Author's Note: For those who have been waiting; I apologize for the delay. I allowed real life (in the form of my husband's surgery and a laptop repair) to distract me for a bit. Luckily both have recovered. I'd promise not to get distracted again but that just seems like tempting fate.
I also wanted to take a moment to thank every one that has reviewed or listed 'favorite' for this story, as well as those who named me a favorite author. I've tried to respond to all of you, but for those who have their personal messenger disabled; Thank You!
"I raided the labs for some medical supplies," Carl announced as he entered his room arms loaded with provisions. "I also picked up some grub from the mess hall."
No one wanted to stay in the tiny holding room where the older of the two civilians received his beating. When Holtz mentioned they might want one of the base doctors to take a look at the injured man, Blair Sandburg and the man he called Chris had been adamantly opposed. Chris going so far as to mumble through split lips, he 'wouldn't trust a doctor working with Brackett even if lying on his death bed'. Holtz let the subject drop and instead suggested Carl's room as a temporary base of operations since it looked to be the most defensible choice from their very limited options. Holtz knew there remained little chance of there group being allowed to leave the base, despite the way he forced Brackett to back down. The electrified fence line and the numerous Defiant guards would prevent an easy escape. "Did you have any problems getting what you needed?"
While Blair helped Chris along, the Lieutenant made certain the Defiant soldiers kept their distance, which allowed Carl the time needed to make his supply run. "No," replied Carl, "A couple of the Defiant guys followed me, but they didn't interfere." Carl frowned, "I'm definitely getting the feeling we're not on the same side anymore. The guards at the gate and along the fence line have been doubled, too."
"Did you see Brackett or the General?" Holtz asked. While the General had sent them to meet the 'Sentinel Specialist', the two soldiers were already headed that way after Carl confided in the Lieutenant about the unconscious 'enemy combatants' brought into the facility. Both agreed the situation needed to be investigated. General Colton remained unlikely to look pleasantly upon the way they attacked the Defiant soldiers and challenged Brackett, even if Holtz pointed out Brackett went too far with his revenge act.
"Bracket ordered the guard doubled," Carl explained. "I wouldn't expect the Defiant people to be too happy with us once word gets around about what happened. It's probably a good thing we haven't seen the General yet."
Chris sat on the sergeant's bed. He resisted Blair's suggestion to lay down but allowed his son to clean up his cuts and abrasions. "We appreciate the help with Brackett, but we could use a sit rep," said Chris using the military slang for 'situation report', "starting with where in hell are we?"
"I'm Lieutenant Dean Holtz," the red headed officer introduced. "This is Sergeant Carl Smith," he motioned to the younger soldier. "Both of us were diagnosed with 'unified heightened sensory onset' within the last three months. According to General Colton that makes us Sentinels, who with the right training and practice could become important assets to the US army. He gave us our orders to report here: Fort York; a deactivated army supply base in southeastern Wyoming. It wasn't until after we arrived when we realized that whatever this project is, it's not being run by the army. There are at least forty Defiant mercenaries following General Colton's orders, a small medical staff of half a dozen doctors and nurses who run daily evaluations on us, and that CIA prick Brackett. I suspected this operation of being some CIA funded project, but my theory doesn't seem to fit anymore."
"That's because Brackett isn't CIA anymore," Blair explained. "I'm Detective Blair Sandburg of Cascade, Washington's Major Crimes division, by the way. The guy Brackett used as a punching bag is ATF Group Supervisory Agent Chris Larabee, formerly a commander in the Navy SEALs. Colton tried to tell us Agent Larabee's commission had been reactivated, but that's about as legal as the rest of this operation." The two military men nodded to Chris giving him the respect due a retired officer, even if from the Navy and not the Army. "I think I remember one of you knowing my name. Did they tell you I would be joining this project?"
"No, I knew about you from my personal research," admitted Dean, "When my senses first started going haywire I searched everywhere to find answers and your name kept popping up."
Blair lowered his head as he considered some of the articles Holtz might have found in connection to his name. "My partner and I helped send Brackett to prison for espionage and attempted military theft a couple of years ago."
The two soldiers exchanged a look. "It doesn't sound too likely he would be released so soon," commented Carl, "do you have any idea how he get out?"
