Disclaimer: I don't own it; I'm just using it to keep my sanity.

Rating: You should know by now.

Summary: Broots realizes that he has to contact Astrea, Astrea momentarily loses it, and the results from Lia's testing come out. 

Feedback: Yes please! You see, this chapter is super-short so I don't think that writing a story for one that's going to be over so quickly is a good idea. *~ Cough /excuses/ Cough ~*

Quote:

             "We are not retreating - we are advancing in another direction."

                                                            - General Douglas MacArthur

**********************************ShadowElfBard************************************

7:27pm, Thursday

Blue Cove, Delaware

The Centre

Raines' Office

(Broots)

Scowling at the slow computer I've been forced to use, I take another sip from the half-empty cup of cold java I've been drinking for the past hour. I really wanted to make the drink last, because I wasn't sure how much longer it'd be before I was able to have another food and drink break. So far they haven't been keeping a very regular schedule.

   Sipping on the stale and decidedly unappetizing coffee, I resume working on some numbers for a new code needed to create a program, when, for perhaps the third time today, the door is unlocked and opened.

   Willie enters swiftly, and in two quick strides is right in front of me. I nearly spill the hot drink and without meaning too, cower slightly as I remain in this tall and foreboding man's shadow. Willie however, wastes no time with waiting for my confidence to return, but instead reaches down and hauls me up by the collar of my shirt.

   I'm now effectively scared, and my eyes are wide and darting as I wonder what in the hell it is that I've done wrong.

   "Uh, W-Willie? What's going on?"

   He raises a finger to his lips, and then with a scrupulous eye, scans the room. Apparently satisfied he turns and looks back towards me.

   "Are you in contact with Elf 17?"

   The question catches me off-guard, and I immediately go on the defensive. " No, of course not."

   He shakes me, my head almost banging up against the wall. "Do not lie to me! This is important and I swear that if you try to lie to me you will not like the outcome!"

   "Why do you want to know?" I ask, aware that I'm digging a hole for myself but unable to keep from avoiding the question.

   "Just answer the question!"

   "What's you reason for asking it?"

   "Why won't you just tell me?!"

   "Because I don't want her hurt!"

   There's a stunned silence between us, and horror creeps into my eyes. Oh my god, what have I done? What have I done?

   Willie's face becomes impassive and he releases his grip on my shirt.

   Once my feet touch the ground I back away, appalled by how easily I let the words come out. I've just signed the paper to seal my fate. I'm as good as dead now. What will happen to Debbie? How could I have been so stupid?

   "So… you do know how to contact her," Willie says in an almost whisper.

   I close my eyes. There's no use pretending now. "Yes, I think I have a way to contact her."

   My eyebrows then shoot up in confusion as a look of pure relief envelops his features. He mutters thanks to a deity under his breath with an almost smile on his lips. I just stand still and quiet, baffled as always and with no clue as to what's going on.

   He seems to snap out of his trance and then focuses upon me, his eyes holding a hateful passion that makes me shirk away form him involuntarily.

   "I have a message for you to get out to her. I also have information I want you to find. You will do both, and Raines will never know about either." He leans in forward, becoming even more intimidating. "Am I clear?"

   I shake my head. "No, no you're not."

   I fight the urge to take a step back as he looks at me with an expression frightening enough to scare shadows into hiding. His fingers twitch at his side, almost as if he's going to draw a weapon and bash in my skull with it. Whatever he's found, it must not leave much room for patience. But, despite the obvious urgency of the situation, I'm not going to back away meekly and carry out such a task without knowing why. Besides, at the moment I have the upper hand. He needs me for something, I need him for nothing, and although he can carry out the subtle threats hidden in his words, he doesn't want to raise Raines' suspicion. I have to know what it is that's important enough to drive him to do something not sanctioned by his boss, and I'm going to discover it while the odds are in my favor.

   After fighting, successfully I happily add, the urge to kill me and be done with it, Willie grits his teeth and grounds out with painful politeness, "how can I possibly make my directions clearer?"

   After swallowing saliva, I find the courage to once again say something to him that could be hazardous to my health. "It's not the directions that are unclear, it's your motives behind them. Why do you want me to do this?"

   He glares at me. "It's not your business."

   "It is if you want me to do this for you," I say, glaring right back. I'm surprised at my own bravado, wondering where I could have gotten it from, and then realize that more important things require my focus at the moment and leave the matter alone.

   Will seems to consider it, though with obvious reluctance. He'd probably expected me to be the spineless blob of jelly I usually am and unquestioningly do as he ordered. Too bad for him.

   Willie suddenly gives an exasperated sound of a mixed sigh and groan. "Fine. Fine, I'll tell you." his eyes take on the steel intensity once more. "You will do it if I explain my reasons?"

   Though it was more of a statement than a question, I nod my head affirmatively.

