Langston Foundation Complex
"Hey baby, nice ass."
Abigail Shepard marched down the aisle by the bar, a bar filled with leering men watching her tail as she went by…her literal tail. She rolled her eyes and felt her fist curl up into a ball then flex appropriately outwards. Her normal appearance had changed almost completely from what it was just a few hours before; she wore makeup which gave her skin a pale white sheen, almost like what it was just after she came out of the Lazarus project. Her hair, a dirty blond, her back was left exposed by the low cut dress and a little bunny tail was attached to the fabric on the back. This was one of those kinds of clubs. And she did not honestly know if this were a new thing or if the assembly of Terra Nova was always this vulgar.
"Yeah Lola, nice rear end." James commented over the intercom snapping her out of the wave of thoughts.
She turned to the bar toad and gave him a smile, "Sorry sir, I am a waitress, not a pole dancer, if you want to persist though you can take it up with my boss, he was a veteran of the Reaper War, ate Brutes for lunch." She said as sweetly and diplomatically as she could. It helps you when you aren't lying either.
The man blanched and went back to his drink.
She walked off making sure to put the sway into her steps making sure she was 'in character' for her cover, a waitress at a slightly upscale and adult night club in Terra Nova's Capitol City.
"Thanks James." She whispered into her coms.
"Don't mention it Lola, oh and Cameron and EDI are about to be on the premises."
Abigail nodded heading over to the railing to watch them come in.
"Now announcing," The majordomo announced, "Cameron Mitchell and the lady Elizabeth Darlington Ingram."
Abigail snorted at the moniker. But EDI came into the room on Cameron's arm in a red dress swinging her hips and marching in a perfectly measured stride; Abigail stealthily scanned the other railing, and was surprised at the timing as their target was also glancing down at the newcomers. Abigail glanced down following his eye path, and sure enough he was following EDI with his eyes.
"Alright, we have the target in sight and he is definitely interested in EDI." Abigail murmured into her intercom separating herself from the crowd, and then moved to get an order from a passing couple.
"Good, this should be easier than I thought." EDI vocalized.
"Don't get cocky now," Miranda provided, "I wouldn't take the bet his interest surviving long enough to see you awkwardly seduce him."
"That's why they invented alcohol," Cameron commented over the nets, "that and what I'm for. No woman who looks more desirable then one on the arm of another man."
"I'm hurt." EDI intoned.
"Guys," Abby snapped, "knock it off; you look silly talking to each other and moving your mouths when no one is around…oh hi." She commented to a passerby nervously.
Her announcement was met with a few audible snickers on the line but nothing more.
The Majordomo started up again, "announcing Paul Jackson and Cynthia Leighy."
Smooth guys. She looked around, alright that should be everyone…and the music is just about to start too.
"Alright heads up everyone, the show is about to begin." Abigail whispered, running her eyes over the room before everything went too hay wire, sticking to the shadows, running this op like she was a puppeteer.
And sure enough she heard the doors to the tower hiss close and the crowd to adopt a hushed, anticipatory tone, now that the last of the advisers had arrived, it was on to the official party. The display of sin and debauchery, the celebration of a people who had gone mad.
"Helllloooo Terra Nova! Are you ready to ruummmmbbllllee?!"
Oh please, Abigail thought, but the crowd roared, like a bunch of teenagers at a rage, she glanced around, then smirked, I should know, I was one of those…occasionally.
"I can't hear you!"
"Oh God." Miranda gagged on the com; probably everyone was too busy focusing on the man to pay attention to her.
"Well then come on Terra Nova, let's celebrate! The new age for us all!"
For you all maybe.
The crowd rushed forward, smoke canisters exploded from the top of the room, the lights darkened dramatically, strobe lights and laser beams started to shine on the crowd, and people's bodies hugged close to one another as they 'celebrated'. The atmosphere was confused, loud, and dark. For all of its impropriety and weirdness Abigail felt her shoulders relax slightly, she breathed out slowly. Perfect, now I can move around more freely, no one is going to be able to get a good look at me, or are too drunk to care.
She caught James's eye as he was over by a wooden pillar and nodded, it's on.
Within seconds Miranda rushed forward towards two of the guards.
"Hi," Abigail heard her say over the intercom, "I'm really sorry about this but I downloaded this new app for my Omni-tool…the guy I brought it from said it would make me really cool…its called the intersect…but I think the alchol is doing a better job of making me cool! Or tipsy!" She giggled.
Abigail glanced over at her, and saw the now blond with her hair tied up in a bun.
