It wasn't fair. It really wasn't. That's what both of the twins thought
later when they had the time to contemplate it. Sneaking out was nothing
new to them. They had done it a million times when they were kids. They
had snuck out of their house and then broken Janna out of the penthouse and
then taken off most of the night and all got home and nobody noticed. As a
matter of fact, they had snuck out of here before and gone partying all
night. Nothing beat New York for an all night party. Well, except for New
Orleans, but that place was nothing but one huge party.
So why was it that the one time that they needed to get free, absolutely positively get out without getting caught, they couldn't even manage that. It should have been a Monday. If it was a Monday, that would have explained why when they dropped to the stone patio below them, Heather was standing right there with Jon. They had been in such a hurry to get out, neither of them took the moment to listen for a minute and see if there was anyone below. There shouldn't have been. The family should have all been inside talking about how to kill them.
Heather had stepped outside with Jon to get some fresh air for a few minutes. Now that she had done what she had set out to do, it was more or less up to the parents to decide on what they were going to do to their kids. She couldn't help but feel a little bad. It was all their own fault, but she totally caught them with their pants down on this. They deserved every bit of this, they really did. But still...
That little germ of sympathy that had been there dissipated the moment there were two thumps on the stone right in front of them. Liz's jaw dropped seeing Heather and Jon standing right there and there wasn't time to warn Cameron either.
"It's not what you think," Liz said quickly, trying to keep Heather from yelling and alerting the rest of the family. Why couldn't it have been Max, she thought miserably. Aunt Max had to be the only cool member of the family outside of Uncle Zane and Aunt Syl. She would be proud they were trying to do the right thing, especially considering that the right thing was saving her daughter's life.
"I can't believe you two," Heather managed to get out. "Did you actually think that taking off was going to help you live longer? When Mom and Dad hear about this..."
"Janna's in trouble," Cameron butted in. Heather's voice was getting louder and in another few seconds it wasn't going to take sensitive Manticore hearing to know what was going on inside. Heather was a lot like Mom, and that included the volume she could shout at. Before Heather could continue yelling, Jon got at what Cameron was saying.
"As in, worse than your parents knowing what you are up to trouble?" he asked, hoping that would get through to Heather. It seemed to work. She didn't yell again immediately.
"The last job we did," Liz explained. "We took something we weren't supposed to...a statue of Bast that Janna asked us to grab because she thought it was cool." She ran her hands through her hair, an unconscious sign that she was truly distressed.
"And now Janna just called and the guy that hired us kidnapped her and if we don't bring it to him, he's going to kill her," Cameron finished quickly, his eyes pleading with his big sister. If she didn't want them to leave, it wasn't going to be a matter of them trying to outrun her and the family. They had learned painfully that a telekinetic was not something to be played with.
"We have it," Liz continued. It drove Heather crazy when they started to complete each other's sentences, but that was as unconscious as the way Liz played with her hair when she was upset. "And if we don't get it to them...quietly...they are going to kill her."
Heather glared at them for a long moment. "You really think he's going to let all of you just walk away?"
They both looked down for a second. "Doesn't matter what he wants," Cameron said defiantly. "We do have the advantage if they want to get nasty."
Heather crossed her arms and blew out a breath. "You've got two minutes to tell me everything about this guy and then get out of here while I keep Mom and Dad from finding out that you're gone."
Both of the twins perked up at that. It was the last thing they expected to hear come from Heather's mouth. She smiled a little. "I'll do whatever the hell I want to the lot of you, but nobody is going to mess with my family and get away with it. And trust me, when this is over, I am taking it out on all of you."
Both of the twins grinned. Heather was a pain in the butt, but she did have the knack for coming through in an emergency. Between the two of them they managed to tell her what they knew of Southwood and promised to keep her informed. She thought for a second. She couldn't use the FBI's stuff, but that was what Uncle Xander was for. He could keep his mouth shut until they were somewhere over the Atlantic. That was a good enough jump on Mom so that she couldn't kill her for letting the twins leave like this.
"I'm going to get Xander to find out everything on this guy and then I'm right behind you," Heather said quickly, knowing time was getting shorter. Liz went to protest but Heather cut her off. "It's better if he doesn't know that you have reinforcements coming from behind. Let's just hope it isn't needed."
