8
Jax Is Really Alive
Chapter Recap 38
Jax reveals that his odd conversation with Hale meant that their communications might not be secure. Tara buys a couple of disposable phones and she and Jax call Hale.
They learn from Hale that there's some kind of security lockdown going on and he doesn't know what that means but it's bad. He tells them they can't come to Charming until the lockdown ends.
Also, all the members of the team looking for Abel and Thomas are being rounded up and put into interrogation rooms.
Chapter 39 Just Got Worse
Jax gave Tara a fifteen minute lead so they wouldn't show up near each other on any traffic cameras. It was probably an unnecessary precaution, but if things were as crazy as Hale said, it was better to be careful.
He called Tara's new cell phone when he had the SUV parked in Ontario International Airport's long term parking lot to pick him up. She was going to drive a couple of hours and then they would switch off.
The traffic in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles barely moved day or night. There didn't need to be a accident for the flow of traffic to grind to a halt. He longed for his bike and its ability to weave through traffic, but bikes drew attention and he didn't need the Jax Teller heat. They had to get to the safe house outside Charming as soon as possible.
He and Tara were worried that all the members of the team helping to find their boys were being rounded up and put into interrogation rooms. Obviously that wasn't a good sign. Worse, Hale had no idea what was going on and the usually calm Ryland seemed a little ruffled. Bad shit was definitely going on.
Jax was also worried about Tara's safety. If this was some Paralorn/Sliven thing, Tara could be in deadly danger. If the Slivens could kill Tara and Thomas, the royal line for the Paralorns would be ended. He wondered who was next in line for the throne if that happened. Could it be Ryland?
Would it even matter about who was going to lead the Paralorns if the Slivens wiped out the Paralorns? He shook his head. This whole alien thing made his head swim with its complexity. He was going to have to get up to speed because he needed to protect Tara and get their boys back.
The coordinates to one of Ryland's safe houses led them out to the middle of a patch of dirt.
"There's nothing here," Jax said looking around.
"This is strange. Maybe I should call Hale," Tara said.
"Remain in the car," a voice said. "You have been authenticated and will be transported. Do not leave the car or possible death could result." There was a long pause. "Do not be scared," the voice said in a slightly more friendly tone.
Suddenly the car dropped thirty feet straight down. It came to rest gently in an underground tunnel in pitch blackness.
"You may now exit safely. Follow the blue lights to the structure."
Blue lights switched on leading from the car, down a path and to a silver colored structure. A door opened as they got there and they entered.
"Continue to follow the blue lights to the communications room. Ryland has an urgent message."
"I don't like the sound of that," Jax said.
"This whole place feels strange."
The building was dark except for the blue lights that lit their way to a room with a dozen black chairs and a screen that took up a whole wall. The screen lit up and Ryland appeared in a screen that took up about an eighth of the total screen.
"While the two of you were out of communication due to a possible security breach something has happened. As a result, I have made some decisions you need to be aware of. Hale received a message on the alien hotline. It's something that Paralorns and Sliven agree on—keeping our presence secret. Sometimes we are forced to cooperate.
"The message led him to Abel. He was dead. Hale brought him to me. I think whoever had him is alien or they wouldn't have known about the hotline. He wasn't abused and appeared well cared for. His death was due to his heart problem.
"I can't tell whether or not he will return to life. His heart is badly damaged. I think it's possible that the heart meds he was taking may have damaged his heart because of a chemical conflict with his alien DNA. I don't know if he can return to life. His heart is so damaged that it will need to replace itself. I put him in a medical drone and have sent him to Dr. Pritchard. He will place special patches on Abel's heart. The patches will use Abel's heart as a framework and grow over it. We hope that the patches will slowly restore Abel's heart and return him to life.
"It is possible that without surgical intervention, Abel would have returned to life, but there is no way to determine that. We believe that when hybrids die and don't return to life, it's because the damage is too severe. By helping Abel's heart heal, we are giving Abel the best chance possible at life. Dr. Pritchard will update you when he has done the procedure or if there is any change in Abel's status.
"Hale will be by soon to update you about other matters. Things are . . . chaotic," Ryland said and the screen went dark.
With everything that had happened over the past couple of days, this news still stunned them. They both sank down into nearby chairs. The room was still lit with blue lights.
"That procedure Ry was talking about is an experimental procedure," Tara said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He's using my son as a fucking lab rat? Son of a bitch," Jax got up from the chair and kicked it.
"You don't understand. He made the best decision. If he didn't want Abel to live, he would have just waited to see if he returned to life. He's trying to give him the best chance at life. This isn't his fault."
"I'm so damned sick of hearing you defend him," Jax said.
"And I'm so damned sick of your suspicions about him. I hoped that when you found out that he and I weren't sleeping together, you would see Ryland more accurately."
Jax knew he was being unfair to Ryland. It didn't matter to him. He was worried about Abel and it was easier to lash out in anger than fall apart with grief.
