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
They called her the Phantom. Because she could seemingly appear and disappear at will. Actually, Mary Travis knew how she got in and out ... she just didn't say anything to the rest of her team, allowing them, and anyone else in the base, to think she was dead. It was easier that way. Easier to be dead than alive ... easier to destroy the Bio-Dread Empire. Easier to protect her child. Who was, ironically, the only reason for living.
Athena Samuels watched in silence as the two teams boarded the vessel which Mary had named 'The Fury.' She allowed herself a faint smile as she watched Nathan Jackson's gentle support of the woman whom Athena considered a little sister, Charlotte. That was the reason why Athena told Charlotte the secrets about the message. Athena knew what it was like to take a wrong turn ... and be maligned for it.
Yes, Athena and Charlotte had a great deal in common. Athena had tried to kill the man she loved, in order to save him. For that alone, many in the Resistance would never forgive her. Athena didn't mind. Jon forgave her. He understood. But unlike Athena, Charlotte was still seeking redemption for the mistakes she had made. Still seeking redemption for failing to protect her daughter. Athena's eyes narrowed.
She didn't know if Allison was alive or dead, but she did know if she got her hands on Will Richmond anytime soon, he would be dead. Assuming Adriana didn't get there first. The girl had spent four years in the Dread Youth, after all, and if she found out that Will was trying to manipulate his wife by using their daughter ... there was a pretty good chance Adriana would skin him alive. At the very least. Never mind that he was the one who had liberated the prison camp where she was held. He wasn't the one who carried her broken, unconscious body from the camp. That had been Athena.
Athena allowed herself another soft laugh as The Fury lifted up through the retracting ceiling. She had seen Adriana in action against the traitor Locke. She had not been an observer in that ... interrogation ... at all, but a participant. However, she didn't usually let people in on that little secret. That would ruin the surprise. People often underestimated her, and she used that to her full advantage.
Oh yes, the Dread Youth taught that child very well ... and had their lessons returned in their face. As they would again, once Charlotte told Mary and Adriana that it was Gisele Chase who had tortured Athena's foster son. Athena wished she could be there for that. She wasn't there when the Chase bitch tortured her boy, but she heard of the scars it left on his body. She wanted to be there when Chase died.
The question in Athena's mind regarding Adriana's dark side, and what happened when it emerged once more, was, did her brother and surrogate brother understand that? She thought Larabee might understand ... but she wasn't so sure about Wilmington. Her sense was that he still wanted to believe Adriana was the innocent little girl he remembered, though her innocence had been shattered years earlier. Well. The Valkyries could look out for each other. Even if there were times when she wanted to strangle Terry Greer.
However, for the moment, she was still needed to help protect Aislinn. Athena had other work to do. She quietly saluted The Fury, then headed back to the prison area, marveling at the work which had been accomplished from her modest early attempts to tunnel from the storm cellar (which was now used as a storage area), to the remnants of the base. Athena found the storm cellar after leaving the Passages, after giving birth to Aislinn, and began to tunnel through. Trying to ... find a redemption of her own.
She let people think she was a Dread engineer on the run, and then faked her own death. If only to see the looks on people's faces when they found out she was alive after all. As they were looking at her now, these overunits who had attacked her girls. That was exactly how Athena saw the Valkyries, too. She could forgive Charlotte, for the mistakes she made, for hurting Vin. But these women ... who had hurt her boy in other, deeper ways ... there would be no forgiveness for them.
And she would start with that one. Overunit Wilson. The woman now babbling, "No, no, you're dead!" Athena just smiled as she tapped in the security code, that would allow her access to the cowering prisoner. The cell door slid open, and she slipped inside, initializing her personal cloaking device at the same time.. Wilson pushed herself further into the corner, staring at Athena with obvious terror. Athena just smiled.
