Title: Total Recall, Chapter 22
Author: CSIphile/redwing
AN: I think my choice of writing name will become very clear this chapter. As will where I live if you concentrate. Keeping that in mind…all the extra non-Cameron created characters have names of famous people or other TV show characters. As an example…Dr Olivet is named after a Law & Order character who is a female. Mostly cause I suck at naming people. I bet y'all can guess the new name in this chapter.
AN2: Again a million thanks for the reviews. Most appreciated…please keep it up!
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Chapter 22: 007
Several hours later, Alec wakes up and looks around. They are in the same position as before, with Max curled tightly into his body, practically every part of her touching him. It's pitch black now, and much quieter in the airport -- the number of travelers decreasing as it gets later and later. Alec can only imagine that Olivet is going ballistic -- two of his best "units" gone AWOL. He chuckles internally at the thought.
Adjusting his eyes to the lack of light, Alec looks over at his companion, who is sleeping deeply. He can hear her breathing, see her eyes moving under her lids in time with whatever dream her subconscious had come up with. Hopefully, she's dreaming of a beach in Hawaii.
Leaning over her, he takes in her skin pallor, which is distinctly less blue than before, and he breathes a sigh of relief. Reaching out, he touches her cheek. She's warmer, too.
Thank you, thank you, he thinks to no one in particular.
He has to contact Manticore, but he's not even sure how overdue they are. The cell he had with them is probably being pulled apart by Enviro security by now-it had been abandoned in the escape. Without inputting a four-digit access code, however, the phone won't function. Attempting it even once will send the phone into self-destruct mode, destroying the small computer inside and rendering it useless. Plus, he needs to book them two flights out of here. Regretfully he shakes her lightly, and she mumbles in response. Something about leaving her the hell alone.
"Max, wake up a second."
"What?" Her voice is drenched with sleep.
"I'm going to book us two flights out and contact Manticore, ok?"
"Mmmm, fine. Sleep." She waves him away.
"How you feeling?" he asks before she slips completely under.
"Tired! Now go." She is slightly more awake now, and annoyed. Alec smiles slightly; she is feeling better.
Getting up, he again covers her with his suit coat and disappears into the crowd.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Jacob heaves a sigh of relief and hangs up the phone. They had been found: 494 had contacted his handler on the secure line. 452 is seriously injured, but alive, and according to 494, well enough to travel back to base. They should be in Boise by noon.
Standing, he enters Olivet's office and relays the information. The director seems less than pleased that 452 has been injured, but considering the alternative, he's satisfied with the outcome.
Closing the door and going back to his office, Jacob arranges for a med team to meet the two transgenics at the airport and transport them directly to the infirmary. Hanging up the phone, he considers the fortunate bad luck of 452 being shot. With any luck, Olivet will hold off on any attempts to impregnate her, at least long enough for Jacob to start in motion the end of Manticore.
Standing once more, Jacob heads to medical; he needs to delay her in vitro as long as possible. A pregnant X5 is no good to anyone in this situation. Besides, the whole idea of forcing pregnancy on 452 is yet another notch on the atrocities committed by his employer. Atrocities he and his friends are attempting to rectify.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Landing in Boise, Alec grabs Max's hand and she leans into him slightly. To anyone watching, it would appear that they are two young people in love, but the reality is he is supporting her, keeping her from fainting on the floor and causing more attention than they need.
Bending down, he looks at her face under the Red Wings hat he bought her. Despite the pulse and the near destruction of professional sports, the Detroit team had thrived along with 6 others that played each other in an abbreviated version of a hockey season. Somehow, Detroit had weathered the pulse the best of any major city; detractors had claimed it was a commentary on the archaic record-keeping within the city, since the systems were so old and rarely even used, there was nothing to destroy. Others claimed it was the presence of the big three automakers who pulled them through, bringing in tech consultants from other countries to restore what was lost.
Either way, he easily found her a hat to conceal her ashen face. Giving her a quick once over, Alec notes that she is still looking a little too pale for his liking; her transgenic blood should have replenished itself by now. But that could be him being overprotective.
Leading her down to baggage claim, Alec nearly turns away and runs when he sees who is there to greet them. The doctor who had erased their memories and two lackeys. Alec harbors a hatred of this man, Dr. Thomas Brady, which rivals that for Richard Olivet. This is the man that he watched destroy Max and steal her memories (and probably his for that matter), and it's the first time he has seen him in person since. Alec would give anything to rip his still beating heart out of his chest and show it to him a second before he dies.
Narrowing his eyes as they close the distance, he is none too pleased when the lackeys come up and attempt to remove Max from his grasp.
"I have her."
"494, we will take care of her."
"I think not. Someone at Manticore nearly got us killed. Step. Back." His tone holds no room for argument, and for an instant, Alec worries that he's allowing too much "Alec" out in front of Manticore employees.