They didn't have much of a choice, but at least they agreed without an argument. In a matter of seconds, they were scampering off to get back over to France as fast as the next flight would take them.
"Are you really going to try and hold off your parents?" Jon asked bemused. He wouldn't try it.
"Hell no," Heather replied pertly. "I'm hoping to be back in DC before they notice that anyone is gone."
"You are absolutely crazy," Jon said. This was the Heather he remembered.
She shrugged with a wicked little grin. "Can't be good all of the time. You in?"
"Lead the way."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Getting home had been simpler than Heather had thought possible. Well, it was simple since Jon was there. Heather had thought about telling her parents that there was an emergency at work and she had to go home for a couple of days, but in the end, the chicken way won out. And there was the fact that Lance was in New York. Lance was a friend of Jon's, a frequent visitor at Jon's resort, and of the personal opinion that any excuse to fly was a good one for him. He was 24 and had recently inherited his father's business. He hated meetings. They took him from his beloved airplane. So when Jon called him and asked for an immediate flight, he had left the meeting he was in and ran out the door, meeting Jon and Heather at a small airport right out of town. Jon and Heather had taken the twin's method of leaving and Heather turned off her cell. With luck, Mom and Dad would think that she was off burying the twins' bodies. A couple of hours later, and they were in DC. Heather left Jon at her place and headed over to talk to Xander.
Heather drove over to Xander's quickly, hoping that Jon would be able to get them a flight over to France ASAP. Holiday season was the worst time to be traveling, but she didn't care what it took. Her little brother and sister were in a lot more trouble than just what the parents could dish out, and speaking of them, she would prefer if there were an ocean between them when they found out that she let them go over to Europe without letting anyone know.
She squealed up into the driveway, barely taking the time to throw the car into park before leaping out of it. He so better be home. She bolted through the door, hoping that if Xander had a guest, he wasn't otherwise occupied. She knew that he had a different attitude about being interrupted, but there was just no way she could get over that. Trying to have a conversation was just out of the question at that point. Acceptable and icky were not always two different things. As she flew through the door, Xander was in the living room. That was good. He was fully dressed. God was obviously on her side.
Before he could utter a word, she was already giving him the ten-second explanation of the entire situation. "Uncle Xander!" she yelled, screeching to a halt on the living room rug. "We got a problem. Weasels been snatching stuff all over the freaking place and now they tangled with someone they shouldn't and he's got Janna and I have to find out everything I can about this guy but I can't use the FBI stuff because Chambers is a dumbass and won't let me use it for personal reasons but Janna's in serious trouble and so are the twins and I think I have about an hour head start over Mom but that's not going to keep her from killing us all but at least it will be her and not someone else." She managed to get that out in a single breath. So why wasn't Xander saying anything?
He was actually staring. Not at her though. Heather turned slowly, following his line of sight to the kitchen door. Her eyes widened and for a moment all she could do was gape in shock as Special Agent Tynell Chambers leaned against the doorframe and casually ate a Frito out of the bag he was holding.
Chambers' gaze went from Heather back to Xander. "Something you'd like to tell me...bro?" he asked laconically.
For a moment, cool, calm Xander Brickman, always in control, the man in charge, looked like a small child that had just gotten so busted with the cookie jar. Past bedtime. And spilled the milk too. All over a hand- woven Persian rug. "Umm..." he squeaked. "Yeah...actually there is. Those are Cole's and if you eat them all he's going to hunt you down and hurt you." And with that declaration one of the most dangerous and efficient weapons of destruction turned on his heel and made a valiant attempt to run like hell.
He actually made it roughly two steps when he was suddenly picked up by invisible hands and slammed against the nearest wall, pinning him soundly against it as he was lifted until his head touched the ceiling. "Heather, put me down!" he yelled, unable to keep from squirming, knowing that he wasn't going to be dropped until she was good and ready. At least it got Ty to drop Cole's Fritos. As a matter of fact, he was slowly coming out of the kitchen, dark skin turning an ashy gray, his eyes huge as he saw what an X-7 was capable of.
