Chapter 11: The Conference
AN: Sorry for the clumped together text for so many chapters. I always put it in paragraph form, but in transit, it always gets screwed up somehow! Don't ask me why. Still, I've got a job to do and I'm going to do it despite my ban from writing by my mom and the restrictions of lunch hour, but remember, I'm not doing this for me but for you, the reader and/or reviewer. All those reviews keep me going so keep 'em coming. Please.
Joanna sat in the rented hotel room of the most inoffensive place in San Francisco, the Regal. (AN: I'm not sure if this actually exists, I just made it up.) She tried again to join both the phone and the holovision together to get the range she needed to contact an old friend. What she had to do was simple, just depending on the make of the HV. This was an older model, came out in 2007 (AN: I couldn't resist putting 007 in here. Sorry.), and had inferior ports to connect to the phone. Still it was possible and she would keep trying until it was too late or she blew up the unit, which wasn't too possible. She was a stubborn person, a trait inherited from her mother.
A small string of profanity escaped her mouth. She'd been trying for hours without the sweet fruits of success. She'd sent Nathan out to get something to eat and that was about an hour ago. She didn't want anything. When she was working, she didn't get hungry, she didn't get thirsty and she didn't get tired. She just worked. When she stopped to think, that was when the human elements shone through the cold, impersonal working physique of Joanna Dark and reminded her that although her title in the Institute was Perfect, in real life, she was exactly the opposite. The door opened and Nathan walked in with a bag in his hand. "What's that?" Joanna asked. "You haven't eaten anything for god only knows how long." Nathan said. "You really need to. If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." "What makes you think that I need you to serve me?" Joanna let the smallest ghost of a smile creep across her features. "Sometimes a person will tell their waiter things they'll never tell their partners in crime." Nathan quoted from his memory. In truth it was bartender instead of waiter, but what the hell? "What's been on your mind, Jo? The death of your husband?" "Shouldn't it be?" Joanna said. "Four men dead, seven injured. Enormous insurance costs." "Was there anything that you as a person could do to prevent it?" Nathan asked. "I should have smelled trouble right off." Joanna fought to keep the tears at bay as she thought of Jonathan. "Instead, I let myself get attacked and I let Jonathan die." "Jo, you've set standards for yourself no one could meet." Nathan said. "You treat everyone in the world like a human being except yourself. And now, you're tired and..." "Yeah, I'm tired." Joanna said, letting a part of her show that never had before. "I'm tired of being responsible for three billion lives, I'm tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn't and who's coming with and who stays, but most of all who lives and who dies. I feel like I've had it." "To the point of actually taking that leave?" Nathan asked. "To the point of considering resigning." Joanna replied. Nathan frowned. "And do what?" He asked. "Well, for one thing, go home." Joanna thought of her parent's house in Northern Ireland. "It's a nice little town with fifty miles of parkland around it. You know, I used to have two horses? We'd take some food and ride out all day." "Oh that's exciting." Nathan said, dryly. "Ride out with a picnic lunch every day." "I said that's one of the places I may go." Joanna said. "I might go into business in Vegas or in..." Nathan cut in, outraged. She had more potential than this! "You, a Las Vegas dealer, specializing in animal women, if you're not recruited as one yourself!" "The point is, this isn't the only life available." Joanna said. "There's a whole galaxy of things to choose from." "Not for you." Nathan said. "A person even lives life as it happens, meeting it head on and winning or that person turns their back on it and start to wither away." "Now you're beginning to talk like a doctor," Joanna smiled. "Waiter." "Take your pick." Nathan said. "We both get the same two types of customers: the living and the dying." Joanna nodded knowingly, when the HV unit crackled and the distorted images came into play and the familiar face Joanna wanted to see appeared. "Joanna!" Elvis said, happily. "Elvis," Joanna replied. "You realize that even by talking to me, you're in violation of law and putting yourself at great risk?" "I'm sorry, Joanna." Elvis squinted his large black eyes. "Your message is breaking up," "Bless you, Elvis." Joanna smiled. "Where is the peace conference? They're going to attempt another assassination." "The conference is in Australia." Elvis replied. "I'm sending the exact coordinates to you under the screen." "When does it start?" Joanna asked. "According to my information, tomorrow." Elvis replied. "I'm getting underway now, but we're just in the quadrant. The chances of us getting there in time are slim. All I'm going to do is get some help to meet you there." "Thanks, Elvis." Joanna said. "Don't mention it." Elvis said as the unit shut down.
