(A/N) Hey all, time for the latest update in Phase Two: Betrayal, this time featuring the exploits of one Agent Connecticut, as her mission to keep under everyone's radar goes awry. Written by LanaLlama, this second appearance of the future C.T. does not disappoint! For those still not aware, just want to let you know that we're currently looking for applications for Agent Texas for this fic, and application forms can be found on our forum. We're also looking for writers for our X-Ray and Vav fic and its upcoming sequel, so if you're interested please PM me as soon as possible!
Hope you all enjoy this one!
Chapter Forty – Centre of Attention
Agent Connecticut
Written by LanaLlama
"Hide until everybody goes home. Hide until everybody forgets about you. Hide until everybody dies." ― Yoko Ono, Grapefruit: A Book of Instructions and Drawings
The cafeteria felt crowded to Connie; there were so many staff and other Freelancers taking up tables that she never knew where to let her eyes settle. Of course, it was polite to look at those she shared a table with, which consisted, at the moment, of the other newcomers that she had arrived with. They was still so much she didn't know about the others, so much to learn and remember. They were friendly enough, that was true, and far more accommodating than the veterans, but she still felt that she was often at the edge of conversations, not quite included. Not quite one of them.
However, she was determined to try and rectify this, under the mental heading of 'Make Friends', so Connie sat with them, pretending to be amazed by the sheer size of this and the complexity of that while the others spoke carefully of Grifball and their favourite teams. She had never really taken to it. There was just something about a group of men going around with giant hammers that reeked of overcompensation to her. Some talked of weapons, what they liked to use and it was here that Connie took interest in the conversation. Unsurprisingly, New Jersey liked to use knives; it suited a woman of her nature. If she ever had to take on her team-mates again for, well, anything, it paid to know what was to come. Funnily enough, Connie herself shared that preference in weapons. Would be interesting to see how they matched up, should it ever come up.
Of course, it could only be so long before they decided to try to draw the quiet girl, hiding behind her brown curtain of hair, into their conversation. "Connie, what do you use?"
Half of the eyes at the table glanced to her, as if suddenly realizing she was there and needed to be included in the conversation.
"You look like an assault rifle type, am I right?"
Those words came from Nevada, Connie's partner on all things technical, after the Director had thrust Arkansas' Mastery Cube on them and Georgia, expecting immediate results. Connie shook her head in reply, wondering what it was about her that gave such an impression. She had always considered the assault rifle, with its generous spray of bullets and small kickback, something of a beginner's weapon, used only by those without the skill and accuracy to handle others firearms.
"Magnums and knives, mostly," came her short and honest response to the question, ducking her head to tear a piece of bread from the roll that sat beside her soup. That seemed to satisfy her teammates for the moment, though she was quite aware that there was probably more that she could have contributed to the conversation. Sure, she had to fit in around here, but that certainly didn't mean she had to like anyone or form complex attachments. She just had to appear to be likable and part of the team, but that didn't mean she had to go all out to be a great conversationalist!
Somewhere, deep in her heart, she knew that her superiors at Charon would not be entirely pleased to hear her line of thought, and she sighed internally. Maybe she should make a better attempt at getting along with the others, and find one or two people that she could bear to be around. That would keep people's prying eyes off of her, right?
At this point in time all Connie knew was that she had to fit in all well as possible, and not gather anyone's attention. Fit in, fit in, fit in. That was her mantra. The brunette concentrated on eating her food, using it as an excuse not to pay much heed to the conversation that flowed on around her. The warmth of the soup was a welcome feeling in her throat that she was thankful for, and the taste of parsley and leek reminded her of home.
The conversation around her carried on for some time, mostly due to Kent's raving about all manners of explosives, with the cafeteria around her full of the sound of Freelancers chattering. After a while, when the subject had dwindled to discussing what they could and couldn't share about themselves to one another, given the Director's vague instructions, a trio of the older agents entered the room. They looked about for a moment, and Connie assumed that they were searching for a table of their own, but to her surprise the group approached the table of new Freelancers. Connie still didn't really know a lot about the veterans, but she recognised North and South Dakota, having spoken to them briefly, and she smiled as Georgia nodded to her, having spent a considerable amount of time with him and Nevada in the technician's room, working on the Cube.
"Mind if we steal Connie away for the Director, guys?" North was the first to speak up, offering a small smile clearly intended at putting the newbies at ease. However, instead of reassuring her, Connie's stomach lurch, fear and panic already building up inside of her. Had the Director somehow discovered her connection to Charon? Did he know that she had been sent to spy on the Project? She hadn't done anything to suggest that she had an ulterior motive for being here; so there was no way they could possibly know. Yet, despite this, she couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what the Director would do to her if he found out, and after all, what else could he possibly have for sending for her?
"Mission time already newbie, get moving!" They must have noticed the distress on her face, despite her efforts to maintain some form of a façade, for South took that opportunity to divulge the reason behind her call-out, and she nodded in relief, getting up from her seat.
"You go girl!" Utah yelled, in an attempt to offer up some encouragement and support. She smiled over at him, grateful for the sentiment, and gave a mental tick next to his name as someone that she could possibly get along with on this ship.
"Just her?" Another voice displayed scepticism and a tint of hurt, underlined by the hope that the senior agents had made some mistake. Colorado. She felt both guilty and strangely smug about this, but this could only be a bad thing, as it would draw attention to her when she was supposed to be doing the exact opposite.
