AN: AU Losers - Shadowrun /Deadlock world.
This story takes place in the same universe Deadlock (also by me). It was written as a gift for a friend, and now that Deadlock is on a regular posting schedule, I feel its as good a time as any to bring it it. For those who haven't read any of Deadlock, the world has change it's 2050 or 2060 something, magic works, the old races (orcs, trolls, dwarves and elves) have revived and the matrix is alive and well.
The losers are:
Col. Franklin Clay - Human, norm with a penchant for picking the wrong women and charming people into doing what needs to be done
Capt. William Roque - Elf - Night One variant. Blood mage.
Sgt. Linwood 'Pooch' Porteous - Human - Rigger (controls vehicles via a control rig planted in his brain.
Sgt. Carlos 'Cougar' Alvarez - Human Physical Adept - a mage of sorts, where the magic is manifest in the form of body control.
Corporal Jake Jensen - Human - decker - computer /matrix expert plugs his brain into the matrix via a deck.
Standard Disclaimer: Vertigo, WB, Diggle - they own 'The Losers', Catalyst Games: Shadowrun - This is not an attempt to infringe upon their ownership or rights. I just thought it was a match that had to be made.
Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
The Losers: Bad Pizza
or
Why Jensen is no longer allowed to handle food preparation for 'Movie Night'
Jensen paced the confines of his cell: ten by twenty feet, less a yard and a half for the bunk and another three square feet for the toilet, one and a half for the sink.
Four strides forward by eight strides along the far wall or five point four by ten point eight if he were marching eight to five... The cell was designed for four men, but he was alone. He wasn't sure if that made things better or worse.
Cinderblock walls filtered out the sound from the surrounding cells until he wasn't sure if there was any one nearby or not.
This was so not good. He had to do something. He knew something had gone very wrong, but he couldn't piece together exactly what it was. He tried to think, to remember but part of him kept trying not to think about it and that worried him even more.
He forced himself to breathe and focused on his pacing. When that didn't help, he began counting. When that failed, he began counting using only prime numbers.
He wasn't sure what had happened, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to know.
TLTLTL
"You'd think with how long I've known Jensen I'd know better than to let him arrange movie night without some sort of supervision," Clay began. "And it's never anything obvious like... the choice of movie, no that would be too easy."
"Hardware is never a problem either. I've actually seen him pull off movie night in the field with nothing more than a pocket secretary, a flashlight and the side of a tent."
"When it comes to tech, I can't think of anybody better, but... well let's just say three men in the hospital and a fourth in the brig is not my idea of a successful 'movie night.'"
"So what went wrong, Colonel?"
"I don't know, not entirely. I mean... I know the end result... I may not fully understand magic, but I'm pretty sure summoning something on the coffee table in the middle of the popcorn bowl is a pretty obvious 'wrong.' But the real question is: 'How?' and that is going to be hard to figure out."
"You know as well as I do that things like this don't 'just happen.' That's why I'm here."
Clay looked at Special Agent Michelson and shook his head. The fact that he was here being interviewed by an investigator for the UCAS Army Criminal Investigation Command, UCASCICD, let's just call them CID for short, instead of at his men's bedsides and or getting Jensen out of the brig, was not lost on the Colonel.
"You honestly believe he did this on purpose?"
"Someone did Colonel, exactly who remains to be seen, but you have to admit: he's the one who had access to everything and he's the one who prepared the food, the popcorn and selected the movie. He was in charge of your little shindig an until we find out otherwise, he's our most likely suspect."
"When can I see him?"
Michelson shook his head. "You don't understand, Colonel: magical malfeasance is a very serious matter and until we determine who's responsible and how... no one will be speaking with him."
"You're not even talking to him?"
"Until we know what we're dealing with, we're keeping him in isolation."
"Isolation?" Clay asked in a combination of disbelief and concern. "You've got Jensen in isolation?"
"That's what I said."
"You have to get him out."
"Why?"
"Why? You really have to ask 'why'? Think about it for a minute will you? You have a very social decker with a powerful imagination and you've put in him isolation. In a cell...a cell I'm assuming that has electronic monitoring and two way communications? How long do you figure it will take until all his energy and creativity is focused on using that to counteract the isolation?"
Clay smiled as the special agent's eyes widened and the man put two and two together. He hoped Jensen would forgive him the breach, but at least now he'd guaranteed that the decker would have someone to keep him company.
Once he had finished signaling whoever was in the observation room Michelson turned back to Clay. He cocked his head and studied the Colonel for a few moments.
"You don't want him to be alone... do you?"
"Like I said, Jensen's social and creative. If you don't keep him occupied, he'll find something to do, and it's always inventive and it's almost always the surest path to trouble."
And if there's someone or something to keep him occupied?"
"Then he's just annoying... "
He watched as Mickelson quickly switched on his comm and contacted his people.
Again Clay waited until he was done and gave the inspector a questioning look.
"I told them to send my partner, Wells."
"Patient person this Wells?"
"Equally annoying, especially if you let him go on about actors, secret orders, conspiracy theories or cats."
"I'll warn you, they'll either get along amazingly well or..."
"Prepare for total nuclear devastation?"
"Pretty much," Clay answered. He wasn't worried about how Jensen would get along with this Wells, it took a serious effort to get on his nerves.
"Okay, now that that is take care of... will you tell us what happened in your own words?"
Clay nodded. "You should know that I am... Roque calls it 'clue resistant' when it comes to magic... or women."
"Were there any women involved?"
"Thankfully, no."
"All right then..."
"It's our first week settling into new quarters. We're on training assignment for an unspecified mission."
Michelson nodded, taking a few notes.
