Determinant: a gene or other factor that determines the character and development of a cell or group of cells in an organism.
Chapter 21: Zero Sum - Loss and Gain
Jamie struggles with her inner demons as the team faces a direct threat from Davies and a betrayal from within.
A lonely wind howled through the trees as she stood frozen with fear. She could sense the beast in the darkness, hidden by the shadows and creeping ever closer. She would have run if she could; in the inky blackness she couldn't even see her own feet. She tried to take a step but with no way to see she had no idea if she was moving toward danger or away from it.
It growled, low and menacing, and her heart pounded fiercely. The wind stole the breath from her lungs as it turned ice cold. Her fingers began to grow numb and her face stung as her tears froze on her cheeks. She collapsed to her knees, hunching in on herself to both protect her body and preserve heat. The beast grew near, its hot breath like a blast of fire on her neck.
A blinding flash of light erupted in the field, and she had to shield her eyes against it. From the darkness rose a lion, proud and strong. It leaped, clearing her prone body to land between her and the beast. It opened its mouth to roar, the sound filling the space and warming her from her core like the first rays of spring on the winter frost. The monstrous beast recoiled, snarling and snapping in frustration at being denied its prey. With one last bellow of anger it turned and bolted off into the darkness.
The lion turned to her then, standing perfectly still until she got to her feet. He was magnificent, standing well above her shoulder and broad in the chest. His golden mane radiated light, and she took tentative steps toward him until she was within reach. Her fingers sifted through his silky fur, stroking his shoulder in thanks as she soaked in the warmth he offered. His nose nuzzled her ear once, twice, then he was gone, bounding off into the shadows. The light he had brought with him remained, and finally she was able to begin her long trek home.
Jamie's eyes snapped open in the darkness. It had been the first dream she'd had since her return that hadn't ended with her screaming or shaking. The imagery wasn't lost on her, nor its meaning. A lion standing guard in the darkness, protecting her and offering her light and warmth. A smile graced her lips and she rolled, fully expecting to see the form of her lover lying next to her.
But there were only empty sheets. Jamie frowned and sat up to glance at the bathroom door. It was still slightly ajar muting the light from within. Jamie hated that she still couldn't sleep in the darkness, though if Mitch was next to her she rarely had a problem. It had been almost a week since the night she'd slipped into his room and into his bed. Just as she'd hoped he would, he'd been able to abate her fears and help her forget about the horrors of the world for a little while. And he'd done it again the next night, and again the next. For four nights Jamie had slept soundly, unafflicted by the gloom that lurked in her subconscious.
He was gone now, though, and she guessed where she could find him. Her feet slid into the slippers she'd inherited from Chloe as she stood. Her door slid back silently and she padded quietly down the hall toward the corridor. Just as she suspected, there was a light on beneath the stairs in the lab. When she descended she found him hunched over one of the bone tables.
Mitch had his earbuds in, and even from a distance she could hear the strong chords of a guitar. Not wanting to startle him, she moved slowly until he looked up at her. He plucked one bud from his ear and smiled at her.
"Hey," he greeted quietly, mindful of the still-sleeping members of their team. "You okay?"
Jamie marveled at his ability to read her despite all of his declarations that he was horrible at it. She shrugged one shoulder and moved to peer over his shoulder. "Couldn't sleep." She knew he understood what she wasn't saying, and when he frowned she didn't react.
"I left the bathroom light on," he offered by way of apology. "I just...I wanted to finish this one."
Jamie looked down at the skeleton coming together on the table in front of them. The moment he'd pulled it from the bag Mitch had sworn it was a large lizard of some kind, and she believed him. Now there were only a few pieces left to place, and she could definitely see the shape of the animal now.
"Komodo dragon?" she asked curiously.
"No," Mitch shook his head and indicated the length of the skeleton. "Komodos are much bigger than this," he said. "Looking at the snout, I'd say it's a tegu of some kind, probably tupinambis rufescens judging from the size."
"Mitch," she warned, and he laughed.
"Red tegu."
"And where are those found?"
"South America." He was dividing his attention between her and the remaining bones, and for a few moments she was content to watch him work.
"Can I help?" She had no idea where the question had come from. She'd hated her biology classes, choosing instead to use that time to polish her English essays or read her assigned chapters again. She'd passed by the skin of her teeth and probably not a small amount of pity from her high school science teacher. He'd lost his brother-in-law to the Reiden disaster, and though Jamie had never intentionally used her mother's death to gain sympathy, she was sure it was on the fore of everyone's minds every time they talked to her.
Still, the thought of helping Mitch with this piece of their ever-evolving puzzle appealed to her, and she silently pleaded with him to let her.
He seemed surprised by her request, but recovered quickly. "Sure, grab some gloves." She snapped on the latex quickly, moving to the other side of the table when he indicated. "Okay, here," he handed her three small cylindrical pieces of bone. "Those are the phalanges."
"The what?"
"A toe or finger bones," he translated.
She looked at the tiny bones in her hand and the four limbs that he'd already placed. It was impossible to tell which hand or foot these bones were from. "Where do they go?" She knew she was likely more of a hindrance to him than a help, but he didn't seem to mind.
"Well, look at the sizes. Generally, the smaller the bone, the further from the center it is."
She arranged the three bones from largest to smallest and placed them next to the foot bones Mitch had already set down. "Like this?"
"Exactly," he praised. "I got a whole box full of phalanges here if you want to place them." He handed her the small container. "The metatarsals are already down, and since this isn't an official reconstruction it doesn't have to be perfect. Just remember that each limb has fourteen of those little bones and put them wherever."
They worked in silence for another half hour as Mitch arranged the vertebrae and she placed tiny finger bones. She placed fourteen at each limb just as he directed, and when she was done she held out her empty box triumphantly.
"Good job," he nodded at her work and placed his last vertebra. "I'm done as well. Looks like our next target is a tegu."
"Should we tell Trotter to set a course for Argentina?" Jamie asked.
Mitch shook his head and frowned. "We can't," his tone darkened, and Jamie could guess why. "Allison has to return to Washington and apparently we're her personal taxi."
Jamie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but just barely. Ever since England, Allison had treated her with something resembling concealed disdain and Jamie had no idea why. Three guesses, Jamie.
Allison's intentions with Mitch had been a constant source of worry for some time now, but something had happened in England that neither of them were talking about. She hadn't been brave enough to ask Mitch about it, and judging from the sulky mood Mitch seemed to be in whenever Allison was mentioned she probably didn't want to know. Still, her curiosity had gotten her into trouble far more often than out; it was a quirk she could never shake.
"Can I ask you a question?" She figured it was the safest way to start; she'd know his state of mind based on his answer.
"You just did." That was a good sign; she'd take snarky over sullen any day.
"It's about Allison," she warned. "Something feels weird, and I don't know if I'm just imagining it but it's almost like she went from disliking me to hating me overnight and I'm not entirely sure what I did -"
"Stop," Mitch reached for her, cutting off her rambling with a simple hand on her arm. It suffused her skin with his warmth and she unconsciously shuffled a step closer to him to soak in more of him. "Whatever's going on in Allison's mind is her own mess to deal with. I don't want you blaming yourself for something that has nothing to do with you."
