Series/Universe: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future
Disclaimers: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al. Jonathan Power, his team, Lord Dread, and all other Captain Power characters belong to Landmark Entertainment. Original characters are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due.
Warnings: The usual ... violence, language, and references to ugliness. Oh yeah, and the original characters. Can't forget them.
Spoilers: both seasons of M7 and the one season of Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future
"Will thinks they put her in the Dread Youth. Says that's why he stayed away so long, because he was tryin' to find her," Charlotte said quietly. Adriana didn't speak, just held onto her friend, and Charlotte continued after a moment, "I just don't see ... I mean, I never wanted to believe that she was dead. I was shieldin' her, just before the blast hit us. But you never know with explosions, maybe the sound burst her eardrums."
She rubbed her hand over her eyes, saying, "I just don't understand, Drina. If Will's believed this for two years, why is he just now telling me? I finally accepted in my heart that he doesn't love me any more, that he really did stop loving me after the explosion. Only it wasn't just me. He lost all capacity to love ... lost it when he became so set on revenge. I wanted revenge, too, Drina. But I wanted my husband, too."
Still nothing from the former Dread Youth, and Charlotte went on, "I don't understand. How is it possible that men like Chris Larabee and Jon Power can finally look past their own pain, to help someone else, and my husband can't? I've heard the stories about them, how they lost sight of it for a while ... got lost in revenge. But they pulled themselves out of it. Will doesn't want to pull out of it. The hate has consumed him. No. No, I can't accept this. He cannot use me like this."
"And we won't let him, Charlotte. No one is ever gonna be used again. Not by Will Richmond, not by Dread. Does Will say which Dread Youth facility Allison is supposedly being held? There are two for her age group, at least, there were when I was in. Beta Camps One and Two. When Terry gets the information about where we can find the Power Team, we'll be heading to Tech City next, and I can see what I can find out," Adriana replied.
Charlotte wiped away her tears, replying, "He says that she's in an undisclosed nursery, somewhere in this part of the country. That she hasn't been put into the Dread Youth yet. I don't know how the Dread Youth is set up. Why would they still take five and six year olds now? That makes no sense." Charlotte bowed her head once more, staring at her hands currently folded in her lap. Adriana frowned thoughtfully.
"You know," she said slowly, casting her mind back over the years both in the Dread Youth and out of it, "back during the Crusades, more than a thousand years ago, there was what they called the Children's Crusade. I forget when it was exactly, but the idea was, the purity and innocence of the children would protect them. Of course, that wasn't the case. But I have to wonder. Like you said, the need for these older children is long past ... what if Dread has another purpose for them?"
Charlotte looked up at her, and Adriana hated herself for raising this possibility. But as twisted as Dread was, it was far too likely. And if, goddess forgive her, she was right, it was best for Charlotte to be prepared ... wasn't it? She said gently, "Think about it, Charlotte. Think about the children who have been captured. Who are in danger of being captured. All are children of Resistance fighters, key Resistance fighter, in fact. Is there a parent among you who could fire on her own child? His own child?"
Charlotte stared at Adriana, her eyes widening with fear, and the second continued, "I'm not trying to scare you, honest I'm not. But this is Dread. We know what he's capable of, what he was capable of, even before he merged completely all those years ago. Do you really think he would have any problem at all with abducting children, to use them against their parents ... in this case, literally? Olivia is eight. Allison, if she's alive, would be seven or eight? Aislinn Power is thirteen. If Dread could turn them against their parents ... "
She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to. Charlotte was trembling, and jumped visibly when a beep sounded from Terry's workstation. She lowered her eyes, obviously embarrassed by her reaction, and Adriana rose to her feet, gently squeezing her friend's shoulder as she did. A quick check told her that the two diskettes had been read and merged into the Valkyrie's own supercomputer.
That had been Terry's idea ... she programmed Diosa in much the same way Mentor was programmed. Just as Mentor had the likeness and voice of Dr. Stuart Power (to, in the words of the late scientist, ensure that his son would never be without him), Diosa had the likeness and voice of Jessica Morgan, a blind woman who had helped to raise Terry after the death of her own mother, years earlier.
Jessica had made a devastating choice in the same year that Terry came into her life. Dread had chosen her to become the new architect for the new Bio-Dreads, because she was an artist ... and to that end, he had restored her sight. But when she saw what he had done to her world, had seen the ugliness he created ... she chose the dark. As she told both Jonathan Power and Terry, in her mind was the world she remembered. A much more beautiful, a much better world than was out there.
She was made more grateful for her choice when the ragamuffin named Terry entered her life. While she would never see again, had she accepted the deal with the devil, Terry would have never become her child. When Jessica died, Terry swore that she would live on ... and that was how Diosa came to be. There were times when the women of the Valkyries could have sworn that Diosa was just as real as Jessica was, just as real as they themselves were.
