Rating: PG 13 for violence, language, and some sexual stuff (nothing major). This story may turn R later, but for right now it's PG 13.
Genre: Action/ romance
Pairings: Shalimar/Brennan, and Shalimar/original character
(Summary, Author's Notes, and Disclaimer on Chapter 1)
Distribution: I don't mind if anyone wants to put any of my stories on their site, just email me first and tell me you would like to put it on your site! Thanks!
Notes: Italics with [ ] indicate thought. Stars indicate time change or place.
Story by: Quest – shadowfox_fuse@yahoo.com, feel free to email me on any questions or well anything!
Chapter 4: Your Mission
Shalimar crept to the library, it was about one in the morning and she couldn't sleep. Part of it was because her feral instincts were telling her to do something and the other part was she was thinking about Brennan too much. She turned on the light and started walking through the huge rows of books. She headed straight to the poetry section; she grabbed a small thin book and hurried out of the room. Shalimar went over to her big chair. Flipping open the book she started to read. It was one of Brennan's favorite pieces of poetry. Soon her eyes started to get heavy and she fell asleep curled up with the book rapped around her arms imagining it was Brennan in its place.
THE NEXT DAYShalimar woke up the next morning around 5 o'clock; Shalimar normally would get up and start her morning exercises but this morning was different. She didn't feel up to it, she just lied in the chair. Her body started craving her morning routines she struggled to her feet. Shalimar began with her stretches and then into her push-ups and sit-ups. She then went to her door still in her pajama bottoms and black tight spaghetti strap tank top. Shalimar usually jogged in the morning around Sanctuary, but this place was too small. So she went to the weight room to use one of the treadmills, seeing that she was the only one up.
She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and placed a set of headphones on. Shalimar started running, but it wasn't the same. She missed the company of Brennan joining her on her jog. Her heart ached for him; she pushed herself harder and harder trying to run from the pain that was buried deep down in her heart.
Lydia came down the stairs awoken by the noise coming from the treadmill. She walked to the gym noticing Shalimar running as hard as she could. Lydia entered unheard by the other Feral. She could see the tears running down Shalimar's face as she came closer.
Shalimar felt the presence of another in the room; she glanced over and saw Lydia. She shut down the machine and wiped her eyes, which were now puffy and red. "Sorry if I woke you up."
"It's alright, I heard you get up and do your stretches earlier. That's the one thing I hate about being feline Feral, you hear every damn thing," Lydia said trying to lighten the mood.
Shalimar cracked a small smile, "I know what you mean," she replied wiping away another lonely tear.
"Do you want to talk?" Lydia asked hating to see her in pain.
"No I fine," Shalimar answered gathering her composer.
Lydia didn't push the issue any further. "Do you want a fruit smoothie, I was just about to make one?"
"I'd like that," Shalimar smiled and followed Lydia out to the kitchen.
She took a seat on one of the stools around the middle counter, as Lydia went over to the refrigerator grabbing a bunch of fruit and the soymilk. Within a few minutes Lydia was pouring two tall glasses of the fruit smoothie for herself and Shalimar. Shalimar and Lydia talked for a half an hour, Shalimar explained to Lydia about Mutant X and without meaning to she told Lydia about Brennan and their starting relationship.
Ben, and Zeke walked down the stairs at the sound of laughter, as Shalimar entertained Lydia with one of her many stories of Brennan and his crazy stunts. "What's so funny?" Ben asked as he came up behind Lydia and kissed her check before going to raid the refrigerator.
"Oh nothing. Shalimar was just telling me some stories of her friends," Lydia answered.
"Meeting in five minutes," Deacon said over the railing down at them.
"Ok," they all replied as Deacon returned to his room.
"I hate it when he calls early meetings," Eliza yelled from the railing over at her room.
"We know Liz," Zeke said, as Eliza rolled her eyes at him and headed for the stairs.
"Come on let's go to the lab," Lydia suggested. Everyone nodded yes and followed her to the lab.
They were all standing around everyone still in their pajamas, and Deacon entered the lab, in his pj's as well. "Alright lets begin," Deacon said standing by a computer. "The President is going to start a year tour of the United States, now all we know is that the Mutant terrorist group wants the President dead or alive, by any means necessary. We have three cities where they might try to take him; New York, Austin, and Los Angeles," he brought each city up separately on the computer for all of them to see.
"Ok, so if we have an idea of where they might strike, how are we going to get close to the President?" Shalimar asked after a long period of silence.
"Ya, I was wondering that to," Zeke agreed.
"This is the fun part," Deacon said with a smile.
"There's more fun?" Ben asked in a sarcastic tone.
Deacon shock his head yes, "Kenna if having us go undercover as Secret Service agents to watch over the President."
"Cool," they all replied.
"All right Zeke, you're the Presidents new Air Force One pilot," he started.
"Cool I've never flown that kind of plane before," Zeke stated with a huge smile, as he got nervous looks from some of his teammates, "was it something I said?"
