Author's Note: Yes, Jumper Prime, you're right, lol. Thing is that I'm jumping the gun… I have Zin's escape from the vault all set for a fic that takes place before this one but that I just haven't gotten around to writing yet. No worries. All will be revealed in the fullness of time. Or sooner if my muses get off their butts…

More Spoilers: minor for "Love, Cirronian Style" and "Dark Road Home"

Chapter 4 -- What's a Dessarian and what's with Cole and French Toast?

Mel awoke to the sound of knocking on the apartment door. She automatically started to get up, curious as to why Cole was not in bed until she saw him pulling his shirt on.

"Go back to sleep, Mel. It's probably just Vic," he told her gently.

Nodding she flopped back onto the bed and pulled a pillow over her head. "No Tracking until you're back up to full-strength," came her muffled reminder.

Cole smiled and shook his head. "Yes, Mel. Sleep well, Mel." Shaking his head, he hurried to answer the door. "Good morning, Vic." He smiled to see that the human looked a lot better. "How are you feeling?"

Punchy from the pain medication, Vic did not bother to censor his reply. "Um, like I woke up in an episode of the X-Files yesterday."

Cole's smile wavered. "You do know that the X-Files isn't real, don't you Vic?" he asked slowly. "Mel says that only crackpots believe in the X-Files."

Vic laughed softly. "I know, Cole. It was… um, a joke. Sort of." He grinned uncomfortably. "I mean… this is way stranger than the X-Files."

Cole smiled. "Don't worry, Vic. You'll get used to it."

"You really will," Mel added, entering the living-room, still wrapped in a bathrobe. "Make you guys some breakfast?" she offered.

"Yes, please, Mel." Cole smiled and nodded.

"Sounds great, Mel," Vic agreed, nodding.

"I'm going to go shave," Cole announced to no one in particular, leaving the living-room.

"So, how long did it take for you to get used to all of this?" Vic asked as Mel walked into the kitchen.

She considered for a few minutes. "On a practical level, a few weeks."

"On a practical level?" he repeated, frowning.

"Well…" She shrugged. "Um, you get used to the idea of a bunch of aliens running around Chicago playing cops and robbers a lot sooner than you get used to living with it every day." She smiled at him. "But even that doesn't take a long time. I mean, people can adapt to a lot of different things. After awhile, it really does become old-hat. It just… stops making an impact."

"Really?" Vic raised an eyebrow.

Mel nodded. "I mean, honestly there isn't a day that goes by where Cole doesn't do something to surprise me, but… it's in context, so it's not as big of a shock as it would be if it just happened. Does that make sense?"

Vic nodded slowly. "Kind of. I think. So… only crack-pots believe in the X-Files?" he laughed.

Mel grinned and nodded. "Well, I had to tell him something," she whispered, shrugging. She looked to make sure Cole was out of ear-shot before whispering, "He believes everything he sees and hears unless you actually tell him that it isn't true."

Vic looked over his shoulder, in the direction of the bathroom. "You're kidding?"

She shook her head. "Cirronians don't lie themselves, so it's… not a concept they have an easy time with…" She shrugged.

Vic frowned, bemused. How did males and females of Cole's species get along with each other in the face of total honesty? Vic had always thought that the little white lies made relationships flow a lot more smoothly. The 'no that dress doesn't make you look fat' variety of lies were very helpful at times for getting out of awkward situations. But Cirronians did not lie. Ever. Wow…

"French toast?" Mel asked.

Vic smiled. "Please."

Mel pulled several eggs out of the refrigerator. "So, Cole tells me that you want to go after Zarreth?"

Vic nodded. "This chick's bad news, Mel."

"Which Cole seems to think is a good reason for you to stay out of it." Mel set the eggs on the counter and turned to face her friend. "And I agree, Vic. Zarreth is not like any criminal that you've ever encountered before. She's... did Cole tell you what Dessarians are capable of?"

He shrugged. "He said that she was a thief who had also committed several murders."

"She's Dessarian, Vic," Mel told him in a firm voice. "They're dangerous. She nearly killed Cole the first time he went up against her. That's something very few of the fugitives are capable of." She inhaled deeply, shaking her head. "Vic, all of these aliens have powers. What you saw between Cole and Kellen, that was just a sample. Vardians are bad, but Dessarians scare me a hell of a lot more." She turned back to the counter, closing her eyes for a minute to compose herself so that she could explain to Vic about Dessarians without getting hysterical.

