"Grave of the Witch": Chapter 04 – "Vanessa Steed, MI-6"
A/N: AU. This is a fictional story, in a fictional Alternative Universe, about fictional characters who entertained us in a fictional TV series between 1995 and 2005. Mike. Characters borrowed with love and appreciation for the great team who brought us "JAG"; may your following careers blossom.
A/N: AU: "they aren't mine, I'm just playing with them - apart from any fictional character created by myself". See Phase One of this story for the whole disclaimer A/N. Feel free to PM me if you spot any typos - my goal is 100% error-free. Feedback and comments are also welcome; I see plenty of followers and visitors to this story. Your opinions, critiques (and requests as PMs) are always welcomed.
A/N: link to Canon Episodes: AFTER "Rogue" S5Ep07 First aired Tuesday 09NOV1999
A/N: Publication date: 20-FEB-2022: Continuing my AU approach to "Loren Singer" and the run-up to "Ice Queen". I pay tribute to my fellow writer "NikkeiSimmer" for permission to take forward the "Koloshenko" character" from his unfinished 2015 story "The Green-eyed Monster" - I recommend that you read his unfinished story, elements of which will crop up in my future chapters of this story. Sadly, Real Life continues to be busy, however I hope for a return to "normality" after April 1st. Mike
Characters from FFNET – Loren Singer, Mattie, Jennifer, AJ, Galindez and (obviously!) others…
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Saturday 27th November 1999: 12:15hrs EST
Lunging pen in the indoor stable building, Stables block, Webb family home, Manderley (location redacted)
"Loren" had just mastered "Satan", the large stallion which Clayton had promised to let her loose on when she had asked for "a challenge" during her previous riding weekend in Manderley. The psychic wounds from losing her CIA boyfriend were finally beginning to heal, although she was now referred to routinely as "Lieutenant Witch" in the JAG HQ at Falls Church!
Mission accomplished!
They had been developing their relationship steadily and she was beginning to move further from the "Uncle Clayton" status to "Clayton". The process had been gradual since the summer and she knew that he had his pick of wonderful, beautiful bed-warmers during his assignments. However, she believed that she had some form of chance to move the relationship forward.
She was leading Satan back towards the stables when the sound of hooves, as another horse arriving into the cobbled entrance-way caught her ears. Then she heard another woman's voice.
"I say Clayton old chap; this one's had his oats this morning - he was seriously frisky! Almost gave myself a hernia pulling him up on the cliff-top run!"
There was no doubting the clearly-enunciated British "cut-glass" accent – the woman moved on horseback as though she could have been born in the saddle which she occupied. The new arrival was sporting an outfit which would have not looked out-of-place in the Dressage ring. Her helmet and goggles framed a strong jaw-line and her blonde hair was tied back in a Union Flag "scrunchie" hair tie, which matched the silk scarf at her throat. As she dismounted, she unbuttoned her dressage jacket to reveal a navy blue chest protector embossed with the British Union Flag motif over her left breast. She walked with confidence.
The new arrival patted Clayton on the arm then advanced towards "Loren". As she stood up, Loren realised that the new arrival reached an almost identical height in her riding boots. Her gloved hands held a riding crop as she turned and patted the side of her horse's head: "Good boy, thanks Atlas for looking after your Auntie Vanessa". Then she turned again to face "Loren".
"Hello there, I'm Vanessa Steed".
"And hello to you: Loren Singer".
There was no doubting the origin of Vanessa's cut-class accent; she was likely from what "Loren" presumed to be the area known as Britain's "Home Counties". This is the first ring of counties tessellated around the Capital city of London, starting in the east (along the southern edge of the Thames Estuary) in Kent, then running through East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, Surrey, Middlesex (and sometimes Berkshire) through Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and into Essex on the north bank of the Thames Estuary.
Loren waited to follow up on their polite and perfunctory introduction, then Vanessa removed her riding helmet and the two women looked at each other; the similarity was un-nerving. Apart from a signet ring on her left pinkie finger, the other woman's hands were bare. She stood smiling at "Loren" as Clayton divulged a little bit of background.
"Loren, Vanessa is over here on our deep-cover probe into a Russian sleeper. However, she's actually one of your relatives."
Loren's eyes widened in surprise. Vanessa smiled and nodded before continuing the Steed family tree from the UK earlier in the 20th century.
"I'm afraid that I have the advantage in knowing the story, Loren (or should I say "'Rene"?) because Clayton briefed me about you when I arrived on Tuesday. Back in the UK in the 1930s, Grandma Henrietta joined the Foreign Service in 1933 and then she worked with the Sorlingbergs in British Military intelligence in 1937-45."
