When the transmission ended, the bridge crew resumed their duties; Parker, however, could only stare - and wonder at what he'd just seen. Kane was back. Why? And what was that about, that little thing about 'he'd rather there not be fatalities?'
'He means, Captain Parker, that he would prefer your team, and you, be taken alive.' The feminine voice that came so clearly in his mind was that of Captain Yuriko Stone - and he hadn't the foggiest idea that it was only in his mind. He believed that she was talking to him - though he had no idea how she knew what he was thinking about.
"How the hell...?"
'I am not speaking, Captain. Look at me, and you should see that clearly.' Doing what she said, he could see that she wasn't even looking in his direction. She was sitting in her command chair on the bridge, thanking a steward that had just handed her a small cup of green tea. 'As well, I am a psychic. That's how I can talk to you this way, and how I know what you're thinking. I also know exactly where you are - and I can shut off that little suit's stealth feature whenever I like, so I suggest that you remain civilized.'
"So what would you have me do then? Turn myself in?"
'Precisely. You, and your team. You will not be harmed, I assure you.'
"How can I trust you?"
'You can't.'
Parker smirked, "Thanks, but no thanks, Captain Stone. I'm not going to risk my team on your word."
The instant that Yuriko stood from her command chair, setting down the tea as she did, Parker had the distinct feeling that he'd just royally stepped in it.
'Have it your way, Captain Parker.'
The moment she turned to face him was one that Captain William Parker would never forget. There was a soft cyan glow around her eyes, and she raised her right arm. Her hand was limp at first, but a second after it was raised, it glowed as well and went rigid. A blast of telekinetic energy blew him away from the tactical officer's control panel he'd been standing at. He was slammed against the wall, and then asif held in a giant hand he was slammed into the floor and held there - until suddenly the suit's stealth ability cut out.
However, after that, he could move again. Standing quickly, he saw why he was suddenly free. Yuriko was nearly collapsed and leaning against her chair, blood running from her nose, as the steward fussed over her. Taking this as his chance, Parker charged off the bridge, down the hall, and around the corner out of sight. Back on the bridge, Yuriko smiled softly to the steward, and let the old man help her back into her seat. "I'll be fine, Yashida-sama, really. I promise." She said softly, dabbing under her nose with a red hankerchief the old man handed her.
"Perhaps you will, Yuriko-chan, but I shall still go and fetch your medicine." The old man replied.
Captain Stone hung her head in mock defeat, "As you wish, Yashida-sama. You've not been wrong yet these many years." She gave a small bow of her head, "Arigato." As the old man moved away from her, she could see her security chief looking at her curiously. She chuckled, "Make it sporting, at least, Mr. Slavik. Give Captain Parker a... oh, five minute head start?"
"Yes, Captain." Slavik returned with a slight bow of his head. Yuriko had once seen a picture of the young officer's grandparents together in uniform - Anton Slavik and Oxanna Kristos. She had to admit, he did, very much, resemble both what she had heard of the man... as well as his looks; right down to how rigid he was. It was amazing, really, that Oxanna had ever managed to get Anton into bed - much less to actually give her a child. Then again, miracles did happen... though even with the miracle their child's birth, there never was a marriage between the two before Oxanna's death. In an ironic twist of fate, she actually had ended up dying in a tunnel collapse near her home, not long before the beginning of the Firestorm Crisis. The old false report from after her rescue of Anton from Hassan's men had ended up less a lie, and more a prophesy.
==X==X==X==
"All members of Alpha Team, this is Captain William Parker. I'm scrubbing the mission! They know we're here; I repeat, they know we are here!"
"What do you mean 'they know we're here,' Captain?" O'Connell's voice came on the comm, "The hell did you do?"
"I didn't do jack shit O'Connell!" Parker snapped, "The captain of this ship is a goddamned psychic! Telepathy, telekinesis, all of it!"
"What about Kane?" Now it was Baker's voice, "Is he really back?" She asked, "Zhukov and I were listening in on their comm frequencies."
"Damn right he is! We better get back to base and tell Locke, pronto!" Parker said, then added, "We also have another problem; somehow that psychic chick must've knocked out my S.F.C.U. - I'm in the open!"
Then came the old man's Chezc accent, "Sounds like this whole mission is turning into one!"
What did good ol' Zhukov mean? Well, S.F.C.U. stood for 'Stealth Function Control Unit' - the bit of tech that kept the suits cloaked in their stealth field. Some of the British commandos had given the acronym another meaning: 'Stupid Fucking Cock-Up'. Right now, it applied.
"I'd have to say he's right, Cap'!" O'Connell laughed, "What're our orders?"
"Form up with me and we'll head to the transport. Hopefully the suit's repair system might fix my S.F.C.U. - if not, we'll just have to run faster."
Zhukov laughed, "Don't you love being a spy, Captain?"
Parker didn't bother with replying. The old man new well enough that he hated this situation. The five minute head-start was almost enough time to get out of the ship - almost. Just before the inner section of the hull appeared before him, the ship's emergency sirens sounded and the security officer's voice came over the ship's internal comm, talking about finding him. He was outside by the time that the message was over. Of course, the exterior security had heard Lieutenant Commander Slavik's alert message as well thanks, most likely, to their own headsets. The moment he stepped outside, a whole squad of thirteen of those black cloak wearing security troops were headed his way.
"Alright, new plan guys - screw the rendezvous! Just head for the transport; they have me pegged - just go!"
"What about you?" Baker asked over the comm.
