Disclaimer: Not mine except new characters.
A/N: Thanks to those still giving reviews they are appreciated.
Who Loves The Teacher?
Chapter Seventy-three: White's Revenge
At day break 206 stepped out of the shadows and started following some transgenics towards a large building, listening to what they were saying he knew this would be the canteen. That would give him an idea about how many people lived here but he would have to be careful not to be noticed. Although he was Zane's twin he didn't know if anyone knew Zane or if he had been here.
White had said he hadn't seen him on his last visit, but that meant nothing. White had said there were less than a hundred transgenics, but 206 could see evidence that more than 200 were living here. He wondered if they would help him, but time wasn't on his side. He didn't doubt that White and his men would be tracking his progress around TC on GPS and since they had already been here they would know which building he was in.
He'd taken the precaution of finding a hoodie to keep covered up, if Zane was here he didn't want people seeing double too soon.
After grabbing a bite it became obvious that Zane was indeed around and he thought he'd better lie low.
Walking across the compound someone grabbed his arm. "Hold up Zane, I thought you were going to look at Max's bike today?" the stranger asked.
206 looked at him, another of White's mistakes, "sorry Alec I'll get on to it later."
"What's this did you hit your head?" the man replied. "Can't tell Alec and your own brother apart?"
'Wow, Ben, but he's dead' 206 thought quickly, "sorry I was miles away Ben, I was just going to med bay to get checked out."
"You sure you're ok going on your own?"
"Yeah I'll catch you later," 206 replied hoping Ben hadn't realised his surprise at finding Ben here.
So if Ben were here so probably were the other 09ers. 206 went toward med bay then across to the nursery area. 'That's good,' he thought, 'not much in the way of security,' all he'd need to do is convince the girl that daddy had sent him to collect her. After all Ben wasn't surprised about him calling him Alec, so Alec must be alive.
Time to find somewhere to hide until it started getting dark, but close enough that he could keep an eye on the building to see which little girl he needed to abduct. White wasn't helpful there, no photo of the girl on record.
Five minutes after he'd concealed himself, Alec and Issy took Alex to the nursery.
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Ben thought it strange that Zane hadn't recognised him, but there wasn't anything he could do now. He'd catch up with him later and find out what's going on. First he needed to get to the gym and start the new training schedule with the X5 students.
As Ben was getting ready for the first training session Zane came into the changing room.
"Ok, Zane did you get to med bay?" he asked, surprised to see him so soon.
"Yeah much better now," Zane replied confused at how Ben knew he'd visited med bay. "I'll get on to Max's bike after practice."
"Great thought you'd forgotten it," Ben responded as he left to talk to his students.
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"Right," said Max at the morning meeting. "We've three things to discuss. First the progress on the vaccine, second the media and government negotiations and thirdly the familiar threat. Who's going to start?"
Issy looked up, "the word from NorBAC is that using Greg's contacts within 'Doctors without Borders' are getting the vaccine to some of the more remote parts of the world. Their only problems are those countries whose governments are so anti-Western influence that they won't let anyone in."
"What about China?" asked Biggs, "I thought they were being difficult?"
"They were until a few people started dying within their borders," Issy replied. "Luckily it wasn't the virus but it gave them a big enough wake-up call to allow us in."
"What about the remote areas in the Artic and outback?" asked Jondy.
"We've got some of the DAC units and some from the Artic squad covering those, as well as the deserts and Himalayas," Mole replied proudly.
"I didn't think Lydecker wanted to use the transhumans," Dage commented.
"He didn't, but its good publicity for the transgenics and they are quite well disguised for their own protection," Max replied. "That leads us into the media and government. Obviously we're getting good publicity about our efforts to ensure that the vaccine gets worldwide distribution and the government is publicly supporting us, but behind the scenes they still want us under their control."
"How do they expect to do that?" asked Mole. "Even the people of Seattle are beginning to stop their protests and leave us alone. I bet there're less than twenty people at the gate now and the National Guard have left, even the police only pass by so they can stop for coffee."
"Lydecker says the Committee wants control over the transgenics as soon as the crisis is over, stating that as R&D of the military we need to be protected," Max replied.
Alec looked at her thoughtfully, "I can see their point, they wouldn't want us deciding to go and work for the Chinese or South Africans, and on our own we could be vulnerable to kidnap."
Everyone looked at him in silence.
"Well trust you to want to go back to Manticore, you never wanted out in the first place," Max snapped angrily.