"Got something to tell me, Uncle Xander?" Heather drawled out, crossing her arms as she emphasized the word 'uncle'. She was still trying to assimilate the whole Chambers X-6 she called him a dumbass thing. It wasn't working well.
"Yeah," he said, feeling like a total idiot for being so helpless. "Your mother called and wanted to know if I had seen you. I can call her back and change that to a yes." That got his head smacked against the ceiling. Cole had said that she had gotten much stronger over the last few years. He was right. Xander was just glad there wasn't a cliff nearby.
"Like you can get to a phone until I let you," she snapped.
Tynell blew out a soft breath, getting Heather's attention. The shock was fading out some and his lips twitched in what might have been an attempt to smile. "Drea insisted the whole way home that you were just like me," he said softly. "Leave it to her to notice first." His gaze sharpened, and he looked back at Xander. "You said that 608 had a male child," he said accusingly.
"Do the math," Heather replied before Xander could say anything. "If I was the oldest, then I would be almost four years older. I tend to refer the male child as my big brother. And why didn't you notice my parents' names off of my records when I applied to HRT?"
He gave her an odd look. "What was to notice about Christopher and Anna Raleigh? Not like there was a 599 and 608 to give it away. "
Heather blinked. "That's not what's on my records. I put down Zack and Alicia." They both paused for a second and then looked back at Xander. He tried to give a charming smile but was failing miserably.
"Lon," he said simply. Heather had seen Chambers irritated before at people falling behind. She had seen him pissed at people for royally screwing up. She had not seen him as totally enraged as what that one simple word managed to do.
He turned that burning gaze onto Heather and for a moment, she wanted to apologize. "Drop him," he ordered harshly and she reacted instantly, releasing the mental pressure that was keeping Xander up. Though she did make sure that both his feet jerked up again just before hitting the ground so that he managed to land in a jumbled pile on the floor.
How he landed didn't really matter though. Tynell was already there, hauling him to his feet and slamming him against the wall hard enough to make the plaster crack. "YOU KNEW!" he yelled. "You've all known? What, Alpha Team only information? I thought we were done with that, 632." His voice lowered to a growl. "I *thought* that there wasn't going to be Alpha, Beta, Charlie and Delta anymore. We were all leveled. And you fucking knew." He slammed him against the wall again for emphasis.
In a single sharp move, Xander jerked to the right, dropping slightly and getting his hand onto Ty's chest. He used his leverage off of the wall to shove Ty back as hard as he could, flinging him easily back nearly halfway across the room. Ty was on his feet in a second and launched himself back at Xander. From her vantage point, Heather could finally see the difference in how they had been ranked. Xander was just flat out better. He wasn't trying to really hurt his brother and that was the only thing keeping Tynell from serious injury. Xander was blocking him at every turn and making it seem almost effortless. However, it wasn't solving her problems.
Xander went to do a leg sweep on Ty and suddenly Ty wasn't there anymore. Ty was making some interesting noises and Xander found himself rather rudely shoved back. He glanced over at Heather and she was glaring at the both of them, one hand unconsciously rubbing the back of her neck. Sure sign she was overdoing herself. Xander could fight her and push her into a headache so that she would stop using her advantages, but the last time he had done that, he had to deal with Zack. He could deal with Alicia. When he had to deal with Zack, it was simply a good thing that he didn't scar.
"I appreciate the talk show moment, I really do," Heather said conversationally. "But can you guys get all weepy on Oprah later? My little brother and sister are really in trouble and they dragged our cousin along for the ride as usual."
She looked at her boss and gave him a weak smile. "I know what I'm about to do would cost me my badge if any of it took place in the US. But it all takes place outside of our jurisdiction anyways, and besides, I'm not going to let the brats get killed just to prove a point."
He blinked. "We are going to have a very long talk when you get back to work," he murmured. Whatever she was going to do, chances of it boiling down to covering a criminal act was very high. She was sworn to turn in any criminals and they would be extradited to face punishment for their crimes, but there was that Manticore element involved. When Manticore dissolved, he knew that he and Lon were put in the FBI for the express purpose of making sure that if any rogues ever came above radar by doing something illegal, they would be inside to make sure it got squashed. It had been a long time since he had been called on to do such, but that directive had never been changed in over twenty years. It wasn't going to change now.