"Really?" Jamie raised an eyebrow. "Because it feels like it has a lot do with me."
"No," Mitch sighed and removed his hand from her arm to run it through his hair. "She's mad at me, not you. Well, not directly at any rate."
"Why would she be mad at you?" Jamie could guess, but she'd rather hear it from him.
"Because…" he faltered, took a breath and tried again. "Because Allison's not a fan of being told no."
Hearing it out loud had a greater effect on her than she thought it would. She took a step back and dropped her eyes away from his in an effort to gather her thoughts. "So she made a pass at you...when? While we were in Holbeach?"
"No," Mitch actually winced as the admission spilled from his lips. "The night before, actually. Right before we all went on our wild Jackson chase."
Another step away. "So in the week since, you never thought to mention it to me?"
"I didn't think it mattered, Jamie," he tried to close the distance but she held up a hand to stop his advance. He froze mid-step and settled back on his heels. "Are you seriously mad at me for not being seduced by her?"
She was being irrational - she knew that - but she couldn't help it. Her emotions were still all over the map sometimes. She knew what it meant, the sudden irritability at insignificant things, the bouts of loneliness that overwhelmed her even in the midst of her friends, the nightmares. It had been called a number of things over the years - shell shock, fatigue - but it was all the same thing.
"Jamie?"
"I'm going back to bed," she announced suddenly. She heard Mitch call her name again but she ignored him. She made it to her room before the tears came, but when they did they crippled her. She fell onto her bed bonelessly as the wave of emotion crashed over her, and she wept into her pillow until exhaustion claimed her.
The answer to the puzzle turned out to be a little closer to home than Argentina.
"Florida?" Logan exclaimed. "Seriously?" He sounded almost happy as Mitch revealed the surprising location of their next excursion.
"Yeah, well, don't go grabbing for the sun block just yet, sport," Mitch jeered. "Because this particular animal's phase two mutation is turning the beaches of Miami into a wintry wonderland." He was grumpier than usual, though the others blamed it on his lack of sleep. Jamie was the only one who knew the real reason, and she'd remained silent throughout the entire presentation.
Jamie caught the glance he stole at her and interpreted it correctly. He was concerned. She didn't blame him; even thinking about being cold again was enough to make her shiver. But she wasn't going to make a fuss about it right now, not in front of everyone.
"I'll tell Trotter to head south," Jackson stood up and moved toward the cockpit as the others disbanded.
She heard Mitch's footsteps behind her as he jogged to catch up. She could already imagine what he was going to say and she was ready. He fell into step beside her and she silently counted to five before he blurted out what was on his mind.
"Jamie, I -"
"If your next words are '...don't think you should get off the plane with us in Florida,' then save it. I'm going." She sped up to leave him behind but he matched her pace.
"I just think you should be cautious. You haven't been exposed to cold since you got back; you have no idea how you're going to react to an external trigger like that."
She knew he was trying to help, that he was simply worried about her and wanted to protect her. But it still rankled. Her frustration at his coddling compounded on the remnants of her hurt from the night before to create a furor in her. She stopped in the middle of the corridor and whirled, causing him to actually stumble to the side to keep from crashing into her.
"I don't need you babying me every time we talk about stepping off the plane, Mitch. I think I know my own limits." She tried to keep the bite out of her voice, but her anger found the small opening in her carefully constructed wall and surged to the fore.
His face was grim as he crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "Honestly? I don't think you do. I've been doing some reading -"
"Of course you have," she shot back snidely.
He took the blow and kept going. "- after Dariela pointed out some of the early signs."
"So all of a sudden Dariela's an expert, too?" The woman wasn't even onboard anymore and Jamie was still being irritated by her.
But Mitch wasn't deterred by her antagonistic attitude. He leveled her with a gaze that was equal parts determination and concern. "It's PTSD, Jamie. You know it is. You went through hell out there, and your mind is still trying to deal with it. It's creating an imbalance."
"Is that your professional medical opinion, doctor?"
That time her shot hit the mark and he visibly reeled. His expressive face told her everything about his thought process and she felt the shame wash over her, cooling her anger instantly. She'd told him she'd never intentionally hurt him, and here she was tearing into him for the simple crime of caring about her well-being.
She opened her mouth to apologize but he held up a hand and cut her off. His own words got caught in his throat, and she could only watch as he turned sharply and stalked away. She wanted to follow him but her feet had become lead in the last few minutes, her inherent stubbornness cementing her to the spot and refusing to let her go. It was probably for the best, she decided. At least that way she couldn't hurt him anymore.
Two hours later they landed in Miami, and the tension in the vehicle bay could be cut with a knife. More than once, Jamie could feel the eyes of the team on her or Mitch but no one dared to say anything. Logan was the only one brave (or stupid) enough to approach her as they loaded the chest freezer into the back of the SUV.
"Hey, everything okay?"
Jamie grabbed a tie down that Jackson tossed her and cinched it over the top of the appliance. "Fine."
"Really?" He didn't sound convinced. "Did something happen with Mitch?"
Her silence was answer enough and he frowned. She could tell he wanted to say something else, but she really didn't want to hear his opinion on the matter. She stepped away from the truck to bundle up in the winter gear that Abe and Jackson had acquired while they were hunting for the freezer. She wondered for a moment if Mitch had been right. Was she ready for this? The last thing she needed was an episode out in the middle of a mission where everyone could see. Just the thought was enough to give her pause as she zipped up the jacket.
"Alright," Mitch grabbed their attention from his spot near the driver's seat of the truck. "We've compiled temperature readings from all of the stations still reporting in the area. The coldest region is here," he held up a tablet and tapped a small dot on the map, "just south of Homestead. Now we know there's a small group of red tegus living in the Everglades because of pet releases or escapes. We're going to go right to the center of map, where the temperature is lowest, and find our lizard."
"How are we going to subdue it without becoming popsicles?" Jackson asked bluntly.
"That's where the freezer comes in," Mitch said. "You and Abe are going to capture it and put it in the freezer, then we'll gas it with nitrous oxide to knock it out."
"Can't we just dart it?" Logan indicated the collection of tranquilizer guns in the armory.
"We could," Mitch replied sharply, "but it's not necessary. I'd rather not waste one of our darts on a four foot lizard. I do have a sedative prepared if the gas doesn't work."
Jamie rode in the Hummer with Logan and Abe. The internal heater was already working as they rolled out of the vehicle bay, but Jamie shivered anyway as she got her first glimpse of snow since Canada. Next to her, Logan hunched down a little in his own jacket and gave her a flat smile. She was beginning to think Mitch had been right, that she should have stayed on the plane, but it was too late now. She would just have to deal with it.
"You okay?" Logan whispered.
"Yeah," she nodded absently. "Just remembering how much I hate the cold now."
He chuckled humorlessly and turned his head to peer out the window. "Me, too."
