Fluff, Relationships, and Traditions
This entry is part 52 of 52 in the series 365 Challenge
So characters have habits, ways they interact with certain people and situations, things they do and like to do, stories and histories together. I've known a lot of my characters' for a long time but getting them all into fic is interesting, particularly for the ones I don't know that for.
I've ( Read more... )
The red-headed woman cursed in surprise. "You trying to give me a heart attack?" she demanded. Then, she looked at her, realized that the intruder was less than ten years old with the dark eyes of a hardened warrior. The director stilled. "What do you want?" she asked, voice gentle. Too gentle. Watcher didn't believe in it.
"Meld won't kill with his power."
A tight inhale. Sheridan shook her head. "I'm sorry, but there are rules."
They couldn't let the children go free, knowing they might kill innocent civilians. It didn't matter that Internal Investigations had been horrified at the initial handling of them and cleaned out almost anyone who had abused the kids. It didn't matter that the program had been sold to the Department of Defense as something other than what it had been, that nobody realized that the process was experimental, that almost all the children would die, or even that only children could usually survive. It didn't matter how guilty the military felt or how hard they tried to clean it up because the program now had to continue. Too many children were the living weapons they'd been trying to create. Too many of them had no loyalty to anyone but each other and had a kill list they were waiting to be able to work.
Watcher nodded. "There are rules. I'm here to deal." She met this woman's gaze as a woman herself. Whatever child she had been once died with the processing that turned her into a genetically-modified special-type human. "Give my people exceptions-one each-and I will make up the difference."
Sheridan stared at her, then forced herself to regain her composure. "And how do you intend to do that?" she asked leadingly.
"My team will do what I say," Watcher replied calmly. "Give us the worst jobs, but make them mean something. Give us evil to stop and we will stop it. When I'm old enough, I'll become one of you-permanently."
Sheridan breathed a soft swear. "Do you have any idea what you're asking me?"
"I know that you'll lose the teams one day," Watcher replied flatly. "They'll kill you or they'll leave, but we're stronger than you are. But you'll keep me."
How could a woman do this job? The director looked as though she'd cry, or hug Watcher and still cry. She did neither. She nodded curtly. "You have a deal."
They drew up the papers and regulations to Watcher's satisfaction, signed, and then Watcher returned to the team and waited for the news to come down to Chandler. She saw the naked relief when it burned in Meld's eyes, but she never explained to him what she had done.
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Poor Meld.
And poor Watcher.
And Shift is more noble than she admits, too, since she took the fall for Meld more than once.
This piece explains sooo much...
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Writing Watcher at that young was interesting because she's softer here than later, less sure of herself. After this, the team really starts to solidify.
Shift has always said, "I'm not good, just loyal." She took a whole lot more falls than that one. Sear would literally follow her anywhere.
Glad it helped. That was the goal.
I also tried to work in some of the other historical details that were fighting me to stay out: like the fact that the Department hadn't intended for the Projects to be so horrible. And I have deliberately not introduced you to the worst of the team operatives, but they existed, and between the powers not yet mastered and the pure hatred some of those kids had for anyone not in the teams, it became very difficult to try and change things right away. Shift for example would have been a nightmare to let loose.
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That was part of what Ilsa was investigating when she quit, then, the projects.
It had to figure that there would be some that would be uncontrollable and full of hate and loyal only to those like them.
I figured there were more like Shift, even worse ones, but I didn't really want to read about them.
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