Darien made his way out onto the porch early the next morning, to find Alyx sitting casually in a
chair, feet up on the porch railing, coffee in hand, chatting with Garrett. For some reason, the
sight of her smiling brightly while chatting with another man drove any intelligent thoughts from
his head. He leaned against the railing near her bare feet and waited for her to notice his
presence.
She finished her sentence and looked up at Darien, unable to avoid knowing he was irritated, and
with her. After the night she'd had, she didn't really care what bug had gotten up his ass, but she
put on her best smile and said. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Are you and Hobbes going to be ready to
leave soon?"
Lifting his own coffee to show it to her, he said crankily, "Can I at least finish this?"
"Don't get snarky with me, Darien. I've been awake for hours waiting for you all," Alyx snapped
right back at him. Getting out of the chair, she walked into the cabin, allowing the door to slam
behind her.
"I thought you were partners," Garrett said to Darien.
"We are," Darien said stiffly. As far as he was concerned, what he and Alyx were or weren't was
none of Garrett's business.
"Then why is it I know she only got maybe two hours sleep last night? None of it peaceful."
Garrett got up and walked past Darien and into the cabin as well.
"Shit," Darien swore to himself. He took the time to finish his coffee before going back in.
Alyx had dressed for a hike in the woods. Hiking boots, comfortable jeans tucked into thick socks,
and long sleeved shirt over a snug tank top. She had braided her hair back out of the way and then
rolled the braid into a bun and secured it. Darien was dressed like always: jeans, sneakers, and a
short sleeved shirt over a T-shirt. He looked from Alyx to Garrett, who, except for his Ranger
badge, was dressed almost identically.
"Max, have you got an extra set of binoculars I could borrow?" she called out as she looked through
the backpack she was packing.
"Not here, but I have a rifle with a telescopic sight that should do," Garrett answered from the
kitchen area.
"Yeah, that'll work," Alyx said adding a water bottle to the exterior of the pack. She put it on
and checked the balance.
Hobbes came out of the room they'd shared the night before, dressed much like the other two. "Is
there some dress code I missed?" Darien said, feeling out of place.
"Fawkes, you have to learn to prepare for the conditions. Sneaking in the snow you wear white.
Hiking in the woods, boots and jeans," Hobbes said, shaking his head at his partner.
"And for the beach, a black string bikini," Alyx chimed in.
All three men turned to look at her.
"I don't think I'd care to see your partners in that particular outfit, Alyx," Garrett said to her,
trying to keep a straight face.
"Well, I did mean for me, but it could be interesting..." Alyx mused aloud.
"Don't you dare even think it kid," Hobbes said in a mock threatening tone. "I'll leave the clothes
with strings to you."
"Oh, Bobby, you're so sweet. I'll have to remember to pack my g-strings for our next trip."
Somehow she managed to say this with a straight face while poor Bobby blushed beet red and nearly
choked on his coffee. She simply smiled and walked over to where Garrett was holding a rifle for
her to examine.
Hobbes got a hold of himself and watched as she carefully checked out the rifle and its action. She
slung it over her shoulder as if carrying around a high powered rifle was nothing new. She never
ceased to amaze him. She was catching on a lot faster than Fawkes ever had. Garrett handed her a
box of shells which she put in an exterior pocket of her pack.
"You guys ready to hit the road? We got work to do," Alyx said heading for the door rifle slung
over one shoulder, pack over the other.
"Hold your horses kid, we're coming." Bobby checked his gun and tossed his jacket on. "C'mon
Fawkes, we got miles to make."
Following Hobbes out the door, Darien muttered to himself about everyone else getting a weapon and
him being left out again. He watched as Garrett climbed into his jeep, checked few things, and then
started it up. Alyx tossed her pack and the rifle onto the front seat of the Humvee and walked over
to Garrett to talk with him for a moment. Whatever he said had her nodding. She pointed off to the
east and Garrett nodded this time. She came back to the Humvee carrying a radio and climbed in
behind the driver's seat. As she started the engine Darien climbed in back next to Hobbes. Within
moments they were moving, following Garrett in his jeep.
The ride swiftly got bumpy as they weren't following an actual road. Thankfully it wasn't more than
an hour. They stopped in an area that had seen a lot of vehicles recently. It was also completely
burned out. Alyx sat for a moment, tightly holding the steering wheel as the scent of smoke invaded
her senses, bringing images and memories better left buried.