In the morning, Joanna and Nathan made their way to the airport. The first flight out was at 6:45, which gave them very little time to get there, but still it had to be done. A small sign caught Joanna's attention. "Maintenance duties on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday." Joanna saw a small group of workers under a small Cessna. "Nathan," Joanna asked. "What day is it?" "Friday." Nathan replied. "Why?" Then it hit her like the small projectiles would have. "Get down!" She yelled as a hail of automatic fire ripped up the tarmac as they scrambled for cover. A solitary guard came into the picture. Joanna kicked the Cyclone out of his hand and Nathan hit him on the back of the head with a wrench. A jumpship touched down and four Institute members came out, firing off their AR34s. After that, another ship came down, but this one was of dataDyne configuration. The shock troopers came out and began firing their K7 Avengers at the attackers as more of them came through a gate. "...Cassandra!?" Joanna said, incredulously, looking at the dataDyne chief with a magnum. "Again, we meet, girl." Cassandra said, but this time, it wasn't like she said when Joanna rescued Dr. Caroll. This time, it was more of a hello than a "You'll never get out of here alive." "What are you doing?" Joanna yelled, firing her new Cyclone. "Giving you time to escape!" Cassandra yelled back over the gunshots. "I owe it to you! Get in the ship and get to the conference. But take this. " Cassandra tossed her a shield. "Good luck!" Joanna and Nathan ran for the ship, the assault team (The Skedar hating one.) suddenly turning their guns from the new offenders from the Institute and dataDyne guards to the two trying to escape. Joanna emptied her Cyclone after the ship took off, but the shield fell to the floor, useless. The ship came up and over the Pacific. Joanna pulled open the equipment part of the ship. She clipped a brand new Falcon 2 to her hip as well as an RC-P120. Nathan put a magnum into a shoulder holster as well as a small Beretta 45 into his sock. (AN: Yes, they still make Berettas in my version of the PD world. They're just not as popular as they used to be. This model is just under the size of a tranquilizer.) He looked up as he put his pant leg down to conceal the Beretta. Joanna's clothes that she had worn for god knows how long were strewn over a small cover which had light shining onto it from the other side. This cast a unique profile of Joanna's body that Nathan found himself staring at. (AN: Sorry if this looks like Goldmember, but without the not so appealing visuals.) After about five minutes, Nathan shook his head and turned away. What was the matter with him? Whatever it was, it had to be dealt with, as soon as he found out what it was. Then, Joanna walked out in her standard combat uniform and Nathan's heart all but stopped. Before he could get a word out, on the outside of the jumpship, a rocket flared up and struck one of the wings. Both of the two occupants were thrown to the side of the ship as it began to go down. Joanna opened a small locker that contained two re-breathers and told Nathan to put one on. He did as he was told and they jumped out into the ocean as the flaming jumpship hit the water. Under the surface, Joanna saw an ugly blast mark on the outer plating. Then, a small spear flew out and hit the ship. A small team of SCUBA terrorists began to close in; CO2 operated harpoon guns in their hands. In the background, Joanna could see a small speeder for each of the three men. Joanna took one of the standard Institute harpoon guns from her leg and fired. The harpoon hit one of the SCUBA men in the chest, the small explosive charge at the tip blasting away the better half of his chest. One shot gone, two left. (AN: Nowadays, harpoon guns only carry one spear.) Nathan also did this and within seconds, the SCUBA terrorists were on their way to the bottom. They took two of the speeders and sailed off to the conference.
On his airship, Jason Connor sat in the middle of the control room. It was like off Star Trek o something, with all the consoles and readouts surrounding him. When he was here, he felt progress. "Sir," One of his lieutenants, a former NSA man came up to him. "Sentinel station 4 reports security perimeter has been breached." "Alert our agent at the conference." Connor said. "If things turn sour, warn her to finish the job." Dark. It had to be.
Lindsay Williamson sat in the conference chambers of the George Lazenby recital hall in Sydney. She watched Montgomery go up to the podium when she intercepted a signal from her boss. It was similar to a CI communicator, but it sacrificed the computer for range and concealablity. She brushed back her blonde hair (Originally, it was red, but she had it bleached.) to get at her communicator. Now, instead of an earring, it resembled a hearing aid. If she needed to respond, there was a microphone in her rose corsage. The message said she had to be ready. Her green eyes narrowed with concentration. This was going to be close.
End of Chapter. Sorry about my slow typing skills, guys. I stuck my finger in a light socket while the switch was on. Yes, I know. Very smart of me but you might say it was "shocking". Anyway, It'll only be temporary. Yes, I know that I named the hall after an actor who played James Bond, but hey, he's my fav! (George Lazenby, that is) But now, onto the reviews. Christalina: Well, thanks for the review. Only up to Moonraker? Well, it's a start. Keep up through his eyes, though! I don't want another unfinished fic on here! Peachrocks: Yes, I combined the finale of AVTAK with the chase scene, but he hover technology gives it an edge. Also, I'm extending the finale. You'll see! And for the record, Lindsay is in the place of May Day. I know she resembles Heleny in 10 things, but I still will make it work. Trust me.
