Chapter 10

"May I have a word?"

Hesh shouldered the bag he was carrying over his shoulder as he looked to see who was talking to him. He recognized her as the civilian who was accompanying the colonel. They had been on the Dakota for a week so far. To Hesh is seemed like the colonel was trying Merrick's patience and his was running a little short too. He chose to ignore her and continue walking.

"Excuse me."

Hesh paused and turned to face the woman. He said, "No I don't want to talk to you. I am busy." He turned to continue walking. He needed to get this gear to ops.

"Well I want to talk to you," the woman said as she caught up with Hesh. She put a hand on him and grabbed his arm.

It was automatic for Hesh to push her away. He whirled fast and flung her off his arm. He didn't raise a hand to her though. In his mind the shove was enough to warn her off. He did narrow his eyes at the civilian and said, "Don't do that again. Anyone else will be less than generous."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," she replied with an equally hard and narrow look. "I need to know a few things."

"You have access to the field reports," Hesh replied before turning to walk away. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this. They were close to doing the unthinkable but with things the way they were, he and Logan would have no choice. "Read them."

"There is only so much a field report can give. I want to know more about Sergeant Williams' interactions." The civilian followed Hesh and managed to keep up despite the fact that she had never been on a battleship before and she had a heck of a time keeping her footing.

"First off it's Lieutenant Williams. If you want to get anywhere, keep up on ranks," Hesh said as he continued walking. He had to lose her if he was going to get this gear to Logan. "Now go away."

The civilian grunted in disapproval but continued to follow Hesh, "I will if you just talk to me." She almost ran into him when he stopped and turned abruptly. She looked up at the stern expression and said, "I just want to know a few things about Lt. Williams."

"I'm not a gossip line or whatever the hell you call it," Hesh replied. He adjusted the gear bag and stood there looking at the civilian. "And I don't talk to just anyone."

The civilian then said, "Will you talk to me? I'm Dr. Linda Ashford, Chief Psychiatrist of the Freefall project."

"Not interested," Hesh said as he turned around to leave. "I don't want to talk to you people."

"How do you know about Freefall?"

"Leave me alone."

"Freefall is considered highly classified," Ashford replied grabbing Hesh's uniform sleeve. She was taking a risk but her evaluation of him based on what she had seen so far told her that the elder Walker, while prone to bits of temper was deliberate about it meaning that he could control it and channel it through the channels he wanted it to be. She also ascertained that he wouldn't hit a woman unless it was evident of a threat. "There was no way you would have been able to access it even if it was hidden in plain sight."

"You'd be surprised if you know where to look."

"No because not even those selected were privy to full details. Not everyone was treated the same."

Hesh paused to think about it. His immediate concern was getting rid of her but there was the possibility of gaining some insight. During the week, he considered the possibility that there might be things he and Logan would need to know when they found her. Still he would have to be wary and not reveal too much. He said, "And like I said before, you'd be surprised at what you find hiding in plain sight."

Ashford sighed trying not to become frustrated. She was fast discovering that Hesh, when he got his back up, could dig in and not budge when he chose to be stubborn. "I am trying to help you out."

"More like help yourself," Hesh corrected.

"Believe it or not I care about the interrogators that passed through Freefall," Ashford countered with a stern look. She could tell Hesh wasn't intimidated by it. "I may have cared more than Command did and I had to. We do what we can to anticipate what can happen…"

"I know. Like POW training you put them through something similar but have your trainees interrogated," Hesh countered. He gave an annoyed look at Ashford signaling that he was losing his patience with her.

Ashford saw it too and realized she had a limited window before he shut down completely. "Then you should know that there was more to it. They really were subject to interrogation and it wasn't treated as training," she added. She took in his expression and continued, "Why do you think I was placed in charge of mental health?"

"Why then?"

Ashford was astute enough to realize that Hesh was giving her a chance to explain. He may be polite about it but she could tell he was interested. Maybe he didn't know everything. She said, "Understand that those selected had to go through a rigorous check and what might indicate good results before the program might not necessarily turn out the way we want them."

"So you're saying that our teammate may not be all there," Hesh put it bluntly. He was being courteous with the doctor.

"With Lt. Williams, there are a few things I think you should be aware of."

"And why are you telling me this? This is something that should be told to my CO." Hesh gave a look to remind Ashford that there was a chain of command that had to be followed. He added, "So if there is nothing else then go away."

