Darien had slept like a log, especially after the nearly hour-long shower he'd shared with Alyx. Hobbes had grumbled, but understood given she'd been away for two weeks. That would probably be their only chance until they got back home, and that was assuming she wasn't sent out on yet another job the moment they returned as had happened more than often lately. Boss seemed to think the only way to protect her was if she were never in any single place for an extended period of time. Darien just thought it sucked since when she was away, she wasn't with him and he liked her being around.
Besides, when she was around... then he knew she was all right.
Alyx and Jarod were already dueling with their computers, Hobbes stood before the board as if he would glean anything else from the information there. Darien needed coffee; for though there was a machine in their room, there was a decided lack of coffee with which to make it. This did little to help him gain actual consciousness, especially this early in the morning. "Hey," he mumbled to everyone and made a beeline for the coffeemaker someone had thoughtfully brought into the room.
"Hey, bub," Alyx said, eyes peeking over the top of her monitor.
"Fawkes, nice of you to join us," Hobbes snarked, but even through his unconsciousness Darien could tell his partner was joking.
"I'm fifteen minutes late, Hobbes. Did I miss all the fun or something?" Darien failed utterly at keeping it light and earned a raised eyebrow from Agent Miner. "Sorry, need caffeine to be even marginally human."
"Not a problem, Agent Fawkes, though I have yet to understand the fascination with the consumption of coffee you are more than welcome to prepare as much as you wish," Agent Miner told him with a hint of a smile on his lips. Apparently, he found Darien's current state both amusing and unusual.
Darien found the agent's turn of phrase odd, but turned his focus to the coffeemaker in hopes of getting it to produce that magical liquid that he required to function. The prepackaged grounds were a decent brand, even by Alyx's high standards, and he followed the simple instructions to set everything up. When he hit the start button, nothing happened. He scrubbed his face with his hands, and tried again with the same lack of results.
"It's unplugged," Alyx told him and he grunted in response when he realized she was correct.
He reached around for the cord and slid it into the designated spot in the wall. The clock on the front began to blink indicating success and he then pressed the power button. There was sudden snap and surge of power up his arm. Even being zapped by Alyx a time a two failed to prepare him for a piece of electronics deciding to attack him. "Son of a bitch," he snarled as he jumped back, sparks chasing him.
Alyx was at his side instantly, the machine going dark as she forced it to behave. "Darien?"
"I'm fine... I think." His hand tingled, like when the blood flow returned after sleeping on it wrong. He shook it a couple of times and flexed the fingers, but otherwise he appeared to be undamaged.
A resort employee stuck his head into the room, attracted by Darien's shout. "Is everything all right?"
Hobbes answered, "Coffee machine has a short and it got him." He waved at Darien.
The man's eyes went wide and he went right into obsequious mode. "My apologies, I'll have it removed and arrange for coffee and pastries to be delivered free of charge." He faced Darien directly. "Do you need medical assistance, we do have a PA on staff."
Darien shook his head. "Nah, just not my preferred way of being woken up is all."
The man nodded. "If you change your mind, let us know. He walked over to the offending machine and removed it with due caution. "I'll have the food sent in right away."
"Thanks," Hobbes said with a nod. Once gone he eyed Darien. "He okay, kid?"
"As far as I can tell, yes." She took Darien's right hand into hers and gave it a more serious once over. He could feel her power wash over him, while her fingers trailed lightly across his skin. "A small first degree burn on his fingertip, but that's it."
"Fawkes?"
"Had the tingles at first, but feels fine now," Darien assured them. "Once the coffee arrives I will be right as rain." He glanced over at Jarod who hadn't said a word the entire time, but had watched them all with wary eyes, as if trying to absorb the interplay between the three of them. Understandable, given he'd been essentially side-swiped by the arrival of an extra agent. Hard enough working with total strangers, planned or not, but adding a surprise addition, and worse those used to working together a certain way, could easily throw plans, never mind expectations off.
"I have Jolt if you would rather not risk another attack," Jarod offered, surprising Darien with the humor.
He chuckled. "I'll manage till the coffee arrives. Now, how are we going to stop these Navshots from falling into the wrong hands?"
"Good question," Hobbes stated, turning about to face Jarod. "Why has Hurst agreed to move the guns for Goodrowe?"
"Blackmail," Alyx answered as she moved back towards her computer.
"Well, I figured that. Hurst ain't never crossed the line before, why now?" Hobbes moved back to the white board covered in pictures and seemingly random info.
"Really good blackmail?" Darien suggested, humor and seriousness in his tone. Everyone has a price: sometimes it's money and sometimes it's something even more valuable like threats against those you love. "Hurst has a family, right?"
Jarod nodded.
"And Goodrowe isn't exactly a local, he works the whole country, so while he has some contacts and resources here, he's based out of…"
"Phoenix," Hobbes filled in. "Good point, Fawkes. Hurst has been nothing but legit his entire career, can't even find so much as a speeding ticket on him and his rep is excellent according to sources I spoke to." He turned to Jarod. "Where's Goodrowe holed up? Hurst's warehouse?"
"I have not discovered where he is… holed up," Jarod told them.
Alyx tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. "But you know where he is."
Jarod did the one eyebrow thing, which Darien found amusing. "No, I don't know."