AN: Sorry for the clumped together text for so many chapters. I always put it in paragraph form, but in transit, it always gets screwed up somehow! Don't ask me why. Still, I've got a job to do and I'm going to do it despite my ban from writing by my mom and the restrictions of lunch hour, but remember, I'm not doing this for me but for you, the reader and/or reviewer. All those reviews keep me going so keep 'em coming. Please.
Joanna sat in the rented hotel room of the most inoffensive place in San Francisco, the Regal. (AN: I'm not sure if this actually exists, I just made it up.) She tried again to join both the phone and the holovision together to get the range she needed to contact an old friend. What she had to do was simple, just depending on the make of the HV. This was an older model, came out in 2007 (AN: I couldn't resist putting 007 in here. Sorry.), and had inferior ports to connect to the phone. Still it was possible and she would keep trying until it was too late or she blew up the unit, which wasn't too possible. She was a stubborn person, a trait inherited from her mother.
A small string of profanity escaped her mouth. She'd been trying for hours without the sweet fruits of success. She'd sent Nathan out to get something to eat and that was about an hour ago. She didn't want anything. When she was working, she didn't get hungry, she didn't get thirsty and she didn't get tired. She just worked. When she stopped to think, that was when the human elements shone through the cold, impersonal working physique of Joanna Dark and reminded her that although her title in the Institute was Perfect, in real life, she was exactly the opposite. The door opened and Nathan walked in with a bag in his hand. "What's that?" Joanna asked. "You haven't eaten anything for god only knows how long." Nathan said. "You really need to. If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." "What makes you think that I need you to serve me?" Joanna let the smallest ghost of a smile creep across her features. "Sometimes a person will tell their waiter things they'll never tell their partners in crime." Nathan quoted from his memory. In truth it was bartender instead of waiter, but what the hell? "What's been on your mind, Jo? The death of your husband?" "Shouldn't it be?" Joanna said. "Four men dead, seven injured. Enormous insurance costs." "Was there anything that you as a person could do to prevent it?" Nathan asked. "I should have smelled trouble right off." Joanna fought to keep the tears at bay as she thought of Jonathan. "Instead, I let myself get attacked and I let Jonathan die." "Jo, you've set standards for yourself no one could meet." Nathan said. "You treat everyone in the world like a human being except yourself. And now, you're tired and..." "Yeah, I'm tired." Joanna said, letting a part of her show that never had before. "I'm tired of being responsible for three billion lives, I'm tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn't and who's coming with and who stays, but most of all who lives and who dies. I feel like I've had it." "To the point of actually taking that leave?" Nathan asked. "To the point of considering resigning." Joanna replied. Nathan frowned. "And do what?" He asked. "Well, for one thing, go home." Joanna thought of her parent's house in Northern Ireland. "It's a nice little town with fifty miles of parkland around it. You know, I used to have two horses? We'd take some food and ride out all day." "Oh that's exciting." Nathan said, dryly. "Ride out with a picnic lunch every day." "I said that's one of the places I may go." Joanna said. "I might go into business in Vegas or in..." Nathan cut in, outraged. She had more potential than this! "You, a Las Vegas dealer, specializing in animal women, if you're not recruited as one yourself!" "The point is, this isn't the only life available." Joanna said. "There's a whole galaxy of things to choose from." "Not for you." Nathan said. "A person even lives life as it happens, meeting it head on and winning or that person turns their back on it and start to wither away." "Now you're beginning to talk like a doctor," Joanna smiled. "Waiter." "Take your pick." Nathan said. "We both get the same two types of customers: the living and the dying." Joanna nodded knowingly, when the HV unit crackled and the distorted images came into play and the familiar face Joanna wanted to see appeared. "Joanna!" Elvis said, happily. "Elvis," Joanna replied. "You realize that even by talking to me, you're in violation of law and putting yourself at great risk?" "I'm sorry, Joanna." Elvis squinted his large black eyes. "Your message is breaking up," "Bless you, Elvis." Joanna smiled. "Where is the peace conference? They're going to attempt another assassination." "The conference is in Australia." Elvis replied. "I'm sending the exact coordinates to you under the screen." "When does it start?" Joanna asked. "According to my information, tomorrow." Elvis replied. "I'm getting underway now, but we're just in the quadrant. The chances of us getting there in time are slim. All I'm going to do is get some help to meet you there." "Thanks, Elvis." Joanna said. "Don't mention it." Elvis said as the unit shut down.
