Chapter 5 -- Concern

"Man, what is she playing at locking up today?" Nestov sighed, slipping a strand of wire into the lock for the Watchfire's back room.

"Well, traditionally when Miss Porter locks the door it indicates a desire to be left the hell alone," a low voice murmured in his ear.

Nestov yelped and jumped to his feet, staring down at Gwen with wide eyes. "Yeah, well…"

"Did you need something, Mister Nestov?" she asked in a polite tone, absently toeing the lock-pick that had fallen at her feet. She was in a foul mood today and not about to take any foolishness from anyone. "A key perhaps?"

"I need to talk to Cole."

Gwen did not have to consider her response to that for long. The timing of his arrival was far too coincidental in her opinion. She did not trust the fugitive informant and had not for some time. She was not about to let him in to see Cole while the too-trusting Cirronian was with Jenin.

"I'm sorry, but Mister Hauser is currently unavailable. Take a message?" she offered, smiling serenely at him.

Nestov shifted uncomfortably. That Gwen chick was just off. And not nearly as sweet and gentle as she usually pretended to be. How she could smile like that while her eyes spoke murder was beyond him, so he smiled and starting backing away.

"I think not." Gwen's hand shot out and helped itself to a handful of his collar before the Dessarian could react. "Let's try again, shall we? Mister Hauser is not currently in. Can I take a message?"

Nestov swallowed hard. Her smile was completely gone now. "It can wait," he managed.

She shook her head, tisking softly. "Dessarians… So damn twitchy."

Nestov's eyes widened. "You know…"

"All about you, Nestov." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she brandished her Collector at him. "Now start talking, fugitive scum."

Nestov paled as he glimpsed the Collector. He had not known that there was another Tracker on the planet, but obviously there was, and one who was not nearly as forgiving as Cole. He closed his eyes and quickly complied with her order.

"Some fugitive's gone renegade or… taken off or… something. Zin's got a price on her."

Gwen gawked. "You're shitting me?" she asked, startled by the second revelation.

Nestov shook his head quickly, mistaking surprise for anger. "No, man. I swear. Collectible only if she's returned to him alive and completely undamaged… He's threatening a painful death for anyone who so much as puts a scratch on her."

"This fugitive have a name?" Gwen asked in a low voice, not wanting Nestov to know that she knew a thing.

"J… Jenit or Jenin or something like that… Nodulian woman. I'm not sure what she was in for. I have this." He slowly reached into a front pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, extending it to her.

"Unfold it," she ordered, unwilling to relinquish her hold on him. When he had, she put her Collector away and took the paper from him and scrutinized the picture of Jenin and the Vardian writing below it. "Half a mil. Nice…"

"You read Vardian?" Nestov whispered.

Gwen nodded absently, reading on. "I read most languages. Vardian, Cirronian, Dessarian, Enixian, Gaelic, Cyrillic…" She looked up at him. "This is interesting. Mind if I keep it?"

Nestov hesitated. "Cole should really--"

"Be made aware of this, yes." Gwen nodded. "However, he currently has other concerns than a single rogue fugitive," she told him, releasing her hold on his collar.

"What did this chick do to piss Zin off, anyway?" Nestov asked, straightening his shirt.

Gwen tilted her head at him. She had expected him to run immediately. "How in the eight hells would I know? Now why don't you run home and shower? You reek of fear, my friend."

She made an absent shooing motion, fixing her eyes on the picture of Jenin again, showing him exactly how much his presence failed to intimidate her. Of course, every sense but her sense of sight was trained on the Dessarian. She was not, after all, stupid. The Dessarian may have been a petty con-man and burglar, but that did not make him incapable of cold-blooded murder, simply circumspect in his application of force. She waited until his footfalls faded completely before unlocking the door and letting herself in.

She paused in the back room, aware that Mel was in the bar, talking to… she paused, listening to the quiet voices for a moment. Vic Bruno. Wonderful. Rolling her eyes, she tucked the picture of Jenin into her coat.

"Oh, hello, Gwen," Mel greeted her as she walked into the bar.

"Hello, Miss Porter. Hello, Detective Bruno." Gwen smiled brightly at them and glanced at Mel's empty glass. "More scotch, Miss Porter?"

"Yes please, Gwen." Mel nodded as she stepped behind the bar. "Thanks."

Gwen refilled the glass and handed it back to Mel, her eyes pausing on Vic. "What? Why are you staring at me?" she asked, affecting uncertainty. She ran a hand through her hair as she mentally worked out who in the bar had gone to the police. The paralegals, probably. They had been a hard sell. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing at all, Gwen," Vic assured her with a forced smile, raising his glass to her.

"Oh, well, that's good." Gwen smiled blithely. "Miss Porter, is Mister Hauser still upstairs with Alice?"

Mel blinked at Gwen's casual use of the name of Jenin's host but nodded. "Yeah, Gwen, he is."