"Xan, I need you to find out everything you can on this guy and get it to me. I'm going to be off to France as soon as I can, so you'll have to call, but I need to know what I am dealing with like yesterday."
Xander thought for a second. "And your mother has no idea that you let the kids take off and are following, does she?"
Heather shrugged. "She knows. That's why I need to leave the country ASAP. I don't have time to stay and find it myself."
"Heather, she told me to keep you here until she got here. You're a great kid, but quite simply, I fear her far more than I love you." Xander was expecting Tynell to roll his eyes or snort in disbelief, but obviously he remembered 608 quite well and how easily she could kick the ass of anyone that got in her way.
Heather's eyes narrowed. "That's not what you were saying when you helped me throw that party my junior year at Harvard."
"Only because the chances of her finding out were nonexistent."
Xander did not like the little smile of triumph that touched Heather's mouth. It was too much like Alicia when she had won, but her opponent didn't know that yet. "The chances of her finding out could increase greatly if you didn't help," she said icily.
Xander didn't flinch. He was far too well trained to back down despite the fact that party was one of those things that he would prefer to keep secret until his deathbed. "You really think that blackmail is going to work on me?"
Heather blinked. "It usually does," she replied, making him smile a little. When harshness wouldn't work on Xander, charm would. "The brats are going to get themselves out of this mess. I just want to be there in the background in case it all goes to hell. And to make sure Dad doesn't leave them tied up in the closet for too many months. Please, Uncle Xander? Mom's going to ask you to do the same thing and this is just going to give you a jump on it."
Xander blew out a breath, not believing that he was going to do this. "Tell me what you know and I'll call you later. But that party never happened, right?"
Heather grinned. "What party?" She had written down everything that the twins had told her and gave that to Xander.
She looked over at Chambers before she left, not sure if she should say something or try to explain or what. "Go save your brother and sister," he spoke up first. "Just see me when you get back." Heather almost laughed. Only an X-6 could be so casual about saving a sibling from a life or death situation. She ran out the door before Xander could change his mind. Tynell was just more amused at the way she had handled Xander.
"You know," Ty said when she left, "that she totally played you."
Xander thought about it for a second. "She did, didn't she?" He shrugged. "Oh well, trust me, she's not nearly as bad as her sister."
Ty's eyebrows rose in question. "Her sister is worse?"
Xander laughed. "Imagine Andrea as an X-7."
Ty thought about it. "There's not enough booze in the world that could get me through that." On that thought, both of them started flipping through the notes in Xander's hand. Tynell was usually a stickler for the rules, and the rules said that being part of this was wrong, but when there was an X in front of you, all rules changed. It wasn't agents getting in trouble. It was family.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It wasn't easy to get the flight over to France, but Jon knew a few people and managed to get it done. He had to charm the socks off of two ticket agents and call in a favor from a friend, but that's what they were there for. One of the ticket agents practically was begging for a number to call him back. He hoped that she wouldn't be there when they left. If she saw him with another woman, then the chances of them catching the Concorde of out O'Hare was going to be about zero. Jon was pleased with the arrangements in the avoiding parents department as well. They were going to catch a flight in two hours out to Chicago and then the Concorde to France. Not bad for one not used to dealing with sneaking around and subterfuge.
Heather had just called and said that Xander had agreed to help. Jon sighed with relief at that. Now they could get the hell out of there. The phone rang again, and he glanced at the number on the Caller ID. He was not going to get caught answering Heather's phone again if one of her parents called. Foreign Number. Di LiCossa. Jon grabbed it, expecting to hear Luisa's silky voice.
"Hey, it's Jonathan," he answered. "What's up?"
"Jonathan?" The rough male voice was certainly not Luisa. It took Jon a second, but then he understood.
"Antonio? This is Jonathan Hamilton. Good, Luisa decided to tell you what she did. Listen, Heather's checking something out right now, but we've got some good leads and as a matter of fact are heading back over today."
There was a long pause. "Would any of these leads put you where I am?"
Every hair on the back of Jon's neck stood up as some primitive instinct of alarm went off. "And you are where?"