"Jensen suggested that since it was our first weekend in a new place that we should stay in and have a good old fashioned movie night. Nothing big, nothing fancy, just pizza, popcorn and a movie, no visitors, no distractions. Just the team and a chance to unwind."
"And your team has just the one mage, yes"
"Yes, Roque..."
"Not Jensen?"
Clay gave Michelson a raised eyebrow. "Jensen is our comms man – decker."
"Any magical tendencies?"
"Unless you consider finding trouble wherever he goes magical... none-whatsoever."
"Are you sure?"
"A dishrag has more magical ability than Jensen does. Facts, figures, anything computer related... he's your man. Magic... he's almost as bad as I am... almost."
Michelson nodded. "Continue."
"Jensen laid in the supplies... said if we were going to christen the new digs he wanted to do it right. Handmade pizzas, from scratch using his sister's recipes. Real popcorn of the non-microwave variety... melted butter... real butter."
"And the movie?"
Clay winced. He knew Jensen's choice in movies would only make things worse, but the only way to unravel this particular knot was to tell the truth and hope that the investigators would do their job and give him and the others enough room to figure out what actually happened. There was no way Jensen would summon that... thing... even if he could.
"Necromancer Seven..."
TLTLTL
Screams... he remembered screams.
Jensen's pacing increased as he ran a hand through his hair and tried to fight the images around him. He saw smoke rising from ... a popcorn bowl?
He saw brief flashes of what had happened but he couldn't remember being able to do anything and then he'd woken up in the cell.
He grabbed the bars and called out for anyone who'd listen, but there was no one there.
TLTLTL
Roque woke with a start, fighting his way through the collection of tubes and wires that someone had carefully attached to every part of exposed skin, and he had every suspicion that they had shaved some of his fur off so the leads would have skin to attach to.
As if being a Night One wasn't bad enough, now he was a Night One with bald spots. The elf had taken great pride in his mutation and now he was going to have to wait for his fur to grow back or shave his entire body. He opened his eyes breifly, trying remember when he'd done to end up in the hospital.
Then bits and pieces began to filter through his brain and he sat up abrubptly. He looked around, searching for information on what had happened when his gaze fixed on the CID inspector watching him and he noticed the cinder block wall behind him.
"It wasn't a dream," he stated half questioningly.
"It wasn't a dream," the inspector agreed.
"And you are?"
"Inspector Green, CID."
Roque nodded, then closed his eyes before focusing on the water pitcher in front of him. Green watched him for a moment before standing and pouring the water for him.
"What can you tell me?"
Roque groaned. "Fuck all," he said. "Someone summoned something kind of... gray and... furry... "
"Can you describe it?"
Roque frowned, thinking he just had, although thinking about it he realized that it wasn't furry as much as blurry.
"It was a blur... gray... teeth... claws...took three of us to pull it off of... Shit... Cougar... how is he?"
"Everyone is safe... we need to figure out what attacked you and why it was summoned."
"Why? I'm still working on 'how.' Things like that don't just... appear. It takes a lot of preparation... the right herbs, the right ritual... the right everything."
Roque stopped and tilted his head. "You know who summoned it?"
"One of your teammates," Green confirmed.
Roque shook his head. "None of my teammates could have done this... "
"Jensen."
Roque stared in disbelief and fought to keep from laughing. "You have got to be kidding."
Green gave him the look people usually give others when they're being hysterical or obtuse. "Forensic mages tracked it to him."
Roque shook his head. "Then your mages are wrong. Jensen doesn't have enough magic in him to figure out the difference between a spell and a sneeze... "
Roque watched as Green studied him then stepped outside to report.
It was going to be a long night.
TLTLTL
He was fighting a full-blown panic now as he forced himself to settle down and really study the cell. He'd gone over the dimensions, but not the full systems. There was a video monitor. Nothing advanced enough for him to use as a conduit out of the cell.
There were no power outlets and the lights were outside his cell.
He was about to start pacing again when he heard someone on his cellblock. It was the first human contact he'd had since he'd woken up. He looked up at the man who now stood in front of his cell. His close-cropped hair and suit spoke volumes.
As did the presence of the two MP Mages who flanked him.
"Corporal Jensen, please come with me," the man said.
At that point Jensen would have followed the devil himself if it got him out of the cell and in contact with people.
TLTLTL
Pooch didn't wake up as much as snap out of whatever trance he'd been in. Trance, stupor... he wasn't sure what he'd call it.
He could recall almost everything that had happened that night- right up until they'd sat down to watch the movie.
Looking up he saw a woman with intense blue eyes watching him.
"What happened? Where are the others?" he asked trying not to panic.
She stood and moved closer.
"What do you remember?"
Pooch lay back against the pillow as he tried to remember. "Pizza, movie... popcorn... " As he spoke he could feel his blood pressure rise even as his heart monitor picked up the pace and signaled the nurses that something was wrong.
He shuddered slightly as he gasped, "blood."
The woman tried to ask him something more as the nurses entered the room.
"What about my friends?"
He didn't even feel the air injector as the nurses sedated him. As consciousness left him, he remembered something slick and oily filling the room.
TLTLTL
Wells. Wellsy, Weller... Well... He played with the name mentally as he tried to piece together what happened. The man was infuriatingly... infuriating.
"I'm telling you," Wells continued. "Necromancer Seven is an almost exact duplicate of Necromancer Three but with the roles reversed. It's the cheapest rip-off there is."
"No," Jensen corrected him. "It's an homage to the line in Necromancer six, where the judge told Jason that if their roles had been reversed, he'd have done the same thing... which actually was more foreshadowing than ripping off..."
Even as he spoke, Jensen felt as if something had broken free. He was talking, and that was a start.
