CHAPTER 7

"LET ME GO…"

Alex had no way of knowing Frankie was still very much alive. She returned to her senses just as Jason arrived at the end of the tunnel. Recognizing the area at once, she decided she was either dead, or had lost her grip on reality entirely. Even at low tide, the Seagate was a good ten feet underwater, yet she was still breathing! The sight of her captor returned her to reality with a jolt, her terror returning with a new set of complications. If she struggled now and was released, she would only succeed in drowning herself, since she was still securely bound and weighted down. But if she waited to see what her captor had in mind, she might be in for a fate far worse than drowning.

Jason was oblivious to the fact that Dr. Albert had returned to consciousness, being too busy watching some people on a concrete intake pipe above the surface of the water. The night sky had turned the sea inky black around him and the lights from the buildings made everything above the surface clearly visible.

The Center's alarm suddenly went off and floodlights came on, spotlighting the persons along the water's edge and causing Jason to withdraw into the shadows. He had recognized Johnson on the concrete above. It was obvious from the way the traitor was searching the water that he was waiting for the appearance of the Guardian and/or Dr. Albert's body.

Suddenly, finally, Jason's brain started working and he had a flash of inspiration. He immediately started to remove Dr. Albert's lab coat.

As the Alterran was watching the people on the concrete, Frankie was reflecting on how powerless she had been the day he pulled her underwater. Even with both hands, she couldn't loosen one of the tendrils. Now she was bound, gagged, and completely helpless. What would she do if…? Suddenly the tendrils started tearing at her clothes, and she gave a muffled cry of sheer terror.

Frankie's cry and subsequent, futile struggles immediately gained Jason's attention. They also broke his heart. The last thing he wanted was to frighten this battered woman further. Instead he only seemed to have succeeded in terrifying her more than ever. Having already committed himself, he removed the weight belt from around her waist and completed the job of shredding her coat. There was already a great deal of blood on it from the hands of her attackers, but just to make certain his red herring would work, Jason pressed some of the tattered material against the oceanographer's bleeding wrists before letting it go. The garment swirled and danced in the water as it was caught in the current of an intake, eventually becoming snagged on the grating.

"Now they'll know I'm dead," Frankie thought hopelessly as her coat was fished from the water. She watched as it was passed from person to person, her ID badge, which was still clipped to the pocket, being the center of attention.

Not really certain what to do next, Jason moved away from shore, his only thought being to get Frankie as far from the bright lights as possible. He moved slowly and determinedly deeper in the pitch-black water until he came upon a large protected area among the rocks. It was here that he finally stopped.

Jason was completely unaffected by the lack of visible light, being fully aware of his surroundings at all times. His powerful sensors could detect the slightest disturbance in the water, and identify its source. Nothing would be able to get close enough to harm his defenseless passenger.

Frankie, on the other hand, could see nothing more than the glowing crystalline eyes of the Alterran illuminated, which was not much. She had no way of knowing she was being taken to safety and had stopped struggling, having resigned herself to the fact that she was going to die. Eventually. She had been unable to stop crying, however, and was now trembling badly. When a tendril suddenly came up to her face she whimpered and flinched away. To her astonishment, the suffocating gag was carefully pulled from her mouth. Then the remaining weight belt was unlatched and dropped from her legs.

Jason paused, waiting to see if he had frightened Frankie with what he was doing. He was relieved when she didn't cry out or struggle again and hoped this meant she was starting to trust him. He loosened his grip to finish untying her, discovering the real reason she for her silence. She thought he was going to kill her.

"Please, God," she prayed softly, "if I'm to die, let it be quickly."

Her words were like a dagger though Jason's heart. "Oh, my dear Francesca," he said in a mournful tone, "how do I convince you I mean you no harm?"

Without realizing, the Alterran had finally utilized a specialized portion of his communication center that translated his words into his own human sounding voice—and a language that Frankie understood.

Astonished, Dr. Albert's mouth fell open, her eyes growing wide. She tried several times to speak, but words failed her. Her reaction made the Alterran think he had frightened her again until she finally stammered out, "Yo…yo…you can…talk!"

"Do you understand me?" the equally astonished Jason gasped.

"Yes!"

By this time Frankie was trembling rather violently but even she herself couldn't tell if it was from relief, shock, fear, or all three.

Jason guessed it was probably fear and said gently, "Please, don't be afraid, Dr. Albert. I wouldn't hurt you for the world." He finished the job of releasing her from her bonds, moving further into the protection of the rocks.

It took several minutes for the overwhelmed oceanographer to calm down enough to speak again. She looked around herself in fear and then curiosity when she realized she was actually unfamiliar with the area. Just how far down are we? she wondered. Her reverie was broken when the Alterran suddenly started to untangle his tendrils from around her. "These rocks will protect you on all sides," he said reassuringly.

Frankie was less than convinced and clutched desperately to stay close to him, fearing he was about to let her go. Surely he knows I couldn't breathe underwater, she thought, only to think again. After all, she had no idea how the amazing creature was keeping her alive. "No…don't. Please, don't," she said tearfully. "Yo…you don't understand. It's too deep. I…I'll die down here."