As Adriana tapped in her code, Diosa rose in a cloud of smoke and smiled down at the second in command, saying, "The analysis is complete, Segunda." Adriana just smiled and nodded to Charlotte, who notified Terry and the rest of the unit. Within two minutes, the Valkyries and the Seven were all gathered in the control room. Diosa began, "Greetings, Commander Travis ... I see that the Magnificent Seven have joined us."
Mary inclined her head and Diosa continued, "I have finished my analysis of the recordings, sent to the Valkyries, and the Seven, by Captain Power. As Ms. Samuels indicated, there was a tracking device contained within the two recordings. However, Dread is unable to trace the source, because he does not have the program required to decode that information. I have pinpointed the location of the Power Team." As she spoke, a map of the United States appeared.
A red light indicated the position of the Power Team and Nora mumbled the coordinates under her breath. Adriana hissed, realizing where her old friends were, and hoped they didn't go there out of design. There were too many memories stored up there, for the Power Team and for members of both the Seven and the Valkyries. Mary said aloud, "That's north of what used to be Amarillo, Texas. Vin, didn't you say that you're originally from that area?" Adriana looked over at her friend, whose face was tight with suppressed rage. She wasn't the only one who noticed. Chris put his hand on Vin's shoulder, quietly lending his support.
Adriana gave her support as well, saying softly, "The name of the town is 'Tascosa.' That was the original name, back in the nineteenth century. That's also the site of Babylon Five, on what remained of the Boys Ranch. I was told once that they brought scientists from all over the world, to that place. And the workers ... the techs ... were from Tascosa itself." She glanced at Vin, adding, "You weren't the only one who had run-ins with Eli Joe."
"It makes sense, though ... the last place Dread would think to look is the remains of Babylon Five. That would also give the Power Team access to communications and other necessities," Terry observed, then added, "And besides, that's less than thirty minutes away on the ground ... we can be there in fifteen. Right, Nora?" The girl nodded, and Terry continued, "What other information do you have for us, Diosa?"
"Captain Power also suggests that the three teams visit Tech City. He has come into possession of information which leads him to believe that Mindsinger's aid will be required," Diosa answered calmly. There was a soft but emphatic, 'shit!' from Nora, who had wanted to keep her older sister out of this as long as possible. Diosa said with an amused look, "Coarse, but unfortunately, quite true."
Nora blushed and there were a few odd laughs, as the Valkyries were reminded that Diosa was a sentient being. Diosa continued, "The captain also urged you to make haste, for he believes Dread's patrols are drawing ever closer. He estimated that they would be discovered by late this evening. It is now fourteen hundred hours." Late evening meant around six or seven, and it was now two pm. Yup, they definitely needed to haul ass.
Mary said as much, observing, "All right, Nora, prep our ship. Chris, we need to decide if we're taking two ships or one. Charlotte, take Nathan to the infirmary and get whatever medical supplies you need. Terry, I want you and Adriana to check on the prisoners, make sure they're...comfortable. We're taking Billy with us this time, I'm not about to leave him here with those bitches. No offense to your baby-sitting capabilities, Diosa."
"None taken, Commander," came the serene response, then Diosa left in a puff of smoke. With that, the Valkyrie team dispersed ... they had work to do.
"Come with me, I want to show you something," Mary told Chris, as the rest of her team went off to perform their tasks. Once they checked on the prisoners, Terry and Drina would collect Billy. And it was time for Chris to see the ship which Nora was prepping. With Mary's okay, Nora had taken JD with her, as it would take two to pilot.
She wasn't worried about him seeing her secrets. They had plenty more. In truth, they were still learning about their home. Mary was still recovering from giving birth to Billy when Stephen and Orrin moved things from the old Air Force base down here. And while she knew that they lived under what remained of Amarillo Air Force Base, she wasn't in a hurry to share that with the Seven.
It wasn't that she didn't trust them. Chris Larabee saved her life and her son's life, to say nothing of the lives of her son's grandparents. But as a former Dread Youth, Mary was all too aware of what could happen to anyone who fell into Dread hands. Her current guests were strong, but all men and all women had their limits. Mental torture, physical torture ... Dread had broken the strongest of Resistance fighters.
And as strong as he was, Mary didn't think he could withstand seeing his family die a second time. It wouldn't take Dread long to pinpoint that ... the memory of Sarah and Adam Larabee dying as his weak spot. Chris still hadn't forgiven himself for being unable to protect them. Physical pain, he could endure. There was the additional complication of the psych people. They could trick Chris, using brainwashing and chemicals, into believing whatever they wanted to believe. Including the possibility that Mary was responsible for their deaths.
No. That was one chance Mary couldn't afford to take. That was why she never told her people where they were. Only Adriana, who knew this area, had any idea they lived under what remained of the base. That, and she and Mary found what Mary was about to show Chris. The leader of the Seven walked quietly at her side as they left the control room, but as they neared the secondary hangar, Chris asked softly, "Did you really think I held a grudge against Charlotte?"