With a muttered curse she forced herself out of the vehicle and to the edge of the burned area. It
was so recent that the slightest breeze would stir the ashes into movement. The place caused Alyx
to ache. The wound to the land was still raw and the remains of plants still broadcast their
discomfort to anything receptive. She increased her shields, trying to block out the pain, and
sighed when it reduced to a bearable level. Garrett watched in amazement as she walked to the spot
where the remains of the incendiary device had been found. The accelerant they had used had a very
distinctive odor and as far as his nose could tell it had finally faded from the area.
Not to Alyx though. She could smell it, sharp, acrid, and unusual. Not a scent she would easily
forget. There wasn't much else to smell. Old smoke, the accelerant, people, animals, living plants
and flowers, and dust. Other than the dust, which she thought was a bit odd, none of the scents
were exceptionally helpful. She walked along the edge of the burn zone until she caught the scent
of something new and found the remains of a mule deer. It must have been caught in the initial
explosion, since the body still had the scent of the accelerant on it.
Part of her noticed and filed away that information, but the rest of her froze. Her mind no longer
saw the burned animal carcass as she was overwhelmed by images that she had tried to keep buried in
the back of her mind for years. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't see or hear what was
going on about her anymore.
Darien was the first to realize something was wrong with Alyx. The sharp intake of breath and then
the lack of movement that were not typical for her. He was cautious about touching her, knowing she
could react violently without meaning to. Hobbes and Garrett had also figured out something was
wrong and moved to help as well, but Darien waved them back. No need to get all of them injured.
"Alyx," he called from a few feet away. When she failed to respond he moved closer and laid a hand
on her shoulder. "Alyx." This time louder.
She turned to him her face bloodless. "Darien, get me out of here." She managed in a small voice
staggering back from the carcass on the ground.
"Yeah. That looks like a good idea." He steered her back to the Humvee and got her seated in the
back seat, a bottle of water in her hand. Slowly, the color came back into her face.
When she found her voice she said. "Sorry about that. Panic attack. You're lucky I didn't run."
All three men were standing about her looking concerned. It was obvious what had set her off, but
none of them knew why. Panic attacks were not something Alyx was known for. Heck, next to Bobby she
had the coolest head of the bunch and was usually capable of making intelligent, well-reasoned
decisions even under heavy gun fire. Why would a dead deer give her a case of the willies?
"You going to tell us or do we have to pry it from you?" Hobbes said.
"Bobby I can't talk about it." When it was obvious he was not going to accept that as an answer
she added, "I can't. I'll just go into another one. This has happened before. Medication helps, but
the fat man won't let me have any." She drank about half the bottle, her stomach having finally
decided to settle. "I'll be okay." She knew they didn't believe that statement any more than she
did. "I'll deal, okay?"
"Well, you sound more like yourself anyway," Garrett said, giving her a smile.
"Like you would know," Darien all but snapped at the man. He knew he was being a bull-headed idiot,
but what could this guy learn in one night that would let him think he came even close to
understanding Alyx? He and Hobbes had been working with her for months now, and even though they
had worked out a decent partnership, he didn't for a moment think he understood her at all. Maybe
in small things. The three of them had a pretty good idea how the others would react in a given
situation. This guy, this Garrett, was just throwing everything askew, at least as far as Darien
was concerned.
Hobbes' reaction was to wonder why Fawkes was suddenly so protective of the kid. It wasn't like
they had anything but a working relationship. Alyx had kept them all at a bit of a distance.
Friendship and real trust were just beginning to build between them. He and Darien had resolved
most of their issues months before she had shown up. His biggest problem had been the fact that she
looked like a sixteen year old, but a couple of months and some real nasty missions had him
convinced that she was anything but sixteen. He was pretty sure Fawkes was attracted to her, but
she had kept him at arms length. Maybe that was the problem. Since Garrett was an outsider, perhaps
the kid was attracted to him. He knew for a fact Garrett was curious about her after the not so
subtle questioning he'd been given yesterday evening. Good thing Darien hadn't heard any of that.