In the morning, Joanna and Nathan made their way to the airport. The first flight out was at 6:45, which gave them very little time to get there, but still it had to be done. A small sign caught Joanna's attention. "Maintenance duties on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday." Joanna saw a small group of workers under a small Cessna. "Nathan," Joanna asked. "What day is it?" "Friday." Nathan replied. "Why?" Then it hit her like the small projectiles would have. "Get down!" She yelled as a hail of automatic fire ripped up the tarmac as they scrambled for cover. A solitary guard came into the picture. Joanna kicked the Cyclone out of his hand and Nathan hit him on the back of the head with a wrench. A jumpship touched down and four Institute members came out, firing off their AR34s. After that, another ship came down, but this one was of dataDyne configuration. The shock troopers came out and began firing their K7 Avengers at the attackers as more of them came through a gate. "...Cassandra!?" Joanna said, incredulously, looking at the dataDyne chief with a magnum. "Again, we meet, girl." Cassandra said, but this time, it wasn't like she said when Joanna rescued Dr. Caroll. This time, it was more of a hello than a "You'll never get out of here alive." "What are you doing?" Joanna yelled, firing her new Cyclone. "Giving you time to escape!" Cassandra yelled back over the gunshots. "I owe it to you! Get in the ship and get to the conference. But take this. " Cassandra tossed her a shield. "Good luck!" Joanna and Nathan ran for the ship, the assault team (The Skedar hating one.) suddenly turning their guns from the new offenders from the Institute and dataDyne guards to the two trying to escape. Joanna emptied her Cyclone after the ship took off, but the shield fell to the floor, useless. The ship came up and over the Pacific. Joanna pulled open the equipment part of the ship. She clipped a brand new Falcon 2 to her hip as well as an RC-P120. Nathan put a magnum into a shoulder holster as well as a small Beretta 45 into his sock. (AN: Yes, they still make Berettas in my version of the PD world. They're just not as popular as they used to be. This model is just under the size of a tranquilizer.) He looked up as he put his pant leg down to conceal the Beretta. Joanna's clothes that she had worn for god knows how long were strewn over a small cover which had light shining onto it from the other side. This cast a unique profile of Joanna's body that Nathan found himself staring at. (AN: Sorry if this looks like Goldmember, but without the not so appealing visuals.) After about five minutes, Nathan shook his head and turned away. What was the matter with him? Whatever it was, it had to be dealt with, as soon as he found out what it was. Then, Joanna walked out in her standard combat uniform and Nathan's heart all but stopped. Before he could get a word out, on the outside of the jumpship, a rocket flared up and struck one of the wings. Both of the two occupants were thrown to the side of the ship as it began to go down. Joanna opened a small locker that contained two re-breathers and told Nathan to put one on. He did as he was told and they jumped out into the ocean as the flaming jumpship hit the water. Under the surface, Joanna saw an ugly blast mark on the outer plating. Then, a small spear flew out and hit the ship. A small team of SCUBA terrorists began to close in; CO2 operated harpoon guns in their hands. In the background, Joanna could see a small speeder for each of the three men. Joanna took one of the standard Institute harpoon guns from her leg and fired. The harpoon hit one of the SCUBA men in the chest, the small explosive charge at the tip blasting away the better half of his chest. One shot gone, two left. (AN: Nowadays, harpoon guns only carry one spear.) Nathan also did this and within seconds, the SCUBA terrorists were on their way to the bottom. They took two of the speeders and sailed off to the conference.
On his airship, Jason Connor sat in the middle of the control room. It was like off Star Trek o something, with all the consoles and readouts surrounding him. When he was here, he felt progress. "Sir," One of his lieutenants, a former NSA man came up to him. "Sentinel station 4 reports security perimeter has been breached." "Alert our agent at the conference." Connor said. "If things turn sour, warn her to finish the job." Dark. It had to be.
Lindsay Williamson sat in the conference chambers of the George Lazenby recital hall in Sydney. She watched Montgomery go up to the podium when she intercepted a signal from her boss. It was similar to a CI communicator, but it sacrificed the computer for range and concealablity. She brushed back her blonde hair (Originally, it was red, but she had it bleached.) to get at her communicator. Now, instead of an earring, it resembled a hearing aid. If she needed to respond, there was a microphone in her rose corsage. The message said she had to be ready. Her green eyes narrowed with concentration. This was going to be close.
End of Chapter. Sorry about my slow typing skills, guys. I stuck my finger in a light socket while the switch was on. Yes, I know. Very smart of me but you might say it was "shocking". Anyway, It'll only be temporary. Yes, I know that I named the hall after an actor who played James Bond, but hey, he's my fav! (George Lazenby, that is) But now, onto the reviews. Christalina: Well, thanks for the review. Only up to Moonraker? Well, it's a start. Keep up through his eyes, though! I don't want another unfinished fic on here! Peachrocks: Yes, I combined the finale of AVTAK with the chase scene, but he hover technology gives it an edge. Also, I'm extending the finale. You'll see! And for the record, Lindsay is in the place of May Day. I know she resembles Heleny in 10 things, but I still will make it work. Trust me.