TLTLTL
He sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed. He could feel the sensors attached to his skin to monitor his heart rate. He could also feel someone watching him although he remained still and focused on his breathing.
He tried to match the memories to the wounds he felt, the wounds a mage had healed even as he meditated. It was as if he was watching himself from above as the medics tried to undo the damage IT had done to him.
He didn't know what IT was but he could still feel ITs breath as IT tried to take him. IT had tried to force ITs way inside him with every breath he took and when he had managed to keep IT at bay... IT had gone for another approach to rend ITs way into his body with tooth and claw. You didn't bold every IT.
IT was gone. Roque had seen to that, but something was still wrong.
"Sergeant Alvarez," he heard someone call. "The doctors say you are well enough for me to talk to you... please... I have a few questions to ask you."
Cougar shook his head and turned towards the man who was watching him. "No. You have what you think are answers and you want me to agree with them... you think you know... but you are wrong."
TLTLTL
Clay watched as Michelson nodded almost to himself and stood.
"If you'll excuse me," he said, but Clay could the man was simply going through the motions, nothing more.
"Just like that, you've finished?"
"Just like that. The interviews are more of a formality than anything."
Clay frowned. "And my men?"
"You can see them now... except of course for Jensen."
Clay stood, 'accidentally' blocking Michelson's path. "He's the one who needs a visit the most."
"Directly or indirectly that man nearly got your team killed and you weren't even on a mission. I'm doing you a favor here."
"No, you're taking the quick and easy route and that's endangering my team. Jensen's not a threat... he's just... Jensen."
Clay paused and shook his head. It was neigh impossible to explain Jensen to someone who didn't 'get' the man. Yes, Jensen was an army of one when it came to attracting trouble, but it also made him an expert on dealing with it for that very same reason and in the awakened world it was exactly the kind of wild card the team needed.
"That's for the tribunal to determine. If you'll excuse me."
Michelson walked around Clay without a further word. The man seemed as immune to reason as he was to charm. Things did not look good for Jensen and Clay knew he had to do something and soon.
TLTLTL
"Clay, you can't honestly believe that Jensen had anything to do with what happened.
"I don't, but CID obviously does."
"Then why are we here?"
"The investigation's found the 'what' and pinned it on the most likely 'who', and they figure that's enough to convict Jensen."
"There must be something we can say... something we can do," Pooch declared.
"Say, no," Cougar agreed. "You are thinking of recreating the what to figure out the 'how' aren't you?"
Roque shook his head. "Clay, you can't be serious. That thing almost killed Cougar... it tried to take him over and it took all five of us working together to stop it. Now you want to recreate the circumstances that brought it here while we're injured and a man down?"
"I didn't say it was the brightest of plans, but if we don't clear Jensen and soon, the real culprits are going to get away and someone less prepared for this mission will be taking our place."
"They probably already are. With three injured and one man under arrest it's almost a given," Pooch pointed out.
Clay frowned at him, knowing the rigger was probably right, but he also knew that as the team's leader it was his job to protect his men and see that the mission was a success. In this case it meant proving that Jensen was innocent and getting the team back on track for the work to be done.
"Look," he said. "We've ruled out every logical explanation, that means we need something a little less... logical."
Roque rolled his eyes at Clay's statement. "You know for someone who's life's calling is based on logic, I've never been able to explain any of the 'incidents' he's been involved with."
"It is easy," Cougar stated softly.
Roque looked at him expectantly.
"He means well."
"I know he means well... oh," Roque paused realizing what Cougar was getting at: Jensen didn't go looking for trouble. Jensen went looking for fun, and a way to entertain the people around him. He cared, and he never did anything that would purposely hurt an innocent bystander.
No, Jensen had too much respect for people... and sometimes he just believed too much in logic and never took the rest of the world into consideration.
"Okay... how do we prove it?"
Clay let out a sigh and shrugged. "Movie night?"
"Return of the walking wounded..." Pooch muttered under his breath.
TLTLTL
Clay looked around the house that served as their quarters and let his breath out. It had taken little to no work for him to convince Michelson to release the 'crime scene'. That worried him more than anything because it meant that as far as the investigator was concerned they had their man and everyone could go back to business as usual, everyone that was except Jensen.
"It will be alright boss," Cougar said in a low voice. "Jensen looks harmless but he is one of us and he stood up to this thing as much as we did. He will keep himself safe while we prove his innocence."
Clay tried to smile but shook his head. "They kept him alone... for at least 12 hours they kept in him isolation... another 12 and he'd be willing to cop to killing Kennedy if he thought it would get him some company..."
"Then we have at least five more hours..."
Clay gave a slight snort at the sniper's pragmatic comment.
"Five hours," he agreed with a sigh. "Let's hope it's enough."
TLTLTL
Roque compared Jensen's recipe to the receipts trying to reconcile the differences with the remaining contents in the cabinets.
"Would Jensen have 'improvised' on the ingredients?" he asked as he noted several items were missing from the list.
Pooch shook his head. "Not when he was making this particular pizza. He said something about messing with tradition being a mistake..."
Roque nodded and returned to comparing the ingredients. It wasn't looking good. The only things he couldn't find were the oregano and the popcorn.
He frowned again and began going through the cabinets. As he went through the cabinets his perplexed expression grew.
"Pooch... do you remember us having a ceramic mixing bowl with an Indian motif on it?"
"No..."
"How about a Ginsu set?"
"I leave the cutlery to you..."
Roque emptied out the knife drawer and began inventorying the equipment. "Ginsu, ceramic... ceramic..." he was half talking to himself as he sorted through the knives. As he worked he realized that there were a lot more knives in the drawer than they'd moved in with. That made sense since most of the time they were in temporary quarters which came semi furnished.
