Chapter 3 -- Two of a Kind

"Tell me about Lana?" Mel asked quietly, looking around the large room.

"She's a young Vardian woman. Studied under Zin when she was in college." Cole ran his hands over the door to the Vault as he spoke, a slight glow evident where they passed. His voice was even softer than usual, but the underground chamber had an amplifying effect so that every word of his quiet speech was clearly audible to Mel even though his back was to her and she was several meters away. "She vanished about five years ago, shortly after her graduation. She was brilliant, Mel, second only to Zin, maybe more intelligent, and she worshipped the man. I've never seen such dedication from a Vardian before. Some rumors called him her father, others said they were secretly mates. Damn!" he shouted abruptly.

Mel jumped, startled as the abrupt shout echoed off the walls and ceiling, magnifying itself exponentially in sharp contrast to his earlier tone. "What?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably as the last echoes died away.

Cole picked up the sledge-hammer in one hand and swung it in an arc over his head, slamming it into the Vault's door, which crumbled effortlessly under the impact. "Wormhole," he muttered, staring into the empty Vault and shaking his head. "Degrades the molecular structure of most metallic compounds. It's why the weapon couldn't be safely transported through… the containment wouldn't have held."

Mel walked to his side and touched the crumbling metal, frowning as more crumbled away under her touch, its consistency like sand. She pushed with both hands on either side of the hole Cole had punched into the door and nearly fell into the Vault as most of the door crumbled away under the light pressure. Cole's hands shot out and gently caught her.

"It does this to metal and people go through them?" she whispered, straightening.

Cole shrugged. "It's far safer for organic materials to pass through." He smacked the palm of his hand against what was left of the door, well away from the hole, and left a hand-shaped imprint. He blinked. Stray radiation from the wormhole should have left the metal far more fragile than that. Frowning, he began walking around the room, tapping the wall gently with his fist at intervals, muttering numbers to himself. He shook his head. "How do the humans say it? The student has surpassed the teacher?"

It was Lana, had to be. She was the only person in the Migar Federation good enough to achieve such a specific terminus. Zin might have been able to come close, but not from inside the Vault. Once he had documented this, Bendal and Eijan would be exonerated. This was basically proof that Zin and Zin's people were behind his escape from the Vault and all that had followed because, in the entire Alliance, only Zin and his select circle of confederates had both the knowledge and the resources. His own innocence in this insanity might be somewhat more difficult to prove, but not by much. He was going to have to rely on his own previously exemplary service-record and his hard work and ingenuity in capturing the fugitives the first time to speak to his character. They would have a far harder time calling him a traitor now. He might never be fully trusted by the Security Council, but that hardly mattered to him any more, not now that his life was to be on Earth. Besides, the stakes had abruptly gotten a lot higher than proving anyone's guilt or innocence.

Mel nodded. "Yeah, that's a human phrase. Why?"

"This is the most perfect wormhole I've ever seen, Mel. It was precisely centered over the door, only large enough for one or two people… Almost no stray radiation…" He rested both hands against the wall, leaning into it, his head hanging. "This is how the second escape happened," he whispered. "It must be. This is how Zin's mercenaries have been getting here… A wormhole like this, Mel… it would take almost no energy to maintain once it was established…" He shook his head, staggered by this realization and its consequences. "Sar-Top is completely vulnerable, I could use remote-Collection 100 times and have nothing but several thousand dead humans to show for it…"

"Cole, I'm so sorry," Mel whispered, resting her hands on his broad shoulders. This was never going to be over. Tears in her eyes, she slid her arms around him and rested her cheek against his back.

He pulled out of her grasp and turned to face her, gathering her into his arms, his tears mingling with her own. "All I wanted was to retire from all of this, live and die by your side. Now I have to start all over… Fight them, alone. Alone, again…"

"Not alone. I'll help you, Cole, if you'll show me how. We'll get through this like we've gotten through every other obstacle Zin has thrown our way." She touched his cheek gently. "Together, there is nothing we can not face," she told him firmly, meaning it.

He smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Mel." He held her close for several more minutes before sighing and pulling away. "I need to send a report to Eijan now."

"You guys aren't in trouble any more, are you?" she asked softly, following. It was, at least, something.

"Bendal and the others are in less trouble now, yes, Mel."

"What about you?"

"Everyone knows that Zin and I were good friends for many years."

"Guilt by association? Come on, that can't actually hold up in a court?"