Alyx was not in the mood for attitude like this from Darien. She had a really good idea what the
jerk was thinking and although she found it kind of sweet, now was not the time. Putting a hand on
Darien's chest she pushed him back as she stood up. "Max have you got an area map with you?"
She was still watching at Darien. Her look warned of untold pain if he said one more thing.
"Yeah. I'll get it," Garrett said, going to his jeep. Kind of glad to be out of the line of fire.
He wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them and didn't really care so long as they
were able to work together.
Alyx's gaze at Darien softened for a moment and then she moved off to the front of the Humvee where
she met Garrett and helped him unroll the map. She looked it over and then said, "We're here, right?"
"Yes," Garrett agreed impressed that she was so quick to pinpoint their location.
"The recent fires have been where?" Alyx asked him.
Darien and Hobbes joined them at the hood of the vehicle watching as Garrett marked out the related
fire zones on the map. Giving them a rough outline of the actual burned areas.
Alyx looked up at Bobby. "Do you see it? Or is it just my imagination?"
"I see it kid, but where are they going next?" Hobbes asked. He hated to guess on something like
this, but she had an uncanny ability to somehow know the right place to be on very limited
information. She couldn't even explain how she did it, but he was willing to take advantage of her
ability if it concluded the mission successfully.
Alyx looked over the map a few minutes longer and then pointed to an area north and a bit east of
where they were. "Can we make this station by nightfall?" Alyx asked Garrett.
"Station Fifteen? Yeah, just. It one of the more remote stations. Why there?" Garrett sounded
bemused.
"If that's where she says we need to be, that's where we go," Hobbes said, ending any potential
arguments with the Ranger.
"All right," he agreed, slightly taken aback by Bobby's conviction. Of the two men, Garrett
expected the more experienced Hobbes to have the least trust in Alyx's abilities, given her
apparent age. Instead it seemed to be Fawkes who questioned her every move. Odd. As he rolled the
map, Alyx asked him a question.
"What's the latest on the Santa Ana?"
"By dawn, and nasty," Garrett answered. "If you want to make Fifteen, we need to move. Some of the
route can't be done after dark."
"We'll be right behind you," Alyx said, moving to get into the Humvee. Darien and Hobbes moved as
well, Hobbes climbing into the back and Darien into the front after handing the rifle back to
Bobby, who secured it in the cargo area. She started the engine and got the beast moving, following
the dust and ash being kicked up by Garrett's jeep.
Alyx waited a few minutes and then said to Darien, "What is your problem?"
Darien tried to look innocent, but he'd lost the ability to do that years ago. "What do you mean?"
"She means why do you keep butting heads with Garrett?" Hobbes answered for her.
Darien slumped in his seat feeling like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Guilty and
justified at the same time. Guilty because he got caught. Justified because what else is the point
of cookies if not to eat them. It's not like he'd done anything that bad had he? He just wanted to
be sure Garrett understood his place He was an outsider assisting them on this case. Not a
permanent member, not someone who would be going back to San Diego with Alyx, not someone who would
be near her almost daily, not... He let his thoughts run down. Crap. "I've been a ..."
"Jerk." From Alyx.
"Idiot." From Hobbes.
"A jealous twit." Also from Alyx.
"Jealous! Of what?" Darien said sounding defensive.
Alyx decided to go easy on him this time. "Just tone down the big brother act would you? You're my
partner, not my brother, and last time I checked I was an adult."
"I haven't been that bad," Darien complained. Being referred to as a 'big brother' did not improve
his mood in the least. Brotherly was not how he felt about her.
"Yes you have, my friend. You'd think you were dating the kid or something and not just working
with her," Hobbes said slapping his partner on the back.
Darien rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he hadn't been trying to do exactly that, but she still
claimed that she would not and could not do that. Personally, he didn't care about the Official's
involvement anymore. He was much happier now that they had met, and would be happier still if she
would just admit it as well.
Alyx swallowed a smile. She wanted to make a comment so badly it hurt. She ended up giggling as
quietly as she could for a moment until she got herself back under control.
"Now that we have that settled, think we can get this job over with? I would much rather be home
getting quite sloshed," Alyx said.
"Let's catch us some baddies and get the heck out of here, partners," Hobbes said, settling back in
the seat and relaxing while Alyx drove.