"A friend informed me just minutes before our kidnapping of General Colton arranging to have Brackett released into his custody about a week ago. Within hours both men dropped off of the grid," explained Blair. "He also told me the army decided against funding the General's 'Sentinel Project', so I have no idea where the money to pay all of the mercenaries, medical and support staff is coming from. I would be surprised to find the CIA involved in something which violated this many laws on US soil." Turning to look at his father he asked, "Am I being naive?"
"Not too much," Chris replied slowly due to his aching jaw. While Blair cleaned and bandaged what he could, Chris did his own internal assessment of his injuries. The list of sore body parts presented long and layered, but at the same time there were no broken bones or internal bleeding. Brackett obviously wanted to inflict pain not damage; or his injuries would be much worse. "After all of the trouble Brackett caused the first time he went freelance the CIA wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole. Which leaves the question; who is bankrolling this op? I suppose it could be the NSA or some other agency, but it seems less and less likely any part of our government it part of this."
"A better question," suggested Dean "might be how we remove ourselves from it? I joined the army to protect our nation from foreign aggressors not participate in the kidnapping and abuse of law enforcement officials whose only crimes are knowing about Sentinels and being Guides. We need to get you off base before Brackett tries for round two."
"It's not going to be easy, sir," Carl advised Dean. "After our confrontation with Brackett, the Defiant Services people will be expecting more trouble from us. We can't count on any help from Brigadier General Colton; he's gone completely off the reservation by joined forces with Brackett. And it's not like we can fill out an Article 138 to appeal to his superiors and have him relieved of command." Carl would not usually speak so bluntly in front of civilians, but he figured this situation epitomized as far from usual as they could get. Besides, a sergeant's job demanded he make sure his officer became fully aware of the situation.
"No, you are right. We need planning and preparation if we hope to get out of here without anyone else getting injured," the young lieutenant agreed.
"By now, plenty of people know we are missing: my partner, Chris's team. I was on the phone with Jack Kelso just before they forced us off the road. The kidnapping of a police officer and a federal agent will demand a FBI investigation. I'm not sure how Brackett expected to avoid a major manhunt. Then again this is the man who once gassed an entire building as a distraction. He also stole a canister of Ebola to hold the entire city hostage with, and forced Jim and me to do his dirty work. Lee has never been afraid of drawing attention before, but it's not going to help the General's goal of training Sentinels in secret." Blair felt frustrated by his inability the figure out Brackett's end game. He never expected to be the primary target of Lee's twisted plans.
Did the former spy think his past sins would be forgiven if they could present a successful Sentinel unit as General Colton did? Perhaps the traitor thought he could bide his time until his own escape? Perhaps the most important question remained what did Brackett plan to do with his Sentinel protégé, Antonio? Being in such close quarters with Sergeant Carl Smith and Lieutenant Dean Holt might be making Blair feel a bit edgy, but Antonio's presence made him downright nauseous. Lee and Antonio together were nothing less than a match made in hell.
"What about the medical staff you mentioned?" asked Chris. He noticed the way his son's face darkened with troublesome thoughts. Not surprising considering Brackett's involvement, but he needed Blair focused on breakout options. The more they knew about the personnel on base the better their odds of escape. "Do you think they are aware of the General's actions or were they tricked here like you?"
"There are four doctors, one of whom is a psychologist and another whose background is research. Two nurses also work here; they seem to handle most of the blood work," Dean explained. "But for the most part I've only seen the lead doctor, Dr. Eckhart talking with Brackett and General Colton." The lieutenant glanced at the sergeant. "What have you observed?"
"Well the researcher guy, Dr. Millet told me he felt excited to finally get the government funding to study 'unified heightened sensory onset' in depth. So I don't think he's aware of what's really going on. But I'm not willing to vouch for any of the others," detailed Carl.
Blair pursed his lips. "It sounds like we need to do a little reconnaissance. The General said he expects me to train the two of you to be sentinels. The first step would be taking a look at your medical files. Identifying trouble spots you need to have addressed and assessing your current capabilities are things I could consult with these doctors about."
