Chapter Four – The Commander in Chief's Ship

Flack struggled against the bonds that tied him down to the table in the medical examination room on board his father's ship. Since being taken aboard he had been prodded and poked by numerous different instruments by the doctors but was yet to see his father. He knew they were investigating how he'd come on in his new existence and whether the mechanics of his body had suffered any setbacks. Unfortunately he was still feeling rather weak from the shock he'd received back in the bar and couldn't fight against the straps that held him in place. Right at that moment he could no longer see a way out of his situation. Unless Danny came up with some super amazing rescue plan he was once more a victim to his father's ministrations and he knew that nothing good could come of them being reunited. He heard the doors to the medical bay slide open but from where he lay he couldn't see who it was.

"Well, well, well," Gerrard said, smiling as he came over to his son.

Flack stared at him with contempt but didn't try struggling; he didn't want to give his father any fodder for laughing at him.

"So the prodigal son has returned," Gerrard said with a calm authoritativeness to his voice. "Do you know how long I have spent looking for you?"

"I didn't know you cared," Flack spat back.

"You're my son, of course I care," Gerrard replied, smiling as he gently touched Flack's face. "My beautiful boy," he murmured, stroking a hand through his hair.

"Get off me," Flack growled, attempting to jerk his head away from his father's touch.

"Now, now, don't take that tone with me, boy," Gerrard said calmly. "I fathered you, just remember that."

"You destroyed me," Flack snarled. "And you destroyed my friends. My troop... Jess..."

Gerrard paused for a moment, staring at his son before nodding slightly. "I didn't know what was on that planet, Don."

"That doesn't matter anymore," Flack growled back. "We tried to call in help, call for rescue but no-one picked up. They'd been instructed not to answer our call. Did you want me dead?"

"I never wanted you dead. You're my son, I love you," Gerrard replied.

"Well you sure got a funny way in showing it," Flack laughed. "You killed my fiancé."

"That girl was never any good for you. She turned you into a prissy," Gerrard remarked.

"I loved her," Flack cried.

"But that love is not half as strong as a father feels for his son. I can make you whole again, my boy, I can make you perfect," Gerrard smiled.

"You leave me alone," Flack stated. "I don't need you to do anything more than you already have to me."

"I will make you into the perfect soldier," Gerrard continued uncaring for Flack's remark. "A man as strong as a machine and yet still with the emotion of a human, to know right from wrong."

Flack swallowed nervously. "Please, just let me be," he pleaded.

"I own you, son," Gerrard said happily. "My boy, the perfect candidate for this experimental procedure. It won't take long to finish. It was untimely and unfortunate that you disappeared before it could be completed last time."

"Please don't," Flack begged. "I hate what you've turned me into, what I've become. I want to be human again, or if not dead."

"Shhshh, shhshh my boy," Gerrard soothed as he once more stroked a hand through Flack's hair. "I'll take care of you. You won't even remember any of this by the time we're finished with you."

"But I don't want to forget," Flack cried, a sudden feeling of powerlessness and weakness coming over him.

"Yes you do, shhshh," Gerrard smiled. "You'll forget all about your troop and Private Angell, all about whatever you've been doing these past decycles. All you will know is what I say you will, and that will be a father's love."

"No," Flack cried, feeling tears burning down his cheeks. "Don't do this to me. Please, father!"

"It will be okay," Gerrard said calmly, continuing to stroke his hand through Flack's hair. "You'll soon go to sleep and when you wake none of this will be important, you'll be a new person."

"I don't want to be," choked Flack. "Why do you want to change me?"

"I want to perfect you. I shall have the most magnificent son of all, and you will be a leader amongst mankind, a ray of hope in the darkness of Space," Gerrard continued on in his deluded tone.

"But you'll destroy who I am," Flack cried, forgetting the promise he made to himself and starting to struggle.

"Calm yourself," Gerrard chuckled. "Nothing shall happen to you until we've docked at the station SQ-B8U."

"Please don't change me," Flack begged as Gerrard drew away to speak with the doctor.

"I'm never letting you go, son. You're mine now... and soon I will control your every will," Gerrard laughed as he turned to the doctor. "Take him down to the cells and keep him there until we've docked. Then bring him to my private surgery. I don't want any unnecessary delays to halt the procedure. I have been waiting for this for a long time."

Flack closed his eyes and wept as he tried to block out his father's words. So he was to be turned into some monstrous ultimate fighting machine, at the command of his father's every whim. Flack felt the tears as they left his face and trickled down the side of his head. His father would turn him into a monster. A monster that would live forever.

