Black Wolf-Dog: I swear I meant to update before Halloween! It's just...I got a full time job (Yay for more money!) but alas, that means one day less for writing than I already had (boo!). And then I had a tire blow, so I had to get a whole new set and I was just a little stressed from that bill and how the frag I was going to cover it with Christmas right around the corner. So...everyone in my family is getting homemade stuff! Unfortunately that also means less writing time. And we're finally getting cold weather, which means getting the barn prepped and winter pastures set up. Also the rain has started, which means taking the Jeeps up into the mountains. So yeah, not a whole lot of time for writing left over sadly. But never fear! I shall always find a way to update, even if an unfortunate amount of time has to pass between them.
I know I told some of you that this was going to be the longest chapter yet, but I figured you had all waited long enough and I still had an obscene amount left to write so...two-parter! Things have been going so quickly in this story and in the next part I figured it best to just allow you and the characters a moment to slow down and get their bearings. In simple terms, this is a filler. Enjoy!
A big THANK YOU to Wolf, murderthecrowther, Silver-Streaked Wings, Lady-night-shade04, and Guest for your reviews! Glad you all are enjoying the story and hope you continue to!
Dhea Hunter: That is unfortunate! Hopefully it doesn't glitch this time yes? Aw thank you! I do strive to keep this as original as possible. Glad you are enjoying it and I shall!
Whispered-Lullaby: I'm so glad you thought the wait was worth it! I do still feel bad about that and hope you never have to wait that long again. Life is life and we grin and bear what we must! ;) Hahaha, well she's at least going to try to teach him the depths, who knows if it will actually get through. Yeah, I try to keep all of her actions as human and real as possible, after all, no one can relate to a 'perfect' character! ...That is hilarious, and also true, since I did get home from the wedding still single ;)
2211Nighthawk: Glad you like it! I shall! Ah yes Barricade. I do notice that a lot as well and it just drives me bonkers. If one were to read 'Cade's personality profile, they would see that he is one of the worst of the 'Cons, enjoys seeing the looks on people's faces when he betrays them. So yeah, he's one of the least likely to turn in my book, and so he shall be in my fic!
SomeoneI'mSure: Prowl assumes a lot, and we all know what that does! ;) Hmm, that's one way to take it! That's the best thing about irony, it works in several different ways! My own take was that lighthouses are generally used to warn ships of rocks, so the ship isn't supposed to go towards lighthouse but rather away from it. Pretty much the opposite of what Darcy did. :)
Squan: Bahahahahaha, well I believe that is a perfectly acceptable reason to wake the neighbors! Phew! I'm glad you couldn't tell how much trouble it gave me! That is a relief for sure! And oh yes, your prediction of the future is very accurate indeed. Glad you're getting attached to her! Err...guess I should start preparing my bunker then? As some who have read my other stories will tell you, I'm generally not very nice to my main characters ;)
Krosis: Awww thanks! I wish there was too! In fact it was that wish that bred this story! While I don't have a huge problem adding a character to a movie, authors do need to realize that another person will change some things! Even if it's just a few original lines ;)
Kathy3meme: Lucky you! Now if only I could say you would avoid any gaps, but alas, my muse and free time don't work that quickly. Hmm, that is one way to look at it, but my original take was that lighthouses are generally used to warn ships of rocks, so the ship isn't supposed to go towards the lighthouse but rather away from it to avoid running aground. Pretty much the opposite of what Darcy did ;)
Enjoy this installment of NRFTW!
A memory is what is left when something happens that does not completely unhappen ~Edward de Bono
The first thing that bleached through Darcy's clouded mind was warmth; blessed, sweet warmth that pierced through the cold still clinging to her skin and surrounded her on all sides, enveloping her in a way that called for sleep. She wanted nothing more than to give in to the call, to let her mind drift off again. It wouldn't be difficult; the abyss was right there, open and waiting to claim her again. All she had to do was give in. She would have, had sound not returned to her then.
Muffled voices, saying things she couldn't make out with tones she didn't recognize and a growl that could be nothing but a powerful engine. Her body tensed, fingers clenching and though her hand briefly lit up with pain, she was grateful to feel her gun still firmly in her grip. It didn't matter if she was out of bullets; whoever had her didn't know that and very few would be foolish enough to try calling the bluff.
No matter how much her mind demanded immediate action, she forced herself to stay still, to keep up the sleeping façade so that the rest of her body could wake fully. Her legs tingled with the feeling of a thousand needles pricking them and her arms felt stiff and heavy. An unfamiliar weight was settled over her, a blanket she figured as she lightly brushed a finger on the underside of it.