"I'm telling you because I believe you know more than what was revealed in the field report and what you and your brother gave when the colonel questioned you," Ashford said trying to keep him from leaving. "I believe you can tell me exactly what the lieutenant was doing, expressing… any little detail."

"You want those answers, read the interview transcripts," Hesh countered firmly indicating that he wasn't going to satisfy her curiosity.

Ashford narrowed her eyes and said, "I did and I still believe you are withholding something." She gave a look over and added, "But I can see that you are not cooperative with that."

"Protocol."

"Then screw it because I want more than anything for an old friend's daughter to come back more or less intact than be branded a traitor. I know that your team is planning something."

"Speculation," Hesh countered to shut her up about that. As far as things were, there was the possibility of an op to go back in and search within the last known radius of his Hawk's being sighted. It was in the planning stages. He and Logan were planning their own search and they were going the extra mile to be careful. He took control and asked, "What do you mean by old friend?"

"Colonel Charles Williams was a close friend and colleague. He developed Freefall in order to have a group of interrogators that would be able to go the extra mile to break someone. It was a test program and he was the one that recommended it be disbanded when he saw the results," Ashford explained. She watched Hesh's reaction and was met with a bland look. She had no idea what he was thinking but she had his attention at least. So she continued, "He thought that it would cause the men to forget who they were. He said something along the lines that men who lose who they are will be lost forever or something like that."

"Obviously they didn't quit," Hesh muttered more out of disgust.

"The military saw the potential. After ODIN and apparently Command was aware of the one called Rorke, they wanted all possible means of having an edge," Ashford replied. She could understand Hesh's disgust. "I was kept on since I was part of the original project. I monitored the trainees in the conditions they were put through and I was interested in the lieutenant in question."

"Covered guilt with scientific interest?"

Ashford noted the sneer and sarcasm. She didn't blame him for his attitude. She brushed it aside and continued, "I did what I could to make sure that they were still people. Lt. Williams was different." She sounded like she was being defensive and calmed herself to continue, "It was clear to me that she had already had some training in this and was able to withstand even torture very well."

"Doesn't surprise me," Hesh replied. He figured out already that what Charles Williams couldn't or wouldn't teach the 'test subjects' he taught to his daughter. "Your old friend did invent the program," he added with a shrug.

"True… but I noticed that when she was in front of an interrogator or was one herself, the whole process became something of a game to her," Ashford countered. "It was like she lived for the challenge and then when put through the survival…" She shook her head like she couldn't understand it but she showed concern. "I am concerned that when you find her, she may not be what you knew her to be. I have seen it."

Hesh pondered her words and then said, "Then you should report your concerns to Merrick. He is in charge. Now if you don't have anything else to pester me with, I am busy." He adjusted the bag on his shoulder to show that he meant what he said.

Ashford knew that her time was up. In all honesty she didn't expect Hesh to warm up to her even though she had been on their ship for a week. She had said her piece and hoped that part of it if not all would stick in his mind. She got the feeling that today would be the day that they would be given the long face. She may only be a civvie but she had worked around the military for many years and knew how they operated, at least most of them. She looked at Hesh and nodded, "I just want you to know what I have noticed."

Hesh looked at Ashford and made a move to leave but thought about it and paused. He asked, "Is there something that you can't or won't say?"

Ashford looked at Hesh at he peered at her with an intensive stare. He was being serious in his line of questioning and she had to admit that the way he was staring was how some of Freefall's interrogators looked. He would have been a good candidate. She could tell though that he was being fairly courteous and she didn't want to wear out her welcome with that. She replied, "I can't say it as an official thing but…"

"It's one of those things that is none of my business unless Command says it is," Hesh said matter of fact. "So are you wasting my time?"

"No," Ashford replied liking the way Hesh was taking the situation. He definitely would have made a good candidate and no doubt he would succeed. She looked at him and said, "I am here to give you a heads up so to speak. Colonel Slayton has been talking to Command and more than likely it will be authorized that Lt. Williams is to be brought in… like a prisoner."

Hesh studied Ashford as if trying to determine if she was lying or not. He got the feeling that she wasn't since she claimed friendship with Charles Williams, knew Sequoia and tried to convince him that she cared about the soldiers that went through Freefall. Finally he replied in a firm tone, "Hawk is not a traitor."