"Don't you?" Mary countered. She knew this would come up eventually. They stopped just before reaching the hangar doors, and she turned to face him, continuing, "Chris, I know you. I know how protective you are of your people, and I know how protective you are of Vin. Among the teams that know of the Seven, it's practically legendary. Almost as legendary as Jonathan Power's curiosity."
Mary thought she heard him mumble something to the effect of, 'it runs in the family,' but couldn't swear to it. And she had to be mistaken, because what family would he be referring to? After a moment, Chris sighed, "All right, I wasn't especially happy with her the last time we all met. But ... I had a few talks with Josiah. And he rightly pointed out that I took ... comfort ... in the arms of women after I lost Sarah and Adam. And Charlotte had no way of knowing that Will was still alive. But ... "
Mary remained silent, knowing that Chris Larabee would get to his point when he was damn good and ready, and not a moment sooner. She was right. He continued, "But at the same time ... my best friend was hurting. And I was afraid, because I'd never seen Vin react like that to any woman. It was like he had taken leave of his senses, and I blamed Charlotte, because it seemed as if she put a spell on him." Ahhh, Mary thought it was something like that. She encountered that attitude in the past, though not exactly in those terms. Stephen once told her that he felt as if she put a spell on him from their first meeting.
"She was lonely and tired of being lonely, Chris. Charlotte freely admits she handled things very badly when Will popped up, but remember how upside down things were? How would you have reacted? If Sarah came back, while you were with Lydia?" Mary asked. Chris glared at her for mentioning his on-again, off-again relationship with the current Mindsinger, but Mary held her ground. Yes, Charlotte had made mistakes, but she accepted the consequences of those mistakes ... and, she was one of Mary's.
Chris mumbled something under his breath, which Mary understood nonetheless, and continued, "That's right. But she never stopped caring about Vin. And Charlotte isn't stupid. She knew how important Vin is to you ... that's why she was so nervous about this meeting. In case you didn't notice, Mr. Larabee, Charlotte is downright afraid of you." As JD would have said, huh? Mary fought back the grin at the stunned look on her companion's face.
After she let him chew on that for a minute, Mary continued, "All right, I'll grant you, she's good at hiding it. She's learned to disguise her true feelings, it's one of her best defenses. But it's true. She knows she hurt Vin, though she never had any desire to do so, and she knows how much you care about him. How much all of you care about him. Moreover, she's terrified that without even meaning to, she'll hurt him again."
Chris was silent for a long time, then he said softly, "You want me to talk to her." Mary nodded. Yes. That was exactly what she wanted. Charlotte was nervous around Chris, and when she got nervous, she got distracted. Mary needed her medic's attention to be only on the people under her care. Not just for their sake, but for Charlotte's. She knew her friend, and knew how hard it would be on her if someone died because Charlotte was distracted.
"Chris ... she won't hurt Vin ever again. Number one, she's not the same person she was even six months ago. Number two, she knows what Adriana will do to her if she does hurt Vin. And number three, Vin himself won't allow her to hurt him a second time. She's not a bad person, Chris. Just a woman who made some poor choices in her life," Mary said quietly. The former Dread Youth knew far too much about poor choices, and paying for them.
Chris looked at his feet, then back at her and said, "I can't promise anything. But I'll do what I can. Maybe talk to her before we head out. You know, Vin's actually handling this better than I am, and he would probably kick my ass for even thinking about being overprotective. And yes, I do think about it sometimes. Then I think ... no. He was a bounty hunter by the time he was eleven years old, Mary. He's forgotten more about survival than I'll ever know. I won't demean him like that."
He didn't have to explain himself to Mary. She understood. Like Chris himself, she led a team of survivors. All of them had survived various kinds of hell. And like Chris, she would never demean one of her people by implying that she couldn't take care of herself. Which didn't stop Mary from being a little more protective of the youngest member, Nora. Chris smiled then, a feral grin which would have made her nervous under any other circumstances, and added, "But if you're wrong, Mary, and she does hurt him again ... I ain't gonna do anything. I'll hand her over to Adriana. My little princess is more than up to the challenge."
Mary laughed aloud, replying, "Fair enough, and that she is. Adriana has actually had this discussion with Charlotte already. So, I think we'll be fine. And now that this is settled ... I think it's time you saw what I brought you here to see." Chris just looked at her, tilting his head ever so slightly. Mary almost laughed when he did, because it reminded her so much of Vin, but he just gestured for her to lead on.
Mary tapped her security code into the keypad outside the hangar, then the hangar doors slid open. Nora was finishing up the last of her work, Mary was gratified to see. She was equally gratified to hear her companion's gasp as they entered the hangar. Chris said very softly, in the tone of voice a pre-war person would have used in a church, "Is that what I think it is? That's what you meant about one ship or two?"