As senses and feeling returned, she turned her mental focus on the conversation that was going on to her left. There were two distinct voices, both male, but what they were saying wasn't making any sense. What did signals from a barricade and blowing it up have to do with anything? She frowned slightly, deciding to stay still and listen a little longer.
"Prowl won't be happy about this." The younger voice stated. Prowl? Wasn't that a verb? Why would it be unhappy about anything? Perhaps it was the nickname for the ringleader? That had to be it; they were taking her to their base. Well, she wasn't about to just sit and allow that to happen.
"He's never happy." The older, much deeper voice rumbled. There was a mechanical ring to it, like it was coming through a phone. Good, that meant there was only one she had to deal with. "She's awake."
Admittedly her shock at his words did briefly stall Darcy's actions, but she didn't waste the small amount of surprise she still had on her side. Flinging the blanket to the floor, she twisted to face the driver while raising her gun in one fluid move, pressing the barrel to his head before he'd even had the chance to look her direction.
"Stop the car." She demanded, nudging the barrel into his temple to emphasize its presence.
"Okay, just take it easy." His voice was low and soft as he raised one hand off the steering wheel in surrender. She braced herself for the slamming of the brakes, but it never came. Instead he eased the vehicle to a stop, taking no advantage of the rather obvious opportunities to throw her off balance.
"Alright." He started once he'd thrown the truck into park. "You can put the gun down; we're not going to hurt you."
He had a handsome face, Darcy noted as he finally turned to face her, all tan and smooth skin that fit seamlessly with the army fatigues. Too bad for him his words hadn't been as well done. She stared at him, studying his micro expressions as she kept the gun firmly in place.
"We?" She asked.
The expression flashed over his face for a split second and had Darcy not seen it so many times before she might have missed it. It was the brief grimace of one who had said too much and realized it too late.
"Myself and the people I work for." He recovered, "We want to help you."
He looked her straight in the eye, never once breaking the contact to look at the 9mm still leveled at his face.
"Help how?" She asked warily. It was just too convenient, her car being rendered useless just in time for this guy to come sweeping in for the rescue. After all, no one but Cade knew she was even up there. She frowned at that thought, adjusting her grip on the gun; perhaps this was Cade.
"I have access to more resources than you know. I want to help you stop the psychopaths that are murdering people up here." The man responded.
No, his voice was nothing like Cade's had been, but how did he know about this case in the first place? Sure the victims' families knew the gist of it, but not the details. Details like where the dumping ground had been.
"Who are you?" Darcy demanded, casting a quick glance out the windshield. They were in some type of large truck and almost to the base of the mountain. At least their location meant she hadn't been out of it for very long.
The beast of a truck's engine hitched, sputtering out a growl that was eerily similar to the Mustang's. The army man set his hand on the steering wheel but made no further move to put it back into gear. In fact, the gesture almost looked more like a reassuring pat than a random movement.
"Major William Lennox. I've worked with Agent Row for the last few years. He's the one who called me in."
Darcy stared at him hard for a moment, trying to find any signs that he was lying. But she could find none and the only one who knew the agent's name was the chief. There was no way that the chief had called in for more help, especially military.
Slowly she lowered the gun. Either he was telling the truth or her enemies had really been doing their homework. But her arm was starting to shake with the effort of keeping the gun up, her exhausted body betraying her. She wasn't going to take the chance of showing her current weakness to this stranger, so she returned the gun to her lap before the tremors were noticeable. She didn't holster it though, instead kept it on her thigh, hand never releasing the grip and ready to pull up at a moment's notice.
That and she could feel the crusted blood of her injured hand threatening to rip open if she tried to fully remove the gun from her grasp.
"So what branch of military are you in? And don't tell me Army, the FBI wouldn't be involved with them and Row doesn't exactly have the…demeanor to work with them." She asked, fighting to keep her opinion of the agent out of her voice; it wouldn't get her anywhere to insult him in front of a potential ally and it gave her the opportunity to see just how well this Major knew him.
He snorted, putting the truck back into gear and starting back down the road when she gave no protest. Tapping an unfamiliar patch on his shoulder, he told her, "NEST, we're a global military alliance focused on tracking and preventing terrorist attacks."
She frowned, why was that name so familiar? It tugged at her memory, dancing tantalizingly just out of reach. Where had she seen or heard it before? Neither the chief nor Row had ever mentioned it. The symbol patched onto his shoulder wasn't something she had seen before.
