Sanctuary

Pullman Farm outside of Pocatello, Idaho, 2289.338, 1704 hours. "I'm coming!" Jeff ground his teeth as he re-gripped the towel at his waist and made his way down the hall. He was too tired and sore to put up with whoever the asshole was that kept ringing the door chime like his house was on fire. All he wanted to do after PT was take a nice, long, hot shower but nooo, this jerk had other plans. If he left the shower for another Encyclopedia Intergalactica salesman he'd have no qualms about punching him in the nose and slamming the door in his face.

"I said I'M COMING!" he cried again in growing irritation. He threw the door back in rage but his anger quickly subsided at the sight of Selas standing alone on his front porch. "Selas?" Jeff peeked his head outside but didn't see a hover cab or anything nearby. "What're you doing here? Better yet, how'd you get here?"

"May I come in?" Selas asked even as he pushed past him into the house. The pair stood awkwardly in the foyer, his friend tense and alert. "Is anyone else at home?"

"No, just me. Mom had some errands and everyone else is closing up at the farmer's market…but Selas, what's this all about? You're starting to scare me a little."

"We must make haste and depart. Your life is in danger. Section 31 has orders to kill you."

31. The blood left his head so fast he felt lightheaded. "Kill me?" Jeff hoarsely repeated.

"Yes. We must leave quickly. Rebecca has parked the shuttle behind the barn for us to make our escape." Selas reached out and groped about for Jeff's elbow. He knew he was meant to go to his room and change but the terror of it all had him rooted firmly to the spot. His life was in danger—again—and all because of a little dilithium.

Selas gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs that jolted him back to reality. "Jeffrey, time is of the essence."

"Right." They trudged back down the hall quickly despite his good knee twingeing in protest. He closed and locked the bedroom door then grabbed the closest flannel shirt and threw it on over his head. "How do you know about Section 31?"

"I was waiting for the termination of Rebecca's final class of the day when I overheard 2 men discussing the project and your execution." A cold trill went up Jeff's spine as he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on a pair of jeans. "However, I believe the better question would be how did you become involved in Section 31 in the first place?"

"It's a long story." Jeff grabbed a glass of water off his nightstand and threw it back in one gulp to help ease his queasy stomach.

"One which I would very much like to hear once we are safely underway," Selas replied.

"Understood." Where was his other boot?! Damn this mess! He threw back the closet door and rummaged through the shoes there then got down on his hands and knees and checked under the bed; it was just out of reach on the other side. Jeff quickly hobbled around the mattress to grab it.

"Must I reiterate our immediate need to flee the premises?" If he wasn't so anxious to get underway himself he'd tease his unflappable friend for being so antsy.

"I know, I know." As he pulled his boot on and tied the laces there was a loud thunk from out in the family room. Selas crouched into a defensive stance in front of him and faced the doorway. "It was probably just our cat."

Still, Selas didn't move. "Are you certain?"

Now that the question had been put to him Jeff wasn't certain at all. Knowing the lengths Section 31 went to the last time they tried to kill him he wasn't exactly thrilled about poking his head out into the hall but it couldn't be helped. After a deep breath he reached over and opened the door; there, in the middle of the rug, Beans froze and blinked at him before languidly moving on toward the kitchen. "Yes." He stepped more fully out into the hall and Selas followed him.

"Do not take your communicator or PADD; in point of fact I would strongly recommend that you not take anything other than the clothes on your back so that Section 31 has no means of tracing you and your flight will not be immediately noticed."

"Ok." That Selas understood the breadth and depth of the threat made Jeff curious but he'd ask about that another time; there were currently more pressing matters to deal with. "But I have to leave a note for my folks."

"No, no note. Their surprise at your departure must be genuine so that they are not considered responsible for your leave taking."

Jeff's stomach started to heave itself upward again. Not only was he in danger but now he'd gone and dragged his parents and brothers down with him. He choked out an "Alright" before struggling to keep his lunch down while Selas urged him toward the back door. Across the yard Becca waved them on and they clambered aboard the shuttle. He barely got in before he had to rush to the lav with a hand over his mouth.