Three words. It only took three words from Antonio's mouth and Jon knew that all of what they had thought was a problem before was piddling in comparison. Kidnapping, murderers, Mafia, none of it could hold a candle to what was stated by those three little words.
"Janna Jacqueline Cale."
So why was it that the one time that they needed to get free, absolutely positively get out without getting caught, they couldn't even manage that. It should have been a Monday. If it was a Monday, that would have explained why when they dropped to the stone patio below them, Heather was standing right there with Jon. They had been in such a hurry to get out, neither of them took the moment to listen for a minute and see if there was anyone below. There shouldn't have been. The family should have all been inside talking about how to kill them.
Heather had stepped outside with Jon to get some fresh air for a few minutes. Now that she had done what she had set out to do, it was more or less up to the parents to decide on what they were going to do to their kids. She couldn't help but feel a little bad. It was all their own fault, but she totally caught them with their pants down on this. They deserved every bit of this, they really did. But still...
That little germ of sympathy that had been there dissipated the moment there were two thumps on the stone right in front of them. Liz's jaw dropped seeing Heather and Jon standing right there and there wasn't time to warn Cameron either.
"It's not what you think," Liz said quickly, trying to keep Heather from yelling and alerting the rest of the family. Why couldn't it have been Max, she thought miserably. Aunt Max had to be the only cool member of the family outside of Uncle Zane and Aunt Syl. She would be proud they were trying to do the right thing, especially considering that the right thing was saving her daughter's life.
"I can't believe you two," Heather managed to get out. "Did you actually think that taking off was going to help you live longer? When Mom and Dad hear about this..."
"Janna's in trouble," Cameron butted in. Heather's voice was getting louder and in another few seconds it wasn't going to take sensitive Manticore hearing to know what was going on inside. Heather was a lot like Mom, and that included the volume she could shout at. Before Heather could continue yelling, Jon got at what Cameron was saying.
"As in, worse than your parents knowing what you are up to trouble?" he asked, hoping that would get through to Heather. It seemed to work. She didn't yell again immediately.
"The last job we did," Liz explained. "We took something we weren't supposed to...a statue of Bast that Janna asked us to grab because she thought it was cool." She ran her hands through her hair, an unconscious sign that she was truly distressed.
"And now Janna just called and the guy that hired us kidnapped her and if we don't bring it to him, he's going to kill her," Cameron finished quickly, his eyes pleading with his big sister. If she didn't want them to leave, it wasn't going to be a matter of them trying to outrun her and the family. They had learned painfully that a telekinetic was not something to be played with.
"We have it," Liz continued. It drove Heather crazy when they started to complete each other's sentences, but that was as unconscious as the way Liz played with her hair when she was upset. "And if we don't get it to them...quietly...they are going to kill her."
Heather glared at them for a long moment. "You really think he's going to let all of you just walk away?"
They both looked down for a second. "Doesn't matter what he wants," Cameron said defiantly. "We do have the advantage if they want to get nasty."
Heather crossed her arms and blew out a breath. "You've got two minutes to tell me everything about this guy and then get out of here while I keep Mom and Dad from finding out that you're gone."
Both of the twins perked up at that. It was the last thing they expected to hear come from Heather's mouth. She smiled a little. "I'll do whatever the hell I want to the lot of you, but nobody is going to mess with my family and get away with it. And trust me, when this is over, I am taking it out on all of you."
Both of the twins grinned. Heather was a pain in the butt, but she did have the knack for coming through in an emergency. Between the two of them they managed to tell her what they knew of Southwood and promised to keep her informed. She thought for a second. She couldn't use the FBI's stuff, but that was what Uncle Xander was for. He could keep his mouth shut until they were somewhere over the Atlantic. That was a good enough jump on Mom so that she couldn't kill her for letting the twins leave like this.
"I'm going to get Xander to find out everything on this guy and then I'm right behind you," Heather said quickly, knowing time was getting shorter. Liz went to protest but Heather cut her off. "It's better if he doesn't know that you have reinforcements coming from behind. Let's just hope it isn't needed."
They didn't have much of a choice, but at least they agreed without an argument. In a matter of seconds, they were scampering off to get back over to France as fast as the next flight would take them.