"Yes," Mary said softly, folding her arms over her chest, "that's the prototype. Why Stephen was in Tech City when he was killed. He was getting the plans. Drina and I found this while we were exploring down here one day. Terry found the plans in the computer, with help from Diosa. We started working on her that same day. What do you think, Mr. Larabee ... care to make this a joint mission?"
Chris Larabee turned to her, his green eyes sparkling with unholy glee, and replied, "Lady, I couldn't think of anything I'd like better!" Mary simply smiled, linked her arm with his, and led him toward the craft which would, if their instincts were correct, turn the tide of the war in their favor. Mary had already chosen a name for their new machine, she just had to run it past her team. She thought 'The Fury' was an apt name.
"Captain ... I have received a tight beam transmission from just outside of what remains of Amarillo, Texas. The signal is underground. Downloading now."
Jonathan Power jerked awake at the sound of his father's voice. He knew, of course, that his father was long dead, but Mentor had his father's voice. Aislinn shifted against his side, and Jon leaned over to kiss the top of her head. His aislinn, his vision for the future. He had no intention of allowing this to be part of her future ... the communication room of what was Babylon Five. After the integrity of their base was compromised, Tank had suggested this ... place. Only for Aislinn would Tank brave the memories associated here.
"What do you have, Mentor?" Hawk asked quietly, shifting his body. Jon looked at his old friend, feeling a chill zip through him. Once more, he tried to remember a time when Matt Masterson wasn't there, and failed. Matt was there when Jon's parents were killed. Had saved Jon's life at Volcania, all those years ago. And ... he was there when Jennifer died.
Jennifer. The pain had eased over the years, to a twinge on her birthday and the anniversary of her death. Jon hadn't wanted to celebrate that first Christmas after Jennifer's death, the following year. But Scout, of all people, convinced him that they should celebrate. That by not celebrating, they were letting Dread win. Just as he had allowed Dread to win after the loss of his mother when he was a boy.
And, Scout added, I bet neither Vin nor Adriana have any idea about Christmas. He was wrong about that, but that didn't take away from the feeling Jon had when he saw the wonder in the eyes of those two ancient children. And as they celebrated that year, Jon had the sense that they took back something from Dread. It was a turning point for him, as he realized from watching these two children become children once more, that there was still so much to fight for. And there was still so much they still had.
As if hearing his thoughts, Mentor said, "The signal is from the Valkyrie Team. They've received your message, and pinpointed our location. They'll be here within the hour." Within the hour. More relieved than he could have ever said, Jon allowed himself to relax for the first time since blowing the base. He kissed the top of Aislinn's head again, breathing deeply. Mentor continued, "Unfortunately, Captain, the JumpShip is still not operational."
"We'll jump off that bridge when we come to it. The last time I talked with Gemini, she made vague reference to having something that could take the JumpShip inside itself. Rob, Michael ... wake up," Jon said, gently nudging the man to his left. Hawk was reclining beside Scout, and gently prodded him to wake up. Since Jon was the same height as Tank (though not nearly as broad), he had an advantage over Hawk.
Besides. There was no way Tank would have ever hurt Aislinn. Any more than he would have hurt a painfully thin twelve year old boy with ancient blue eyes. Tank and Scout awoke with some grumbling, though Scout looked a little concerned. Very rarely did Jon use their first names. The code names weren't just there to protect the Resistance, but to protect Jon from getting too close to his team.
"Let's get up, kiddies. The Valkyries and the Seven are on their way," Hawk told the two grouchy men. Aislinn whimpered softly in her sleep, and Jon hoped she wasn't having another nightmare about her mother. The dreams about Athena had been plaguing his daughter for the last two weeks. And he had learned to fear those dreams. The last time she had nightmares about her mother, recurring nightmares, Jon learned that she had every right to be afraid.
It seemed that when Athena was digitized, more than just her mind was messed up (and though thirteen years had passed, Athena still struggled with problems which resulted from the digitization). In any event, a preternatural link was established between Athena and her daughter, because of the digitization. So that, whenever Athena was in danger, Aislinn knew about it. Jon didn't know how it was possible, but from what he had learned from the psych people at the Passages, Athena wasn't the only person removed from the machine who developed 'psychic' abilities. And unfortunately, when Aislinn had one of those nightmares, there wasn't much Jon could do. Just ... hold her. As his father held him after one of his nightmares.
He only hoped Athena could take care of herself long enough for him to get their daughter to safety. He and Athena had agreed, years ago, after Aislinn was born, that if Jon had to choose between saving Athena and saving Aislinn, their daughter was to be his top priority. Jon hated to make that choice. Hated the idea that he might have to tell his daughter that her mother was dead because he couldn't save them both.
But he couldn't allow anything to happen to his little girl. And that was why Athena gave Aislinn to him to raise. Because she didn't trust herself. The digitization had messed up her mind, and she was afraid she would harm that child. Further, she knew that Jon would be better able to protect Aislinn. That didn't mean he had to like the decision they both came to. It was just the way things were.
