The Walking Dead

[Abbygale Porter]

Secret Government Facility-

Abby stood in between Ashley and Agent A'mira Stormborn staring back at a dumbfounded Victoria. "Yeah, this is real," Abby said. "We're real."

Ashley bowed and extended Victoria's kliden in offering, "Sorry for deceiving you."

"Look, if we are going to stop the Four Horsemen now is the time," Abby said. She was generally direct. "They are all here on Terra Alpha. They have thrown everything at the Alliance."

A'mira glanced down at Abby and nodded, "You should tell her."

Abby sighed and sat down next to Victoria, but made no move to make contact. "Where do I start?" She asked looking at A'mira.

"Generally at the beginning."

Abby sighed, "Yeah, okay. Well, the Four Horsemen were not going to stop until we were all dead. As you know first hand. Agent Stormborn here approached me, and because of my time with the Senate Intelligence Committee, we already had a working relationship. Because of their height, Narlins find it difficult to infiltrate other governments. They will often employ other races, which is where Ashley and I come in. We've been infiltrating the Romulan Empire. But, it's what the Narlins do when they don't use other races. It is that method that allowed us to fake our deaths."

-12 Weeks Earlier, Cascadia-

The silent morning was broken by the sound of fighting. The house that Victoria, Abby, and Ashley had rented as a hideout was a hideout no longer. They had been discovered.

Ian stood a good meter from Abby as he lifted her off the deck with the ijulna strangling her. As she choked and kicked in the air he threw her into the wall of the house unconscious.


Ian looked back at his sister and glared, "Are you going to help?"

Órlaith stood wide-eyed and took a couple of steps backward. "I want no part of this," she replied. "These people are not my enemy."

Ian growled at her before drawing his kliden and closing in on Ashley. The Walker girl was okay with a kliden, but she was no match for him. He was an heir to the Ajem'dasis Empire being constructedby his parents.

They dodged, jumped, rolled, and parried each other's attacks. Occasionally a kliden would miss completely and slice into something: deck railing, a picnic table, or some piece of the house's exterior.

Finally, he struck the killing blow, a disarming move removed Ashley's kliden hand and a plunge to the hilt in the chest. The young Ajem'dasis apprentice collapsed to the deck.

Smiling in triumph he removed the British woman's head and tossed it to his sister who stepped aside in disgust.

"That's your trophy. I don't want anything to do with that." Her face was green and she turned and ran into the bushes where he could hear her retching.

Ian chuckled as he made sure Abby was dead by running his kliden through her heart and lungs, and with a cloth bag he had stored on his person he stuffed Ashley's head inside all the while whistling "God Save the Queen."

**

Abby sucked in air as she was severed from the link. She clawed at a pair of chrome disks with embedded blinking LEDs at her temples. Ashley next to her looked as queer as she felt.

"Easy," A'mira soothed. "Just breath. It's always a shock to be severed from the link like that."

"I felt like I died," Abby moaned in pain.

"In a way you did. The link perfectly overlays your consciousness into the replica. We have lost a few agents over the years when their replica was killed. Sometimes the shock is too much for their body to handle."

"You didn't tell us that," Abby said bitterly.

"Would it have made any difference?" A'mira asked logically.

"No, I suppose not. Dominus and his ilk would not rest until we were dead. As you can see." She touched the disk on her right temple, but this time she prodded it gingerly. "Are these things supposed to cause a splitting headache?"

"Not generally, but they were designed for Narlin physiology. It may be an adverse reaction to the neural link." She glanced over he shoulder, "Rest assured your vitals are perfectly normal. Other than an elevated heart rate, but considering you just witnessed your own death that's to be expected."

A'mira picked up a tool shaped like a wrench and placed the jaws on either side of the left neural link, pressed a button and it fell away which she caught with her free hand. She repeated the process with the right link. "Better?"

Abby rubbed her temples, "Yeah, a lot, but instead of nails being driven into my skull it's just a normal bad headache."

A'mira nodded, "I'll send for a doctor to check you. Welcome to Narlin Intelligence. Rest up, we have a mission for you two at the end of the week."

Abby frowned, and then nodded, "Yeah, okay."