"David Hale is here. He will be transported down here in thirty-six seconds."
Hale walked into the room. He looked tired and tense.
"You got Ryland's message?"
Jax and Tara nodded.
"I thought it was better for Ryland to tell you about Abel because he can explain the medical stuff that I can't," Hale said. He sank down into a chair. "I'm beat."
"Tell us what happened when you found Abel," Jax said.
"I got a call on the alien hotline. It told me where to find Abel," Hale paused and took a deep breath. "He was at Gemma's in his bedroom tucked in his bed like he was asleep."
"What the hell?" Jax said shaking his head. "Is that some kind of message? Do you think he's been there all the time?"
"No, I think he was just placed there. The house doesn't look lived in."
"I'm sure that Gemma is involved somehow," Tara said.
"After all the bad shit she's done, I was hoping that she wasn't behind the kidnapping of the boys," Jax said.
"At least we know that Gemma will take good care of Thomas," Tara said.
"We don't know that Gemma took the boys. Maybe she was kidnapped too," Hale said. "There's another piece of information. That Aranora or whatever the hell that woman calls herself—the one that was engaged to Skeeter—can't be found."
"You think she's a runaway bride?" Tara asked. "Skeeter is a little creepy."
"She's no prize herself," Jax said.
"Ryland is taking it seriously. She's the only one on the team looking for the boys that can't be found."
"She's either a victim or a villain," Jax said. "My vote is for villain."
"The plot thickens. When Kozik got back from Norco, Ryland sent him and his nurse/girlfriend away. I think it was some kind of secret mission."
"I just don't trust that guy."
"Look, you two, I'm tired of all this distrust of Ryland. He's never done anything shady. We need to trust him and we need his help to find Thomas."
"Do you trust Kozik?" Hale asked Jax.
"Before last night, I would have said yes. His loyalty to me as a member of SAMCRO has been replaced by his loyalty to Ryland."
"We still can't find Opie. I talked to Donna last night and she's close to hysterical with worry. He hasn't been checking in with her."
"Sometimes Opie needs to just get away. He would go off on a bike trip to clear his head and figure things out. I hope that's all that's going on with him and he's not hurt somewhere."
"I keep thinking about last night when Nero was taken. It doesn't make sense the way he was taken. We were right there when they took him away. They could have waited a few minutes and taken him after I was gone. Why didn't they wait?"
"They wanted you to know they had him," Tara said.
"Why?" Jax asked.
"I'll give it some thought, but for now, my brain needs sleep," Hale said. "I'm going home and try to catch some sleep. There are two new secure phones in this room. Ask the CAS system where they are. It will load all the numbers including the one for the doctor working on Abel. I suggest you guys bank some sleep. I think we're in a lull before all hell breaks loose."
That would turn out to be an understatement.
Author's Note: Just as I was about to sit down to write this chapter, I got really sick, then I moved and it's been chaos with lots of insanity.
I do want to finish this story for its readers. There's still a lot of plot to uncover especially now that the story is returning to Charming. The story is 75% complete, but there are a lot of plot points left. I haven't forgotten any of the plot points that seem like they are dangling in space like: (space—it's a joke kind of because there are aliens)
Here are some of the plot points:
-What's going on with the weapon the Paralorns are working on in the lower level of the Queen's bunker.
-Who took the boys and why.
-Are any more people coming back from the dead.
- What's going on with Opie and will he ever appear in this story.
-Who is behind the attacks on SAMCRO and Scoops and is it just a bunch of destructive pranks or is it escalating. Soon, a member of SAMCRO will be killed.
-What will Jax do when SAMCRO comes under attack. (this almost answers the above plot point)
-A character from the TV series will be revealed to be the biggest villain and it's a huge twist and it's a double plot twist. Actually it's quadruple plot twist. It's a jaw-dropper and I'm not overselling it.
-Why was Nero taken and what's going to happen to him.
-Where is Gemma and what is her part in all this. Hint—it's twisted.
-Is Ryland really the nice guy alien he appears to be or is there something darker lurking beneath the veneer.
-Will Jax and Tara be able to stay together when everything unfolds or will they be forced to make choices that will require them to part for the good of their kids and the world. Epic love sacrificed for the good of the world. So sad, so tragic.
-Who tortured and killed Wendy and why.
-Was it a good idea for Chibs to throw a party celebrating SAMCRO's new clubhouse. No. It's going to go wrong.
-Is Abel permanently dead or just taking a long rest.
-Will Thomas make it out alive.
There will be no space battles and stuff like that because that's just too sci-fi and it doesn't fit the story.
Now that I look at all the plot points I have to cover, I'm getting excited about writing this story again. Hope your excited about reading this story again too. I'm planning to do weekly chapters, which probably means I will end up doing chapters every other week with luck or maybe more often as I rekindle my love for this story.
I've been consumed with my other story. It's like being in love only better because it's completely in my control. I'm hoping to manage the story sibling rivalry better.