Title: Secret Agent Man
Author: soultoast
Rating: PG-13 for mild language. And kamikaze chimpanzees. Just kidding.
Spoilers: This will be taking place in the second season. This is a work of my fantasy, crossover with some of my personal characters.
Pairings: R/S. If you don't like this pairing, don't read it, but I think they're cute. You've been warned!
Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Star Trek. If I did, it would be a hell of a lot weirder. The above monkeys would actually feature in several episodes, and that would just be plain silly.
Beta: None, except for me self. So all the mistakes are mine.
Author's Note: This is just a character study of Malcolm, a different way to explain some of his attitude issues.
Sometimes he regrets ever coming aboard Enterprise. His regrets were not in the same vein as the regrets that Trip had (especially after he'd been injured, kidnapped, or impregnated by aliens again), regretting the day he set foot on Enterprise. It is during those times that the Lieutenant performs his duty, when he's in danger, that he feels as though he belongs on Enterprise. No, being Malcolm Reed, it is during the times of relative peace and quiet that he regrets his choice. It's when he is talking to the Captain or Trip or Hoshi that Malcolm gets nervous. It's during his attempts at socializing that he feels as though he's let himself go, relaxed too much. Only a few short years ago, Malcolm Reed was the best agent that Starfleet Intelligence Commission had. You see, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed is not security officer, he's not even a regular Starfleet officer; he is fact a member of the Starfleet Intelligence Commission. Malcolm Reed is what you could call… well, in truth, one could call him a secret agent.
Like all of the other agents, Malcolm was approached while in Starfleet Academy with an offer to work for SIG. Every day, after completing his Academy classes, he would be tutored by the SIG. They taught him varying skills, from advanced self-defense and computer skills, to medical training and languages. Then, once they discovered his… proficiency with weaponry and engineering, they taught him advanced engineering, specializing in weapon's development. In addition to teaching him how to literally blow the living hell out of things, his instructors also taught Malcolm how to send secret communiqués. After graduating from the Academy, he was assigned to the old Mars Station, where his advanced training continued.
The Commission's mission is simple: protect Starfleet and deal quietly with any issues that threatened Starfleet or the Earth. Started by a group of Admirals and with the Earth President's blessing, they were formed to deal with Earth'sproblems on their own, without the condescending Vulcan (namely Soval's) interference that assumed the humans to be incapable children. They primarily dealt with threats to Starfleet; theft, the protection of certain officials, and black market espionage. Yes, despite Earth's claims that crime was nonexistent, there was still a black market, only by this time, aliens had become the primary buyers of information and technology. Malcolm was the best, and that was why he was assigned to the Enterprise.
Malcolm could easily recall the day he was assigned to Enterprise. He'd just returned from a mission, investigating the disappearance of an engineer from Jupiter Station, at which time his doctored records had already been submitted for the post of Enterprise Armory Officer, along with glowing recommendations that no Captain could ignore. The job was his before he even knew why he was being assigned to Enterprise. Originally, Malcolm's mission was to make sure that any information involving the Klingon Klaang and his mysterious attackers was gathered and passed along to SIG. But once T'Pol was assigned to the Enterprise, the scope of his mission was broadened; he had to protect T'Pol, a precautionary measure ensuring that Vulcan/Human relation remained friendly.
At this time there was a joke among the agents; when together, they liked to call each other "Bond" or "James," or sometimes even "007." This was partially because they were, like the Ian Fleming character, agents. But it was also for another reason: the agents were social idiots. These agents, Starfleet's best, were be able to lie, kill enemies, fight, and hack into computer systems, but they are all rather inept when it comes to the opposite (or in Agent Roy's case, the same) sex. Because parts of their lives were contained fabrications, they weren't fond of getting close to other people; it made them nervous. Fortunately, this was usually seen as social ineptitude and not a gripping fear of exposure. Unfortunately, in Malcolm's case, it was both.
It had been two years since he'd been assigned to Enterprise. In this time, he'd fallen in love (unrequited), been abused by aliens, and made a best friend who didn't even know who he really was. Malcolm had become comfortable, used to the routine of Enterprise. When fighting, he was able to use his skills and help other. But when around his crewmates, he was unable to truly talk to them, to become intimate for fear of exposure, thus causing regret. But without his consent, Enterprise had become his home, and his old life seemed to have transformed into an imperceptible dream that never happened. But every so often, Malcolm would be reminded of his true mission, of the deadly skills he possessed, and the fact that no matter how good of an agent he was, he still couldn't talk to women.
A/N: Okay, so this series is going to be pretty episodic, i.e. it will be showing the schism between Malcolm's training and his current life via various incidents. So hopefully you like it, and the only way I'll know is if you hit that little button and tell me so.