"You know that and I know that and I am willing to stake it that your team knows it but Command is not sure," Ashford replied with a firm tone but it was softened on account of her age and gender. "You do understand that Freefall interrogators…"

"They are the best and if the Federation turns one… then there is a problem," Hesh finished since he had put that together a while back. "Hawk is no traitor."

"No but the fact that there is visual proof that she was in the company of the traitor Rorke…"

"She's not." Hesh glanced around before leaning in close and lowering his voice, "There is one thing about Hawk you should know and that is she knows how to play." He stood back and looked at Ashford for a moment before saying, "If it is better to bring in a lost soldier by someone they trust, then Merrick will say it is when he hears it." He turned and walked down the hall.

Ashford watched Hesh leave. To her, his behavior was not consistent with what she had read on the field reports. Being in charge of screening candidates, she had resources available and utilized them. Also with this latest turn of events, she read up on the Walker boys and the rest of the Ghosts. Her conclusions had her wondering but she couldn't help but smirk and mutter, "Alright you bastard. Bring her back."

Something's up and it isn't good. No one is saying anything but we aren't idiots. The first clue was the presence of the colonel and his assistant. The second clue… well I don't know if it is one but the civvie pestering every single member of the team and me and Hesh especially… I get the feeling that those higher up are no longer going to treat this as an SAR but a manhunt.

I hate the fact that the helmet cam Keegan was wearing caught her shooting in his direction. I hate the fact that I was there to see it but I don't hate the fact knowing that she is alive and fighting. When I saw her being carried off I feared that Rorke would kill her. At that time I was thinking physically but after Hesh's confession… I understand what I was thinking.

Hawk is nothing what they say. Yeah I heard what goes on with Freefall. This past week Hesh mentioned bits and pieces. He's doing okay but… he's like his old self when he's determined but it's different. What if Rorke's goal to take her and have her destroy the souls of the Ghosts… what if it was by taking her and making us think the worst case that was what he meant? It sounds like Hesh's occasional muttering of a hunter making the prey see what they want them to see or something like that. It sounds paranoid but I can't help but think that and given that Hesh… he's not cold because he has a part of his old self there but more like hard. It's hard to describe but it has me wondering.

I'm not going to be a naïve idiot. Things have changed. I know I have and so has Hesh. Maybe it started when Dad died but even then... I don't know but it was my idea to plan this and Hesh is the one following. It used to be the other way around. Our world has gone to shits pretty much and we want it back…

Logan looked up from the notes he was writing from all the intel he had been gathering and what he remembered on the ops he and Hesh had gone on. The gathering was easy but the making sense of it was another thing and could be difficult because you had to decide what was the most likely. Antofagasta was within the area of the assault. It was easier if they had a map but that would have raised suspicions. This had to be kept on the down low and it was hard enough that there were brass around in the form of the colonel that had everyone ready to take a swing at him.

One of the more annoying things was to undergo the 'interview' since he and Hesh were the last people to see Sequoia. The team was asked about their relationship with her and what happened when she first joined them. Logan himself was circumspect about what he said. There were some things that were considered private like her relationship with Hesh. He was worried that Hesh would get himself locked into the brig for anything he might say but his brother was still walking around and he noticed that the civvie had been watching him ever since.

Logan sensed danger the moment she tried to catch him alone and he warned Hesh about it. They did whatever they could to not be caught with her but he figured that she would go after Hesh because his brother wouldn't hit a woman unless it was in self-defense or sparring. Hesh said he would take care of it if it came to that. That he didn't doubt but given that Hesh was not quite there…

Sighing Logan devoted his time to notes when the door opened. He put his hand to the notebook to hide his notes and turned to look. He scowled slightly, "Skye, can't you be more like Hawk and try to scare the crap out of me?"

Skye closed the door to the quarters that Hesh and Logan shared and approached the younger Walker with a slight grin and said, "Tahatanskah couldn't scare you Logan. To Hesh definitely and this because she likes him."

Logan chuckled at that since he remembered how Hesh jumped when Sequoia startled him. "She would do it because she knows how to push buttons," he said. He sobered quickly and looked down at his hands.

"Logan?"

Logan looked at Skye and noted her expression and replied, "Just thinking."

Skye could guess what he meant and said, "Don't think about Freefall." She paused a moment and added, "My cousin always had a way of reading people. She could tell when a person was trustworthy or traitorous and it was part of that six sense she had that had kept her out of trouble."