   "Elf 17's sister is here in the Centre, and strapped down to a metal chair in the pretender training room."

   It takes a while for the blatant sentence to sink in, but once it has I almost go numb from shock. "She- she has a sister? Here? Now? Wha…" I find myself no longer able to form complete words, and fade off, my mouth still opening and closing periodically.

    Willie simply folds his arms, uncaring about my reaction towards the news. "I've told you why. Is it enough to satisfy your curiosity?"

   I nod my head, still gazing off into oblivion as I process what's been told to me.

   "Good. Contact Elf 17, tell her that she has a sister who's at the Centre, and then find out as much as you can about her."

   I don't even notice that he's gone, and that I'm once again alone. All I can do is stand there under the harsh glow of the florescent lights, my mouth opening and closing like a fish, and astonishment ruining any chance at forming a coherent thought.

   I can tell that it's going to be a long night.

6:49 am, Friday

Blue Cove, Delaware

Holiday Inn

Room 112

(Astrea)

I sit cross-legged on the hotel bed, my eyes staring as I reflect upon my thoughts and actions. I still can't understand why Jarod would lie to me; except for the fact that the information might be important to me and he thinks I'll be distracted form the mission. He needs to have more faith in me, after all I am the one who orchestrated this thing, and I think I should be the one to decide the importance of something in comparison to another.

   Sighing I lay back and put my arms behind my head.

   Then suddenly I sit up, my head snapping towards the door as I leap down off of the bed and begin slowly making my way towards the entrance. Someone's coming. I go low to the ground, growling softly, and as the door is pushed open I leap.

   Arthur peeks his head in and when he sees me coming at him his eyes go wide and he backpedals.

   Unable to shift the direction of my jump I turn sideways and skid across the carpet as I land, the side of my stomach bumping into the door and, luckily, letting me regain my composure.

   As I stand up I curse myself softly for what I had attempted to do, and then bite my lip and slowly go out into the hallway.

   Arthur's on his rear in the middle of the corridor, his glasses askew, his mouth in a comical "o", and his eyebrows raised. He watches me cautiously as I come out, but gives a wary smile and allows me to help him up as he judges me once again in a sane frame of mind.

   "You'd think I'd have learned not to enter your lair unannounced by now," he says jokingly.

   "I really am sorry," I apologize, leading him into my room. "It's my… illness."

    He waves it off. "Oh, it's quite all right. You can't help it."

   We stand in silence.

   "So," I say, rocking back and forth on the balls of my feet. "What did you come here for?"

   "Oh! Right, right, forgive me." He gives a sheepish grin. "Actually I came to see if you'd um… recovered, from your little quarrel with Jarod."

   Ahhh, so that's it. "Did he send you down here as an envoy?"

   He looks almost horrified at the thought. "Dear me, no. I doubt he even knows that I've left. He's getting a newspaper from the lobby at the moment. I came of my own volition."

   "Well, then I suppose I can assure you that I'm fine. Recovered and rearing to go." I put on my best faked smile, and he buys it.

   "Splendid! I was worried that you'd stay mad at the poor man forever. " He gives me a placating look.  "He only has your best interest at heart you know."

   "Yeah, I know," I concede with a sigh. "I just wish he had a better way of looking out for me. Keeping back information doesn't help anyone in the end."

   "I have to agree with you there I suppose, but I doubt he'll change his mind." He smiles comfortingly. "Besides, the man does seem rather smart, I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

   I resist the urge to laugh out loud at the outrageous understatement. "So how did you find my room?"

   Arthur grins. "I asked a woman in the hallway if she'd seen a young lady costumed as an elf go by." He winks. "Those long hearing devices of yours are quite notorious."

   I blush and back my ears in embarrassment.

   "Astrea?"

   We both turn in the direction of Jarod's unexpected voice. He's leaning in the doorway, a bit nervous it seems at being there, and though I'm still cross with him, I decide to comfort him.

   "It's okay Jarod, you can come in."

   A smile of relief graces his features as he enters the threshold. He walks over and stops in front of me.

   "I'm sorry," we both say at once, and then begin chuckling.

   "Look, I know I shouldn't hold back information from you, but I really have no other choice."

   I sigh. "Jarod, there is always a choice. You may not like it, but there is always another route to take. But I won't badger you for keeping back the info, though I still hold true to what I said last night."

   He nods sagely. "I understand." He sits down beside me on the bed. "By the way, how's your 'illness' going? Any change?"

   "So far it actually seems to be doing better. With the exception of trying to pounce on Arthur, I haven't even had any relapse as a result of not going out and prowling last night. I might be getting better."

   His face relaxes upon hearing this news. "That's great. So you'll be ready for heading in at two?"

   "Sure."

    Arthur holds up a hand to grab our attention. "Pardon me for asking, but why two? Couldn't we leave fro this corporation earlier?"

