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Part 8
Hobbes was happily dreaming of the beautiful woman his arms had been wrapped around when he fell
asleep, so he was not really thrilled to have his fantasy of far more pleasurable activities
interrupted. "Fawkes," he grumbled, "G'way. I'm sleeping."
He heard a tired sigh and then, *Bobby, wake up would ya?*
Having that voice in his head did the trick, and he opened his eyes to see the kid squatting next
to him with the flashlight dimmed by her hands. "Kid? Time already?"
"And then some. Come on, I got something to show you." Alyx backed away so he could get up.
Hobbes eased out from under Claire's arm without disturbing her continuing slumber. Fawkes had
already moved in closer at some point and was draped carelessly over her from behind. "What, kid?"
"Outside. Let them sleep for now." Alyx handed him the flash and headed for the slope with him just
a few steps behind.
The first thing he noticed was the lack of falling snow and then the tracks that she had obviously
made recently. "How long have you been awake?"
"Hmmm? Oh, couple of hours I guess." She moved off, following her trail from before. "This way."
"I'm guessing you're feeling better," Hobbes muttered, mostly to himself.
Alyx chuckled. "That would be a safe assumption." She led him along the edge of the cliff, which
slowly sloped upwards, creating an even steeper drop-off to their left. After about ten minutes,
during which Hobbes was beginning to believe that she was taking him on a wild goose chase, she
looked back at him and put a finger to her lips. She crouched down and moved closer to the edge.
Hobbes joined her.
"Good work, kid," he whispered. Below them was a campsite with a group of four men -- one of the
'hounds' he was sure -- with a roaring fire, tents, skis off to one side, and food. "Thinking we
might do a little thinning of the ranks?"
"And getting some supplies," Alyx added. "I don't know about you, but I'm starved."
Hobbes nodded. "I'm betting you already scouted a way down." She nodded. Hobbes debated for a
moment waking the others, but with Fawkes hurt and Claire not as experienced in the field, he
decided against it. "You got a plan?"
"Beyond sneak in knock them out? No," Alyx answered honestly as she got to her feet and led him to
the pathway she had scouted out. It was steep, but negotiable.
One thing she had learned was that detailed plans had a way of blowing up big time where the three
of them were involved. A rough outline and a back-up plan usually sufficed. They tried to cover all
the possible contingencies in the beginning, provided they had time to, of course. Some days they
didn't.
"Not a half-bad plan. Think you can do the saran-wrap thing for the two of us?" Hobbes didn't see
much reason to come up with a more detailed plan. The two of them could easily handle the four guys
down there, especially with surprise on their side.
"Certainly." She climbed down the rocks that held very little snow, the wind having blown most of
it away, with Hobbes right behind her.
Hobbes was rather impressed; for all that she had come into this with even less training then
Fawkes -- yeah, being a thief did count as training -- she was doing quite well and picking up what
needed to be done quickly. "So kid, how are you liking the work?"
Alyx paused her climb for a moment, surprised at his question. Once she was moving again, she
answered him. "Like? I don't know if I like it yet. It's so entirely different from what I was that
I..." She changed the subject a bit then. "Bobby, when you were starting out, did you ever hit a
point where you questioned what you were doing?"
Hobbes wasn't quite sure what she was getting at. "What do you mean?"
Alyx needed to be cautious about this. There were things she would not talk about -- might never
talk about -- but she needed help with this. "I took Karate on and off for years, but it was only
after my last child that I got serious about it. It was more for the self-discipline than anything
else and, except in the dojo, I never used it. I didn't even compete, though my Sensei wanted me
to." She got to the bottom and moved off carefully across the snow-covered ice, following her
trail from earlier. "It wasn't 'til the Agency grabbed me that I ever used it against someone to
hurt them."