Chris really did not like the idea of Blair wondering off to 'consult' with unknown doctors. Honestly he did not want his son to so much as leave his sight. The SEAL within him knew they needed more information yet he could not be the one to seek it out in his current condition. The father in him hated the idea of putting Blair at risk.
Blair read Chris's hesitation but insisted, "We need to know if any of the other people here could be potential allies or not. I spent more than a decade amongst the ivory towers learning how to schmooze and butt-kiss both my professors and the department heads. Let me do my thing. Rest up for now, so when it's time for some commando maneuver to escape you're ready." After a moment the elder man nodded giving silent consent despite his concern.
Lieutenant Holt suggested, "One of us should escort you. While the Defiant soldiers didn't bother us when we brought the two of you here, I doubt they'll allow you to explore the compound on your own."
"So you and I head to the lab you mentioned. We'll get copies of your medical files and see what we can learn about the medical staff. Meanwhile, Agent Larabee and Sergeant Smith can hold the fort here." Blair felt less comfortable with the situation than his confident tone implied. He continued to feel uncertain as to whether they could trust these two army sentinels. He really did not want to separate from Chris with their reliability unproven. Yet their situation lingered precariously; it would not magically improve by them burying their heads in the sand and waiting for the storm to blow over. Tempting as it remained to wait for Jim, Vin and the rest of Chris's team to come rescue them, Blair could not. Brackett made it brutally clear; he intended finish what he started with Chris. Blair needed to take action to get his father safely out of the vengeful spy's power. Gathering information from the medical staff would be the first step in taking that action. "If anyone asks, I'll tell them you're teaching the sergeant some basic meditation techniques."
A disbelieving snort drew everyone's attention to the mahogany skinned sergeant. Almost immediately uncomfortable with being the center of attention, Smith straightened and explained. "No offense sir. I know you're the sentinel expert and all, but I'm just not very good at those dial things the manual mentioned."
"Dials . . . manual . . ." Blair looked thoroughly confused. "You have a sentinel manual explains meditation and dials?" If the General Colton had gathered enough information on sentinels to write a manual did he really need to kidnap Blair to get his project to work?
"Actually," volunteered Lieutenant Holt, "I'm pretty sure the manual they gave us is mostly based on your dissertation. Parts of it matched word for word with sections of your dissertation leaked to the press. You are credited as the primary author, if it's any consolation."
Blair felt torn between pride in learning his dissertation was now a 'how to' sentinel manual, and irritation towards those who published it without his consent. "So much for the lawyer's assurance that all of the leaked copies of my dissertation had been collected or destroyed," he sighed. "Tempting as it is to get my hands on this manual you mentioned and see what they have done to my dissertation; that will have to wait until after Dean and I have visited the doctors. Chris, maybe you can think of some alternatives for Carl. I know Vin visualizes a spyglass instead of dials."
"And meditates while doing Jujutsu katas," Chris pointed out another difference between Blair's Sentinel and his own. "I'll see if we can figure out something that will work for the Sergeant," he accepted his assignment. When it came to understanding what a sentinel needed from a guide, Chris happily to follow Blair's more experienced lead. "I want you to be careful though. Avoiding Brackett should be your top priority."
"It's not like we're going to go out looking for him," Blair assured. "Are you ready to go Lieutenant?" The officer nodded and opened the door.
JD felt more than a little frustrated with the way the FBI decided to cut them out of the investigation. The Bureau would not even know about the kidnapping if it were not for them, but the feebs kept going on about procedure and protocol. They had been quite blunt about their opinion that Jim and Team Seven were too emotionally involved to professionally investigate. In defiance of their assumptions, and JD's own inclination to flip the idiots off, he gave them every scrap of information off of their computers about Brackett and General Colton. He even provided them with the GPS tracking data they used to lead Ezra and the Sheriff to the presumed kidnap site. It was not JD's fault they mistakenly assumed their copies of said data were the only ones in existence. Chris was a stickler about having backup plans and backed up data. Now the agents had at long last finished questioning him, he could finally get to work. JD refused to let the FBI do his job.
