The following morning, Vasquez woke up in her easy chair, Elwood curled up on her lap sleeping soundly. She noticed that the television was on, and shook her head in disbelief.
"I fell asleep watching television?" She grumbled, wiping sand from her eyes. "God, I'm getting old. I'm turning into my Grandmother."
She lifted Elwood off her lap, setting him down on the floor as she looked at her clock, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn't overslept. She could do without being reprimanded for being late; she had enough work to do dealing with the recruitment of the asylum staff. The phone started to ring just as she was about to head to the shower.
"What now?" She muttered. Elwood got up, starting to stretch the kinks out of his back. "Vasquez here."
"Vasquez, its Colonel Truman. How quickly can you get here?" He asked her. She rolled her eyes, suppressing the desire to groan. He had already upped her workload and pushed her towards a promotion she didn't even want. Now he was encroaching on her personal life? Sure, she'd be the first to admit that she didn't have the most active or exciting personal life. She spent her nights reading or watching television, and the man in her life had four legs a tail and fur, but it was her time.
"I just woke up; I can be there in about half an hour." She told him.
"Thanks, I'll brief you when you get here." He assured her. "I appreciate this."
"Somehow I doubt that." She muttered as she hung up the phone. She turned to her cat, tickling him under the chin gently. "Sorry, it looks like breakfast for one this morning."
Elwood let out a little mew as she went to get washed up and changed. He padded into the kitchen, hopping up onto the counter as he awaited his owner.
As Vasquez finished with the shower and started to get dressed, she noticed something odd. Her folders were all lying on her desk, unopened on her bedside table. She had gone home to finish her paperwork, but it looked like she hadn't done any of it. She had just switched on the TV and started watching...whatever it was. She thought it unusual that she couldn't remember what she had been watching. It was only last night.
"I can't even remember what I was doing last night?" She asked herself. "I really am getting old."
Hicks meanwhile made his way into the forensics lab. He needed to piece together whatever he had done during that lost day. It kept playing on his mind since he found his shirt in the laundry basket.
Sam and her team were fortunately being kept busy with the Father Larry case. He had yet to be briefed on why the Colonel had asked him to see Sam, but he decided to take this opportunity to satisfy his own curiosity.
He looked around to make sure no one was watching, and pulled the blood-stained shirt from inside his uniform where he had hidden it. He hadn't been properly trained, but he had seen Sam using the machines many times, and had a rough idea how to run an analysis. Putting the shirt inside, he started a scan of the blood. He turned to see Sam standing behind him.
"Can you enter a lab and not start touching everything?" Sam muttered, seeing him by the computer. "No wonder it drives Dr. K mad."
"Sorry, I just always find these kinds of things fascinating." He said, hoping to keep her attention away from the fact it was running. "The closest we had to stuff like this was an old harvester..."
"Sorry Hicks, I guess I'm just a little swamped." She told him. "Ever since the attack, this whole case has just gotten bigger. We got the four new bodies in a couple of hours ago..."
"Wait, what attack?" He asked her. "What new bodies?"
Sam handed him the folder she was carrying.
"The asylum was attacked last night." She informed him. "Four hybrids tried to kill Cassandra and Marcus. He took them out."
"There were more of them?" Hicks asked her.
"Scott thinks Venjix sent them to kill Cassandra because she's an empath." She informed him. Hicks looked at the file, reading some of the report. "It seems she can sense hybrids, we're pretty sure that's why Father Larry was killed."
"I know these guys." Hicks commented, looking at the photos of the four new cadavers. "They were soldiers."
"They were also hybrids." Samantha told him. "It seems they were sleeper agents, only activated to attack the asylum."
"I can't believe hybrids have been so close for all this time." He replied quietly. "How could we not have known? I thought everyone was scanned."
"Well they found some way to avoid it." Sam told him. "Marcus took the patients to a safe house. Only he and the Colonel know where they've been taken. The Colonel wants to keep it on the DL."
"I'm not surprised." Hicks sighed, tucking the folder under his arm. "It's freaky to think they've been among us all this time. If they've hidden it from us long enough to get into the military, who knows who else could be a hybrid."