"Are you really going to try and hold off your parents?" Jon asked bemused. He wouldn't try it.
"Hell no," Heather replied pertly. "I'm hoping to be back in DC before they notice that anyone is gone."
"You are absolutely crazy," Jon said. This was the Heather he remembered.
She shrugged with a wicked little grin. "Can't be good all of the time. You in?"
"Lead the way."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Getting home had been simpler than Heather had thought possible. Well, it was simple since Jon was there. Heather had thought about telling her parents that there was an emergency at work and she had to go home for a couple of days, but in the end, the chicken way won out. And there was the fact that Lance was in New York. Lance was a friend of Jon's, a frequent visitor at Jon's resort, and of the personal opinion that any excuse to fly was a good one for him. He was 24 and had recently inherited his father's business. He hated meetings. They took him from his beloved airplane. So when Jon called him and asked for an immediate flight, he had left the meeting he was in and ran out the door, meeting Jon and Heather at a small airport right out of town. Jon and Heather had taken the twin's method of leaving and Heather turned off her cell. With luck, Mom and Dad would think that she was off burying the twins' bodies. A couple of hours later, and they were in DC. Heather left Jon at her place and headed over to talk to Xander.
Heather drove over to Xander's quickly, hoping that Jon would be able to get them a flight over to France ASAP. Holiday season was the worst time to be traveling, but she didn't care what it took. Her little brother and sister were in a lot more trouble than just what the parents could dish out, and speaking of them, she would prefer if there were an ocean between them when they found out that she let them go over to Europe without letting anyone know.
She squealed up into the driveway, barely taking the time to throw the car into park before leaping out of it. He so better be home. She bolted through the door, hoping that if Xander had a guest, he wasn't otherwise occupied. She knew that he had a different attitude about being interrupted, but there was just no way she could get over that. Trying to have a conversation was just out of the question at that point. Acceptable and icky were not always two different things. As she flew through the door, Xander was in the living room. That was good. He was fully dressed. God was obviously on her side.
Before he could utter a word, she was already giving him the ten-second explanation of the entire situation. "Uncle Xander!" she yelled, screeching to a halt on the living room rug. "We got a problem. Weasels been snatching stuff all over the freaking place and now they tangled with someone they shouldn't and he's got Janna and I have to find out everything I can about this guy but I can't use the FBI stuff because Chambers is a dumbass and won't let me use it for personal reasons but Janna's in serious trouble and so are the twins and I think I have about an hour head start over Mom but that's not going to keep her from killing us all but at least it will be her and not someone else." She managed to get that out in a single breath. So why wasn't Xander saying anything?
He was actually staring. Not at her though. Heather turned slowly, following his line of sight to the kitchen door. Her eyes widened and for a moment all she could do was gape in shock as Special Agent Tynell Chambers leaned against the doorframe and casually ate a Frito out of the bag he was holding.
Chambers' gaze went from Heather back to Xander. "Something you'd like to tell me...bro?" he asked laconically.
For a moment, cool, calm Xander Brickman, always in control, the man in charge, looked like a small child that had just gotten so busted with the cookie jar. Past bedtime. And spilled the milk too. All over a hand- woven Persian rug. "Umm..." he squeaked. "Yeah...actually there is. Those are Cole's and if you eat them all he's going to hunt you down and hurt you." And with that declaration one of the most dangerous and efficient weapons of destruction turned on his heel and made a valiant attempt to run like hell.
He actually made it roughly two steps when he was suddenly picked up by invisible hands and slammed against the nearest wall, pinning him soundly against it as he was lifted until his head touched the ceiling. "Heather, put me down!" he yelled, unable to keep from squirming, knowing that he wasn't going to be dropped until she was good and ready. At least it got Ty to drop Cole's Fritos. As a matter of fact, he was slowly coming out of the kitchen, dark skin turning an ashy gray, his eyes huge as he saw what an X-7 was capable of.
"Got something to tell me, Uncle Xander?" Heather drawled out, crossing her arms as she emphasized the word 'uncle'. She was still trying to assimilate the whole Chambers X-6 she called him a dumbass thing. It wasn't working well.