Hobbes caught on then; it was something a lot of recruits had to deal with. He knew the kid had
been married, had kids of her own, none of which could really prepare her for the reality of
working for the Agency in the field. As soon as they had crossed the river and were on non-slippery
ground, he set a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "I understand, kid, and yeah, just about everyone
hits this point. This job is dangerous, and you will eventually have to use whatever means necessary
to save yourself or others. You've been overreacting in situations, haven't you?"
Alyx nodded. "Big time, and it's been very difficult to control."
He directed her over towards some trees so they would be a bit less conspicuous while they talked.
He was trying to come up with a way to say what she needed to hear in terms she could relate to. It
took a moment, but he came up with it. "Your kids, you'd do anything to protect them, right?"
"Of course. You've seen this. But that's part of the problem; before, I would get between them and
danger, but I wouldn't -- couldn't -- strike back. Now... now I wade in and send people screaming
away in terror." Alyx was amazed she could meet his eyes as she spoke.
Hobbes kind of wanted to ask for more details, but somehow knew she was already telling more than
she really wanted to. "It's a big line to cross, and you can't go back, but only you can decide how
far to cross it. I learned to kill at a young age, and even when I know it's a necessity it still
bothers me. But -- and it's a big but -- you can't let it consume you." He looked her right in the
eye. "I know this."
She had been careful not to read him while they were talking, but something in his tone of voice,
the look in his eyes, told her more than reading him ever could. Something had happened during his
career, and it had consumed him. He was still dealing with the scars today. "How do I know, though?"
"Kid, if you can live with it. That's how I know." He wasn't going to soften it up for her. "Can
you live with what you did in Newport?"
"Yes. I suppose I can."
"How about Menkin? You said you wanted him dead. Do you still?" He knew she had to figure it out
for herself. He could not do it for her, or tell her this or that point is where she should stop.
"Not anymore, but at the time... He was going to hurt you, I had to stop him. Dead would stop
him," Alyx said, still feeling a little confused.
"But not necessary. You were trying to protect me, and you let your emotions get too involved." He
could see in her eyes that it was true. "Thanks, for that. Next time, though, less emotion. Freak
afterwards, like the rest of us do."
She laughed quietly at that.
"Does that help? This isn't exactly my thing, you know." He'd never been all that good with words,
with explaining things that couldn't really be put into words, but he realized there wasn't anyone
else. Fawkes certainly couldn't help, not with this, and the Official hadn't been in the field in
decades and already scrutinized everything she did with a gimlet eye.
"More than you know, Bobby." She still had things to figure out, but he'd given her that elusive
starting place that she hadn't been able to find on her own. She'd come to a turning point in her
life, and only she could decide which turn, if any, she would take. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now, let's go eliminate some hunters and get dinner. I don't want to listen to
Fawkes' stomach growl all night long."
Alyx chuckled as they moved off. "It is a bit... ummm, vocal, isn't it?"
"Tell me about it. Why do you think we always have snacks and crap in the van?" Hobbes watched her
carefully as she led the way through the trees to the clearing where they'd spotted the camp.
"Kid..." Having her alone, he decided now might be the best time to get her side of what was going
on between her and Fawkes.
He was broadcasting again and Alyx wanted to forestall this -- to her -- unnecessary discussion. "I
meant what I said Bobby. When we get back, I'll tell the 'Fish to yank me from your cases. I'm not
helping that much, and the way I'm being trained they could pair me with anyone." Her voice was
soft, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Hell, kid, that's the last thing I want. It'll happen soon enough at it is." He knew it was true.
At this rate, and with her extra talents, she was going to be one hell of an agent. The Official
would be a fool to constantly pair her with himself and Fawkes, and one thing the Official never
was, was a fool. He closed the short distance between them so that he wouldn't need to speak any
louder than necessary. "I don't want to see either of you getting hurt. Even becoming friends in
this line of work is dangerous; more than that..." He trailed off as she turned to look at him over
her shoulder.