Cole shook his head. "Probably not, but I would be required to return to Cirron to stand trial, and there's the fact that I left my post without permission. And they would probably wish for an impartial Tracker on Earth, one without a connection to Zin or any humans, one they knew would follow orders more readily."

"They wouldn't let you come back, would they?" she whispered.

"Probably not." He shook his head, his expression pained. "And if I disobeyed a direct order to return to Cirron or not return to Earth… they would send the Security Taskforce to bring me back."

"In a Collector?" Mel whispered.

Cole swallowed and nodded.

***

"It's good news for all of us, Daggon," the Enxian told him in a gentle voice. As an Enixian, her appearance might have been incredibly unpleasant, but her gentle, melodic voice was beautiful to Mel, especially when she told Cole, "And I'll do what lies in my power to see that you maintain your position as Tracker for the planet called Terra. The odds are good that you will be allowed to."

"Thank you, Warden Eijan." Cole smiled and inclined his head politely. It was a relief. He smiled at Mel, noticing that much of the tension had left her features as well.

"Nallyn sends you all love and would like to know if it will be possible to establish formal diplomatic ties with the planet, a proper extradition treaty for starters."

"Probably not," Mel said quietly.

"Why ever not, Terrestrial?"

"Um, it's human, and my name's Mel."

"Mel," Eijan repeated slowly, accustoming herself to the strange sound. "Why not, Mel?"

"Um… most of the governments on this planet--"

"You have more than one?" Eijan interrupted, startled.

"They have dozens," Cole contributed. "Many hostile to each other. Many more potentially hostile towards non-humans."

"Sorry," Mel added with a shrug.

Eijan sighed. "I see. Well, perhaps in another few generations, then."

"What is to be done about the security situation on Sar-Top?" Cole asked.

Eijan sighed again. "Actual cells. It is the only way, I'm afraid, until the Ministries of Science can find a way to defend against the wormhole threat on that large a scale" She paused for a long moment. "There are those saying that prison planets are no longer sufficient deterrents to crime. There's talk of bringing back capital punishments with a three to three split on the issue in the Council. If it comes to a vote, the Nodulians may not remain in opposition in the face of Vardian pressure…"

Cole shook his head. "Cirron will secede before it comes to living in a Federation that allows such things. The Council must realize that?"

"And Enix will stand by your people in such an event, Daggon, but it could come to war with Varda and Orsus."

"What about the Nodulians and Dessarians?" Mel asked.

"Their positions are less clear. They could come out on either side, or sit the conflict out completely," Eijan told her. "It would not matter. Cirron and Enix are not militant worlds, our people are not soldiers. They would not stand a chance, especially if Zin recovers the ancient weapon. Nodul and Dessaria would be next, no matter who they sided with and Varda would eventually turn on Orsus. After that, with Zin and Lana on their side, no sentient species in the universe would be safe."

"The stakes just got a lot higher," Mel whispered. "How does one man destabilize an entire solar-system?"

"With a great deal of planning, no doubt," Eijan breathed. "And likely much more support from his government than they would have us believe."

"You think this was the plan all along?" Mel asked, wide-eyed.

"I need a drink," Cole muttered, shaking his head.

"Are you drinking again, Daggon?" Eijan asked.

"Like a Nodulian." He nodded.

"We need you at your best down there."

"So I've heard." Cole shook his head. "End transmission."

"Drinking again?" Mel repeated, frowning. "I didn't know you ever drank…"

"After Rhee… I couldn't moderate myself any more. Zin and Kallissa made me quit." He shrugged.


"So maybe starting up again is a bad idea," Mel suggested gently.

"Probably. Along with quitting my teaching job, becoming a Tracker, falling in love, transferring to Sar-Top, falling in love again…" He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands. "What am I going to do now?" he whispered.

"I don't know, Cole, but we'll figure something out," she promised, squeezing his shoulder.

He looked up at her slowly. "I haven't felt his helpless since…"


"Ashi and Nallia." Mel nodded. "I know, but… we need to catch Zin. Now more than ever…" she told him gently, sensing his dejection.

He shook his head, feeling defeated. "I can't do this alone."

"You won't be alone," Mel assured him. "You have me, and Eijan and Bendal, and…"

"Alicia and Tallinn and Nallyn." Cole nodded. "I know." He sighed and shook his head. "For all the good a pair of bureaucrats and a sociologist can do…"

"Well, a hell of a lot as far as preventing a civil war goes. Tell me about them. You never talk about your old life." Mel pulled a chair next to the one he was sitting in. "Who's Nallyn?"