Back on the Kincanzza Danny stared up at the rest of the crew as his revelation about Flack's identity caused a muted pause in the room. Jo held a hand over her mouth as she stared back at him, Hawkes just looked numb with the shock. Mac had closed his eyes, his lips a thin line as he considered this news. Adam looked like someone had just dropped the biggest bombshell in the world on him as he slowly slid down the wall to the floor and Lindsay had turned a very dark blue, almost navy colour. Only Sid seemed unaffected by the news, though his arms still wiggled at his sides and he clicked his tongue as he frowned.

"Gerrard's son?" Mac murmured, his eyes still closed.

"Yes," Danny choked.

"And you always knew this?" Mac asked.

"Yes," Danny replied.

"And you brought him onto this ship... my ship...knowing this information?" Mac asked, his eyes finally opening and glaring at Danny.

"Hey, you invited us on, together, as a package and we did good work for you. Flack made this ship better than it's ever been before. And we love him, all of us do. He's one of us," Danny shouted at them all, standing up and looking round.

Another silence ensued, most of them still lost in their thoughts, still trying to understand the situation.

"Fine," Danny said coldly. "If none of you will help me I'll get him back alone. Just drop me off on the next planet or station."

He made to go from the room.

"I will come with you!"

Danny turned to see that Sid had come forward and was offering out one of his arms as a gesture of goodwill.

"Thanks Sid," Danny nodded as he took the hand.

"I will come too," Adam squeaked as he slid back up the wall and placed his hand on the join between Danny and Sid's hands.

"Me too," Lindsay smiled as she changed back to purple and hurried forward, placing her hand on the pile.

"Well you can count me in. That boy has sure saved our asses I don't know how many times. It's about time he received a little thanks," Jo said, adding in her hand.

"Thanks guys," Danny said, a little overcome as he looked round the group.

"Looks like we'll be going on a Flack hunt then," Mac sighed as he stood and placed his hand on the very top.

Danny stared at Mac for a moment, the two of them locking eyes before they both nodded at each other in understanding. Then they turned to look at Hawkes, the only one who had not joined the group.

"I can't," Hawkes said bitterly as he stood up and made for the door. "I'm sorry, Danny."

He turned and walked away from the office and back down to the crew's quarters.

"Hawkes, what the hell?" Danny shouted as he jogged to catch up with him.

Hawkes turned suddenly and Danny almost ran into him. "Whoa!"

"Danny, I've already given my answer," Hawkes stated.

"Yeah, I wanna know why. What did Flack ever do to you?" Danny said angrily.

"Seriously?" Hawkes asked. "What didn't he do?"

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Hawkes said coldly. "You're just like him."

"What wouldn't I understand?" Danny growled.

"Earth humans. You're all the same. You, Mac, Flack... none of you realise the true hardship that exists among the outer colonies. None of you have seen the devastation," Hawkes ground out.

"So?" Danny said stupidly.

"So?!" Hawkes laughed. "So I have seen it, Danny. I grew up with it, I lived it. I saw people eat their own parents after they'd died because they were so hungry."

"Flack didn't cause that," Danny growled.

"No, but he's the son of one of the most powerful and wealthiest humans that exist. He could do so much good for the people I have seen. But no, he runs away and wastes his life on this ship. It's selfish."

"No more selfish than you're being right now, blaming him for something that is out of his power," Danny said angrily.

"He shouldn't have given up his responsibilities. Things might've been different now if he hadn't," Hawkes retorted and then turned to leave.

"Do you have any idea why he did run?" Danny yelled after Hawkes, following him down the corridor, well aware that all the others could probably hear the argument now. "No, of course you don't. His father sent his troop to their deaths, murdered all his friends and his fiancé. And then he tried to turn him into a supersoldier. If Flack had stayed, there may well be an army of his kind by now and your precious little planet might not even exist anymore. Flack is innocent in all this, he never wanted it so he ran, I made him run!"

Hawkes didn't turn back but kept on walking.

"Fine. But he never did anything to harm you or your people. But you walking away now, that is harming him and I hope you can live with that," Danny yelled, spittle flying from his mouth before he turned away and stormed back to the Captain's office.

"Sorted?" Mac asked as Danny came back in.

"No," Danny grunted and sat down.

"We've been trying to think of a way we can track Gerrard's ship," Jo explained.