Alyx scrunched up her face. "Fine, Mr. Picky, you suspect then."
Darien gazed over all the data, ran everything they knew or suspected through his mind and came to only one conclusion. "He's using Hurst's place, isn't he?" Then it really clicked. "Shit, he has his family doesn't he?"
"Ah, the nastiest kind of blackmail there is," Hobbes muttered. "Kids?"
Jarod nodded. "Two. A girl and a boy, both under the age of ten."
"So, Goodrowe has three hostages to make certain the guns they want get delivered," Hobbes summed up. "Do we know where they are being held?"
Jarod stood, went to the board and removed a photograph. "Hurst has a fair-sized estate, been in the family for years now, and includes a very sophisticated security system."
"How did Goodrowe get in then?" Darien questioned aloud as he worked it through on his own. "An inside job, of course, but the question is how long has he been planning this. Government shipments aren't exactly common knowledge, even within the government."
"I suspect this has been in the works for six months or so, which does indeed mean Goodrowe had inside info on the weapons, and long before Hurst probably knew he had won the contract." Jarod had definitely done his homework, might even be planning on going after those on the inside all down the line, but not now. Now was all about the Hurst's and Darien had to given Jarod chops for that. Helping the little guy first wasn't always part of the government agenda, hell it almost never was.
"Deal with this first then track down who's feeding him intel and take him out as well." Hobbes contained the anger well, but Darien knew his friend, traitors were on the top of his shit list. He still bitched about Eberts when given a chance.
"Which do we target first, the warehouse or the estate?" Darien asked, knowing they would have to do both to find the details they needed to resolve this successfully.
Alyx answered, "Both."
Hobbes sighed and nodded. "How we gonna split up?'
"Thanks to the addition to Agent Silver we can actually cover both at the same time. If the two of you are willing to stake out the storage warehouse, we will discover how tight the security is at the Hurst estate and try to ascertain the location of his family," Jarod suggested.
Hobbes nodded. "Works."
Darien didn't like that quite so much, especially after the... compromising position he had caught them in the previous evening. "I'm not so sure about that..."
"D, it's the best division of labor." She tipped her head to the side. *I'll be able to find the family if they are on the estate.*
Darien sighed, knowing she was correct, but not wanting his girl to be alone with Jarod for any length of time. *I know, sweets, and protecting his family comes first.* He rubbed the back of his head hating that they would have to split up a day after getting back together. Though he should be used to it by now, he supposed. They always seemed to be going their separate ways, and she always seemed to be heading into the arms of another man. He forced those thoughts away at the slight furrowing he could see of Alyx's brow, which meant she had picked up the gist of his thoughts at the very least, if so she kept it to herself this time. "Yeah, me'n Hobbesy'll deal with the warehouse. See if we can learn how they're gonna transport the guns... and when."
Hobbes nodded in agreement. "Meet back here later and compare notes." That was an order, not a request or suggestion.
Jarod glanced at the watch on his wrist. "The Hurst estate is a hour from here and deeper into the mountains, communication may be limited."
Alyx chuckled softly. "Not to worry, one of my specialties is communication."
Darien smiled and shook his head in amusement. Even if there were no signal, she'd find someway to boost the cell phone or walkies or if worst came to worst talk to him via her telepathy. Her true range was unknown, but thanks to the permanent connection between them it remained entirely possible that she could contact him from half a world away. "And if something goes wrong?" Always a possibility, especially for them.
"Smoke signals?" Alyx suggested facetiously. "Figure if no contact for six hours we head to the other team's locale ready for rescue."
Hobbes nodded. "Good plan, kid. Let's try to avoid that though."
Jarod snorted in laughter. "Do you always plan for the worst case scenario?"
"Have to," Alyx answered, "these two are trouble magnets." She waved at Bobby and Darien, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "All right, we've got a full day, let's coordinate and get to it."
…
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
…
"I've got a hit on Jarod... maybe."
Miss Parker narrowed her eyes and tapped a single fingernail on the battered desktop. "Maybe? Why is it only a maybe?"
Broots nervously called up the data he'd gathered since his arrival early that morning. "I had a data mining program set up that alerts me if anyone does a search for any of Jarod's aliases. Last night someone went looking for him, with an image, and discovered dozens of his alternate identities that he's lived under over the past several years."
Miss Parker closed her eyes for a long moment. "You're telling me someone has figured out that Jarod not only isn't who he claims to be, but that he's been..."
"Pretended to be," Sydney interjected.
Miss Parker tipped her head to concede the point. "How many, Broots?"
"No way to know for certain," he answered, wishing he had better news for her.
"Were they able to trace him back to The Centre?" Sydney questioned, his cool, calm voice seemingly unconcerned at the possibility.
Broots shook his head. "No, all the data came from the original sources of those pretends. NSA, ATF, various hospitals... nothing that is connected to here."
"That is good to know," Sydney stated. "Do we know from whom the search originated?"
Broots pressed a few keys on the keyboard before him. "No. Whoever did the trace is good."
"And I thought you were the best," Miss Parker sneered.
Broots found his backbone for a moment. "The best here, yes. Whoever did this... is far more skilled than I am. The trail they left behind... I know it originated in Montana, western half of the state… I think, but that's all I have. I can't even give you an ISP or exact location where the trace began."
"But it's a start." Miss Parker said with a nod.
