crack_van | The Wages of Sin and The Rewards of Virtue, by Danae (teen)

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: gen
Length: Novel Length
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Wesv's Cat House
Why this must be read:

Imagine the military knew about Sentinels all along. They've kidnapped Blair, leaving a note saying he left of his own accord, and recalled Jim to duty. But it doesn't add up for Simon and a call to old friends (and mercenaries) at the Devareaux Agency uncovers alarming information.

There is a bit of shaky plotting near the beginning, but it is easily overlooked as the complex, gripping story full of action unfolds. Danae gifts us with an inventive response to 'The Sentinel by Blair Sandberg' and some very engaging original characters. She gives us a Jim with a lot to learn, a Blair with a lot to forgive, and a Simon who is the best friend either could ask for.

Sample The Wages of Sin

"So you hold him to hold me? I'm here now. Let him go."
Jim could actually hear the man behind him smile. "Are you really going to pretend you don't know?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jim demanded.
"Come now, Captain, remember our discussions of Burton's monograph?"
"I remember. I remember everything, thanks to you."
"Burton said that these 'sentinels' needed a companion. He didn't say much more than that really so we had to improvise, hypothesize what this companion would be like. We came up with a profile from what Burton did write about the companion and some educated guesses."
"Yeah, yeah. What's that got to do with Blair?"
"I promised to find you one of those companions, didn't I? You see, I contacted some prominent scientists in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, sociology and anthropology and asked for their help in finding a suitable candidate. Dr. Eli Stoddard was one of those scientists. I gave him our profile." Jim could only stare at Rose in horror. His brain tried to assimilate the information he was receiving but the picture that was forming was not pretty. While Jim stood motionless, the weight of this reality bearing down on him, Rose continued. "It took us a little while to come up with the right one. We were sent a lot of names and we watched them, led them in the right directions, hoping that they would show some promise. None of them did until Blair Sandburg. He was just a kid then, a promising student, looking for an interesting subject for his master's thesis. It really was a wonderful coincidence that Eli and thus Blair were both right in your hometown. Of course, we were skeptical. Blair was a little too young and a lot too liberal. He was one that we didn't really think would be compatible with you, but yet, he was the only one to pick up our clues and run with them. He found the monograph and became our expert, our candidate for the office of Sentinel's companion. Actually, I think you call him your Guide. Mr. Brackett was kind enough to provide the term. It is better than companion. Too many connotations there that would not sit well in our line of work."
"You chose Blair? You never said---"
"Well, we had to make sure he would continue to be interested first. And, frankly, I was worried that you would not accept him. You were so military and, well, he wasn't and isn't. At any rate, we worked very hard to make sure that your paths would cross. It was not a small task to keep Mr. Sandburg from disappearing into the jungles to find his Sentinel. On many occasions, he nearly slipped away from us. Stoddard was not exactly what I would call helpful either. Of course, he never really knew the nature of our interest in his star pupil and that did not help matters. He thought we were interested in seeing someone research the subject because we couldn't get government funding. He believed that he was doing an old friend from high school a favor while simultaneously finding a challenging subject for a favored student. And before you ask, Mr. Sandburg was and is completely innocent of any subterfuge. Eli and the Colonel felt it was best not to let him know that his studies were being directed, his life orchestrated, if you will, by anyone. He was and is too independent minded to stand for that. He would have headed for the hills."

Wages of Sin
Rewards of Virtue

Events in The Agency, a sort of prequel, are referred to in Wages of Sin and Rewards of Virtue. You don't need to read it to understand the others but it explains how Blair met Pete and Jesse. It's an exciting read in it's own right.

The Agency Part 1, Part 2