Chapter Text
“Let me get this straight, you think The Voice is getting funding through Sistemics?” Alex asked as Shelby continued to type furiously.
“Not all of it,” she answered, not even looking up from the screen that held her concentration, “they’re too smart to put all their eggs in one basket. But from what I can tell there is some sort of transfer taking place.”
Alex ran her fingers through her hair, exasperated and confused.
“This is crazy! How can Sistemics be a front for the terrorist? It’s been around since before any of us even got to Quantico,” Alex got quieter, glancing at the sleeping body on the couch.
“I know, I know it sounds crazy,” Shelby sighed, sitting up and looking at Alex, “We don’t know how long this has been going on. We don’t know if Sistemics is funneling donations to our guy, or if they’re just some kind of laundering front. We just don’t know yet. We thought these were two separate problems, but what if they’re not? I mean, it makes sense.”
“What are you talking about?”
“We know, we’ve always known, that this is an inside job. I mean god, they thought it was someone in our class!” Shelby shot to her feet and began pacing, “Elias may have been guilty but he wasn’t behind all of this. That doesn’t mean The Voice isn’t still hidden among us. They know things Alex, things about us that they shouldn’t. And regardless of the reason, Sistemics has been a part of Caleb’s life for longer than even we know. They may be targeting you, but that hasn’t stopped them from messing with the rest of us. It makes sense.”
“Ok you’re right, I know you’re right. But what does this mean for us Shelby? What’s our next move?”
Shelby slowed to a stop, a look of determination on her face and a sparkle in her eye.
“Shelby,” Alex said slowly, “I know that look. I know that look and I usually don’t like what it means.”
Shelby smiled slyly.
“Trust me, you definitely won’t like this.”
§~§~§
Alex spent weeks trying to convince Shelby not to go. She watched helplessly as Shelby built an alias, gathered necessary gear, and pulled together as much capital as she could get her hands on.
“Shelby you don’t have to do this…you can’t do this!”
Unfazed, Shelby stood admiring her own reflection in the mirror; adjusting the hat she wore perched on the back of her head before turning around to grab her bag. She pulled out her wallet; checking just one more time that the check she had written out was still there. The amount was a bit lower this time, since her goal meant attracting a little less attention than she had before. As she dropped her wallet back in her bag and prepared to leave, Alex began pacing.
“We know better than anyone how airtight Sistemics is Alex. The only way anyone is getting any intel out of there is by going in to get it.”
“Yea and you know better than anyone what that place did to-“
Shelby focused her icy stare squarely on Alex and snapped, “Caleb wasn’t trained then he was just a kid.”
The tone in her voice made Alex’s skin turn cold. She didn’t like it.
“His history with those people is what prevented that rescue mission of his from getting off the ground. That won’t be an issue for me. With the amount of money I’ll be offering-“
“What if somebody recognizes you from the last time, or your name Shelby you handed them a check with your real name on it-“
“No, no I made sure I got that check back. And I promise you; the secretary who saw it was focused on the zeroes. But just to be safe I did surveil the place a bit. I never saw her, not once. Even though I really don’t think she even noticed my name on that check. But anyway that’s the reason for the alias, right? I’ve got fresh checks and everything,” she smirked.
“Can’t it be cash? What if they try and trace the name back, it’s only existed-“
Shelby put on a pout; “I’m a little upset that you have so little confidence in me.”
“Shelby please.”
“Don’t worry Alex, I created a paper trail and built a solid alias. Besides, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, with the money I can provide they probably won’t even check it.”
Alex’s brow furrowed and she stepped closer to Shelby, who lifted her eyes to meet Alex’s.
“But if they do Shelby,” she started, fear in her voice, “if they do you’ll be ok, right?”
An expression Alex didn’t recognize flashed across Shelby’s face, but only for an instant, and then Shelby was the one who was stepping closer.
“Trust me Alex, even if there are any cracks, they won’t be able to see them with all the dollar signs blocking their vision,” she grinned ear to ear, and then began to head towards the door.
Before she knew what she was doing, Alex had reached out and grabbed Shelby’s wrist. They were so close now, shoulder to shoulder, and where Alex had felt so cold before she now felt warmth blossoming across her skin. She looked into Shelby’s eyes and saw them soften, for her.
“Shelby…” she didn’t know what to say.
“I’ll be ok Alex,” Shelby said quietly, her tone suddenly serious.
Alex hesitated, feeling Shelby’s breath on her skin.
“Natalie probably thought the same thing, and I just-“
“Alex,” Shelby said firmly, taking Alex’s hands in hers, “I’m going to come back from this.”
