Well, here it is finally, the next part. And twice as long as normal. At least it didn't take quite as long for this part as for the last one. Thanks for all the reviews. As to the question of Sandoval finding out…. Well, I can't see him letting go of his search now, can you? (Evil grin)
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Looking around the makeshift infirmary, Richard decided that he'd managed to make the area as secure as he could in ten minutes. The escapees had been moved to a separate room from the rest of the injured, and the well-wishers had been shooed off to bed with reminders of the amount of work that would have to been done tomorrow, or actually later today. The smaller infirmary was crowded with four beds pushed close to one another, particularly considering Fred's temporary suspension unit which suspended his broken leg in mid-air. Fred's dose of painkillers was high enough that Richard wasn't certain how much of the conversation he'd even be awake for. Roger at least would be able to sleep relatively easily, having only a twisted knee and a burn on his leg. Richard didn't want to be Daniel though, with a nasty burn on his back, a broken arm, and a concussion. Whichever way he slept would be painful and adding in the stream of people that would wake him up all night long because of the concussion would only make it worse. But at least Daniel was in a bed next to his wife, Denise, the only female escapee. All four escapees were awake, though not all completely focused on the upcoming conversation due to the painkillers they were on. A secure comm. line had been set up in the corner. It was about two foot by two foot- large enough for Liam to hopefully see everyone in the room.
The escapees were anxiously watching Richard as he'd only told that them someone needed to speak to them.
"All right. Listen up, people!" Richard said forcefully. "I've talked to Falcon about what happened tonight, and he felt that he needed to speak to you personally. I want you to try to remember everything you can about your meeting with Sandoval. He was very interested in exactly what happened." Noticing the somewhat embarrassed and fearful looks on some of the their faces, he added, "I don't blame you for Sandoval about Falcon, and I doubt he will either. Just be calm and try to remember everything that happened."
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Daniel tried not to worry as Richard put the call through to Falcon, but he couldn't help it. He had told Sandoval that Falcon was a courier, and that would surely increase Sandoval's interest in him. Couriers knew how to find multiple Resistance cells. The capture of a courier would be invaluable to the Taelons, and, depending on how quickly things were reorganized once the courier's capture was discovered, a terrible blow to the Resistance, or at least to the coordination between cells.
He looked up as Richard stepped away from the comm. system. The screen flickered but remained blank. A voice, strong but with faint undertones of exhaustion, said, "This is Falcon. Who am I speaking to?"
Richard stepped forward briefly to introduce the escapees and then stepped back to the side of the screen.
"I'm glad you all made it out safely. Or at least in approximately one piece. I was worried about those we had to leave behind when we collapsed the tunnels. Now, tell me what happened. Sandoval approached you and…?" the voice encouraged.
It was unnerving to hear a voice without seeing the expressions on the person's face. While Richard had told them Falcon wouldn't blame them for telling Sandoval about him, it would have been more reassuring to see the expression on Falcon's face and know it.
When no one else started to talk, Daniel said, "He ordered the guards away. Then, he just stood and stared at us for a couple of minutes. Finally he asked us about you. I was glad he actually said something," he confessed, "His glare was unnerving."
Falcon stepped into the silence that followed that remark, saying, with a wry twist to his voice, "So I've heard." Then getting back to the subject at hand, he asked, "How did he describe me? Could he have been asking about someone else?" Though he had asked the question, his tone made it clear he thought Sandoval had been interested in him specifically.
"He described you as tall, thin, wearing a black balaclava, black jeans, and a black coat, and an excellent shot. I didn't know about the last part, but you were the only one I saw there all in black. And I don't remember anyone else wearing a black coat. He had to be talking about you."
"Go on."
"Nobody said anything for at least a minute. I don't think Sandoval really expected anyone to talk. I was wondering why he was even bothering asking the question. He had to know we wouldn't answer. But I guess I didn't realize how determined he was. He grabbed Denise from the ground…" He couldn't continue. He curled up and began to shake, his shoulders heaving with dry sobs.