Selas shivered in the cool air of the main cabin as Rebecca swiftly closed the airlock. No sooner had they set foot inside than his friend broke away. "Where has Jeffrey gone?"

"He's in the back being sick." Rebecca moved toward the cockpit and he followed as she promptly carried them up and over the farm. "Has he said anything to you about 31?" she asked as she banked the shuttle around.

"No he has not." Through the open cockpit door the sounds of Jeffrey's retching reached his ears. "And it will apparently be some time before we will have any answers." The hum of the engines vibrated up through his feet and Selas relaxed marginally in his seat.

"While you were inside I figured out a safe place for Jeff to stay…"

"That is most fortuitous."

She grimaced to herself as she added, "…but you're not going to like it."

12 West Cypress Street, Ville Platte, Louisiana, 2289.338, 1942 hours (local time). The door chime on her program sounded a lot like her own front door but she didn't pay any attention to it until the scene moved on and the bell kept ringing. Realizing it was her house that was buzzing Elaine looked at the time and frowned. No good news could come from an unexpected guest at this hour. She pulled her sweater tighter around her as she rose to see who it was; peering through the front curtains she gasped and threw back the door. "Becca! Isn't this a sweet surprise!"

Her youngest granddaughter smiled back at her sheepishly before falling into her open arms. "Hi Nana."

"What brings you by?" No sooner had the words crossed her lips than she noticed Selas and another young man hanging back on the front walk. The one in the flannel looked like he'd been sick and was going to be again. "Are you in trouble?"

"Sort of. Not me but it's…" here she looked back over at the boys and sighed. "It's complicated. May we come in?"

"Of course, of course." She ushered the 3 weary travelers inside and looked back out onto the street with narrowed eyes. If trouble was after her grandbaby it'd have to get through her first.

His head still in a fog, Jeff followed the conservative-looking, little, gray-haired lady through a ranch-style house that looked like something straight out of the 40's or 50's. The furniture in the front living room was plastic-wrapped for posterity and the heavy patterned wallpaper reminded him of the rec room at his great-aunt Penny's. He thought she'd offer them a seat there but they didn't stop, instead heading to the back of the house to the dining room which was equally dated. There, Becca's grandmother urged them all to have a seat.

"Can I get you kids something to drink? Or how about something to eat, are you hungry?"

"I'm fine, Nana."

The plastic covering the chair squeaked as Selas slid into a seat across from Becca. "I am not in need of any nourishment at this time, Mrs. Chapel."

She turned her gaze on him. "And you young man?"

"Jeffrey, ma'am."

Mrs. Chapel smiled and tried to put him at ease. "Can I get you anything, Jeffrey?"

He shifted from one foot to the other as he hesitated in the doorway. "If it isn't too much trouble may I have some ginger ale please?"

"Of course. You sit tight, I'll be right back."

"Thank you." He shuffled toward the table and slid into the nearest seat while studiously avoiding Becca and Selas' gaze. The silence was deafening. He absently picked at a nubbin in the crochet tablecloth and waited for someone to speak.

"I think you better start filling in the blanks, Jeff," Becca meanly declared.

He frowned. "I'm not Section 31, if that's what you both think; at least not willingly."

"Then how did you come to work for them?" Selas quickly countered. "And why do they want to cause you harm?"

Jeff swallowed hard. "It's a long story."

"So you've said," Becca reminded him.

He looked directly at Selas. "You remember that first summer when you went out to work in Soledad? And you asked me to help with cadet what's-his-name?"

"Todd Havelitch." Jeff nodded. "You assisted me in correcting his poor phaser aim," Selas elaborated, "However, you stated that you could not return to Soledad for future instruction as you had classified work to complete for Starfleet."

"Yes." Jeff turned back to Becca to explain. "I was supposed to be converting old files for Headquarters that summer but instead Commander Loring recruited me for a classified project."

"What was the project?" she asked breathlessly.