She shook her head, wherever she had heard of it before, the black patch was foreign to her. But the little red insignia below the NEST patch was something she had seen before. Even if the meaning behind it had eluded her, the tribal face design was a logo that she had memorized since the moment she first laid eyes on it. It was the department symbol Row had on his Charger.
"What is that one for?" She asked. Admittedly she'd never directly asked the agent, but he wasn't exactly the type to answer questions that had nothing to do with the case. The soldier was already sharing, might as well push for all the answers she could get.
The beast of a truck rumbled as it lurched onto the paved roads and Lennox took the moment to delay answering.
Finally he explained, "It's kind of a side division of NEST, the big guns, if you will. This symbol is so we can recognize each other right away; avoids any confusion or accidents."
Darcy thought on that. It was obvious he was still keeping things from her, but this group sounded pretty classified, so that fact that he was telling her anything was a victory in her book. But…one thing bugged her. The FBI had some sort of dealing with an international military division? Sure it wasn't entirely impossible, but why would they have sent one of their 'big guns' when she called?
"Row isn't really FBI is he?" It certainly would explain the high tech car and the superiority complex. But if it was true, then it also brought on a whole new slew of questions. Like why the hell had a global anti-terrorism military faction been interested enough in her case to have sent in a 'big gun' before the bodies had even been found?
She studied Lennox's expression. He was staring straight ahead at the road, lips pursed as he most likely tried to decide what exactly to tell her. Eventually he sighed and relented. His paused has already been answer enough, but at least he was willing to verbally admit it. Now at least Darcy figured she could trust him somewhat.
"No, he's not. We use the FBI as a cover when we need to get in somewhere quietly. Row has been after a dirty cop who we suspect is part of a large terrorist cell located in the US. His leads led him here."
She frowned, so that was why her call to the bureau had been responded to so quickly. He had needed a way in and she had handed it to him. The reasoning was sound, but that didn't mean she liked being lied to; nor was she about to forgive him for attempting to boot her off of her own case.
Turning to the soldier to better gauge his reaction, she asked, "Would that corrupt cop happen to drive a Mustang?"
The result was immediate, even if fleeting as Lennox quickly schooled his expression. Darcy had solved cases on looks just like that and as he glanced her way it was obvious that he realized that she knew he knew exactly who she was talking about. She was already involved now, so she figured she might as well jump in the rest of the way.
Lennox sighed, "Yeah that's him, and he is extremely dangerous. You shouldn't face him on your own."
His voice was chiding but there was an underlying note to it that told Darcy she was probably extremely lucky to still be alive. She shrugged, "I never even saw him, just his car."
"He uses that as his weapon. He hit you with a minor EMP, which is why none of your electronics worked."
"What do they want?" And who even used EMP's as a first weapon anyway? But then, this was a guy posing as a cop whose car was bulletproof, she supposed she should be expecting the unexpected at this point.
Lennox shrugged, as if the plans of the terrorists weren't that special, "World domination mostly."
Well she wasn't expecting that unexpected. Darcy stared at him in disbelief. Sure a lot of groups had wacky plans, even tried to take over an entire country but the world? "Isn't that just some Hollywood plot? Who honestly believes that would be possible?"
The soldier didn't laugh, didn't change his expression except for a slight grimace that wordlessly stated that the possibility wasn't so farfetched with this particular group. Despite the constant temperature in the truck's cab, Darcy found herself feeling a lot colder at that moment.
"They have the numbers and the weapons. It's why NEST was started, to defend the planet against them."
It was almost too much like a corny alien movie to be true. But Lennox displayed none of the tells of a lie and that Mustang had far more than just a few expensive upgrades.
"So that's why Row's car is so high tech then, with the scanners and such?" She was aware she was using some of the basic 'curious cop' interrogation techniques, but as long as the soldier didn't notice then the more useful information she might be able to glean from him.
He looked almost startled for a moment, "Uh, yeah. High tech to battle high tech; though those special features aren't supposed to be used in front of civilians."