"My sister-in-law. We taught together. She was a wonderful friend to me and… she introduced me to Nallia." Cole smiled faintly. "They were born together, twins. Not… not identical like Orsusians. They didn't even have similar personalities but… they adored each other. They were very close. I gain a wife and a sister at the same time when I married Nallia, and their family became mine."

Mel smiled. "Must have been great, being so close to your in-laws."

Cole nodded. "Yes, Mel. My own parents were dead, so Nallia's family… it was almost like they adopted me. I mean, I was an adult already, but their parents were there for me all the time, supporting me emotionally, helping us out financially in the beginning, and her brothers and Nallyn just naturally came to view me as a brother. Tallinn, he was Nallyn's husband. He was… arbiter? He mediated disputes within his community."

Mel nodded. "An arbiter, yeah."

Cole nodded. "Yes, and he had a large family of his own. The two families had always been close, more like one big family. It was how Tallinn and Nallyn came to know each other. And Tallinn's family accepted me as another member of Nallyn's, so we were all very close."

She smiled at the idea of having such a huge extended family. Other than her father and grandmother, Mel had never really known any members of her family, and now she realized that she knew even less about them than she had assumed.

"And where does Alicia fit into this big, happy family of yours?" she inquired.

Cole flushed faintly, bowing his head.

"Touchy subject?" Mel guessed.

Cole shook his head, smiling. "No, just so many memories. Alicia was my first teacher in college, before I was a teacher. I adored her, even though she was old enough to be my mother." He shrugged. "Actually, she was a bit older than my mother, I think, but I adored her all the same, like Lana with Zin."

"You had a crush on her?" Mel realized, smiling.

"A crush? Childish attraction?" At Mel's nod, Cole smiled and gave a nod of her own. "Yes, I did. I… I wanted her to take me as a second mate."

"Her first mate was dead?"

"Oh, no, Mel." Cole shook his head, chuckling softly. "He was very much alive. I just didn't care. I was young and full of foolish ideas. I thought that if it worked for Orsusians and Enixians, why not Cirronians?"

"My boyfriend the polygamist," Mel laughed, shaking her head.

"Aspiring polygamist, Mel," he corrected her, smiling. His smile faded abruptly. "Your boyfriend," he whispered, sighing deeply.

"Damn," Mel whispered as realization set in.

Once again, a physical relationship was impossible for them, and for exactly the same reasons. Now that Cole had the fugitives to worry about again, he was going to be as reluctant as before to have that kind of relationship with Mel again, fearful of getting 'distracted', of losing focus, of losing her the way he had lost Nallia and Ashi. So much for their happily-ever-after.

"I'm so sorry. I…" He looked up at her, tears in his eyes. "I was going to ask you to marry me," he confessed quietly.

Mel covered her mouth with one hand. He had been on the verge of proposing, and now he would not because of them. She hoped that she would have a chance at Zin. She wanted to make his Collection slow and incredibly painful, the bastard.

"Would you have said yes?"

She nodded, biting her lip. "In a heartbeat."

"Will you wait?"

"Yes," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "For as long as it takes. But… this time you have to let me help you more. I need to be by your side, Cole."

"I worry so much, though…"

"I worry too, Cole, about you, out there alone." Mel sighed and shook her head. "I did it once, I can do it again. Teach me how to fight and how to use my powers and let me help you. Like I did when Zin was in here."

Cole nodded slowly, knowing that if he did not agree she would try to do it on her own. "Eijan taught me how to be a Tracker, just as my parents taught me to be a Cirronian. I will do my best to teach you how to be both, Mel, but it will not be easy, not for either of us. You must understand this and be patient."

"Patience has never been my strong-suit," she pointed out quietly, sighing deeply. "One more thing I need to learn, huh?"

"It's a good place to start, Mel," he told her gently, taking her hands in his. "The more you can learn to simply accept that which is, what you have within you, the more you will be able to use your Cirronian abilities. The better at that you become, the better you will be at Tracking."

She nodded. "How do we start?"

"With that which is." He rose and offered her his hands. "Now, if you'd like."

"Hey, no time like the present." Mel accepted his hands, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "So, how do we start?" she asked.

He hesitated, but only for a moment. "We start… as all children start out, Mel. In the dark."