"Creating artificial dilithium." Becca scoffed and no doubt Selas found it foolish too. The search for artificial dilithium was something of a joke around campus and was almost as old as Starfleet itself. "It's true. I was part of a research team called Project Khem. This past Spring we had a breakthrough—some of the first real success we've had in almost 100 years—and that's why I was gone so much back in April and May. My team and I spent the summer refining the formula when one of my friends found a memo that was meant for our commander; he read it and showed it to me and it…well it wasn't good."

"What information did the memorandum contain, Jeffrey?" Selas asked with great interest.

"It talked about how Section 31 was establishing a new base on Tarsus IV. Until then I'd never heard of them and I didn't know what they did but I figured out pretty quickly that it wasn't good. The memo outlined a plan to use cheap prison labor to mine artificial dilithium created by our formula then turn around and sell it on the black market. The credits were then be used to fund a fleet of warships to help Starfleet protect Earth from a Klingon incursion. Can you believe it?! They want to pick a fight with the Klingons and militarize Starfleet!"

"The Augment's ship…" Becca fearfully whispered to herself. Before Jeff could find out what she meant Selas asked why he didn't report his findings to anyone after he'd read the memo.

"I did report it!" he cried out in frustration. "I went straight to the head of the project, Admiral Mangayo. He made a big show of replacing Commander Loring and everything but whenever I tried to talk to him about it afterward he just ignored me. Then I got fired by Loring's replacement and the harassment started and I realized he was in on it. After that I didn't know who to trust."

"Harassment?" Selas repeated.

"Someone broke into my apartment. Nothing was taken as far as I could tell but I didn't feel safe there afterward; it always felt like I was being watched. Then there were the comm calls…"

"What'd they say?" Becca breathlessly asked.

"They never said anything—they didn't have to."

"It was sufficient enough for Section 31 to rattle your nerves and coerce you into silence without any specific threats," Selas supplied.

Jeff nodded. "Exactly. I think when I called to make the appointment with Pike to talk about us they got spooked and thought I was going to talk about them and, well, you know the rest." He rubbed his arms together and shivered as a cold trill ran up his spine. He'd never forget the feel of the hands on his back or the moment the bus made impact...

Becca still had her questions. "Yes, but…"

"I replicated y'all some gumbo," Mrs. Chapel proudly declared as she re-entered the room. She carried a tray laden with steaming bowls of food. "I know you said you weren't hungry but I couldn't help myself. Selas, here's some vegetarian for you. Spoons in the bowl at 3 o'clock."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chapel."

"Nana," Becca protested, "You didn't need to go to all this trouble."

"It's no trouble at all for you, my dear. Now Jeffrey, here's your ginger ale. Hopefully it'll help settle your stomach."

He took the glass from her gratefully. "Thank you, ma'am."

Mrs. Chapel settled in beside her granddaughter before patting him on the arm. "I won't claim to understand Starfleet politics but I can tell you're up you-know-what creek without a paddle, son. I just want you to know you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to while this all gets straightened out." Jeff nearly spit his drink out right in her face while Becca and Selas looked equally shocked. "What?" Innocently, she tapped at her right ear and said, "These new bionic ears work wonders when you remember to turn them on."

"You have heard everything?" Selas inquired.

She smiled. "Every word."

"Nana…"

"Sugar Bean don't you worry about a thing. Everything's going to be just fine." She gave Becca a comforting squeeze then asked, "I take it your parents are involved in this too somehow?"

"Yes," both she and Selas quietly admitted.

Mrs. Chapel frowned and nodded. "I knew their trip was a little sudden."

Now it was Jeff's turn to be confused. "What trip?

The pair of them quickly related what they knew, starting with the distress call their parents received on Thanksgiving and ending with their hasty departure. It was then that Becca's brow turned quizzical and she brought her attention back to him. "There's still one thing I don't understand. If everything's been so hush-hush that even you didn't know who you were working for then how'd Uncle Jim get involved in all this?"

