by: iluvaqt@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: As per default chapter.
iluvaqt's Notes: Please leave me feedback. What did you like? What did you hate?
Chapter 1 -
Tyrell Enterprises, San Francisco
Monday, November 4, 2019
To say she was freaked out would be a severe understatement. She had been working at the laboratory, as a research assistant, for less than six months. Who'd have thought, word would get back to Lydecker in that time, and they'd have her on the run with no way out.
On the interstate
"Zack, it's Jondy. You've got to come get me. Big trouble."
He didn't need to replay the message to hear the urgency in her voice, but he had anyway. Four times. After he'd lost Ben for three weeks with no trace, he'd gotten himself a cell. He could check the mailbox at any time and he could call out without trying to chase down a phone in the middle of the Nevada desert.
He hadn't heard from Jondy in a year. Last he'd dropped in on her, she had a steady job, a place to stay and decent friends. He'd busied himself with the rest of the X5s, he still hadn't found where Max had moved to yet. He was working on a lead.
Ben popped up all over the place and he'd resorted to just keeping an eye on his whereabouts. After a rough run in, they'd agreed not to respect each other's differences. And even though he hated to do it, Zack didn't give Ben the contact number. It wasn't his fault that Manticore had screwed him up, but he couldn't risk him hurting the others. Link, he'd found earlier in the year, only to have him disappear again.
Tinga was safely settled in Portland, working early shifts at a bakery and babysitting for working parents during the day. She had seemed like the motherly type when they were growing up. Always patient and composed, you'd be hard pressed to rattle her in any situation. Tinga had looked out for the younger ones at Manticore, especially Max, Syl and Krit, when they'd first joined the unit. Five screaming kids and he been itching to get out of there. She had given them all cartons of juice and small bowls of cut fruit and they'd been quiet for the rest of the time he'd spent with her.
Tom and Switch had stuck together despite his disapproval and were making a go of it in Los Angeles. Tom worked as a personal bodyguard to some celebrity. He had only ever had to use his gun once so far and didn't miss his mark. Back at Manticore, he'd topped them all in firearms training. He was a deadly cool marksman. Switch was Tom's opposite, where Tom excelled, Switch was sloppy. They'd covered for him in front of Lydecker, but outside there was no reason to. Switch didn't care much for guns, much like Max. Only Max seemed to be resolutely against them. Switch much preferred to challenge his opponents physically, which would explain why he enjoyed his job so much. He was a bouncer for an exclusive club on the Hollywood strip. And he had his barcode removed once a month, just for the rush. Zack on the other hand did it out of necessity. He wasn't a junky for pain.
Brin lived on the outskirts of LA. So when he checked in on the boys, he made an easy run through the city, headed for San Francisco, stopping by Brin on the way. He should probably be grateful that most of his siblings had stuck to one side of the coast. It certainly made keeping up with them a lot easier.
The youngest, Krit, was always on the road. He had signed on as a professional skydiver. He worked as an instructor under thrill seeker, X Marks. That guy would jump off or out of anything that was high enough to safely land from. 'Safely' being measured in his terms, as being able to walk away afterward. Once, he'd been laid up for a week with a dislocated knee and fractured a leg in three places, didn't faze the guy in the slightest. Ten days later, he was back at it.
Syl was a sport instructor at a high school in Wallace, Idaho. She had all her students wrapped around her pinky. The boys followed her around like drunken puppies and the girls thought she was the coolest teacher ever to grace the planet. When he visited a couple of months ago, she'd introduced him as her brother from Montana. Not untrue, as he'd been staying with Zane, and his devoted Milly for about six months.
He found his brother, Zane, easy company. They shared similar interests in outdoors and strategy games. And Zack appreciated Zane's thoughts when he was faced with difficult decisions, even if he didn't always show it. Zane always respected his rules and never questioned his authority. Although, when it came to understanding people, Zane was the one with all right answers. More than once his brother's wisdom had saved him from completely losing it. Everything was so much more complicated on the outside. The rules had changed, as has his siblings. The world was so much bigger and it seemed like they were constantly in enemy territory. One thing he could bank on as a constant, his objective would never change. He was their C.O. and he'd protect them all till his last breath.