"You're biased," Cole pointed out, reentering the living-room.

"Maybe. Maybe it's just that we've had more close calls with Dessarians than with any other species."

"They are formidable," Cole allowed, nodding. "But not unstoppable."

"Um… new guy over here," Vic said softly, raising his hand.

"They're chameleons," Mel told him. "They can change their appearance and personality at will." She sighed. "You remember that killer last year? Was imitating Gacy?"

Vic thought for a minute, then nodded. "Yeah. Killings stopped at right around the number Gacy had killed and they never caught him, even though they found the bodies."

Mel nodded. "And right after that, there were those killings in London?"

"Imitating Jack the Ripper, sure." Vic nodded. "Read about it in the paper. That chain was never completed, though…"

Mel nodded, pushing aside a lot of bad memories. "Thanks to Cole. The… the, um, killer was a Dessarian. Cole said that he was basically becoming these killers."

Cole nodded. "Dessarians are very adept at blending into their surroundings, both physically and psychologically. This one imitated multiple murders from all over the Migar Federation and later all over earth. But, as Mel said, he did not just imitate them. He became them."

Vic blinked at this revelation. "Mel, think I can get a drink with breakfast?"

"Coffee or milk?"

"You're a worse mother hen than Maria," he accused.

Mel folded her arms over her chest, grinning. "You really think that's what she's doing, Vic?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Coffee or milk," she repeated. "Or orange juice."

"Coffee, black and incredibly high octane," Vic told her, frowning at the comment about Maria. What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"I need to go check my progress," Cole said softly. He leaned towards Mel to kiss her, then caught himself, pulling back. It really was an incredibly annoying restriction. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Mind if I join you?" Vic asked.

Cole shrugged. "No, Vic, I wouldn't mind. We'll be back in a few minutes, Mel."

"Okay, guys." Mel nodded absently, turning her attention to breakfast. "I'll bring you the coffee when it's ready."

"Thank you, Mel," Cole said, smiling at her as he left.

"Thanks, Mel," Vic added, following.

Mel turned on the radio and started breakfast with an indulgent sigh, knowing that the two would probably be in the war-room all day. Once she had the bar set up and the bartenders had arrived, she would probably spend most of the day there herself. That was par for the course these days, and she was as guilty of overextending herself as Cole.

***

"So, you really MacGyvered all this stuff together yourself?" Vic asked Cole as the Cirronian scanned through the day's headlines on one of the computer-screens.

"What is 'MacGyvered'?" Cole asked, looking up at him.

"Um… MacGyver is a guy… a human guy… who can… um, build a fusion reactor with bubble-gum and duct-tape," Vic said, shrugging.

Cole considered this thoughtfully. "I don't think that's possible, Vic. He would need at least a flashlight and a blender in addition. As well as a line out and--"

"I wasn't being literal," Vic interrupted, remembering what Mel had said about Cirronians believing everything they were told. Obviously she had not been exaggerating.

"Oh." Cole nodded and returned his attention to the computer. "Besides, I thought humans were still forced to rely on fission for their power needs?"

"We are, Cole," Mel said gently, carrying in two cups of coffee. "At least until Lontoria graduates from college."

"Lontoria?" Vic mouthed.

"Later," she mouthed back.

Cole chuckled softly as he accepted his coffee. He took a small sip and made a face, handing the cup to Vic. "Extra high octane," he muttered, grimacing.

"Sorry, Cole." Mel handed him the other cup. "Extra sweet." To Vic, she explained, "He has a sweet-tooth like you would not believe."

Cole nodded placidly, half-draining his mug.

"He's also not affected by caffeine," Mel added, shaking her head. "Which I keep telling him makes drinking coffee kind of pointless."

"Except as a sugar-delivery system," Cole said with a smile, quoting Mel.

"Must be metabolic," Mel said with a shrug. "This guy can kill a quart of Ben and Jerry's in fifteen minutes."

Cole nodded confirmation to Vic who was staring at him curiously. "I especially like cookies and cream," he remarked, emptying his coffee-mug and returning his attention to the computer.

"And you haven't killed him yet?" Vic asked Mel with a laugh. Mel adored cookies and cream and guarded her supply jealously.

Mel grinned. "Came close the first time."

"No you didn't," Cole said without looking up from the screen. "You just shouted something about PMS and started crying."