They stayed that way for a minute, holding tight, until Alex finally nodded and let her hands drop to her sides. She stepped back and watched Shelby walk through the door.
She just hoped it wasn’t for the last time.
§~§~§
From the outside, the building looked old and important. The inside was newer and more modern, but no less grand. She let her eyes wander, even appreciating the art on the walls, wondering what they would say if they could talk.
And then she realized she was being grossly cliché and moved towards the front desk.
She was greeted warmly, as she had been before, luckily by another receptionist. She was told once again that she would need to return another time, when an introductory seminar was scheduled for group intake. She pulled out the check.
“That’s not everything,” she said sheepishly, putting on a slight drawl “I just wasn’t sure, you know? And I wouldn’t want to cause you folks any inconvenience, I just…well I guess I didn’t know where else to go. I figured this might be the only place where my demons wouldn’t be able to catch up to me.”
She punctuated her lie with a sickly sweet smile, batting her eyelashes and doing her best to look as vulnerable as possible.
It worked. Before she knew what was happening, she was sitting in an ornate office with the equivalent of an intake officer. She was right where she needed to be, with someone high enough on the totem pole to be making decisions like this, but not high enough to put herself at risk.
He was young, and attractive, objectively. She guessed he was probably around her age, if not a little older. And he was tall, since she’d been looking up at him when they shook hands. He looked fit under his suit, looked like the kind of guy you would find at the gym after work. His dark hair framed his face in a flattering way, complemented by the short, neatly trimmed beard that gave him a kind of rugged quality. Shelby briefly imagined cutting a diamond with the man’s jawline before realizing he was offering her something to drink. She politely declined, on edge.
“Well alright. My name is Clay, Clay Johnson. I’ve been told you have…well, that you have a lot to offer us,” he smiled.
It made her sick, but she said nothing. She stared at him with a blank look, hoping to make him believe he held all the power.
“I’ve also been told you may be running from some things.”
Her face fell.
“That is true sir, but I promise it’s nothing that could do you good folks any harm. It’s just…” she trailed off, reeling him in.
“It’s ok honey, you’re in a safe place.”
The pet name made her skin crawl, but she managed a smile. As she began her story, she hoped her classmates wouldn’t mind her…borrowing just a little.
“I guess I might as well start at the beginning, with my parents. They were…good people once, I think. But life was hard on ‘em, and they had their vices. Drinking, drugs…you name it, they probably did it. They never, ever laid a hand on me, but they fought with each other. They fought about everything, the house, money-“
“Money?” Clay raised a suspicious eyebrow, thinking she’d made a mistake.
“Oh yes sir. My money, that came from my grandparents. They died before I was even born, but they’d put it in a trust for me, made sure my parents could never touch it. I think it truly tore ‘em apart, drove ‘em crazy. My father he…he killed my mother, and then he turned the gun on himself.”
She began to sniffle, and Clay pushed forward a box of tissues.
“After seein’ somethin’ like that-“
“You saw it?”
“Yes sir.”
Good, she thought. He’s sitting there thinking he just reeled in the richest, most fucked up pawn of them all.
“Anyway,” she continued softly, “I didn’t know what to do. I was really lost for a while, really messed up, you know?”
He nodded, clearly intrigued.
“That’s when I met Robert.”
“Robert?”
She smiled sweetly, “My Robbie. He saved me. He got me my job at the bank-“
“Oh, you work at a bank? That’s lovely.”
His words felt more predatory the longer she weaved her tale.
“Yes sir, I started as a teller and worked my way up into management. All thanks to Robbie,” she let her face fall, “But there must be somethin’ about me that attracts it.”
“Attracts it?”
“Yes sir. He fell to the same vices as my parents. He even…” she trailed off, bringing her hand to her face as if to wipe away a tear, “well sir, I feel so very ashamed about it but he even started beatin’ me.”
She hung her head, even added in more sniffles for effect.
“Well now sweetheart, that is not something you should be feeling ashamed about alright?”
“But I stayed with him! For far too long sir, far too long…”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Well, I think I was just too easily conned by his charm, you know? He would apologize, and I would take him back, only for it to happen all over again. I just wasn’t strong enough to get rid of him.”
“Until now?” he coaxed.
“Until now,” she said, looking up again with a weak but confident smile, “I’m just tryin’ to get my life back together again, you know? And I just…I really feel like you can help me do that.”
“You may be right about that,” he declared, a toothy grin stretching across his features, “In fact I think we should get you started in our introductory program right away.”
He began pulling paperwork from drawers to be filled out, but then he paused and shook his head, chuckling to himself.
“Where on earth are my manners? Through all of this, I forgot to ask you your name.”
“My name? Well sir, my name is Eve Morrison.”