August 6: Loaner
Title: Loaner
Author: Vashti (tvashti)
Fandom: La Femme Nikita (1997)
Character(s): Madeline, Oz
Rating: FR-13/PG
Summary: Madeline needs to use one of Section Four’s tools for a small, two-week mission.
Length: ~890 words
Disclaimer: Only the words are mine, and that’s probably up for philosophical debate.
Notes: I was done by 11-something last night. Then my computer ate 90% of the story. Grr. Argh.
Like all loans from Section Four, he was small and neat and wrapped up nicely in white. He only deviated from protocol a little by coming in a cage coated with a silver alloy. Madeline had been instructed very carefully that, should Section One need to keep him for longer than the already agreed-upon eighteen days, he was to be returned to the cage and locked in an interrogation room every night for three nights before sundown and not let out until well after sunrise the next day. Though she didn’t anticipate needing even half the time agreed upon, Madeline double-checked with her assistants that they knew the care instructions by heart, had them on their panels as backup, and would followed them precisely. Usually it went unspoken that any deviation from instructions would result in their termination. Madeline took no chances: “He will cancel you. It will not be pleasant.” She’d waited a beat. “Dismissed.”
They’d nodded quite obediently, careful not to look at the creature patiently and quietly sitting in his cage.
Satisfied, she sent them out of the White Room, waited ten seconds after the door had clicked shut before she began to circle her loan. Yes, typical Section Four fodder: small, neat, pale from lack of direct sunlight but otherwise healthy in appearance. He was more finely formed than she would have expected a creature like him to be, but that perception, she realized, probably had more to do with how carefully he held himself within his cage-exposed skin kept far away from the silver-coated bars-than his actual build.
From what she understood werewolves were actually quite sturdy creatures.
"I’m going to release you now. You will wait until I have stepped away from the door to emerge. Understood?"
He nodded.
"I require a verbal response at all times."
"Yes, ma’am."
“Are my instructions understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Upon seeing him upright, Madeline nodded to herself. While still small for a man, he was not as small as he had appeared tucked into his cage. The light tenor of his voice fit his frame. Other men would not find it strange, nor would the wonder why they either either bristled or cowered in his presence. Women, she suspected, would think him adorable. A haircut would help to take a few more years from his appearance. Tanning lamps would ease the translucence of his skin, under which she could see the blue tracery of his veins. His hands were a splotchy bright red where he’d been forced to touch the silver alloy bars of his cage. He was long-fingered.
"How old are you?" she asked, circling him again.
"I’ll be 23."
"And how long have you been with Section Four?"
"I was born there."
All answers Madeline either knew or suspected. She was more concerned with how he answered than the information itself.
"Have you ever been outside?"
"Yes, ma’am."
"Often?"
"No, ma’am."
"And what did you think of the experience."
He shrugged.
Behind him at that moment, Madeline swiveled on her heel and backhanded him. His cheek was softer than one of her operatives, and he even stumbled a bit on his feet, but she was unconcerned about damage. With is resilience and recovery time, surely she was more hurt than he. "As I said, I require a verbal response to all questions."
"Yes, ma’am."
"What did you think of your time outside?"
"It was..." In his silence and stillness, she sensed his struggled for words. "It was unremarkable."
"Elaborate. If you can."
"Everything that I want or need is in Section. "
"Have you found nothing of interest?"
He thought for a moment, then said, "Music. Live music," he clarified.
"Kind?"
He shrugged. "I’m not particular."
"What about freedom. Isn’t that enticing?" Madeline asked, eyebrows raised even as she adjusted the mental profile she had for him.
"They’re not very free if they need us."
Madeline’s lips curled up into a half-smile. "The illusion can be enticing."
"I’d rather have the truth."
"Hmm." Madeline paused and began walking the other way. "What do you know of the parameters of your loan?"
"You are to return me to Section Four before the next full moon or take precautions."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, ma’am."
Unsurprised, Madeline gave him a rough outline off the mission spec. She and Paul hadn’t quite nailed down the particulars but she wasn’t worried. This was a very small mission, just not one her operatives were equipped to handle. "Do you think you’ll be able to manage it? If not, I can send you back to Section Four without consequence."
"I’ll be fine."
"You’re confident. Good. Well, then, in about two weeks you’ll be back behind your monitors and lab tables in Section Four. Unless, of course, you prefer the life of a Section One operative and choose to stay. We can never have too many computer geniuses."
His nostrils flared, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Madeline nodded, pleased. Still... "Whatever it is you’d like to say, I’d like to hear it."
He seemed to weigh the veracity of her words. "I don’t want to belong to another Section, ma’am."
"May I ask why?"
"As I said, everything I need is at Four and nothing outside of Four is really interesting. Four is home."
"Your name is Oz, isn’t it?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma’am."
She smiled. “I wonder how much longer you’ll be able to live up to that name." On her last cycle around him, she broke off and went for the door. This time he did track her with his eyes. Pausing, she said, “Someone from Wardrobe will come and get you changed, then you’ll meet your teammates and we can discuss the Sunnydale mission."
"Yes, ma’am."
Fin[ite]
AN2: I’m curious about Oz’s personality here. To un-Ozish? I felt like I was channeling a particular char from another fandom I’ve been reading a lot of lately. Also I'm surprised there's no tag for this fandom. I thought I did a cross last year. Maybe that was for the drabble side? Hmm.