Deacon just shook his head and continued, "The rest of us get to be agents."
"Do we get guns and everything?" Eliza asked excitedly.
"Yes Eliza you can take you weapons," Deacon sighed, and Eliza smiled. "Now the President know about the threats to him but he does not want to cancel his trip, so he requested us."
"When do we leave?" Shalimar asked not wanting to leave another place so soon.
"This afternoon," Deacon answered.
"Crap," Shalimar thought.
"Are you serious?" Ben asked not very impressed.
"Yes,"
"So how long are we going to be gone?" Ben asked another question.
"It depends, but most likely until we catch them," Deacon told them. "So go pack and we'll get ready to go to Washington D.C."
They all herded out of the lab and went to their rooms to pack.
* * *
LATER THAT DAYShalimar packed most of the clothes in her closet in three suitcases; she was not impressed that she had to travel around the country. She knew it was going to take some time to adjust. She wished she could have Brennan with her or anyone of her friends for that matter.
A knock came to the door, "Come in," Shalimar told the person.
Lydia's head appeared in the doorway, "You ready to go?"
"Ya," Shalimar replied trying to pick up all three of her suitcases.
"Let me help," Lydia offered as she entered the room.
"Thanks," Shalimar smiled.
"No problem, I had Ben help me with mine to," she stated making Shalimar giggle.
"It's nice to have a boyfriend to do that for you," Shalimar stated.
"Hell ya," Lydia said as they walked out of the room and over to the stairs.
They reached the bottom in time for Deacon to come over. "Hear let me take one," he offered.
Shalimar smiled and let him take one of the suitcases, "Where were you when I had to go down the stairs with these?" She asked jokingly.
Deacon just laughed, "I thought you were a tough enough girl to handle it yourself."
Shalimar just elbowed him in the side as she and Lydia walked by, she thought about what she had just done. "Was I just flirting with him?" she thought to herself, "No I like Brennan, and I can't to this to myself."
Shalimar's thought were seceded when she saw a jet that looked a lot like the Double Helix. It was a bit larger and more like a plane then the Helix, but it was just as sophisticated. Lydia led Shalimar up the ramp and placed her luggage in the very back of the plane. Deacon was the last one to board the plane; Shalimar couldn't help but glance up and give him a small smile. He smiled back at her and took a seat at one of the computers.
"Where's Liz?" Lydia asked.
"She's still bring out luggage," Zeke yelled from the cockpit.
Lydia just rolled her eyes as she saw Eliza stumble onto the plane carrying four bags of luggage, with the door closing behind her. "Enough clothes their Liz?" she asked her friend.
"Who ever said these where clothes," Eliza said with a smile.
Lydia and Deacon laughed, as Shalimar stared at them in confusion feeling the plane take off, "So what's really in the bags then?"
They laughing died down, "Weapons," Eliza, replied with a shrug.
Shalimar's eyes widened, Lydia leaned over a whispered in her ear, "If you think that's amazing then wait until you see what's inside the bags." Shalimar was intrigued to see, but Zeke interrupted.
"Deacon where do you want me to land this thing?"
"Land this thing, we're already there?" Shalimar was amazed at how fast this plane could actually go they had been in the air for only ten or fifteen minutes.
"Ahh…" Deacon thought for a moment before answering. "At the White House."
"Are you serious?" Zeke asked shocked.
"Ya," he said bluntly.
"So you want me to land this beast at the white house in the middle of the night?" he asked sarcastically, getting giggles from the three girls.
"No I was just joking," Deacon admitted to Zeke.
Zeke just burst out laughing and Ben just rolled his eyes. "So where did you want me to land this?"
"At the airport, in the last hanger," Deacon instructed.
"Roger that," Zeke replied in a funky Robocop voice.
"I hate when he say's it in that voice," Deacon said giving Shalimar a smile. Shalimar smiled back and returned to her reading.
"Okay we're about to land," Zeke yelled.
Shalimar just felt a slight hover as the plane landed vertically. The engines turned off, then Zeke and Ben piled out of the cockpit to join with the others.
"Alright grab your stuff and lets go," Deacon ordered.
The team filed out of the plane, Shalimar noticed Air Force One outside of the hanger. There were at least ten Secret Service Agents coming down the stairs from the plane. They fanned out as the President came out from the plane to greet them.
He smiled as Deacon walked up to him first, "Deacon it's been along time."
"It sure has," Deacon replied, as the President pulled him in to a hug.
The rest of the team looked at each other, wondering if one of them knew what was going on.
"So Kenna told me about our little situation here," the President told him.
"Ya that's why we're here," Deacon replied pointing to his team.
The President nodded in acknowledgment to the team. "Good just do what you have to do and don't mind the other Agents they'll stay out of your way. Just make yourselves at home." With that he turned around and boarded the plane.
Deacon turned to his team, "Lets go," they walked up the stairs, and Deacon turned to Zeke. He pointed to the cockpit and Zeke nodded with a huge grin on his face. He handed his to bags to Ben and Lydia, then left.