The guards glanced nervously at one another but weren't paying attention to anything else going on around them. And that was the point of the entire exercise.
Abigail glared through the smoke and the strobes and the dancing bodies searching for the chamber of the Terra Nova prison system. And he was over by the bar, watching EDI and Cameron dance on the floor.
"EDI, Cameron, he is watching you. I suggest you go over and introduce yourself."
And EDI and Cameron just went over on to the bar automatically, right next to the particular target, and his nervous and annoyed looking guard detail.
"Hi, I'm Craig, Crag Anderson." The man poked EDI on her shoulder and offered her a hand.
That was fast, Abby arched an eyebrow, and man must be pretty drunk.
"I'm ED…Elizabeth…Ingram."
"Yeah I know Edlizabeth…one of us must be pretty drunk." The man slurred.
"I'm Cameron, Cameron Mitchell by the way, my friends call me shaft."
Abigail winced; I knew that was a bad idea.
"Are you two serious?" The man said simply, and with baited breath.
"We are not mutually exclusive if that is what you mean," EDI tried to purr, and it came out as some sort of weird grunt.
Abigail groaned.
"Here's to non-exclusivity" The man saluted himself before bashing himself on the head with a drink, and then managed to get a gulping sip of it.
"Sir, we really should go for the night." One of his guards commented.
"Just a few more minutes," He whined.
This could be…problematic. Abigail frowned her mind reaching for ways to solve the problem, there were just too many guards around, and if the guy's handlers were about to handle him out of the building they could lose their only chance.
"Oh what have we here!" The announcer announced, the music stuttered and started up with a steady tango, but kinda a techno tango.
Abigail curious, as apparently were most of the guards and other onlookers, moved over to the side of the railing to look down onto the main and 'upscale' dance floor.
What she saw made her grin but her eyes widened in the audacity of it.
Paul and Cynthia were moving across the long dance floor, the other dancers had moved off the floor and were staring, their expressions hard to read, not that Abby could see them much so hypnotized by the display beneath her.
Paul dragged Cynthia along in time with the rhythm, holding her body close to his, entwining around each other, the guards would probably pounce on the Romeo for the display and bravado, if music weren't involved. One of Cynthia's feet were on Paul's, the other was crooked and swaying in motion with the music, clearly rubbing against him. Paul was concentrating on what he was doing but was enjoying himself, his head buried by the tall and busty blond in sleeveless blue dress.
He spun her around and she twirled off into the distance about a foot, and he pounced after wards, catching her and wrapping the muscular woman in his enfolding arms, close to each other, desperately so, but they did not kiss. Instead they picked up the pace again holding each other arm out, slightly prancing across the floor, Paul tore her around, in a flurry of fabric, and then dipped her, racing a hand along her body and placing his lips down on hers.
But they weren't done yet, as the other dancers moved to join them, even some people on the railing moved to go down where the real action was at.
Abigail merged back into the crowd heading back for the bar.
"Piece of candy go for a ride?" She heard EDI ask.
Abigail ripped her head around her eyes widening at the suggestion, and she saw EDI sticking head out well into the administrator's personal bubble. Somehow Cameron managed to sneak around behind him.
"Uh what?"
EDI frowned, and tried again, "Come on why don't you and I blow this joint and have a real night," She said grabbing at his upper leg.
"Uh yeah, sure, that might be…fun." The man said, but he backed up slightly.
Oh for crying out.
"Hey! That's my girlfriend!" Cameron said as he ripped the man around to face him and slugged him across the jaw with a meaty fist.
Abby winced as the man fell to the floor, sprawling out; his guards were on Cameron within seconds.
"Hey, no one talks to my woman like that, even if she is interested in him! The cheating good for nothing!" Cameron raged.
"Oh Charles," EDI said going over to the fallen man's side, kneeling next to him looking all concerned, "Cameron how could you!" She squealed pointing an accusatory finger at him.
Good girl, Abby thought as she saw EDI's wrist flash for the briefest of seconds.
"Oh, come on he was insulting your honor, who wouldn't want to go out with a pretty little thing like you!" Cameron protested.
"Sir, you are really drunk, and you need to find a new girlfriend, but right now you are no longer welcome here." One of the guards said in his ear as they both maneuvered off to a side exit.
"Hey wait a minute! I have rights!" Cameron wailed.
"Come on, let's go." Abby said into her com, as she found her way out, the crew finding as alternate exits as they could, blending back into the crowd.
The street outside
"I take it you got the information we need to make duplicates?" Abigail asked.
"It was a synch babe."
