More Spoiler warnings: minor for "Fever of the Hunt"
Chapter 2 – Stranger Than Fiction
Mel had been upstairs, practicing a meditation technique that Cole had been teaching her. Deciding that she wanted a drink, she had descended to the bar level, just in time to hear Vic's question and Cole's response. She started to speak, to try to convince Vic that Cole was just teasing when she saw the blood on his pants.
"Oh, my God, Vic!" she gasped, hurrying over to him and taking one of his hands into hers, staring at him with concern. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"That's actually a very good question," Vic told her, wondering how much she knew.
"I was Tracking Kellen," Cole explained simply. "So was Vic. Vic got hurt. I Collected Kellen, and then I healed Vic."
Mel nodded. "And is Vic… okay now?" she asked cautiously, worried about how Vic might react to the revelation that Cole had just made to him.
Cole nodded, smiling benignly. "Yes, Mel. I told you, I healed him."
Mel looked from Cole to Vic, knowing that there was no point in playing games or pretending any more. Vic knew the truth, had seen it with his own eyes. She regarded him, genuinely worried about her friend, understanding how horrifying the experience must have been for him. First attacked by a Vardian, then forced to witness a Collection. Mel knew from experience that a Collection could be a horrifying sight to behold, especially the first time. She still occasionally woke in a cold sweat, recalling memories of Cole ripping Tev's life-force from his chest as she looked on.
"Are you okay, Vic?" she asked him gently, lightly touching his face.
"Yeah. Cole, um… fixed me." Vic nodded shakily.
"That's not exactly what I meant," she told him softly, squeezing his shoulder. "I… I know that all of… this can take some getting used to."
Vic nodded again, raising his glass to his lips only to remember that he had already emptied it. Shaking his head, he put it down. "Yeah, Mel, you can say that again."
Mel smiled reassuringly at him. "Look, Vic, let's get you upstairs, into some clean pants. I'll wash these…" She looked down, noticing the torn fabric for the first time and shaking her head. "Or not. Um, Cole, you don't mind if Vic borrows a pair of your pants, do you?"
"Of course not, Mel." Cole smiled and shook his head. "With all the blood he's lost, he should probably eat as well," he suggested as Mel slid an arm around Vic's waist and steered him towards the stairs.
"Um, I just have… um, a few questions," Vic began softly as Mel half-led, half-supported him into the apartment. He was still light-headed, confused, and a little anxious over everything he had witnessed. He wanted to try to make sense of it all, but was not really sure where to begin. Or how.
"We'll be happy to answer all of your questions, Vic," Cole assured him, smiling and hurrying to retrieve a clean pair of pants. "They might be a little loose," he said, handing them to Vic. "But at least there's no blood on them."
Vic accepted the pants with a nod. "Thanks, Cole," he muttered absently.
"You're welcome, Vic."
"Mel, you mind if I use your shower?" Vic asked, starting towards the bathroom.
"Yeah, Vic, go ahead." She nodded and smiled at him as he vanished into the bathroom. When he had closed the door, she turned to face Cole. "We've talked about this, Cole," she pointed out quietly, shaking her head. "It is not safe for people to know about you. Not even Vic."
Cole nodded slowly. "I know, Mel, but I didn't have a lot of choices. Kellen was going to kill Vic." He sighed and shook his head. "He was hurt, Mel, suffering." He looked up at her, frustrated. "What else was I supposed to do but heal him?"
Mel sighed and sat on the edge of the coffee-table, taking his hands in hers. "Cole, I love how compassionate you are, and I am grateful that you saved Vic's life. But…"
"But you worry, Mel." Cole nodded and smiled reassuringly. "It was necessary, but it is not going to become a habit, I promise you." He reached for her throat, allowing his hand to linger there for only a few seconds, recalling how shy Mel was about displaying affection with other people around.
