Synopsis:

DEBUTANTE; a young woman making her formal entrance into society.

Nicole re-enters society and finds her new job has still more obstacles to overcome -- and a reason to persevere.

Story:

Amazon — Part 4: Debutante
By Itinerant
Edited by Amelia R

Biographer's Note: This is Nicole's story. It covers those events and people she finds notable in her life and chooses to share. If you have problems with it, take it up with her. I'm just a glorified stenographer.

DEBUTANTE; a young woman making her formal entrance into society.

********
Thursday, January 4, 2001
The cabin

Nicole shook her hair out as she came down the stairs from her bedroom. She had just cleaned up after taking care of the horse stalls, and her hair was drying after her morning shower as she made her way to the kitchen for breakfast. ~It’s a lot of work, but I’m really getting to like my hair like this,~ she thought as she ran her fingers through her long, red locks.

She quickly gathered her meal and sat down at the table, joining Michael who already occupied one of the other chairs.

“Ready to move, Nicole? You're due to report in to the office tomorrow morning for orientation.” Michael smiled at his charge as he focused closely on her to gauge her reaction.

She chewed her lower lip as she considered her answer. “I’m not sure.” She frowned as she looked from her breakfast to Michael. “Yes and no; I know it’s time to move on, and it's not like reporting to a new company is a novelty, but I don’t feel ready to start living out in the world as a woman.” She took a bite and chewed for a moment. “I can’t help but feel a little scared.”

He nodded in response. “It would have helped had things worked out as originally intended.” The redhead’s face reflected irritation as Michael continued, “I know; I know. It wasn’t all your doing. You’ll just have to cope as best you can with the consequences.” He shook his head. “I have a couple of last minute items for you and then we can work at getting you moved into your new apartment near Washington, D.C.”

“I’ve never lived in that area before, and I wish I had time to really take advantage of being there. Beth and I did the tourist thing once about 20 years ago and took in the sights for about a week.” She smiled. “When you first came and mentioned you worked for the Smithsonian, I thought back to that trip. That museum was one of my favorite stops during our visit.” A contemplative look crossed her face, followed by a flash of grief. “And thinking of Beth, how is she doing, Michael?"

Michael gave her a gentle smile. "She had a hard Christmas, too. She didn't visit anyone, and I couldn't send anyone overtly, but I did have one of my angels with Beth giving what comfort she could. She seems to be planning to visit a friend in Florida soon."

Nicole nodded. "That would be Roberta Wines. She's a long-time friend in the Melbourne area who lost her husband about two years ago." She looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled a bit. "I can't think of a better person for her to visit. We met her and her husband, Eddie, shortly after we were married, and we've been close friends ever since. You'll keep an eye on her anyway, right?"

"Yes, she'll be watched and cared for as long as she lives. She made a huge sacrifice as well, and I'll keep my promises to her and you."

Nicole closed her eyes momentarily as the wave of sadness passed. "Thank you, Michael. That helps. So what's next?"

“Well, you’ll be sharing an apartment with another woman who works for the same company you’ll be joining. She’s in the field right now, and won’t be back for another month or so. You'll need these for the morning as well." He handed her a large manila envelope with her Virginia Driver’s License, employment offer letter, lease agreement, apartment keys, a car rental agreement, and keys for the car, a white Toyota Corolla.

“You set all this up when?” Nicole asked as she examined the contents.

“The company is one I set up some time ago, called Wing Ground Sensor Systems. It’s a legitimate, productive company and useful for low-key operations around the world as it provides equipment and support services for subterranean exploration. Since we send teams into all parts of the world, team leaders are required to have a military background so we can provide protection in the wilder areas. That provides cover for your tour in the Marines.

“The company also has a deal with an apartment complex, ‘The Windsor at Fair Lakes,’ to provide housing for our employees. It’s a nice place that’s close to the office; the field employees share apartments so there is usually someone there to keep an eye on things. There's a room for an office you two will share as well.” He smiled a bit. “I hope you like the furniture.”