"I know you're afraid. But, please, believe me, I won't let you drown," Jason insisted in a quiet, soothing tone. "I won't let anything happen to you, Dr. Albert, I promise. Please, you must trust me." The frightened woman continued to cling tightly to him, and, not wanting to add to her panic, Jason wound his tendrils around her, gently supporting her in the water. "Is that better?"

Still very much afraid, Frankie nodded almost timidly as she tried desperately to get control of herself. After a long silence, she asked the one question uppermost in her mind, "Who—What?—are you?"

When her strange companion did not respond, Dr. Albert felt a panicky feeling starting on the pit of her stomach. "Ar…are you…the Guardian?" she stammered out.

"No," the Alterran replied sharply. "Not if it means what I think it does. And if I am, then I resign."

Dr. Albert was justifiably puzzled. "What do you mean if you are?"

Jason's bright eyes dulled slightly. "The truth is, I don't know. I don't remember anything before I woke up in your main tank. I don't even know how got there."

Frankie was stunned. "You don't remember any of it?"

"Not a thing."

"Well, you certainly made a memorable impression on my staff," she snorted.

Jason's eyes dulled even further. "I know. I heard about it every time I was drugged," he sighed. "You really didn't need to drug me, you know. And I tried to…" Sighing again, he said, "Well, anyway, it's all a blank. I don't remember attacking anyone. All I remember is waking up trapped in that tank."

Jason felt Frankie suddenly stiffen in his grasp and knew he had frightened her again, but because his mind wasn't back to normal, he could not for the life of him think what he had said to scare her. Choosing not to make the situation worse, he changed the subject, and his tone of voice. "I should probably point out that I'm not a she."

"You're sure of that?" Dr. Albert said shakily, trying her best to keep her voice light and herself from going to pieces.

"Quite sure," came the amused reply, his crystalline sensors sparkling brightly once again. "So, I guess you'll just have to call me Chris and throw me back after all."

Frankie smiled self-consciously, lowering her eyes. After a minute, she shook her head in amazement. "I can't believe I'm actually sitting here listening to you talk. It's just so…so incredible."

Jason chuckled. "My dear Francesca, I've been talking to you for days. It's just that, for some reason, you can finally understand what I'm saying."

"How do you know my name?"

Jason was momentarily thrown. "Your name?"

"You've called me Francesca twice. Nobody ever calls me that. So how do you know it?"

"It was on your ID badge."

Now it was Frankie's turn to be thrown. "My ID badge?"

"Yes, you know," the Alterran said patiently. "Dr. Francesca Albert, Director. Security Level 9. I must've seen it a dozen times a—"

"You can read, too!" the oceanographer gasped. "I can't… I mean…This is incredible!" She leaned back slightly to look at him and winced, her sore muscle making themselves known in a very painful way. She had calmed down enough for her metabolism to begin returning to normal, and she was starting to ache all over.

"What's the matter?"

"I hurt."

Considering the fight she had put up, Jason was not in the least surprised, especially since he'd already noticed she was developing some very large bruises.

As Dr. Albert shifted position, she suddenly realizing where she was; several fathoms underwater, in a cocoon of tendrils, and at the mercy of…of…what? These thought brought her panic back in full force. Was this creature simply toying with her? Had he untied her just to maneuver her into staying his prisoner underwater? He had already admitted to knowing that to let her go would mean certain death. If she provoked him, would he crush her, or simply let her drown? He could do either so easily, and she was so completely helpless trapped in his coils. He might be gentle and soft-spoken now, but how long would it last?

"Please let me go—" Biting off her words, Frankie quickly corrected herself, "I mean, take me back."

"What?" Jason was stunned.

"I…I didn't mean to keep you a prisoner," she went on shakily. "I didn't realize…You understand that, don't you? I didn't hurt you, did I? I mean…I never meant to…to…" Unable to go on, Frankie collapsed into tears.

"What are you talking about?" the bewildered Alterran asked. It wasn't until she hid her face in her hands that her meaning was clear. "My Lord… You're still afraid of me," he breathed. "You still think I'm going to hurt you, don't you?"

The terrified oceanographer made no answer, going rigid when Jason gently pulled her hands from her face, a small sob escaping her. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was still very much afraid of what he might do. She was also completely exhausted, the strain of the last few hours having taken their toll on her nerves. She looked into the blue crystal eyes of her captor, wishing she could read them. Was he angry with her? Those blue lights looked so angry.

"Please…please, let me go," Frankie begged, tears rolling down her face.

Heaving a resigned sigh, Jason reached up to remove the rag that had been used to gag her, causing her to cry out in alarm. As she flinched away, Frankie noticed the bright eyes seemed to go dull. Perhaps she could read him after all. Suddenly the rag was gently drying her face. "Please, stop crying," Jason said imploringly. "Please. You're breaking my heart. I won't hurt you, I promise." So saying, he slowly began moving through the water.

Trembling and still petrified, Frankie nodded, trying to pull herself together once again. The cloth was suddenly thrust into her hand and she was told, "Blow your nose."