The drive was long, not because of the distance involved, but because of the terrain. It was some
of the roughest ground in the area. There were also actual trees, which meant they had to detour on
occasion because the Humvee was too wide for the pathway. The one really nasty part was when they
had to traverse a ravine. There was a bridge across it, but it was designed for hikers and the park
jeeps and was not really wide enough for the Humvee. Alyx ordered the guys out while she faked her
way across. With a little mental support and about half of each tire on the edges of the bridge,
which thankfully had no railings, Alyx got the thing across.
Garrett was impressed. Okay, so he was completely astonished at both her temerity and the fact that
she had actually succeeded.
Now, if he could just get her over-protective partner to lighten up a bit, he might get somewhere
with her. He knew that they were here to stop the arsonist, but he had discovered over the years
that you could learn a lot more about someone in two days under pressure than a month of cautious
dates. Under pressure you got to see what the person was really made of. No illusions, no
pretenses, no putting on one's best face to make an impression that later turns out to be nothing
but an act.
Last night had been a bit odd. What with her screaming and destroying the mug and all. The rest of
the night had been nice. She was intelligent and funny and awfully cute. That red hair, those
silver eyes. Gray he had seen before, but never silver. It was a devastating combination. She could
be forgiven the panic attack. When he thought of her smiling at him, he sighed. He wondered if he
was falling for this woman after only one day.
They arrived at Station Fifteen a few minutes later than Garrett had guessed, but considering
everything they had made good time. He introduced the three agents to the Ranger on duty at the
station, who greeted them all with a bit of wariness. Ranger Alisha Patterson led them into the
building, where they were met by the scent of tomato sauce and garlic. She had prepared a meal for
the lot of them, much to their appreciation. After freshening up they all sat around where they
could fit and dug in. Alyx finished her plate and cleaned up after herself, then headed up to the
top of the tower.
Garrett joined her about half an hour later and offered her a cup of coffee. "Are we going to
destroy this cup?" he asked with a smile as he handed it to her.
"Nope, not this time," she said as she took it from him, then looked back out over the park. She
sipped at the coffee, listening in the darkness. "Do you hear them?"
Garrett came to stand next to her. "Hear what?"
"At least four ATV's buzzing around out there." She turned to look at him.
"You must have incredible hearing," he said after a moment. "I can't hear a thing."
"Close your eyes and really listen," Alyx said to him. He gave her a bit of an odd look and then
complied. She laid a hand on his and let him hear what she was hearing. It was faint and coming
from several different areas east of them, but there. The sounds had changed a bit and there were
now six distinctive motors. Garrett was surprised for a moment and then simply listened, tipping
his head to focus in on the sounds.
Alyx released him after a moment and said, "Not yours I take it."
He opened his eyes. "No. Not ours. Damn. There's no way to catch them out there. Excuse me for a
moment." He went inside to use the radio and put out a warning to the entire park to be on alert
tonight. When he came back out to her he looked unhappy. "I wish we could do more."
"We can. Come on," Alyx said heading for the stairway.
"Wait, Alyx. What are you talking about?" Garrett said following her.
"We can still catch them, I think," she said not pausing in her headlong rush down the stairs. She
rushed into the cabin to find Darien dozing in a chair and Bobby chatting up the female ranger
while they finished up the dishes. Giving Darien a gentle shove she said, "Let's move it boys. We
got visitors in the park."
Garrett and Patterson fell into a hurried conversation as Darien yawned and unfolded himself from
the chair.
"What's up kid?" Bobby said to her.
"ATV's buzzing about east of here," Alyx said packing up stuff.
"And you got a hunch," he said,
Alyx nodded.
Garrett joined them with a couple of thermoses filled with coffee. "We ready?"
"As we ever are," Darien commented.
Everyone piled into the Humvee and Alyx got behind the steering wheel. Alyx started the engine and
headed off towards the east. It was nearing midnight when she turned off the vehicle's headlights,
much to Garrett's annoyance. "You'll never see where you're going."
"I can see just fine. I don't need them to know we're here any sooner than necessary," Alyx said.
"She knows what she's doing Garrett," Darien said.
Alyx parked on the top of a hill over looking a clearing. There was just enough brush and trees to
pretty much hide the Humvee and give them a bit of cover. Alyx got out and got the rifle Garrett
had loaned her out of the back. She used the scope to check out the clearing below them finding
evidence of an old camp and the tracks of several ATV's. Garrett came up next to her using his
binoculars and saw all that she did.