"Why do you think this means Jarod is in Montana?" Sydney asked, playing the role of devil's advocate this time around.
"Because why would someone look up information on Jarod if he wasn't there?" Miss Parker came back with quickly and it was the same conclusion Broots had come to. "Keep trying to discover who is looking into our wayward pretender."
Broots nodded. "Of course. If they try again, the trace will begin automatically and I'll let you know as soon as I have anything."
"Good enough," Miss Parker said with a nod, then turned and left the room leaving him with Sydney.
"Why would Jarod be in Montana?"
Broots shrugged. "The search started with his ATF persona Jarod Miner, perhaps he's dealing with some Waco-type cult... though why they'd hole up that far north is beyond me."
"I'm sure he'll let us know when he's ready and not before," Sydney stated, not sounding overly confident this time. "Keep me informed."
"Of course," Broots agreed, diving back into the computer and all the other work he had on his plate.
…
Jarod finished putting the surveillance items in the bag when he realized he was no longer alone in the room. "Hobbes and Fawkes head out already?"
"Yep," Alyx answered.
Jarod turned about to see her standing there with a handgun pointed ever so casually in his direction. It wasn't overtly threatening, but there was a seriousness about her that he knew boded ill for him. "Is there a problem?"
"So, did you get what you wanted from my photo?" she asked, stepping further into the room and waving for him to sit with the gun.
"Caught that did you?" he asked as he settled into the nearest chair, eyes never leaving hers, and wondering exactly how much trouble he was now in.
"There isn't much I don't catch. Not these days," she stated; her voice and look equally chilly. "So what, really, is your name and what are you doing here?" She was very casual, walked over to the other overstuffed chair and plopped herself down in it, the weapon never wavering.
"I told you, Jarod Miner." He could see she wasn't buying it for an instant, which meant she'd done her own digging.
"Give me some credit, I found at least a dozen different personas of yours buried in various places. ATF, FBI, Air Force, Army. Is there anything you haven't been?" Alyx stood up, walked over to him, reached over and removed his gun from his shoulder holster. Carrying it back to her chosen perch, she efficiently removed and checked the clip, then replaced it and chambered a round. "Be glad I found out and not Bobby. You would have been in cuffs in under thirty seconds. I'll give you a chance to explain."
Jarod tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. "I could ask you the same question. Seems you didn't exist until a few years ago."
She cocked her head to the side. "And, near as I can tell you don't exist at all except for your various personas. So who are you really, Jarod?"
He had no way to answer that question, as he still had no clue himself. Even after all these years, he had only hints as to who he truly was and while he may have reconnected with his father, his mother still remained out of his reach, the secrets she held still making their reunion far too dangerous. He feared he might never get the opportunity to know her. "I don't know how to answer that."
"Okay, let's try: why are you here?"
"I've already told you, rescue the Hursts, stop Goodrowe." The truth and nothing but.
She nodded slowly. "That's the truth, anyway. Now why did you try to break into the Agency database and my files?"
He waved at his bag on the coffee table between them. "May I?"
She nodded.
Going through his bag, he pulled out one of the photos of his mother and handed it to her. "This is why I was checking up on you."
She examined the picture for a moment, but there was no flash of recognition on her features. "Who is she?" Alyx asked.
"My mother," Jarod answered, taking the photo back from her.
"And? Aside from the red hair I doubt we have anything in common." Alyx clearly wasn't impressed so far. "You're not lying, but you most certainly are not telling the whole truth." She set his gun on her lap, the lack of trust visible in her entire demeanor.
"Why do I feel you... in my head?" At that her eyes widened, her carefully schooled responses cracking at his commentary.
"That is a good damn question," she muttered. "A better one would be why do I know you..."
"... even though we've never met before," Jarod finished. He gestured with the photo. "I suspect we may be related, I'm just not entirely certain how."
She rubbed her forehead with her free hand. "Given the way my life has gone the last few years I won't even suggest that it should be impossible."
"You feel it as well," he stated, wanting to ask her so many questions, but not certain this was the time or the place to do so.
She chuckled ruefully. "You have no idea. What do you need from me to answer your questions?"
"Your real name would be a good start."
She nodded, apparently not a threatened about sharing that tidbit of info. "One condition."
"Anything," he agreed without hesitation.
"You use secure channels. I have... family I will protect at any cost."
"Done." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and hit the speed dial for one of the few people he trusted. He put the call on the speaker so Alyx could hear what was being said at both ends and when it was answered he said, "Hello, Sydney."
"Jarod. How are you?" Sydney sounded pleased to hear from his wayward charge.
"I'm sending you a picture I need you to look at," Jarod explained, leaning back into the chair he was sitting on. Talking to Sydney was always dangerous. He trusted the man, but he also knew Sydney was trying just as hard to bring him back to The Centre as Miss Parker. He held up the phone and took a picture of Alyx and sent it on to his friend.
"Give me a moment, Jarod." Sydney was silent for long minutes; only the faint sound of keys being tapped could be heard across the intervening distance. "Jarod, who is this girl?"
"Now that is the real question, and what I need you to find out."
"Do you have a name to go with the face?" Sydney requested, sounding as curious as Jarod.