But now, Aislinn was waking up, with a puzzled frown. Jon said softly, "Hey. What's wrong, sweeting?" Aislinn didn't answer at first ... it seemed she was in a snuggly mood, because she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. She did this sometimes, and it didn't seem to matter how old she was. Jon, who had emotionally distanced himself from almost everyone after his father's death, took a little time to get used to his daughter's affectionate nature. She was more like her mother in that respect.
"Daddy, I had a dream about Mommy. She was young, and so pretty. And there was a little boy. Really little. Do I have any brothers? He doesn't look like her, but Mommy loved him. He had brown hair and blue eyes. Not as blue as yours, but still blue," Aislinn yawned. Jon thought about it. A brown-haired, blue eyed little boy? Aislinn continued, "He keeps saying that he's from Babylon Five. That's here."
Tank whispered, "Vin? Athena knew Vin?" That was the only brown-haired, blue eyed boy whom Jon know of, too, from Babylon Five. Sure, it could have been someone else. Tank continued, looking at Aislinn, "What can you tell us about the little boy, Linnie?" Aislinn glared at Tank for using the nickname she had come to hate. Jon stifled a smile, knowing full well that was one of the reasons Tank still used it.
"He's little. Four or five years old. He doesn't look like he belongs here. He looks like a little ragamuffin. He's dirty. And Mom is holding him on her hip, like you and Daddy and Grandpa Matt and Uncle Rob used to carry me. His mom is dead, and he's so sad. He said that they won't let him stay. Why wouldn't they let him stay?" Aislinn asked, looking from Jon to Tank and back again.
This time, though, it was Scout who said quietly, "It was Vin." Jon nodded. Yes ... what his daughter just told him matched what Vin revealed of his background while he was with the Power Team. The question which remained was, why hadn't Athena told him about the little boy she took care of? No, there was one other question. And again, Scout asked it, wondering aloud, "Is this connected with our meeting with them?"
"It could be. I'm not even sure if any of us would recognize Vin now," Matt said. Jon nodded absently, trying to remember what he was told about Vin as a grown man.
When he knew Vin and Adriana, Adriana was a bit taller. But they were twelve years old when Jon and the others found the pair, and that was par for the course for youngsters that age. Jon laughed to himself, trying to remember that far back. They were twenty-five now, not children any more. And from what Jon had learned, Vin was just a little shorter than Chris, who was in turn only a few inches shorter than Jon himself.
He still wore his brown hair to his shoulders, Jon had learned, and still carried that old rifle. Jon took a deep breath, trying to age the twelve year old Vin Tanner in his mind, but gave up after a few moments. It didn't matter. In a matter of hours, Jon and his team would be reunited with both the young people who had reminded them of what they still had to fight for. In a few hours, Jon's daughter would be safe. And then God help Dread.
"It's a go."
The words from Adriana's communicator said far more than just those three simple words. The second in command exchanged a look with Terry, and Adriana pulled the communicator from her belt, answering, "Understood. Terry and I secured the prisoners ... they ain't goin' nowhere for a good long time ... we're on our way back to Central Command. We'll pick up Nathan and Charlotte on our way."
"Good. Before we leave, I want everyone checked out. You remember what happened last time," Mary said. Adriana rolled her eyes at the reminder. Yeah, but last time, it was Charlotte who was hurt before they headed out. Mary added with a faint scolding tone, "And don't you roll your eyes at me, Adriana Kathleen. I know it was Charlotte who was hurt, and I know you have medical training as well, and that's why you're gonna check her out."
There was a pause, then Mary added, "Chris just said that he's doin' the same with his team. Make sure JD didn't get himself hurt. Seems like a few people whom I could mention, but won't, JD has a habit of saying he's fine when he's not." Adriana grinned ... yeah, their youngest had that problem as well. There was an indignant squeak from the youngest in question, and Mary went on, "And the rest of the men will be examined, so JD won't whine that Chris is singling him out for attention."
Terry removed her own communicator from its pouch, saying, "Well, gee, maybe if he grew up a little, it wouldn't be necessary!" There was another silence, which lasted maybe two minutes, then a squawk, and the two women could hear two voices ... one male, one female ... arguing. Terry's face turned bright red, as she obviously remembered that Chris was with Mary.
"Smooth," Adriana whispered, grinning. Terry stuck her tongue out, and Adriana just laughed. The second in command said, raising their commander once more, "You know, once you two are finished with your little lovers quarrel there, we'll all meet in the infirmary." There was another silence, followed by another squawk ... this one, from an indignant human. Male from the sounds of it, and Adriana laughed again.
Within moments, the pair had arrived in the infirmary. Charlotte was going over her supplies, and Adriana said, "Okay, Carlota, get your skinny ass onto the bed ... Fearless Leader has asked me to examine you, make sure we don't have a repeat of last time." Nathan turned from what he was doing ... looked like he was inspecting the infirmary. His eyes could easily be described as starry, then he blinked.