"It is kind of scary." Sam agreed. "I just hope Dr. K can think of something."
"Thanks for this; I'll take it to the Colonel." He told her. As she left and he made his way to the door, he stopped by the computer, pulling out his shirt and stuffing it back inside his uniform. Checking the screen, his mouth hung open in shock as the result of the blood test came in.
"Father Larry?" He gasped. "How did his blood get on my...?"
A thought occurred to him, one that he didn't want to entertain. He had a whole day missing from his memory. He had had Father Larry's blood on his shirt. Was it possible that he had done it?
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as he erased the file and left. How could he even think that? How could he possibly be a hybrid? Dillon and Tenaya had told him all about their memories of the camp, and the factory where they became what they were now. He didn't have any such memories. After the farm was blasted, he could remember walking for miles along the dirt track to the nearest highway before getting a ride to Corinth. He could remember his journey in every detail, right down to the smell of sweat in the over-crowded old lorry, and the sobs of the desperate refugees who, like him, had lost everything. It wasn't possible. Someone had to be trying to frame him. Now all he had to do was find out who did it and why.
Gemma came into the lab, humming cheerfully as she daydreamed about Hicks, finding Dr. K working on her new scanning technology.
"You're in a good mood." Dr. K greeted her, seeing the little skip in her step. Gemma nodded.
"I guess it isn't worth worrying too much." She replied, checking over some devices. "It's not like worrying is doing much to help the situation."
"Are you sure it isn't anything to do with a certain soldier?" Dr. K teased her, smiling a little. "You were in a pretty good mood when you got home last night."
Gemma just giggled a little as she said this, grinning broadly. She had been glad to see him. With all the chaos going on in the dome, with the threat of hybrid sleeper agents being potentially anywhere, ready to strike, she was glad to know he was safe. It felt good to spend time with him. He had made her feel good about herself at a time when the world just seemed to stop making sense. With him, it just seemed a lot simpler, just like it should. She loved him so much, that just seeing him, knowing he was there was enough to keep her going. When he held her, kissed her though, it was heaven.
"Is it that obvious?" Gemma asked her. Dr. K nodded as she ran a couple more tests on a device that looked somewhat like a large pair of mirrored goggles.
"You haven't exactly been subtle." She told her friend. "So do you know if he feels the same way?"
Gemma just shifted a little nervously, taking the goggles from Dr. K.
"Actually we...kind of got together." She informed her friend, unable to contain her happiness any longer. "He kissed me a couple of days before the wedding."
"Really?" Dr. K asked her, somewhat surprised to hear this. Gemma just nodded frantically. Dr. K smiled, knowing that he had been a little dismissive of her in the beginning, and had hurt Gemma more than once. It was pleasing to know that Gemma's devotion, patience and unlimited ability to forgive him had finally won him over. "I couldn't be happier for you."
"So are these things ready to test?" Gemma asked her. Dr. K just shrugged.
"Tenaya, could you come in for a minute?" Dr. K asked her. Tenaya and Ziggy both came in, Alex resting gently in Ziggy's arms. Since he had come back, he had been incredibly affectionate and attentive towards her and Alex. He hadn't explained to Tenaya about what he had seen, thinking it would only upset them, but he had become understandably clingy, barely letting them out of his sight since he came back.
"What can I help you with?" Tenaya asked Dr. K. The mentor took a cable, connecting it to the goggles and the other end to a viewing screen.
"I wanted to test this system to see if it works." She informed Tenaya. "If you would all stand together please."
Ziggy pulled in close to his girlfriend, standing with her. Gemma looked at them, switching on the goggles.
Ziggy watched at the image on the screen showed them standing together. After a few seconds, sections on Tenaya's body in the image started to flash red.
"The scanning system works?" Tenaya asked her. Dr. K smiled.
"It appears so." She replied happily. "Once I refine these, and reproduce them, it'll give us a remote version of the scans I've used on Dillon and yourself before. If we carry these, it will allow us to search the city."