Jamie was suddenly struck with the realization that she probably wasn't the only one struggling with the aftereffects of Canada. Logan had been right there with her through it all, and not once had she ever asked him how he was coping. He always appeared to be in control, but Jamie knew better than anyone how much pain someone could hide behind well-constructed armor. She felt like such a horrible friend, and she shoved her own discomfort aside for a moment to focus on Logan.
"Hey, I'm sorry I never asked...but how are you doing? You know, with all of this?" She gestured very vaguely, but he seemed to understand what she meant.
His eyes were a bit warmer when he looked back at her, and the smile he gave her was open and honest. "Oh, I'm good," he told her. "The nights are sometimes hard," he admitted quietly, mindful of their audience sitting in the driver's seat.
"I know what you mean," she sympathized. When his expression soured she shook her head. "What?"
"Nothing," he returned her huff of disbelief with one of his own. "It's just...I imagine things are a little easier for you to deal with."
"Why do you say that?"
"Mitch." It was one word, but it might as well have been a physical blow. She'd known Logan was enamored with her, but she'd honestly thought it was because she'd literally saved his life. Twice. But hearing the resentful tone he used when uttering Mitch's name made her reevaluate her judgment.
"You don't understand." She found it just a little ironic that she was now defending Mitch to Logan after she'd done the reverse just weeks ago. "Mitch he...he was...he saved me. Not just from being eaten by about half a dozen leopards, but he saved me from myself." She swallowed thickly as she remembered the last gasp of desperation that had made her seek out the LA Zoo's coroner (veterinary pathologist, actually) in an effort to prove a wild hunch. "I was spiraling when I met him, traveling a dangerous road against Reiden Global that had cost me everything. He didn't just help me, he believed in me. He supported me and stood by me, when he should have run the other direction."
"You really do love him, huh?" Logan just sounded resigned now, like he finally understood he'd had no chance from the beginning.
"I do," Jamie confirmed. "But that doesn't mean we can't be friends." It was more of a question than a statement, and she wondered how he would respond to it.
He was quiet for a few seconds, then he blew out a breath that felt a lot like surrender. "Right."
If Abe had heard their conversation he didn't say anything, and Jamie was grateful for his silence. She could hide it from Logan, but if Abe peered too closely he would surely see the guilt that blanketed her. When this was over, she owed Mitch a big apology. And, she told herself, she needed to admit that he'd been right. She needed to deal with this thing before it consumed her and caused her to lose the only good things left in her life.
When they finally reached their destination, she wore the resolution like a coat as she stepped out into the cold. The initial blast of chilled air caused her to gasp sharply, but Logan was right there next to her instantly. He squeezed her arm gently in support and moved to help Jackson and Abe pull the freezer down from the truck. As he moved away Jamie caught Mitch's eye, and she knew he'd seen the whole interaction. She could see the storm gathering in his eyes and she knew she needed to do this thing sooner rather than later. Before she could speak, however, Abe pointed animatedly toward the side of a building.
There!" He took off at a run with Jackson and Mitch close behind him. Logan and Jamie brought up the rear, mindful of the slippery roads as they crossed into the alley.
It was larger than Jamie had expected, and fat. It was also very, very angry. Luckily, Abe had thought to bring a long snare and he pinned the animal without too much trouble. Jackson wrapped the thrashing lizard in a blanket and hoisted it up as Mitch prepped the gas. They tossed the canister and the lizard into the freezer and shut the lid.
"How long will the gas take?" Abe asked.
"Five minutes?" Mitch guessed.
"You don't know?" Jackson scoffed.
"Well, this is my first time gassing a lizard," Mitch admitted snidely. "Usually we inject the anesthesia." He checked his watch several times over the course of the next few minutes, but he never looked up at Jamie. She knew he was upset with her, and he had every right to be, but it still stung.
"What if the gas doesn't work?" Logan asked.
"That's what this is for," Jackson patted the case slung over his shoulder.
Mitch turned and opened the lid just a bit, then slammed it back down. "Nope. Alright, get the needle."
Jackson unzipped the case and pulled the syringe out. "Why didn't the nitrous oxide work?"
Mitch shrugged one shoulder as he beckoned Abe over. "It froze before it could take effect. Injection's the only way." He held the lid up as Abraham got the snare around its neck again.
"Okay, I've got him."
"Easy," Jackson reached in with the needle and slid it under the tegu's skin where Mitch had instructed him. "Okay, okay, injection's in." He pulled his arm away as Abe released the animal and Mitch let the lid fall closed.
"This will be much faster," he told them. He watched the seconds tick by on his watch and Jamie could see his lips twitching as he counted silently. "Alright." He opened it again cautiously and peered in.
"Is he unconscious?" Jamie asked.
"Looks like he's getting there," Mitch held the lid higher as the others came over. Jamie looked down and wrinkled her nose.
"Damn that thing is ugly," Logan echoed her silent sentiment.
"Imagine if he'd made it downtown," Mitch said. "He'd have turned South Beach into the South Pole."
Another blast of wind was the end of Jamie's tolerance. "Yeah, I've had enough cold for a while," she tried to make it a joke, though no one laughed. "Logan and I are gonna take the other SUV."
As they were walking away she thought she heard Mitch mumble something, but she couldn't call him on it without dredging up their fight in front of everyone. So she let it go. Logan took the driver's seat and followed Abe in the Hummer as they hightailed it back to the plane.
The others had already unloaded the freezer and were racing to the lab by the time Logan parked the SUV in the bay. As soon as he put in park his phone chimed, and he frowned as he checked the message.
"Everything alright?" she asked him.
He looked up and gave her a dismissive smile that didn't quite convince. "It's just my sister. She's a bit dramatic," he explained. "Mom used to call her Chicken Little."
"Look outside lately?" Jamie quipped. "The sky's falling."
"Hey," he stopped her before she could step out. "Do you think they would miss us if we turned back around? We could go check out a beach bar - indoor of course. Grab a drink to celebrate our friendship?"
"Are you serious?" she chuckled disbelievingly. "Dude, we're kind of in the middle of something."
Logan glanced at the door and shrugged. "Yeah, they got it. Let's just go."
"We can't just take off," she told him. He was being weird, and Jamie wondered if it had anything to do with their earlier conversation.
"Yeah," he laughed, "forget I said anything."
"Raincheck," she promised. She wanted to say yes, to give him a chance to sit and talk about what they'd been through together. She thought maybe sorting it out with someone who had been there might help her make sense of the jumble in her own head, but now was not the time.
Jamie pulled the door handle and stepped out of the truck before reaching for her phone. She sent a quick text to the contact she'd made in Miami to let them know the situation had been handled and to be on the lookout for more abnormalities.
Jackson was wheeling the freezer over to the corner of the room when she arrived. "First time we captured a triple-helix animal before it was able to create an environmental catastrophe," he crowed.
She smiled at the celebratory fist bump he gave Abe and tucked her phone away. "Local authorities have been notified in case any more flash-freezing lizards turn up in Florida."
"Well we're gonna try and have a cure before they do," Mitch replied shortly.
Logan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the stair railing. "So what's the last triple-whatever animal that we need to track down?"