"EDI…could you please…stop acting drunk…please." Abby begged.
"Yes Commander."
"EDI." Abigail chastised.
"Sorry Captain."
"Yeah, well I think I nearly sprained my hand on that guy's jaw, who knew such a spineless politician could have a rock solid jaw?" Cameron asked coming forward and flexing his fingers.
Abigail smiled and continued to look around, "And you two!" She said at Paul and Cynthia, "that was kind of reckless…but also a little hot…well played."
The two traded a look and smile.
"So, now what?" James asked.
Abigail felt a chill go down her back, "Well we begin phase two of the operation and get into our better clothes." Her teeth chattered.
They all nodded their consent and moved to do that.
They walked across the street to a bathroom, and Abby was the first one to walk in, she got the duffle bag out she stashed there earlier and ripped out the suit and clothes, and hair color remover, she kept handy.
Time was still of the essence so she dressed into the drab white overalls and slacks quickly, stained with paint and other signs of construction dust. She first applied the hair color remover allowing her hair to appear back as its natural red, and pulled the wide brimmed hat back over her head.
She glanced in the mirror at the drab mixture of grays and whites, the hat covering and hiding her features, her eyes just barely glaring out of the darkness. Satisfied at the change in appearance from cocktail waitress to grizzled construction worker she left the building hefting a private suitcase with her.
The rest of the squad followed her or Paul Leighy depending on their gender, into the bathrooms and dressed. The entire process took about five minutes.
But since EDI didn't actually have to steal the man's ident card I suppose we have a lot of time, he is going to have to take a long long time to recover from the head ache…and the broken jaw.
The squad came out, all of them wearing various versions of what she was wearing, aside from Paul Leighy who looked like the rich business executive in his suit. Alright, he's on point posing as the executive and foreman, and the rest of us are his crew.
With that transformation completed EDI began to distribute the Scorpion pistols to the fire teams, Abigail, Miranda, Cynthia, and Cameron, Paul, James.
"Alright everyone, good luck."
The assembled group surged for their drop zone and the Kodiak shuttle which was waiting to take them to their next bit of cover, another starship in range of the prison.
As the door popped open Cortez was there to greet them, "Ma'am, James, gang…how did the party go?"
"I think I have a headache and am a bit wasted, other than that looking forward to getting the next party started." Abigail smiled wanly as she climbed into the cargo compartment.
Cortez nodded as the rest of the squad followed their commanding officer, all of them finding jump seats and strapping themselves in.
The Kodiak's back was quiet as it ascended rapidly into the skies, breaching the atmosphere of Terra Nova leaving it behind as the Kodiak's engines roared in its effort to escape the gravity well. Abigail glanced out front window the entire ride up, as the clouds and the darkness parted to an even purer darkness as they breached into the stars. The Kodiak shuttered and a brief feeling of weightlessness descended as the crew had to get used to the change in gravity and the Kodiak's systems kicked in.
Abigail waited a second before unstrapping and looking at her squad, "Alright, we are going to be raiding an Alliance Prison facility. I don't need to tell you how dangerous this is going to be. And as far as we know the people there are completely innocent and are just following orders and are not involved in any criminal conspiracy. This means that, unless we find ourselves under dire circumstances, we deal with them by non-lethal means. The Scorpions have been loaded with overload grenades, but we do have the ability to defend ourselves if necessary. Are we clear?"
The crew nodded slowly at her.
"Good, then sit back and enjoy the ride." She settled back into her seat.
The Kodiak rocketed off into the distance, heading for the asteroid complex, and their fate.
…
"In the time of ultimate power and control, when people have control over your life, your livelihood, your actions, and the actions of those around you, when they have given you an ultimate sense of security, it gives you license to act irresponsibly.
And the power elite, so satisfied in their own power, so seduced by it, that they begin acting irresponsibly, using sex, drugs, doing whatever they want to anyone they want, because they have the control."
"This then continues the vicious cycle of gluttony, feeding on itself until we need the politicians for control. Until we need them running our lives because we have forgotten how, this is the cycle we risk getting into."
AN: So what do you get when you cross Chuck, Alias, Star Gate SG-1, and weirdness all together? (sorry If I am missing someone)…well this. :D
And well this was fun and wild and it might not be the best written or the most dramatic or emotion chapter, but I had a blast writing it. And the music that I used as a base for the Paul/Cynthia scene is Shepard's tango, from the Citadel.
Anyways read, review, comment, shower me with adoration or tear me to pieces I care not! Well I do care just saying that if you don't think it was very good you could always explain it constructively and I will get back to you. ;)