Which was why he was headed to San Francisco now, riding against time, to save Jondy.
Tyrell Enterprises, San Francisco
Watching the vans pull up from the second story window, she'd quickly dialed the contact number and left Zack a message. Straight after that, she'd grabbed her backpack from the bottom draw of a filing cabinet and quickly made for the fire escape.
Throwing open the emergency door, she had looked down and heard them coming. They were covering all the exits. The only way to go was up. She'd taken the stairs, running as hard as she could. It wasn't till she got to the roof access door, that she slowed. Resting against the metal, she could hear voices outside. They were very faint and muffled but she recognized one of them.
"When you have every exit, every window, every crack in this building covered, then come back and tell me you're ready. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. Understood, sir."
"Good."
Lydecker. Falling back from the door, she only had a second to feel afraid before her training kicked in. Running back down the stairs, she kept running until the voices from below where less than a floor away from her.
She pulled on the door handle and quietly slipped inside. The third floor was dark. It was the records level and three employees worked this level, analysts and a secretary. It was just after 6 o'clock, she prayed there was no one working late. Lucky for her, it was deserted. Spotting the supply closet, she opened the door and found what she was looking for. Finding a box to stand on, she reached up and pulled off the grate. The air vent wasn't very wide, but she could move on her elbows. Throwing her backpack in first. She put the grate on the top shelf and jumping up there, she crawled into the vent backward. Slipping the grate back into place after.
As she lay there, she wondered if she could get past them using the vent system. Not great odds. Each level had it's own vent duct system. She'd only be able to reappear somewhere else on the third floor. She'd wait them out. Lydecker would give up searching soon. As she lay on her stomach - breathing in the moist, slightly moldy smelling air - she felt considerably warm.
Jondy rested her head on her arms and fought the urge to take off her shirt. She'd left her coat behind in the lab, only snapping off her I.D. tag. How could she possibly feel so hot in just a shirt and pants? Maybe it was because it was such a tiny space? Had her body heat warmed the air that quickly? For the next few hours that's where she waited. It was 11 o'clock by her watch, when she crawled out of the vent.
Creeping out of the closet, she checked outside all the windows to see if the trucks were still there. The streets below were empty. She headed back to the stairwell exit. Edging the door open a fraction, she checked before stepping out onto the stairs. Taking them all the way to basement car park, she got out to the street from the entry ramp that was on the rear of the building.
Keeping to the shadows and away from the streetlights, she headed in the opposite direction from the main street. As she passed by a corner, someone reached out from the alley and grabbed her.
His hand was clamped over her mouth and his arm encircled her, binding her arms to her sides. He was incredibly strong, but she wouldn't go without a fight. She was about to wrestle him, when she recognized his scent. Immediately, she relaxed and relief washed over her.
Zack loosened his grip. Surely she knew it was him, and this wasn't some ploy to catch her attacker off guard. She turned around and he read her eyes.
"Zack." She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.
Awkwardly returning her embrace, he held her in his arms gently. She was so small in comparison to him. A good head shorter, and about half his size, his open palm easily spanned her back. "Jondy," he managed huskily.
He had heard her message by chance. He was about 90 miles out of LA, from looking in on Brin. He had heard about some suspicious activity going on there. The local authorities were looking for a drug thief matching Brin's description. Only someone desperate or crazy would rob a monitored warehouse. The police found the pulpit, but he'd cautioned her to lay low for a while anyway. She promised to call him if anything changed.
At a truck stop, looking to rest up for the night, out of habit he called the contact number. He checked it at least once a day, just in case. After getting Jondy's message, he'd hit the road again. Only stopping once for gas, he had pushed his bike to the limit to get to her. All he kept thinking was what if he hadn't gotten her messaged, and what if couldn't get to her in time?
It was such a relief to find her okay. She hadn't changed all that much. Her hair was cut in a new style. To him it looked layered. She wore it just past her shoulders, and her usually dark red curls looked dusty gray. He reached out to touch it, and found it was dust.
