Silence

By Nahla

The day had started like any other. After showering and dressing, Nahla made her way into Section for another dismal shift in DRV. Upon entering the main hub of Section, Nahla came to a dead halt, disbelief showing in her green eyes. Where was everyone? Talk about dead silence. Section brought

new meaning to the phrase.

Checking her watch, it showed It to be a little after 9 a.m., which mean that Section should have been buzzing with activity. Turning in a slow circle, Nahla was unaware of her observers from the perch above.

*****

"Is she the one?" Operations inquired to his co-worker.

"Yes, her name is Nahla, a recruit." Madeline began to explain. "R&D has developed a new psychotropic agent that I’ve been wanting to test. Basically she will see and hear what we want her to believe, regardless of what is actually taking place around her."

"Interesting concept. What scenario have you chosen for her?

"A simple one to begin with. Nahla will believe that she is completely alone in Section. I’m curious to see what a new recruit will do to fill their time without any authoritative restraints." Madeline explained.

"Is that such a good idea, letting a recruit have free reign?" Operations asked.

"She won’t have the time or security clearance to do any damage. Currently the agent only lasts approximately 12 hours. The subject will then fall into a normal sleep pattern, awaking to believe their actions were nothing more than a dream. I’ve left instructions with all personnel that no one is to interact with her."

"Isn’t that asking for trouble, having everyone trying to stay out of her way? We’ve got deadlines to meet and I don’t want any unnecessary interruptions."

"Don’t worry, Paul, you know I won’t do anything to jeopardize Section’s performance levels." She said.

"Fine then, proceed, but I expect a full debrief upon completion of your little project."

"Of course," Madeline replied with her Mona Lisa smile.

*******

Below, Nahla was trying to come up with a rational explanation as to why Section was empty. She knew she should be concerned over that concept, but it didn’t really bother her. It was almost as if it was supposed to be that way.

Birkoff sat at his terminal, in a rush to finish up some last minute observations for an upcoming mission. He saw Nahla approaching out of the corner of his eye and groaned in response. He hated it when Madeline got an itch to try out some new little experiment. Praying that she would just simply coast by Comm, he should’ve known he wouldn’t be that lucky.

Hungry for a little morning snack, Nahla had heard that the boy wonder usually kept a stash of goodies at his workstation. She could have just as easily headed down to the kitchen, but who wants health food when there was chocolate around. Heading for his terminal, she plopped herself down in his chair, completely oblivious to the fact it was already occupied.

Birkoff emitted something kindred to a squawk complete taken aback at his position, and hers. Looking around for help, he was further disgruntled to see the grins lighting the faces of his Comm co-workers.

"One of you want to stop staring and give me a hand here??" Birkoff asked.

"Sorry Birky, you saw the boss’ orders, no interaction." Another Comm op replied with a chuckle.

Birkoff turned his attention back to Nahla when he saw she was going for his Oreo stash.

"Hey!" Birkoff yelled indignantly, as she got up from her seat and proceeded to walk off with the entire bag. "You’ve could’ve left me a couple for later, you know!"

He sighed realizing she couldn’t hear a word he was saying. That had been his last bag, somebody was gonna pay.

******

Munching contentedly on an Oreo, Nahla decided to make Michael’s office her next stop. Although she never spoke with the man, and rarely saw him she had to admit he was something of an enigma.

Michael and Rita were enjoying a quiet moment alone when they saw the door swing open.

"I thought you locked the door behind you." Michael said to Rita.

Rita grinned as she removed herself from Michael’s embrace. "Well you know you have such a distracting effect on me, it must have slipped my mind."

"Nevertheless, we were lucky it was only Nahla and that she can’t see us." He said, watching as the recruit made herself comfortable in his char. "What if anyone else had walked in?"

"Oh lighten up a little Michael, so they would’ve seen us making out a little, big whoop. It’s not like our relationship is a secret anyway."

Michael sighed, not wanting to get into an old argument between the two of them. He was saved from having to make a response when Rita announced she had a briefing to attend to. Kissing him goodbye, she left his office and proceeded down the hallway.

Turning his attention back to his guest, Michael perched himself on the corner of the desk closest to Nahla, wondering how long she was planning to stay.

Nahla spun herself around in the chair, completely oblivious to the man sitting in front of her. Noticing how well the wheeled chair moved over the smooth flooring, she pushed herself away from the desk, sending herself in a smooth glide towards the window.

Michael chose the wrong moment to stand. As Nahla used the wall to propel herself back to the desk, she held out an arm to catch hold of the furniture’s edge. However, Michael’s leg stood in the way of her mission.

Mistakenly grabbing his right thigh, it was a shame that Nahla wasn’t aware of what she held in her hand. Then again, knowing a couple individuals’ possessiveness of the man, it would probably bode better for her that she not know.

Luckily before she tightened her grip, Michael was able to slip free from her grasp. Nahla sailed right by the desk, banging into the far wall. A frown creased her brow, she could’ve sworn she had gotten a hold of the

desk, but obviously she was mistaken given her current position.