"I do." He looked to Alyx, who handed over a slip of paper, understanding that while Jarod wanted her to be able to hear, Sydney probably should not know she was listening in. "Michele Alexandra McTierney." He spelled the last so there would be no confusion.
"I'll get to work on this right away." Sydney was silent for a moment, clearly contemplating the potential pitfalls of this course of action. "Are you sure this is something you want to look into? You may not like what I discover."
"Could you not try to find out?" Jarod asked his friend.
"No. I would have to know. Just as you do," Sydney answered honestly. "I'll do what I can."
"Thanks, Sydney." He pressed the end button and met Alyx's eyes, her look concerned.
"You don't fully trust him," she stated.
Jarod shook his head. "I don't fully trust anyone," he admitted.
"What did they do to you, Jarod?" she asked, voice hushed and serious.
"They took away who I was," he told her, just as serious, "and I'm still trying to find myself."
Alyx snorted, though with a decided lack of humor in her demeanor. "You and me both."
…
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
…
Broots walked into the room where Sydney sat with Angelo who was holding a copy of Alyx's photo.
"Did you find anything, Broots?" Sydney asked the obviously nervous man.
"Maybe. But only if she is far older than she appears."
"Yes," Angelo muttered softly. "Not a girl."
Sydney chuckled softly. "Well, that would appear to answer that question." He turned about to look at Broots directly. "What did you find?"
"I believe I found a connection between The Centre and her parents."
"Whose parents?" Miss Parker asked as she entered the room with her usual frightening aplomb.
Broots looked to Sydney to respond.
She stalked towards the older man, the smile gracing her lips nearly as dangerous as she actually was.
"A young woman," Sydney answered with a shrug. "Jarod requested that we look into her past."
"You heard from Jarod? And you failed to inform me why?" her voice had lowered the threat obvious in her tone alone.
"I'm informing you now," Sydney told her, calm as always. "We were able to do no more than confirm that he is indeed in Montana, his exact location remains unknown."
"Or what he's doing," Broots added quickly, almost stumbling over the words.
"Yet, he's managed to find a date?" she snarked.
"So it would appear," Sydney agreed with some amusement. "He thinks she is important for some reason."
Miss Parker walked over to Angelo and removed the picture from his grasp. She studied it for a moment, before turning to Sydney. "Since when is Jarod into jailbait?" She held out the photo for Angelo to take from her, which he did, returning to his study of her.
"Since now I suppose," Sydney responded, not rising to the obvious bait. Yes, part of his job, his duty was to return Jarod to The Centre, but at the same time he only wished to protect him, to allow him to choose for himself and live his life the way he wanted.
"So who is she?"
Broots' eyes flicked to Sydney who nodded slightly. "Michele McTierney, born in 1965, two minutes before her twin brother Michael. Her parents are listed as patients at... NuGenesis."
Miss Parker's eyes went wide. "NuGenesis, where the Prodigy project was run?"
"So it would appear," Sydney responded. "This is the first I am hearing this information myself."
She nodded. While it did not happen often, there were occasions when Miss Parker could practice restraint and patience.
"Apparently, it was not the only project being run there," Broots told them as he continued to review the information he had discovered.
"What project?" Sydney asked, not wanting to know the answer, but needing to.
"Oracle."
One of Miss Parker's eyebrows rose on her forehead. "And what, pray tell, is Oracle?"
Broots shook his head. "I don't know. There's no details here, just a project name, but if this data is correct both Michele and Michael were part of the project along with dozens of others."
"Can you find the details?" Miss Parker requested under the guise of an order.
Broots nodded. "Probably. Will need to dig into some old databases, but I should be able to find out the details, it'll just take some time."
"You have twenty-fours hours, how about that?" she offered magnanimously. She turned to Sydney. "As soon as you know anything, I know it, understand?"
"Of course, Miss Parker," Sydney agreed even though he knew she would use said information to try and bring Jarod back into The Centre. She clicked away, her point being made with every step.
"Broots, who oversaw the Oracle program?"
Broots tapped a few keys, a frown overtaking his features. "Mr. Raines."
"Of course," Sydney grouched, "which means it can't be anything good."
"Does that mean this Michele can't be good?" Broots asked warily.
"That remains to be seen, I suppose," Sydney told him, heading back to where Angelo sat on the floor with her picture still in his hands.
Angelo look up, eyes bright. "Good, very good, and will show Jarod the way out."
…
Montana, Northern Rockies
Hurst Warehouse
Near the Canadian border
…
Hobbes sat in the driver's seat watching the warehouse where the Navshots were being stored for transport sometime in the near future. Lowering the binoculars he'd been using, he looked at his partner sitting beside him. Once again, Fawkes was rubbing his right hand as if it were cold or something. Justifiable here, but he'd been doing it ever since the coffee machine had bit him that morning.
"Fawkes, why do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?" Darien muttered, sounding distracted, he'd been staring out the windshield, checking the place out with those thiefy eyes of his.
"Rubbing and shaking your hand like that. You been doing it since we hit the road," Bobby explained, keeping his voice indifferent so as not to make his concern obvious.
"Huh?" Darien looked down at his hand as if surprised to find he was doing exactly that. "Uh, it still feels weird, is all. No big deal."
"No big deal, my ass," Bobby grumbled, holding out his hand for Darien's. "Cough it up."
With a sigh, Darien submitted to Bobby checking his monitor, which still read full green. "I told you. I'm fine."