The machine ... her time in the machine ... had awakened her dark side. That wasn't the only thing which it awakened. In a swift, fluid moment, she had pulled Overunit Wilson to her feet and spun her around, so the woman was facing away from Athena. The Phantom removed her knife from its pouch on her hip and held it against the overunit's throat, whispering only loud enough for her to hear, "Of course I'm dead. I'm a ghost after all. But ghosts can still harm others." She caressed the woman's throat with the edge of the blade.
There was no sound from Overunit Wilson now, not even a whimper. Athena continued, her voice soft and breathy, "I was in the machine, you know. I don't know how long. But I was in. And ... it opened my mind. Gave me abilities ... made me aware I had abilities. And I didn't realize it until years later. I can do things. I can ... I can stop your heart. With just a thought. And no one would ever know the difference."
"Overunit McCallum will know the difference. She saw you. She can tell the Valkyries when they get back. And their computer will know the difference. They'll never let you get away with this!" Overunit Wilson hissed. Athena cocked a brow, but tightened her hold on the overunit, until the woman was choking for breath. A little tighter, and Athena could feel the other woman getting dizzy from the lack of oxygen.
"You don't think so? You forget, Overunit. The Valkyries are not the Power Team. They have no problem with killing. Much less with killing a woman who has done the things you have. In fact, if I killed you, I'd be doing them a favor. They need to concentrate on the task at hand. Protecting my daughter and other little girls like her. But I don't think I'll kill you. Not just yet, at least. On the other hand ... an object lesson would go far," Athena replied.
She wasn't worried about Diosa. The sentient supercomputer was being redirected from the base to The Fury. Athena closed her eyes, picturing the beating heart of Overunit McCallum. Then she pictured squeezing it, along with the woman's lungs. She actually heard the woman choking. Heard the woman's body hit the ground with a thud. And she felt it when the overunit died. Satisfied, Athena whispered, "Let that be a lesson to you. Harm the Valkyries, or any of the other teams in this endeavor, and that will be your fate."
With that, she released the woman and slipped out of the cell once more, quietly reprogramming the security code. She hit the PCD on her belt once more and turned to face Overunit Wilson, saying, "Tell the Valkyries what you will. They will see nothing on the tape. They won't believe the truth." Athena could see the woman trying to come up with other possibilities ... saw the defeated expression when she realized Athena was right. And then, Athena ... disappeared. Because that's what Phantoms did.
"Y'all sure don't believe in doing things in a small way, do you?" Buck Wilmington asked wryly as his sister's team finished removing their blindfolds. They were sensitive about security, but Buck supposed he couldn't blame them. Not after everything that had happened. Not after the destruction of the various Power Bases through the years. Although, Buck heard a rumor that Power actually triggered the self-destruct mechanism each time.
"Why bother doin' somethin,' if ya don't plan on doin' it right?" his sister teased from her position at the map. Buck still had a tough time, figuring out what she did in this team. Well, he knew she was the second in command. But so was Vin, and he was also the team sharpshooter. Hawk Masterson was the second in command of the Power Team, and he was also the team pilot and navigator.
Well, that wasn't entirely true ... in addition to being a second in command, she drove Mary absolutely batty. Buck had overheard a rather spectacular explosion between the two women, shortly after takeoff. Adriana had told Mary she intended to go into the Web once they reached Tech City, after retrieving the Power Team from the remains of Babylon Five. And to say that Mary didn't like that idea was something of an understatement.
Driving the argument was Mary's very real fear for his sister. It didn't take long at all to find out why, as the rest of the Seven discovered that the Web had become popular with bounty hunters for Dread in the last several years. As Jon Power had been told, during his trip into the Web, if the person's psyche died while inside the Web, the shock would kill the person's physical body. In a way, Nora explained, it was like the old concept that if a person died in their dreams, their body died at the same time.
The Bio-Dread Empire had been rocked by Adriana's defection. She was the poster child for the Dread Youth, daughter of a Dread architect, who had been raised in the outside world before being returned to her rightful place as a servant of the machine. There were some who said she was corrupted too much, in those first eight years of her life. And others ... others who wondered what this twelve year old girl knew which would make her run from their perfect world. What would cause a child destined to be an overunit to throw away everything.
