" Sydney asked.
"Almost, but first daddy's friends are going to have to play a little game," Claudia said in a child-like voice, meanwhile Michael had gotten the safe opened and was already grabbing the book and preparing to run. When Claudia noticed him stand up, book in hand, and get ready to run, she did a low spin kick and knocked him onto the floor, before grabbing the book and running, screaming behind her, "Haven't you heard, the Princess always wins."
"Not this time," Michael said chasing after her, soon catching her as she stopped in a dead end hall, where the only way out besides running towards him was to jump up fifteen feet onto a ledge that turned into a tunnel somewhere up there.
"Aww, Syd, pretty boy here thinks I go down easy. Put the ladder down, I'm at the agreed spot," Claudia called just before a ladder came down three feet from the ground.
"Eric, go the back way, she's going through the ledge tunnel," Michael said.
"How'd she do that?" Eric Weiss asked, just so that he'd know what kind of person to expect.
"Her partner threw her a ladder," Michael said before back tracking at a very fast paced run.
Silence, that's all there was till he got outside the building.
"Did you get her?" Michael asked as he stepped into the cool August night air.
"Her silent partner got away with the book, but I got princess," Eric answered. "I'm at the van."
"Already here," Michael said opening the van door carefully, in case Claudia (whose real name he doesn't know yet, in case you forgot) was waiting to run.
"Let me go," she screamed, kicking wildly from her spot tied to a chair.
"Who are you?" Michael asked, already in the front swivel seat.
"I already told you, now let me go, when daddy finds out he isn't going to be happy," Claudia screamed angrily, her English accent so strong it was positively laughable (not in a way that it sounded fake or anything).
"She told you her name?" Eric asked skeptically, giving Michael a 'rrreeeaaalllyyy' look.
"I was told to mingle, look inconspicuous, so I did dance with some people, we exchanged fake names," Michael explained almost defensively.
"Fake is right, I didn't even use the same initials, I didn't even use my alias for that fact," Claudia said with a laugh, having calmed down quite a bit.
"Who do you work for?" Michael asked wanting to get back to the questioning.
"You want the truth or the comp'ny line?" Claudia asked. "I'll give you the comp'ny line; at least I won't be the one getting in trouble. I work for a black ops division of the CIA, and if you don't let me out of here right now I'll be forced to use the neuron tranquilizer."
"There aren't any black ops divisions of the CIA," he said quietly to Eric. "At least not ones that'd be after the book, while we're here too."
"Oye, you're CIA boys?" Claudia said unhappily going back to her spoiled daddy's girl voice, twisting her right wrist around and around, rubbing the rope against her black opal bracelet, then, finally, she pulled her arm up slowly, snapping the then piece of rope left from the bracelet.
Quickly she snaked her other arm out of its bounds and did a flip into the air, ramming the chair down onto Weiss.
"Like I said, Princess always wins," She said in a cold monotone voice before jumping out of the van and running for her ride, a sleek black Ferrari.
~*~
Needless to say, we got the book, only loosing it sometime later through the faults of another agent. The next night, as I walked into my apartment, I really thought for the first time about what I was doing. I looked at everything in the fancy penthouse apartment; I skimmed through every book and magazine, trying to avoid the question of what I should actually be doing.
I knew SD-6 was bad, but still, I didn't do what I was supposed to do, but what was I really supposed to do, I am THE BLOODY PRINCESS. The best there is, the one they always turned to when there was a big job, loyal to a fault. All my predecessors had gone over the same things, I knew they had, I had talked to most of them, but they all just went on to the undercover work, knowing that it would keep them busy enough to keep their minds off of right and wrong.
After two days of no sleep, barley anything to eat, not once leaving, and not talking to anyone, I finally came to a conclusion. It would be difficult, I knew that, but I had to.
Four full days after my encounter with Andrew Smith, as I still knew him, I walked through the front door of the Langley LA building. With my black sunglasses and long blond wig I was more or less unrecognizable; carefully I went from one building to another, instead of going straight there. I made sure no one was following me, knowing that dad had set people out to watch me, find out what was wrong, instead of just coming over himself, he'd never been able to sit down and just talk to me. Once I actually got inside I told one of the receptionists that I needed to see the head of this cell. She asked a bunch of annoying questions, I answered to the best of my ability without putting myself into danger.
~*~
"Who are you?" the middle-aged man asked, if not for the serious of the moment Claudia would be trying not to laugh at the notion that his hair wouldn't be there much longer.
"Claudia Sloane, also known as the Princess," Claudia said referring to her code and nickname, all emotion gone from her voice.
"Why are you here?" he asked quickly, sounding much like an army general.
"I am here to offer my cervices to the CIA as a double agent," Claudia said. "I work for SD-6 as an Information Recovery Agent, and a Classified Operations Officer. I am the top agent there, you will find no better."
"Have Weiss and Vaughn meet Miss Sloan in the conference room, please," he said holding down a button on the intercom/phone.
***
"What are you doing here?" Michael asked as soon as he walked into the room and recognized her.
"I should ask you the same thing, Smith," she answered putting extra emphasis on the name Smith.
"It's Vaughn," Michael said. "Michael Vaughn."
"Well, since I know your name, you should probably have my correct name, or risk looking like a fool," Claudia said with a smirk. "I'm Claudia Sloane, more commonly known as the Princess."
"Here," Michael said handing her a small pack of papers, wondering too much about why she had come to say something back.