Mel blushed and scratched her neck. "Um… I'm going to go check on that French-toast now," she said, backing out of the room.

Vic stared at Cole, laughing. "Damn, she lets you get away with a lot," he said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" Cole asked, looking quizzically at Vic.

Vic realized that he was, once again, genuinely clueless. "Um, never mind… So, what do we have on Zarreth? Anything? She strikes me as the type who generally flies in under the radar." At Cole's perplexed look, he explained, "Um, the sort of person who… doesn't get noticed until it's too late."

Cole nodded, filing the phrase away in his growing lexicon for future reference. "Yes, Vic. She is that type. However, even the best thieves need equipment and… their actions can be predicted if you know what to look for…" Cole was typing as he spoke. "Stovington, Vermont…"

"Vermont?" Vic thought for a minute. "There's an infectious disease lab in Stovington, right?" he asked. He seemed to recall having read something about it in US News and World Report in an article they had done on biological warfare.

"Yes, Vic."

"So, they're probably moving the sample there from the CDC headquarters in Atlanta?" he ventured, since it was, as far as he knew, the only facility in the country currently housing a supply of smallpox.

"That's what the official reports say." Cole looked up. "But they're inaccurate."

Vic's eyes widened. "You sure?"

Cole nodded. "I am. There are other reports, unofficial." He looked up at Vic. "The shipment will be moving through Chicago," he announced, looking back at the screen.

"Chicago?" Vic repeated, frowning in confusion.

"Yes, Vic. In spite of what the official reports state, the sample was never in Atlanta." He gestured for Vic to come look at the screen. "It originated at this military base."

"Nellis? What the hell?" Vic shook his head. "There isn't a research facility there! It's scrub-land, a giant missile-range…" He frowned at Cole, wondering what the alien knew that he did not. And how. And how many of the other aliens knew what Cole knew. Mel had told him it would get easier to deal with, but so far it just kept getting harder. "Right?"

Cole nodded. "Yes, Vic. The sample was flown there from…" He pointed to a map. "Can you read that?"

"Uzbekistan." Vic sighed and shook his head. "It would be one of the 'Stans."

"I don't understand, Vic." Cole frowned up at him.

Vic sighed. "Right about now, Cole, three-quarters of this world's problems originate in countries whose names end in the word Stan. Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan… Places like that. There must be a dozen of them over there."

"I see…" Cole shrugged absently. "So the sample will travel through Chicago, and I'm betting that this is when Zarreth will strike."

"In Chicago? Knowing you operate here?"

"It's her comfort-zone. She knows the city, has contacts here…"

Vic nodded, absorbing Cole's words. "But this thing has got to be under full military escort…"

"Oh, I'm sure it is, Vic. I'm equally sure that Zarreth can get in… under the radar."

Vic looked dubious. "Under the radar of a bunch of highly trained, super-vigilant soldiers?"

"Yes, Vic." Cole nodded. "This is how Zarreth works. She has a natural ability to blend seamlessly into any situation." He gave another shrug. "For all we know, she is in the body of a soldier."

Vic frowned. He had not considered that before, but from what Cole had said, these aliens could be in anyone. Even if Zarreth was not in the body of a soldier herself, there was nothing to keep her from having inside help.

After a few moments, Vic nodded. "Okay, we have to consider that she could be one of the people that's responsible for guarding the shipment, could have such a person working for her, or could have inside information in some other way. How do we work against that? How do we counteract it?"

Cole shook his head. "We don't, Vic. This is my third time facing Zarreth, and the one thing I've learned is that you can't assume anything. She knows that predictability makes it more likely that she'll be caught, so she varies her methods frequently."

"In other words, expect the unexpected?"

"Yes, Vic."

"Wonderful," he muttered.

Cole frowned. "Not really, Vic. It puts us at a serious disadvantage."

"It was sarcasm, Cole," he told him.

"Oh." Cole smiled absently.

"You do know what that is?" Vic asked softly, shaking his head. Cole not being human might have explained an awful lot, but he was still a strange guy…

"Yes, Vic. Mel explained it to me." Cole smiled up at him.

"Of course she did," Vic muttered. "Um, so, how do you fight one of these Dessarians?"

"With extreme caution," Cole told him, rising. He absently reconfigured several pieces of equipment as he spoke. "Dessaria is an inhospitable planet with numerous predators and other natural hazards. As a result, they are vicious fighters with a strong survival instinct. Their natural abilities combine with this to make them, on an individual basis, probably the most dangerous life-form in the Migar Federation."