Charlotte growled at her, retorting even as she wriggled onto the infirmary bed, "Like you have any room to talk? If you turn sideways, you disappear!" It was an old joke between them, and Charlotte always relaxed when they were joking around. That would make the examination go a little easier. Charlotte added, her eyes narrowing, "And don't you be putting your hands anywhere they don't belong!"
"She ain't Vin, after all," Terry put in. Charlotte froze, and Terry immediately realized her mistake, saying, "I'm sorry, Charlotte, I shouldn't have said that." Adriana forced Charlotte to look at her, and wished she hadn't. There was a world of hurt in her friend's eyes, and Adriana promised herself a nice, long talk with Terry when this was all over. A quick glance to her right told her that Nathan was looking at anything but the three of them.
After a moment, Charlotte told Adriana, "Like I was sayin,' don't be puttin' your hands where they don't belong. I may not know what you do, 'bout self-defense, but I could still make you hurt bad." She was quietly ignoring Terry, and as Mary came through the sliding doors with Chris and the rest of the two teams, Adriana chose to accept her friend's way of dealing with the slight. Although, she would have loved to know where the hell that came from.
"Neither of us have anything to worry about then, Charlotte. Someone once told me that the most dangerous people in the world are pissed-off healers. I'd just as soon not find out whether or not that's true," Adriana replied. Charlotte didn't make any answer at first, her eyes narrowed, and Adriana turned to look. She had forgotten there was one examination bed nearer to the door, the exam bed which Nathan was now using to examine Vin.
Her friend's shirt was off. That was rare enough ... but what had drawn Charlotte's attention, and now Adriana's, were the marks on Vin's back. Adriana snapped her eyes back to Charlotte's, quickly realizing what had caused those marks. They were signs of torture at the hands of Dread Overunits. Adriana, who had viewed more than one interrogation before her escape, knew all too well what the marks looked like. In part because the nursery children, those youngsters who hadn't yet made cadet, were the ones who often patched up the prisoners for their second go-round with the interrogators. It served a dual purpose ... it taught any rebellious children the folly of crossing the Bio-Dread Empire, and taught children about medical care. It would be needed, until it was time to go into the machine.
Charlotte gave her a questioning look, and Adriana mouthed just one word, that explained everything. 'Dread.' Charlotte's eyes narrowed further, and her mouth thinned. In a very low voice, too low for anyone else to hear, Charlotte whispered, "He was tortured?" Adriana nodded grimly, and Charlotte swore under her breath as the second in command finished her exam, muttering, "I find out who did that to him, and they won't live to see this perfect world of theirs."
"Not if I see them first, sister, not if I see them first. You want to exam me first, and go from there, or would you rather deal with Nora first?" Adriana answered. Charlotte sighed, but went with the second option. Adriana wasn't terribly surprised ... Nora was the youngest, the one with the most to prove. She always downplayed her injuries ... although, to be honest, that was as much because of her training in the Dread Youth as anything else.
Terry, perhaps to make up for her crass comment earlier, called, "Nora! They're ready for you!" Nora made a face. The girl was still having a hard time with the new rules of her new life. While far more relaxed than the Dread Youth, or any other part of the Bio-Dread Empire, there were rules within the Resistance. And taking care of yourself, rather than ignoring your own injuries, was one of the most important rules in the Valkyrie Team.
As Adriana moved to walk away, Charlotte grabbed her sleeve and whispered, "Stick around after the exams are done. Nathan ain't gonna tell me a damn thing, but he may be honest with you." Adriana gave a short, quick nod of acknowledgment, then patted Nora's shoulder as the girl walked past her. She suppressed a grin, hearing the muttered complaints. Nora really hated medical exams, poor girl. That was also part of her legacy from the Dread Youth. The med-techs weren't what you could call 'gentle.' Adriana swore they were as deliberate in their cruelty as the overunits themselves.
It took very little time for them all to go through an examination. The communication officer for the Seven seemed to be running a betting pool about who would complain more about Nathan's exam ... Adriana's brother or that young pilot, JD. Nora's contemporary. The one who resented Adriana so fiercely. She would deal with him later. She just didn't have the energy to find out what his problem was right now. The ship was almost done, and as soon as Charlotte and Adriana finished questioning Nathan, they would go.
Finally, everyone was finished and getting ready to go. Charlotte caught Adriana's eye, and as Nathan set out to join his friends, the pair ambushed him. Since Charlotte didn't feel comfortable with any member of the Seven, except maybe Vin and Buck, Adriana took the lead, asking without preamble, "How long has it been since you got Vin back? We know he was tortured by Dreadheads ... how long ago?"