Alec balked at her words, "I don't want back in Manticore any more than the rest of you, but let's look at our options. Live here because no-one else can, go back to government barracks and do as we're told, or," he drew the last word out to get their attention, "we find somewhere that suits us and tell them that's where we're going to live, but under our own control."
"What like we'll live on the Gillette base but as a community?" Max asked.
"Well maybe not Gillette but you've got the idea," he replied relieved that she'd calmed down. "We might have to earn our keep by doing some government work but so long as we volunteer and have the full facts, I don't see the harm."
"What you want to do a bit of assassination?" Max asked curious.
"God no, but there are others who might and we've been trained so why not use it?" he replied.
Mole looked between them, "it sounds like the beginnings of a plan, so who's going to suggest it to the government?"
"I think Alec should if he's sold us," suggested Jondy.
"Yeah I agree," added CeCe.
"Well before you send me up capital hill, I suggest we decide where we want to live and get Lydecker to put in the ground work first," Alec responded. "What do you think Max?"
Max had been pondering the suggestion, "good idea, but we might need two sites. One hot and one cold," she replied thinking of the DACs and Artic units.
Picking up her thoughts Alec responded, "no, somewhere that conditions for everyone can be maintained."
"Ok," she finished. "Final discussion, the familiars. We know they must be planning something and we need to stop any ceremony before it gets under way. Any luck finding a location Dix?"
"No, we know they moved from the last one after the raid, but we haven't located the new one yet," the mutant replied.
Max looked disappointed, "there has been a suggestion that we are vulnerable to attack and with that thought I have decided that we need to improve security around the children."
Issy looked at Alec then at Max, "what are you suggesting?"
Max looked at the woman, "we think we're relatively safe in here and the security around the nursery is quite relaxed. I think that needs to change. Dix I'd like you to work on a security bracelet that the children could wear that will activate an alarm if the children are removed from the nursery or guardians presence."
"So how do you want it to work?" Dix asked.
"For the child a bracelet that emits a signal, provided that it is blocked within so many feet nothing happens, otherwise it sets an alarm on the security system that triangulates the position of the child."
"Sound complicated," replied Alec.
Irritated Max snapped, "that's why I'm asking Dix to do it, not you."
"Is the threat that high?" asked Biggs.
"I don't know but I don't want to take the risk," she replied. "In the meantime I'd like a guard on the nursery at all times and anyone taking a child away will need to sign a register."
"Just as well Gem already takes a register of who's at the nursery," Alec commented grumpily, he didn't like that Max hadn't discussed this with him before the meeting.
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206 was surprised to see a guard take up residence inside of the nursery, he didn't think he had alerted any one to his presence. He continued to watch from his vantage point all the comings and goings around TC. He saw Max and Alec come out of the Command Centre with two transgenics he thought were dead.
'So White got his information really screwed' he thought. 'I wonder how much of this I can keep from him and still get him to remove the implant. Then if I can just get the girl back maybe they'll let me join them.'
He finished musing late in the afternoon and decided that he'd better get the girl and get out of here before either Issy or Alec came to collect the girl.
Walking straight into the nursery he found Gem, "I've come to collect Alex," he stated smoothly. "Alec and Issy are working late and I said I'd look after her."
Gem was surprised Zane didn't usually finish work early for anything but she knew that Alex liked playing with him. "I'll just check with Alec," she replied, "new rules."
206 hoped that his ruse wasn't discovered before he could get the girl.
Just as Gem went to ring Alec the little girl wandered out into the corridor. Seeing Zane she screamed, "Zany come to get me."
206 scooped her up and took her out before Gem could react and call the guard. Quickly he found his way back to the gap where he'd broken in the night before and hurried to the rendezvous site. All the while he was talking to the girl so that she wouldn't scream and give their position away.
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Alec answered his phone in the office with Max.
"What? When? Who?" he exclaimed to Gem's statements. Closing the phone he turned to Max, "why's Zane taken Alex out of the nursery without asking?"
Max looked puzzled, "Zane wouldn't do that, besides he's fixing my bike." She picked up her phone and rang Zane, "what you doing with Alex when you should be fixing my bike?"
She closed her phone and looked at Alec with a worried expression, "Zane hasn't seen Alex today, been busy working on my bike. He said I was the second person who'd surprised him today; Ben seemed to know things he shouldn't this morning."
"I think we'd better see Ben," Alec replied getting concerned. "Pity you didn't get those bracelet things done earlier."
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A/N: For those who don't know Doctors without Borders a charity supported by Jensen.
A/N: I think my muse has returned and hope to update later in the week, hope you enjoyed and reviewed. The twist taking place will enable me to sort out those lose ends that will bring an end to the story.
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