Mel smiled and nodded. "I just worry about you," she muttered, shrugging. "You probably think I worry too much, but…"
"No, no. Of course not." Cole smiled and shook his head. He lightly touched the back of two fingers to her forehead. "Melanie, Taushi, we have dealt with bigger things than this in the past, and we will again in the future. But together…" He shrugged, smiling at her.
Mel nodded and leaned forward, resting her forehead against his and closing her eyes. "Together, Tausha, there is nothing we can not face," she whispered.
After a few seconds, she straightened, not feeling comfortable in such an intimate pose with someone else in the house. Mel had always been a very private person where shows of affection were concerned. Cole had grown to understand this rather quickly and never pushed. He knew that, whether she showed it in public or not, Mel did love him as much as he loved her. If her human sense of modesty made her uncomfortable with public shows of affection, he was more than willing to keep their intimacy private. Somehow, it made it seem that much more special, just between the two of them.
"Nothing." Cole nodded agreement, smiling at her spontaneous use of the Cirronian term of endearment. Taushi and Tausha were definitely two of his favorite words in the language. They translated loosely into 'my love', although a more literal translation would have been 'the other half of my soul'.
"I'm going to make a pot of coffee," Mel announced, rising.
Cole nodded. "Okay, Mel."
"What are you going to tell Vic?" she asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Kallissa," the truth, Cole said with a shrug. He rose, leaning on the counter and watching her work.
Mel smiled faintly. She loved the way Cirronian sounded coming out of his mouth, more so now that, under Cole's tutelage, she was beginning to understand bits and pieces of it. "Guess it was a silly question."
Cole smiled and nodded. "Yes, Mel." After a few moments, he added, "I think I have a lead on Zarreth."
Mel grinned. "That's good. Just… don't go after her right away, okay?"
"You do worry too much, Mel," he teased with a smile.
Mel sighed and shook her head. "I mean it, Cole. Going after Kellen before your powers were fully regenerated could have been very dangerous. Even if I am glad that it turned out the way it did… But Zarreth is dangerous and we both know it."
Cole nodded. "You're right, Mel. Of course. I'll wait a day or two, I promise."
Mel smiled, relieved. "Thank you, Tausha."
***
Vic stripped his bloodied pants off gingerly, more than a little worried over what he might find. The reality that there was no pain, that he could use the leg without difficulty, clashed with the reality of the dried blood on his pants. He was not sure which to believe. Until he got his first good look at his leg.
Not so much as a scar existed there to indicate that he had ever been hurt. Vic stared down at it, shocked. Dropping the lid and sitting on the toilet, he began gently prodding it, searching for some sign of injury, but there was none. No break in the skin, no break in the bone, no pain, no bruise. Nothing except for quite a bit of dried blood. Shaking his head, he set the bloodied pants aside and turned on the shower, wanting very badly to get rid of the blood caked on one leg.
He stepped out of the shower a few minutes later, toweling off and examining his leg for injuries again. Still nothing. Shaking his head, he changed, shrugging on the pants that Cole had provided for him and belting them tightly. He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a moment. The reflection alone confirmed the reality of the attack. He was alarmingly pale, and livid, finger-shaped bruises were starting to form where he had been choked. Whatever it had been, it had not been a dream nor an hallucination. He went to find Mel and Cole, wanting some answers.
He paused in the hallway at the sound of a hushed conversation between the two.
"Well, whatever she's after, it must be big," Mel's voice was saying from the kitchen. "I mean, I guess it goes without saying, considering that this is Zarreth that we're talking about…"
"Yes," Cole's voice replied quietly. "She got her reputation as the best for a reason, Mel. Whatever she's after, it must be something extremely valuable."
There was a slight pause, then Mel sighed. "Yeah. More coffee?"
"Yes, please, Mel."
Vic clearly heard the sound of Mel pouring coffee into a cup, followed by silence as Cole, presumably, drank. He walked into the living-room, ready to get some answers.