Bobby released Darien's hand with a slight frown on his face. "Maybe we should call the Keep... or the kid. Just to be sure."
"Hobbes, give it a rest. What? You think we can't do the job without Alyx holding our hands?" Darien snapped, sounding for all the world like Hobbes after a couple of days without his meds. "I don't think so, pal." He blinked, as if shocked by his own tone of voice and shook his head. "If it's that important I'll tell my babysitter as soon as we get back, 'kay?"
Hobbes shrugged, not too certain he wanted a twitchy Fawkes going anywhere, but not having much choice. Maybe it was nothing more than the new surroundings and lack of sleep; Fawkes had tossed and turned for a fair portion of the night even after the kid had done her best to tire him out. "I'd rather we have the kid look you over and it be nothing, than for you to have an unexpected meltdown, my friend," Hobbes observed, looking back at the warehouse, and allowing the matter to be closed for the time being. "You ready to check this place out?"
Darien glanced at his watch. "A little longer. If I'm right there should be a mass exodus soon, when most of them leave for lunch. Might as well make it as easy as possible. Plus, it will give you time to wire me up."
"All right, smartass." Bobby turned in his seat and reached back for the case containing the communications gear. "Let's see what toys we have this time." At least things had improved in the last year or so. The budget had gone up and the Official had invested quite a bit of it in fancy gear. The headsets in this case were the really spiffy ones. Small, with self-contained power, so there were no bulky battery packs, and good range. While it still didn't compare with the gear the FBI or CIA got to play with, it was a vast improvement over the crap they'd had to use in the past. Pulling out one of the headsets, he handed it to Darien. "Think you can handle this?"
Darien rolled his eyes. "I'll manage, Hobbes." He slid the earpiece on and adjusted it until it sat just so.
Bobby turned on the transmitter and tested the system. Darien flinched at the high-pitched squeal that even Bobby could hear, but the problem quickly resolved itself. "Sorry about that. How's the level now?"
Fawkes nodded. "Fine." He rubbed his hands, in anticipation this time, and not that unconscious thing he'd been doing all day. Minutes later they watched nearly a dozen cars pull out of the warehouse lot, just as Fawkes had predicted. Opening the SUV door he stepped out into the chilly late fall air that the forecasters swore would be producing snow at any moment. He made his way around to the back of the building at a low crouch, heading for the section of loosened fence they'd spotted earlier. Since they had no idea how long he'd have to be inside they agreed it would be best to save the Quicksilver until was needed. They only had a limited amount of counteragent with them, and no ready way to get more.
"I'm in, Hobbes," Darien said quietly.
"Don't dawdle. Get the info and get out." Hobbes was watching the main gate for the return of the employees, when he saw a suspicious black car pull up. The driver got out and every instinct in Bobby's soul told him this was big trouble. So, he was not really surprised when the driver opened the rear door and Goodrowe, accompanied by Hurst at gunpoint, got out of the car.
"Shit. Fawkes you got company. Heavily armed company." Bobby slid out of the SUV in hopes of getting a better view. He was prepared to go in if necessary, to back up his partner.
"Goody," Fawkes muttered. "Uh, Hobbes..."
"Yeah, Fawkes?" The tone in Fawkes' voice suggested that he had bad news.
"The room I'm in..." Fawkes paused, the sound of him swallowing hard coming across loud and clear.
"Spit it out," Hobbes barked.
"It's full of Navshots," Fawkes finally got out. Then, a second later there was a hissed, "Oh, crap," followed by new voices.
"Check them," Goodrowe ordered.
"I told you they were here," Hurst said, the tremor in his voice audible even to Hobbes who had never met the man.
"So you did. Now you just need to write up the necessary paperwork and we can get out of here." Goodrowe sneered. "Impressive weapon."
"So you keep telling me. Can we get this over with?" Hurst sounded tired and angry.
"Yes, let's." From the sound of it, Goodrowe wasn't going to be keeping Hurst around any longer than necessary.
"The driver will need his passport as well as these to get across," Hurst reminded Goodrowe.
"I know. Don't worry. My end is handled. You just make sure those papers of yours will past muster or I'll have to start with that sweet little girl of yours." Bobby could picture the leer on Goodrowe's face. The fact the bastard liked his playmates young only gave Bobby another reason to see that this guy was arrested... and soon. "And I promise you I'll enjoy her before she dies."
…
Darien shook off the Quicksilver and climbed into the SUV feeling nauseous. He had remained in his hiding place through the rest of the conversation, if you could call it that. Goodrowe had gone into descriptive detail about what he planned to do to the girl and then added what he'd do to the little boy just for funsies. Darien had somehow managed to not kill the bastard and endured until he had the details about when and where for the shipment... weather permitting. As soon as he had that information, he'd left. Not really needing to hear what Goodrowe planned on doing to Hurst's wife while he was made to watch.
"I heard. We'll head back to the resort and contact Alyx and Jarod and give them the info." Bobby started the engine. "You okay, partner?"
Darien shook off his discomfort. "Yeah, fine."
"How are you doing on the Quicksilver? You were in there a while," Bobby asked, attempting to make the question sound casual.