Buck could understand all of that. He could understand Mary's fear of Web bounty hunters. But it wasn't until Vin added another component that he truly began to understand Mary's objection. Vin, during his years as a bounty hunter, often used the web himself to locate information on troop movements. Usually, movements that would involve overunits whom someone wanted to be brought to human justice.
One thing Vin learned, during those years as a bounty hunter, was that each person had a signature brain wave. In some ways, if you were a bounty hunter, that brain wave was a lot like the old 'wanted' posters. And if you were really, really good, you learned to identify each brain wave. Vin had been very, very good. And while he was always a bounty hunter for the Resistance, he knew there were bounty hunters for the Bio-Dread Empire who were also really, really good. That was the bad news. That such a thing was possible, though Vin admitted he didn't know if any of the old guard for the Empire were still alive. But ... there was good news.
Terry Greer created something to combat that, and to put Mary's mind at ease. Like her counterpart in the Power Team, Terry loved to experiment with Dread gadgets, sometimes totally circumventing the original program. This was such a situation. She had created a device which jammed anyone trying to read the brain waves. Even more ingenious, she wove it into fabric, which became a headband. The headband now keeping DeeDee's dark hair back from her face.
At that point, Mary had begun calming down. It wasn't, Terry explained, that Mary thought Adriana was too stupid to know the risks. But, like the rest of their team, Adriana was seeking redemption, and she often took chances with her life in order to accomplish an objective. Because she thought it was worth the risk. Mary didn't always agree, and the pair had gotten into some truly colorful arguments as a result.
Then again, it seemed as if the Valkyries were as prone to arguments as the Seven. Buck overheard his sister rip into Terry for something. Apparently, something was said before the Seven arrived in the infirmary, and Terry was trying to set things right. But Buck's little sister was more interested in the mission than anything else, and quickly informed Terry of that fact with a snarled, "Not now, Terry!" Nathan knew what was said, but he was keeping his mouth shut.
On the other hand, maybe that was a good idea. When Buck started to go over to Adriana, to calm his sister down (even though he couldn't see through the blindfold), Nora stopped him. Told him that it really wasn't a good idea to interrupt her when she was in that mood. Bad things tended to happen. Besides, the scoundrel had the uneasy sense that Nora enjoyed watching Adriana rip into Terry.
Buck was still reeling from the revelation that his sister was still alive. After all these years, to have kept searching for her, and she was a member of Mary's team. Was, in fact, her second-in-command. And while he was having a hard time, reconciling the sweet little girl he remembered with this darker version of his sister, she was still his sister. Right now, she was unpredictable, so Buck would tread carefully ... at least, as carefully as he could.
Still, she seemed more relaxed now ... maybe because her conversation with Mary was out of the way? And since they were away from their base, they could take the blindfolds off the Seven? Buck said slowly, "DeeDee ... I was wondering. Exactly what do you do? I mean ... I know you're a ... I know you're the second in command. But ... I mean ... Vin is our sharpshooter. Hawk is the pilot and navigator for the Power Team. What do you do?"
"Little bit of everything," came the response, "I act as Mary's rep when we join forces with other teams to accomplish an objective ... her liaison, for lack of a better word. I know it's hard to believe, big brother, but I can be quite diplomatic, if it becomes necessary." Buck grinned at that, and Adriana winked at him. She continued after a moment, "I also act as a pilot when necessary, a navigator, a medic. I pretty much leave Terry's job to her ... both as our communications specialist and putting her foot in her mouth."
She paused, then continued softly, "And sometimes, I use my knowledge of the Dread Youth against the Empire. That sounds obvious, but it's really not. Mary and I are the strategists, and we check each other. Make sure we're not doing anything stupid. That's what our argument was about earlier. Neither of us are stupid, but we're both stubborn. You heard, didn't you, that there's rumblings about Allison being alive?" Buck would have had to be blind and deaf not to pick up on that. While Charlotte Richmond wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world, he sure as hell wouldn't want to wish that sort of pain on anyone. Much less someone who helped to take care of his baby sister.