Upon entering Chris's ranch he immediately noticed Nathan and Josiah setting up Ezra's and Blair's laptops. JD and Chris's computers were been collected as evidence (JD was going to be seriously pissed if he did not get his back at some point). Luckily Jim had the forethought to hide Blair's laptop in the barn before the Bureau Agents arrived. Initially, JD had thought Jim might be a little paranoid about wanting to hide the laptop containing data which spelled out, in excruciating detail, what he and Vin were capable of. Then the agents arrived to confiscate all of their computers including an old broken down unit that had not worked in over two years. Team Seven would be starting their covert investigation with a serious handicap were it not for JD hiding the portable hard drive in his jacket pocket. Clearly Jim's paranoia was justified.
The young agent walked over to his coworkers and handed Nathan the hard drive. Nathan face split into a wide grin. "Thanks for keeping this safe, JD. I'm setting up a conference call with your Kelso fellow. He said he knew some contacts who were supposed to be getting back to him soon."
"How is Vin doing?" asked JD after he noticed Vin and Jim sitting at the kitchen table speaking intently to a nervous Ezra. The computer genius could not hear their conversation, but if it was causing Ezra's infamous poker face to fail, it could not be good news.
"Chomping at the bit to go after Chris," replied Nathan. "It took just about all of Ezra's powers of persuasion to convince him to stay here until we could get a solid lead."
"So why does Ezra look so skittish?" JD wondered.
Josiah chuckled and explained, "Maybe because Vin informed Ezra, when he and Jim did leave to free their guides, Ezra would be at their sides acting as their temporary back-up guide." The profiler got up and offered JD his chair next to the computer before continuing. "Ezra felt uncertain he was the right man for the job, but Vin insisted he remained the only one with a good voice and the right touch. Ellison seemed inclined to agree so Ezra was drafted. I believe they are currently giving him a crash course on guiding a sentinel."
JD remembered thinking how cool it would be to have Sentinel senses when they first learned what Vin could do. Then he watched his friend struggle with his new abilities and wondered if perhaps the guides held the better end of the partnership. Now watching Ezra's head turn from one Sentinel to another as they pelted him with new information faster than he could absorb it JD only had one thought, "Better him than me."
Josiah rested a hand on the young tech's shoulder, "I couldn't agree more, son."
JD noted the drive was almost finished downloading its information. A flashing light near the bottom of Ezra's laptop screen signaled the readiness of his video conference with Jack Kelso. He clicked to accept the call and greeted the slightly fuzzy image of an older man in a wheel chair. "Hello again, Mr. Kelso. Were you able to learn anything new while the FBI tied me and my colleagues up with redundant interviews?"
"First, please call me Jack. Second, yes I did, actually. I believe I know where Colton is getting the money to fund his little project and if we can track it we may get a better idea of where Blair and his father were taken," the former spy eagerly shared. "I followed the money out of a supply fund the General possessed access to. I've tracked it to a shell company but I'm having some trouble getting into their files. Honestly, while I consider myself to be competent with computers I'm still a long way from being a hacker."
"Then allow me Jack. It's been too long since I gave my hacking skills a challenge and right now I am highly motivated," JD assured. He might not be able to hear a pin drop in another room or read text from half a mile away like Vin or Jim, but when it came to the information highway he could follow an electronic trail better than anyone.
Jim walked over and leaned down next to JD so Jack would be able to see him. "Jack, you should be aware, where ever Brackett took Blair and Chris; it is north of Denver. Maybe that will help you narrow down the possibilities."
"What do you know that I don't Ellison?" wondered Jack.
"Know is probably too firm a description," Jim admitted. "Vin and I are both feeling pulled north. I don't believe it's a coincidence. I just know we need to follow it."
"What? You mean you're leaving now?" exclaimed JD. "But we don't have a location yet."
"Figured we'd hop on Interstate Twenty-five north and keep going until the pull led us somewhere else or we got more specific directions from you," explained Vin. "We're taking Ezra with us to help if we need guiding." The sniper said the last as if placating his team. "We need to get after Chris and Blair now. We've already waited too long." If the others were frustrated with being questioned and then dismissed by the lead FBI agents, Vin could only be described as near incensed. During his interview with the senior FBI investigator the young Sentinel barely managed to refrain from shouting that they were wasting his time trying to do a job he could do better. He doubted Jim's interview went any better. They had been exceedingly patient while the feebs dithered around collecting evidence. Now the feds were gone and he would not wait any longer, not even for the sake of his team. He could feel his guide calling out to him from the depths of his soul. His need to answer that call burned through him like a wildfire.
