Rapidly blinking her eyes to see if that cleared the vision she saw on the window Julie turned around slowly. She looked Zach up and down to see if he was all right or just being weird at the moment. She sighed and rolled over to him, her emotions in her eyes.
"Zach, what's up? Shouldn't you be off gallivanting the night away?" she asked as she placed a hand on his arm.
He blushed when he saw the way she was looking at him with such care. He tried to open his mouth so talk to her but sighed. Kneeling down in front of her he looked into her eyes.
"Julie, I have something in my heart that won't shut up," he said.
She laughed softly and tilted her head to the side, "Well, personally when I have something in my heart like that I listen to it and do what it is telling me to do."
Zach sighed almost with relief. "Promise you won't get mad at me for what I am about to do, okay?"
"Yeah, sure, whatever Zach."
He smiled softly and put a hand to the side of her face. Tenderly he brushed the skin over her eyebrow with the pad of his thumb. Looking at her lips he sighed and took a deep breath. "Let this be real, please let this be real."
Julie smiled and placed her own hand on top of the one he held to her face, "It is."
With those final words said he leaned in and crushed her lips with his. Without even noticing her actions Julie began to kiss Zach back. But he sure did.
His mind suddenly began to race. 'What are we doing? This is my sister here that I am kissing!' 'Wait,' the rational side of his brain said, 'she isn't really my sister though.' With a mental sigh he thought again, 'Please, don't let this moment end.'
Julie brought her hand up and placed it on Zach's cheek. Pulling back slowly she opened her eyes to look at him. She smiled over at him and gave just a small light laugh. "Hmm, I don't think Lydecker would have liked that."
At that comment Zach gave a laugh and pulled Julie into a hug. "Juliet, my sweet Juliet. How is it that you have come to lead such a normal life compared to the rest of us?"
She smiled and whispered hotly into Zach's ear, "That is my secret."
Shivers ran up his spine as she spoke and he just barely caught what she had said. With a growl he pulled her back to his lips and kissed her again. Their tongues fought each other without keeping score. Slowly Zach brought his hand up Julie's back and played with her hair that rested at the back of her neck.
Suddenly the phone began to ring. A strangled moan left Julie's lips as she broke away from Zach. "I have to get that. I don't wanna wake up Logan and Max."
Zach kissed along her collarbone and mumbled into her neck, "Let the answering machine get it."
Frowning she rolled away from him, "It is the Eyes Only phone." She rolled into Logan's office and picked up the phone.
"This is phone of the Eyes Only informant net."
There was a pause before anyone spoke, "Where is Logan?"
Julie rolled her eyes and saw Zach walk into Logan's office. "Busy right now. But this is an old friend of his, Jewel."
"Jewel? Wait, I remember you. Okay, This is Matt, Logan's friend on the police force."
"Yes, and I remember you Detective. What have you got for us tonight?"
"132nd West Field Street. A man by the name of Nanima is running a slave trade to Europe. I've got a tip that he and his buyer are meeting at West Field tonight at two AM this morning."
Julie raised her eyebrows at the information, "Isn't that cutting it a bit close Detective?"
She could hear his heavy sigh over the line, "Yeah, I know, sorry. I just got the information a bit ago. My own informants are getting lazy I think."
"Well, you know what to do with informants that might be going astray correct Detective?"
"Correct. I hope you and Eyes Only bring down this guy."
"We will try. Peace. Out." With that she cut the secured line and turned to Zach. "I've got to go. I have to do a bit of leg work."
"What?" cried Zach giving her a look. "Are you crazy? Even back in Wyoming you weren't at your best to do leg work for anyone!"
She just shot him a glare, "Oh really? Well, I'm the only one who knows where this is going down. So if you wanna tag along go ahead. But I am going!"
With an aggravated growl Zach followed Julie out of Logan's penthouse and into the elevator.
Both were giving each other the silent treatment as they slowly arrived at 132nd West Field Street. Zach looked at the old warehouse and muttered a harsh curse. The windows where all broken and boarded up, the paint was peeling off of the walls, and the smell wasn't the best either coming from the building. Julie turned and gave him an equally harsh looked and slowly stood up from her wheelchair.