He set the matched set of Sabatier knives to the side then began going through the others.
He could almost feel his blood race as he picked up one of the knives. He traced his thumb along it, ghosting the edge and let his breath out slowly.
"Pooch, empty the cupboards and put everything we brought with us or you purchased in the sink."
"What?"
"Just do it."
TLTLTL
As they finished cleaning up the living room, Clay noticed that Cougar's movements seemed to lack their usual grace. He paused, but as soon as he did Cougar simply looked at him.
"I will be all right," he said succinctly. "Jensen does not have the time."
Clay nodded then headed into the kitchen to see how the others were doing. He was surprised when he found a large pile of things in the sink and everything else lining the counters.
"Find something?" He asked with a bemused smile.
"I think... I think I may be on to something..."
"But?"
"This has Jensen written all over it and we're only going to be able to do this once."
"How so?"
"When they cleaned up this place- prepared it for us... they left some things behind... re-organized. There are pieces of the puzzle but... "
"But we're going to have to do everything exactly the same?"
Roque nodded. "There are a lot of... possibilities... "
"Such as?"
Roque nodded towards the cutting board. "Notice the carvings in the side of the board?"
Clay studied the wood and noticed the Aztec carvings on the side.
"Take a look at the knife..."
He frowned for a moment until he noticed that the blade was edged in obsidian.
"Correct me if I'm wrong... but didn't Jensen cut himself when he was chopping vegies?"
Roque nodded.
"I'm assuming there's more?"
"Lots more," Roque agreed. "The pizza had mushrooms... right?"
Clay nodded.
Roque tossed him a can of mushrooms. "These are the ones Pooch bought... looks like Jensen found some in the cupboard that were more to his liking..."
"Oh no..."
"Yeah... last team to live here... I'm thinking he was a blood mage or maybe a Coatl shaman... and either he kept his supplies in the kitchen..."
"Or the cleaning team reorganized everything..."
"And Jensen, being Jensen didn't know any better, and didn't think anything of it."
"I'll put a call into CID."
"They aren't going to go for this," Roque warned him.
TLTLTL
"You want to do WHAT?"
Roque smiled as Clay held the phone away from his ear. "We've found some oddities here... things that don't add up and we're fairly certain that anyone... doing what Jensen did... will get the exact same results..."
"Are you INSANE?"
"Look, according to you, you have your man and he can't do us any more harm. From where I'm standing, you've overlooked something and that usually means it isn't something obvious. I think we can all agree that there isn't any logical reason for this to have happened other than 'on purpose.' and we know that Jensen wouldn't do something like this."
"Maybe he meant it as a joke, but Magical Malfeasance is no laughing matter."
"Inspector, Magical Malfeasance requires a mage. You've cleared our mage, but you're still no closer to figuring out exactly what happened and when you've exhausted all the logical and theoretical possibilities, all that's left is getting practical."
"But recreating the circumstances... even if you do manage to reproduce the summoning... and you survive... how is this going to prove anything?"
"Well, we're going to need an unbiased observer..."
"No. Absolutely not. I am not endangering a member of my team. For all I know you've figured out whatever spell he used and are going to fake 'recreating it."
"Which is why I would like someone unbiased as an observer."
There was a long silence as Michelson muted his phone and discussed Clay's proposal.
"We're coming over... don't do anything else until we get there."
"Copy that."
TLTLTL
"This is insanity," Michelson growled. "We've been through this all, even with what your men have found it isn't enough."
"How do you know?" Clay asked honestly. "All you've done is throw variables into a simulation and had it project the outcome."
"And the best we've got is that the mushrooms caused hallucinations." Michelson said shaking his head.
"Are you saying what happened to us was an hallucination?"
"No, it doesn't match the psychic residue forensics found, and it does not explain what happened to your team... because it's not what happened. Your man did something and what your proposing is putting your men at risk for a second time. We both know things like this don't just happen, and we have the proof right here."
He gestured towards the screen as if it explained everything. "Face it Colonel, when you rule out all the possibilities, the only thing left, no matter how improbable... is the truth, and the truth is... your man caused this."
"'Caused' and 'did' are two different things inspector. You believe he 'caused' this intentionally... that he 'did' this. I'm trying to prove that, under the same circumstances, anyone could have 'caused' this."
Michelson shook his head and again gestured towards the screen. "Nothing just happens."
Clay pursed his lips in a half smile and shrugged. "Then what will it hurt?"
Michelson shook his head and looked at his own men.
Clay understood. He knew The Losers would do everything they could to prove Jensen was innocent, even something as insane as try and recreate a situation that had almost cost them their lives, but he was asking Michelson and his team to do the same for someone they didn't really know.
Agent Wells simply shrugged. "Jensen does have sociopathic tendencies, sir, but no more than anyone in his position. Quite plainly put... I agree with the Colonel's assessment: I don't think Jensen has it in him. "
Michelson nodded, then looked at the others.
Green shrugged. "There is no way someone can 'accidentally' summon something like what happened here, and it was definitely not some mass hallucination."
"Ng, Dickerson?"
The other two agents shrugged.
"Couldn't hurt," the female agent said. "How do you want to proceed."
"I want to proceed with a beer and a good book, but these idiots aren't going to accept that."
Wells chuckled. "I'll be Jensen."
Michelson nodded. "I'm going to be you," he informed Clay.
"Green, you're Roque, Dickerson: Porteous, Ng, you're Alvarez."
Clay smirked slightly when the woman picked to double as Pooch gave her boss a questioning look. She was attractive, and obviously not amused about having to pretend to be Pooch. He started to smile at her but quickly suppressed it. The future of one of his men lay in the balance and according to Roque the quickest way to mess things up was for him to get involved with a woman.
