(A/N) Hey guys! So, second chapter in one day, attempting to make up to all of our readers out there for our recent delays! At the very least, I can promise that Phase Two: Betrayal will run smoothly for the foreseeable future, as we've got all the chapters in, ready and waiting to be put out for the next month or two! If you're just joining us and haven't read the chapter uploaded earlier today, featuring Lt Harper doing what he does best, then you should probably go and read that first! This chapter features the return of Agent Virginia, and is beyond heart wrenching, so I hope you have a few tissues at hand!
Again, just for consistency's sake, reminding you all that we're currently looking for writers for the second half of this fic, so if you're interested either PM me for more info or head on over to our forum and fill out the relevant application forms. You know the drill at this stage. Just remember that apps close on the 1st of January, 2014.
Enjoy!
Chapter Thirteen - Recruitment
Agent Virginia
Written by anna1795
"The capacity for friendship is God's way of apologizing for our families."
― Jay McInerney,The Last of the Savages
"…and so, we finally bid our last farewells to not only an exemplary soldier, but a beloved daughter, and a true friend to all who knew her." The priest closed his book and stepped away from the burial place, a freshly dug hole in the dark earth. Virginia stood up from her metal seat at the end of the crowd, making sure that her dark blue uniform looked crisp and perfect; every seam in place, no loose hair, not a speck of dirt. It wasn't because she was vain, far from it. It was because Massa deserved no less.
There were a fair number of other people there, but fewer than she had actually expected. For Massa's kind, sweet-hearted nature, she had not been extremely popular. They all came up one by one, dropping an occasional flower on the top of the casket and muttering farewells. More often than not, they passed by her father without a word, most likely figuring that he had heard enough condolences to last him the rest of his life. The grey-haired man looked entirely broken, as if every line on his face was a fracture that no amount of repair could fix.
Finally, it came to be Virginia's turn as she stepped up to the coffin. She held a yellow lily in her hand. When seeing the mass of other colourful flowers on top of the ceremonial bouquet, she felt horribly inadequate. Still, she added her own contribution and stood by Massa's coffin for a while. There was nobody else behind her, and most of the other mourners were leaving.
"Hey," she mumbled silently to the ears that she knew wouldn't hear her. "It's me. I just wanted to say that…I can't be sorry enough. I should've been more attached, more willing to trust. You didn't deserve this. I wish that you were here." The words were so empty and scripted, but they were true and meaningful. There just wasn't anything else to say. She stepped away, away from her best friend. She didn't leave, though, but stood by Massa's dad.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly to him. He wiped his eyes as they both stared straight ahead. She was taller than him, but only by a little bit. He probably stood tall and proud in the heyday of his career, when nothing could touch him. Now, he seemed shrunken under the burden of his losses.
"I didn't expect for this to happen," he said lowly, in his aged and husky voice. "I thought that I was working to keep my family safe in my time, that nothing could hurt them. First, my wife; then, my son; now, Kim…" He shuddered, looking like he was about to cry again. "Have you ever lost family before?"
The words hit very close to home in Virginia's heart. "Yes, I have. Two cousins and a brother."
"How much did it hurt when you lost them?" he asked. Virginia didn't have a very good answer to that. She had tried not to dwell on the matter.
"It hurt, but…Kim's hurts a bit more."
He seemed surprised. "Why is that? She wasn't even family."
"I have no shortage of family where I come from, sir," Virginia said after a moment. "It hurt, but we all had each other to dull the pain. With…Kim (she'd never be used to saying Massa's real name)… with Kim, she was my first friend. Not a teammate, not a fellow soldier, but a friend."
"I see," was his only reply. They stared at the coffin, then the grave, for what seemed to be hours. A wind was blowing reddened leaves down onto the ground. After a while, Massa's dad gave a shaky sigh. "Where will you go after this?"
Virginia hadn't thought that far ahead, honestly, but she couldn't deny what her instincts were telling her to. "I just need to get away for a little bit, let my head settle. Hang around where I need to; check in on family, stuff like that." There wasn't anything else to do, until the Director called her back from leave…if he ever did. "And you, sir?"
"She was the only family I had left, but some we had some friends off-planet that I should probably visit," he replied sadly. "They won't like the news I have to share."
"I didn't enjoy sharing the news, sir." Virginia stared back at the grave. "…Kim was an amazing person. No one can ever fill her place."
"I know," Massa's father replied with a whisper, as they continued to stare into the void of Massa's grave, coming up to swallow all their hopes and dreams for the future.
Some months later...
Virginia knew that she was being tracked.
She'd known ever since her last supply run back into the town near where she was staying. The atmosphere of the town of Blink was normally a relaxed lull, where everyone knew everyone and were startled by the arrival of strangers. You had to work to get there trust, but if you had the right intentions, they were friendly. She lived in the evergreens surrounding the town, and they respected her privacy. With her most recent visit, however, the townspeople had been too quiet, too hurried in their movements. It was like watching a herd of deer; when they knew an enemy was nearby, they were always on their toes.