If she had been hoping to catch Nathan off-guard, she quickly found out that was far from true. The medic for the Seven replied, "It was about three months ago. He was only in their hands for a day, but it was enough to leave them scars ya saw on his back. I saw ya lookin.' Thanks for not askin' 'bout 'em while the others was in here. Josiah tends to get a mite Old Testament. 'Specially when one a' his boys has been hurt." It didn't take much to figure out that the other 'boy' to whom Nathan was referring was the boy, JD.
Nathan paused, then continued, "They done almost as damage to his front as they done to his back. He were unconscious when we found him ... I thought he was dead. At least at first. But Chris wasn't 'bout to give up. Oh, no, not Chris Larabee. Josiah and me, we carried him out between us. Chris protecting our back, and Ez goin' on ahead. Buck and JD were waitin' with the ship. And JD ain't never seen them scars."
Ahhhh! Nathan said, almost apologetically, "I know he ain't been real nice to ya, but ya gotta understand ... ever since we joined up, JD and Buck have been damn near inseparable. JD feels threatened." Well, that made sense. But Adriana would still deal with him later. She nodded her thanks to Nathan, patted Charlotte's arm, then strode after Mary. Right now, she had an argument to get out of the way. Because she knew Mary would have a few things to say about Adriana going under when they got to Tech City.
Nathan Jackson didn't ask how the two Valkyries had figured out that Vin had been tortured. In the first place, one of them was a former Dread Youth. And in the second place, the other was a medic like himself ... and Nathan knew Charlotte had taken care of prisoners rescued from one of the Dread outposts. No one had attacked Volcania, not since the end of 2147, but other attacks were carried out.
Including attacks on Med-Labs, where a number of former prisoners were sent for experimentation. What he didn't understand was why Charlotte had waited for Adriana. Why hadn't she spoken to him alone, just the two of them? As they walked together toward Hangar II, where this amazing prototype could be found, according to both JD and Chris, Nathan asked softly, "Why did you wait for backup, when you asked about them scars?"
There was no answer at first, then Charlotte answered in a voice just as soft, "Because I know how much you and the rest of your team hate me. Adriana's an unknown quantity, in some respects, but she's someone whom Vin, The Scoundrel, and the Dark Angel trust." Dark Angel? He had never heard that code name for Chris before. Charlotte added, "I've heard him called that. For the black clothes he wears, and his blond hair."
It made sense. Charlotte continued, "And she's a former Dread Youth. I knew that even if you didn't level with me, you'd level with her. Because she knows them. Knows what they can do." Again, Nathan couldn't argue with her logic. There was another silence as the healers walked behind their compatriots. Then Charlotte said, "You called The Gambler 'Ez.' Is that short for 'Ezra,' or something else?" Nathan remembered what Adriana said in the ship, on the way here from the rendezvous point.
"It's short for 'Ezra.' Maude is his mother," Nathan answered. It was Charlotte's turn to look at him in surprise, and Nathan added, "You'll find out about that soon enough. In the meantime, ya gotta know somethin.' We don't hate ya, Charlotte. Yeah, ya didn't handle things too good ... but I ain't got much room to talk. Josiah ain't judgin' ya ... hell, if ya was a coupla years older, he might have wanted ya for himself."
That made her smile, and Nathan continued earnestly, "And I won't tell ya that we weren't mad at ya. We were. But ... Josiah always says that those without sin oughta cast the first stone, and ain't none of us that ain't screwed up in some way. Ya didn't mean to hurt Vin." He thought back to his conversation with Josiah only recently, after they rescued Vin from the Dreadheads, and added, "If I want someone to hate, I'll hate the person who tortured Vin because she liked it. Because she could. Like J'siah says. It's a matter of keepin' things in perspective."
Charlotte's frown told him that she wasn't sure she understood, and Nathan explained, "He tol' me ... ya shouldn't hate at all. It's a lotta energy ya could be usin' somewheres else. But if yer gonna hate ... then make sure it's the right person, and the right reason. The overunit who tortures someone, 'cause she can. The dictator who turns your world into fire and ash, 'cause he can ... 'cause he thinks he's got the right to make decisions for ever'body else. Not a hurt, confused woman who lost her way. 'Sides. I think the only people ya ever hurt, that ya meant to, were the ones who killed your little girl, and 'most killed ya too."
"There was someone else. An overunit. Back when Adriana first joined the team. She...you know that Adriana was in a prison camp, before she joined up with us," Charlotte stated, and Nathan nodded. Charlotte continued, "She was hurt bad. While she was in there. I know y'all killed Overunit Quince ... but his mother was still alive. She ... tried for Adriana. During a mission. Would have killed both her and Nora."
"Ya killed her," Nathan said and Charlotte nodded, her face twisting with hatred as she remembered. Nathan, like Charlotte, was a healer ... and he knew that the hardest thing for any healer was to kill. In part, because that ran both ways ... if you could ease pain, you could also cause pain. If you could save someone's life, you could take a life. It was a dichotomy which was very difficult for healers at times, and Nathan never found it easy to take another life. Not even when a friend was in danger.