"How did you know?" he asked, handing the binoculars to Hobbes.
"I guessed, sort of. All the ATV's came from the same spot. I just guesstimated where from," she
said shrugging. "Got lucky that we actually found it."
"What now?" Darien asked.
"We wait. They left gear here. They'll be back for it. We catch them then," Hobbes answered.
"How do we know it's them?" Garrett asked.
"I can smell the accelerant," Alyx said quietly. She lowered the rifle and rubbed her eyes. "I'm
going to catch a nap. We've got a couple hours before they get back I think."
"You sure, kid?" Hobbes asked her.
"No, that's why I'm going to catch a nap while I can," she said with a smile. "I'm not prescient
Bobby. I don't know what's going to happen next any more than you do."
"I know what's going to happen. We're gonna catch the bad guys and go home," Hobbes said, watching
her walk to the vehicle and climb up on the hood to lay back against the windshield.
"Of course, Bobby. We always do," Alyx said through a yawn. "Wake me in two if they haven't shown."
"Gotcha," Hobbes said.
Alyx was out within moments, the rifle across her lap and her arms crossed at her chest.
All three men watched her for a moment in amazement. "Well, guess I trained her well," Hobbes said.
"You?" Darien said with a laugh. "She's just exhausted, as usual."
Garrett noticed that Darien was a bit more relaxed around him now. Not nearly as aggressively
protective of her. "So, what shall we do while we wait?"
"You will stay here. Fawkes and I are going to check out their camp." Hobbes handed the binoculars
back to Garrett.
"You?" Garrett said.
"You watch the kid. We'll be back in a bit," Hobbes said motioning to Darien who followed him off
into the brush circling around to come at the camp from the cover of some trees.
Garrett checked on Alyx, who was still sleeping peacefully for the moment, then turned back to
watch the camp for signs of life. He listened for the distinctive sound of the ATV's the arsonists
were using to get around the park. Occasionally through the brush he could see the light of Hobbes
flash, but not much else. The moon had set hours ago leaving the night pitch dark. For now he could
only wait and watch.
Darien cursed as he tripped on yet another mysterious object in the dark. Deciding any sight was
better than stumbling about lost, he quicksilvered his eyes to give himself an odd sort of night
vision. At least now he could see the tree roots and holes he'd been finding every couple of steps
and avoid most of them. Hobbes was able to move noiselessly through the brush with only the aid of
a shielded flash. Once again he was proving that his experience was not all in his head, that he
actually did know what he was doing. A few more minutes and they were in the makeshift camp
checking out what was there.
"Well, these guys are neat, anyway," Hobbes commented when Darien came up beside him.
There were a couple of coolers filled with, surprisingly enough, soda rather than beer. There were
also some sandwiches and other snacks. Nearby were some empty boxes and the remains of a small
fire. Not much of anything. Checking out the visible footprints and tire tracks, Hobbes figured six
guys with the same number of vehicles.
"Anything?" Darien asked him.
"Six guys who know what they're doing," Hobbes said, looking around the area again. Where they were
parked appeared to be the best place to wait for them to come back for their stuff. "C'mon Fawkes,
lets see if you can get back up the hill quietly."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Give me a break. I'm used to being quiet indoors. This baffles me," Darien said
cheekily.
"I forgot you can only be sneaky when stealing something," was Hobbes' comeback. Darien did notice
he was smiling. Ribbing each other had become a tactic to reduce tension when they knew the
situation was going to get tight. They both had the feeling this one was not going to be as easy as
any of them would like.
Up at the top of the hill Alyx was enjoying another nightmare while she slept. It started as the
same old dream she always had. The one she had begun having a couple of weeks before her parents
had come to visit her at college the first time. At first she had blown it off as simple fear at
being away from home for the first time and being so much younger than the rest of the people here.
Her roommate was the complete opposite of her and four years older as well. Alyx hadn't had a good
nights sleep for a week when she called her parents to tell them not to come. When she told them
why they had insisted it was nothing. Just a dream. If only she had made them listen, if only she
had been able to make them believe, if only.