   "We could, but there'd be more muscle men to deal with. I've checked the sweeper shifts and between two and three is an open slot for the entrance we'll be using," Jarod answers logically.

   "Ah, I see. Well, then I suggest we have breakfast and get ready," Arthur says smiling as he moves over to the small kitchen area of the hotel room. He picks up a knife and opens the small fridge, looking for butter or jam. "Some toast is in order I think, and if one of us goes downstairs I'm sure we could ask about some lard and eggs. Yes I think that'll be-- Ow!"

   He drops the knife and grabs his hand, his face scrunched up in pain. A small trickle of blood escapes the cage of flesh his clutching hand has created, and a drop or two plummets towards the linoleum.

   I immediately tense, my eyes abnormally focused and trained upon the drop of blood as it hurtles to the ground. It crashes in slow motion to my enhanced eyesight, and a low growl of hunger and yearning rises in my throat.

   Jarod is about to stand and inspect Arthur's wound, when he notices how silent I am. He sees how my hands are gripping the bed, and how my lean and powerful legs are coiled tight. He observes the fierce and eager expression in my eyes, and he pieces it all together.

   "ARTHUR LOOK OUT!!!"

    "Wha-?"

    Arthur's question is cut off as Jarod launches himself at me, knocking me off of my path as I pounce for Arthur. We tumble on the ground, and fire burns in my yellow eyes as I become enraged at the interference of my attack. I stand and roar furiously, angrily swiping at him with my claws, nicking his chin and drawing a thin line of crimson blood. The scent of it entices my senses and I'm almost drunk on smell it. Pleasure and blood lust are the only discernable feelings and I howl with happiness as I increase the intensity of my attacks.

   Jarod raises his arms in swift and precise blocks, but as a result I am shredding though the cloth of his sleeves, the only thin barrier between his flesh and me. 

   Suddenly angry I jump upon him, pinning him down as I bay in triumph. I raise a hand to swipe at his eyes to blind him so that I'll be able to easily attack and slice open his throat, but he knees me in the groin. I let out a low moan of pain and I move off of him, snarling as I'm forced to back up.

   Thinking quickly Jarod reaches over and grabs the cheap three legged side table by the window and holds it out in front of him, his mouth set in a grim line.

   I sneer at his crude defense and jump and kick, effectively hitting the middle and breaking the contemptible table in half. But by then, I've already fallen into Jarod's trap. After I break it he throws both pieces at me and dives for the steak knife Arthur had let fall to the ground. Once I dodge the projectiles, Jarod moves into a hostile offensive stance and holds the knife in a ready position.

   I stop in my tracks and eye the weapon warily with frustration and annoyance.

   Jarod keeps the knife trained upon me and then moves to stand in front of an astonished Arthur. He keeps his eyes locked on mine, and tenaciously I meet his gaze. Then, without warning, my transformation disappears and I become oblivious to the blood scent that had been the cause of the battle. As realization of what's taken place come into focus, hands fly up to cover my mouth and I shake my head back and forth in a desperate denial, wildly muttering 'no' over and over again.

   I back away from them, mortified, my face drawn up in horror at the mindless thing I'd become a few minutes ago. Then, I look into Jarod's eyes, and what I find there sends me over the edge.

   He is afraid of me.

   With a choked off sob I dash for the door, and no one calls after me. I sprint down the stairs and out of the hotel, into the newly fallen snow of last night, and collapse in a heap on the wet and icy ground, weeping as I clutch futilely at the sparkling powder. Tears of hopelessness and misery cloud my vision and I scream my agony, and then begin crying myself to the peaceful state of temporary oblivion.

7:38 AM, Friday

Blue Cove, Delaware

The Centre

SL-25

Pretender Training Room

(None/Third Person View)

He- He's scared. Really scared. He knows someone's coming, but he doesn't know who, and it frightens him. On the screen two wide, frightened eyes met the gaze of the hidden camera and the hands used for sign language moved more feverishly. Why am I here? Why won't you leave me alone? Please, can I go home? I just want to go home.

   Raines rubbed his chin thoughtfully, going over the recording of the completed session. The strange abnormality of it all had kept him up and wondering through the night. She wasn't a pretender, that much was assured, but her answers were... different. Yes, they were quite different.

   And he didn't know why.

   Sighing with frustration he turned away from the computer screen, and Willie shut it off for him. Raines was walking towards the exit to leave and go back to his office to think on this more, when a sweeper ran in.

   "S-Sir!"

   "What?" he growled at him in annoyance and impatience, only succeeding in making the young man even more nervous.

   "Uh, it's uh, well…" he gulped. "Mr. Cox is here."

   In perfect subsequence to the statement, the door behind him was pushed open as a calm and cool Mr. Cox strode in. The sweeper felt that his job was done here and he ran out as fast as he could. Which, incidentally, was pretty fast.