For some reason he stared at the steering wheel, as if he could somehow communicate with someone through it. Or to the truck; honestly Darcy was starting to doubt anything this 'NEST' group did or had would make sense in the common world. She let her eyes flint quickly around the truck within her line of sight; perhaps this was one of those high tech cars? But everything looked like a normal, new, diesel truck. Aside, she noticed, from the tribal face impressed into the steering wheel. She mulled the possibilities over as silence stretch across the cab. Was the tech voice activated? No, Row hadn't been there when his car scanned her and John's Crown Vic. Remote maybe? That couldn't be it; Row didn't even take the keys out of the ignition let alone any device that controlled the car. Plus he probably would have prevented her from borrowing it if he had a remote for it. Perhaps the car was self-thinking? Robotics was getting closer to that level and Lennox had all but told her their technology was advanced beyond public knowledge. She shifted uncomfortably. The idea of a thinking car was disturbing. Sure there were cars that parked themselves but to know when and what to scan or to eject an EMP burst? It was unnerving to say the least and unbidden the film Christine started replaying in her mind.
No matter how much she wanted to know—or didn't, she hadn't quite decided yet—Darcy kept her theories and further questions to herself. She could see the change in Lennox's expression; he had clammed up and she wasn't going to get anything else out of him. Not right now at least.
Instead she turned to stare out the windshield as they approached the turn to the precinct, frowning as they continued past it without slowing. "Where are we going?"
"Row is going to meet us somewhere a bit more private. Classified information and all."
"Uh huh…" Darcy sighed, flexing her stiff fingers. The rollercoaster had already started; there was no jumping ship now.
"You can holster your gun now. Unless you plan on pistol whipping me at some point." The light tone to his voice and the smirk on his face had her internally cursing. No wonder he'd barely reacted when she'd shoved the gun in his face; he knew it was empty.
"I would if I could." She responded, holding up the bloody hand that was all but glued to the grip. Even the miniscule shifting of her palm was enough to tear the beginning scab just enough that she could feel the blood start to seep out again.
It was his turn to frown, "How did that happen?"
"Apparently advanced cars have knives hiding in the hood." She hissed as the injury stung. Some hot water would be welcomed about now, even if just for the sake of getting the gun out of her hand.
Looking down towards her lap caused her to finally take attention to her clothes. Blood coated her sleeves and pants, her own mixed with that of Davis in a sickening mass of red. She decided then that the little details of whatever was going on didn't really matter right now, but she'd kill for a shower. Unfortunately for her, luxuries such as that were going to have to wait.
"So what is Row's job in NEST?" The detective asked after a long moment of semi-awkward silence. If she couldn't get more details on her enemies, then maybe she could get some on the man who had barged rather unceremoniously into her life just two days ago. Damn, had it only been forty-eight hours? It felt like a lifetime.
Lennox shifted, "We all have multiple duties, but he's pretty much our tactician and enforcer."
"Enforcer?" She echoed. A tactician she understood, it fit him. But an enforcer? Wasn't that a mafia position? Just what did he enforce?
"He's our one-man MP. When someone breaks the rules, he's the judge and jury." Now that Darcy had no difficulty believing, that kind of power would agree with him. Lennox gave a sympathetic wince as they pulled onto a familiar residential street. "Unfortunately you're about to get a firsthand experience of that side of him. He doesn't like when his orders are disobeyed."
Darcy rolled her eyes and slumped slightly into the seat as the truck pulled into her driveway. She didn't even bother wondering how he knew where she lived. There was a much more pressing matter in the form of the pacing man in front of the Charger parked neatly in her SUV's spot.
Row's face was twisted into the infamous Karl Urban scowl as he moved back and forth; looking up in her direction only after the truck had parked and shut off. The look made her want to sink back into the seat further, but damn it all she didn't do anything wrong! If he hadn't tried to take her case from her then she wouldn't have had to go up alone. Besides, it's not like it was her fault there was a homicidal terrorist on the mountain. Nope, Row had nothing she wanted to hear unless it was good news on John.
"It's best to just get it over with as soon as possible. Trust me, he tends to get worse if you put it off." Lennox advised. The sympathy on his face told her that he'd probably faced Row's rants and rage himself at one point.
Darcy was disinclined to believe him. Besides, he'd had to wait until she'd come off the mountain, what was one more minute? She turned to the soldier at that thought, "How did you know where I was?"
Lennox didn't bother turning in her direction, but he did shift slightly in a way she would almost call nervously, "That question would be better suited for Row. He's the one who told us where you were."
The detective turned to look at said man and winced. Row had stopped his pacing and instead was standing in front of the truck's hood, blue-eyed glare locked right on her.
"Out of the frying pan…" She muttered as she forced her free hand to the door handle. The door swung open with almost suspicious ease. Advanced tech, she reminded herself. Actually climbing out of the truck proved infinitely more difficult. Though warmed by the heat of the cab, her body felt stiff and heavy. Every movement was exhausting and slow and the freezing bite of the outside air didn't help in the least.
