Disclaimer: Not mine except new characters.
A/N: My first attempt
Many Thanks:
Mel11:Yes Issy's back but... Glad you're pleased about the sibs.
Darkangelgirl: no she's not dead yet, glad you like the intro to the sibs.
Lakergirl08: Max and Alec work well together, even I couldn't destroy that. Glad you like the return of the sibs and Issy still hanging in.
Angel Of Darkness231: glad you liked Alec in that one.
Angelofdarkness78: nice to have you back, Max and Ben will be on hold for a little while, but 37 is fun.
Shygirl1: Thanks for all the reviews. White had to do something, glad you're pleased about Issy
Maria656 : Sorry I'd updated before your review, glad you're hanging in with me.
Who Loves The Teacher?
Chapter Thirty-six: We're Coming Home
As they drove back into Manticore Lydecker was waiting for them outside the apartment block. He went to help get Issy out of the vehicle, "how is she?" he asked Alec.
"Bad, she keeps losing consciousness," he replied sadly still in shock. "I don't know how many tazars they used, but they've scorched her clothes and she's dripping wet."
The others felt helpless, all their training couldn't stop the hurt they felt whenever one of their own was hurt. "If it were any of us she'd try and work miracles to save us, so what are we standing around here for?" asked Ben.
Alec carried her gently into the apartment they had been using and laid her on the bed, the others followed silently.
"She needs to get out of these wet clothes," barked Lydecker. "And the rest of you can sort out what we've got for food."
Jumping out of their reverie they looked around. "Krit, if you and I go and get that deer, at least we'll have fresh meat tonight," Ben suggested.
"Good idea," remarked Lydecker. "But I think we might have to get back to TC tonight, she needs the med bay."
"I'll contact TC and tell them we're coming in and what's happened," Max said. "We will have to use the front door, can't carry all this stuff and Issy through the tunnels."
"I'll come with you," replied Lydecker. "We need to ask some relevant questions about the state of play. How did White get away?"
"We were distracted and he got to a vehicle before we could stop him," Max replied dejectedly.
"What happened to all your training?" barked Lydecker. "You're supposed to stay alert to take out the enemy."
"Alec had just brought Issy out and shouted at White," snapped Max. "If he hadn't had his arms full White wouldn't have got two steps before his neck was broken, the rest of us were shocked long enough for White to make his escape, satisfied."
"I'll help Alec," Candi said, "I've got field med training, but I think she might need a transfusion."
"I'll check with Sandeman and let you know," Max replied.
"Guess that leaves me with sorting coffee for everyone," Syl sighed, as she left to find the kitchen.
Alec had found some dry clothes for Issy and was starting to get her changed. Max put her hand on his shoulder, "it'll be alright," she comforted before heading to the basement.
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Issy was wondering where she was, there were lots of voices far away, but she felt too tired to follow them. Every time she thought she heard Alec the pain became too great. 'Guess this is what Manticore's treatment does to people, but this wasn't Manticore. Let's just get some more sleep, when I wake up this will just have been another bad dream.'
She could feel someone tugging at her clothes, but she was powerless to resist. She felt cold, 'I hope they cover me up soon,' she thought.
Suddenly she felt someone rubbing her hard, but she couldn't open her eyes to tell them not to be so rough.
Through her unconscious state she could hear someone talking about her.
"She's so cold, this isn't natural," was a male voice.
"She's in shock and being wet won't help," was a female voice.
"Do you think she'll survive the journey?" the man again.
"She's stronger than she looks, she's got the same genes as us, would you be as worried about Max?" the female asked.
"If she wouldn't wake up, of course I would," he replied.
"Our bodies heal quicker when we're asleep, give her time," she replied.
"She's not asleep, she's unconscious and we don't know what damage White has inflicted," he snapped with worry.
Issy had realised they were talking, but it was only the last sentence that she had heard clearly. Alec was concerned, how bad was she? She tried to do a mental check of what was working, but nothing seemed to be working, she could hear but that was it. If she could hear could she communicate with Alec, it was worth a go.
'Alec I can hear you faintly, can you hear me,' she thought.
"Wow," Alec exclaimed falling off the bed. Candi looked at him alarmed. "It's ok, just that Issy's listening to us," he said as he picked himself off the floor.
"We'll have to be careful what we say then," Candi replied.
Hearing his response Issy continued, 'I can't move anything not even my eyelids, how long have I been like this.'
"About an hour," he replied. Then turned to Candi, "she says she can't move and wanted to know how long she'd been like it."