"Yeah," he said, feeling like a total idiot for being so helpless. "Your mother called and wanted to know if I had seen you. I can call her back and change that to a yes." That got his head smacked against the ceiling. Cole had said that she had gotten much stronger over the last few years. He was right. Xander was just glad there wasn't a cliff nearby.
"Like you can get to a phone until I let you," she snapped.
Tynell blew out a soft breath, getting Heather's attention. The shock was fading out some and his lips twitched in what might have been an attempt to smile. "Drea insisted the whole way home that you were just like me," he said softly. "Leave it to her to notice first." His gaze sharpened, and he looked back at Xander. "You said that 608 had a male child," he said accusingly.
"Do the math," Heather replied before Xander could say anything. "If I was the oldest, then I would be almost four years older. I tend to refer the male child as my big brother. And why didn't you notice my parents' names off of my records when I applied to HRT?"
He gave her an odd look. "What was to notice about Christopher and Anna Raleigh? Not like there was a 599 and 608 to give it away. "
Heather blinked. "That's not what's on my records. I put down Zack and Alicia." They both paused for a second and then looked back at Xander. He tried to give a charming smile but was failing miserably.
"Lon," he said simply. Heather had seen Chambers irritated before at people falling behind. She had seen him pissed at people for royally screwing up. She had not seen him as totally enraged as what that one simple word managed to do.
He turned that burning gaze onto Heather and for a moment, she wanted to apologize. "Drop him," he ordered harshly and she reacted instantly, releasing the mental pressure that was keeping Xander up. Though she did make sure that both his feet jerked up again just before hitting the ground so that he managed to land in a jumbled pile on the floor.
How he landed didn't really matter though. Tynell was already there, hauling him to his feet and slamming him against the wall hard enough to make the plaster crack. "YOU KNEW!" he yelled. "You've all known? What, Alpha Team only information? I thought we were done with that, 632." His voice lowered to a growl. "I *thought* that there wasn't going to be Alpha, Beta, Charlie and Delta anymore. We were all leveled. And you fucking knew." He slammed him against the wall again for emphasis.
In a single sharp move, Xander jerked to the right, dropping slightly and getting his hand onto Ty's chest. He used his leverage off of the wall to shove Ty back as hard as he could, flinging him easily back nearly halfway across the room. Ty was on his feet in a second and launched himself back at Xander. From her vantage point, Heather could finally see the difference in how they had been ranked. Xander was just flat out better. He wasn't trying to really hurt his brother and that was the only thing keeping Tynell from serious injury. Xander was blocking him at every turn and making it seem almost effortless. However, it wasn't solving her problems.
Xander went to do a leg sweep on Ty and suddenly Ty wasn't there anymore. Ty was making some interesting noises and Xander found himself rather rudely shoved back. He glanced over at Heather and she was glaring at the both of them, one hand unconsciously rubbing the back of her neck. Sure sign she was overdoing herself. Xander could fight her and push her into a headache so that she would stop using her advantages, but the last time he had done that, he had to deal with Zack. He could deal with Alicia. When he had to deal with Zack, it was simply a good thing that he didn't scar.
"I appreciate the talk show moment, I really do," Heather said conversationally. "But can you guys get all weepy on Oprah later? My little brother and sister are really in trouble and they dragged our cousin along for the ride as usual."
She looked at her boss and gave him a weak smile. "I know what I'm about to do would cost me my badge if any of it took place in the US. But it all takes place outside of our jurisdiction anyways, and besides, I'm not going to let the brats get killed just to prove a point."
He blinked. "We are going to have a very long talk when you get back to work," he murmured. Whatever she was going to do, chances of it boiling down to covering a criminal act was very high. She was sworn to turn in any criminals and they would be extradited to face punishment for their crimes, but there was that Manticore element involved. When Manticore dissolved, he knew that he and Lon were put in the FBI for the express purpose of making sure that if any rogues ever came above radar by doing something illegal, they would be inside to make sure it got squashed. It had been a long time since he had been called on to do such, but that directive had never been changed in over twenty years. It wasn't going to change now.
"Xan, I need you to find out everything you can on this guy and get it to me. I'm going to be off to France as soon as I can, so you'll have to call, but I need to know what I am dealing with like yesterday."