"I killed her, yes. But I couldn't stop her from hurting Adriana. We almost lost her, because she shielded Nora with her own body. I think that's what finally shut up Terry about her. And every day, after I checked on Adriana, I would visit Jessie Quince in our holding cells. And I would inflict on her, the same kind of pain she had inflicted on Adriana," Charlotte replied. Nathan looked at her, not entirely understanding what she meant.
Not at first. Then Charlotte said softly, "Have you ever heard of Operation Cassandra?" Nathan frowned, trying to remember what he heard about an ill-fated Dread experiment. Dread wasn't Dread at the time, but Lyman Taggart. It was an experiment to boost the natural psi abilities which seemed to appear in certain people. He nodded, and Charlotte went on, "My mother was part of those experiments. While she was pregnant with me."
Oh ... shit. Nathan remembered even more about Operation Cassandra. How the experiments ended up echoing in the children. The children of the survivors, at least, since the experiments had killed seventy-five percent of the participants. And if Charlotte's mother was pregnant at the time ... like he had said before. Oh ... shit. The children in the womb at the time of the experiments tended to be very, very powerful. On the plus side, those children were solidly Resistance, rather than pro-Dread.
Charlotte continued, her voice unsteady, "When I was five years old, only a few weeks after my birthday, in fact ... I found out that if I took energy from a living person, including myself, I could give energy to someone else. Could ... help the healing process along. I couldn't bring the dead back to life, but I could transfer energy to speed up the healing process. And that's what I did. I would ... draw energy from Jessie Quince ... and from myself ... and give it to Adriana, to help her body heal."
The female medic shook her head, whispering, "I felt like an energy vampire ... but Adriana was failing. She had been exhausted before the confrontation, had been up for seventy-two hours straight. She used the last reserves of energy to get to Nora, and push her out of the way. And I would think to myself, I really shouldn't be doing this. And then ... why not? I didn't take energy just from that bitch ... but why shouldn't she help to heal the woman she hurt?"
Why indeed? And Nathan couldn't have said, in that moment, that if he had Charlotte's abilities, and Vin was in a similar condition, he wouldn't have done the same thing. He was a healer at heart, but he was more than capable of inflicting pain. Especially after Charlotte whispered, "She shot Adriana in the back. The first bit of energy I used healed her spinal cord. But she needed more. And even with the energy I gave her, from myself, from that bitch ... she was still in a coma for almost a month."
Nathan stopped and looked at his companion. There were circles under her eyes, which, he saw for the first time, were haunted. He wondered if she ever talked to any of the other women about what she had done ... if they even knew. If she had been carrying this burden alone for the last several months. Charlotte said softly, "I couldn't tell Adriana. She would feel guilty. Blame herself for not bein' more careful."
"What about Commander Travis?" Nathan asked in an equally soft voice. Charlotte looked up at him, blinking away tears, and Nathan continued, "Did she know? Did you take energy from her?" Charlotte bobbed her head, and Nathan figured knowing Mary, she had encouraged Charlotte to take all the energy she could ... from Mary herself and from Overunit Quince. Mary could be amazingly ruthless when it came to defending one of hers. Almost as ruthless as Vin in the same situation.
"Mary gave me her own energy, after I was finished with Adriana for a day. I tried to talk her out of it, but she insisted. Insisted that she needed me upright, not close to collapsing from exhaustion. And every day, I would watch Jessie Quince slowly die, from the energy I was taking from her ... from the pain I was transferring from Adriana to her. And I enjoyed it, Mr. Jackson. I enjoyed it," Charlotte whispered.
She shook her head numbly, adding hoarsely, "I never ... not even after I lost Allison ... ever did that. It scared me ... that I was capable of inflictin' that amount of pain on someone deliberately. And enjoy it. That was the worst part. But when I actually killed her ... while we were transporting her to the psych people at the Passages ... I didn't feel nothin.' Just ... empty. Like all the hate had drained away."
More likely, she was in shock. A person's mind and body could only handle so much before overloading. And while Charlotte had said that she didn't feel that much hatred and rage when her daughter was killed, Nathan was betting that she submerged it ... and that rage came out when one of those under her care was almost killed. He would have to talk to Josiah about that. For now, he just wrapped a gentle arm around Charlotte's waist as they entered the mysterious hangar. But before they reached the giant craft, Nathan added softly, "Just so you know ... the overunit who tortured Vin ... was Overunit Gisele Chase."
Charlotte turned to face him, a grim smile appearing. She replied, "Then you have this promise ... by my hand, by Mary's, or by Adriana's ... Gisele Chase is a dead woman." Nathan looked at his companion, saw the grim determination in her eyes, and knew she had every intention of keeping that promise. Mary had told them that Charlotte was a woman in search of redemption ... and after this conversation, Nathan could believe it. If Charlotte had her way, the genetic twin of Jennifer 'Pilot' Chase would be toast by the end of the year.
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