TLTLTL
Wells paced the kitchen trying to reconcile what he knew of Jensen to the entire concept of following a recipe.
"Are you sure he followed the recipe and didn't get creative?"
"Yes!" Roque, Pooch and Cougar answered in unison.
Sighing he went back to work. It seemed like a lot of work to go through when you could just go out and buy a frozen pizza or, better yet, order one for delivery.
He looked at the ingredients the others had laid out and shook his head.
"Are we really going to eat this shit?"
"No," Roque answered. We never got to eat it before the... fun... began."
"Then why am I making it?"
"Because we're recreating the crime scene," Michelson answered with an exasperated sigh. He bowed his head for a moment before turning towards Clay. "Is the real Jensen this bad?"
Clay smiled. "About now he'd be explaining the history of pizza and how the sauces and forms have changed over the years."
Wells continued to chop the veggies and arrange them on the pizza.
"Uh..." Cougar said giving the Inspector and apologetic smile. "Jensen likes to spread everything out on the pizza so there's a uniform spread, and no matter how you slice the pizza you get the same number of ingredients."
Wells stared at him for a moment before dividing the ingredients into quarters to get a more 'Jensen-like distribution.'
As he finished spreading the veggies, Cougar cleared his throat.
"What now?"
"He likes to level everything off before applying the Cheese," Cougar explained as he reached into the fridge and fished out two bottles of beer.
"He says it gives you a more uniform end product when you're cooking," Roque added sympathetically as Cougar handed him one of the beers, which he in turn handed off to Green.
"Something about having a homogeneous layer of cheesy goodness," Pooch added as he took the other beer from Cougar and handed it to Dickerson.
Wells watched them, unsure if they were messing with him or just... trying to make sure everything went right.
"What, no beer for me?" Ng asked Cougar.
Cougar smiled at him, half beaming. "We drink Patron."
As Green and Dickerson clinked their bottles together and took a sip, Wells looked at them. "What, are you telling me that Jensen's a teetotaler?"
"No," Cougar answered. "But he doesn't like to drink when he's cooking. He says it muddles the experience. Besides, ... I share my Patron with him."
With a resigned sigh Wells put the finishing touches on the pizza and waited for the others' approval before putting it in the oven. Then he began looking in the cupboards.
"What are you looking for?"
"Air popper... you said he made popcorn the old fashioned way."
"Older fashioned," Cougar told him.
"How old?"
"A pot with oil cooked over the stove..."
Clay watched as his men went through the pots finding the one Jensen would have found appropriate. When the found it Cougar handed it to Roque for inspection.
When Roque shook his head, he nodded towards the pot questioningly.
"Aztec," Roque answered. "Again."
"Wouldn't he have noticed?" Green asked as Roque handed him the pot.
"Jensen? He was in cooking mode... all he'd notice is that... Oh shit... Cougs... do you remember what the popcorn bowl looked like?"
When Cougar nodded Roque let his breath out. "Find it... I've got a really bad feeling about this."
TLTLTL
Green tilted his head, watching Roque as he moved around the kitchen looking for the implements. "What are you thinking."
Roque looked at him. "Obsidian edged blade, Aztec motif... booze, mushrooms... some sort of herb no one can identify that may or may not be oregeno... And it's not just what was made... it was how it was made and the implements that were used and way they were served... How are we coming on finding the popcorn?"
Green paused again. "You didn't buy it?"
"It wasn't on the list," Pooch assured him. "That means Jensen either had it or found it in the cabinets."
Green turned towards Michelson. "Boss... we need to know who was quartered here before Clay and his team took up residence."
"Talk to me."
"Roque is right. There are things the simulator isn't designed to replicate. If Jensen cut himself making the pizza, if he was using the obsidian tipped blade... if the... timing is right... "
"You're thinking..."
"I'm thinking I really should have gone on vacation this week instead of next week," Green sighed. "I think we're in for a hot time in the old barracks tonight and I think we need to let them take over."
"Why?"
"Because one of the other issues is the fact that ... by observing or recreating we change the factors. Porteus and Roque had beer... European... the person affected the most was Alvarez... drinking Tequila... something from the land of the Azteca... and someone whose ancestors were most likely Aztec... and no offence here, but I don't think Ng is qualified."
Michelson mulled it over for a moment then nodded. "Ng, get the records on this place and see if they have a list of items stocked... Wells... I'm afraid you're still going to have to stand in for Jensen."
TLTLTL
Clay let his breath out slowly trying to control his pulse rate. He'd finally gotten everyone on the same page, but now, with all the hurdles out of the way, there was a very high probability that they would be facing cold, dark, and oily again.
He looked at his team and then focused on Cougar. He was the one it had gone for. He was the one who'd been hurt the worst and here they were getting ready to serve Cougar up on a plate, again.
He was about to say something when the sniper turned to him. "I ate popcorn; I drank Patron. Things got out of control, but my friends protected me... as they always have, and always will. You have never let me down before, you will not let me down now."
Clay shook his head, he should have known better than to argue. As he turned towards the others Roque shrugged. "Someones got to keep you from getting yourself killed... otherwise I'm the one who's going to have to fill out the paperwork."
Pooch simply smiled an impish smile and adjusted his shades. "Let's get this show on the road."
TLTLTL
It started with a slight tickle in his throat as he ate the first handful of popcorn and took a swig of Patron. The movie had started a few minutes ago and they had settled down in the living room much as they had that fateful night.
Clay and Roque sat to the side, cigars and beer on hand, going over expense reports. Pooch sipped his beer as Wells deposited a slightly burned pizza on the coffee table.