And while he wasn't nearly as serious as Chris or Vin, Buck wasn't blind, deaf, or stupid. Adriana continued, checking over her instruments, "Well, the trouble is ... I wasn't the only child taken years after my birth. I suspect Dread has a plan for those children. Aside from me, most of the children taken have parents who were leaders in the Resistance." She stopped what she was doing and looked at Buck seriously, adding, "That tells me he plans to turn the children against the parents ... who wouldn't fire on the children."
She tapped something into her keyboard, her eyes flickering over whatever came up, and then looked back at Buck, saying, "That's why they tried to capture Billy. Why they did capture Olivia Greer. Why Aislinn Power is such a prize to them. And you should know, Buck. If this twit is right, and that little girl is alive ... then that's the purpose Dread has in mind for her." Adriana's dark eyes bore into him, as if trying to make him understand how important this was.
"What do you think? If Allison is alive ... will she still be herself?" Buck asked softly. Of all people, his sister would have a better insight into that. She sat back, nibbling at a fingernail. A simple gesture, but one that took Buck's breath away. If he had any doubts that this young woman was, indeed, his baby sister ... if any doubts lingered after hearing her sing the goodnight lullaby back to him ... they disappeared with that gesture. It was so ... human. So DeeDee.
"Yes. I do. For one thing, if Allison is alive, she would be about seven now. Children that age are very protective. Saying for the sake of argument that she is alive ... Charlotte pushed Allison to the ground before the shockwave hit the house, then shielded her. The Dreadheads would have had to move Charlotte, in order to get Allison. Now, children are very sensitive little critters. Allison would have sensed Charlotte's fear, before the explosion, and associated it with the people who took her away," Adriana replied.
"Because they were taking her from her mother," Buck guessed, and Adriana nodded. He asked next, "So ... how would Allison protect herself? I've heard stories about what happens to children in the Dread Youth ... assumin' that's where she is." This time, Adriana slouched in her chair and looked directly at Buck. He hadn't planned on what came out of his mouth next. But still, he heard himself say, "I need to know what they did to you, baby."
"Allison wouldn't be in the Dread Youth. More likely, she would be in a nursery for indoctrination. It sometimes takes a long time to break down a child's defenses, especially if she was loved. I survived by making believe that it wasn't really happening. I ... detached myself. As long as I could. And then, I survived by swearing revenge for everything they did to me. Now, if Allison had been a child of the streets ... that would be different. But she was taken from her mother. Which means, she ain't gonna be easy for the Dread Youth," Adriana replied.
She hadn't answered his request, and they both knew it. But Buck saw something in his sister's eyes which scared him ... and so he backed off. For now. Instead, he just squeezed her hand gently, whispering, "I'm glad to have ya back, baby girl. I've missed ya." Her response was to leave her station and sit in his lap, as she did when she was a little girl. Buck held his sister tightly, swearing that anyone who tried to take her from him again would die.
"You know, I've heard of alligator mouths overrunning hummingbird rear-ends, but I've never actually seen it in practice," Nora observed archly. Terry just glared at the young pilot as she shifted in her seat. The former Dread Youth just smiled and continued, "I mean, let's face it, Terry ... you don't exactly have the most perfect record in the world. Does the name Morgan Coltrane mean anything to you?"
Nora was vaguely aware of JD Dunne (Bratchild, Terry had called him) staring at her in astonishment. She just ignored him ... he had already gotten on her nerves once today ... and continued, "Morgan Coltrane, whom you seduced to get modifications to the Fury. And who took your daughter, thus making it possible for the Dreadheads to get their hands on Olivia. While he was turning the tables on you, so he could get the information he needed. You don't hear us throwing that in your face, do you?"