"Ah." Jeff grimaced recalling the conversation. "That'd be my fault too."

"None of this is your fault, Jeffrey," Selas hurried to reassure him. "I hope you will forgive us our earlier suspicions to the contrary, however, you must admit that where Section 31 is concerned we cannot be too careful."

"Thanks, bud. That's good to know." He then proceeded to tell them about the early morning hospital visit from Admiral Kirk the day he woke up. "He already knew Section 31 was operating again but there was a lot he didn't know so I helped fill in the gaps. I also told him about the PADD I'd hidden at my parents' place, the original one with the memo on it; he said he'd take care of things from there on out and for me to focus on getting better. That was the last time I saw him. I thought he was building a case against them, I didn't know he meant he was actually going to take care of things all by himself."

"It is clear that you do not know Uncle Jim as well as we do." He turned to Becca. "I am afraid that we must return to San Francisco."

She glanced down at her chronometer. "Shoot! Yeah, we gotta go before they start looking for the shuttle." Becca pushed the bowl away and turned to her grandmother. "Nana are you…"

"I already told you I'm fine putting Jeffrey up however long you need. Just promise me you won't go tangle with this group all by yourself."

"I can assure you that we do not intend to confront them," Selas declared as he rose from the table. "We merely plan to impart what we have learned to our parents so that they will be better prepared."

Mrs. Chapel's misgiving frown deepened as she rose along with her granddaughter. "I can't say I like that any better but I'd rather they be prepared than not." She pulled Becca close and kissed her forehead.

Selas stepped forward while the women made their goodbyes. "Jeffrey, I trust that you will take every precaution to remain hidden while you are here. This means…"

"No comm calls, no checking any of my messages, no contact of any kind with the outside world…I get it."

His friend shot him a sad sort of smile. "Yes. I apologize for the inconvenience but it is the best way to ensure your continued well-being. You may contact me through Rebecca using Mrs. Chapel's comm as these communications will be less likely to arouse suspicion."

"Sure." Jeff ran a hand through his hair mussing it all up. "Do you think you could do me one more favor?"

"Of course. What is it that you require?"

"If you could, would you let my folks know I'm alright? They're probably worried sick."

Selas nodded. "I will indeed let them know that you are safe as soon as it is prudent for me to do so."

"Thanks. And Selas?"

"Yes?"

Jeff wrapped his arms around him in a proper hug. "Thanks for coming to get me. You probably saved my life."

He quickly returned the embrace. "You are most welcome."

Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, 2289.338, 1841 hours. Becca set the shuttle down easily enough with 3 minutes to spare and no one in the hangar paid her any particular notice save for Jamas. He was standing off to the side with his hands jammed in his pockets looking downright twitchy; if she didn't know any better she'd say he was ready to tear an antennae out he was so nervous. She opened the hatch and he quickly scrambled aboard to helped her re-connect the wires to the GPS; after that they went their separate ways.

She and Selas didn't speak again until they got back to the house. It was fair to say they each had a lot on their minds. Looking up at the home on Greenleaf Street Becca couldn't help but shudder as it's dark and gloomy aspect only heightened her own fears. Ever since the meld that afternoon she'd been afraid—for her parents, her aunt and uncles, Jeffrey, and even for Selas and herself—but until now there hadn't been any time but to focus on getting Jeff to safety. Now she realized this whole operation was bigger and darker than anything she could've imagined. How could any of them expect to stand up to Section 31 and hope to come out of it alright?

"Rebecca." She turned toward Selas who held out his hand to her and she let loose a sigh of relief. Becca was so grateful not to be going through this all alone. It felt good to come home to him at the end of the day and not have to keep everything bottled up inside. Taking his hand they headed up the walk together and re-entered the house, each of them heading straight for the office. There were no messages and nothing more that either of them could do but hang around until their parents' called.

It was an interminable wait.

A/N: This is it for the Selas chapters for now. Next week I'll be posting chapter 2 of "Exigency" so be sure and keep an eye out for it! Also, thanks for all the feedback.