Shoot to Kill, Part 2: Safehouse

Posted on Sat Aug 16th, 2025 @ 10:23pm by Lieutenant Alisha Reno & Lieutenant JG Jane Sinclair

2,171 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: The Next Myogi
Location: Holodeck

It has been too long — far too long — since Jane and Alisha could enjoy holodeck time together. Within days of their last holodeck break, they had to defend the Federation Council and Starfleet Command from insurrectionists, win auto races against the Andorian crew of the USS Haruna, brought Taiga Aisaka back to her own ship (you’d think an escort mission would be easy, but not with her), Alisha left to film the Allura movie only to be captured by the forces of deranged Governor Hartley, went to Rheuys to stop weapons smuggling, and then finally fought the Confederacy at Braxus. And now they were fighting the Iconians.

Never a dull moment. Never a quiet moment.

But there was a short break. A lull in the action. Enough that Jane and her fiancée (that word did not get old) could enjoy resuming their holodeck program.

“Computer,” Jane said, dressed in her outfit of a white shirt, grey jacket, grey skirt, black pantyhose, and black flats, “load program ‘Shoot to Kill’.”

“Program complete.” The holodeck door opened, revealing a beautiful coastal scene beyond.

“Shall we?”

"Why, of course!" Alisha held out her hand and squeezed Jane's from the flowing robe she wore. She'd kept what was under it a secret from her fiancee purely so she could get a reaction from her in the program. "Time to be the poor, helpless girl that you have to save, isn't it?"

---

The sunlit villa on the Northern coast of France, just outside Caen, was a little piece of Crown-owned luxury that intelligence officer Jane Sinclair was glad to use.

Giving Ginger Fox a moment to calm herself and get ready for dinner, Jane had taken time to brief M on the situation so far. She had taken out a few goons in the employ of this Carter Graham fellow, both keeping the Toussaint heiress safe and getting Ginger out of Paris, but Graham himself remained untouchable. For now at least.

She finished organizing some things in the living room and went out onto the balcony, waiting for the security-cleared cook and maid to finish making dinner and for the asset to come out and join her.

Ginger walked out, wearing a new set of strappy heels as the now-loosely-sashed robe billowed out around her bare legs while she joined Sinclair out on the balcony. There was an unreadable expression on her face, what appeared to be a combination of angst and excitement. A gust of a breeze caught the robe and the glimpse of a shiny green was visible for a brief moment while she reached out to grasp the balcony, red hair still damp from an apparent shower. "I... Need to thank you again for what you did for me back there. G-God only knows where they would have taken me if you hadn't shown up."

“I know it’s hard, but try not to think about that,” Jane said. She kept a cool expression as she watched Ginger come out onto the balcony, though out of character, Jane’s heart was racing. “Besides, you were doing well against them before I pulled you away.”

Eyes staring at the ground, Ginger shook her head, "My father told me that there's a limit to anyone when it comes to interrogation." This wasn't just a saying for Alisha, clearly evident in her tone, "So sometimes it's best to just give the information, but with what I know? I.. I also can't believe that this was coincidence, because a few weeks there was an incident at the Royal Institute. They tried to keep it hushed, but there was a break-in that Security couldn't pin down. Whoever did it knew where the security system was and erased all the footage, all while avoiding the security sweeps and getting into the Biological Warfare division laboratories. I was part of the damage assessment team and we reconstructed what we think was missing, even though the fire consumed the primary workstation that had most of the samples and most of our research notes. We were able to confirm that none of the viral strands were taken and unless they took pictures of the notes, they didn't get those either. There were two of my colleagues there as well, but they were killed apparently when they got in the way. They were in a rush, it all looks like it happened in the span of seven minutes, according to the report by Security, which coincides with their patrol cycles."

“So someone who knew the Institute’s security system,” Jane said, “and with no compunctions about killing, got inside, stole something, and did their best to hide their tracks. What did you conclude they took?”

"Data on test results and the pandemic spread gaming results on this virus, personnel files and at least some of the genetic sequencing of the virus that we had completed earlier that day, but it had been incomplete because we broke those files into multiple parts for a blind study with some outside consultants to look for any dead ends we didn't see." Ginger looked out over the coastline, "Not that they could replicate the virus even if they had that, but it's useful information. The Institute has taken steps to avoid a similar break-in while they're rebuilding the laboratory and we have another two sets of viral samples in secure locations where security has been increased as well." Her stomach growled audibly and she glanced away embarrassed again.

Jane smirked at the sound. “Dinner should be ready. Let’s go inside.”

"I would appreciate that..." Ginger said quietly before taking one last look over the ocean, as if searching for something, then turned to go inside.

Inside, two place settings had been laid out across from each other and at each one was a plate of freshly steamed mussels in a white wine sauce. An appropriately paired vintage of chardonnay was poured in each glass. Between them, the rest of the bottle and a bowl for their shells. The cook/maid was nowhere to be found.

“Is Graham’s firm handling the Institute’s security needs?” Jane asked as she pulled a seat out for Ginger.