   "Cox," Raines addressed the newcomer with loathing. "Why aren't you gone yet?"

   He laughed at that, as he walked closer, his hands in his suit pockets and his black hair neatly combed. "Gone? What ever made you think that I would actually leave?"

   Wishful thinking.  "Probably the fact that you have no actual reason to stay," Raines responded with a curtness that bordered on being downright rude.

   Cox's smile disappeared momentarily. "And here I thought that your many years on this planet had rid you of childish words when there is business to be done."

   Raines' physically bristled at the pure political insult, but thought better of returning a retort. Instead, he focused upon the hidden message in the man's carefully constructed sentence. "Business eh? So that's why you've stayed. What business might we need to… take care of?"

   Cox settled down comfortably in a chair and steepled his fingers. "Well, for one thing, I thought we should discuss when exactly we'll be leaving to go check on Project Location. I know you planned to go there soon."

   "We?" Raines nearly choked on the word. "You must have gotten your information crossed because you will not be accompanying my associates and I. You, I had assumed, would be going back to your little fortress in Africa." The 'Dr.' raised his eyebrows mischievously. "The Triumvirate must be missing you by now. "

   Mr. Cox frowned. "I will be coming Raines. If for no other reason than to act as a representative for the Triumvirate and see if this project of yours will work, or if it's just another waste of time and money."

   "That can't be your only reason for wanting to accompany me," Raines said snarling.

   "For once, you're right." Cox smiled at the heated reaction he received and pressed forward. "My additional reason will be to look after your other… venture."

   "Lia?" Raines asked baffled. "Why would she be coming?"

   "I should think that it's obvious doctor." Cox scoffed, putting only the slightest amount of sarcasm on the word 'doctor'. "If Elf 17 and Jarod choose to rescue her while you and I are gone, it is almost assured that the scheme we concocted will fail."

   "And so you'd rather draw them to a project that they'd ruin if they found out about it?!" Raines hands itched to strangle the arrogant man. "Are you dense?"

   Cox's eyes flared. "No, I'm not. And actually with all of the botches you've made in the past I'd be surprised if they didn't already know."

   Raines' straightened and held his head high defiantly. "I am taking nothing but utmost caution when dealing with this project. All liabilities have been accounted for and supervised. There will be no mistakes."

   "And what about the data on the project?" Cox returned, standing up. "The Centre is obsessed with information, no matter the form, and I doubt that you would create something this momentous without having records on it. How safe can it be?"

   Raines eyes narrowed. "The document has been encrypted with a code of the highest strength. It is protected."

    "But that would mean you had to use a technician to encrypt it, and that adds on one more possible difficulty."

   Raines laughed harshly. "You don't need to worry about that. My tech worked under Ms. Parker, and has been effectively whipped to a cowering dog."

   Cox's eyebrows raised slightly in interest. "You have Mr. Broots as your private technician?"

   "You know of him?" Raines asked, surprised.

    "Unlike you, Dr. Raines, I do my homework." Cox grinned unkindly. "I like to keep an eye on all potential enemies and dangers."

   "Surely you aren't referring to Mr. Broots." Raines asked with slight disbelief. "That man couldn't grow a backbone, much less be an enemy or danger."

   "You'd be surprised what men will grow when pushed too far," Cox said quietly with unexpected steel.

   For a moment the two powerful men stood silently, each staring the other down with hatred.

   "Sir?" Willie cut in surprisingly. "I don't mean to interrupt but you have a scheduled meeting with Mr. Parker in four minutes."

   Frustrated with the lack of time, Raines clenched his fists. "Thank you for the reminder Willie." He gazed back at Cox. "Will there be anything else?"

   Cox stood stoically. "Only the time at which we'll be leaving."

   Raines ground his teeth, but knew that he couldn't keep out the Triumvirate agent. "Nine o' clock. Saturday," Raines said, supplying the information reluctantly. "They'll be sending over a jet at the local airport. It'll be flight forty-one at docking bay twelve."

   Cox inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Thank-you. I'll be there."

    And then he was gone; leaving Raines to head towards Mr. Parker's office wishing that Mr. Cox would die an early, bloody, and decidedly painful death.

************************************************************************************

Hey! I once again apologize for the time it took, and though I could rattle off a bunch of excuses as to why I didn't write diligently, I'm tired and so I'm just going to blame it one the seductions of reading and TV and be done with it. 

   Also, I have decided that to draw out those who might be reading this but not reviewing, I'll be responding (adding on comments) to reviews I receive in my disclaimer/rating line-up. And the last thing, has anyone checked out my one-piece humor fic, "Lyle's Odyssey"? If you haven't I suggest you do, and if you have I humbly ask for feedback. It's just that for some reason only receiving three reviews bugs me.

   Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this installment, and look forward to any suggestions, complaints or compliments!  

            --------Talk to you later!!!