"Triple helix," Mitch corrected as he donned a pair of gloves. "Try and keep up, genius." The level of derision in his tone surprised Jamie; she'd thought they were past this open animosity. "And to answer your question, I don't know yet." He began walking around the makeshift bone tables slowly. "The rest of these bones I could put together with my eyes closed. The vulture. The sloth. The snake. Lizard." He indicated each in turn, then stopped in front of a jumbled pile of large bones. "This last set just doesn't make any sense," he admitted. "Gonna take me a while to figure it out."
That was Mitch-speak for "everyone get out of my lab." They all jumped to comply, scattering in different directions to avoid the wrath of the scientist.
Jamie retreated to the kitchen to regroup and organize her thoughts. She needed to talk to Mitch, preferably somewhere they wouldn't be interrupted, but she had no idea where to begin.
I'm sorry might be a good place, Campbell.
She silenced her inner voice with a sharp shake of her head. Abe chose that moment to enter the room and he furrowed his brow at her odd behavior.
"Banana?" she offered suddenly, grabbing one for herself. When he declined she peeled it and took a big bite.
"Jamie," he halted her exit with the word, and she turned expectantly. "I just wanted to talk to you about what we discussed."
It had been almost a week since they'd heard the rumor that Jackson's father was still alive. And to boot, he was working for the organization that they had been charged to stop at all costs. Abe had bullied her into agreeing to keep quiet, but it didn't sit well with her. She knew she'd want to be told if her father suddenly showed up after all these years.
Jamie finished her banana on the fourth bite and leaned back against the counter. "We have to tell Jackson about his father," she argued. "He deserves to know."
"But we don't even know if it is the truth," Abe countered. "Jackson has just found out his father injected him with the ghost gene. If Robert Oz is alive, he's the last person I would want to see." Jamie couldn't fault his logic; Mitch couldn't even figure out why Jackson's father had done it. "If we tell Jackson now, it could break him," Abe continued solemnly. "And I fear we would never get him back."
It was enough to silence the majority of her protests. "Okay," she relented. "So what do we do?"
"We find out if Robert Oz is, in fact, alive. Until then, we say nothing of this to Jackson." Abe stared at her firmly until she agreed with a quick nod of her head. He squeezed her arm in thanks before leaving to resume whatever he'd been doing earlier. With nothing else to occupy her thoughts or her time, Jamie decided a hot shower was just the thing to restore her equilibrium.
She made it as far as her bedroom when the lights flickered and died. That's weird. She tried the intercom but it, too, was dark. With no recourse left, she stepped back out into the hall in search of her team.
The plane lurched suddenly and she reached out to steady herself as they began to taxi quickly. Trotter was taking off. Jamie didn't know why he hadn't warned them, but she guessed it had something to do with their current blackout. She held her breath as they got airborne, and as soon as they left the earth it was smooth enough for her to keep moving.
Strange voices floated up from the lab and Jamie immediately slowed her steps enough to hide their sound. She made her way silently around the perimeter of the lab and laid herself flat on the floor. Through the grate she could see Mitch, Jackson and Abe being held at gunpoint, their hands bound in black zip ties. A man was standing menacingly over them with a sneer on his face, and when he turned she recognized General Andrew Davies from the pictures she'd found on the web.
One of his soldiers came up with his rifle lowered. "It's a good thing the Army Ranger wasn't here. She could have complicated things."
Davies turned with a sharp rebuke. "Just find Campbell." The soldier scurried off to comply as Davies tapped one of Mitch's tablets. He scoffed at the information he uncovered with each swipe. "Triple-helix animals, environmental anomalies, genomic fossils." He glanced up with a mocking sneer. "You can't be serious."
"You want me to explain it using smaller words?" Mitch taunted.
"That research will lead us to a cure," Abe asserted.
Davies tossed the tablet away and shook his head. "When are you going to accept that fact that there is no cure? You found your cure once and it failed. You failed," he added sharply. "The Noah Objective is the only way to stop the animals now."
Jamie had heard enough. She needed to find a way to get to Trotter and restore communication. As much as she hated the idea, Allison Shaw was likely their best bet at getting out of this mess. She slowly rose from the floor and made her way to the hall.
The intercom on the wall was dark, but she tried anyway. She pressed the button that should have connected her to the cockpit, but it just buzzed angrily whenever she tried.
"Trotter?" she whispered anyway, hoping against hope that the pilot could hear. "Trotter."
"The signal's blocked." Logan's quiet voice startled her and she whirled with her arm ready to lash out.
"Oh, Logan," she relaxed at the sight of a friendly face. "Thank God. Where have you been?" He held a large bundle under his arm, but in the dark she couldn't make out what it was.
"Davies has some kind of scrambling device set up," he explained. "You can't get anything out."
But Jamie wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Well, unless we disable it."
Logan's reaction was immediately. "Those are trained killers down there," he turned slightly. "And they already have everybody else. There's no fighting this thing. We need to go." He shifted the bundle under his arm slightly.
"What are you talking about?" Jamie glanced down, then back up at his face.
"You and I," he explained. "We need to jump. Together."
A Parachute. He was holding a parachute. And he wanted her to jump off the plane with him.
"Are you kidding me?"
But he was deadly serious. "We get out of this plane, we go back to South Beach - any beach, okay? I can buy you a drink. Just come with me now." There was a desperation in his tone that Jamie would have paid attention to if she wasn't stuck on one thing.
"I'm not jumping out of a plane," she protested. "And I'm not leaving my friends. You should know that."
He stared at her for a moment as if working something out, then he simply gave up. "Yeah, I do" he said. "The scrambler should be down by the cockpit." He set the parachute down on the jumpseat. "It'll be patched into the comms. Just follow me." He turned to head down the stairs, then stopped just as abruptly. When he looked back at her he had an unreadable look on his face. "But don't say I didn't try."
Something itched at the back of her mind, something that felt a lot like her old reporter instincts trying to tell her something was off. But she was out of options. Her friends had been captured, Trotter was flying who-knew-where, and it was just her and Logan against a four star general and his squad of goons. She followed Logan down the spiral staircase, head down as she focused on not tripping in the dark.
The landing was better lit, and Jamie was relieved that the emergency lighting was still active. Jamie kept her eye on the hallway that led to the lab, but no one emerged. Logan stepped toward the cockpit, but then suddenly stopped and turned.
"Miss Campbell." Jamie had glanced at Logan for a moment to see why he'd stopped, so General Davies' arrival startled her. Another man stepped into the small intersection behind him, and Jamie didn't miss the high-powered weapon he held. "I was starting to worry we'd lost you." Jamie knew she couldn't run, but maybe she could provide enough of a distraction so Logan could get away. Davies next words squashed her plan before it had a chance to fully form. "Nice job, Logan."
Half a dozen emotions warred within her, fighting for dominance as she whirled on the man she'd thought was a friend. Anger won out. "You son of a bitch!" She pivoted on her good foot and balled up her fist to deliver a right cross. She'd grown up with four boys and an uncle; she knew how to throw a punch. Logan went down as Davies' goon grabbed her.