"No, they aren't," Ginger slipped into the chair with the ease of someone who was used to that sort of courtesy, "The Institute has their own security team and since the break-in has been supplemented by a unit from the SAS at the Head's request until more secure measures are taken. They are.. Unhappy with the security arrangements because they have provided researchers to assist us in our work. You see, while we are concerned about Russia launching an attack with bioweapons, most specifically a genetically modified targeted virus, I have been partnered WITH Graham Securities to work on developing countermeasures to these threats." She perked up and leaned forward as she dished some of the mussels onto her plate, the shells already opened by the cooking process, "If we're able to locate their bioweapons, a thermobaric strike could annihilate the virus, but if launched by missile, I have theorized that only a direct strike from a countermissile could properly neutralize it, a glancing strike would only serve to spread the virus over the flight path. But we're working on a more effective method." She slowed with the first mussel on the way to her mouth, "Sorry, it must seem rather nerdy to be excited over something like this.."

“Everyone’s passionate about something,” Jane replied, finishing her own first mussel. “And all the better if what excites you involves protecting people.” She pried another from its open shell. “Do you know anything about those men who were harassing you?"

"Aside from that they were armed and very, VERY insistent on talking to me alone?" Ginger shook her head slowly, "Not much at all about them. They told me that if I made a scene out in the Expo that a lot of people would get hurt and I thought I could get someone's attention if they tried to take me out the back." A slight moue crossed her face as she mentioned the last part, before a small smile, "I guess I did just that, didn't I?" She popped the mussel in her mouth before chewing a couple times and swallowing, then giving a quizzical look, "You don't think Graham would have sent them to take me, do you? To show that we don't have enough security at the Institute for what we're doing? Or maybe..."

“Have they done something to make you suspicious?” Jane asked.

"I don't know, the researcher of his I work with has been asking a lot of questions, but I thought maybe they're just playing Devil's Advocate in our goals.." Ginger deposited the shell of the second mussel before using her fork to take a chunk out of the perfectly formed mound of rice and eating it, "But he was asking a lot about resistance to UV and environmental conditions necessary for optimal dispersal of some of the vectors we're expecting from the Russians, then in relation to what we're working with now. even to the point of using specific cities as examples like London, New York, Paris, Rome, Los Angeles just to name a couple. It would help with countering a successful attack, sure, but we're looking at preventing said attack, there's another section that's responsible for local responses." She trailed off once more.

“That sounds more and more like trying to make an attack more effective,” Jane observed. “It’s one thing to be hypothetical, but another to speculate quite so specifically.”

"That's what I was thinking, and that happened the evening before the break-in happened, so I really didn't have a lot of time to consider it before other things took priority." Ginger shook her head slowly, "I don't want to think that Graham would want a bio-war, because it could have unforeseen circumstances if it got out of control, but what if he's using me to do the research for something like that? No, he's an entrepreneur, why would he want bioweapons?" She glanced away for a moment, "What do you think?"

“Perhaps tomorrow we drive back to London and visit Graham Securities,” Jane suggested. “Maybe you can introduce me to Carter Graham. And we can see if there’s anything more we can learn. But all of that tomorrow. Tonight, we have the house to ourselves.” She raised her glass toward Ginger.

It was a particular shrug of the shoulder that she used to lift her own glass slightly towards Jane, but the robe slipped off the shoulder to reveal another splash of metallic green, "To ourselves? Not that I doubt your ability, but shouldn't there be more security?"

“There are guards,” Jane said reassuringly. “But their perimeter is far enough away. They’ll be here in seconds if the alarm is raised, but that won’t happen. Besides, no one followed us. No one knows this is an MI6 safe house. So that leaves us, alone, in a quiet beach house on the Channel. I like that shade of green,” she added before sipping her wine.

Another thought came through Ginger's eyes, but it vanished even as it did as if considered and dismissed... Or accepted. Ginger took another drink of her own wine and stood, taking a step towards the side of the table, one hand playing with the sash at her waist before tugging on the quick-release knot in it. The robe slipped from her shoulders, leaving her in a metallic green bikini that glittered from the overhead lighting, "Do you really? How much do you like it?"

“Favourite colour,” Jane answered quietly. She shifted her chair back and sideways, and took Ginger’s hands, pulling her onto her lap, Ginger’s knees to either side of Jane’s hips. “It is still dangerous out there. You’d best stay close.”

Ginger made her hands useful by going around the back of Jane's neck and caressing it gently, a sly smile on her face, "I think I can do that," One hand came back around and flicked the top button of the secret agent's blouse undone with an expert move, "How can I repay your kindness? For the rescue?"

“You’ll think of something.” One of Jane’s hands gently but firmly ran through Ginger’s red hair — careful not to displace Alisha’s lovely hairpiece — and pulled her face down for an intense kiss. The other hand found and engaged the release for the green bikini top.

A quiet but muffled yelp from Ginger at the sudden release of pressure didn't stop her from mid-kiss as she proceeded to show how she would indeed repay the secret agent.

END


Jane Sinclair
MI6 Agent 007, Licence to Kill
(Portrayed by LTJG Jane Sinclair, Chief Flight Control Officer, USS Myogi)

Ginger Fox
Microbiologist for the Royal Institute
(Portrayed by LT Alisha Reno, Air Boss, USS Myogi)

 

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