Mel looked up as Vic entered. "Hey, how are you?" She walked into the living-room, followed closely by Cole. Both regarded Vic with obvious concern.
"Little confused," Vic admitted, shaking his head.
"Yeah, I'll bet," she said gently, taking his arm and steering him towards the couch. "You want a cup of coffee or something?" she offered as he sat. "Something to eat?"
"Uh… coffee would be great. Answers would be nice, too."
"Sure, Vic." Mel smiled and nodded. "Coffee and answers." She paused, staring at his throat, at the bruises there. "Oh, my God," she whispered, shaking her head, horrified to realize for the first time exactly how close to death Vic had come at Kellen's hands. "Cole, look at that…"
Cole looked at Vic's throat, frowning. "I'm sorry, Vic. I didn't see those earlier." Kneeling in front of the Detective, he reached towards Vic's throat, frowning when he leaned away. "Is something wrong, Vic?" he asked gently.
"Uh…" Vic considered the question for a moment. Cole had saved his life, so why was he scared to let him get close? Just because he had so recently been strangled that his throat was still tender? Was it the memories of having someone Gregory James' hands on his throat? Or because he did not really trust Cole? Oddly enough, he found himself wanting to trust Cole. At least in this regard. Whatever else might have been true of Cole, he was not a threat to Vic. "My throat's just… a little tender right now."
"Don't worry, Vic," Mel said over her shoulder as she started into the kitchen. "By the time Cole's through with it, it's going to feel great."
"Uh, yeah. Right." Vic nodded slowly, nervous. When Cole reached out and wrapped his hands loosely around his throat, Vic closed his eyes, overwhelmed by memories of Gregory James choking the life out of him.
"Don't be afraid, Vic. You don't have to be afraid," Cole whispered gently, healing the bruised flesh, soothing away the pain. Then, with a hand against Vic's forehead, he calmed the Detective's anxiety for good measure.
Vic stared at Cole with quiet wonder, in awe. In the alley he had been in too much pain, and too afraid for his life, to take much note of the process. Now he had the luxury of examining it more closely. It left him completely free of pain, feeling calm and warm all over and, when Cole touched one hand lightly to his forehead, completely serene and at peace. The heat that accompanied the healing, spreading from his throat to the rest of his body, was pleasant beyond words, the equivalent of a really well-executed deep-muscle massage. The sense of calm and serenity was as strong as that he had felt the last time he had been shot, after the EMTs had given him both painkillers and tranquilizers in large quantity. The difference was that his mind remained sharp and clear this time, not clouded by drugs.
"Thank you," he whispered, aware that Cole had, somehow, given him far more than relief from his pain. Nearly dying at the hands of Gregory James less than two hours ago seemed like a distant memory, and a not particularly consequential one at that.
Remaining on his knees for a few more moments, Cole smiled gently at Vic and nodded. He touched the man's forehead in an almost paternal gesture. "You have questions now?" he asked softly, moving to the couch.
Mel watched from the kitchen, aware that something more than the healing had passed between the two and reluctant to disturb them. She had always hoped that the two would eventually become friends, or at least allies, and now it looked as though they would. Killing time, she put three cups of coffee on a tray, along with a plate of cookies.
"Lots of questions," Vic agreed, nodding.
Mel entered the living-room then, sensing that the moment was over. "Here we are. Black for Vic," she said handing him a cup. "Extra-sweet for Cole," she added, handing him his cup before sitting down with her own, cream and two sugars.
"Thank you, Mel." Cole smiled at her.
"Thanks, Mel," Vic said, nodding.
"Here, have some cookies," Mel offered, pushing the plate towards the two men. When Cole had picked up a rice-crispy square and Vic had helped himself to an oatmeal cookie, she smiled faintly. Coffee and cookies. Such a normal accompaniment to a conversation that, to an outside observer, would have seemed almost surreal. "So, Vic, I guess you have some questions?" she prompted gently.