A thin, red eyebrow rose as Nicole responded, “As if I’d complain about a freebie? Michael, I’m crazy, not stupid!” She managed to hold a straight face for only a moment before the smile escaped from its incarceration. “I’ll go start packing if that’s alright; are you available to help me shuttle things to the apartment?”

“I was planning on it; I’ll come with you, and we’ll get things taken care of now.”

*****

The packing was complete; she and Michael had moved her possessions from the cabin to her apartment in less than an hour. Even the myriad personal hygiene items had been corralled and transported. The work was done; now it was time to say one last goodbye, but first....

"Michael?"

"Yes, Nicole?"

"Once I leave, will I ever be able to come back here? I'd at least like to be able to see Elizabeth once in a while, and this..." she waved a hand around at the cabin, "this place is as close as I have to a home." A slight shimmer reflected from Nicole's eyes as she contemplated the loss of her friend and the only home she had now.

The angel nodded as he responded, "This is my retreat. Elizabeth will eventually join you; it wouldn't be fair to you or her to separate you two. She needs you as much as you need her." He smiled. "Besides, I mean it when I call you 'daughter.' This is your home now, too, and you are always welcome; all you need to do is call."

A slight 'oof' escaped as the redhead hugged him in gratitude. A muffled "Thank you" sounded from where Nicole's face was buried in his shoulder.

*****

Nicole walked down the slope toward the pasture, enjoying the softly scented air. This evening she would leave this place and return to the world she’d left behind six weeks ago. Two weeks ago she'd have turned cartwheels at the thought, but the first rush of anger was past, and regret at leaving this peace and comfort wrapped her thoughts like a shroud.

She shook her head and tried to keep her seething anger from another eruption. Michael would have rebuked her if he was close enough, and she still needed Artemis to accomplish her job. Besides, this was her last chance to spend time with Elizabeth, her filly. The poor horse shouldn't be left wondering why her rider was angry.

As Nicole walked up, Elizabeth was waiting at the fence with her head hanging over the top rail. Nicole caressed the now familiar head and neck, murmuring quietly to the animal as she dug a carrot from her back pocket. As the last of the treat vanished, Nicole asked aloud, "How about a short ride this afternoon, baby?" She didn't wait for an answer as she hopped over the fence and walked to the barn. The horse followed her rider eagerly, anxious for the attention. Blanket, saddle, and bridle were placed on the horse and secured; the practice of the last few weeks showed in the redhead's smooth, efficient work. The filly knew what the expectations were and cooperated.

While working efficiently, Nicole took time to enjoy this interaction. Elizabeth had become her near-constant companion over the last two weeks. They’d ride out early in the day to quiet spots in the forest where Nicole would put herself through exercises and practice while her horse nibbled on the grass that somehow grew despite the trees. At first, her fury at Artemis fueled the workouts and provided a shield against the feelings of isolation; as the first week closed, she’d begun to acknowledge the aching emptiness in her heart. The second week had found several sessions opening with wrenching sobs.

~Why? Why couldn't Artemis just accept her as she was -- that the man, Tom, was gone and in his place was an entirely new person, a woman named Nicole? If she couldn't do *that*, why not at least be *honest*? It had been fun, hard as Tom would have found it to believe, to just let go and *be*, to relax and absorb all the events and skills.~ She had wallowed for a time in the sheer, sensual delight of a strong, healthy, youthful body that seemed to feel every thread of the soft clothing she wore -- sensations that Tom had never felt and never would have appreciated if he had.

Within minutes, horse and rider disappeared into the forest to enjoy the last time together that they would have for months.

*****

Elizabeth was restless. The afternoon ride was unusual, but the chance to wander the hills, forest, and meadows with her mistress was always a joy to the filly. The time had begun with both in high spirits -- Nicole laughing and whooping as she and Elizabeth danced through the trees together.

Now, though, the horse sensed the sadness in her rider as they walked into the barn together. The intense affection of rider for horse was displayed in the slow, careful, almost intimate removal of each piece of riding gear. Each item was lovingly examined, cleaned, and stored against a hoped-for return. Each removal preceded and followed by gentle brushing and stroking.

