Chapter 2 - This is set just after the short fic, 'The Truth'.
I had gone to the Devils Bazaar to try and track Methos after he had suddenly left, looking for his Ieldra contact. The Ieldra look like normal humans, but are able to use a combination of both magic and technology, and channel energy through their bodies like Immortals, hence many are mages. Unfortunately they are also immortal like vampires, and they tend to keep to themselves.
Almost a week later and my world had become even more to shit than usual. I realised that I needed to have a 'catchup' with the League members and explain the new developments, and then goto Threshold in D.C and explain about bloody Cylons. Whoever this 4th Dimensional being was, it sure knew the right person to choose. Unfortunately I had not noticed a Cylon, or a sentient that I knew of. Once my briefs were done I would see Chuck Taggart again and get on the trail of these bloody things. Now Methos had got me confused whether these 'sentients' were actually organic or inorganic computers. Shit!
What did I care as long as I could kill one, then burn it to ash. As Connor Macleod had once said 'love is for poets'. I prefer to remain among the living and if that meant I went on the warpath, then so be it!
I won't bore you with the Threshold brief, but they made me promise to bring one in alive for testing, my counter statement had been as long as I get to do the cutting! So maybe I'm occasionally bloodthirsty. The next meeting with the League was as expected, and they all promised to bring whatever resources they could in their respective countries. We also agreed to let the 'community' in on this. This was no longer a fight that would take place with secrecy being their weapon. Mankind would be ready to stand and drive the invaders away. My phone was vibrating in my pocket.
"Hello" I know a lot of people answer with their name nowadays, but I don't always want some person I don't know getting hold of current identity. I do have quite a few though.
"It's Chuck Taggart. Is that Mark?" he definitely sounded winded, and harassed, and driving very fast. I heard squealing tyres, obviously the car he was in.
"It is Mark, Chuck. Where are you and what's going on?"
"We're currently in D.C being chased by some sentients going along East & Vine" he replied. Now what were the chances of that! Same city, I was guessing that Mr 4D had been doing a slight management of events. My life is never this easy! I had no idea where that was, but thank goodness for Sat Nav on my laptop.
"I'm just trying to getting info to come get you, hang on"
"That's easy for you to say!" I could hear the desperation in his, and several other voices in the car. I had a map up, and got co-ordinates. Ten minutes journey at the speed limit, yeh right. I generally drive a 4 x 4 because my enemies don't decide to stop when they hit a dirt track cos I can't follow them. It is also turbo-charged to the hilt, and I put my foot down. I ran three red lights, and noticed that I had picked up a 'black & white' tail while doing about 100mph. I picked up my radio, and changed frequency.
"Despatch"
"I'm on East & Elm, I'm agent no 45684712456 for the NSA, get those B & W's off my damn tail now!"
"Just checking ID" said the very unhelpful female voice.
"Check quicker cos If they hamper my mission I'm gonna shoot out their tyres! While you're at it put a reverse APB out, if any B & W's encounter me they leave me the fuck alone"
"We've confirmed your ID, and are contacting the unit now". The PD are such damn imbeciles most of the time, and spend a lot of time getting in my way. But I wasn't exactly being covert doing 120mph, crossing into the next district.
"Chuck where are you now" I asked getting exasperated myself. Got to catch this bloody thing!
"Help!" I heard as I whizzed past a street doing 100 + in my car. I slammed on the brakes and spun it around and headed back towards the alley I heard the noise coming from.
Two or three minutes later I jumped out my car, locking it as I went, and noticed bloody warehouses. Why is it bad guys always chose these sorts of places.
"Chuck, Kurt, anyone there" I shouted as I ran.
"Mmmmmpff" I'd recognise the sound of being gagged anywhere and could sense five people in the building. Most of it was hearing, two men, one woman and two whatevers' with very slow heart beats. The wooden door exploded as I came through it about 10 mph, I can run a lot faster. But I wasn't flat out yet. The two strangers looked completely human, and had jeans and t-shirts on, with sports jackets. But were not human and neither were they vampire or shapeshifter as I examined them with my mystical senses.