Taking cautious steps towards a window, mindful of debris she peeked inside. Seeing that no one was there yet and it was twelve thirty-five she turned back to look at Zach to tell him where to go. The look upon his face was one of complete shock and amazement.
"What? You look like you have seen a ghost. You okay?" Julie asked as she walked up to Zach.
Zach suddenly turned angry and growled low in his throat, "You never told me that you could walk, Juliet!"
Julie's eyes narrowed and her lips turned thin. "So, now I have to run everything by you? Fine then Zach. I'll just tell you all of this now then. Number one, I can walk; number two, I never said that I couldn't; number three, you never really saw me do leg work in Wyoming because it wasn't me!" Throwing her arms in the air in defeat, she slowly walked back to her wheelchair and sat down.
"What do you mean it wasn't you?" Zach asked as he crouched down by Julie.
"Just that, I was never the one to go out and do leg work, it was my identical twin sister. We were prime subjects to test and they took advantage of. My sister was the one to get training on field tactics, and I was the one to get trained to work in the back ground as either a diversion or as the one to tell everyone where everyone else was. She did okay with the field but every once in a while she and I would switch places. Our bar codes were almost identical except for one number. They tried to keep us as separate as possible that is why you all never met Joanne. Joe and I though would find ways to meet. We never were the good little soldiers they wanted us to be. Both of us could never be like the rest because we really did have a family. That is one reason why I tend to get emotional and was able to live normally after we got out."
"What happened to Joanne, Julie?" he asked.
"Oh, well, she escaped the same night we all did, but her escape was death. She was killed that night in a training accident."
"I'm sorry Jules. I never knew."
She smiled and took his hand, giving it a squeeze. "It is okay, no one did." Looking down at her watch she saw that it was almost two. With a deep breath she slowly stood up again and stepped away from the wheelchair. Turning to Zach she smiled, "You comin'?"
Grinning he answered, "Wouldn't miss this for the world."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A black car pulled up to the front of the building. The windows were tinted so no one could look in but those on the inside could look out. Slowly the driver side window rolled down and a cloud of smoke billowing out from the car. A man wearing a black trench coat walked up to the car, his strides slow and confident.
"Did you bring the documents we need?" a gravely voice spoke from the dark interior of the car.
The man in the coat gave a soft cough. "Maybe. It was my understanding that you are going to be destroying these papers. You know if these papers got into the wrong hands you and your entire operation would be up shit creek. I mean, I know a lot of people who would like to know that someone is out selling girls to the highest bidder. The first person who jumps into mind is a certain Mr. Eyes Only. I wonder what he would do with these papers."
The man inside the car growled low in his throat and suddenly the muzzle of a gun came out of the window. "I think I will take those papers now Mr. Donavon."
"Actually, no, you won't." a voice sounded from in front of the car.
Turning both men saw a woman standing in front of the car. Her long blonde hair swept behind her back and her body covered from feet to neck in form fitting black leather. Slowly she brought her hands up into a fighting position. With the thumb of her right hand she hit the tip of her nose twice.
"You boys ready to hand me those papers?"
The man in the car slowly opened the door of the car and stepped out, the gun still in his hand. "Now Miss, don't you think that it is a little past your bed time?"
Julie's eyes turned harder than what they were before. "I know that is it past your bed time. Hand over the papers."
"Well, you see, I don't have them. But neither will you!" With that said the man from the car brought the gun up and shot at Julie. Or at least where she was, now it was only open air where she was.
Running up to the man from the car she kicked his hand with the gun and knocked it out of his hand. Punching him in the nose she flipped over him and put him into a chokehold. "Time to say goodnight." Julie then hit his head against the side of the car and knocked him out.
He crumpled to the ground and lay motionless. Turning to the man in the trench coat Julie found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. Raising an eyebrow she looked at the man's face that was still hidden in shadows. "Hmmm, seems I'm in a bit of a bind."