Something of what he felt must have shone on his face because instead of trying to talk him into waiting a bit longer the others moved to help in what ways they could. Nathan grabbed food, water and medical supplies while extracting the promise that they would call him immediately if Chris or Blair were found injured. Buck and Josiah loaded Jim's truck with all of the possible weapons and munitions they could use and then some. Ezra left JD his top of the line laptop to continue the search, but claimed Blair's, insisting he might as well study Blair's work on the ride if he hoped to act as a temporary guide. Jack muttered from the screen about the best ways to search General Colton's past for connections north of Denver. JD went back to hacking the shell company's files to see where the General's funds went next. It was understood by all; no one would rest until their friends and guides were found.
The half moon shed a fair amount of light on the compound outside Sergeant Smith's window. Blair watched the guard rotations outside but made sure to stay back from the window so as not to be seen. It was the middle of the night and Blair currently stood his turn at watch. They split the evening into three shifts between Carl, Blair and Dean. They decided to excluded Chris due to his injuries. Despite the tedium of sitting in a chair staring out a window; straining his eyes to see something in the shadows; straining his ears to hear something beyond his companions breathing, he did not feel the least bit sleepy. His mind continued to whirl, trying to process the happenings of the last day. No doubt at some point the adrenaline rush he currently rode would run out and he would be left to crash in exhaustion, but it had not happened yet.
Hours passed since Blair and Lieutenant Holtz ventured out to the medical laboratory seeking medical files and the results for sensory testing for both Holtz and Smith. They also gathered information on the personnel staffing the lab. It turned out Holtz had been right in his assessment of the head of the laboratory, Doctor Eckhart. When greeting the doctors and nurses and requesting copies of the lab work and tests run so far, Blair apologized for his fellow Guide's absence letting it 'slip' that Chris was still recovering from Brackett's not so gentle persuasion to join the program. The revelation shocked several of the doctors and both of the nurses. It had not surprised Dr. Eckhart, head of the lab, though. His response culminated in a frown and the suggestion for both Guides make a better effort to comply with General Colton's wishes if they wanted to avoid having Brackett repeat his actions. Eckhart was unquestionably aware the General's operation qualified as illicit.
Doctor Millet the researcher continued to protest until Eckhart warned that anyone who questioned the General might find themselves or even their families suffering from Brackett's persuasion. At which point Blair felt compelled to step up and insist there was no need to further involve Brackett as he already agreed to train the Sentinels for the General.
Blair's comment drew a rather royal nod and smile from Dr. Eckhart who said, "I hope everyone else behaves as wisely as you," before leaving the lab. Blair dismissed the uncomfortable silence by questioning the remaining staff in great detail about all of the tests they had subjected the soldiers to. His inner anthropologist eagerly soaked up the results they recorded. Blair's professional approach seemed to sooth the medical staff and they were soon excitedly sharing the unusual data they collected from Holtz and Smith. Their repeated acknowledgement of Blair as the lone expert on Sentinel studies certainly made for a refreshing change of pace. Blair eventually asked if Antonio Milan had undergone the same testing. Millet explained that Brackett claimed he would be personally training Antonio. Blair felt torn between relief to learn he would not be expected to work with Antonio and trepidation at the thought of what sorts of things Brackett would 'train' Antonio to do.
While he gathered the sense data Blair also made mental assessments of the people he talked with. Dr. Eckhart clearly fell into the 'not to be trusted' category. The rest of the staff could be described as either neutral or potential allies. Dr. Millet topped Blair's ally list after he quietly offered to get a message of some sort off the base for Blair. The detective declined saying it remained too dangerous at the moment. Instead, he suggested he might call upon Millet later if needed. Frankly, Blair hoped they would get rescued before any such need arose. The thought of slender, spectacled Millet facing off against Brackett, Colton or any of the Defiant Services goons made Blair nauseous. He would not disrespect the researcher's moral courage by recklessly exposing the man to harm. Blair had already decided they would use Millet in a potential escape only as a last resort.