"I know, in ways you can't imagine, but I also can't...I won't change the way he feels. That would
do more harm than just keeping a distance, and I think you know it." She caught the emotions that
flickered across his face and knew her words were sinking in. "He wouldn't ask you to change how
you feel, about either himself or Claire; he knows you won't. Don't back him into a corner, please."
Hobbes shook his head, but in surprise. "Kid, sometimes you see too much."
"Tell me about it." She stopped and crouched down, pointing towards the campsite that was now
twenty or so yards away. Focusing on those settled around the fire, she knew all were wakeful,
though only one was wide awake. The others had been passing around a bottle and were in various
states of inebriation. "Why is it hunters always think getting drunk helps their aim?"
Hobbes chuckled. "Never understood that myself. I'll take the two on the right?"
"Sure." She set a hand on his shoulder. "Ready?"
He nodded and tried not to shudder as the quicksilver flowed across him. He liked the advantage it
provided, but the stuff itself still gave him the creeps. As soon as they were gone from sight,
they took off at a run and charged into the camp. Hobbes arrived first and took out the one guy who
was sober. The three who weren't started laughing and pointing at their buddy, who had just gone
flying through the air for no reason. They didn't laugh for long, though; soon they were stretched
out on the ground, unconscious, being tied hand and foot. Hobbes' quicksilver flaked away as he
finished tying up the second one with his own scarf.
"I got this, kid; you go through the stuff and yank out anything useful." Alyx appeared a few
steps away as she ducked into one of the tents.
She came out a moment later, dragging two stuffed knapsacks, and casually sat on one of the tied
gentlemen as she began to go through them. Hobbes was searching through the pockets of the men and
turned up the one item he'd been half-afraid he'd find. "Well, lookee here." He held up a tracking
device for her inspection. "No wonder they are way the hell out here. How many others made it this
far?"
Alyx closed her eyes and dropped her shields completely. The voices surged in, but luckily many
were either dozing or drunk; with a little concentration, she was able to get a vague idea of how
close they were. "I'd say seven teams are within walking distance of us." She closed the shields
and opened her eyes. "We were set up big time, Bobby."
"There were, what, twenty teams actually participating?" Hobbes was making a pile of useless stuff
off to one side.
"Twenty-three four-man teams," Alyx answered. "I'd guess about half of them had trackers to follow
us with. There's no other way there could be so many 'hounds' this close."
"You fried the bugs around noon, which gave them an idea of where we were. It wouldn't be too hard
to figure out where we might go. Those caves are a perfect spot to hole up. Damn it." Hobbes
tossed a few more items aside and began to repack a borrowed backpack with stuff they wanted.
"I kinda wish I hadn't fried the bugs," Alyx was saying as she ducked into the other tent to see
what was inside.
"Why?" Hobbes asked as she dragged out the sleeping bags as well as the longbow and quiver. "You
know how to use that thing?"
"It's been a few years, but yeah. Well enough, anyway. As to the bugs, we could have used them to
lure the hounds into our traps instead of taking turns playing bait." She dragged one of the
sleeping bags over to a bound gentleman and, with a little effort, got him stuffed inside.
"Kid, what the hell are you doing?" Hobbes was more than a little confused.
She looked at him as she moved onto the next guy. "I... I can't just let them freeze to death. If
they had been killed during the fight, that would be one thing, but I just can't...."
Hobbes interrupted. "I get it, kid, and while I may not agree, I understand." He continued to pack
while she did what she could to give the men at least a chance to survive. That was a hell of a lot
more than these guys had planned for them.
From somewhere nearby, a static-laden voice was heard. "Nathan, what's your status? You find them
yet? The boss wants to win this year."
Hobbes looked over at Alyx who, after a quick mental search, pointed to where the sound was coming
from. They hadn't noticed it because, during the fight, it had fallen into a shallow drift that was
more than enough to hide it. It was one of those fancy ones that could be adjusted to any frequency.
Ignoring the voice that was quickly rising to a shout, he turned the dial and began to pick up other
voices. Other teams.
"Kid, I think we found our lure." He was smiling.