"Throw down your weapons and surrender, or we will fire!" The squad leader - whichever one that was - shouted at him. Every one of the squad's weapons was raised. He had no idea what they were, but he was willing to bet that he wouldn't survive if they opened up on him.
"I'll be fine. Locke will figure something out." He said over the comm, slowly raising his hands and removing his weapons. "Good luck, guys."
==X==X==X==
"Damn it, Parker." O'Connell sighed, looking to the other stealthed commandos as they arrived. "Wild Bill's been had. Let's get outta here."
"Why didn't he fight?" Zhukov asked, "This isn't like him."
"Friendly nation. Rules of engagement dictate we can't open fire when we're not in a state of war - unless they shoot first. You know better than to need me to answer that." O'Connell rolled his eyes.
"Doesn't mean I like it." Zhukov muttered the retort.
"Come on guys, the sooner we get back, the sooner Locke can work his magic and spring Parker." Baker cut in, and the two males nodded.
==X==X==X==
The return trip to the transport took less than half the time of the first trip, and O'Connell had radioed ahead so the engines were already warmed up when they get onboard. The rear ramp lowered as they approached, and as soon as they were all on it began to raise - while the transport itself began to rise into the air. The lights over the armor holding units were on and the holders were open. As soon as they were airborne, the three commandos stepped into their respective holding units.
Once their suits were deactivated and opened, they stepped out and the holding units shut. When the units shut is also when the first sign of trouble came. All at once, twelve of those same cloaked security troopers decloaked in the transport's passenger bay - weapons raised. Four cloaked troopers stood around each of the three commandos, and quickly herded them into the center of the passenger bay as a woman appeared from the cockpit - pushing the GDI pilot into the center with them. She wore one of the old Chameleon Spy stealth suits. However, her weapons were... different. On her right hip was the holster for the Colt Peacemaker held in her hand; on her left were a Katana and a Wakazashi in their scabbards. All seemed coated in the same material as the stealth suit itself. Under her left arm was the suit's helmet, and her long rayven hair hung down to her mid-back.
"I am Lieutenant Saeko Yashida, counter-intelligence officer of the Saving Grace - and until further notice, you are in my custody."
"On whose authority?" O'Connell challenged as the pilot joined them.
"Captain Yuriko Stone of the ARSF Saving Grace, and Admiral Kane, of the Atlantean Republican Guard."
==X==X==X==
The rest of the trip in the transport was silent. The three commandos could hardly believe what had happened. On their first real field op, they'd been captured. Though, what they were even more focussed on was what Lieutenant Yashida had said. The Saving Grace? Was that the starship's name? And... Kane, an Admiral? He'd had a lot of titles in the Brotherhood, but what the hell was the Atlantean Republican Guard? Surely, it was only a name, right?
Could they really be from Atlantis?
O'Connell and Baker quickly dismissed the idea as utterly preposterous. It would be insane to think that they were actually from an ancient Earth civilization - they came here on a spaceship, after all. It was more likely, in their minds, that Kane had created some sort of force like Nod wherever it was that he had gone. After all, the 'Brotherhood of Nod' was a reference to the 'land of Nod' mentioned in the Bible. Zhukov was thinking differently though. Kane seemed immortal, nobody had ever successfully explained that away. If that was possible, who was to say that Atlantis wasn't?
In Zhukov's mind, it stood to reason that Kane was, in fact, immortal. He had been around before the Soviets had cloning tech. That meant he was nearing, at least, two hundred years of age... and looked the same. For Kane, immortality was reality. How could that be explained though? It wasn't a genetic possibility for humans. However, it seemed that Kane knew about the Scrin. Lured them, even. How could he know about an alien race that nobody else knew of? Hell, how had he known how to use the Scrin Threshold Tower? Where had he and his most loyal followers gone to?
Much as he was sure the top brass in GDI would have tried to skirt around it, all the evidence available pointed to Kane being from another world. Perhaps Atlantis wasn't some legend after all. If Kane had come from another world, then that world clearly had to be capable of at least interstellar travel, right? If so, it stood to reason that they could have had a colony on Earth at some point, didn't it? He'd heard a theory once that Atlantis might have been on top of a mid-Atlantic caldera, and when there was a shift along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge it had broken down; popped like a balloon, and dropped the city straight to the bottom of the ocean. He hadn't given it much thought then, but now his mind wondered. If that theory was right, then that city might have been a colony from another world, and could very well have been the Atlantean version of Roanoke.
Perhaps then that meant that Kane was the colony's only survivor (or at least one of very few). Maybe this entire time he had been trying to get home, just so his people could know what happened. Why had they never tried to settle on Earth again? Surely, from ancient descriptions, they would have had the technology to do so, and to conquer the indigenous population. According to some ancient descriptions, they were a war-like people. Yet, if the arrival of Kane's ship was any indicator, Atlantis had its own war with the Scrin and had not been as lucky as Earth. How was that possible though? Earth beat the Scrin back. Why had Atlantis lost? How?
The moment finally came, as the transport touched down, that Zhukov had enough of holding his tongue. "Lieutenant Yashida, may I ask you something?" He asked, looking to the raven-haired woman as she leaned against the transport's inner hull, "It's personal."
"I suppose. What do you want to know?" She asked curiously.
"Are you human?" The question was blunt, but there was no reason not to be. O'Connell and Baker couldn't help but stare at the old man.
Yashida chuckled and grinned knowingly. "What's your name, soldier?"
"Zhukov. Antonius."
"Well then, Antonius... from now on, you may call me Saeko..." She smirked a little, "And no, I'm not an alien."