As the credits rolled Cougar handed the bottle to Wells who waved it off. Cougar held it out to him meaningfully. Jensen had matched Cougar sip for sip and he wanted everything to be the same.
TLTLTL
Michelson watched from the kitchen, trying to stay out of the way as much as possible while still being able to observe. He and Dickerson had wired the living room so they could watch everything from a semi-safe distance while Wells had a front row seat and Green sat ready to back Roque up should the need arise.
TLTLTL
As the movie progressed Wells began to relax. This 'experiment' was just like watching a horror flick. All this build up and nothing was happening. He eased back and took another sip of Patron. At least he'd get a good buzz out of the deal.
TLTLTL
He could feel it now... something in the back of his mind. As he paced the confines of his cell Jensen could sense the dread that had filled him as he saw the blackened hand reach from the television set towards Cougar.
Alone in his cell Jensen screamed.
TLTLTL
Cougar wasn't sure what had happened. He'd felt a slight tickle in his throat but the Patron had nicely eased the tickle into a pleasant buzz. The smell of the cigars wafted through the room as he took another swig of patron and passed it to Wells.
He had almost swallowed when he saw a flash on the screen and felt something reaching for him. He spat the mouthful of patron out, spraying something as it reached towards him. He felt himself choking... coughing as a hand wrapped around his throat.
TLTLTL
Roque turned swearing as he realized they had indeed succeeded in re-summoning the thing that had almost cost them Cougar before they'd even noticed. He stubbed out his cigar and moved in. His first attack last time had been blood based which seemed to only make it stronger, he knew he had to try something different.
As he stepped forward he tried to remember what had finally pushed the creature away. Nothing.
He froze realizing that they hadn't stopped it- it had just found...
"Oh God," he muttered as he set up containment area. "We didn't stop it the last time," he yelled to all who could hear him. "It just went into hiding... "
The others stared at him as Cougar continued to fight the thing for control.
"We have to contain this and get to Jensen... NOW!"
TLTLTL
Cougar could feel the thing pushing against him. He fought to remain strong to keep an energy barrier between him and it. He could feel its frustration growing even as he sensed Roque moving in.
He could see nothing but the inky blackness that tried to penetrate his defenses and worm its way inside.
TLTLTL
Green's eyes widened as he saw the thing solidify in front of the Loser's sniper Alvarez. He turned towards Roque trying to make sense and then it all fell into place. The tequila had been the final factor... not just any tequila but one of the best... aged... smooth... a gift from the land of the Aztecs.
"Boss, get security to Jensen's cell now. Activate the cell's defenses. Jensen isn't the perp... he's the victim."
It was all the time he dared waste. Otherwise it was going to claim another good man.
He had stepped in to help Alvarez when the darkness turned towards Wells.
"Oh shit..."
TLTLTL
Michelson's eyes widened at the mage's proclamation. If he was right they needed someone observing and backing the man up pronto.
"Dickerson," he said handing the keys to his car to the female agent. "Get out of here, call the office and get them to put someone from Magical on him. Get there as quickly as you can and fill them in on what happened here.
He held his breath as the agent closed her flipbook and did as ordered.
TLTLTL
Pooch watched as the nightmare unfolded for a second time. Without thinking he grabbed the remote and hit pause.
A slight smile came to his face as the creature froze. It's claws reaching towards Wells even as it's claws extended and it prepared to rend Cougar in half.
"Roque... do something..." he called.
TLTLTL
Roque grabbed the bottle of Patron. This was either going to be very right or very, very wrong. He knew he was taking a big chance, but he was the only one trained in anything close to this kind of magic and he knew what it had done to Cougar the last time. As for Wells, if this thing or something like it had managed to invade Jensen, the man didn't stand a chance.
"Green, get Cougar and Wells out of there..." he hissed as he downed the rest of the bottle.
He smiled as held the last of it in his mouth and produced his lighter. As the creature turned towards him he greeted it with a fireball fueled by Patron.
TLTLTL
Wells trembled as he felt something cold grab a hold of his mind. It was only there an instant, but it was enough. It felt slick and oily and totally alien. He realized this was what Jensen hadn't been able to speak of—he wasn't hiding the truth, he was hiding from it.
He tried to back away only to find the blackness tracking him. Then there was a bright flash of light... and nothing.
TLTLTL
Cougar was fighting blind but he was fighting. He could not let this thing win any more than he could let it go. He focused on keeping it at bay, neither pressing his advantage nor letting it get any closer. His entire being was focused on the creature and how it related to those gathered. Even now he knew he had to protect his team.
He knew that Pooch would do what he could, but there wasn't much a rigger could do to this thing. Roque would be taking this thing head on and Clay...
He could almost feel his stomach drop when he realized Clay hadn't moved. He let his concentration slip just enough to think back to the original attack and review what had happened. Clay had closed in the last time, ready to back Roque up until...
He tensed, his mind torn between figuring out what had happened and keeping the creature at bay.
He could feel the balance shifting as it had then and as he started to fall, he felt someone grab him by the collar and pull him away.
Still flailing he called out, "Pooch, Clay hasn't moved... "
TLTLTL
Pooch looked at Cougar, his eyes widening. "Ah.. no... no, no..." He turned and let out a slight growl of frustration as he realized Cougar was right.
It wasn't like the Colonel to freeze but there he was, watching the creature, an odd smile crossing his face. "Shit! It's got him!"
Without another thought he flopped onto the couch and activated two of his drones in the other room. He knew Roque would do everything in his power to keep the creature from taking another victim.
It was up to him to contain the one here.
TLTLTL
Michelson gasped as Green grabbed Wells and flung him towards the kitchen, then dragged the nearly exhausted sniper a safe distance away from the mayhem that was unfolding.