Using the open door as a crutch, she finally forced herself to slide out and to the ground. The ground that turned out to be much further down that she had originally estimated. If not for her somewhat steady hold on the door she would have ended up on her face. Her legs shook with the effort and the cold was alarmingly quick to seep back into her bones. New plan then. Boiling hot shower, then sleep; maybe deal with Row in the morning.
Shutting the truck's door, she inwardly cursed when she realized that the tactician was most inconveniently between her and the front door. Bastard probably did it on purpose.
Using the truck for support, she slowly hobbled her way towards the man; maybe, just maybe he would take in her condition and leave the lecture for tomorrow.
No luck.
Figures.
Scowl in place, arms crossed, if her brain wasn't so frazzled and frozen she might actually have been intimidated.
"What were you doing up there?" his tone was clipped and sharp. Darcy was half-tempted to tell him where to shove it.
What the hell, she figured; she'd already started digging the hole. "Sight-seeing."
Row's expression said he wasn't amused, but she did hear Lennox give what could pass for a cough somewhere to her left.
"What do you think? I was following a lead." She snapped when Row just continued to stare.
"And just what kind of lead would you have been able to find?" That son of a bitch… "Furthermore, going up there alone was ignorantly moronic. Any sort of lead you found should have been brought directly to me, especially because I distinctly recall removing you from this investigation."
Darcy matched his scowl. If her limbs had had the strength and the soldier had been absent she would have hit him. Hard. Preferably hard enough to break his too perfect nose. Fate, it seemed, had been against her from day one, since Lennox had only moved closer and her entire body ached and protested at being in the cold once again.
She settled for growling at him, "And I told you that you couldn't take me off. I invited you into this. So I still hold the authority over it, secret military organization or not. Besides, I've already met the corrupt cop; you can't keep me out now."
Row narrowed his eyes at that, shooting a dark look to the truck and Lennox.
"You never did say how both of you ended up there at the same time." The Major stated as he fully walked around the hood of the truck to stand next to Row.
Darcy bristled at being tag-teamed. Damn it all she was just so cold and tired. Couldn't they leave this until tomorrow, or at least move it into the house where she could ignore them in favor of the shower?
"He dumped more bodies and killed Davis. I made it up there before he had time to leave." Davis! She mentally cursed. She'd forgotten to call the precinct to alert them of what she had found. Not that they would be able to get up there at the moment, but still; the department and his family deserved to know. Fumbling with the radio and otherwise ignoring whatever Row was starting to say, Darcy swore when she got nothing from the device.
"The EMP probably destroyed the radio and your phones." Lennox supplied, shrugging slightly as if this was some common occurrence. Well, all things considered it most likely was.
"The department needs to know about Davis and the other bodies."
"No need," Row cut in, "Our own team will deal with it. Your CSI's wouldn't be able to find anything useful. Now why did you go up there in the first place?"
There was no condescending or demeaning note to his voice; just calm and factual, which made it all the more insulting. Darcy would never later admit it, but she growled at him.
"Listen Bucko," She leaned forward and jabbed him in the chest with her free hand. "We may not have all of the fancy tech that you do, but we work with what we got and we do our job even when arrogant pricks try to screw us over."
Lennox seemed to suddenly have trouble breathing properly and Row's scowl somehow managed to deepen. He started to respond but Darcy was done listening. She was cold, in pain and her sanity was at its limits.
"If you want your own team to handle the scenes fine, but you aren't getting rid of me." With that she pushed past him, or attempted to anyways. He was a solid wall and she stumbled into him more than anything. Refusing to let it affect her, she continued on to the door, shoving it open and throwing over her shoulder as she walked in, "Now bugger off until morning."
Black Wolf-Dog: Darcy is a cheerful one isn't she? So I know pretty much nothing happened this chapter other than she met Lennox and indirectly Ironhide, but that will completely change in Part Two! So stick around will ya? Please? And perhaps while you're hanging around you could take a few seconds to drop a review and let me know what you think of this whole adventure?
Question: So I have a lot planned for these two and I want to let you all have a say in what happens to them. First, what kind of relationship do you want to see them end up with? Secondly, when I say I have a lot planned, I mean a ton. So would you rather have their story in one long fic or two? Let your voice be heard and let me know what you want!
Next time on NRFTW: A truce is called, a peace offering offered and Barricade ruins everyone's day.
