Alicia left Jam Pony
not thinking of anything in particular. She had done what she had planned on doing. She wanted to make sure everything was right before she left. She'd shown Normal a CIA badge and he almost
fell over. She told him that the guys
were after her, and Max was innocent. His government would be happy that he didn't hold any grudges against
Max. Normal might be the manager of a
two-bit operation, but he was smart enough to get the message.
She was going to go
back to the base. She had a flight to
catch and she wasn't going to think about anything. So what if the on-board navigation system showed directions to where
Zack was. She was just curious. It was something amusing to do at a red
light. Zack was in the past. It was good to know when a moment had passed
and go on with your life. She was
driving into the hotel's garage.
So she was at the
hotel. She was going to put the car in
reverse and leave immediately. It was a
firm decision. She was full of firm
decisions now. Go back to the
base. Go home. Get things ready. Go to South Africa. Kick
Red butt. Live successfully. Die happily. Why was she asking the receptionist for the Cale suite? She didn't notice the receptionist picking
up the phone as Alicia left and dialing the suite's number.
She went to the room
in a daze. She stopped at the
door. No key. She'd have to knock. She
stood there, wanting to go in, wanting to run like hell. No, she wasn't going to knock. She'd done enough to Zack. She was going to have to go back, and this
was just going to make things worse.
The door opened, and
he was standing there. His eyes
devoured her standing there in front of him. She couldn't move. In a second,
she wouldn't be able to stand. It
seemed every moment with him flashed by in a second. Standing under a huge wall. Meeting with him on a roof. Being comforted in a train. Fighting Reds. Seeing him
hurt. Making love on the roof. Knowing he'd come for her when she needed
help.
He opened his arms
to her, and she walked into them without any hesitation. Her arms wound around his neck, and she
started to cry when his tightened around her.
"I couldn't leave
without seeing you," she said tearfully. She pulled back so she could look in his face. "I tried, but I couldn't. I love you Zack. For now and for
always."
He leaned forward so
that their foreheads were touching. "I
love you," he said in an emotion-choked voice. "I've never prayed so hard in my life that I would see you again." His eyes locked onto hers. "Whatever happens, you are mine forever."
She kissed him
hard. She felt him pick her up, and he
carried her into the bedroom, still kissing.
She woke up before
Zack. It was afternoon, and she needed
to go quickly while she still could. She got up and dressed quickly. His hand stretched out, looking for her. She stared at him, memorizing everything about him. When had she fallen in love with him? When he'd been captured looking for
her? On the roof? When he'd comforted her when she had a
nightmare? Or was it when she was six,
and had met someone she instinctively knew was a kindred spirit?
Soul mates, she
thought. That's what we are. Two halves of the same whole. Her hands reached up and undid the yin-yang
necklace she was wearing. She tucked it
in Zack's outstretched hand; glad to see his fingers tighten around it. It's still mine, she thought. But I want you to have it until I see you
again. She would see him again. Maybe not even in this life, but they were
soul mates. There were some things even
Manticore couldn't separate.
She left the room
and went down to the car. Cole was
leaning against it. His face was
perfectly neutral. He took in her
appearance, and the tearstains on her face. "Staying or going?" he asked.
She handed him the
keys. "Would you mind driving?" she
asked. "I really don't feel up to it
anymore."
He took them, his
relief plainly showing. On impulse, he
hugged her tightly. She let him, trying
not to start crying again. "You are
insane," he said into the top of her head. "You're either marvelous or a madwoman, I can't tell."
She laughed and
looked up at him. "Both," she said
firmly. She let go. "Come on," she said, feeling more in control
of herself. "We still got some clean up
to do." They got into the car and
headed back towards the base.
*********
Alicia boarded her
flight that night. Lydecker sat beside
her, and her sibling were scattered about. "Dad," she said. "The Reds are
down right now, but they're not out. Me, Cole, Xander and Lon should be able to rectify that situation."
"Setting your own
missions now?"
"No, sir," she
replied. "Just wanting to see a given
mission through to the bitter end."
He thought about
it. This was the Alicia he knew. Was she intimidated by nearly dying? Hardly. She was planning a little raiding in South Africa. His kids were incredible. Loyal. Fierce. Capable. They had fulfilled the expectations that
Manticore had been given over twenty years before.
Stage three he
thought with something close to glee. Hepburn was probably doing his part to keep Manticore from going into
stage three. With him out of the way,
he should be able to convince the director that stage three should happen
soon. Even with the X-5's running
around, he had one, and that was enough for a start.
The plane took off
smoothly into the night. Alicia leaned
back and thought about what she had to do next. There was intelligence to be gathered, and plans to be made, and
a long flight, and…" Lon's exclamation broke her from her thoughts.
"What the fuck is
that!" he almost shouted, staring out the window.
The plane had to
bank over a dirt field on it's way out. A fire had started burning in the field. But it was controlled. Two lines began arcing in opposite directions to make a circle, while a
third went down the center in a waved line. Yin-Yang.
Alicia couldn't
breathe for a moment. Oh Zack, she
thought. Thank you. You do understand. I meant what I said. And
someday, somehow, we will see each other again. I know it. I feel
it. I love you, and when we meet again,
it will be for keeps. I promise you
that.
She leaned back in her seat. Lydecker noticed the smile, but decided not to ask. It was the wrong time and place to find out what that smile meant, but he would. Someone said it was probably a gang symbol or something. Alicia didn't correct him. She knew what it was, and in her heart, that was all that mattered.