Homeless Forsaken Betrayed and Alone (Earth: Final Conflict)

[estinose]

I mention in the author's notes of this fic that I got the title from a character in a Doctor Who New Adventures novel. Which one, I have no clue. (The title of the novel, that is; obviously I remember the character's!)

This is Jonathan Doors circa the episode "Crossfire", as he hides away.


Disclaimer: The characters present and mentioned in this story belong to Tribune and Roddenberry-Kirschner, among others.

Spoilers: Crossfire (2nd season finale)

Author's note: In an effort to broaden my horizons (I don't write about Liam all the time, y'know :), I've been working with other character. This time, it's Doors' turn to get mangled. The title, btw, comes from one of the new Doctor Who print adventures - it is, believe it or not, typical of one species' adoptive names....

Homeless Forsaken Betrayed and Alone
by Selma McCrory
copyright 1999

Jonathan Doors huddled in the small, seemingly locked closet. Nobody had fixed the door since before he had worked there, a decade or two before. Most people assumed it was locked; a select few employees had been taught the secret of opening it. He had been one of them.

He sat there, pointing his gun at the door, just in case any Companion Security agents got wise to where he was. There was that possibility, if they thought to look. Those few co-workers who shared his knowledge he would just have to deal with. Fortunately, he retained contacts within the company, old friends and acquaintances who shared his fear of the Taelons' purpose on Earth.

But for the moment, this place was safe. He didn't have anywhere else to go, not with the Taelons cracking down on his people. As it was, he'd have to hope that those sympathizers within the building got the message - lay low. Live to fight another day.

Nobody knew where he was, although a few would find out. He had no global, no way to contact the outside world. Augur and Liam were who-knows-where, the three of them being separated when the Taelons busted the room where they were hiding. Augur - well, Augur was probably back down in the former headquarters with Liam. Both of them had the sense to run.

It galled him to remember that he had lost most, if not all, of his deep-cover operatives. Liam had been able to get in touch with both Belman and Park on his global. Liam's own cover had no doubt been blown at this point. He had no one to tell him what was going on.

And he - the whole world - had his son to thank for that. Just when he thought Joshua was turning into a decent person, he found he'd been wrong. Joshua's stinging remarks had touched him, made him angrier. _I may or may not have been responsible for her death, but to cost thousands of people their lives because you wanted to get revenge on your father?_

He owed the world an apology, should anyone be left to apologize to. Because of one man's stupidity - his own *son's* stupidity, the human race was going to die. And he was responsible, for Joshua was his responsibility.

_What did I do wrong?_ he wondered. _What would twist Joshua so badly that he'd betray his own species, his own planet, just to see his father's life ruined?_ He no doubt would never find out. He just hoped that Joshua would pay for what he'd done.

Because he, Jonathan Doors, planned to survive. He planned to put the Liberation back together and give the planet a fighting chance. He couldn't die, not yet. Not when he had so much to do.

And he'd do it alone again, if he needed to. Yes, he was alone, crouching in a closet and hiding. But aloneness was a transitory state, especially for him. There were others out there who had hidden their true feelings about the Taelons, people he could be with and could use.

Footsteps. He froze, raising the gun higher. But they continued along, and he relaxed slightly. Nobody knew he was here, in hiding, alone. Why would they? Left alone, he continued to plan.

-end