Fortunately, the two idiots take the hint and merely watch closely as he places her in the back of the SUV. Sliding in next to her, Alec releases his hold and distances himself from her, allowing the doctor to inspect the wound. He hopes that the slip he had made earlier will be disregarded as mere X5 emotion and independence.
He is silent the entire ride back, and endures a physical before they release him to debrief with the handler, and presumably Olivet since the mission went sideways. He is reluctant to leave Max with the Manticore doctors, especially Brady, but sees no other choice. There's nothing he can do for her now anyway. Glancing at Max as he leaves the medical center, she gives him a small smile as the doctors start an IV administration of some good old X5 blood.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"That's it, 494?" his handler asks. Alec doesn't actually know the mans name.
"Yes, sir!"
"Well, we are very happy to see you and 452 back in one piece. Additionally, very nice job of completing the mission."
"Thank you, sir!"
Alec sneaks a look at Olivet, who has been standing in the corner watching silently as the handler debriefed him on the mission. The guy makes Alec nervous; he always seems to have that damn self-satisfying smirk on his face. If that's the same smirk I get on my face, no wonder Max hated me.
"You're dismissed, 494."
"Sir, may I ask how we were found out?"
"That's no matter, the situation was cleaned up. You don't need to worry about it."
"Understood sir." He clips and exits crisply, relaxing some when he hits the hall. Alec has a bad feeling that Olivet is up to something, but he has nothing aside from gut instinct telling him that. Or maybe he knows…
That would be the worst option, though if he knew they had regained their memories, why would Olivet risk sending them out on a mission? Unless his egotistical ass knew they would come back.
Damn…I hate this James Bond shit. I'd take a hands-on fight over this any day.
Suddenly, a hand snakes out and grabs the transgenic, pulling him into an infrequently used service corridor.
Olivet stands silent for several minutes before addressing the handler. "You trust his story?"
"Yes, sir. It's very similar to reports from Detroit."
"Do we know what happened?"
"Yes, sir. Apparently the maintenance company called and tried to make an appointment for their techs to come by. Tipped Enviro off."
Olivet nods slowly and purses his lips. "What do you make of 494's behavior at the airport? Security reports his behavior was unusual."
"It was an isolated incident I would imagine. Those 5's have a habit of being protective of their own kind. I've seen it happen. Plus, they were breeding partners, 494 was only shielding his mate."
Olivet works his lower jaw back and forth, contemplating what the handler had told him. The other man is probably right -- the independent and protective nature of the X5's had been removed from preceding series, for good reason. Oddly though, even the 6's had developed a less dominating need to watch each other's backs. Only the 5 series though would disregard a direct order based on their emotional feelings about something or someone. Both 452 and 494 are proof of that. He still needs to keep a close eye on them. Something doesn't add up. It's just a feeling, but Olivet suspects he is being played somehow.
Terminal City
"MOLE! MOLE!" The small transgenic screams at the top of his lungs from Alec's office out the partially open door. Last Dix knew Mole was in central command, watching the monitors. "Dammit!" He sighs to himself and gets up, not seeing Mole anywhere. He only gets a strange look from Dara, the X6 on monitor duty.
He gives her an apologetic grin as he runs by her, coming to a stop at the edge of command, looking over the railing into the garage like area below. Ah ha!
"MOLE!" he shouts, and everyone below stops what they are doing and regards Dix oddly.
"What? Haven't we discussed using our indoor voice?" Mole had heard the expression somewhere recently and latched onto it for no reason other than it amused him.
"Get up here. We got it!" With that, Dix turns and rushes back into the office, giddy with excitement.
Several minutes later, Mole ambles into the office, his shotgun placed neatly by the door. "What's up, man?"
Dix holds up the list of 40 plus names of former scientists and then shows him the Manticore site list.
Mole regards him quietly, a little unsure where he is going. "Ohhkay. I thought we already decided that's useless really, aside from those people backing up our story, which they probably wouldn't."
"Well that's just it. Logan and Eyes Only have been trying to track down some of the people on this list. Can't find them."
"OK, so they are dead. Sounds like Manticore's program to me. Everyone's expendable."
"No, no. When he couldn't find record of them after employment at Manticore, well the adoption assistance program that IS Manticore, he started pulling some personnel lists from the sites listed. Since they are 'non-profits', it was easy to find, since all non-profits have to have all their employees checked by the government to make sure they aren't connected with illegal activities." Dix pauses and takes a breath. "Anyway…every name he has checked so far…are CURRENT employees at the sites. Not former."
Mole looks momentarily confused. "So what? Why would the guy give Alec a list of current….ohhhhhh. Oh my god!"
"Yes!" Dix jumps up, bringing the list of names closer into focus. "This isn't a list of former scientists on the run. It's a list of current scientists. Willing to expose Manticore."
tbc………………………………