"More dangerous than Kellen? Um, Vardians?"

Cole nodded. "In most people's opinions, yes, Vic. Vardians are very strong and brutal fighters, but Dessarians are equally brutal, sneakier, and have a stronger survival-instinct."

Vic inhaled deeply. "So this Zarreth chick is very bad news?"

"Yes, Vic." Cole paused for a moment. "I appreciate your desire to help me, but this might not be the best fugitive for you to start with…"

"Nuh-uh." Vic shook his head. "I am not walking away from this game. Not with the stakes what they are."

Vic swallowed hard, mentally steeling himself. This was big, he knew that, and he was definitely outgunned and outclassed, but he was not about to walk away from a case like this, where hundreds of thousands might die. It was not, as he had initially thought, a matter of a few hundred more criminals roaming the face of the earth. That he might have let slide, but now… The stakes were just too high. Cole was all the human race had, and Vic had every intention of helping him in every way that he could, both personally and through his own large pool of contacts and informants. Of course, he would have to be incredibly cautious in that regard to prevent Cole's discovery, but there was nothing to, at some point, keep him from revealing the existence of the others. He shook those thoughts off. Long-term was not important right now. All that mattered was keeping Zarreth from getting her hands on that smallpox shipment.

"This is no game, Vic." Cole sighed. "Kellen nearly killed you. What is to keep Zarreth from doing the same?"

"The fact that now I know what I'm up against." He hoped that he was showing more bravado than he felt, because he felt scared soul-less at the prospect of facing another one of these aliens, one who Mel said was more intimidating than the type he had already faced. "Not backing down, Cole. Not from this."

Cole sighed and started to speak again when the war-room door opened and Mel peered in. "Hello, Mel."

"Hi, Mel," Vic added.

"Are we eating breakfast in the war-room again?" she asked. "Or are we actually going to pretend we have a normal life and eat in the kitchen?"

Cole glanced at Vic. "Whichever you prefer is fine."

"Kitchen. With all this clutter, the room barely holds three people." He paused. "People?" he repeated, glancing at Cole, wondering what the PC term was for an alien these days.

"People," Mel assured him as Cole stared, perplexed. "Kitchen it is. Come on, guys."

They rose, Cole with some reluctance, and followed Mel from the war-room and down the hall.

In the kitchen, she smiled as she slid plates in front of Cole and Vic. "Cole's been on high-alert pretty much since he found out about the second escape," she explained to Vic, "so we do most of our eating in the war-room."

"We?" Vic repeated, pausing with his fork half-way to his mouth. Next to him, Cole was eating slowly, eyes closed, a slightly reflective smile on his face, not really paying attention to anything going on around him, simply savoring the tastes and textures of his meal. Mel was obviously used to that, because she did not spare him a second glance. "How deep are you in all this?"

"Pretty deep," Mel told Vic gently. "I mean, there are certain things that Cole just won't allow me to help with, but I help whenever I can."

"How?" Vic asked, remembering his food and taking a few bites as Mel formulated an answer.

"Well, other than the obvious stuff, sheltering him, educating him about our culture, um, sometimes I do undercover work…"

"Undercover?" Vic repeated, gaping.

"Yeah." Mel nodded. "Um, like this one time I pretended to be his sister as part of his cover-story," she explained. "He was undercover as a patient in this hospital and I was his outside source."

For the time being, she decided, it would be better to leave it at that. There was no reason to tell Vic how close they had both come to death on that occasion, even less reason to tell him about the time they had gone undercover as newlyweds. Vic was still incredibly protective of Mel, and he was likely to remain so for some time. Her involvement with Cole's cases would take careful handling, her involvement with Cole would take even more. She was going to tell him everything, just not until he was ready to hear it.

Vic watched Cole eating as though he had never experienced French-toast before, and Mel playing June Cleaver as she cooked more food, oblivious to the alien who seemed to have gone into a trance at his first taste. Mel kept talking about Zarreth, and Cole's other fugitives, as she cooked, refilling both of their plates and coffee cups while she talked as though the whole situation were the most natural thing in the world. That alone was enough to throw Vic. It made the whole situation seem that much more surreal.

X-Files my ass, he thought as he ate. Try Twilight Zone…