He'd seen Green in action often enough to know that his next step would be to shield the area. That would contain the creature and limit the amount of damage it could do to the rest of the team, but it meant leaving Roque, Porteus and Clay at its mercy.
He needed to even the odds and quickly but he couldn't do that from behind the shielding. He had to get in before Green finished his work.
As he moved in, he felt the air shimmer around him. He was too late.
TLTLTL
In his cell Jensen could feel reality slipping away. He felt blood between his fingers and somehow he knew it was Cougar's blood. He wanted to scream, not at the thought, but the sense of... pleasure? That came with it.
He froze realizing the same thing Roque had. It was somehow inside him... like a worm... like a...
He focused on his commutations device. They could block him out of most things, but the device was in his head. To deactivate it they'd have to jam the signal or lock a loop-back plug in place to keep him from using it.
He had to get the message through to the others, and keep his own demon at bay long enough to do it.
'Worming your way in... the early bird gets the worm... he who gets the worm buys the next round... I'm going to have to buy the next round... I hope there's a next round to buy.'
TLTLTL
Clay stood analyzing the chain of events that had led them to this point. According to Michelson none of this should have happened, but all the pieces together had resulted in this creature finding a way in... This was their home. Something Roque had already shielded them against and yet...
'Clay... Can you hear me?'
It took him a moment to recognize the voice. 'Jensen?'
'Clay, thank God! You've got to...'
The transmission faded into static as two drones flanked him and delivered a stun charge.
TLTLTL
Roque could feel the creature's sphere of influence. All he had to do was step outside and it would be contained. He closed his eyes and let out a feral growl realizing his mistake almost immediately. Part of it was already outside... in the holding cell with Jensen.
When Green had pulled the others out, he had broken the containment and yet... something kept it from moving on. Something...
He closed his eyes and exhaled. He felt an odd peace settle over him as he felt out the different influences. He could feel Green's protective spell, Cougar's energy as he tried to center himself , beyond that, beyond his own magic he felt something else: something far older than any of them.
Spell upon spell, layered over the ages, spells that gave the creature power, spells that kept it contained. Old magic: older than the awakened age, older than the UCAS and the countries that had come before: older than the first ones...
Spells meant to contain and protect built upon a rotting foundation. Protection becoming doorways, cracks in the plug that kept the power contained, and Jensen's 'Pizza and a movie' had opened the door.
TLTLTL
Clay shook his head as he saw the drones standing guard over him. Had it taken Pooch too? As he tried to get up, the drones moved closer ready to knock him back down.
'I am only going to say this once,' he growled into his comm-link. 'Pooch... take out the Trid.'
When the rigger gave him a startled look he continued. 'We will discuss the rest later. Remove one of the links and its hold is gone. Pizza is here, popcorn is here, it is here... remove one link and it goes away... the trid is the last link. Just do it.'
TLTLTL
Pooch turned, his mind going over what Clay had said. It made sense, but so had re-creating the situation in the first place and if Clay was compromised then...then this had been the creature's attempt to control more of them and they had played right into its... talons.
Break the connection. It made sense but did he dare? It had frozen when he hit pause, but...
It couldn't be that simple could it?
He walked over to the trid and hit the master power switch.
TLTLTL
As the power to the trid faded several things happened at once: in his cell Jensen collapsed;
Roque surged forward as the resistance faded; Cougar blinked as the pain behind his eyes vanished and he felt the vacuum where the creature had been.
In the kitchen, Michelson sighed in relief as the maelstrom ended.
TLTLTL
"What in the name of all that is purple and furry was that!?" Green asked as he pulled himself to his feet.
"Something very old," Roque answered as he pulled out a knife. "Help me pull up the carpet."
He watched for a moment as Roque began cutting the carpet and pulling away the padding beneath.
There was no missing the blackened flooring and the ancient symbols drawn on the subfloor, and on the linoleum underneath that... and the second subflooring.
Suddenly he felt very, very lucky indeed.
TLTLTL
Clay watched from the floor as things snapped back to the familiar. He watched as Roque and Green set to work and was about to check on Cougar when he remembered the drones flanking him.
He turned towards Pooch and took a long suffering breath. "Would you care to explain Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum here?" Hyphenate
Pooch paused. "You weren't moving."
"Oh... kay... you know taser was not designed to convince someone to move. It's used to stop someone from moving."
"I know that Clay. But Cougs was being attacked."
"And..."
"And you weren't moving."
"I was studying it."
"You had some of the Patron the other day..."
Clay thought about that for a moment and nodded. Pooch was right. "And?"
"And we thought you weren't being you."
"So you decided to sick the ugly twins on me."
"Pretty much, yeah."
"You going to tell them to lay off any time soon?"
TLTLTL
There was something in Clay's expression that only Clay could achieve. An odd combination of amusement and 'you better call them off now."
He looked towards Roque for confirmation, but he was focused on identifying the markings. 'Cougs,' he called over a private channel. 'A little help here...'
'I'm coming,' he heard the sniper reply as he stood. His relief was short lived as Cougar's legs gave out from under him. Even as he moved to help, he paused watching Clay uncertainly.
"Dammit Pooch, either tell them to stand down or knock me out so you can tend to him..."
"Sorry, boss," he said as he signaled the drones. It was the sort of thing he'd expect from the Colonel, which only added to his uncertainty.
Clay's half amused smile as he slipped into unconsciousness told him what he needed to know: Clay was indeed himself and he was going to have to do a lot of explaining once the Colonel was conscious again.
TLTLTL
Michelson moved in, unsure if things were really over or just beginning. As he drew closer, Green signaled him to stay back.