Realizing his partner had a point; he turned over his hand and checked the tattoo under his watch. There was only one segment red. He blinked, rubbed his thumb across it and looked again, but nothing had changed. That didn't make sense. He'd been invisible about twenty minutes. Yeah, the Keep had started him on the inhibitor that targeted the toxin only, but the change shouldn't have been that dramatic. Should it?
"Well, Fawkes?" Bobby's concern seeped into his voice.
"Fine. See." Darien held up his wrist to show his partner.
"Guess those new adjustments are working. They were trying to get you more see-through time," Bobby said, pulling the SUV back onto the main road through town.
"I guess," Darien muttered, looking out the window. He had his doubts. Who knew what changes had really been made, if any. Hell, the Keep could very well be giving him sugar water instead of inhibitor, shortening his leash on orders of the Fatman. With a heavy sigh, he pushed those thoughts away. Things were fine, better than fine - twenty minutes and only one segment red, it didn't get any better than that. Even if his hand still felt like it was stuck in a light socket. Surreptitiously, he began to rub his left thumb along the palm again, in a vain hope to get some normal feeling back in it.
"We'll probably need to keep an eye on Goodrowe just in case. The forecast ain't pretty," Hobbes said even as the deep grey sky finally began to give up its contents as freezing rain hit the windshield with soft ticks. He flipped on the wipers and headed back towards the resort.
"Maybe stop for lunch?" Darien suggested; hungry and though he knew the resort had a restaurant, wanted some supplies for their cabin in case they would be stuck indoors all night.
"Yeah, good idea," Hobbes agreed without argument. "Wish we could've planted a tracker on Goodrowe, so we'd have a better idea when they're gonna make their move."
"Well, I did leave my headset in a crate of Navshots, battery won't last forever, but might give us some warning," Darien told him, feeling just a touch smug, justifiably even he had to admit.
"Fawkes..." Hobbes shook his head. "You are a smartass supreme. Looks like I've trained you well."
Darien snorted. "Taught me everything I know," he agreed. He stuck out a hand. "Grocery store at two o'clock."
Hobbes flipped on the blinker and changed lanes. "On it."
…
"So how did you end up working for the Agency?" Jarod asked her as they lay on the ground, looking down the valley at the estate they were going to break into tomorrow.
"Blackmail," Alyx answered, as she checked the area.
The specs Jarod had provided showed the place was wired for just about everything, but the electronic security didn't extend out very far from the building itself. It was just too heavily forested, instead it was patrolled by the old standby: humans and dogs, both of which were potentially fallible, if manipulated correctly. And Jarod excelled at manipulation, it had become his stock and trade as of late.
Jarod lowered the binoculars, which he'd been using to check the buildings. "Blackmail? You or them?" He wouldn't actually be surprised by either.
She dropped her head down, laughing softly, and after a moment, she turned to look at him. "They blackmailed me." She shook her head still chuckling a little. "Things have changed a bit since then. Though the reasons I stay are in some ways the same, it's no longer blackmail."
"Then what is it?" Jarod wasn't surprised she was willing to talk. They'd discussed quite a few subjects on the drive over, after this morning it had been unavoidable.
"Necessity." Her attention remained focused the house. "I need to get closer."
Jarod watched her, wondering what holes she had been able to discern that he'd missed. "Sure. Follow me."
He got to his feet and together they made his way down the hillside towards the compound. Alyx followed so quietly that he had to look back several times to make sure she was still there. When they were within about a hundred yards of the perimeter defenses Alyx called out to him. "Close enough."
Squatting down next to a tree, she did something, hers eyes becoming unfocused and glazing over, and yet he was absolutely certain that she was completely aware, and in a way he couldn't yet comprehend. It hadn't taken long for him to realize there was far, far more to her than just the skills of a well-trained agent. He simply hadn't quite figured out what that more was, and she was not yet ready to reveal it to him, which surprised him. If it were him, he would least faked up some equipment to cover whatever she was attempting with her psychic abilities.
Jarod moved beside her and set a hand gently on her arm, not wanting to disturb her concentration. He made absolutely certain to not touch her bare skin, not that there was much available to touch, she was bundled up, including a hat that barely contained her unruly curls. "What do you see?"
"The security is tight, but has some flaws I can easily exploit." She closed her eyes and tilted her head, as if trying to hear something just out of range. "Where are you my pretties?" she muttered.
When she smiled, Jarod knew she had found what she was looking for; he just wasn't sure what it was, or how she was doing it. "What did you find?" he asked, not sure what he expected for an answer.
She tipped her head to the side, eyes still closed. "The Hursts, the family anyway. Husband isn't here right now... and they haven't seen him in days." She blinked coming back to the here and now. "They're being kept in the master suite, two guards outside the door."
"What about the regular security?"
"Good, better than I expected, especially out here in the middle of nowhere." She turned to face him. "Who is he afraid of?"
"No one, as far as I know."
Alyx quirked an eyebrow in response, clearly not believing his answer.
"He sells weapons, who should he be afraid of?" Jarod pointed out. "Doubt he doesn't know how to use them." In fact, Hurst did demos of every single weapon he sold, especially those he modified. Most of his business involved smaller contracts, local police and security firms. This government contract of his had involved luck and an old friend in a high place that knew and trusted him. Then again, it might have just been convenience... on the part of said old friend, as he could quite possibly be that inside man they'd theorized and actually working for Goodrowe. That would explain why such a small contractor, who lived nowhere near a major military base had won the contract to distribute the Navshots. Jarod would most certainly need to look into that after... after the Hursts were safe.