A stranger was encroaching on her territory, and tracking her.
Luckily, nobody around could match Virginia's skills. She could catch every trace of pursuers, every change in the environment of the evergreens where she stayed. She was an ultimate predator. So, when she knew that whoever had followed her hadn't left yet, she came to the sensible conclusion: find out who they were, and drive them away.
So, she made purposeful markers for them to find: a tuft of hair on a tree branch, a piece of cloth from her shirt, footprints, and directed it to a clearing near the edge of the woods. Standing in a tree with her bow at the ready, she waited for the inevitable arrival of whoever was putting Blink on edge.
A series of measured footsteps caught her ear, and a figure moved into the sunlight of the clearing. Generic, colourless jumpsuit and dark skin with a balding head. Virginia eased up the tension on her bow, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She hopped down from her tree and landed in the soft needles.
"Counselor," she greeted, and made sure that her voice didn't sound overly friendly. His dark eyes turned to her, looking as unreadable as a cloudy night sky.
"Agent Virginia, I knew that I would find you out here."
"I made it so that you would find me," she retorted. "It was not accidental."
"Indeed." The way that he was never perturbed by anything got on her nerves, but she hid her unease. "If I may ask a question, why are you here? It's so far away from civilization, even on a relatively developed planet such as Veritas."
"I enjoy my privacy," Virginia replied. "I've never really fit in well with people, and a hunter never sleeps. So, I'm here, living off the land, exercising my skills and getting better, and taking care of unwanted pests." She put particular emphasis on the last word, stating her point. The Counselor didn't seem to notice. Her curiosity was overcoming her general unease about the Counselor's character. "Why are you here, Counselor?"
"I am here to recall you back into active duty with Project Freelancer."
A combination of excitement and apprehension sparked in the midst of her mind. "Freelancer is dead, Counselor," Virginia replied. "Our mission is done."
"Then why are there still Insurrectionists threatening the stability of the Inner and Outer Colonies?" The Counselor replied smoothly. "Why are two Freelancer traitors still on the loose? Why are they eliminating high-commanding UNSC officials?"
Virginia didn't have an answer, but another question.
"Why would I want to go back?" she asked him. The Counselor didn't look like he understood, so she plowed on ahead. "I've seen valuable soldiers injured and killed as part of training exercises; I've seen the Director annihilate an entire city just because they were harbouring a few Insurrectionist officers; I've seen my teammates shot at, captured, and blown up."
The Counselor showed absolutely no sign of wanting to stop her tirade, and the spark in Virginia's head flared up. She continued. "I was provoked and bullied by my own teammates, and the closest person to being my friend was killed. YOU didn't have collect her belongings when moving out, Counselor. YOU didn't have to take the crate and Massa back home to her dad and explain to him why she wouldn't be coming home! YOU didn't have to SEE HIS FACE when I told him that the last living member of his family had been murdered!" A few birds sprung up from the trees and flew away at her outburst, but Virginia didn't care.
"So answer me this, Counselor, since you seem to have all the answers: why would I want to go back?"
"Because you want revenge for Massa's murder," was the Counselor's calm reply.
That stopped Virginia in her tracks. She closed her mouth. The Counselor continued on as the enraged inferno in Virginia's brain started dying down, along with her anger.
"Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Lieutenant Harper have not gone into hiding quietly. They have formed their own group of Insurrectionists, known as the Crimson Sun-"
"I know," Virginia interrupted quietly. "I've met some of them."
"Then you know that they are a force that needs to be quelled, and quickly, before they begin to get out of hand. Even if you don't see it as your war, should these attacks continue, chaos will spread. Soon, you won't be able to hide from your problems anymore."
Damn it! He brought up a fair point.
The Counselor was finishing up. "So, will you come out of hiding and take care of this menace with Project Freelancer, or wait for the fight to come to you?"
Virginia thought for a moment. The last thing that she wanted right now was to return to the life of general misery that had plagued her; subjecting herself to Carolina's criticism and South's general malice was not her idea of a good time. However, she remembered the look on Massa- no, she reminded herself, Kim's father's face when they were at her funeral. He at least deserved some closure. Besides, for as much as she didn't want to admit it, the Counselor was right to saw that Penn and Ark's vendetta would spread. They needed to be stopped.
"Fine," she growled, not happy with the ultimatum. "I'm coming back."
"Very good," the Counselor replied with that same passive smile that always sent shivers up her spine. "Then I have your first mission; the Director and I need for you to recruit a new agent and pass on information about the project." He drew out a folder from somewhere and handed it to Virginia, but she didn't open it. "All of the necessary information is in there for them, including the pick-up point and their new designation. We will be expecting you to have completed this assignment by 0800 hours tomorrow. Pilot 479er will be picking you up outside the Blink town limits to return you to the Mother of Invention."