***
"It seems you know a lot about SD-6," Michael assumed looking over the papers.
"I should, Arvin Sloane, head of the LA cell of SD-6, is my father," Claudia answered. "I do have one request though."
"And what's that?" he asked thinking that she'd come up with some unimaginable thing.
"That you're not my handler," she answered confidently.
"And why is that?" he asked, more for his own personal issues than for any other reason.
"You're too cute," she said smiling.
"Too cute?" he asked skeptically.
"Yes, I'd never be able to concentrate, while working with you," she said seriously.
Beep, beep, beep.
"Bloody 'ell," she cursed looking at her beeper.
It read the usual message:
Dad 911
"Got to go, daddy pages," she said using her popular spoiled daddy's girl voice.
With that she grabbed her black leather mini-backpack and left.
~*~
Much to my happiness, Michael wasn't my handler; instead they gave the job to Eric, though I did end up spending plenty of time with Michael. One week before my twenty-second birthday, September 17th, Michael finally asked me out. We had dinner at a nice restaurant. Ending up going out several more times that week, starting a relationship that is still going on today.
Finally, September 24th, dad called me into his office. He said that his bosses, whom I have heard very little of, if anything, are tired of me declining the undercover job. They demanded that I took the job at the Russian Embassy in England; it was a job that would only last one year, but already arranged that I'd take on the job as personal assistant to the Russian ambassador, a man believed to be involved in the KGB.
~*~
"Will you take off the blindfold now?" Claudia asked for the thousandth time from her place in the passenger seat of Vaughn's car, a black silk cloth covering her eyes, amazingly going perfectly with her tight black dress and now, after hundreds of dye jobs, finally, natural black hair.
"No, I want you to be surprised," Michael said, receiving only a deep sigh signaling that Claudia had finally taken in that she was fighting a loosing battle. Slowly bringing the car to a stop in an empty parking space just in front of the restaurant, he said, "We're here."
"Do I have to wait for you, or may I get out for myself?" Claudia asked playfully.
"Wait for me," Michael replied before getting out of the car, going around to her door, and helping her out.
Slowly removing the blindfold, he smiled as she took in a deep breath.
"I've been wanting to come here," she whispered as she took his arm and let him lead her in and to their table.
***
"Would you like any dessert, ma'am?" the waiter asked as he picked up the plates from the rest of the meal.
"Another cream soda, please," Claudia said with a smile.
"Claudia," Michael said, taking her right hand, a few seconds after the waiter left.
"Yes, Michael?" Claudia asked sweetly.
"Claudia, will you marry me?" he asked pulling a black box out of the inside pocket of his jacket and opening it, revealing a beautiful star shaped diamond.
"Yes, of course," Claudia said as a tear started running down her face (proving that she didn't wear mascara). "But I can't ask you to wait for me."
"Wait for you?" Michael asked unsure of what she was talking about.
"This morning I got news from dad, I'm being sent to England, whether or not I want to go, his bosses are getting annoyed with me for not taking the job sooner," she whispered.
"How long?" he asked, making sure it sounded thoughtfully, rather than like that of some guy from a soap opera. "And when?"
"I'm leaving a week from Saturday, I'll be gone for a year," she answered calmly, whipping the tear from her eye.
"I'll wait," he answered.
~*~
And he did just that, one of many things that has surprised me about him over time. The Friday before I had to go my parents wanted to have a dinner for me, but Michael wanted to make me dinner, so I gently declined and had lunch with them instead, hiding the ring away. Neither of them knew that I was engaged, much less dating anyone, I had an immense fear that my father even knowing about him would put his life endanger, a fact I have come to know as 'gospel' truth.
I told Sydney during one of our little ice-cream feasts, she was happy for me, though to my pleasure did refrain from asking his name, instead going on to tell me about her boyfriend, Danny.
At this moment in time I'm starting to think I have said too much, or too little, but have in every way taken up much too much time telling my story, while at the same time leaving you at a want for more. But as dawn draws near I will stop.
~*~
"What time is it?" Claudia asked groggily, moving a large pile of blankets off of her as sleep quickly left her.
"Eight o'clock," came Michael's voice from under the newly relocated pile of blankets.
"Not too bad," she answered with a yawn, stretching her arms high above her head. "At least for me."
Silence, except for the moving of blankets the room was silent.
"I have a question," she said as he moved behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her bare shoulders.
"And what is that?" he asked, whispering in her ear.
"What are you afraid of?" she asked looking at him over her shoulder.
"You've asked this before."
"Just humor me then."
"I am afraid of…hmm…it's changed now…I'm afraid that I'll lose you, that you'll get caught and taken care of," was her whispered resopnce. "You?"
"I'm afraid that while I'm gone, you'll find someone better, someone you'd rather be with, and forget all about me."
"NEVER!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Now lets get up, we might have enough time for a quick brunch before your flight."
"Alright."
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Hey
How'd you like it? Kinda strange hun? My muses decided to play games with my mind for a while, so I thought it only good that I tourture everyone else with what the muses were showing me. ^_-
Gaz Destiny
(hey…if anyone sees a message from someone by the name of stbbb or just anyone giving random empty threats, just ignore, some friends of mine are insane, literally)
Comments from the Wonderful Genuis that is Zak Cole (a.k.a: Insert Self-Loving Comment Here):
I enjoyed this story. (A/N from Gaz Destiny: there was a lot more to his little note…but that was all aimed to me…so I took that out and only left the first sentence)