She looked up at him and laughed, feeling his hand in her hair. "Air vent." His own hair had grown long. He either hadn't gotten the chance to cut it or didn't care. At the back it just brushed the nape of his neck and it fell in sandy golden locks around his ears. His blue eyes were so striking against the black backdrop of the alley. He was looking at her, his expression full of concern.
"What happened?"
She was studying him in a way he'd never seen her do before, and he wasn't comfortable with it.
He'd let go, so she stepped back. She was still feeling very warm but when he let go, she felt as if some of that warmth had been taken away. Feeling a churning, low in her abdomen, she looked away, and avoided his gaze. Without saying where she was headed, she walked out of the alley. Zack followed.
"It was Lydecker. I don't know how he found me, I haven't even been working there long."
"Don't underestimate him. One slip and he can be onto you like that." Zack snapped his fingers.
Jondy shook her head and folded her arms across her body. "I hate that guy. I was really getting to like it here."
"Sorry, Dee."
He sounded almost sympathetic. It'd be a first. If danger was too close, you started running, no questions, and no looking back. Zack had laid down the rules ten years ago. It wasn't the first move she would make and she knew it certainly wasn't her last.
"Maybe, I could just skip town."
Jondy felt him so close behind her, she could more than feel his presence, she was immersed in his scent. He smelled faintly of gasoline and grease, but there was a strong masculine scent, signature only to him. Usually it wasn't so potent, and she just associated it with the man. He was Zack. Their C.O. And for a long time growing up, she thought of his as a bossy big brother. Bossy in a good way though, she knew he was only looking out for her. Just sometimes it got on her nerves a little.
So now that she was almost assessing him, sizing him up, it caught her off guard. Since when did she care how Zack looked or smelled? And why was she getting the urge to grab him and bury her nose in his neck. Among other things… oh Lord.
Zack sensed her tense and he reached for her arm. "Jondy?" A slight breeze carried her perfume passed his face. Whoa, she smelled good. Vanilla never smelled so intoxicating. Oh no.
"I'm not feeling so great, Zack," Jondy whispered. Her voice sounding seductive to her own ears, even though she was trying desperately to get herself out of this situation.
"As soon as we get you on the road, I'll be out of here." Zack knew he could fight this. This was Jondy. His little sister, with those big gray eyes - trusting him. Get your head in the game. Jondy needs to get out of here. Lydecker's onto her. Get her out and then leave. That's all there is to it.
It's Zack. Think about it, Jondy. You're nuts. It's the heat, you'll regret it in the morning. You'll both regret it. Do you want him to reject you? "I'm only four blocks from here. I promise, I'll pack up and leave first thing."
"He's probably got the checkpoints covered. We'll wait it out." He grabbed her by the arm and they headed for one of the buildings down the street.
"Zack, we can use the sewers. I do it all the time," Jondy protested.
"You're not thinking straight right now," he hissed.
Catching a glimpse of his eyes, she knew this was getting to him. The sooner she got home, the safer she'd feel. "Zack, I'm sorry." Breaking free from his grasp, she ran as fast as her legs would function.
Three blocks down, she slipped into an alley and rounded a corner. It was parking lot, and at the far end was a manhole.
Lifting the lid, she climbed down the ladder and pulled the lid back over. Dropping to the sewer floor, she made a quick path through the maze of tunnels, before heading up to the surface again.
She came out in the middle of a park. Dusting off, she jogged to her building and got in through the back entrance. Taking the service elevator, she pulled back the cage and lifted the safety gate. She felt achy. Achy and edgy. Not a pleasant combination. She wasn't a lot of fun to be around in this state either. She often said and did things she lived to regret. Her heat cycle wasn't in full swing yet, but she was getting close. The sooner she got herself in a cold shower, the better.
Opening her apartment door, she was about to kick it closed behind her, when Zack came barging in.
"That's how easy it was to follow you. What are you doing?"
Jondy was furious. "You weren't supposed to follow me. And no norm would be able to keep that pace anyway."
Zack fought to keep his urges in check, he wanted to both kiss her and strangle her. It was insane. Maybe she had done the right thing leaving him on the street. This wasn't a good situation for either of them.
Before she could stop herself, Jondy grabbed him and kissed him. The instant their mouths met, her head was gone. She lost herself completely in the man kissing her back.