Upon their return to Sergeant Smith's room Blair became pleasantly surprised to find Chris making progress with Carl. The Sergeant might have trouble controlling his senses through the visualization of dials, but visualizing a video game controller seemed to work great. Apparently, it did not matter whether it was Halo or Mass Effect 3. Carl happened to be an avid computer gamer when off duty. By visualizing the controller he so often used, he exhibited a significantly increased mastery of his senses.
Dean was also happy to realize it was not the dials that were important but the ability to conceptualize something he could easily manipulate. After trying a couple of different things Dean decided on visualizing an abacus with its shifting beads to allow him the most control. It had been a long time since he'd thought of the favorite childhood gift from an uncle who traveled to Beijing for business.
Blair quickly determined that Carl's strongest sense was touch and Dean's was smell. Carl seemed to be having more problems especially in the area of rashes. Dean admitted his senses started to fade, and only revived once he became stationed here. Dean further confided that in the last day his senses suddenly began 'humming'. Blair refused to contemplate the implication of the sudden resurgence of Dean's heightened senses so conveniently timed with their arrival. Instead he focused on ways to stabilize both soldier's senses. Their precarious position meant achieving control was the top priority. The last thing they needed was someone spiking or zoning in the middle of an escape attempt.
The four were left in relative peace as they worked through the afternoon and into the evening. Occasionally a couple of the Defiant mercenaries would walk by the hallway outside Smith's room. They did their best to ignore the distraction. The hardest part for Blair became not speaking of Jim. The Sentinel Manual, Carl mentioned, really was based on Blair's dissertation, something the former anthropologist confirmed by looking through Carl's copy. Which meant Bracket and Colton already knew too much about his private partner. Jim was more than just his Sentinel; he was also Blair's confidant and friend. The first true Sentinel he ever met and the only one he wanted to combine his life with. Blair knew Chris felt the same about Vin. Lieutenant Holt or Sergeant Smith seemed nice enough. He just did not feel a connection to the soldiers like he felt with Jim. Blair became more certain than ever; Sentinels and Guides were not interchangeable parts.
Blair loved every minute of data gathering and testing yesterday at Chris's ranch. Encouraging Jim to stretch his limits; watching him revel in his abilities became an incredible rush. Yet running similar tests with Carl and Dean roused only a little intellectual curiosity. The circumstances might not be the best but meeting two (three if you counted Antonio) new Sentinels should have left Blair bouncing with excitement. Instead he felt pain as he repeatedly bit his tongue against comparing his own Sentinel to the ones he now worked with. At least Brackett and Colton did not know how much Jim's senses had improved since Blair initially recorded his data.
At nearly dusk someone knocked on the door. Lieutenant Holtz answered it, hesitating a moment before stepping back to allow General Colton in. Sergeant Smith's room had been designed to be comfortable sleeping two. Holding four grown men and an extra bed, so they could sleep in shifts; it quickly became crowded. The General's imposing appearance made the room claustrophobic.
Colton's eyes narrowed on the extra bed. "Do you really think it's necessary for all of you to share the same room?"
Blair could see that Chris wanted to say something to Colton. The tension in his shoulders and the narrowing of his eyes told Blair, Chris's words were likely to be abrasive, disrespectful and carry more than a bit of foul language. Under most circumstances Blair would enjoy watching a Larabee tirade shred the General to pieces. Unfortunately, Colton currently held all of the power and they needed to make nice with the megalomaniac. "It was my call, sir," Blair informed the General. "You said you wanted them," he motioned to Holtz and Smith, "functioning at Ellison's level. Well part of my success with Jim involved moving into his apartment so I could challenge and drill his senses day or night." Okay, so Blair interests extended beyond training Jim's senses when he moved in with the detective, but Colton did not need to know that.
"Brackett informed me of Larabee's status as a Guide, apparently working with a Sentinel who is a member of his team. They aren't living together," the General pointed out.
"Because Vin isn't a clueless pawn," hissed Chris unable to hold his tongue any longer. "He trained to be a Sentinel before you'd even heard of the word, General."