'Was it you drying me?'
"Yeah."
'Well next time don't be so rough,' she complained.
"Sorry I was trying to warm you up, you seem very cold."
'What's my temperature?"
'98°."
'It's too cold, ok for a human but not us. Has Sandeman been informed?'
"Max is on to it, now rest, let us doing the worrying for once," he silenced her. "Candi can you go tell Max that Issy's communicating but can't move, and ask what Sandeman says about her temperature. Thanks."
As Candi left, Alec lay down beside Issy wrapping himself around her to keep her warm.
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Max had contacted Sandeman who agreed with Lydecker that they needed to get back to TC with Issy. He also agreed that she might need a transfusion, but without any equipment that would have to wait until they returned to TC.
After Candi had delivered the message from Alec, Sandeman had insisted that they pack up and return immediately.
Max and Lydecker then checked with Mole and Biggs on the security, siege and pickets. They were informed that the pickets had reduced in recent days and even the siege was a bit half hearted, but security was as tight as ever in TC.
Max told them that they would be coming in the front door with two vehicles and eight people. Mole reminded them it was supposed to be five, so who were the rest.
Max filled him in quickly before cutting the link so they could prepare to move out.
"You do realise 'Deck, that we won't be able to bring the others in this way," she told the older man.
"Yeah, I've been trying to work out a solution, but I can continue that back in TC," he replied.
"Do you think we passed Issy's test?" she asked, she needed an answer because the price of the test had been much higher than she liked.
"With flying colours," he replied. "You worked together as a team to rescue her and had to change tactics to achieve your goal. I'm sure she would be proud, as I am," he assured her. Then as an aside he added, "even if you let White go."
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The next hour was spent salvaging everything they could from the buildings and packing it into the vehicles. When everything was ready Alec carried Issy to the waiting transport, where a bed had been made for her. Alec and Candi sat in the back with her and Lydecker was driving. In the other vehicle Krit was driving with Syl beside him and Max and Ben in the back.
Just before she got into the vehicle Max asked Lydecker, "how are we going to get through the checkpoints?"
"We're not," he replied.
Max thought 'this is a great time for betrayal,' but asked, "So how are we getting to TC?"
"We're picking up a couple of choppers five minutes from here," he replied to her surprise. "Got an old army buddy runs an air transport business now, he's going to pick us up and drop us off in TC. There's a landing pad on top of med bay."
"And when were you going to tell us this information?" demanded a very pissed Max.
"When you asked," he replied simply.
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When they reached the field where the choppers were waiting, Alec carefully carried Issy to one, as the others sorted the rest of the equipment. The choppers were troop carriers and had plenty of room. The non essential salvaged equipment was placed in the second chopper, whilst everything else was with them in the first.
"What about this?" asked Krit.
"What is it?" asked Max.
"I think its White's laptop; I picked it up off his desk."
"Better keep that with us, near the tapes," replied Max. "Didn't know you'd picked that up."
"We've had other things on our minds, I suspect," he replied glancing at Issy.
Soon the choppers were in the air heading for TC. "We'd better inform TC of our change of plans," Lydecker shouted across the noise to Max.
Max grabbed a cell phone and called, "Mole change of plans don't shoot the bluebird, be ready to unload." She cut the line, hopefully not time for anyone to do a trace or understand the message; she just hoped Mole would understand.
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Back at TC Biggs and Mole were shouted orders to anyone standing around not doing anything.
Mole took a message from Max, "seems our team's coming in by chopper," he told the team.
"There's a landing pad on med bay," Biggs replied. "Right let's get a team up there ready to unload and from what they said we'll need a stretcher for Issy."
Everyone stood around looking. "Well don't just stand there, you two round up Dage and a stretcher, you lot up on the roof of med bay to help carry things. Move it people they'll be coming in hot and whoever's flying won't want to stick around," snarled Mole.
The room became a flurry of activity.
"Way to do it," remarked Biggs with a laugh.
"Have you ever seen anyone refuse me?" retorted the lizard man.
"Only Max and Alec," was the reply.
"That's 'cause they're the ones issuing the orders."
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Mole, Biggs, Joshua, CeCe and Dage were stood on the roof looking out for the choppers. Around the edge of the roof were snipers looking for any trouble from the ordinaries. In the stairwell leading to the roof were the people sent to help carry the equipment.
"Over there," shouted CeCe pointing to a speck in the distance, "I can see them coming, light the smoke and fix the sock."