Only the bridle remained. Nicole gently, lovingly, caressed the flanks of the animal. She walked around the beast, giving her one last check after the ride as she finally returned to the head with those great, gentle, loving, brown eyes and removed the last of the gear to its place in the barn.

"Goodbye, baby," she said as she stroked the animal; Elizabeth nuzzled her affectionately in return. "Michael and Artemis promise they'll take good care of you, and I know they will." A sob escaped as she clutched at the neck of the best friend she had in two worlds.

*****
Thursday, January 4, 2001
The Windsor at Fair Lakes
Fairfax, Virginia

Nicole walked around the apartment as Michael looked on. The master bedroom was already occupied by her new roomie, so the second largest bedroom became hers.

“Well, Michael, I have to get something to eat for the next couple of days, but it looks like I have everything else I need. I guess I'm as ready as I can be to rejoin the world.” She wore a nervous smile as she spoke.

“I know you're nervous, daughter. It's OK. You aren't as alone as you feel right now, and I have faith in you.”

Her smile grew at the reassurance. “I know that in my head," she tapped her chest, "my heart is taking more convincing." She looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "Michael, do you have any ideas about how to start fixing things with Artemis? I'm still furious with her, but during those first weeks after I changed it was such a comfort to have someone there to help -- to have her be 'Mom' when I needed her. Someday, somehow, I want to get back there again, and we both know I'll need her. If you have any ideas, I'd really appreciate hearing them.”

He nodded. “It will take time, Nicole. Artemis has had thirty-five-hundred years to dwell on what happened to her Amazons; it will take more than six weeks for her to let that anger go. I will help as I can.”

“Thank you, Daddy. I guess I'll have to just work at it as long as it takes.” She sighed. “One more thing in my job jar.” She hugged the tall man. “Thank you for all you've done for me. Will you be dropping by between now and when I leave Sunday?”

“Only if you really need me. Don't fret, child." He patted her on her back. "Trust me, you'll do fine. Now take care of yourself, you hear me?”

She loosened her hug enough to look at Michael's face as she replied, “Yes, sir!” She tightened her grip again. “I'm going to miss you. Love you, Daddy.”

He smiled at the young woman. “I'll miss you as well, and I love you, too, daughter. I'll be around if you need me. Goodbye now.”

“Bye, Michael.”

The angel disappeared, leaving Nicole to her grocery shopping. She located her keys and a warm coat, then left to find a grocery store and make a trial run to the office. She needed to make sure she knew how to get there before fighting traffic in the morning. “~Maybe I'd better pick up a map book for the area; I’ll need to find the airport, too, come Sunday.~

The car was parked just outside the entryway and Nicole quickly unlocked it and got in. She sighed as she closed the car door, key in hand. "Now then, where did they hide the ignition on *this* car?"

********
Friday, January 5, 2001
Wing Ground Sensor Systems Main Office
Fairfax, Virginia
8:50AM ET

The long coat swirled around her as Nicole turned from the car. She had decided on a pant suit for this morning, more to limit the chances for an embarrassing gaffe than a real liking for the outfit. The cool morning made her even more grateful for the extra insulation. Her shopping list for Saturday now included several packages of panty hose after the series of problems she'd had this morning. She now wore the last pair available and was contemplating carving her fingernails to an eighth of an inch after putting runs in the other five pair.

She shook her head at the memory and took a moment to look around the office park. It was unremarkable -- simple two-story brick buildings surrounded by small gardens and parking lots. There were a fair number of large trees in the area, bare now in the Virginia winter. She resettled her purse on her shoulder, grabbed her briefcase, and walked to the office entrance.

As the door closed behind her, Nicole looked quickly around the reception area. The usual array of chairs lined the glass walls, and low tables with newspapers and magazines stood just before them. The far wall held a door -- an electronic lock just to the right of the handle. Beside the door was a receptionist behind a wood desk with a monitor. Short, blonde hair with highlights topped a pleasant looking face that rose as the door thumped shut. "May I help you?" the blonde asked as Nicole approached.