"Ginger's got a mean right," Davies complimented even as Jamie struggled against her captor.
Logan stood and gave what she guessed was his version of an apology. "Jamie, I tried to give you an out. Twice," he implored. "I thought you would have learned your lesson in Caraquet."
"Why?" Her anger was quickly being replaced with betrayal and humiliation as she realized he'd played her.
"Jamie, these days you have to look out for yourself." His selfish, out-for-number-one attitude drove home just how far the world had fallen. It was the rule, now, rather than the exception.
"Come on," Davies nodded his head sharply and the man holding her pushed her forward. He had a hold of both arms, and she winced as he forced her to walk a little faster than her imperfect foot would allow.
The others looked up as they entered the lab. Mitch's eyes watched her like a hawk as they approached, concern for her outweighing whatever irritation he still held from their fight.
"You okay?" She saw him flex unconsciously, wanting to reach out to her. The black ziptie around his wrists stopped him.
"You were right," she said dejectedly, "never should've trusted him." Realization dawned as Logan stepped into view. Jamie saw each of her friends in turn glaring daggers at the man, yet not one of them directed an "I told you so" in her direction.
The man holding her pushed her toward the stairs roughly as Davies handed Logan a small phone. "Money's in your account," he told the traitor.
"Yeah, that seems about right," Mitch grumbled.
"You opened the door," Logan pressed a button and handed it back to Davies. "I just walked through."
There was a beat of silence, then Mitch erupted. Before anyone could grab him he slammed his body into Logan's, driving him back enough to ram his forehead into the younger man's face. Jamie watched in shock. She'd known there was more to him than the cool, cynical scientist he played in the lab. She'd been a first hand witness to his passion, and her body tingled with the memory of his undivided fervor directed solely at her. But this was a different animal all together. This time he meant to wound, to seek retribution against a man who had betrayed them, who had hurt her.
But he was still a lab rat, and surprise only gave him a moment's advantage before Logan's instincts kicked in. He grabbed Mitch and reversed their positions, shoving the scientist into the table viciously before delivering a hard blow to the side of his body. Jamie lurched forward immediately to intervene, but her guard thug forced her to back down.
"Stop it!" she screamed as Logan struck again, driving his fist into Mitch's ribs with enough force to move the table in front of him. The sloth's cage jostled dangerously but didn't tip. But Mitch wasn't fighting back, and when Davies hauled Logan away, Mitch didn't retaliate. Something was wrong.
"That's enough," Davies grabbed Mitch and pushed him toward the stairs. Jamie saw him wince in pain as he was manhandled, but there was something else on his face besides pain. Before she could decipher it, Davies directed his men to pull the others to their feet. "Get them upstairs," he ordered. "This op's already taken longer than it should have."
Like every chair on the plane, the ones on the upper balcony came equipped with seatbelts. They were all shoved down and secured, and Jamie finally noticed the conspiratorial glances that Jackson, Mitch and Abe seemed to be sharing. Jackson was closest, and he gave her a careful nod.
"It's okay," he whispered quickly, just low enough to keep it from reaching their enemies' ears.
Her eyes moved to Mitch, who was slumped painfully in his seat. His fingers moved subtly, and she finally saw the small device in his hand. They had a plan. She didn't know what it was, but she knew how she could help.
She was the last to be secured, and she cried out painfully as he tightened the belt over her hips. "Ow! Hey!" The man turned back with a taunting sneer. "Could you give me a little help?" She turned on the charm and gave her best demure look, the one that had gotten her out of many troublesome situations during the course of her investigative career.
He wasn't buying it. "It's supposed to be uncomfortable."
She needed to bait him further. "See these bruises," she lifted her neck to show him the fading marks from Mace's hands. "They're all over."
His smile shifted from taunting to predatory in a heartbeat. "Oh, we'll have to confirm that."
Jackson was quick to defend her, straining against his bonds as he tried to impose himself between them. "Don't you dare touch her."
The man shifted his attention to Jackson with a mocking laugh. "What are you gonna do about it, Beastie Boy?"
Jamie glanced over at Mitch, hoping he'd started whatever he'd planned. His chair was swiveled away, allowing him full view of the lab below. Jamie saw the small red dot dancing around on the sloth's cage, then in its eye. Then she saw the door to the cage was open, and suddenly she realized the plan.
It only took a few more seconds for the sloth to become angered enough to shriek. The vibrations traveled through the plane's hull, and it lurched sideways. The goons were knocked off their feet as Trotter tried to regain control. Equipment, chairs, tables and anything else not secured in place skittered across the floor. Suddenly they rocked the other way, and Jamie's stomach dropped to her toes as she gripped the seat fearfully. Bile rose in the back of her throat and she swallowed it back as Davies' man scrambled to their feet. One of them reached for her and Abe called a warning.
"Jamie, look out!"
He was on his knees but rising, and Jamie planted her good foot in his chest and shoved with all of her strength. He was already off balance from the movement of the plane, and her kick sent him back into the railing and over. She heard the crash as he impacted something, and for a brief second she wondered if she'd just killed another man.
She didn't have time to worry about it. She glanced over to where Logan and Davies had been having a quiet conversation and noticed her former friend slinking away. Jackson lunged from his seat and tackled the second man, sending him to the floor. Jackson lifted him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him back down, satisfied when he didn't try to get back up. Jackson unsheathed the knife at the man's belt and cut his own bonds, then turned to Jamie. The moment she was free she was off, darting in the only direction she knew Logan would go. He'd already told her escape plan.
The plane leveled out as she moved to the rear of the plane. She passed through the bar on the way. The carnage inside was far greater than she expected from the still-teetering plane. Rubber pellets and discharged darts spoke of a non-lethal firefight, and Jamie scooped up the discarded tranq rifle near the back.
The alarm was already blaring as she approached the vehicle bay. Logan had opened the door. Jamie wondered at the implications of doing so at their altitude, but she had more important things to deal with at the moment. The wind howled as she stepped through the door, and she squinted against the cold as she stepped around the vehicles. He was there, staring off into the darkness, ready to jump.
"The whole time!" she shouted to be heard above the whipping winds. He turned toward her and keyed in on the rifle she now had pointed directly at him. "You were working for Davies the whole time!" She wanted him to deny it, to tell her Davies had only recently reached out. She might be able to forgive him that. She'd been a horrible friend to him these past weeks, ignoring him in favor of her own selfish desires. She wouldn't blame him if he'd sought acceptance elsewhere.
But his face told her everything she needed to know. "Come on, Jamie," he stepped away from the edge. "I was with you in that forest, saw what you had to do to survive. You made the same choice that I made. That you're gonna survive in this new world. Whatever it takes."
So it had been from the beginning, then. Had Davies planted him in New Brunswick in hopes that he would stumble into her? It seemed unlikely for a man as organized as Davies. Likely he knew where she was, knew where she was going, and had put Logan in her path. "Was any of it real?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.
"I'm sorry," he tried. "I really did want to have a drink with you." He turned to jump, and Jamie realized this was the last time she'd ever see him. He would get away, just another man who'd taken advantage of her trusting nature, used her and left. Just like Ethan. Just like Ben.