"Great. You mind if I pop up there and have a word with him?"

"By all means." Mel nodded.

"Great. See you when I see you." Grinning, Gwen trotted up the stairs.

Vic stared after her, unsettled. He could not quite shake his disquiet around the seemingly unassuming girl. She could pull a 180 from sweet to intimidating in a heartbeat. He had seen her do it with unruly patrons in the past and he was relatively sure that she had done it to him once. And now he had two people who had insisted that she had been in a physical altercation with Cole and had actually managed to subdue him in relatively short order. Which begged one question. What the hell?

Mel smiled curiously at Vic. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," he assured her absently. "Just trying to figure out how anyone could think that Gwen actually managed to cow Cole in a fight."

Mel laughed, shaking her head. "Interesting mental image, isn't it?" she asked in what she hoped was a nonchalant tone. As amusing as the mental image was, seeing the real thing had been just scary.

"Very interesting," Vic agreed. He rose, sighing. "Well, Mel, I'd better get back to the station. See you soon."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay, Vic. You take care."

After Vic had left, Mel walked up the stairs and found Gwen sitting on the couch, staring at a piece of paper in her hands. Cole was nowhere in sight, probably still with Jenin in the bedroom.

"Nestov was here," Gwen told Mel. "I thought it might be best to keep him uninvolved as far as possible, so I sent him on his way." Shrugging, she handed Mel the picture of Jenin.

Mel stared at it for a moment. "What's this writing say?" she asked. "Can you read it?"

Gwen nodded. "It says that Zin is willing to pay half a million dollars to any fugitive who returns Jenin to him undamaged. It also says that he'll personally torture to death anyone who harms so much as a hair on her hide."

Mel stared at Gwen with wide eyes. "Zin really wants this child."

She nodded impassively. "More even than that, though, he wants the mother's ability to bear the child. I'm not sure if Mister Hauser has explained this to you, but fugitives should not be able to conceive, let alone carry a child to term."

Mel frowned. "What about you? If they can't have children…"

"My mother was not a fugitive inside a human host. Her life-force was intact and her DNA was pure. Taking a human host mutates certain genes, results in sterility. Well, should." Gwen shrugged. "Honestly, we're still trying to figure out how they can even survive inside a human at all." Gwen gave another shrug. "All we know is that the human race is unique."

Mel frowned, curious. "Unique how?"

"Some examples… A Nodulian or Vardian tries to take over, say, a Dessarian or Orsusian host, and he'll be dead within a few weeks, but fugitives have this nasty habit of thriving in human hosts. Cirronians and Enixians can not successfully hybridize with any Migar race, but there are historical precedents for both with the humans."

"So… what's that mean?" Mel asked, shaking her head.

"I don't have the first clue, and if Taskforce geneticists do they aren't sharing." Gwen glanced in the direction of Mel's room. "On a practical level, it means that the girl in your bedroom should not be pregnant. If one or both of the parents had been in possession of an intact life-force, maybe… But not like this." She shook her head. "Zin has good cause to be interested in this woman, Miss Porter. He's not the only one who is. But he is the only one who wants to use what she can teach us to play Mengele."

Mel shivered. "That's…"

"Abhorrent." Gwen nodded. "You should understand that, however the Taskforce and the Security Council may feel about Jenin the fugitive, Jenin the mother is to be protected from Zin at all costs. More than one of us would die before we'd let Zin get his hands on either of them."

Mel was grateful for the assertion, but concerned for Gwen, who was still little more than a child. "Gwen, honey, this isn't your fight."

"You're wrong, Miss Porter. I don't know Jenin from Eve, but I do know Zin and I know what he's capable of. I will protect that little girl and her mother. Hybrids have to stick together, after all," Gwen added with a faint smile, patting Mel's shoulder and rising. "You should show this to Mister Hauser but not, I think, to Jenin. I have a safe-house for you and we can move you in tonight. Still working on a hospital, though. Kettai will come pick you up in a few hours. Safe-house is fully stocked, so all you really need is clothes, meds, whatever along those lines."

"Gwen, where are you going?" Mel asked, rising and following her to the door.

"I have a lot still to do. Zin already knows that the Taskforce has been involved."

"How do you know that?" Mel asked, startled.

"One of our inside people reports that… an expert on the Taskforce has been called to Chicago." Gwen nodded to her. "Look, I'll see you tonight, okay? You stay safe and try not to worry too much."

"Right, Gwen."

Mel nodded and watched her go before turning down the hall and opening her bedroom door. Cole was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding one of Jenin's hands and watching the sleeping woman with tears in his eyes. He looked up at Mel's entry and rose, joining her in the hall.

"How are you holding up?" Mel asked gently, closing the door.

"I… honestly don't know, Mel." He shrugged and walked into the war-room, pulling a sweater down from the shelf holding his clothes.

"You cold?" Mel asked, frowning. "It's not that bad in here. Are you getting sick?"