"I'm expected to find a new agent for the Project and deliver this information in the span of less than twenty-four hours," Virginia deadpanned. "That's slightly unrealistic, isn't it?" The Counselor gave her a look, and she huffed. "Sir?"
"You will find it very simple to deliver this information. We will be very surprised if you do not succeed in your task," was the cool reply. "The information of your target is on the first page."
Virginia found it very interesting that he referred to the new recruit as a 'target', but let it slide. She opened the folder, saw the picture, and snapped it shut. Her temper started flaring again.
"May I ask WHY we're bringing her into this?" she snapped at the Counselor.
"Our objective requires the addition of operatives into the Project." How DARE he not sound like he had any remorse for this?!
"Yes, but shouldn't I have at least SOME say in this?"
"Agent Virginia, you must admit that going after Agents Arkansas, Pennsylvania, and their new organization with our current numbers does not calculate victory in our favour. If we are to succeed in this aspect, then it is necessary for additional personnel to be brought on board. Besides," he added, "you cannot deny that she does have exceptional skill. You, after all, have known her the longest."
Virginia was still apprehensive, but conceded the fact that the Counselor had a point. Even if they were to immediately go after Ark and Penn, just catch the two of them alone, they'd have a hell of a time taking them down. The memory of Penn almost snapping Carolina's spine like a twig was testament.
"I'm not happy about this, Counselor," was her final say. She saw his mouth curve upwards ever so slightly.
"Thank you, Agent Virginia," the Counselor gave a short bow and turned to leave. "I'm sure that Massachusetts would be proud."
Virginia didn't even dignify that with a response. The bitter taste in her mouth threatened to spill out if she opened it in a retort. Instead, she ran off to her camp to pack her stuff and start hiking.
Later that night…
Geez, she knew how to stay out of sight! Virginia's nerves were on end as she shuffled slowly through the larger city of Hilltop, deliberately going slower so as to be able to identify faces in the darkness. She was scanning for the woman whose information she had stashed in her trusty 'bag of tricks'. Knowing a night like tonight, when most of the street walkers were barely conscious or spewing out slurred curses, tonight was a bar night for the soldiers at the nearby base. The question was, which one was where she would be at?
The cracked neon light of 'The Seaman's Tale' danced up ahead, and that seemed like the best bet, given its close proximity to the base. Virginia bobbed and wove her way through the exiting crowd of drunken marines, and silently slipped inside the door. She leaned the hard case of her bow against a wall, hung up her leather jacket, and looked around. Most people were seated at old wooden tables, while the occasional few were standing and flirting with the waitresses. The largest collection, however, were clumped in a corner and creating the most racket. It seemed like some sort of drinking game was occurring, so she went over two investigate.
At least fourteen people were seated at the largest table, with a massive pile of empty beer bottles either on the table or on the floor. A fair number had passed out already, but a greying man with a neat beard and a woman with mid-length blonde hair were in the lead, staring each other down intently.
"Anything that I can get you, miss?" a tiny voice asked from about Virginia's elbow. She looked down to see an all-too-young waitress trembling in her shoes. She clearly was not comfortable with all of the guys around her. The poor think was scared almost out of her skin.
"Just a light beer," Virginia said. "What they're having." The waitress ran off to the counter, and her attention switched back to the drinking game.
"Hey, Rogers!" a brown-haired man yelled to the blonde woman. "Quit your stallin' and topple already!
"Shaddup and le' me tink!" the woman slurred back, fumbling with a bottle and spilling a fair amount on the table. A strip of black hair fell over her face, which she ignored as she threw back another bottle. She smacked her lips and gestured at her challenger. "You're *hic* your move, sir."
The older man picked up another bottle, realized it was empty, and chucked it against the wall while he made for another. The rim of the bottle just passed his lips before he slumped out of the chair and onto the floor, the bottle still lodged against his mouth.
A chorus of cheers rang up in the audience, and bills were exchanged and passed to the victors of the betting. A bottle was nudged into Virginia's hands by the waitress, and she gave her a generous tip for her troubles. The soldiers were all shouting again.
"God, Rogers!" someone yelled over the din. "You sure know how to hold down a beer!"
"Ha *hic* Had lossa prac *hic* practice," the blonde tried to say deliberately before leaning her head on the table with a groan. Several people laughed. Virginia just took a drink of the salty beer.
"Well, it shows!" the same brown-haired guy said again. "You're one of the best at everything!"