"Didn't seem to work. Sometimes I wish that either me or Hesh kept her from looking at Rorke when we had him," Logan said as he shook his head. His locks shook with his head. It was still within regulations but it was reflective of how much he had changed the past five or six months. "She looked right into his eyes and called him weak and pathetic and she said she would willingly throw him off the plane."

Skye knew that this was hard on them all. Even she was surprised to hear about her cousin being part of that program. She sighed and then gave a slight smile, "And she let me fall out of a tree when I was a girl."

"She let you fall out of a tree?"

"Well she was trying to teach me that even if I fell, I had to get up and that pretty much was the point; getting back up even though I fell down. Never forgot it," she said. She gave a gentle nudge on Logan's shoulder and added, "It's something that you and your brother are very good at. Tells me what good men you are."

Logan glanced at Skye and gave a slight smile. He tapped his pencil on the notebook on the desk. "Well let's see what good men we are trying to get our…" He cleared his throat to indicate what he meant.

Skye sobered quickly and said, "That is what I want to talk to you about. I've been hanging around and I know that Ashford has been following you and Hesh around."

"That her name?"

Skye gave a playful punch on Logan's shoulder. She narrowed her eyes pretending to be mad but she wasn't. It was worth it to see Logan's smile. "You know her name."

"I know," Logan replied with a smile. He felt it get bigger when she smiled back. She had a way of getting him to smile and he had a hard believing that she was a brat ten years ago. He sobered and asked, "So what's the news Skye?"

"I overheard a conversation with Merrick and the colonel. An op is in the works but…"

Logan watched as Skye's face became very sober. It didn't take much to figure out that it wasn't a good thing. He said, "They're going after Hawk but like she's a prisoner. Son of a bitch."

"The camera feed was very convincing. From what I was able to hear, Ashford along with the colonel were trying to convince the possibility that Tahatanskah didn't turn. Ashford is very confident about it." Skye paused as she studied Logan. He was deep into thought about something. She could see it as he stared at the wall he was facing and his eyes flickered like they were doing the thinking for him.

He didn't move as Hesh entered the room quietly with a gear bag. Skye looked at Hesh and he motioned that it was nothing to worry about and he went to empty the bag and take inventory. Skye raised her brow and watched as Logan started scribbling like mad and Hesh checked the handguns he had pulled. She raised her brow, "Am I missing something."

"We expected this," Logan said as he scribbled. He looked at Hesh, "Any problems?"

"Ashford followed me again," Hesh replied. He looked at Skye and then tossed her a PS225 before turning back to his work. "Said that the colonel is to send out a catch the prisoner detail," he added.

"I overheard that between Merrick and the colonel," Skye said as she checked the handgun. She looked at it and held the gun wondering what she was supposed to do with it though it was pretty much obvious with what they were doing. "The order comes from Command. They want Tahatanskah rescued but as a prisoner until it is proven otherwise." She paused and looked at the Walker boys. She had long suspected that they were planning something but to see them in action… "They are sending in another Tier One team."

It was enough to have both look up at her. Hesh put down the 45 he had been working with. Seeing it gave the faintest bit of pain in his abdomen but he brushed it off; it was phantom pain that was easily forgotten. He looked at Logan and got a head nod. At that signal he left their room quietly and without a word.

Skye watched the whole scene and raised her brow, "I am missing something aren't I?" She put the gun on the table.

"Hesh is getting a confirmation. He is higher ranked so his presence won't be out of place," Logan said as he finished his notes. "Now the sighting was…" He murmured to himself as he narrowed it down to a list of possibilities.

"So you're planning on going."

"That was always the plan, Skye. Ever since the day we were forced to leave Hawk behind," Logan said as he looked up and gave a whistle to Riley.

Riley came up eager to please and his doggy grin got bigger as Logan fitted his equipment on. He was ready to go. Logan put his equipment on and checked the sync up link to make sure it was working and muttered that Riley was a good boy. He continued, "We've been keeping tabs on Merrick's recon missions and making our own search radius."

"Any ideas?"

"A few. Skye, we're gonna need to borrow your helicopter," Logan said. He gave her an apologetic look. "And we're gonna have to make it so…"

"Fat chance Logan," Skye replied giving him the look. When he failed to respond, she added, "Because I'm going with you guys."

A/N: Looks like Command thinks Hawk may have been turned so the Walker boys are up to something and are getting a helping hand from Skye. Wonder what will happen next. Stay tuned for more of The Hunt...