He shook his head, tugging on the sweater. "Sometimes I just get cold when I'm upset, Mel."

"If you're sure." Mel frowned and pressed her hand to his forehead. Of course, his skin was always hot and this was no exception.

Cole closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her cool fingers against his skin. "She never got to tell him, Mel," he murmured, sighing. "Kres never knew she had conceived."

Mel gathered him into her arms, holding him close. "Maybe… maybe it's for the best, Cole. Imagine how worried he would have been about them."

He nodded weakly. "I know, Mel."

"Let's go into the living room," she offered, sliding her hand into his. "We'll talk. Or just sit together if you don't want to talk."

"I don't want to talk, Mel, but I would like to have your company."

"Okay." She smiled up at him and followed him into the living room, keeping a gentle hold on his hand. "Here, sit. I'll be right back." When Cole sat down, Mel walked into the kitchen to reheat the tea. She retrieved a comforter while it was heating, draping it over Cole's shoulders. "That should help a little."

He smiled appreciatively up at her, pulling the blanket more tightly around his shoulders. "Thank you, Mel."

"Right back," she promised, returning to the kitchen to get the tea. She carried in two cups and handed one to Cole before sitting down next to him. "I… I know I've asked this before, Cole, but are you going to be okay?"

He stared into his tea and nodded wordlessly.

"I am here for you. I want you to remember that, Cole."

He smiled faintly at her, placing his cup on the end table. "Thank you, Mel."

"Yeah." She nodded and set her own cup down, opening her arms to him. "Come here, Cole. You look like a man who could use a hug."

"Yes," he agreed, nodding and sliding his arms around her. "Thank you, Mel."

"Any time, Cole."

They sat like that in complete silence for the better part of an hour before Mel spoke again.

"Gwen was here."

"Gwen?" Cole looked up but kept hugging Mel. "What did she say?"

"She's working on finding a hospital where Jenin can deliver safely and the safe-house will be ready in a few hours." She sighed deeply. "And she talked to Nestov."

"Nestov?" Cole asked, frowning. "What did she talk to Nestov about?"

"This." Mel handed him the flier that Gwen had left. "I'm not sure how much Nestov and Gwen know about each other, but she got this from him."

Cole read it, his frown growing deeper. "This is not good, Mel."

"I know." Mel nodded faintly. "And she says that he knows that the Taskforce is involved."

Cole shook his head. "There's no way he could know so quickly, Mel."

"Gwen says he's called in some expert he has on the way the Taskforce operates."

Cole shook his head again. "He's guessing, Mel, based on what he knows of me. I would guess that he's also making plans on how to proceed if the Taskforce is not involved."

"Just thinks of everything, doesn't he?" Mel sighed.

Cole nodded. "He may not be particularly respected Mel, but he is, by popular consensus, one of the greatest minds in the Migar Alliance."

"Good for him," she muttered sullenly.

They lapsed into silence again for several minutes until Cole asked, "What should I do, Mel?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes, shaking her head. "Oh, Cole… I honestly have no idea. I… I'm just not sure that there's a right answer to this one."

He nodded. "By law, I should Collect her. But to do that is to leave the child helpless and alone. If I don't, though… she is a criminal, Mel. And there is Kres to consider, and…"

"I know." Mel sighed and nodded, gently touching his throat as he had so often touched hers to provide comfort. "Hypothetically, Cole… what if there was someone to take care of and protect the baby? Would that make it easier for you to decide?"

He nodded readily. "Probably, Mel, but there is not."

"What about us?" she asked quietly.

He regarded her mutely, eyes wide.

"I can adopt her. You can tell me what kind of care a Nodulian baby needs. We can take care of her together until you have to go back and then decide if she would go with you or stay with me."

"Mel…" he whispered. "You would do that?"

"Of course I would, Cole."

Mel nodded firmly. No one else seemed to have considered that Jenin might not survive the delivery itself. Mel, whose own mother had died in childbirth, had. It had not taken much thought after that to decide that, if anything happened to Jenin, Mel herself was probably better equipped than any human on the planet to raise her daughter.

"It would be a big responsibility, Mel," Cole pointed out gently, wondering if she had thought things through. "Raising a child is never easy for two people and, with my Tracking, I will not always be around to help."

"I know, Cole. I understand that. And I would go it completely alone if I had to. The fact that you would be there when you could makes it a lot easier on me, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't want to do this if you weren't."

"Not many women would make such an offer," Cole said quietly, smiling lovingly at her. "I believe that you would make an excellent mother, Mel. I'll discuss it with Jenin."

Mel nodded. "Talk about a blended family," she murmured. "You should probably pack now," she told Cole. "Gwen says that they're going to pick us up tonight."

"Us, Mel? Are you coming?" he asked.

"Of course I am." Mel nodded firmly. "I'm with you on this one, Cole, all the way."