"Can *hic* Can't do it widdout some shut-eye, though," the blonde grumbled as she staggered to her feet. "Gonna…gonna head back to base. Catcha later." She stumbled for a moment, then started going through the most crowded area of the bar and back to the door. Virginia tailed her quietly, shaking her head, and dropped her beer at a random table.
Suddenly, a big bald guy stood up over 'Rogers' and folded his arms, barring the drunk woman's way. "Where ya goin', slut?" he asked with a snarl. 'Rogers' halted, staring blearily up at the other guy. Her drunken state was starting to dissipate already.
"Gonna head back to bed," was her mumbled answer. "Not…not in the mood to *hic* fight."
"Too bad," was Baldy's response, and his fist started towards her head. Virginia rushed forward and pushed 'Rogers' to the ground, catching the fist. Baldy stared at her in confusion.
"Eh?" he asked stupidly. Virginia started forcing the fist that she was holding up and to the side, bending the arm at a bad angle.
"You were stupid enough to go after her, so I'll say this in words you'll understand," Virginia snarled as Baldy started whimpering in pain. "Don't touch her, or anyone else, like that again!" She yanked his fist down onto a table, splitting it, and the shattered wood caused splinters to run through Baldy's hand and fingers. "Otherwise, you might just be without a hand." With the one last quip, Virginia grabbed Rogers' shirt and started pulling her towards the door. She tossed a few bills at the bartender to cover the broken table, grabbed her bow, and stepped outside.
Once outside in the cool air, Rogers gave a weak laugh. "You always know….when to cover for…me."
"For the smarter of the two of us, I think that you make more of the stupid decisions," Virginia berated her, grabbing a cold bucket of water. She dumped it unceremoniously over the woman's head, and she gave a yelp of shock.
"Yah! Geez!" she clutched her head and groaned at the pain. "What was that for?!" was the indignant question.
"Because I'm your sister," Virginia deadpanned. "Someone needs to look out for you."
"I'm an adult, you know!"
"I'm older than you. Deal with it."
Mumbling various curses, Rogers slid up the wall until she was standing, then gave a hearty laugh as the two of them embraced. "I missed you bunches," she spluttered in between tears. Virginia clapped her on the back comfortingly.
They held each other in a warm embrace before separating. Rogers wiped her eyes and pushed the black stripe of hair out of her tear-filled eyes. "So," she sniffled. "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"
"Oh, just thought I'd stop by for a visit," Virginia mumbled. Her sister saw past the lie immediately.
"You never 'just stop by for a visit,'" she accused good-naturedly. "Not since going into that project. By the way, how's the work?"
"Funny you should mention that," Virginia said, pulling out the file from her 'bag of tricks'. She held it out to your sister.
"Still see you have that old thing from when Eddy and I gave it to you when we were kids," Rogers observed while she took the file.
"Hey, it's handy," Virginia said defensively, but didn't put too much heart into it. No need to offend her sister.
"So, I'm going back with you now?" Rogers asked after reading everything in the file. "I get to get off this god-forsaken hunk of rock and actually do something?"
"I wouldn't put it that mildly, but yeah," Virginia said while folding her arms.
"And I'm being given this new designation?" she asked. "West Virginia…what's it for?"
"Codenames. We're technically not supposed to know each other's names," she answered her sister.
"So, I can't call you by-"
"No," Virginia was quick to the punch. "You'll have to call me Virginia, like everyone else."
"Buzzkill."
"Not my rules."
"You're no fun," she pouted.
Virginia snickered. "Now, THAT is my rule." They exchanged a laugh together, like they hadn't in a long time.
"So," West started after a minute. "I have a week to get my stuff together?"
"I guess so," Virginia shrugged. "I leave tomorrow to head back to the ship."
"Wait, we're not just stuck on some random asteroid?" West asked excitedly, starting to bounce up and down. "We're actually on a space ship?"
"I wouldn't be that excited about it…but yeah," Virginia conceded. She covered her ears at her sister's excited squeal.
"This is going to be so much fun!" West squealed, hopping around like a hyperactive rabbit. "All the new people, the new training…and PARTIES!"
"Shut up," Virginia groused. "We're supposed to keep it a secret, so you CAN'T TELL ANYONE."
"Okay," West huffed. "So I need to get this stuff to my CO?"
"Probably tomorrow would be best," Virginia pointed out. "You know, when you're not hung over." She started supporting her sister back towards the base, slinging an arm over her shoulder.
"I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning."
"Then WHY were you drinking that many beers?" West flinched at the accusing tone in Virginia's voice.
"What can I say? The corporal wanted to have some fun. He asked for it."
"I swear, your liver is shakier than a dying star," Virginia shook her head good naturedly as they walked.
"Well, I'll make sure to have enough good times for the both of us," West winked, before shutting her eyes at the migraine building in her head.
Virginia wondered if there would be any good times ahead for them with Project Freelancer. While her sister had hope, only doubt clouded her vision.