She smiled ruefully." There was – shall we say? – a regrettable accident on the family-planning front and my mama arrived in 1938. With the Czechoslovakian crisis going on, her twin brother was christened Wenceslas and she was named Anna-Vera, using the popular names of the time - Anna and Věra,
"Hang on" thought Rene Sorling before she spoke; "So that means we are …second cousins, I think?"
Vanessa laughed and nodded as she smiled warmly. "Well, hello cousin from the colonies; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
At a distance, in the dark at the end of 1999, Clayton realised that Rene Maria Sorling (aka "Loren Singer") and Vanessa Steed could pass for sisters if not actual twins. The two women continued their conversation – and background exchange – as they moved from the stables into the main house of Manderley, steadily discarding items of their riding clothing and equipment. Clayton Webb found himself needing to divert on his route to the drawing room – the sight of two nubile younger women, both in their prime, disrobing in front of him was powerfully stimulating.
Vanessa and "Loren" continued exchanging their family histories. They agreed with Clayton's assessment, so they settled on the relationship of "cousins" - although they actually believed that they definitely could pass (on a dark night at least) for twins.
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Strolling into the lounge, the two blondes settled in the well-padded settee as Clayton headed to prepare a round of drinks; Vanessa and "Loren" were barely surprised to find that they both went for gin & tonics. Then, with the drinks served, the family history resumed.
Vanessa took up the story.
Vanessa Steed had been born in 1970 when her mum Anna-Vera was 32. Recruited into "the service" from the University of Surrey where she had attended the Department of Linguistics & International Studies (LIS), Vanessa ended up eventually being recruited by "HMG"* for her Russian language skills and located at the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) outside Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, in the West Country of the UK. From there, Clayton had spotted her a couple of years earlier during an exchange posting after the first World Trade Centre bombing in 1993. Her official posting to the USA was from Mil-6, the UK's Secret Intelligence Service which deals with the "foreign" aspects of Britain's enemies and security (MI-5 deals with "home-grown" threats).
*(A/N: *HMG – Brit abbreviation for Her Majesty's Government).
"OK, I presume that we are both cleared?"
Loren nodded and, with a brief look to Clayton for re-assurance, Vanessa continued.
"We've got a deep-cover Soviet mole burrowing inside the US establishment in the Department of the Navy."
Vanessa looked closely into "Loren's" eyes: "So it may be that we need our Loren Singer to keep on digging with her lovely USN uniform in place."
"Loren" nodded; this could be just the purpose for bedding her into her deep-cover posting. But what happened if the blonde Brit found out something? Could she get a message to the Agency? Loren expressed her concerns: "Look Vanessa, I reckon that we need to stay in contact. How do you liaise with your controller?"
Vanessa smiled: "I have a good circle of watchers, all around the location when I am in field or under cover." She slid off her left riding boot, fiddled with the heel and then Loren watched as the boot heel rotated sideways to reveal a small well, recessed into the material of the boot heel. Loren recognised the familiar shape of a Personal Locator Beacon, nestling in the well.
Vanessa slid the boot-heel back unto place and then eased her other riding boot off as she continued. "So you have space for a PLB - courtesy of my boot maker in London - when on the mission; I have them in all my shoes as well."
Clayton handed her a long box, which contained a brand-new pair of riding boots. Loren recognised that they were in her size and gratefully took them as she thanked Vanessa, who continued her briefing.
"I reckon that the block heels on the USN pattern courts will be ideal for you, Loren." She smiled: "I just click my heels together twice, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, and my PLB is activated."
Loren saw the logic of concealing the Personal Locator Beacons in her heel; in most cases, she did not remove her uniform courts all day when under cover and in uniform; so this looked like a fool-proof method for her team to know where she was.
She was rapidly growing to like her blonde cousin, who now leaned forward as she parked her new boots alongside the settee and sat down in her stocking feet before looking up at "Loren".
"OK, quick intel swap."
Vanessa leaned back in her seat, reached down the side of the settee and produced a slim document wallet which she handed to Loren. Loren extracted the blurry long-distance 10"x8" black & white photograph.
"This is Vladimir Ilyich Ivanovich Koloshenko: born of US parents who immigrated in the early 1940s, squeaky clean on the outside but he runs a complete circus of agents. He is slippery, devious and we call him "the Chameleon".
She pinned Loren with a merciless glare.
"Oh and Loren? Remember that this guy does not move in straight lines. Watch your back, my darling, when you go up against him."
Loren swallowed hard and nodded.
She was now in no doubt that, with the move to the east coast and JAG HQ, her undercover job in JAG had just gotten serious…
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End of Ch04 of "Grave of the Witch" - "Vanessa Steed, MI-6".
Mike: England, 20-FEB-2022