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Hobbes looked down at the pair curled around each other on the floor of the cave. He set the
flashlight down and shrugged out of his backpack with a sigh. They'd packed both of them full with
anything they might need. The load would get lighter as they went, as they used the various items
to make their surprises. He unhooked the lantern they had borrowed and lit it, providing more than
enough light for the small chamber.
Alyx chuckled at the sight and set her pack and the bow down. "Care to do the honors, Hobbesy?"
"But they look so cute. I wish I had a camera." He moved over to where Claire and Fawkes were
tangled about each other for warmth. Setting a hand on Claire's shoulder, he shook her gently.
"Time to wake up, Keepy."
"B...Bobby?" She mumbled as she cracked her eyes open. When she realized she was curled about
Darien, she gave a small 'eep' of surprise and sat up. When it became obvious that Bobby was trying
not to laugh at her, she grumbled, "It's bloody cold in here. I was trying to keep warm."
"Well get back here then." Darien said with a grin. He got himself up on his elbows and looked
about. He saw the packs that Alyx was going through. "You guys went and had some fun without us. No
fair."
"Just a little recon. One set of hounds is out of the way." Hobbes offered a hand to help him up.
"Hungry?"
In reply was an impressive growl from the area of Darien's midsection. Hobbes turned to Alyx and
both started to laugh.
"Starved, but other needs must come first. How bad is it outside?" Claire asked as she moved
towards the slope.
"Not bad. No snow right now, but it'll be back. Just don't go too far," Alyx answered, grabbing a
couple of power bars they'd swiped as well as a half-frozen bottle of Gatorade. Then she dug out
the map and a real pen and headed up the slope herself.
"Where's she going?" Darien asked as Hobbes passed him some of the food.
"Huh? Oh, she's gonna try and figure out where the other teams are and put their locations on the
map. The more we can avoid, the better." Hobbes answered sitting down. "We got some useful stuff
for traps. This might actually work."
Claire came back in then. "Of course it will work. We're brilliant." She grabbed a bottle of bright
blue Gatorade and sat down between them. "Alyx is going to have a headache by the time she's done."
"I know, but she offered, and it will make it easier for us. As well as this." He pulled out the
radio and turned it on. The voice that wafted out was full of anger. "Someone is very unhappy we're
still free. We think about half the teams have trackers. When the kid gets back with the map, we're
gonna try and plan a route through that will bring us back to the Lodge just after the deadline."
"And now we can listen in on them," Darien said nodding. "So we'll know their movements, to a
degree anyway."
"Are they all camped for the night?" Claire asked.
"Near as we can tell," Hobbes answered, and turned at the sound of footsteps.
Alyx stood up in the main room, rubbing her forehead. "Here you go. It's approximate, but should
help." She sat down against one of the walls. "Give me fifteen minutes and I'll be ready to go."
"You okay?" Darien realized he'd been asking her that a lot lately. "I'm starting to think I'm
repeating myself."
"That's because you are, partner. She's fine," Hobbes answered. "You worry too much, Fawkes. She
can take care of herself."
Claire was nodding in agreement. "She has to learn to deal with this on her own."
"Well, except for the freezing-my-butt-off thing," Alyx said through chattering teeth as she moved
over to join them. Darien wrapped an arm about her as she sat next to him. "Never again. Snow bad.
Cold evil. Give me ninety degrees any day."
That earned a laugh, even though they realized she was quite serious about it. "We'll figure out
what's going on with you when we get home." Claire knew she wouldn't be thrilled with more tests,
but it was the only way to figure out what the problem was. "Darien are you holding together?"
He shrugged. "It hurts, no surprise there. I'll just have to be careful is all." He knew he was
going to end up in a fight somewhere along the way between now and tomorrow morning. He just had to
keep it together, not get beat up too much, and not use too much quicksilver.
Hobbes snorted. "You, careful? That would be a first."
Ten minutes later, when they walked out of the small cave, the snow had begun to fall again.