"You're a genius Dr. K." Ziggy responded happily. "If we find the hybrids before they're activated..."
"We'll be able to take away the threat of betrayal." Dr. K concluded. "I'll get to work on reproducing these. The Colonel called to tell us he has Vasquez and Hicks working with him. We have to treat everyone as suspects. The fewer people who know we're working on finding the hybrids the better."
Gemma's cell phone rang at that point. Checking caller ID, she saw it was from Hicks' apartment.
"I've got to take this." Gemma told them, stepping out of the room. Answering the phone, she grinned broadly. "I was hoping I'd hear from you."
"Gemma, I'd really like to see you tonight." Hicks told her. "This thing with the hybrids has got me pretty freaked out. The soldiers that attacked Marcus last night...I knew them."
"Hicks I'm sorry." She gasped, realising how upset he had to be. Marcus hadn't wanted to kill them, but he didn't have a choice. He was outnumbered, and couldn't risk holding back when they attacked, intending to kill Cassandra. "Is there anything I can do?"
"I'd just like to see you." He sighed sadly. "I really just need to talk to someone I can trust."
"I'll be over in a little while." She answered. "I love you."
In the apartment, Vasquez smiled, realising the plan was working.
"I love you too Gemma." She stated in Hicks' voice, the implants altering her voice.
Hicks came into his apartment, throwing himself onto the couch. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, feeling the weight of everything that was happening. He looked up in surprise as he heard his bedroom door opening. Vasquez entered the room, wearing only a dressing gown. Elwood padded into the room after her, leaping up onto the couch.
"Vasquez?" He asked her in surprise. "How did you get in here?"
"I hacked the door lock." She whispered, coming over to the couch and touching his face gently. Hicks looked up at her confused.
"Have you been drinking?" He asked her.
"Not a drop." She informed him. Hicks was starting to get uncomfortable. He had known Vasquez for a while, but he had never gotten any impression she might like him. She just kind of blended into the background, more like a part of the office furniture than a person. She barely spoke to anyone, and wasn't quick to approach others. He certainly wouldn't have picked her as the kind of person to break into his apartment and throw herself at him.
"Vasquez, I know you're upset, I knew those guys too." He told her, taking her by the wrists and removing her hands gently. "I'm sorry, but I don't feel about you that way."
Vasquez just laughed, shaking her head. He didn't know if this was just her way of trying to ignore the somewhat embarrassing position she was now in.
"You really have got a big hit for yourself haven't you?" She cooed softly. "This is for your girlfriend's benefit."
"My girlfriend?" He asked her.
"I just called Gemma. She's coming over." Vasquez informed him before switching to his voice. "Well, more accurately you did."
Hicks suddenly realised what was happening, looking at her in horror.
"You're a hybrid?" He yelled, looking around for the nearest weapon. Vasquez just nodded, before moving in closer, her face inches from his.
"So are you." She whispered. Hicks shook his head.
"No, it isn't possible." He replied quickly, his voice filled with desperation. "I never..."
"Run memory program." Vasquez stated, interrupting him. Hicks' head was suddenly filled with vivid images of the day the drones attacked his farm.
It was the day of his wedding. The house was full of friends and family, celebrating the day. His hunting dog, Lincoln had run out of the house to get peace from the noise. Hicks followed him, finding him hiding under an old apple tree.
"It's alright boy, it's only music." He assured the old dog, kneeling down next to him, not worrying about his suit trousers as he clapped him gently. Lincoln seemed to be scared for some reason. "I know dad's had a few and his dancing is a little scary..."
His words tailed off as he heard the first of the drones coming. Looking up, he saw them descending, heading towards the farm. The lead craft opened fire. The image burned in his eyes, tears beginning to form as he watched the old wooden building, the only home she'd ever known, blasting apart, reduced to kindling in less than a second.
"Jessica!" He screamed as he started running, heading towards the building at full tilt. He arrived, finding what was left of the building engulfed in flames almost 20 feet high. He fell to his knees unable to breathe as he watched it burn. He knew there was no way any of them could have survived.