[Victoria Underwood]

Victoria took in the story and just stared at her lover who she was convinced was dead and then restrained herself from wanting to slap her and chuckled and that chuckle turned into a full on laugh and she held her sides after laughing for almost a straight minute.

"Sooo... I nearly die... get myself rebuilt and you two were working for Narlin Intel all along?" Tori rolled her eye sand sighed. "When this whole thing is over, you and me are getting re-acquainted because your ass is mine Porter." she looked at the Kilden and handed it back to Ashley. "Keep it. I'm trying something new." she produced a newly crafted kilden with a delicate floral pattern that wrapped around the metal tube and looked more like a piece of art than a weapon.

[Abbygale Porter]

"That is beautiful," Ashley cooed.

"I'm sorry I had to lie to you my love," Abby said. "But, that was part of the bargain. You had to actually believe we were dead. Everyone did. But, as part of their bargain NID was supposed to keep a watch over you."

"We took the opportunity to convince Dominus and the others that you were dead. That is why we didn't intervene in your attack. However, we did everything in our power to direct the right people to you to rescue in time," A'mira added.

"At any rate," Abby stated, "Admiral Sandoval has requested your help. She's taking the fight directly to Dominus. Intelligence suggests he and Ian are leading the assault on Capital City."

[Victoria Underwood]

"Alright... even if it sounds entirely Sandoval Suicidal... on two conditions." Victoria said as she held up two fingers. "One. They take this tracker out of me when this is all over. I'll have earned their respect by saving their damn planet. And two. Sandoval herself does Abby and my marriage ceremony. She has to officiate. And she has to smile. So three things." she added a third finger. "I'm a simple woman, I have nearly nothing in terms of assets, power or influence, but I don't need that much. I see that now. Of course, I need a planet under me that's not being ruled over by a mad man."

[A'mira Stormborn]

"If you wish," A'mira started. "There are a number of uninhabited and inhabited worlds within the Empire that we can set you up on."

Abby smiled and laid her hand over Tori's hand. "I actually like that idea. I don't think living on Terra Alpha or New Georgia would be a good idea. We have after all made several enemies. As for your conditions no one here has the power to make that call. I was dead and I lost my Senate seat after all."

"Well, I can probably help with the tracker removal," A'mira announced. "We have a number of open cases of murder and espionage in the Empire that I can get you three tied to. I can get you extradited, and suddenly the evidence isn't there and you are free to go."

[Victoria Underwood]

"Sounds like an excellent plan. As long as I have Abbygale at my side, I've got all I need. I'll be entirely honest, the thought of suicide did go through my mind more than once, but... after all the work the Drs. Kellow-Ryder put into me... hardly seemed... hospitable and you know us Southern gals and our sense of hospitality." Victoria said with her natural accent coming out. "Now... we do need to focus on the Ajem'dasis acolytes that are no doubt leading the clone warriors. Mindtricks may work on them but that'd be too taxing. However... if I know Dominus and his 'horsemen' as you call them like I do, I'm pretty sure they put in some mechanical means of controlling their troops. That many people with guns and well... overthrow from within is a possibility, even bred in loyalty like Jem'Hadar only goes so far."

[Abbygale Porter]

"If I were Bellatrix I'd have it so they are programed to follow me with a fail safe that instantly kills them." Abby said tapping her chin with an index finger.

[Victoria Underwood]

"We need to get Rebecca Talon in this... or if not her at least something that can look like her, make them be like lemmings off a cliff." Tori mused and crossed her arms. "Although we really do need to get our hands on a clone or two or three... and then see what I can find out." she put her arms around Abbygale and kissed her neck. "And I think I have a way of doing that... " she glanced at Ashley. "I trust you remember your school history lessons... Trojan horse?"

[Ashley Walker]

"Yes...." Ashley replied suspiciously. "You know bloody well I do."

[Victoria Underwood]

"Then hoist the girls, put on some lip gloss and practice your most pouty, 'you captured me' face. Because for this to work, they're going to have think you are simply another high value person of interest and take you to their leader. Even your name alone will make them go 'I thought she was dead, let's take her to the boss'. Of course, you won't be unarmed and you won't be alone, just need to get them to think you need more than a phaser to the skull, so they call in a second or third guard."