Nicole noted the nameplate on the desk that identified the occupant as 'Jennie Ince.' "Yes, Jennie. My name is Nicole Harrison. I'm reporting this morning as a new hire."

Jennie looked at the monitor. "Yes, Ms. Harrison, we were expecting you. I'll contact Personnel and let them know you're here. If you would take a seat, they should be here in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you." Nicole smiled and nodded before unfastening her overcoat and taking a chair.
~Here we go again.~ she thought to herself. ~This makes, what, the fourth company I've taken a job with? And it's always the same routine, even after,~ she paused to tick off the years, ~thirty-three, almost thirty-four years now.~ She pushed a stray lock of hair back behind an ear. ~I'm getting too old for this.~

A tall, dark skinned man came through the inner door. He looked quickly around the room and spotted Nicole. "Nicole Harrison?"

She nodded as she stood.

"Good morning, Nicole.” He extended his hand in greeting. “My name is Jeff Chambers; I'm the Personnel manager here. If you'd come with me, we'll start processing your paperwork."

*****

~Paperwork. I *really* hate paperwork.~ Nicole managed to keep her thoughts from sliding into the array of curses the situation seemed to warrant. Security forms, tax withholding forms, medical insurance forms, life and disability insurance forms, citizenship verification -- the form count seemed to be a monotonic, increasing series. She grabbed the next form, sighed, and began to read.

*****

“Mr. Chambers, here are the forms you needed me to sign.”

“Please, Nicole, call me Jeff. We're too small a company to be that formal.”

She grinned. “Ok, Jeff. What's next on the agenda for this morning?”

“Well, we need to get your picture for your employee ID and access code, get your insurance card to you, and give you your business cards. After that, we'll show you to your desk and introduce you to your supervisor, Colonel Stirling. So if you'll step over here, we'll take care of your picture ID. I almost forgot! We'll also give you your company credit card, cell phone, tickets, and travel information for the next few weeks.”

His assistant walked up with a packet. “Jeff, there was something odd with the reservations for Nicole. I was sure we had her returning here from London, but the system shows her going back to LA. Did you make that change?”

“Huh? Let me take a look.” Jeff looked at the printout and a confused look grew on his face. “Weird. I didn't do anything to the itinerary. Did you try to fix it?”

“Yes, I did. The system kept kicking it back and *all* other flights that weekend are showing full. I couldn't even get a flight from LA to here. It looks like she's going back to LA from London.” The assistant shrugged in resignation. “I was able to find a dance school out there in West Hollywood, so at least she can follow through on those classes.”

Nicole shook her head. “It sounds like I need to sign up for a frequent-flyer program.”

Jeff chuckled as he replied, “Most of your co-workers already have. It can get you some good upgrades on some long trips. Now then, let's get wrapped up here and get you on your way.”

*****
The office of A. David Stirling, Manager of Field Teams
10:50AM ET

The facility was not crowded, and Jeff and Nicole didn't encounter any other employees as he led the way to her desk. It was a typical office environment. Soft, head-high walls divided the space into spacious cubicles and deadened the noise in the large room. As the new hire, her desk was placed away from the windows that lined two walls. Jeff waited as she extracted a small stack of business cards from the box. She looked at the top card which had the WGSS logo:

Nicole J. Harrison
Field Team Member
Ph: (703)555-2275

She noticed that her name was correct, and noticed the phone number was that of her cell phone. She took the stack and stored them in her briefcase. Her coat made its way to a hook on the wall, and her purse was secluded in a drawer.

“Ready to meet your new boss?” Jeff asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be; let's go!”

He led the way to an office nearby; floor-to-ceiling walls divided the room from the cube-farm and a door provided privacy at need. As Nicole entered, she saw a tall, muscular man standing at the windows. Tinges of gray frosted the hair at his temples. He was dressed in a loose white shirt with khaki trousers that were casual, but looked crisp.

“David Stirling, I'd like you to meet your new employee, Nicole Harrison.”

The tall man turned, a smile touching only the fringes of his mouth. “Thank you, Jeff. Is she done with the paperwork?” His voice was deep and resonant; his crisp British accent carried a hint of command even in the casual question.