White hot anger erupted suddenly, and before she could even think about it she stomped over to him, heedless of the still open bay door. The wind was fierce here, and she had to fight to keep her feet as Logan turned around in surprise.
"You're right," she told him. "Whatever it takes." Hope glimmered in his eyes, and Jamie knew the moment she had him. He leaned forward, probably to kiss her, and she pulled the trigger. Logan looked down in shock at the rifle still held at her side, her finger at the ready. She smiled and felt satisfaction at the betrayal he must be feeling now. "Good luck opening your chute," she yelled, and pushed. She stood there and watched him fade into the night, his body slack from the sedative.
Jamie slammed the button to close the hatch on way out. Her hands were shaking from the adrenaline coursing through her body, but she didn't have time contemplate her actions right now. There were still enemies on their plane and she needed to find the others.
She found Abe first, standing in the bottom of the stairwell with a semi-conscious Davies tied to the rail. Abe cut an intimidating figure as he landed two devastating blows to the general's midsection.
"Abe!" she jumped. "You're really doing this." She had no wiggle room in the morality department - not when she'd just pushed a sedated man off the plane mid-flight - but seeing Abe's face dark with anger and determination unsettled her.
"Yes, I am," Abe responded, connecting again as Davies grunted from the force of the blow.
"Has he said anything about Robert Oz?"
"No," Davies groaned. "And I won't." He took a ragged breath and met Abe's anger with a cool defiance. "Even if Robert Oz was still alive, what use would I have for a lunatic who can't even get a job teaching high school biology?"
Jamie wasn't fooled. "We have it on good authority that lunatic is working for you."
Davies' head lolled toward her as he spoke in a mocking tone. "Once a reporter, always a reporter, huh?" He coughed and grimaced, probably from the bruised ribs Abe had given him. "Well, there's no story here, no matter how much you make me bleed." He directed this last at Abe, who just smiled back menacingly.
"Everyone talks, given time." He balled up his fist and planted it in Davies' gut, and Jamie winced at the sound it made.
"I don't know how much time we have," she told her friend.
Abe kept his steely gaze on Davies, but his words were for her. "Remember the venom dealer in Portugal?"
She caught on immediately, but hesitated. "Are you serious?"
"You said it yourself," Abe continued coolly, "we're short on time. We need answers. Get the venom."
Jamie dashed toward the lab as fast as she could. She heard Mitch and Jackson arguing about something, but from the lower level she couldn't make it out.
"That's not even true!" Jackson screamed. When she glanced up Mitch was gesturing animatedly, and even from this distance she could see he was angry.
"Hey!" she called, and both men turned toward her. "What's going on up there?"
"Where's Davies?" Jackson asked.
"He's with Abe," she gestured toward the stairs. "What's the plan?" They looked at each other silently, and whatever argument they'd been having was finished. Jackson stalked off as Mitch turned away, and Jamie tossed her hands up in frustration. "Great," she derided. "While you guys figure that out, I'm gonna go help Abe." She moved to the fridge, which thankfully had been bolted to the wall and locked. The venom that Mitch had procured from Lisbon sat in a case inside, and she pulled the whole thing out. She had no idea what Abe wanted, so she'd have to take him all of it.
Abe took it from her when she arrived, and he sifted through it almost methodically before pulling a vial out. "This," he grabbed a syringe and pulled some of the venom into it, "is the venom of the Inland Taipan. Deadliest snake in the world." Davies didn't seem impressed. "You are going to tell us what we want to know, or I am going to inject you with it." As Abe described what it would feel like, Jamie studied the general's face. His face was completely blank; he'd been trained to withstand torture. At the end of Abe's speech, he just scoffed.
"Just do it already so I don't have to listen to your endlessly inane clucking."
Jamie could only watch incredulously as Abe made good on his threat. Davies seized as the venom entered his bloodstream, and every muscle in his body tightened in response to the immense pain.
"Where is Robert Oz?" Abe demanded.
Davies just looked up defiantly. "Go to hell!"
"We know about the TX gas," Jamie tried. "It's gonna kill 2.2 million people."
He strained to answer as the pain stole his breath. "Gonna save 7 billion!"
"It's murder," Jamie argued.
"Murder?" he grunted. "The animals are slaughtering us. What do you call that?" A roar of agony cut off the end of his sentence, and the veins in his neck bulged as he fought the poison in the system.
"Abe, we've got to give him the antivenom." Jamie moved to the case, but Abe's sharp rebuke stopped her.
"No."
"What?"
"No," he repeated, then leaned in close to Davies. "What does Robert Oz have to do with any of this?" The venom was taking its toll, and Davies face was flushed red with the strain. "You are going to die if you don't answer me!" Abe cried. "Where is Robert Oz?"
"So what if I die?" Davies gasped. His words came in fits and starts as he fought for breath. "The TX gas will be my legacy. He'll make sure of that."
"Who?"
"Who do you think?"
Jamie and Abe glanced at each other in confusion, then back at Davies. He couldn't possibly be suggesting… "Robert Oz?" Jamie clarified. "He wanted this?"
"Wanted it?" Davies was struggling now, every word growled through clenched teeth. "The gas...the Noah Objective...repopulating...the planet with animals using clean DNA...it was all his idea."
As last words went, "It was all his idea," weren't the worst Jamie could think of. But she'd already killed a man today, but that had been a selfish mercenary who had wronged her personally. Killing a four star general in the course of a torture session wasn't on her to do list.
"I'll get the defibrillator," she pushed off Abe's shoulder from where they'd both crouched when Davies had collapsed. The antivenom had been too late, and Abe couldn't find a pulse.
The AED was in lab under the rear workstation, and she stepped over the mayhem to reach for the case now lying on the floor. She grabbed for it, but the moment she lifted it the bottom hinged unnaturally. It was broken.
Mitch and Jackson were huddled over something in the lab proper, but she didn't have time to worry about what they were doing. She needed to find something that could restart Davies' heart.
The sound of electricity crackling drew her attention, and she looked up at the colony of ants stowed safely in their tank. It would have to do. She used a spatula-looking utensil to scoop them into two glass flasks and hoped that would be enough. She was out of time.
"Where the defibrillator?" Abe asked. He was still doing chest compressions but Davies wasn't responding.
"Out of commission," Jamie lamented. "I got the next best thing." She held up the flasks in her hands.
"Ants?"
"A defibrillator delivers an electric charge straight to the heart," she reasoned. "Some electrically charged ants should do the trick."
Abe glanced down at the unconscious general, then reached for the flasks. "Do we have a choice?"
They delivered two jolts to Davies by upturning the flasks on his chest. He jerked but didn't wake. On the third shock, Jackson came barrelling down the stairs.
"What the hell is going on here? Is he dead?"
Jamie glanced up with an innocent stare. "Only for a minute."
Jackson lifted the phone in his hand to his ear. "Just hold on a second, Allison." Jamie rolled her eyes at the mention of their illustrious leader. It figured she was demanding something right now, in the midst of all this chaos. "Okay now what?" Jackson asked.