Blair felt amazed by the way Chris managed to make 'general' sound like some blasphemous insult. Colton's red face encouraged Blair to step forward to explain. "You need to remember, I didn't discover Sentinels, sir," Blair pointed out in a much more respectful tone. "Vin spent part of his childhood with a Native American tribe that knew about Sentinels and trained him accordingly. When his senses came fully online his abilities were not a surprise and he possessed much more practical experience to pull from."
"Perhaps we should invite Agent Tanner to join our project, if he possesses such valuable knowledge," the General suggested.
Blair scrambled to think of a reason for Colton to not kidnap Vin when Chris warned, "Just don't be surprised when he takes whatever poor bastards you sick on him and mails them back to you in body bags." Even Chris's swollen lip could not hide his malicious grin.
"Because, of course," Blair rushed to equivocate, "after our disappearance our coworkers are likely to view any approach as hostile. It would probably be better for everyone if they were left out of this all together."
"Very well," the General seemed to accept Blair's advice, at least for the moment, "But in return, I want you to cooperate with Brackett as required. I understand some unpleasantness occurred earlier. We need to move beyond such things for the sake of the project."
Blair wondered if there was a way to say, 'Yeah, sure, when hell freezes over,' without being openly defiant. Sadly, if such a way existed, it had yet to occur to him. "Sir, I have never openly sought out confrontation with Brackett," the Guide began, "But I feel the need to point out that while you've been upfront about what you expect, Brackett obviously has an alternate agenda. He blames Agent Larabee for ending his CIA career and has used the current situation to seek revenge. Which is why, as long as Brackett and his Sentinel remain on base I will be staying near Chris to watch his back."
"His Sentinel?" asked the General. "Are you implying, you won't be training Antonio for some reason?"
"According to your medical staff, Brackett insisted he would train Sentinel Milan himself," Blair informed, eager to point out Brackett's failure to share everything with General Colton. With any luck the two would turn on each other. "As for training Holtz and Smith; both men have settled on visualization techniques to help them exert some control over their senses. I want to address Smith's skin sensitivity issues tomorrow. Then we can begin exercising their senses." Blair handed over one of the papers containing his notes. "This is a rough list of some of the drills I want to start them working on. I would also like to request access to a computer, preferably a laptop, to record data and track progress with." The last sentence came out surprisingly calm. It must have been due to all of the years Blair spent as a grad student trying to beg resources from whichever bureaucrat happened to be in charge at the time.
The General cocked his left eyebrow as he appraised Blair's earnestness. "I believe we can arrange that," he finally replied. "It will be a closed system, of course, with no internet access."
"I'm just looking for something to help me record and organize data, sir," Blair assured. "We'll be able to progress faster if I'm not wasting time writing everything down long hand." Access to the internet or even the network on base remained too much to hope for, so Blair felt unsurprised by the General's condition about the closed system. Right now he wanted to stay on Colton's good side, even if it meant taking on the roll of good little soldier. Naomi would have a stroke if she could hear him now.
"Are there any other problems I should be aware of?" Colton asked. "Brackett seemed to believe there would be territorial issues."
"The territorial issues Brackett mentioned come into play when Sentinels are working in opposition to each other. Having military rankings already in place may have helped, but regardless, Dean and Carl managed to find a comfortable working relationship without my prompting."
"Excellent," decreed Colton. "I'll leave you to your work then." The general walked a good twenty feet down the hall before those within the room relaxed enough to breathe easy again.
Movement in the shadows outside the window pulled Blair from his thoughts. Long moments passed before a second movement conformed into a human shape lurking across the yard from their window. The first form soon joined another. Whoever they were they did not seem to be part of the regular patrols. Blair also noted they seemed to be looking right at him or at least his window. The flicker of a lighter igniting a cigarette illuminated the face of one of his watchers. From Brackett's smirk he was not worried about being seen. With his own cigarette lit, he tossed the lighter to Antonio.
The blankets on the bed behind him shifted. "What's wrong?" Dean whispered close to Blair's ear. Blair silently pointed to the shadowed figures in response. "Brackett and Milan," the lieutenant confirmed. "Brackett is trying to get Milan to listen in on us. The kid is having trouble controlling how far he extends his hearing. I guess he hasn't figured out how to work his dials." A hint of laughter filled Dean's quiet tone, "Why don't you go back to sleep? It's about time for me to take watch anyway."