Jeff smiled broadly as he replied. “Yes, she's done her penance and is all yours now, Colonel.”

The older man nodded. “Very good. Thank you, I'll take it from here.”

“Good, I'll leave her with you then.” He shook the woman's hand. “It’s been a pleasure. I look forward to seeing you later.”

“Thank you, Jeff.” Nicole smiled at him as he left, then turned back to the Colonel. The smile was gone; his face was stern.

“Ms. Harrison, please take a seat.” There was no hint of warmth in the voice.

Nicole quickly took her place in one of the chairs in front of the desk.

“To be perfectly honest, I am quite unhappy. Normal procedure is to bring a candidate in for interviews prior to hiring, and I had always had the chance to gauge a person prior to their being assigned to my team. You are the first person hired outside that process; no matter how much respect I have for Dr. Wing, I am disappointed in the violation of that process.” He focused on the young woman before him. “Perhaps you can give me an idea as to why he did this?”

Nicole took a moment to think before responding, and she wished Michael had warned her about this situation. She sat back in the chair as she began. “Colonel, before I can begin to answer I need to know what, if anything, Dr. Wing has told you already and when.”

“That is part of the problem, young lady. It was the first week of December, and he said little, other than he had someone he was bringing into the company for field work.”

~Great. Just wonderful.~ she thought after he spoke. ~How much can I say?~ “Colonel, I don't know how much more I can add to what Dr. Wing said. He approached me at the end of November with a job that he said I am uniquely suited for -- a job that I accepted. I found out about this firm, and Dr. Wing's intent for me to work here, only two days ago. If I understand his intent, I need preparation that can best be acquired here from working for you.”

“That was all very nice, but very useless. Let me be more clear, Ms. Harrison; who are you, and why are you here? What has caused Dr. Wing to bring you here?” The expression on his face was hard.

“Colonel Stirling, unless I get clearance from Dr. Wing I cannot be more explicit. You will have to talk to him yourself.” Nicole returned his gaze calmly.

“Young lady, that is *not* acceptable!” His voice crackled with the strength of his personality, carrying the weight of his years of command.

“I'm sorry, sir; that's the best I can do at this moment.” She felt the weight of his presence and called on the years of experience she had as Tom to ride it out, returning a quirk of the eyebrow and a small twitch of the corner of her mouth.

David was taken aback; this slip of a girl appeared utterly unfazed. He had caused a greater reaction with less effort in thirty-year veterans and this mere child was almost smiling. “You realize, of course, that even after your time in the Marines the training I will give you will make the worst of boot camp seem like a Hawaiian vacation.”

The twitch now turned into a full-blown smile. “Thank you, Colonel -- first, for your honesty. I have had people conceal their true feelings and intent, and I cannot fully express my appreciation for you being up front about your views. Secondly, my life will literally rest on the preparation you provide. The harder you make me work, the more likely it is that I will survive what lies ahead of me. So all I ask is that you be as fair as you are hard.”

“You're serious.”

“As a heart attack. Talk to Michael and tell him what I told you. I'll ask him to tell you everything he can when I have a chance to talk to him. For now, please just treat me as you would any other employee.”

“Very well, but if you're misleading me you'll wish you were never born.” He took a moment to think. “If you were a normal employee, I'd take you on a tour of the facility. Later we have a debriefing of a returned field team from their work in the Sudan that you should attend. We'll start with the tour, break for lunch, and then get back for the meeting.”

“Thank you, Colonel; that will be fine. Please, lead the way.”

*****

The size of the facility meant the tour was short. David led the way past the offices of Joannes Bankhead, the CEO, and the major department managers, Ali Mobasheri from Finance, Valera Guillet from Facilities, Wes Holbrook from Legal, and Colonel Dmitri Sibincic, who headed Logistic Support. A brief introduction was made to each, then Nicole and her boss moved on. They looked in at the IT Manager's office, but it was empty.David commented as they moved on, “She's probably in the server room; we'll stop by there on our way out.”