The man laughed. "You always were the jokester weren't you Juliet. But I am surprised that you still have survived in the outside world."
Julie's face crumpled in confusion. Then it went wide in surprise, "Lydecker!"
He took a step closer and his face came out of the shadows. "Nice to see you too."
She sneered in disgust, "How did you know it was me?"
"You look just like your sister Joanne, Juliet. She misses you Juliet. Why don't you come back to Manticore with me? You will see your sister again Juliet," Lydecker cooed.
"No, my sister died eleven years ago!"
"Actually, she never did. She completed her training, but she misses you. In her sleep she calls out for you." Lydecker slowly stepped closer to Julie as her eyes glazed over thinking of her sister.
"Aw shit," Julie said as she looked down at her hands suddenly. "I broke a nail hitting that jerk. Damn."
Lydecker paused in his step at Julie's random comment.
Using that slight pause Julie grabbed the gun in his hand and took it a part in less than a second. Throwing the main part of it away she turned and smiled at Lydecker. "Anymore up your sleeve?"
He chuckled softly and shook his head. "You really were the jokester. But how about this for a joke?" Rapidly he pulled out another gun and shot Julie in the shoulder.
With a grunt she kicked the gun away again. Punching him in the nose she reached in his coat and took the papers in it. "Everybody's gotta be a comedian." Giving Lydecker's groin a hard kick she turned and ran off to where she was to meet Zach.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"You irresponsible little… you little…" Zach cried while pacing.
"Cat got your tongue?" Julie asked as she looked through the papers she took from Lydecker.
They were back at the penthouse and in Logan's computer room. Julie was back in her wheelchair as Zach paced around the room. Zach had snuck into the warehouse as Julie fought with Lydecker. He himself also found some documents that would be useful. Julie had just told Zach what had happened, excluding her getting shot.
"How could you just be so irresponsible Julie?" he cried loudly.
"Will you be quiet! It is three in the morning. Most people would be sleeping right now."
He just shook his head. "We need to get you out of Seattle right now. Maybe even out of the United States. He knows that you are here."
"Zach, I can't leave the US. I love it here. And if Lydecker was telling the truth about my sister then I have to find her."
He just shook his head again and looked out the window. Hearing Julie gasp he quickly turned around. "What is it?"
"My… my sister. These are reports on what my sister has been doing. And they are about me too. I took these along with the other papers." Julie cried as she looked down on the documents.
Zach looked over her shoulder placing a hand on her arm. "What do they say?"
"'342158967 is showing signs of recovery after being accidentally shot by Private Corts. Unfortunately 342158968 found out that her sister was shot and thought she had died. With this information she committed suicide. We buried her only to find that she faked and has currently escaped. I don't know how this could have happened but a lot of people will be getting hell for this.'"
Julie turned a few papers and came to another one. "'There have been some rumors that 342158968 is in Seattle. I will be going to Seattle to try and pick her up again and any other X5's with her to go back to Manticore. Her sister 342158967 is like a prowling cat waiting to spring. She has been disobeying orders and more than one time has tried to escape. Since she found out that her sister was alive she has been like this. Those soldiers are going to have hell to pay for having all of these slip-ups.'"
Giggling lightly Julie looked up at Zach, "Well, at least I know she isn't there willingly. She isn't totally brainwashed."
Zach laughed with Julie and pulled her into a hug. "I think we need to get some sleep, okay?"
She nodded and closed the file. "We can analyze this all to hell and back tomorrow. Right now, sleep is calling." Julie stood slowly and gave Zach a light kiss on the lips. "See you in the morning." With that she sat back down in the wheelchair and rolled into the guest bedroom.
Laughing softly Zach left Logan's penthouse and stood on top of the roof. 'For the first time I think I have really and sincerely laughed,' he thought aloud. 'Maybe there is hope for us all yet.'
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AN: Hope, ain't it just wonderful? I just wish that there was more to go around in this world. Well, tune in for the next chapter in my story. If you have any ideas send them in! I love hearing what yal's have to say about my writings! Love yas! Review!
~Callisto's Dream