A/N: The wonderful RoryFaller has raised a plot hole that I'm sure more than some of you are wondering. I DON'T BITE, GUYS! If you have a question, ask! I love it when people question my work because it's the only way I can ever improve! That being said, Rory wondered as to why Maddy took so easily to Sal's advances and not Mark's. Well that's all going to be explained within the next few chapters. We also get a guest appearance here from Will Carter, a character made up in the brilliant mind of the one and only RoryFaller. Will comes from a story of Rory's titled "Seeing the Light." You guys should check it out because it's a truly fantastic read. In any event, Will Carter (and Abigail Porter) are solely the creations of RoryFaller and they are borrowed with permission. All other characters (except Sal Lancaster, he's a figment of my imagination) are the property of 20th Century Fox but I decided to borrow them since they don't seem to be doing anything at the moment. Please read and review!
I took a quick glance over my shoulder as I entered the data room of the command center, pleased to find no one coming up behind me. I would need secrecy in order to complete my mission. Quietly, I powered on the nearest computer bay and began digging through personnel files, finding the one I wanted and hooking my Plex up to download it. I opened the document to read while I waited for it to finish downloading.
LANCASTER, SALVATORE
The file went on to list, in great detail, all of Sal's traits—the blond hair, the blue eyes, he was four months younger than me, an inch taller, and a half-pound heavier. Included was a full medical history but I wasn't looking for any of that. What I was really hoping to find was some indication as to why Maddy seemed so comfortable around him. Given her current state, there was just no way she would have warmed up to him that quickly. I'd been working three days just to get to 'trusted friend.' And that was after four or five hours of talking at a time. Sal had two hours tops and Maddy was already gushing about him. To me.
Bingo. Under place of origin: Chicago, Illinois, United States. There had to be a connection. There was no other way to explain it. Unless the new Maddy Shannon, or really the old Maddy Shannon, would never have taken an interest in me to begin with. But I didn't want to think of that. This had to be it.
"What are you doing in here, Reynolds?"
I jumped at the voice, spinning around and looking straight into a curious, brown-eyed smirk. Sergeant Will Carter. One of the soldiers higher than me in the chain of command. We had become good friends ever since we were paired up as sparring partners. He's kind of like an older brother to me.
"Will! I was…just…looking for something…"
He looked past me to the computer bank, stepping closer to see what was on the screen. "Looking for something in Sal Lancaster's file?" he asked.
"No!" I denied quickly despite the fact that there was obvious evidence to the contrary.
"Then why are you downloading his file to your Plex?" he picked up the device. "Are you stalking him or something?"
"No! I…"
"Invasion of privacy is a serious no-no, Reynolds," he told me with an amused smirk. "I might have to turn you in to Taylor himself."
"Please don't," I begged.
Will smiled his 'I-know-you're-up-to-something smile. "So then, enlighten me. What's got you so interested in Sal Lancaster?"
I sighed, defeated. "I think he's trying to take advantage of Maddy's memory loss to get with her before I can get her back," I confessed.
Will's face turned from joking to serious. "I always knew Lancaster was a bastard," he muttered, "but that's taking it to a new low, even for him. How's Maddy doing, by the way?"
"Fine, I guess. But she still has no clue who I am or where she is. Though she does seem to trust me more."
"That's good. Shannon's going nuts because he isn't allowed to see his daughter," Will informed me. "She thinks he's still in prison."
"What do I do, Will? What would you do?" I asked suddenly.
"In your place?" he asked, surprised that I had actually come to him for advice willingly. More often than not, he offers it without my requesting it.
"Yes, in my place. What if someone tried that trick on Abigail?"
Will thought for a minute. Personally, I knew the answer. If anyone ever tried to steal his Abigail away from him he would blow them straight to hell.
"Well there's two ways I can advise you," he finally said. "I can advise you on what I think you should do, or I can advise you on what I personally would do. The latter may be more trouble than it's worth. Fair warning."
"So…?" I waited expectantly. "What do you think I should do?"
"I think you should do it exactly like you did it the first time. Court her. She seemed to like it. Why should that change? And you said she trusts you now. Maybe it'll jog her memory."