So much for fitting in.
A nod from Georgia and a cheerful "Yep!" left the rest of the newbies looking disappointed, though the senior agents clearly couldn't care less, and were evidently anxious to get moving.
"Can we just get going already?" South demanded, living up to the temper that Connecticut had already heard about, and the four agents trouped out of the cafeteria, Connie glancing back over her shoulder for one last glimpse of her teammates before the doors shut behind them, with an air of finality.
They swiftly made their way through the ship, and Connie kept her eyes glued to the pink lines of Georgia's armour, realising only now how little she actually knew about the ships layout. Up until now there had always been someone to lead her, and she would have to work on rectifying that when she had the chance. She couldn't allow herself to always rely on other people.
The armour that she wore still felt strange, heavier than the standard UNSC gear that she was used to, yet still far lighter than it looked. The helmet still obscured her vision slightly, the two eye holes providing less of a range than the clear, unobstructed visors of her colleagues, but she could learn to work with that. The dull, brown colour was a more displeasing fact, but one that she would have to get used to. There were a dozen questions that had about it, but, other than the instruction manuals that had been placed on their individual data-pads, she had no sources of information to turn to. The main thing that she had taken from the manual was that her helmet had been specifically designed with bomb disposal in mind, a far cry from her own skill set. She couldn't help but pray that it had nothing to do with why the Director had sent for her, and exactly what he intended her role in this project to be.
Her eyes were drawn for a moment to the stars out beyond the observation deck, before flickering back to the stern form of the Director, who stood by a holo-table with the Counselor by his side.
"Agents, thank you for arriving here so…promptly."
Connie frowned at this, knowing that they had arrived as fast as they could have, but biting her tongue as she prepared a reply, allowing him to continue. "We've recently come across information on the whereabouts of the Crimson Sun, and their leaders, including former agents Arkansas and Pennsylvania."
Just like any other time those two names came up, a certain tension in the air sprang up immediately that Connie wanted to dispel as soon as it arrived. She knew all about this, at least, even if she hadn't quite got her bearing on the MoI yet. Oh, the betrayal of two previous agents had certainly left the project with a few scars, and the Freelancers made little effort to hide how much this had affected them.
"We have reason to believe that Penn, Ark and Lieutenant Harper have been holed up in an old URF bunker near New Delphi, on the planet of Haven." The table in front of him lit up, displaying a planet that Connie was unfamiliar with. The hologram zoomed in on a spot on the planet, now displaying the city in question as the Director proceeded to explain. "It is believed that the Crimson Sun began their movement in this location, and it served as their primary base of operations for a considerable time. UNSC forces came across them over three weeks ago, and they sent in a squad of ODSTs. When they lost radio contact with that squad, we had reason to believe that things did not go to plan, and expect that the Crimson Sun will have abandoned the site."
"So, what exactly are we doing?" South's dismissive, bored tone broke in as she stepped forward, to peering at the image of the city as though it were a puzzle waiting to be smashed, rather than solved.
"There may still be information left behind, South." The blonde threw a glance over her shoulder towards Connie, causing her to shuffle her feet and correct her posture. So that was why she was here. Even with that small amount of information, she could just feel the last remaining trickles of nervousness wash away. She wasn't going to get caught today, at least.
"Your brother, North, will be leading this mission. I need you to get into this base as discreetly as you can, and to recover whatever information you can. You will first rendezvous with the UNSC forces in New Delphi, and they will brief you on the situation regarding the missing team of ODSTs."
"Sir!" South's tone held some form of….irritation, and as she stepped back from the table she nodded over at Connie, before addressing the Director, whose eyes were hidden behind the reflection of the city in his glasses. "She's hardly ready for this mission, and we have other agents, like York and Minnesota, who can bring everything to the table that she can. Others who have…oh, I don't know, armour enhancements and experience."
His chin dipped, just a little bit, so that they could now see the green piercing through the glasses, and while his tone remained steady, there was no doubt that South's interruption had irritated him. "Are you questioning my judgement, Agent South Dakota?"
In response, the blonde woman muttered something that, to Connie, sounded like an affirmative to the Director's question. "No sir," she added seconds later, evidently bitter about being shot down. Beside her, Connie could feel North glance meaningfully towards his sister, reprimanding her without a word, and the blonde Freelancer fell silent, but remained sullen for the rest of the briefing.
"Stealth is key on this mission, agents. There may still be armed guards in this building, and who knows what Arkansas and Pennsylvania could have left behind them. Connecticut, you're to extract as much information from their computer systems as you can, but there is one piece in particular that we're looking for."
"Where they've gone?" Georgia finished for him, finally speaking up. He had fallen into silence ever since the Director had mentioned Arkansas and Pennsylvania's names. Painful memories, no doubt, Connecticut mused, feeling bad for the other agent for a moment, before turning her thoughts back to the mission at hand.
The Director merely nodded in reply to the green agent, before enquiring as to whether there were any more questions in relation to the mission. A chorus of "No sir," was emitted by the group, Connie contributing to the chorus with her own small voice, before the Freelancers filed out of the room, the brown armoured Freelancer trailing behind so that she could be led to the hangar, and remain alone among her thoughts.