As the dream headed towards its inevitable conclusion, it combined, as always, with the reality
that had occurred. Of her driving back to campus after running a few errands, to find her parents'
car wrecked. Another car smashed into them. Fire crews hosing down the vehicles, unable to put out
the flames for some never-discovered reason. She had rushed to the vehicle, past the firemen who
tried to stop her, to try to rescue her parents who still sat within. Just like she had dreamt, was
still dreaming. This time the dream changed. She saw her parents still sitting in the front seat of
their car. Their bodies frozen in a rictus of pain and terror. Their skin turning black and
bursting in the heat. The smell of gasoline and her parents roasting flesh. Of her screaming in
despair and trying to pull open the door to the burning car and failing. The feel of the water
pouring over her as the firemen tried to keep her from being killed as well.
The images of her parents morphed as she felt the arms of a fireman wrap about her and pull her
away. The burning car became a man who was essentially a pillar of flame. She recognized it as
Garrett. She tried to force herself to wake up, not wanting to see this again. Not wanting to
experience his death, smell his burning flesh. Smell the accelerant that was on his clothes
preventing her from putting out the flames. His screams of pain, and his feeling of terror and
despair washed over her and she tried to escape them.
Garrett wasn't sure when he realized something was wrong with Alyx. She was, to all appearances,
still sleeping peacefully, but somehow he knew something was wrong. He walked over to her and lay a
hand on her arm. Not to wake her, but perhaps just to reassure her that someone was still there,
that everything was all right and still safe. What he got was a yelp of terror and a terrified
woman falling into his arms in reaction to whatever had been going on in her mind. The rifle fell
to the ground unheeded as he found himself with an armful of shaking woman, who was still not fully
awake.
"Alyx. What's the matter?" he said, running his hands down her back.
"Gods, Garrett, you're alive," she said her face buried against his chest.
"Of course I'm alive," he said into her hair, feeling more than a bit confused.
That, of course, is when Darien and Bobby came back from their little scouting mission. Both
stopped dead to stare at Alyx wrapped in the arms of Garrett, who was obviously enjoying the
situation.
"I thought you were going to catch a nap," Darien said with only a small amount of sarcasm.
Garrett's head snapped up to look at the partners who were both glaring at him. "She had a
nightmare," he said to them. "At a guess, a rather nasty one." He released her as she stepped back
a bit from him and turned to look at the two men. The expression on her face spoke volumes. The
nightmare had been beyond nasty as far as she was concerned. It had been a living hell. The old
nightmare had been bad enough, but this new and improved version was so much worse. The man in
front of her was going to die a horrible death and there was nothing that she could do about it.
"Smartass," she said to Darien in response to his sarcastic comment.
"You could have told us, kid," Hobbes said to her.
"No, Bobby I couldn't," Alyx said stepping a bit further from Garrett.
Darien went back to the overprotective brother act trying to intimidate the slightly shorter man by
looming over him. "Doesn't explain why he was holding you?"
"Fawkes, back off," Hobbes said to him as he stepped in between the two men.
Alyx stepped to one side as an argument ensued between Darien and Garrett while Hobbes tried to get
both men to back down.
Alyx walked over to where she could see the camp below and waved her hand at the men and told them
to shush. They didn't hear her at all. She tried again louder this time only to still be ignored.
The sound she thought she was hearing was so faint she couldn't be sure over the noise of the men
behind her. Walking back over to them she slapped a hand over both Darien and Garrett's mouths and
said in a loud whisper, "SHUT UP!"
Both men stared at her over her hand angrily, even though she was the one they were arguing over.
It took a moment, but now she could indeed hear motors and they were heading back towards their
location. Alyx dropped her hands, grabbed the rifle and walked back to the overlook. It was only a
few moments before the sound became audible to the other men and they joined her watching the
clearing below for them to arrive.
"Don't you two think you should move a bit closer to the action?" Hobbes said.
"Didn't I just walk up that hill?" Darien said in mock complaint.
"Find a good place to hide, both of you," Garrett said, much to their amusement.
"Don't worry. They'll never see us coming," Darien said leading the way back down the hill.