Rolling herself back in front of the desk, a devilish gleam entered her eye. Michael wondered what she was thinking of, especially when her face turned red and she began to chuckle. On second thought, maybe he didn’t want to know.

Nahla could help but recall some of the stories that were floating around Section pertaining to the piece of furniture in front of her. Laughing and shaking her head of those thoughts, Nahla stood and left Michael’s office.

*****

Brenna and Curlly had just returned from a mission and were on their way to debrief when they ran into Jace in the hallway.

"Hey Jace, how’s it going?" Brenna asked.

"Fine, do you girls have any plans for the afternoon?" he asked, obviously miffed about something.

"Just the debrief, then we’re free, what’s up?" Curlly asked.

"I need your help. I’d do it myself but I can’t get out of Medlab until tonight."

"Help with what? And for goodness sake, stop pacing, you’re making me dizzy!" Brenna exclaimed as she grabbed his arm to make him stand still.

"Have either of you checked your panels?"

"No, why?"

"Because Madeline had decided to use Nahla for another one of her little experiments." Jace said with barely suppressed anger, still upset at Madeline for sending Nahla in undercover to track down Yellow Sun.

Brenna and Curlly quickly exchanged a knowing look. Although they were worried for their friend as well, they knew Jace was at the least fit to be tied and might try something that would cause more trouble than good.

"What exactly is the experiment?" Brenna asked.

"I don’t know all the details, all we’ve been told is that we’re not to interact with Nahla at all. She under the influence of some kind of psychotropic agent that is making her believe she is alone in Section." Jace explained. "I would really appreciate it if you two would keep an eye on her for me, make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble."

"No problem. As soon as we debrief and get cleaned up we’ll track her down." Brenna assured Jace. "And don’t worry, we’ll let you know if anything serious happens." She added, seeing the question form in Jace’s eyes.

The trio split and went their separate ways.

*******

Nahla was roaming down one of Section’s many hallways when she passed the men’s locker room door. Stopping and looking back over her should at the door she had just passed, Nahla contemplated whether or not she should go in.

It took all of a second to make her decision, after all, it’s not like there was anyone in there.

Pushing open the door, Nahla entered a room that strongly resembled a high school locker room, albeit a little fancier. Rows of full-length lockers filled the left side of the room. The right hand wall held a series of sinks and mirrors. The communal showers she assumed were located further back since they weren’t in her present line of view.

Part 2

Nahla really would’ve been in for the shock of her life had she been able to see what was really going on in front of her. There were only a small number of men present, but among them was an exhibitionist. Deciding to have a little fun, one op began a *dance* around Nahla in nothing but his birthday suit.

Sinjn and Xavier head the commotion from where they were busy trying to remove the grime of their latest mission. It wasn’t unusual for some of the newer recruits to get a little worked up after returning from a successful mission, but this was louder than usual.

Xavier grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, deciding he better check on what the guys were up to.

He barely suppressed an expletive at the scene before him. "O’Henry … desist immediately!" his voice boomed through the room

"Oh come on man, I was only having a little fun." O’Henry began to explain only to be interrupted.

"Save it, just get some clothes on now and don’t give me any lip."

"Sheesh man, don’t have a cow. She’s the one who came in here in the first place, why am I getting all the slack?" he shot back.

Xavier didn’t reply to O’Henry's comeback, choosing only to stand there with arms crossed to make his point. Even standing with only a towel covering him, he made an impressive figure. O’Henry took the hint.

While reprimanding the young op, Xavier didn’t see Nahla move behind him to head towards the showers. Which meant he didn’t have time to warn Sinjn.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" Sinjn exclaimed, grabbing a towel to cover himself. Not shy by any means, he still didn’t feel a need to parade naked in front of a woman.

When Nahla didn’t respond to his question, he moved to physically assist her in leaving the shower area.

"Don’t touch her, "Xavier said, just moments before Sinjn took a hold of Nahla’s arm.

"Why not? She’s obviously not listening to me."

"Didn’t you read your panel?" Xavier asked. "Never mind, obviously not otherwise we wouldn’t be having this conversation." Xavier then proceeded to explain the situation to Sinjn.

As Nahla continued to explore, Xavier retrieved his cell phone from his locker and called Brenna.

"Brenna, where are you?" he asked before she even could say hello.

"Hello to you too." She replied. "I’m getting ready to leave the locker room, why?"

"Do you know the situation going on with Nahla?"

"Yes, I heard from Jace. He’s asked that Curlly and I keep an eye on her this afternoon to try and keep her out of trouble."

"Well get your butt over here to the men’s locker room and do it!" Xavier said, cutting her off before she had a chance to say anything.

Curlly and Brenna were still giggling when they met Sinjn and Xavier at the locker room door.

"You just missed her, she just left a minute ago, headed in that direction." Sinjn said, pointing in the opposite direction from where Curlly and Brenna had come.