Zeke entered to the cockpit to find two pilots already sitting there. The pilot a young man just about the same age as Zeke, turned when he heard him enter. "Your not supposed to be in here!" The man said angrily.
"I wouldn't be talking that way to an officer," Zeke said in is best general type voice.
"Ah…. I'm…ah…" they guys stammered.
"BOY! GET OUT OF MY SEAT!" Zeke ordered, as the man got up quickly. The guy paused before he passed him, but Zeke just pointed for him to go.
Zeke just smiled and went over to the pilot's seat, as the co-pilot finally turned around. Zeke's mouth dropped, he wasn't expecting to have a young girl as his co-pilot. "Hi," that's all he could think of.
The girl smiled, "Hi," she replied.
"I'm Zeke,"
"Sarah," the girl replied. "So are you really an officer?"
"No, I just thought it would be more fun then just tell him he was fired," Zeke explained with a sly smile. Sarah just laughed. "So how do you start this thing?" She gave him a worried look, "I was just kidding," Zeke said. He placed his headset on, and then flipped a few switches turning on the engines.
The rest of the team made their way down the isle. Shalimar couldn't help put peak into some of the room's that had their door's open, their were people on computer's, men and women around tables talking making plans. Lydia tugged on her arm motioning for her to move. Shalimar smiled and followed her to a couple of seats that were assigned to them.
Lydia took a seat beside Ben who placed her arm around her. Shalimar watched them before taking a seat across from them, next to Deacon, which was the only seat left. She turned and looked at him, he was smiling at her. She smiled back and looked back Lydia and Ben. It was hard for her to watch them, she could only think of Brennan and how much she missed him. Turn her attention away, just as she felt the plane shutter as it prepared to take off.
* * *
SIX MONTHS LATER: NEW YORK CITY
The President had traveled most of the Eastern Coast and some states out by the Mississippi River. The Stand had not shown themselves once, and the team was starting to get upset, especially Shalimar. She wanted to get this stuff over with so she could go home.
Their next stop was New City, before they headed out to the West Coast; the President was going to be making a few speeches at a park, and some city memorials.
On the plane one of the President's secretaries handed Deacon a sheet of paper with the President's schedule on it. "Alright four speeches four different locations," Deacon said. "Two inside, two outside."
"Where are the outside ones?" Eliza asked sitting on the floor cleaning some of her guns.
"One is a new children's park of the disabled and the other one is in front of a new bank building," Deacon explained, before he kept on reading the paper to himself. "The park is going to be a dusk, that could be a target." Deacon looked up from the paper at Shalimar who went to receive her two guns from Eliza, who wanted to clean them for her. "Shal," Shalimar turned around, she hated the way he said her name it reminded her too much of Brennan. She was trying to clear her mind of him, knowing all to well she could be away from him for a very long time. "I want you and Lydia to go check it out before we get there, just to make sure everything's fine," he told her.
"Sure," Shalimar replied, as she flipped the safety on the guns and placing them in their holsters, which were strapped around her shoulders. She went over and grabbed her long black leather jacket and put it on covering up the guns.
Lydia and Ben entered the area, just as Shalimar sat down. Shalimar loved having hunting duty with Lydia, with them both being Feral it made it even more interesting. Lydia saw the smile on Shalimar face when she walked in.
"Hunting duty?" she asked. Shalimar nodded yes in reply. Lydia's eye's flashed yellow for a brief second. "I love our job!" She stated sitting down next to Shalimar.
"Now you girl's, don't get into trouble," Deacon told them, knowing they always did.
"US?" They both replied, and then looked at each other, "Never!"
"That's what they always say," Ben mumbled quietly, but not with out getting two sets of yellow glowing eyes. Ben backed off and sat next to Deacon, before the plane landed.
They plane came to a stop and Zeke's voice rang out over the intercom, "Thank you for flying Air Force One, please watch your step when exiting the plane, and don't forget to tip your hostess."
The girls couldn't help but giggle, as Ben and Deacon rolled their eyes. "I give him one job and he has to go making jokes," Deacon said with a sigh.
Everyone got up and exited the plane; the president was the first to leave in one of the five limos. The team hung back for Zeke to exit the plane, he soon came down. "You are the dumbest man I know," Ben yelled to him.
"What did I do?" Zeke asked as he approached them.
"Who is stupid enough to say that stuff on the intercom? I mean it would be bad enough if it was a regular plane, but Air Force One!" Ben explained, as they climbed into the last limo.
* * *
ONE WEEK LATER
The President had made it through three of the speeches. Shalimar and Lydia went out earlier that day to check out the park area, where the President would make his last speech around seven o'clock just when it was turning dark. Everything seemed okay but both girls had a funny feeling about this speech. Not knowing whether it was their feral instincts going out of whack or something else.
TBC
A/N: Sorry for the long wait but I've been to busy and sick to write! WARNING!! The rest of the chapter's in the story are going to be R because of graphic violence and language. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!