Blair happily accepted the offer by getting up out of the seat. "Don't want to be tired," he noted. "Someone needs to work damage control when Chris starts pissing everyone off again."
"It's a gift," muttered Chris from the lower bunk bed. "Very few have the way with people that I do."
"A gift for making yourself a target," Blair pointed out. Chris's deliberate attempts to antagonized Colton and Brackett left his son far from happy.
"Better me than you," Chris sighed so quietly, Blair almost did not hear him.
"Damn it, Chris," Blair's words were no less vehement for their hushed tone, "drawing attention to yourself by making enemies is not the way to protect me. Not that I need your protection. I'm a mature man of thirty some years, in case you have forgotten." He'd given up looking out the window to confront his father.
"Easy Blair," murmured Dean, "You might as well just chalk it up to one of those things overprotective fathers do." The lieutenant stood and motioned for Blair to take the bed so he could have the chair.
Blair stood dumbfounded by Dean's reveal of his parentage. He and Chris had been so cautious about only addressing each other by name. Neither could risk giving Brackett and Colton any more leverage than they already had. Dean's strongest sense was smell. Had he figured out they were related the same way he discovered they were both Guides? Suddenly Blair did not care how Dean had figured it out. The adrenalin crash that Blair expected arrived hard enough to blur the shadows and forced a wave of dizziness. Blair pried his droopy eyelids open long enough to stare at his father. "Well it stops now," Blair ordered. "No more pissing off the psychopaths to draw attention away from me. I've got enough problems without panicking every time you open your mouth."
Chris quirked a smile. "I'll keep quiet," he conceded, "But if the opportunity to beat on Brackett presents itself, I'm taking it."
"Good enough, Dad," agreed Blair. He flopped back on his bed without further ado, unconscious before his head hit the pillow.
The young lieutenant was surprised to hear gentle snores emanating from the Sentinel specialist just seconds after scolding his father. "When he hits the wall he really hits it hard," Dean observed.
"Apparently," Chris replied simply. An affectionate look crossed the agent's bruised face before he settled back down to rest.
Outside Brackett's and Milan's forms were moving away in the direction of Brackett's quarters, leaving the lieutenant little of interest to watch. Dean felt tempted to question Agent Larabee. He could not deny he remained curious about both of the guides. Unfortunately, he suspected too much had already been said. The relationship between the two guides seemed obvious to him from the start, but looking back he realized no one else mentioned they were father and son. Their scents announced their connection while Blair's reaction told just as clearly they wanted to keep it secret.
Dean visited family while on leave, before checking in here. He noticed for the first time the way his cousins smelled like his aunt and uncle. Mike and Carol favored Uncle John while Kathy's scent seemed closer to Aunt Connie's. He felt especially surprised by how similar Uncle John's scent compared to his Dad's. The two brothers bore few obvious physical resemblances otherwise. When it came to Blair and Chris one scent could almost be mistaken for another. They contained the same base musk, the same overlaying aroma. Only the tang, which Dean thought might be created by diet or other environmental factors, seemed different.
Thinking back on his family visit Dean realized something else. His cousin Kathy possessed something in common with Blair and Chris; a calming minty-sandalwood aroma which all three shared. Dean remembered how he sought out his quietest cousin more and more often during his leave. Only around her, his senses seemed manageable. It was also after he confided in Kathy about his unusual diagnosis and admitted he wished his senses would just return to normal, when they began to do just that. Now he wondered how much Kathy's advice, that he practice focusing past his senses, related to their retreat.
Was Kathy a Guide too? Dean stifled the urge to wake Blair and get the expert's opinion. The last thing Dean wanted to do was bring Kathy to the attention of General Colton. The General's draft policy regarding Guides combined with Brackett's use of threats and violence could only bring Kathy heartache. She was finishing her second year of medical school at Stanford University. Dean refused to see her dream of a medical career torn away. It would be best if he did not even mention her name until after Colton and Brackett were taken down for their illegal actions. Dean became more determined than ever to see both men behind bars for the rest of their lives.