"Maybe…" I trailed off. "But…Sal. She seems so…enamored with him…"
"Lancaster's a player and Maddy Shannon is a smart girl. She'll see through him eventually," he said. "Besides," he added, "you two were pretty much made for each other. There's no way a tool like him would ever end up with a girl like her."
"Still," I muttered. "He seems to have charmed her for the moment."
"And what good is spying on him going to do?" Carter asked me.
"I was just looking for some connection. Some way to explain why Maddy seems so comfortable with him."
Will looked around before lowering his voice. "Well, whatever it is, I recommend you get on that whole courting thing quick. I'm going to try and see if I can get him on the roster for the next OTG assignment in two days. I'm leading it and I may have a thing or two to say to him…" He grinned slyly. "By the way, I saw him walk past earlier with two melon-sized bruises on his face. Your handiwork, I presume?"
I couldn't help but feel a bit proud. "He didn't say anything, did he?" The last thing I needed was for this to get back to Commander Taylor.
"He refused to tell anyone where he got them. Muttered some lame excuse about tripping. Guess his pride's hurt. Good job," Will commended me.
"Thanks, Will," I thanked him sincerely. "For the advice. And the help."
"Hey, don't thank me yet. I haven't figured out what you owe me in return." He grinned. "Now get out of here before Taylor or Guzman finds you. They won't be as forgiving as I am."
I nodded, collecting my Plex. I thanked him again before heading out of the command center. I was definitely going to try Will's idea. But first I wanted to find out exactly why Maddy wasn't shy around Lancaster…
"I don't know him," Maddy told me. She was still in the infirmary, sitting on the end of her bed. I could tell she was getting restless and wanted to get out. Her legs wouldn't stop moving back and forth as they dangled off the side.
"Are you sure?" I asked from my seat by the bedside. I had asked her if she knew Sal Lancaster before he came in and talked to her that day.
"Positive," she answered.
"Well you seem awful familiar with him…" My eyes narrowed and for a moment we were both silent.
"Okay, fine," she exulted. "You got me. Don't tell anyone but…" she looked around as if she was about to dish a scandalous secret. "I went to school with his brother and I…I had the biggest crush on him…so when he showed up in the infirmary I…"
"Wait…You had a crush on Sal?" I couldn't keep the surprise and disappointment out of my voice.
"Please don't tell him!" she begged. "He never even knew I existed back in Lakeview and he's finally taking an interest in me. I don't want him to think I'm…weird…"
I could feel my chest sinking with each word. "Maddy, if he thinks you're weird then obviously he can't appreciate you for who you are." She gave me a pleading look. "But I won't say anything," I promised.
"Thank you," she breathed in relief. "I knew I could trust you."
Well it was something. At least she trusted me. There goes my plan of asking to court her tonight…
"It's late. I should go," I got up.
"Thanks, Mark," she said as I turned to go. "For coming and visiting me every day. I…I think it's sweet."
I smiled. "You're welcome."
Dr. Shannon intercepted me when I got outside. "I've bad news and good news for you. Which would you like first?" She got straight to the point.
"Give me the bad news, I guess," I requested.
"Our initial cloning process for the root failed. We're going to have to start all over and it could take a while."
"How long is a while?" I asked, dreading the answer.
"At most? A few weeks. But I managed to persuade Malcolm to dedicate an entire team to the task. With any luck, we'll have a genetic replica of the plant within the next few days."
I sighed. This day keeps getting better. "What's the good news, Dr. Shannon?"
"It would appear that Maddy is no longer actively spreading the virus. They've stopped reproducing—they're almost festering at this point. Which means she isn't contagious anymore. With a few more tests, we should be clear to release her from the hospital tomorrow."
"That's great!" I said excitedly. And then I remembered that with Maddy out of the hospital, Sal would be free to make whatever advances he wanted on her. It was personal for him now. He was out to show me up, not just satisfy his own ego. If I was going to win Maddy over again, I'd have to act fast.
A/N: It would seem that Maddy has a bit of history with Sal…at least in a one-sided sort of way. I wonder what that creep's up to…Anyway, special thanks to RoryFaller for her assistance and the use of her OC's. Please review!