Alyx stifled a laugh, following her partner. Once out of sight of Garrett, Darien quicksilvered his
eyes again and led the way to the back side of the encampment. To say he had mixed feelings about
seeing Alyx in another man's arms was a mild description. If he were to go quicksilver mad right
now, Garrett would be his first choice to abuse while out of his right mind. Of course, Alyx would
then probably hurt him very badly, but it might be worth it. Even the explanation that Alyx had
been having a nightmare hadn't satisfied his sudden overriding jealousy. Why was it she turned to a
near complete stranger for comfort and not him? Never mind the fact he hadn't arrived until after it
was all over.
"Alyx," he said his voice stiff.
"What?" she said moving up next to him.
"What's going on between you and Garrett?" Darien asked.
"Excuse me?" Alyx sounded both astonished and offended.
Darien cleared his throat. "You two seemed awfully cozy up there."
Alyx grabbed his shirt by the neck and twisted it drawing him down to her eye level. "I'll say this
once. It's none of your business." She released him to stand upright. "Think you can keep your mind
on the work at hand or do I send you back up the hill to Hobbes?"
It wasn't difficult for Darien to figure out that she was pissed off at him. She was right, at
least to a degree, that it was none of his business. But he wanted it to be, and that was the
problem. Alyx still didn't have a whole lot of trust for her two partners except in work situations
and he was doing quite a good job of mucking that up as well. What had happened up on that hill had
been anything but a work situation and she had gone running to the first set of arms that were
available. It had left him feeling just a bit angry.
"Well?" she growled at him.
"If you say it's none of my business then I guess it is," Darien answered. "Let's get this over
with so we can get out of here. I never was really fond of the woods anyway." He moved away from
her, taking up position part way around the camp from her where the cover was still reasonable. He
would have to wait until the last possible moment to quicksilver.
The sound of the ATV's was obvious even to him now and he shifted a bit to make sure he wouldn't be
discovered. At least not right away. The group of men were finally returning to camp, after doing
whatever it was arsonists do at night in the woods. Nothing good, he was sure. Within minutes,
three ATV's pulled into the clearing from the north. He managed not to flinch as the headlights
washed over his position. The men dismounted and, after exchanging a few pats on the back, began
packing up the camp.
Darien wasn't sure where Alyx was. For all he knew she had quicksilvered and could be sitting in
the center of the camp waiting for them to trip over her. He wouldn't put it past her. She had a
way of being blatantly sneaky that never ceased to surprise him. As he waited and watched, three
more ATV's roared into camp, kicking up dust in the night air. One of the driver's began to shout
orders as soon as his engine was off. Reaching behind him, he picked up something from the cargo
carrier rigged on the rear of the vehicle. He carried this to the back edge of the clearing while
the others continued the packing.
Alyx had watched all this from a tree branch that overhung the clearing. It placed her off to the
side of where the one man was playing with the bomb he'd brought with him. She had lucked out and
was sitting almost directly over two of the men who had come over after loading their ATV's. She
had recognized the incendiary device for what it was immediately just by the smell. She'd be
smelling that damn accelerant in her mind for weeks after this. She touched it gently with her mind
as he set the timer, just to get a feel for the thing. Finished, he stepped back from it, boasting
about their successful night.
"That's not exactly nice, now is it?" she asked from above them.
All the men went instantly alert, guns magically appearing from seemingly nowhere.
Darien swore under his breath and quicksilvered. He was going to have to teach her subtlety. She
had this bad habit of giving the bad guys a fair chance, something they didn't deserve. He moved as
quietly as he could to the edge of the clearing and prepared to back up whatever move she decided to
make.
On the hillside both Hobbes and Garrett saw the men in the clearing suddenly go on the defensive.
Hobbes knew one or both of his partners had done something to get their attention. They had moved
into a classic position with their backs to each other in a circle looking out into the dark
clearing trying to find whatever it was that had spooked them. Using the rifle Alyx had left for
him, he carefully aimed and took out one of them with a shot to the arm. They were supposed to
capture if at all possible, so a disabling shot was the best choice. His timing couldn't have been
better.
At the sound of the shot both Darien and Alyx moved. Alyx swung down from the branch using the
momentum to knock two more of them to the ground. Still invisible, she went after a third with a
straight out punch to the gut causing him to double over and empty the contents of his stomach onto
the ground. Ignoring his reaction, Alyx spun to find her next target. Darien charged across the few
feet to knock the one nearest him to the ground with a quite effective shoulder to the ribs.