"What the matter fellas, didn’t get any appreciation from Nahla for those studly bodies of yours?" Brenna chuckled, ignoring the warning look in Xavier’s eyes.

Curlly was still holding her sides, laughing at the thought of the commotion that must have ensured inside. She had to give the girl credit. What she wouldn’t give to see the surveillance tapes on this one. Reminding herself to cash in a few favors with Birkoff, Curlly took Brenna by the arm to go in search of Nahla.

******

Nahla made her way up to Jace’s standby quarters, curious to see where he stayed while within the walls of Section. Although they had been seeing each other for a few months now, he had always picked her up at her apartment, so she hadn’t yet seen his quarters.

The main living area was done in neutral shades. The walls were painted a medium shade of taupe, the dusty blue colored couch and oversized chair accented the room. Several paintings were set against one wall, waiting to be hung.

Walking through the living area, Nahla made her way to his bedroom. A king-sized sleigh bed filled most of the room, covered by a down-filled cream colored comforter. A matching dresser and chest of drawers completed the bedroom suite.

Opening the closet doors, Nahla inspected the arrangement of clothing. Most of the time Nahla saw Jace, he was in Medlab wearing scrubs. Either that, or he had been dressed in khaki’s or finer dress wear for their evening’s out. What she wouldn’t give to see the man in a nice pair of worn jeans.

Fingering the items hung with care, she had to admit he seemed to have a great fashion sense, much better than her own, but it didn’t seem to bother him one bit.. He had a way of making her feel special whether she was in sweats or eveningwear. Taking out a denim button-down shirt that seemed to match the color of his eyes, Nahla brought it close to her nose, breathing in the unique scent that was Jace.

Although it was interesting having Section all to herself, she had to admit the silence of the hallways was leading to an acute sense of loneliness. That feeling only made worse standing here holding Jace’s shirt. A growl from her stomach alerted Nahla that she needed something else to eat. The Oreo’s had been great, but they didn’t hold for long.

Instead of returning the shirt to the closet, Nahla put it on instead. Feeling slightly comforted, she made her way down to Section’s kitchen. After getting herself something to eat, Nahla made her way down to DRV to get some work done that she had been putting off.

It was in DRV that Curlly and Brenna caught up with Nahla.

"She’s got Section all to herself, and she chooses to work?? Curlly exclaimed. "We have GOT to have a serious talk with the girl once this little experiment is over with."

At that moment, both girls’ cell phones began to ring.

"You getting called in too? Curlly asked Brenna after hanging up.

"Yup, I knew this one was gonna go live soon, it was just a matter of time."

"What are we gonna do about Nahla? We promised Jace we’d keep an eye on her."

"Hopefully since she’s working, it’ll keep her busy until Jace finished his shift." Brenna said. "There’s nothing else we can do, but I’ll let him know where she is before I head into the briefing."

*********

Just before dinnertime, Nahla shut down her computer terminal. Stretching and yawning, she decided to stop by Jace’s office in Medlab before heading home. Although she knew Jace wouldn’t be there, she still wanted to at least walk by.

Jace was finishing some last minute details on a patient when he felt another presence in the room. He didn’t know who was more startled, him .. or Nahla.

"Jace?" she asked in a whisper, not sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

It took him a moment to answer. "You can see me?"

"Yes, but I thought Section was completely empty. Why are you here?" she asked, walking to stand next to him.

He noticed she was wearing what appeared to be one of his shirts. That meant she had been in his quarters. He didn’t know whether to be angry or not.

Realizing she had asked him a question, he refocused his attentions. "Maybe you’re dreaming?" he asked, not sure what to tell her, but instinctually knowing he couldn’t tell her of the experiment.

"Dreaming?" she asked more to herself than him. Turning around to pace across the room, she contemplated his explanation. "That would explain why there’s no one around and it’s not bothering me."

Nahla then turned to face Jace. "So you’re a figment of imagination?"

"Yes." Jace agreed, deciding it might be safest to go along with her assumption.

Nahla almost laughed at what that answer implied. Deciding to test the waters, Nahla walked around the edge of the desk to where Jace sat. Using every ounce of gumption she had, she turned and sat down in his lap.

"Nahla, what are you up to?" Jace asked. This was definitely not something she would just do out of the blue.

Placing her arms around his neck, Nahla explained. "Well the way I see it, your being a figment of my imagination is the equivalent of a dream. Which means that all those silly little fears I have when I’m around you just kinda fly right out of the window."

Jace was further surprised to feel Nahla begin to place light kisses across his forehead, working her way towards his temple. She continued to follow a path that led towards his mouth, where she paused for just a moment.

Jace took advantage of her pause to ask. "This is one of your fears.?"

"Yes" she replied before continuing a path of kisses down the side of this neck, Upon reaching the juncture of his neck and shoulder, Nahla began to lightly suck on the exposed skin.

Jace let her continue far longer than he should, but he couldn’t seem to help himself.