A few minutes later the first chopper landed and out jumped Max, Ben Syl, and Krit. Biggs looked at Ben for a few seconds before realising it wasn't Alec.
"Where's Alec?" he asked.
"With Issy," replied Max as Ben turned to help Alec with Issy.
"Get the stretcher over here," shouted Biggs to the people in the stairwell. "And start getting this stuff off, move it." He went over to help Alec and Ben.
"Take care," Alec was saying to Ben when Biggs reached them.
"It's ok we've got her," Biggs replied as he helped Ben manoeuvre Issy on to the waiting stretcher. Soon she was on her way down into the med bay.
Ben put his hand up to steady Alec, as he got down, "careful, she won't want to find you in the bed next to her," he joked.
"You alright Alec?" Biggs asked, "because you look like shit."
"I've been better," Alec replied. "I think you've met Ben before, pass the word round that without his help this might have turned out worse."
"If you hadn't been looking for him, it wouldn't have happened at all," snapped CeCe, who had come to join them.
"Look I don't feel like arguing now, but if anyone lays a finger on Ben, they'll have me to answer to, got it," he snapped back feeling exhausted. "Now I'm going to find out how Issy is." He stormed off in a black mood, why couldn't CeCe just back down on this, he'd given the order.
"I hope Mole doesn't try to intercept him," said Biggs.
"Why do you think he might do something?" asked Ben.
"Last time I saw him like this was after the Berrisford mission went sideward," he replied as he watched Alec blur for the stairwell. "Then he wouldn't speak to anyone for weeks after he came out of psy-ops, if took us ages to find out what happened." Turning back to Ben he asked, "So what did you do to earn his respect that quickly?"
"Don't know, Max and I took out Krit after he kicked Alec, admittedly we didn't know it was Krit and Syl at the time," Ben replied.
CeCe was listening hoping he'd make a slip that she could punish, even if only verbally. Biggs was willing to do whatever Alec wanted to preserve the peace, he knew Alec was so wound up he could snap at any little incident and they'd been friends too long to risk that.
"Then I helped him rescue Issy from White's men, while the others secured the compound," he finished.
"You'll have to introduce us to the others and then we can talk over a meal," Biggs replied, trying to make Ben feel welcome, like Max and Alec wanted.
Max watched the exchange carefully whilst directing where the supplies should go. Suddenly there was a cheer as someone found the deer.
"That goes straight to the kitchen, it was Issy's kill so treat it with respect," shouted Max.
Mole came over to her group, "what happened?" he asked.
"Issy was trying to set us a test to see how well Candi and Ben would integrate into the team, but unbeknown to us White was out there in the woods. He managed to capture her, after she'd shot the deer, and took her away. In trying to rescue her we found Krit and Syl, two more from my unit. By the time we got to Issy they had been using tazars on her and she was unconscious," Max explained briefly.
"So how's princess taking it?" he asked, to raised eyebrows from Krit and Syl.
"Bad. But how bad I don't know, he's only really spoken if it relates to her," she replied. "He seems to be in shock, I just hope she recovers 'cause I don't know what will happen if she doesn't."
"She'll be fine, give her a week," he replied. "And nice to meet you," he turned to Krit and Syl who were staring open mouthed. "You might want to close your mouths before the flies get in," he joked. "Don't suppose you've met a DAC before."
Max was so used to Mole and the others that she'd forgotten that her brothers and sisters had never met the other freaks at Manticore.
"Sorry Syl and Krit, this is Mole he's head of security and non X series units," she explained. "Look why don't we grab Ben, Candi and Biggs and find something to eat," she suggested.
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When they reached the bottom of the stairs she turned to Biggs, "can you look after them until I get there. I just want to check on Alec and Issy."
"Sure no problem Max," he replied. "Tell him we're all rooting for her."
"Of course."
Biggs and the others left med bay and went to the canteen, while Max went in search of Alec and Issy.
When she found them Alec was hooked up giving her a blood transfusion.
She stepped in quietly, "hi, how's it going?" she whispered.
"Too soon to tell," he replied wearily.
"If she needs more call me, there'll be a queue for her if she needs it," Max smiled. "And when you've finished get some rest, you look like shit."
"Must be true then, 'cause you're the second one to say it," he replied. "Can you make sure Alex is ok?"
"Sure thing, but I'm sure Gem won't be expecting you back. By the way Biggs says they're all rooting for her," she said as she left quietly.
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A/N: No cliff hanger, but 204 reviews before the next.
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