"Aside from Goodrowe?" Alyx suggested with a hint of humor. "Does he do gunsmithing at home, or just at his warehouse?"
"Point taken," he commented, conceding the point. "Yes, but it's separate from the main house. In fact, it can't even be seen from here."
"Good, means the only weapons will be those in the house." She shifted to lean back against a tree. "I want to try something, keep watch, please?"
"Of course." She closed her eyes, body relaxing noticeably as she did... something. He felt what he could only describe as energy wash across him for an instant and he knew it came from her, then it was gone. He had no idea what she was doing, or how precisely, but suspected it involved her still theoretical extra sensory abilities. Obviously, she did not feel concerned using them in front of him even if she did not yet feel comfortable enough to tell him about them. Of course, all of this could just be in his mind, putting the pieces together wrong and coming to a conclusion that was in no way true.
A fair five minutes had gone by when she came back to herself suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and she grabbed Jarod around the waist, yanking him bodily behind the tree she'd been using as a support, but not soon enough. The sound of the gunshot and his grunt of pain occurred at nearly the same time. Through the haze of pain he again felt something, like a shockwave, almost, pass by, but somehow knew he wasn't the intended target, then just as suddenly she was back, her full attention on him.
"He's on his way for us. How bad are you hurt?"
"Not bad. Got my arm," Jarod assured her, grimacing a bit at the pain, as she gave his biceps a quick exam. Actually, it hurt like hell, but he didn't have time to deal with the pain now. So, he ignored it, blocked it out until it was little more than a faint echo. He would pay dearly for it later, but right now, his life might depend on being able to function normally.
"It's not bad, but the bullet is still in there, and I don't have time to get it out now." Alyx informed him, clearly agitated. Whoever had shot him must be nearby and searching for them. "Don't move," she whispered to him.
Then she set a hand on his chest, an icy cold hand and he glanced down to see a strange silver liquid spreading out from under her palm and across his torso. He visibly flinched and tried to shift away, but his right arm just wouldn't support him and he flopped onto his back on the leaf-carpeted forest floor. That wasn't what held him in place, nor was it the gentle pressure of her hand over his racing heart. No, it was the feather brush of that something and the words, *I'll explain later.* that held him immobile.
Seconds later he was covered in the chill substance; his vision altered, faded, until the brilliant fall colors turned dull and gray, with crazy light streaks shooting out in random directions. And then she vanished. He could still feel her hand on his chest, but he couldn't see her, just an odd electric blue outline that he could only presume was her.
However, he could see the man who had most likely shot him. He was approaching warily from their right, coming down the hill from the direction of where they had parked the jeep, each step a cautious one, as if expecting to be ambushed at any moment. Which is why it was so surprising when a ghost outlined by a nimbus of vivid blue appeared to deliver three swift punches that put the security man down for the count. His clothes were unceremoniously rifled through and every weapon removed to float in the air.
Jarod shook his head in utter disbelief and his sight returned; the whatever-it-was shattering, and falling away from him like glitter. He picked up some of the dust that had landed atop a leaf and examined it. He levered himself to his feet, using a nearby tree for support, noting the guns drifting in his direction, being held in the air by nothing. "Alyx?"
"Thought I told you to stay put?" The Quicksilver flaked away from her and she proceeded to disassemble the rifle in her hands.
"You were invisible," he stated, trying to wrap his mind around what he had just seen... or not seen as the case may be.
She quirked an eyebrow. "Really, are you sure about that? Might just have been a hallucination brought on by shock and trauma."
It was an out Jarod didn't want to take. "Quite sure. We have some things to discuss."
She shrugged. "Later. Right now, we need to move. He got a message out and more are coming. You up to it?"
"Yeah, I'll manage." Jarod started back up the hillside taking a slightly more roundabout route than the one down. Given at least one of the security team had discovered their ride on the ancient road they had used that ran through the woods on the Hurst estate, they approached cautiously, staying as low as possible.
"Crap," Alyx muttered softly, setting a hand on his shoulder to hold him in place. "There's two more at the Jeep."
Crap indeed. They hunkered down, shifting slowly and cautiously through the brush lining the side of the road until they could see their ride and the two heavily armed men going through it, one on his walkie-talkie the entire time passing along all they knew to whomever was at the other end. Fair bet these were Goodrowe's men and not Hurst's. "We have two choices, try to make our way back without the Jeep, or..."
"Take them out," Alyx finished. "They have dogs, and even untrained they can probably follow us given you've been shot, plus our gear is in the vehicle."
"They'll know who we are and that the feds are now involved," Jarod stated, knowing this was not the best turn of events. "We need to warn your partners."
Alyx nodded. "That too." She tipped her head up, a look of dismay on her face as the skies opened up and not in the expected way. It wasn't snow, but ice, needles of frozen rain falling viciously from above. Within seconds, they were soaked through. "Shit. We are now out of options."