"I don't know," Abe answered. "They don't have an on/off switch."
Mitch chose that moment to make an appearance. "We are gonna lose this lizard if we don't -" He stopped cold as he surveyed the scene. "What the -?"
For a moment no one said anything, then Jackson held the phone out to him. "Someone wants to talk to you."
Mitch grabbed it and held it to his ear as he leveled a glare at Abe. "Okay, let me see if I can wake him."
Another jolt, and again there was no response from Davies. "What's plan B 'cause it's not working!" Jackson howled.
"It's hard to explain," Mitch was saying. Jamie wondered what Allison was thinking, and she took a little joy in imagining the woman floundering for an explanation and getting nothing. "And even harder to imagine," Mitch continued.
"He's back!" Abe cried, and Jamie sighed in relief. "He's back."
"You used the antivenom," Davies muttered. "You coward."
As Abe got Davies to a sitting position, Mitch took charge once more. "I don't know what happened here - and I don't want to - but we've got a lizard to save. So you, you," he pointed to Jamie and Jackson in turn, "come with me. You," he looked at Abe, "stay here with him. Try not to kill him this time."
Jamie soon discovered what the boys had been working on while she and Abe were handling Davies. The tegu had been injured in the assault, and Mitch was working to save him. He snapped on gloves and dove back in, the tiny camera he'd set up giving him a close up view of his work.
"He's bleeding internally," Mitch explained. "I need to find the wound and suture it."
"Okay," Jamie looked around helplessly. "What do you want me to do?"
"Grab that syringe," he nodded toward the tray of instruments.
She picked it up and held it out to him. "Here."
"No, I need you to drain the bladder," he directed.
"What?"
"I've only got two hands here," he was getting exasperated. "They're both wrist-deep in lizard guts. Come over here." He jerked his head sideways to indicate his other side. She moved automatically, though she had had no idea how to even do that. "See that thing right there," he pointed with his forceps, "looks like a little chestnut?"
"Yeah," Jamie leaned in close to the monitor.
"Just stick the needle in there and pull back on the plunger." She did. "Slowly," he stressed. "There you go." He was already at work tying the ends of the suture thread together. "Alright, that's enough."
Jamie tried not to think about the fact that she'd just stuck her hand into a living thing. She set the syringe off to the side as he shot her a sideways smile. "Well done, doctor." For the moment, at least, he seemed to forget he they'd even fought, and Jamie was willing to follow his lead.
Jackson emerged from the back of the lab with a tank and a spray nozzle. "I grabbed the de-icer in case our friend decides to wake up."
"Okay, tying off the bleeder," Mitch announced. Beneath his hands the lizard thrashed gently. "Uh oh."
The insides of the lizard were slowly crystallizing as it woke from its sedated slumber. "That's ice," Jamie murmured. It crept slowly across the lizard's guts and began to make it's way up Mitch's gloves.
"Okay, that's enough," Jackson stepped forward, ready to spray de-icer all over the lizard and the table.
"Just give me a second, okay?" Mitch protested, still tying even as the ice began to freeze his fingers. "Okay, I got it."
"Mitch, I'm not messing around," Jackson warned. "Back off!"
"Jackson, you can't do that!" Mitch glanced up sharply. "You're gonna kill him."
Jamie glanced at the monitors, specifically the little line that reported the lizard's internal temperature. It was rapidly decreasing. "Guys, his body temperature's dropping."
"Mitch get away from the tab -"
"Not now Jackson!" Mitch was working furiously now, stapling the soft skin of the tegu's underbelly closed. Both his hands were covered in ice, and Jamie saw him wince as he struggled with the stapler. "Okay, done. Grab the blanket."
Jamie spun and snatched the thermal blanket from where it sat on the freezer. She unfolded it quickly and helped Mitch drape it over the now agitated tegu. He scooped it up blanket and all as Jackson raced to open the freezer lid. Mitch set the animal inside gently, mindful of its injuries even after all the danger it had put them in.
Mitch tore at his ice-crusted gloves as Jackson shut the lid. Jamie watched as he blew into his hands to restore circulation and grimaced in sympathy.
"Anyone want a cold one?" she quipped.
Jackson laughed and pushed away from the freezer. "I'm gonna get Abe and tie up Davies' men."
"Good idea." Mitch stood up straight and winced painfully as Jackson walked away.
"Are you okay?" Jamie didn't like that he was still hurting, but she wasn't sure he'd accepted any sort of comfort she would offer right now.
"Fine," he waved her off predictably. "Your boy Logan packs quite a punch." She knew he didn't mean it that way, but his words were a reminder that she'd brought a traitor into their midst. It felt like an accusation, and despite telling herself she was being ridiculous she couldn't help but shoulder the blame for Logan's betrayal. "Where is he, anyway?"
Jamie panicked. She couldn't tell him the truth - that she'd pushed him off the plane after pumping him full of tranquilizer - so she settled for a half-truth. "He grabbed a parachute and jumped."
"Really?" Mitch's eyes widened comically. "I didn't even know we had parachutes."
"Yeah, well, he's gone," Jamie rushed on. "Speaking of," she glanced around, "any idea where we're going?"
"No," Mitch shook his head. "Why don't you go find out while I clean up here?"
Jamie hated that they were still in a stalemate. She knew it was her fault, and that she needed to step up to apologize, but now didn't seem like the right time. So she just nodded and left, beating a hasty retreat to the cockpit. Trotter was still locked inside, and Jamie tried and failed a few times to gain access. Finally she gave up and went in search of someone who could help.
"He needs the all clear code," Abe explained as he cinched the zip tie around the last of Davies' men.
"Okay, what is it?"
"I don't know," Abe admitted. "Mitch and Chloe were the only ones who knew it. Mitch chose it and would only say it was a date of importance to him."
Clem's birthday. It had to be Clem's birthday. She jogged back up to her room and grabbed the stack of files she'd saved from Chloe's records. Mitch's was the third folder, and inside she found Clem's birthdate typed neatly next to her name under the "Children" heading. Jamie memorized that date and Mitch's birthday just in case, then ran back to the cockpit.
Neither worked. On a whim, Jamie tried her own birthday but still the panel remained red. Resigned to the fact that she would have to go ask Mitch himself, she made her way back down to the lab.
She found him cleaning the last of the tegu's blood from the floor. He deposited the paper towels along with his gloves in one fluid motion then turned to set the rest of his lab right. He stopped when he caught sight of her but said nothing.
"Hey," she greeted lamely. "I, uh, can't get to Trotter. Abe said you have the all clear code he needs."
"Oh, right," he adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "I'll, uh, I'll do it."
He didn't trust her with the code. It hurt more than she thought it would, but she couldn't blame him. Her judgment had apparently been seriously impaired by her excursion in the backwoods of Canada. Still, she couldn't help but try one more time.
"I can do it," she told him, "I just need the code."
He blinked owlishly, then licked his lips nervously. Then it hit her. He wasn't being stingy with the code because he didn't trust her; he was embarrassed.