He paused, wanting to help, knowing that as the team leader he should be in there helping. He took one look at the sub flooring and knew the best thing he could do was leave this to Green and Roque.
That left checking on Wells, Alvarez, Porteus and Clay.
TLTLTL
Once he was sure the Colonel was unconscious, Pooch moved towards Cougar and Wells.
From the look of things Wells had gotten off lightly all things considered. Still, contact with that... thing... was traumatic enough on its own.
"Hey... you okay?" he called to Wells as he began checking on Cougar.
Wells continued to stare into the distance before finally focusing on his surroundings.
"Kinda... reminds me of that scene in 'Necromancer Three'... " he answered. "Where the hero ended up wrapped in..."
Years of practice with Jensen had taught Pooch to distract, derail and redirect before Wells started on the full movie review.
"Were you hurt?"
Wells paused and actually had to take inventory before answering. Satisfied, Pooch focused his attention on Cougar. A quick check showed he had popped a few stitches and had a new set of cuts on his forearm, but nothing life threatening. He grabbed the first aid kit and set to work bandaging the worst of it.
"What's wrong with him, and what's up with the Colonel?"
Pooch was startled by the sudden appearance of Michelson but recovered quickly. "Cougar's lost some blood but nothing life threatening. I'm thinking it's that coupled with the tequila and having to fight... just...did a number on his system."
"And the Colonel?"
Pooch looked up and gave him a slightly sheepish look. "I knocked him out... he had some of the Patron," he explained.
"And you think it did something to him?"
"We were in battle and he wasn't moving..."
Michelson gave a startled look. "I want Wells and your man to check them both over before they wake up."
Pooch nodded knowing that he'd have to explain the Colonel's current state to Roque: something he did not look forward to.
TLTLTL
Michelson supervised the cleanup, leaving Green and Roque to deal with the 'doorway'. He sifted through the incoming reports, as the picture began to grow clearer.
Something told him this was going to keep him up for weeks to come.
TLTLTL
By the time Dickerson had made it to the holding cell the magic-medical team was finishing up with Jensen.
She waited, trying to read their reactions and was surprised when one of them stood and burst out laughing.
She looked at the magic-medtech as he waved her over.
"He's fine," the tech told her still laughing. "Said the problem with techromancy is the spell locks onto the tech and no one's figured out how to counteract the off switch."
She shook her head.
"Whatever it was... it was summoned through semi normal channels but part of the process seems to have been contained on a disk... and the creature used the technology as a pattern to 'recognize' its targets... turn off the tech... it's got nothing to hold on to."
"You got all that from talking to the suspect," she asked incredulously.
"Not exactly... we've been talking with your man Green as well as his team's mage and piecing it all together... "
"And... there's no real explaining it. It's one of those things that just... " The mage shrugged. "A confluence of circumstances."
Dickerson shook her head. She hated it when the supposed experts couldn't explain something but tried anyway.
TLTLTL
"You did what?" Roque asked in disbelief. He had just finished going over his findings with Green and then repeating them to Michelson only to find Clay laying in a less than dignified heap. Lying
"I knocked him out."
"What you didn't think we were at enough of a disadvantage?"
"I wasn't sure if he'd been taken over."
Roque rolled his eyes. "Do you see any women around?"
Pooch frowned. "No?"
"Alright then," Roque said as if that answered the question.
He watched as Pooch processed the information and smirked.
While he thought the chances were slim, it didn't stop Roque from going over and making sure the boss wasn't in trouble.
TLTLTL
Ng reported that the prior occupants of that particular house, a heavily magical spec ops team had been lost on assignment. Their personal effects had been packed and sent to the appropriate authorities while the 'household goods' were organized and the place was prepped for the next team.
Unfortunately some of the 'household goods' included a highly customized athame which Jensen had had the misfortune of using as a chef's knife; a collection of medicinal and magical herbs that had been relegated to the spice rack. The popcorn had later been identified as blue corn: Sacred Blue Corn to be exact.
That coupled with the traces of old magic that predated the military base being built, various magics being worked on top of the old site breaking away the barriers that kept the entity at bay... it was looking more and more like 'just one of those things.'
He was finishing his report when security informed him that Colonel Clay was there to see him. He wasn't surprised. If there was one thing he'd learned in the past few days, it was the fact that the Colonel was very persistent.
"Show him in," he told them as he finished his report and placed a copy on his desk for the Colonel to read.
TLTLTL
When Clay entered the office he noticed the folder on the desk. "Case closed I assume?"
Michelson nodded. "Case closed."
"And?"
"No fault."
Clay smiled at the declaration. "Good to know, but how are you going to write it up?"
Michelson smiled and nodded towards the file.
Dubious, Clay opened the folder and scanned through the findings and recommendations. When he reached the section labeled 'Cause', he started laughing.
"Fair enough, and Thank you."
Michelson nodded, then offered him his hand. "Colonel. It's been interesting to say the least, and don't take this the wrong way... but if I ever see you or your men again... I'm turning in my shield and signing up for something safer like UDT."
TLTLTL
Clay was still laughing when he reached the Jeep where the others were waiting.
"Well?" Roque prompted.
"Case is closed."
"And?"
Clay paused realizing he'd drawn things out as long as he could. "The official cause of this little debackle is listed as 'bad pizza.'"
Pooch let out a whoop and started laughing.
"That's it?" Jensen asked.
"That's it."
"What about prevention?"
"Well, based on their findings, things on base will change. When barracks are prepped for new occupants, all items to be left behind will be reviewed by magical and technical advisers and from now on... no secret recipes are allowed, all pizza will be delivery and we are no longer allowed to watch anything in the necromancer series."
Clay smiled. All things considered they'd gotten off lightly.
The End