"Understatement of the year, Mel." Vic smiled at her and began at the beginning. "How… how long have you known about all of this?"
"Since the beginning. I've been helping Cole out since the beginning. He… he needed a lot of help at first, you know. Couldn't talk, couldn't read, didn't know any of our customs…"
Vic nodded. "So, that's why he's been living here?" he asked, feeling suddenly foolish over the jealousy he had always displayed towards Cole.
Mel smiled faintly. "Yeah, Vic. He needed a safe base of operations. I… I couldn't turn him away. Not once I knew." She gave a faint shake of her head and a helpless shrug.
Vic shrugged. "Yeah, I, uh… guess that makes sense." He looked from Mel to Cole. "So… Um, what happened today… Um… why were you there, Cole? What… what was up with Gregory James? Was he an alien, too?"
Cole nodded. "Yes, Vic. A Vardian named Kellen. He… took over the body of Gregory James a few months ago."
"I thought your aliens came here last year," Vic said softly, frowning in confusion. He could have sworn when he had first confronted Cole that he had mentioned something about the aliens arriving last year.
Cole closed his eyes, waiting a few moments before looking back up at Vic and speaking. "They did, Vic." Quietly, he detailed how he had captured them all, only to find that they had once more escaped. He could not entirely keep the regret from his voice as he explained to Vic how he had hoped to never again be called upon to perform his duties as a Tracker.
Vic could understand Cole's regret. He was a veteran cop who had hoped for a peaceful retirement only to find that this was not to be the case. Vic had seen that before. Like most cops, whether they realized it or not, law enforcement was more than a job for Cole. It was, whether he realized it or not, who he was. It was in his blood now, and as much as he might have hoped to escape that, he never would. Even if his alien convicts had not escaped again, Vic knew, he would not have been content in civilian life for long.
"How many of these guys are we talking about here?" he asked, reluctant to qualify them as aliens.
"Several hundred, Vic," Cole told him, sighing deeply. "Even more this time than the original 218."
"Tell me about them?" Vic requested. "So I can get an idea what we're up against here."
Mel smiled faintly at Vic's use of the word 'we'. It meant a lot to her that Vic was so readily accepting of Cole as a fellow cop. Whether they would ever become friends or not remained an open issue, but Vic was accepting Cole as a colleague, a fellow cop and, therefore, a man to be aided as far as possible. It reassured her that Vic could look past the fact that they were talking about aliens and see that the cop versus criminal model still applied.
Quietly and without much drama, Cole gave Vic a brief overview of the initial prison-break, Zin's role in it, his own negligence in trusting Zin. He selected what he thought was a representative sample of the fugitives to give Vic some idea of the diversity of the group.
He did not mention Rhee, preferring to start with the Enixian Kaden and his indiscriminate distribution of the drug Fek-Maln to humans as well as aliens, with often-fatal results to human users. Vic nodded. He was familiar with the drug because he had assisted with the case. They never had been able to isolate the source of the bizarre substance, and it had vanished from circulation as quickly as it had appeared, leaving no one the wiser.
As Cole spoke of the Dessarian who had enjoyed mimicking the crimes of famous serial killers, Vic was again struck by the fact that he had worked the case. He found himself wondering exactly how many cold cases Cole could provide insight into. As Cole continued describing killers, drug-runners, and organized-crime figures within Zin's organization, Vic realized that the answer was quite a few. He shook his head, awed by the information that Cole was so casually revealing as Mel looked on, occasionally nodding in agreement or confirmation, but not otherwise reacting. Clearly, she was used to all of this.
"Sounds like you're up against some pretty evil characters here," Vic said finally. "Scum of the universe, basically."
Cole nodded slowly. "Many of them are, yes, Vic." But he felt compelled to add, "But not all. Like human criminals, some were just… men and women who have made mistakes." He sighed deeply, pausing for a moment before continuing. "A man named Kres, a Nodulian, was captured by your government. When I went to retrieve him, I was captured as well. Kres managed to escape. I was close to death. He could have fled and left me there, but he came back for me, saved my life, Vic." Cole closed his eyes and rose, walking into the kitchen.