"Is there one?" Danny sighed.

"Not yet," Lindsay said, a little disheartened.

"Surely he'd travel to the closet A-grade station," Sid mused.

"But we can't take that risk. If we went for it and he wasn't there then we've signed his death warrant," Mac frowned.

"Or worse," Danny muttered.

"Then how do we track it?" Lindsay sighed.

All six of them looked glum, frowns on their faces as they tried to think of a way they could find Flack.

"Hang on a sec," Danny suddenly said. "We don't."

"We don't?" Jo asked, shaking her head slightly in confusion.

"We don't track the ship. We track Flack," Danny grinned.

"But how do we do that, Danny?" Lindsay asked. "Does he have a tracking device in his body?"

"No, something much better," Danny grinned. "Metal."

It was as though a light had been turned on for all of them as five pairs of eyes slowly turned to look at Adam.

"Oh...err...um..." Adam blushed awkwardly.

"This is perfect," Mac nodded. "Adam will be able to track Flack down."

"Exactly," Danny grinned.

"I'm not sure..." Adam started to say.

"Adam," Danny interrupted. "You know his scent better than anyone. You could probably reel off now every single metal that exists in his body. You've lived with him for decycles, you must be able to sense him."

"I guess... I guess I could try," Adam said timidly, his face looking very scared.

"Then what are we waiting for," Danny grinned. "Come on."

The team grinned to themselves and stood, ready to prepare for their Flack rescue mission.

Flack sat miserably in the cell he was in, waiting for the ship to dock at the station that would ultimately seal his fate in being turned into some sort of monstrosity his father had cooked up with the surgeons. He was certain there would no longer be a single human thing left about him at that point. He swallowed a cry of anguish and thumped a fist against the wall. He didn't want to be turned into a super soldier, destined to kill and maim and destroy. He'd thought he'd been fighting for justice as a Marine but he hadn't. He'd been obeying the commands of men who had become deluded by power. By his own father who had nearly had him killed and by Commodore Sinclair who had had the Earth destroyed. And soon he would be a part of all that, believing once more he was fighting for justice when really he was just obeying these madmen's commands. He wasn't exactly sure on what his father had planned for him but he knew it wouldn't be any good. Danny would never be able to find him; he'd probably be unrecognisable by the time any rescue attempt was made. Flack sniffed his tears back and thumped a fist on the wall again.

"Hey!"

Flack frowned as he heard a voice and then a thump the other side of the wall.

"Errr sorry?" Flack mumbled, unsure of to whom he was speaking.

"That's okay. You that guy from the cells on SV-F5G?"

"Err, yeah. Who are you?" Flack replied.

"You saw me. I was in another of the cells."

Flack hit himself mentally for being such an idiot. Of course. It was that humanoid female who'd been able to climb up the walls of her cell.

"Did I make you fall off the wall?" Flack asked apologetically.

"I never fall. Too lithe."

"What you here for?" Flack asked as he slowly slid down the wall and leant against it waiting for a reply.

"I'm a thief. Gerrard caught me a few decycles ago and had me tagged and made me thieve for him. I managed to escape but he found me."

"Oh," Flack hummed, intrigued by the voice beyond the wall.

"What about you?"

"Hmm..." Flack made a noise, unwilling to reveal his family history.

"Hmmm? I heard him call you his son?"

"He did," Flack confirmed.

"Is it true then?"

"Yes," Flack sighed, deciding if he soon wouldn't be able to remember this meeting then it didn't matter what he told her.

"Wow. I had no idea. Poor you."

"Tell me about it," Flack grinned. He liked her bluntness.

"What was it like growing up with him?"

"Lonely," Flack murmured.

"Did you not have any brothers or sisters? What about your Mum?"

"I had one sister and one brother. We were close; I was real close to my Mum too. But then I joined the Marines and wasn't able to see them as much," Flack said sadly.

"Where are they now?"

Flack sighed as he felt a tear dribbled down his face. "They're dead."

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. They were on Earth when..."

"When the terrorists destroyed it."

Flack laughed wryly. "Terrorists didn't destroy it. Sinclair sent the order to have it blown up. He thought it would unite all the colonies."

"Oh my God. I can't believe it."

"Well do, because it's the truth," Flack muttered.

"Is Gerrard going to kill you? Because you know that?"

Flack closed his eyes as he thought of what fate awaited him. "No. No, he has something much worse planned for me."

And with that he felt the juddering of the ship which could only mean one thing. They had arrived.