He heard footsteps, and turned to see Grinders advancing on the site to check for survivors. His heart beat faster, screaming for vengeance. These things had taken everyone he had ever loved from him. Despite the hopeless odds, he rushed towards them, snatching the axe from the chopping block, swinging wildly. He didn't notice the blows at first, his rage driving him to smash Grinders with every blow, until finally his body couldn't take any more. He fell to the ground, staring up at them with hatred burning in his eyes.
"Stop!" He heard a voice calling. A gold-plated robot walked up to him, inspecting him thoughtfully. "This one took nearly a dozen of our warriors. He could be useful."
His vision blurred out of focus, before finally sliding into black. The last thing he saw was Shifter's hand coming down to grab him.
"The memories you have of that day were fabricated by our master to blind you to your true purpose." Vasquez informed him as his thoughts returned to the present. "Like me, your implants are only activated when Venjix wants you to perform a task."
"It's a lie!" He screamed, shoving her off him. Vasquez just laughed again, seeming to take delight in his torment.
"I just wanted you to know before you're activated for your latest task." She told him. "After all, you did such stellar work eliminating the empath."
"Father Larry?" Hicks gasped. Just then, he was assaulted by more memories, visions so vivid he knew they had to be true. He looked up, his eyes wide with terror. "I killed him?"
"And now you're going to kill your girlfriend." Vasquez said matter-of-factly, coming back over to the couch, wrapping her arms around his neck and moving in. "But not before we make her suffer a little first."
She caught him in a tight embrace, kissing him deeply. Hicks couldn't do anything to stop her, she was too strong. He heard the door opening behind him and felt his heart racing as he realised that Gemma had arrived.
"Hicks?" She whispered, her voice barely able to escape the lump rising in her throat as she saw the scene before her. Vasquez was in his apartment, wearing only a bath robe, her arms around him.
"Gemma..."
"Is this why you asked me to come around?" She asked him, her voice quivering as she spoke. "You called me around to see this?"
"Gemma, you don't understand!" He called out, hoping to warn her. Vasquez released him, allowing him to rush over to the Silver Ranger. "She's..."
"Activate." Vasquez said before he could warn her. Gemma saw Hicks' eyes flashing red and held her hand over her mouth, her breath taken away as she realised that the man she loved was one of the infiltrators. As she reached to her waist band for her Morpher, he reached forward, grabbing her wrist and stopping her from taking it, before punching her hard in the face. She fell to the ground, barely conscious. She could do nothing to stop her as Vasquez came over, taking the morpher from her waist band.
"As you can see your boyfriend has chosen the winning team just like me." Vasquez taunted her as Hicks knelt over her, seizing her wrists and holding her fast in a grip far too strong for her to escape. She went to the control for the door, activating the lock. "Now, he gets to do to you what he did to Father Larry."
Gemma looked up at Hicks, tears running down her face as he just smirked.
"You should have seen the look on his face when I snapped his neck." He quipped flippantly.
"Hicks, this isn't you!" She screeched at him, hoping to reach him. She could remember when Dillon had turned, and knew that he had been able to fight the control, at least briefly. "You don't want to do this, please fight this!"
"It's no use; Venjix has complete control over him now." Vasquez told her, pulling out some handcuffs. Gemma struggled as Hicks turned her over onto her stomach and pulled her hands behind her back, but he was too strong for her to resist. Vasquez cuffed her hands in place. "Now, I doubt it's any surprise that Master wants you out of the way, but I think we'll have a little fun first."
"Hicks, I know this isn't you." Gemma told him through a few sobs as she resigned herself to the danger was in. "I love you."
Hicks never said another word as he turned her onto her back. Her eyes burned into him, pleading with him to come back to her, to release her from her plight, but it was hopeless. The man she loved couldn't help her. He gave her a chilling smirk.
"I think I know just what to do with her." Hicks told Vasquez as Elwood leapt onto his shoulder, watching on in interest. He leant down, his lips mere inches from Gemma's. "Trust me sweetheart. You're going to have one hell of a night."