Jarod went to work on coming up with a course of action, with how fast his mind worked it took mere milliseconds, but even that was too slow for the action Alyx put into motion without hesitation. She was up and moving before he had a chance to say a word. She crossed the distance between them and the security men before they even realized she was there. She was fast, faster than a human should be, and with her seemingly impossible abilities, they stood no chance whatsoever. The walkies erupted into sparks, the guns flew out of her hands and both men froze, unable to move an inch, standing straight and tall and quaking in fear. She wasn't subtle, necessity dictating her actions. She cold cocked both of them, using one of their handguns to do so, then moved them aside, leaving them unmoving on the side of the road, the icy rain falling onto their bare skin.
Jarod stood and made his way over to her, already fighting the shivers, the tips of his hair drooping with the weight of ice that coated the strands. Her hat suddenly didn't seem quite so silly. "They dead?"
She shook her head. "Just napping. They'll be found soon enough. Speaking of which, we need to get out of here."
Jarod nodded in agreement and allowed her to help him into the passenger seat. She would have to drive for the time being, his right arm would be out of commission until they had a chance to field dress it. He buckled himself in even as she started the Jeep and hit the accelerator. Instead of back down the mountain she headed up, following the road deeper into the forest. "Alyx?" he questioned, wanting to understand her decision.
"Can't risk leading them back to the resort and Darien and Bobby. If we get stuck they need to remain free to save the Hursts."
Jarod nodded, agreeing with her logic. "Need to warn them." The world spun about him, much to his dismay and he shook his head in a vain effort to clear it.
Alyx slammed on the brakes, tires sliding on the slick surface the road had become.
"What are you doing? They won't be that far behind us."
"I need to field dress your arm before you bleed out."
With a nod, he unbuckled and gingerly peeled off his jacket, the leather slick with the melting ice, but otherwise undamaged except for the hole; the shirt and sweater beneath having soaked up the majority of the blood. With a groan and her help, he shifted about in the seat so that she could see the damage done.
Alyx eased his arm out of the sleeve of the sweater and moved the shirtsleeve out of the way until she was able to take a good look at the damage. "It's not a through and through, thankfully. I've seen worse, but we need to stop the bleeding."
Jarod winced at her probing, but agreed with her, the wound was still bleeding freely, and now that he was not in immediate danger, it was beginning to hurt. "Do what you can. We'll deal with it when we're out of here."
She gave a curt nod. "This is cold, but effective." She held up her right hand, the fingertips were missing, but it was obviously not an injury. She placed the invisible digits over the wound. At first he felt nothing but a flare of pain, then cold that quickly devolved into a burning sensation that was most unpleasant, but effective. When she lifted her hand away, the visible blood had been frozen solid and none leaked from the wound. "I don't have anything for bandages unless...
"There's a first aid kit in the back," he told her and she nodded.
Twisting about she squeezed between the front seats on a hunt for the first aid kit. "On the floor board, passenger side," he told her. That's when he noticed, her coat, while warm was far from waterproof and appeared to be soaked through. "How wet are you?"
She snorted. "Sorry, thoughts went to the wrong place at that comment." She spun about sliding back into the driver's seat with the prize in her hands. "Very. Coat feels like it weighs fifty pounds and I'm soaked through to the skin."
Jarod sighed; he was pretty much in the same state. The leather had kept out the worst of the drenching, but not all of it and his pants were as wet as hers. He reached forward and cranked the heat. It wouldn't do much good with the soft top, but was better than nothing. "We need to get undercover as quickly as possible."
"We will," she assured him, hands now holding assorted bandages. She worked quickly and mere minutes had passed when she sat back, urging him to pull his sweater back on. He did so as she put the first aid kit away.
Sliding back into the seat she put the car in gear and continued up the mountain, the conditions worsening every mile they drove further into the wilderness. They were silent for long minutes, Jarod trying to understand what she had done and how she had come to have such unique abilities. He decided to stay on safer ground for the time being. "Where are we headed?"
"Good fricking' question," she muttered. "I took the time to memorize maps of the area, I'm pretty certain we'll be able to find a round about route back towards town."
"We're not going to make it back to town, not tonight anyway." The weather would be what kept them away, they needed to find a place to hole up and dry off, and without running out of gas. "Any chance you memorized the location of a cabin or two?"
She nodded the same time her teeth began to chatter. "Yeah, I think I can find us a home away from home." She slowed and took a left, a gap in the trees revealing another ancient road, this one actually appeared to be better maintained than the previous one, but was no easier to drive on, the ice beginning to build up on every available surface, including tree branches, which were starting to droop into the roadway.
"One good thing about this situation."
"And what might that be?" she asked, glancing over at him.
"Goodrowe isn't going to be able to move the product until this passes."
Alyx snorted in wry amusement. "We can't do anything either."
"Oh, I think you and I have a lot to discuss, it just doesn't involve this case," Jarod stated quietly.
"Maybe," she commented, slowing the jeep and flipping the wipers higher, the ice building up on the blades, the heat inside not enough to melt it. The driving would not be getting any easier from here on out. *Is that all you want to discuss?*
Jarod's eyes widened as he heard her voice in his head, her lips quite obviously not moving. "I thought that's what you did before. You are rather talented, aren't you?"
Alyx shrugged. "I am what they made me." She gave him a wan smile, an odd-looking one with her teeth chattering as hard as they were. "We'll talk later, I promise. Need my teeth to stop chattering first."
"I think we both have stories to tell," Jarod informed her, fully aware of that understatement.