Author: Vashti (tvashti)
Fandom: La Femme Nikita (1997)
Character(s): Madeline, Oz
Rating: FR-13/PG
Summary: Madeline needs to use one of Section Four’s tools for a small, two-week mission.
Length: ~890 words
Disclaimer: Only the words are mine, and that’s probably up for philosophical debate.
Notes: I was done by 11-something last night. Then my computer ate 90% of the story. Grr. Argh.
Like all loans from Section Four, he was small and neat and wrapped up nicely in white. He only deviated from protocol a little by coming in a cage coated with a silver alloy. Madeline had been instructed very carefully that, should Section One need to keep him for longer than the already agreed-upon eighteen days, he was to be returned to the cage and locked in an interrogation room every night for three nights before sundown and not let out until well after sunrise the next day. Though she didn’t anticipate needing even half the time agreed upon, Madeline double-checked with her assistants that they knew the care instructions by heart, had them on their panels as backup, and would followed them precisely. Usually it went unspoken that any deviation from instructions would result in their termination. Madeline took no chances: “He will cancel you. It will not be pleasant.” She’d waited a beat. “Dismissed.”
They’d nodded quite obediently, careful not to look at the creature patiently and quietly sitting in his cage.
Satisfied, she sent them out of the White Room, waited ten seconds after the door had clicked shut before she began to circle her loan. Yes, typical Section Four fodder: small, neat, pale from lack of direct sunlight but otherwise healthy in appearance. He was more finely formed than she would have expected a creature like him to be, but that perception, she realized, probably had more to do with how carefully he held himself within his cage-exposed skin kept far away from the silver-coated bars-than his actual build.
From what she understood werewolves were actually quite sturdy creatures.
"I’m going to release you now. You will wait until I have stepped away from the door to emerge. Understood?"
He nodded.
"I require a verbal response at all times."
"Yes, ma’am."
“Are my instructions understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Upon seeing him upright, Madeline nodded to herself. While still small for a man, he was not as small as he had appeared tucked into his cage. The light tenor of his voice fit his frame. Other men would not find it strange, nor would the wonder why they either either bristled or cowered in his presence. Women, she suspected, would think him adorable. A haircut would help to take a few more years from his appearance. Tanning lamps would ease the translucence of his skin, under which she could see the blue tracery of his veins. His hands were a splotchy bright red where he’d been forced to touch the silver alloy bars of his cage. He was long-fingered.
"How old are you?" she asked, circling him again.
"I’ll be 23."
"And how long have you been with Section Four?"
"I was born there."
All answers Madeline either knew or suspected. She was more concerned with how he answered than the information itself.
"Have you ever been outside?"
"Yes, ma’am."
"Often?"
"No, ma’am."
"And what did you think of the experience."
He shrugged.
Behind him at that moment, Madeline swiveled on her heel and backhanded him. His cheek was softer than one of her operatives, and he even stumbled a bit on his feet, but she was unconcerned about damage. With is resilience and recovery time, surely she was more hurt than he. "As I said, I require a verbal response to all questions."
"Yes, ma’am."
"What did you think of your time outside?"
"It was..." In his silence and stillness, she sensed his struggled for words. "It was unremarkable."
"Elaborate. If you can."
"Everything that I want or need is in Section. "
"Have you found nothing of interest?"
He thought for a moment, then said, "Music. Live music," he clarified.
"Kind?"
He shrugged. "I’m not particular."
"What about freedom. Isn’t that enticing?" Madeline asked, eyebrows raised even as she adjusted the mental profile she had for him.
"They’re not very free if they need us."
Madeline’s lips curled up into a half-smile. "The illusion can be enticing."
"I’d rather have the truth."
"Hmm." Madeline paused and began walking the other way. "What do you know of the parameters of your loan?"
"You are to return me to Section Four before the next full moon or take precautions."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, ma’am."
Unsurprised, Madeline gave him a rough outline off the mission spec. She and Paul hadn’t quite nailed down the particulars but she wasn’t worried. This was a very small mission, just not one her operatives were equipped to handle. "Do you think you’ll be able to manage it? If not, I can send you back to Section Four without consequence."
"I’ll be fine."
"You’re confident. Good. Well, then, in about two weeks you’ll be back behind your monitors and lab tables in Section Four. Unless, of course, you prefer the life of a Section One operative and choose to stay. We can never have too many computer geniuses."
His nostrils flared, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Madeline nodded, pleased. Still... "Whatever it is you’d like to say, I’d like to hear it."
He seemed to weigh the veracity of her words. "I don’t want to belong to another Section, ma’am."
"May I ask why?"
"As I said, everything I need is at Four and nothing outside of Four is really interesting. Four is home."
"Your name is Oz, isn’t it?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma’am."
She smiled. “I wonder how much longer you’ll be able to live up to that name." On her last cycle around him, she broke off and went for the door. This time he did track her with his eyes. Pausing, she said, “Someone from Wardrobe will come and get you changed, then you’ll meet your teammates and we can discuss the Sunnydale mission."
"Yes, ma’am."
Fin[ite]
AN2: I’m curious about Oz’s personality here. To un-Ozish? I felt like I was channeling a particular char from another fandom I’ve been reading a lot of lately. Also I'm surprised there's no tag for this fandom. I thought I did a cross last year. Maybe that was for the drabble side? Hmm.