Searching for another target, he saw Alyx dropping her third and turn to face him.
"Drop!" she shouted. He did, just as he heard the gun go off almost in his ear, the whine of its
passing so close it was audible. He saw the bullet impact a nearby tree at a right angle to its
original course. With a growl, Alyx ripped the gun from the shooter's hand with her mind and went
after him. Darien got to him first. The guy was practically on top of him so Darien rolled onto his
back and kicked him in the crotch. A low blow maybe, but the guy had nearly shot him. He had it
coming. That left one. The leader. Alyx desilvered and went after him.
"Spawn of Satan," he hissed when he saw her appear before him.
Darien walked up behind him and said, practically into his ear, "If you only knew."
The man spun, bringing up the gun which Alyx casually pulled from his hand with her mind. "Down,"
she said pointing the gun at him.
"I would if I were you," Darien said, shedding quicksilver. "She's in a bad mood tonight."
Stunned at having Darien appear beside him, he dropped to his knees and put his hands on the back
of his head.
Hobbes and Garrett arrived in the Humvee with a cheery, "The calvary, on time yet again."
"Yeah, after the fight is over," Alyx said dryly. "Don't suppose you have cuffs for six, do ya?"
"Hey, you two are the super-heroes, not me," he replied, tossing the one set of cuffs he had to
her. She put them on the man in front of her, making sure they were good and tight.
"Bobby, how many times do I have to say, 'I am not a super hero. I was not created.'" Darien
started to get the other men over with the first. A nice tight little group to guard.
Alyx rummaged through the back of the Humvee and came up with a roll of duct tape, which she tossed
to Darien. He stared at it for a moment then smiled and began to tape hands together. "Hey, I was
created," Alyx noted. "Does that mean I get to be a super-hero?"
"Why would you want to? It doesn't pay nearly well enough," Darien commented as he taped up another
one.
"And this job does?" Alyx joked as she moved over to the bomb. After a going over it with her mind
to check for booby traps, she turned off the timer and dismantled it. Simple, effective, and quite
stable by some miracle.
"Is it safe?" Garrett asked her from a few feet away.
"As safe as it can be without a bomb squad," Alyx answered putting it in her pack.
The leader of the group was screaming at Bobby. "Who are you to interfere with the Messengers of
God?" The last bit sounded like a title or group name.
"Federal agents. By the way, you are under arrest for arson and attempted arson," Hobbes said.
"You think you've won. We haven't failed. The others will insure this place feels the fires of
God's wrath. This place and all those west of here. All will be put to the fire. Only those who bow
down before God will survive," the man said with conviction, smiling. He seemed far too pleased to
be lying.
Alyx spun him around to face her. "How many? Where?"
He looked up at her and sneered. "I don't speak to women. They are beneath me."
She crouched down before him. "This is your warning. How many and where?"
He spat at her intending to hit her in the face. Instead it was deflected to land at his own feet.
"Answer her," Bobby shouted at the man shoving him backwards with the gun leaving the man sprawled
on the ground glaring up at the two of them.
"Don't bother Bobby. I can get the information," Alyx said standing. She slid into the man's mind
and repeated her question out loud. This time, even though he refused to speak, she saw, felt,
heard, knew everything that had to do with her question, and what she got terrified her. As she
pulled back, he figured out what she was doing.
"Witch! Stay out of my mind," he yelled at her.
"Gladly," she snarled. "It was disgusting in there."
He was so utterly taken aback by her statement he could not reply.
Grabbing her pack, she ran for the nearest ATV. "Garrett, get them back to the station and warn
everyone. They planted six other bombs." She started the engine with a roar and got the thing
turned about. "Bobby..."
"Don't worry kid. We got it handled," he shouted over the roar of the engine.
She nodded and hit the accelerator, but not before someone had jumped on behind her. Holding her
tightly about the waist was Garrett. She didn't dare slow; she would barely have enough time as it
was.
The leader of the group laughed. "They'll never make it. There's no way they can stop all of them.
The purifying fire of God is coming and nothing you can do will stop it."
Darien didn't say a word, just walked up to him and punched him in the face hard enough to knock
him out cold and bloody his nose. Bobby didn't say a word in reprimand, just pointed the rifle at
the others and ordered them over to the Humvee. They had a park to warn.
*****