I stopped my forward momentum abruptly and surveyed my surroundings while I punched the nearest 'enemy'. I caught him clean in the mouth, knocking him off his feet into the brick wall, most of which cracked with the force of impact. Teeth and blood, everywhere, but he was still alive. I grabbed the other one by the scruff of the neck, snapping it instantly, and then threw him at another wall. More damaged bricks.
"Jesus!" Chuck has a quite distinctive voice. I drew my gun and aimed for the one furthest away, set to full automatic.
"I think I'll execute you" I said pointing and pulled the trigger, emptying a full 50 plus rounds into the head and body of the whose neck I had snapped. I pulled another clip and reloaded, walking towards the one I'd hit first. If you're going to kill something not human, may as well be sure. He was lying in a heap, and looking unwell on account of bleeding a lot. I hadn't hit him full on as I wanted him alive, but I was going to torture him at Threshold and Molly Caffrey be damned! Failure was not an option, we were under attack on two fronts now. I freed Chuck, Kurt, and Angela by cutting the ropes they were tied with.
Mr 'no teeth sentient' was still where he lay, and 'Mr bullet holes' was still dead with no apparent healing or heart beat. Just the way I like my corpses, still dead and unmoving.
"Don't just stand around like Muppets, get the body and put him in my car on the back seat. Chuck, here are my keys, get the blanket out the boot & on to the back seats. Upholstery cleaning costs a mint! Pronto people I haven't got all day" I said walking towards the still living 'sentient' and hitting it in the jaw again. It's head went slack, out cold. I picked him up and slung him over my left shoulder while walking towards the doorway of the warehouse. I heard sirens and saw flashing lights, damn PD!
"Freeze! But the body down and move away from the car, slowly". I hadn't even got out the building and I could tell this was going to get messy.
"It's okay officer, don't shoot" said Kurt.
"Now all of you lie face down on the floor". I hadn't emerged from the building yet as I was using sound to place the police officers in relation to everything else. Do I shoot them or not. Screw it, I thought and walked out both guns out, set to full auto. As soon as I walked into the alley I could tell it was the same 'black & white' unit, license plate was a dead giveaway.
"Officers freeze! You are now interfering in a classified mission of the US Government. You were told to back off! Put down your guns or I will execute you. Well its either that or Quantanamo Bay for the rest of your lives. Choose" I said flicking the settings on both guns to single shot.
"We are police officers, put down your weapons or we will open fire." At that point I sidestepped faster than they could react and shot them both in the hands, thus dropping their weapons. Being almost a thousand years old is great for some having spare time for target practice, I'd gotten really good at sniping with muskets, and guns had only improved since then. I jumped over the bonnet of my car with unconscious 'sentient' over my shoulder before they could take a step or fall to the ground, but I could hear screaming.
"Right boys I wasn't kidding about the death or Quantanamo Bay thing either. I hereby place you both under arrest for interfering with a Classified Government Project. I kicked them both in the head knocking them out.
"Keys Chuck" I said forcefully.
"You can't kill them" that was from Kurt while I put my guns away.
"Yes I can. But they are taking a trip to 'the Bay' for disobeying a direct order. I will not tolerate PD officers sticking in their noses where they do not belong. Keys" I said holding out my hand. I took the keys from Chuck, and got some 'plasticuffs' out my boot and bound both the officers arms and legs. I also bound both 'sentients' and threw them all in my back seat. Luckily for me, I had opted on having tinted windows in my car, both front and rear. Hurray for modern technology.
"May as well go home now then" said Kurt.
"Nope, you're all coming with me to Threshold to get a thorough biological 'workup' on these things while we cut them up" I said with a real evil grin on my lips. I drove off leaving the 'black & white' where it was, while Chuck and his team followed behind me. I was looking forward to cutting up these Cylons, and seeing what could be learnt. Soon my prisoner would soon be dead. Today was a very good day.