They walked through the center of the building, passing a glassed in area containing a large array of rack-mounted computers. David knocked on the glass and caught the attention of a young woman of average height. She was dressed in a loose, casual blouse and slacks; sandals completed her comfortable-looking outfit. The long braid of her strawberry blonde hair swung freely as she turned toward the windows. David beckoned her to the door.

As she exited the room, he spoke. “Hello, Amelia. I want to introduce you to our new employee, Nicole Harrison. Nicole, this is Amelia Ten Broeck who is our Chief Technology Officer and also heads our IT department.”

A bright, warm smile appeared on Amelia's face. “Hi, Nicole! It's good to meet you. Welcome to the company.”

Nicole returned the smile. “Morning, Amelia. I'm glad to meet you, too. It's good to be here.”

"Will you be at the debriefing later, Amelia?" David inquired.

"I'm planning on it. I'll see you both later, I have a balky server I have to fix. I won't make it if it isn't working." Amelia grinned at the two as she returned to her computers.

"Well, Nicole, she was the last introduction I wanted to make this morning. If we break for lunch now, we can be back in time for the field team's report."

*****
1:00PM ET

A small, local Thai restaurant turned out to be David's favorite in the area. The food was excellent -- spicy without swamping the flavors of the other ingredients. They returned to the office shortly before the debriefing.

The Colonel had mentioned that the debriefings were always attended by as many employees as possible. It was an opportunity to stay aware of what was happening in the company's primary business. All the top management were in the conference room, as were a large contingent of the logistics and IT departments.

Shortly after the hour, the five team members entered, followed by David and Nicole. Nicole and the team took seats as David walked to the lectern at the front of the room.

"Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming today. Our field team from the Sudan will give their report in a moment, but first I'd like to introduce our new employee, Nicole Harrison. Nicole, please stand so everyone can see who you are."

She stood and waved to the crowd, nodding to those she'd already met, and then sat down.

"Thank you, Nicole. Now we have our team that returned this week from the Sudan. I'd like to ask the team leader, Ted Amistad, to come up and take over for the team's report. Ted?"

A short, broad, redheaded man walked to the lectern. "Thank you, Dave. It's good to be home again. Good afternoon, everyone. Our team was tasked to survey the area near Muglad for possible petroleum bearing formations." He walked the group through their survey techniques and their preliminary results. "I want to thank Amelia for her support in retrieving the data from the crashed hard drive on the sensors laptop. The backup system worked fine, but her work meant we didn't have to rerun the initial sensor sweeps." He led the room in a round of applause.

"That was the good news and the end of the technical and business presentation. Now for the bad part, and I have to warn you that some of the pictures coming up are gruesome. During our survey work, we encountered some of the militia, or at least their leavings. Corrine, the first frame please."

Everyone in the room, except perhaps for Colonel Stirling and Colonel Sibincic, gasped at the picture which showed the smoldering remnants of a village and its residents. "Corrine, next."

This time some of the gasps turned to sobs as the picture showed a close-up of one of the huts. The smoldering body within was too small to be an adult, or even an adolescent.

Ted's voice was grim as he spoke again. "We took a little time to walk through this village and document what we saw. While there appeared to be a number of men, older women, and children, we did note that none of the bodies appeared to be young women." His face was bleak as he continued, "We have reason to believe they were kidnapped for slavery or prostitution."

Nicole stared at the picture in horror. None of the news reports from the area had ever shown anything like it. More pictures, each as horrible as the last, sequenced across the screen. Nicole's horror turned to anger and a hard determination to somehow bring justice to those victims. She turned to Colonel Stirling.

"Make sure your training is thorough, David. Those bastards are going to pay the price for this."

The Colonel heard the iron in her voice. He turned, and the light from the pictures reflected in eyes that promised hell on earth for the perpetrators of the atrocity. He'd seen that same look once before -- in the eyes of the men he'd led into battle to free the Falkland Islands from invaders. His thoughts turned again to the young woman beside him and the Sudanese militias. ~God help them; they'd no idea what they'd loosed into the world.~

Notes:

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