After a few seconds he surrendered. "It's 063015," he muttered.
Jamie knew the date well. It was the day after she'd been fired. It was also the day they had met. Air rushed from her lungs as relief and regret crashed over her like a tidal wave.
"Listen," she began slowly. "I…" She had so much to say to him, to apologize for, but nothing would come.
"You should go input that code," he said finally. "Trotter will be worried."
"Yeah." She cursed inwardly. Words weren't typically this hard to come by for her. He turned away to check on his computer desk and Jamie abandoned her failed apology attempt and went to figure out where the hell they were going.
The answer was apparently Mozambique. Jackson's mother was missing, and Allison had deployed a team to look for her as well as escort Davies and his men back to the states after they landed. Jamie occupied the time in her room. She couldn't seem to collect her thoughts well enough to speak to him, but she'd always been able to write. So she crafted her amends with pen and paper, pouring out her thoughts and feelings onto sheet after sheet. Her hand cramped more than once, but in the end she felt like a weight had been lifted from her.
As she signed her name she stifled a yawn and glanced up to check the time. It was almost two in the morning by her clock, though she knew that by the time they landed in Africa it would likely be closer to noon than not. Deciding a quick nap was in order, she tucked her letter into the drawer of her nightstand and switched off the light.
She was standing in a canyon, pitch black except for a light source she couldn't pinpoint. It illuminated a small area around her, showing her the rock walls on either side. She tried to follow one, hoping that it led somewhere, but no matter how many steps she took she was always flanked on either side by endless stone.
Growls echoed through the canyon, bouncing and rebounding upon each other until she had to cover her ears to muffle the sound. Eventually they drove her to the ground, hunched over herself and clutching at her ears to block out the onslaught.
That's when she saw it. The light. It was coming from her. There was a hole in the very center of her chest, like something had burrowed in and then burst its way through. Beams of light trickled out and faded into the gloom in a steady stream. She stumbled back grasping and pressing, trying to hold it in, to keep the light inside. But the more she tried, the faster it seemed to pour from her.
A warm weight at her back stopped her retreat, and as she stretched her neck she saw him. Her lion. His mouth gaped in a yawn, his white teeth gleaming. He chuffed once and moved his paw, causing her to fall onto her back at his feet. He shifted to lay along her side, and though it seemed like he was too large to do so, he rested his head on her chest just over the hole. She didn't dare move, both for the fear of scaring him away and the fear of losing what was left of her light. If he could save it - save her - then she would lie here forever.
Jamie gasped and woke, her hand frozen halfway to her chest as she clung to the remnants of her dream. It didn't take a genius to interpret it. She knew what she had to do, and the image of him standing at her side against the darkness was enough to drive her from her bed. She fished the letter from her nightstand and quickly scanned it. She fought against her journalist's instinct to edit, to rephrase, to omit anything that didn't seem polished or perfect. But, she reminded herself, it didn't have to be. Because she wasn't polished or perfect. She needed Mitch to read her thoughts as they were, unmarred by second thoughts or equivocation. She had poured her heart into the letter; now all she had to do was get Mitch to read it.
She found him at the bar nursing a scotch and finishing a crossword puzzle. Jackson and Abe were out searching for Jackson's mom, leaving Mitch and Jamie to clean up the rest of the mess Davies and his men had left.
He glanced up when she walked in and raised his glass in invitation. When she nodded, he reached down for another glass and poured her a few fingers of the dark liquid as she sat on the stool next to his. He said nothing as he set the drink in front of her, and they wordlessly toasted nothing before taking a sip.
After a few seconds of tense silence, he took a breath to speak. "What's that?" he nodded toward the folded sheets of paper in her hand. She looked down at them, then back again. Jamie wanted badly to just hand off the four page letter and run away, but she knew she needed to try to mend the distance she'd forced between them first.
"It's a letter," she said. "To you. I've...always been better able to articulate myself in the written word. But there is something I need to say before I give it to you." She saw his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed, and though his face looked relaxed and calm she could see the storm of worry in his eyes. "I need to apologize. Both for that night in the lab and yesterday," she explained. "I just...you were right. I've been off balance ever since I got back and I need to find my footing again. But I shouldn't have acted the way I did, and I'm sorry if anything I did hurt you. That's the very last thing I want and -" her emotions swirled again and her throat tightened over her words, cutting off the rest of her apology. She could feel the tear that rolled down her cheek and she moved to wipe it away.
Mitch beat her to it. His hand was warm against her skin, and she sniffled softly as his fingers caressed the skin of her cheek. When he pulled back she looked up and found the strength to continue.
"I feel like I've been broken into a thousand pieces and I can't figure out how I go back together again. But I do know I can't do it easily without help, and not at all without you." It was probably the hardest admission of her thirty-odd years and, though it sounded entirely too dramatic in her head, she knew her life depended on his answer.
When he finally spoke his voice was rough and warm. "Well," he smiled just a little, "I guess it's a good thing I love puzzles."
She couldn't help it. The laugh bubbled up and out before she could stop it, and after a few seconds he joined her. She knew they were a long way from okay, but they'd taken crucial first steps toward their goal. Jamie handed him the letter and expected him to open it right away. Instead, he tucked it beneath his crossword reverently and picked up his pen.
"Do you happen to know an eight letter word for funeral rites that starts with an e?"
"What?"
"It's my last clue," he explained, tilting the paper in her direction. "I have to finish this puzzle before I start the next one."
Jamie chuckled and tried to focus on his question. She guessed pulling out her phone and typing the clue into a search engine would be considered cheating, so she had to rely on her extensive knowledge of words. Luckily for Mitch, Jamie had been broadening her vocabulary since she was six.
"Exequies."
Mitch looked down at his puzzle for half a second, then penned in her word triumphantly. "Done." He tossed his pen down and stood, swooping up his drink and her letter in one hand. "For what it's worth," he reached out and laid the other on her shoulder, "I'm sorry about Logan."
Her instinct was to recoil, to pull away from the sudden reminder of her miscalculation. But if the last twenty four hours had taught her anything, it was not to listen to that part of her mind anymore. It was that part that had sustained her in Canada, telling her to keep moving, to protect herself no matter the cost. But she was safe now, back among the only people outside her family who cared about her most. She would need to learn how to temper those knee-jerk reactions so she didn't make the same mistakes again.
So instead she returned his flat smile and nodded. "Thanks." She looked at the letter still folded in his hand and cleared her throat. "I'll, uh, be here when you're done." Mitch squeezed her shoulder once before leaving, and Jamie began counting the minutes until his return.
A/N: Guys, I really did try to have an entire chapter where they were mad at each other. My initial plan was to keep the tension going into the next chapter. Then I started writing and the plans changed. *sigh*
Also, I have to apologize. Due to an inconsistency in the show itself, I was surprised to find the sloth living onboard the plane despite no evidence that the team actually managed to snag it from the party in Vancouver. None of them had the sloth in hand upon returning to the plane in episode 3. If I am mistaken, please let me know. As such, I am going to go back and edit that chapter to reflect their additional passenger.