Denise broke into the uncomfortable silence. "He looked me up and down like a piece of meat." She shuddered. "It makes me feel dirty just thinking about it. Then, he grabbed me by my unbroken arm and pulled me to my feet. My ribs hurt so much I barely heard his next comments. But he made it clear he intended to… to rape me, and then to give me to the Volunteers for them to play with." She shook her head in puzzled confusion, "He was an FBI agent… before. I couldn't believe he was actually going to…to do that to me! He was trained to uphold the law." A sigh. "But I remembered everything the Taelons had done, and remembered that he had to have known about the experiments. And then Daniel said he'd tell him what he knew. I didn't want him to, and told him not to, but then Sandoval shook me, and all I could think about was the pain in my ribs- and how much it would hurt if he really did… " She didn't say anything for a moment, and then started again. "When Daniel repeated that he'd tell him what he knew, I didn't say anything." She cast an awkward look at Daniel and stopped.
When she didn't continue immediately, Roger spoke up. "Daniel told Sandoval you were the courier who had brought us the information on the attack and knew our cell leader. He didn't know any more. But I'd heard your name, and I'd seen movement in the trees- I knew we had to keep Sandoval occupied so he wouldn't notice the others taking out the Volunteers. So when he asked if anyone knew your name, I told him it was Falcon." His voice became desperate as he tried to justify himself. "I had no choice! We had to keep Sandoval occupied. A…and he's the sort that would know a lie straight off. Even if I'd had a chance to think of one, he wouldn't have believed me. We couldn't risk him moving his attention elsewhere!"
Falcon broke in, and in a calming voice which managed to be soothing despite the fact it came from a blank screen said, "It's all right, Roger. I understand why you told him. I don't blame you. He can be quite intimidating, and you're right. I think he would have seen straight through you if you'd tried to lie. It was your only option. I don't blame you," he repeated. "What happened next?"
"We tackled him and knocked him out."
"How?" Falcon asked in a perplexed tone. "He's a trained federal agent. How'd you surprise him?"
Roger looked surprised at the question, and seemed to be thinking through the memory in his head. In a bewildered tone, he finally replied, "He let go of Denise and just seemed to forget her as he looked at us. I guess he thought she wasn't a threat. He was wrong though. She pulled him to the ground and we jumped him. I got him in a chokehold. I let go when he stopped struggling, and we ran." He paused. "You're right. There's something wrong with what happened, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what."
In a surprised tone, Falcon repeated his earlier statement, "He forgot her?" Almost to himself he added, "That's not like Sandoval at all." The screen was quiet for a few moments then he added, "Did you say anything as you headed to the woods?"
"I mentioned to Daniel that I had told Sandoval the truth as I helped him up. And I think I reminded him we weren't supposed to kill Sandoval." With a quick look over at Daniel, who had managed to stop sobbing earlier, and an apologetic tone in his voice, he added, "I think he forgot that."
There was another pause as the most recent statements were digested, then Fred, who had appeared to be out of it due to the pain killers for his broken leg, proved he had been awake and thinking during the entire conversation by asking, "It's not possible that he wanted us to escape, is it?" He turned to Richard and asked urgently, "We didn't have any trackers on us, did we?"
"No," Richard replied reassuringly. "We checked. No trackers."
"But," Fred asked mystified, "then how did we escape? And why? Roger and Falcon are right. There's no reason for Sandoval to be that stupid." He shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense!"
Falcon replied, "It doesn't really matter why or how you got away. The important thing is you did. You didn't say anything irreparable. The only thing he really knows is my code name, and he can't learn much from that."
"Thanks for telling me what happened. Thanks, Richard. You're right. I needed to hear that straight from them. And don't worry," his tone suddenly lightened, "I'll be careful. He doesn't know anything he could use to find me. Thanks and goodbye."