Vic stared after him, startled. "Is he okay?" he whispered to Mel.
She shook her head and whispered her reply. "They tortured Kres, Vic. Cole, too, I think. He… he doesn't talk about it, but I think that Kres was hurt saving Cole…"
"They shot him," Cole said quietly from the kitchen, his back to them. "His body was dying. I had to Collect his life-force or he would have died too…" He sighed deeply and repeated, "They shot him. They tortured him and then they shot him…"
"Cole," Mel whispered, rising and walking into the kitchen. "Are you okay?"
Cole nodded slowly. "Yeah, Mel." He absently touched her throat before walking into the living-room where Vic sat, staring. "He was a smuggler," he told Vic. "And he saved my life."
Vic nodded slowly, not sure what to say. It was not just that the man had saved Cole's life and Cole had still been forced to imprison him again. He had been tortured. They both had. By a government that Vic represented.
Finally, Vic said the only thing he could. "He was a good man, Cole."
Cole nodded in agreement. "When I returned him to Sar-Top, I told the Review Board of his actions in saving me. His sentence was shortened substantially." His frown faded. "He was not among those who escaped the second time."
Vic nodded. "It's good to know that they aren't all evil."
Cole paused for a moment. "They may not all be evil, Vic, but this second batch is different. They're more hardened, career criminals. More men like Kellen, fewer like Kres."
Vic nodded and opened his mouth to question Cole further when his cell-phone rang. He closed his eyes and cursed softly. In all the confusion and excitement, he had totally forgotten about Maria and, to a large extent, the body of Gregory James. There was going to be some serious hell to pay. He quickly retrieved his phone.
"Yeah?" he asked in a shaky voice.
"Vicky, I hate to seem nosy, but where the hell are you?" Maria's voice demanded.
"Um, long story…"
"'Long story'?" she repeated, incredulous. "Vicky, they've been looking for you everywhere! Talk to me…"
"Um, have they found James yet?"
"No. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"Um… Kind of. He… knocked me around pretty good." At least he did not have to lie to her.
"Okay… Are you at a hospital?"
"Um, not exactly…"
Her exasperated sigh could be clearly heard, even over the phone. "Well, then, get your ass to one."
"Where are you?"
With another sigh, she told him which hospital she was being treated. He winced. He had forgotten that James, Kellen, had hurt her as well.
"Okay, Mar. Hang in there. I'll be there in half an hour." Sighing, Vic hung up. "Damn…"
Mel looked up, concerned. "Problem?" she guessed, realizing what kind of position he probably found himself in. "Drive you somewhere?" she offered.
He nodded, grateful. "Yeah. Maria Cruz is at the hospital. Kellen knocked her into a wall."
Mel nodded and rose quickly, retrieving her car-keys. "Is she okay?" she asked anxiously.
"She sounded pissed, which means that she can't be in too bad shape." Vic grinned and rose, wincing.
"Are you still hurt?" Cole asked, rising and extending his hands.
"Nothing serious," Vic assured him, shaking his head and declining the unspoken offer of aid.
Now that the adrenaline and endorphins had largely worn off, he was in rather a lot of pain, but he doubted that it was serious. He was, no doubt, black and blue all over, but pragmatically, he knew it would probably be wise to have at least some marks on his body to prove that he had been beaten to a pulp. It was, after all, the only reasonable excuse he could make for having gone AWOL.
As Mel drove him, he quickly crafted what he considered a reasonable cover-story. It even had the advantage of being mostly true. He had pursued Gregory James, been beaten to a pulp, and woken up to the sound of his cell-phone ringing. As the excitement wore off and the pain increased, the story became more believable. By the time they arrived at the Emergency Room, Vic had to lean on Mel in order to be able to make it inside.