Xander thought for a second. "And your mother has no idea that you let the kids take off and are following, does she?"
Heather shrugged. "She knows. That's why I need to leave the country ASAP. I don't have time to stay and find it myself."
"Heather, she told me to keep you here until she got here. You're a great kid, but quite simply, I fear her far more than I love you." Xander was expecting Tynell to roll his eyes or snort in disbelief, but obviously he remembered 608 quite well and how easily she could kick the ass of anyone that got in her way.
Heather's eyes narrowed. "That's not what you were saying when you helped me throw that party my junior year at Harvard."
"Only because the chances of her finding out were nonexistent."
Xander did not like the little smile of triumph that touched Heather's mouth. It was too much like Alicia when she had won, but her opponent didn't know that yet. "The chances of her finding out could increase greatly if you didn't help," she said icily.
Xander didn't flinch. He was far too well trained to back down despite the fact that party was one of those things that he would prefer to keep secret until his deathbed. "You really think that blackmail is going to work on me?"
Heather blinked. "It usually does," she replied, making him smile a little. When harshness wouldn't work on Xander, charm would. "The brats are going to get themselves out of this mess. I just want to be there in the background in case it all goes to hell. And to make sure Dad doesn't leave them tied up in the closet for too many months. Please, Uncle Xander? Mom's going to ask you to do the same thing and this is just going to give you a jump on it."
Xander blew out a breath, not believing that he was going to do this. "Tell me what you know and I'll call you later. But that party never happened, right?"
Heather grinned. "What party?" She had written down everything that the twins had told her and gave that to Xander.
She looked over at Chambers before she left, not sure if she should say something or try to explain or what. "Go save your brother and sister," he spoke up first. "Just see me when you get back." Heather almost laughed. Only an X-6 could be so casual about saving a sibling from a life or death situation. She ran out the door before Xander could change his mind. Tynell was just more amused at the way she had handled Xander.
"You know," Ty said when she left, "that she totally played you."
Xander thought about it for a second. "She did, didn't she?" He shrugged. "Oh well, trust me, she's not nearly as bad as her sister."
Ty's eyebrows rose in question. "Her sister is worse?"
Xander laughed. "Imagine Andrea as an X-7."
Ty thought about it. "There's not enough booze in the world that could get me through that." On that thought, both of them started flipping through the notes in Xander's hand. Tynell was usually a stickler for the rules, and the rules said that being part of this was wrong, but when there was an X in front of you, all rules changed. It wasn't agents getting in trouble. It was family.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It wasn't easy to get the flight over to France, but Jon knew a few people and managed to get it done. He had to charm the socks off of two ticket agents and call in a favor from a friend, but that's what they were there for. One of the ticket agents practically was begging for a number to call him back. He hoped that she wouldn't be there when they left. If she saw him with another woman, then the chances of them catching the Concorde of out O'Hare was going to be about zero. Jon was pleased with the arrangements in the avoiding parents department as well. They were going to catch a flight in two hours out to Chicago and then the Concorde to France. Not bad for one not used to dealing with sneaking around and subterfuge.
Heather had just called and said that Xander had agreed to help. Jon sighed with relief at that. Now they could get the hell out of there. The phone rang again, and he glanced at the number on the Caller ID. He was not going to get caught answering Heather's phone again if one of her parents called. Foreign Number. Di LiCossa. Jon grabbed it, expecting to hear Luisa's silky voice.
"Hey, it's Jonathan," he answered. "What's up?"
"Jonathan?" The rough male voice was certainly not Luisa. It took Jon a second, but then he understood.
"Antonio? This is Jonathan Hamilton. Good, Luisa decided to tell you what she did. Listen, Heather's checking something out right now, but we've got some good leads and as a matter of fact are heading back over today."
There was a long pause. "Would any of these leads put you where I am?"
Every hair on the back of Jon's neck stood up as some primitive instinct of alarm went off. "And you are where?"
Three words. It only took three words from Antonio's mouth and Jon knew that all of what they had thought was a problem before was piddling in comparison. Kidnapping, murderers, Mafia, none of it could hold a candle to what was stated by those three little words.
"Janna Jacqueline Cale."