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Liam stood up from his comm. console and began pacing back and forth as he tried to figure out Sandoval's actions regarding the escapees and his last comment to the escapees themselves. 'He doesn't know anything he could use to find me.' Right. All he has to do is put together my injury with his son's and it's all over. But no, nothing they told Sandoval would make it easier for him to find me. It's my own stupidity that will cause that. If only I'd been faster… well, it doesn't matter now. It's over and done with. I just have to deal with the consequences.
What was Sandoval up to? Well, let's go through it, step by step. He stopped and turned around as he reached the far end of the room. He wasn't even consciously aware of his pacing or his path. The track in the carpeting was so well worn by now that Liam followed it automatically. He often paced as he thought, and the depth of the pace track indicated the amount of Thinking Liam had had to do over his short lifetime.
He orders the guards away before questioning the prisoners. Either he wants them to himself, as the others were thinking or… But the guards were still within sight. If he had wanted to keep Denise for himself, as unlikely as I think it to be, the guards wouldn't have been within sight. And besides, he suggested he'd give Denise to the Volunteers which negates the idea of him wanting her for himself. Plus of course, I just can't see him actually raping someone. I just don't think it's in him. No, he ordered the guards away so they wouldn't hear him ask about me- which means- I'm not sure what it means. But it definitely indicates he's interested in me for one reason or another. He's not indifferent to my existence at least. Of course, that doesn't mean that he wants me. He could just be interested in a Resistance courier- I'd be a great source of information. But maybe- he ordered the guards away because he wanted to protect me… he snorted. Get real, Liam, he told himself. Hoping Sandoval wants you or even wants to protect you is asking for heartache. After all, he's never shown any interest before in trying to find his son. Stop trying to put motives in Sandoval's head. He ordered the guards away because he didn't want them knowing about his interest in a specific Resistance member. Other wall. Turn.
So he orders the guards away so they don't know he's interested in me, and then bluffs the prisoners into giving him information about me. I refuse to believe that he's far enough gone to actually rape someone- but threaten to, that I can see.
And he questions the prisoners on the ground rather than on the mothership because… because he doesn't want the Taelons to know he's interested in me. That's why he ordered the guards away- not just because he didn't want them to hear his questions, but because he didn't want them to be able to inform anyone else about his questions. That could mean he's worried about me, or it could just mean he doesn't trust the Taelons. Heck, I know he doesn't trust the Taelons. Probably did it so they'd know as little as possible, period. Turn.
And on a different topic, I can't believe he was overpowered that easily. That's not like Sandoval at all. He'd never have forgotten that a prisoner was that close to him- which means- what exactly? There's only two choices, well, three really, either he was so surprised by what he learned that he forgot the prisoners, or he's having problems, or… he let them go? The last one, despite the fact it seemed so unlikely, is actually the most probable. Nothing the prisoners told him should have surprised him that much, and I haven't noticed any concentration problems, so that only leaves- the most unlikely possibility of all. As hard as it is to imagine, he let them go.
But if he did let them go, why did he do it? Well, it could have been to try and track them, but no trackers were found. Still I suppose any trackers could have fallen off. So the only other possibility is he let them go because he didn't want anyone questioning them about what he had asked about, though I suppose there's a remote possibility he let them go because they told him what he wanted to know. Turn.
But if he let them go, was he even unconscious when they escaped? And if he wasn't, then he might have overheard the "No kill" order on himself. He let out a short humorless laugh. I'll bet that's got him confused! The people he's been hunting down, torturing, and killing have been ordered not to kill him if at all possible. I can't even guess what he'd think of that.
I guess I'll just have to wait until tomorrow, and see what happens. I should know what he's told the Volunteers about me in a couple of days. He headed back to his bedroom and crawled into the bed that was calling his name seductively. I just have to remember to stay away from Sandoval until my arm heals. Shouldn't be …that…difficult…
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tbc