"Put a sock in it, Nora," Terry growled. Again, Nora ignored her. In the months since being released from the Dread Youth, she had learned a great deal about being a human being. And there were times when she wished she had stayed in the Dread Youth, because people gave her a headache. They were terribly inconsistent. On the other hand, Adriana once explained that in some cases, that was due to what she called a double standard. One set of rules for one group of people, another set of rules for another set, because it was more convenient for someone.
Terry was one of the worst for that. She had thrown a fit when Mary and Charlotte met up with Adriana, saying that she was Dread Youth. So was Nora ... so was Mary. But Adriana was in the Dread Youth for four years, compared to Nora's seventeen, compared to Mary's fifteen years. It was all right for them to be in the Dread Youth, but not Adriana. That double standard which Adriana told her about. And truly, Nora had resented Terry for that ... for that, and for making Nora herself feel uncomfortable with Terry as a result.
So, Nora couldn't see that she was doing anything differently than Terry. It was only fair, only right that Terry be held to the same standard as the rest of them. She said as much, observing, "I think there's a phrase for that, Terry. How does it go? Oh yeah. I remember now. 'You can dish it out, but you can't take it.' I think that applies here." From the corner of her eye, Nora saw Mary look up from her conversation with Chris Larabee, but Nora had come too far to quit now. In the early months of her time with the team, she had been so eager to please.
So eager to please, she had overlooked things that bothered her. Terry's attitude toward Adriana-which, Nora felt, was partly due to jealousy ... Adriana's longtime friendship with Mary. Well, that was gonna change now. Terry snarled, glaring at Nora, "I let something slip out, alright? It's gonna happen, I'm not perfect, and I've never claimed to be perfect." Nora acknowledged this with a nod. Well, she couldn't argue with that. In fact, one of the things she liked about her team was the willingness of all the women to admit when they were wrong.
However ... Nora replied, "No. You're absolutely right, you never claimed to be perfect. But ... you did say we were all your friends. And friends don't do that to each other." There was a sudden hush over the craft, as all eyes turned to Nora. Even Adriana and her brother Buck had stopped talking to look over at her, Adriana's dark hazel eyes filled with concern. Nora swallowed hard. She hadn't been out of the Dread Youth for a long time at all, but she had learned a few things. At least, she thought she had.
The Dark Angel said unexpectedly, "Sometimes, Nora, people say things they don't mean. Or something comes out that they hadn't thought about, or thought through. It doesn't mean that Terry doesn't care about you ... it just means that she didn't think before she spoke." Nora looked at the commander of the Seven, one of the men whom she respected most in the world. Not that she knew a lot of men, outside the Bio-Dread Empire.
Eye contact was maintained as Commander Larabee continued, "And it seems to me that, like my team, you five have gone beyond just friends. You've become a family. Sisters. And that's when things become more complicated, because families argue and fight. But they still love each other. They still take up for each other." As he spoke, he looked at Mary and inclined his head. Mary just smiled.
Nora had no idea what that meant. But Terry said softly, contritely, "That's true, Nore. I would never purposefully hurt you, or any of the others. And Commander Larabee is right, we are a family. You are all my sisters, and I would kill anyone who tried to hurt any of you, for any reason." Nora looked away from Commander Larabee, and instead looked at Terry, who did look contrite.
But before the girl could reply, Diosa appeared as a hologram in the middle of the ship, saying, "I am receiving a signal from the Power Team, Commander Travis. Captain Power bids you welcome, and expresses his gratitude for your expeditious arrival." Nora overheard the Scoundrel mutter something about Diosa talking like the Gambler. If Diosa heard, she gave no indication, continuing, " Further, he wishes you to know that you will be encountering ... difficulty ... from the incoming Dread troops. He highly recommends doing away with the ... as he calls them ... 'tin cans,' before attempting a rescue. I concur."
"Thank you, Diosa. Drina, did you get that?" Mary asked, looking over her shoulder at Adriana. It was something of a foolish question, Nora thought, since Adriana was sitting right there. On the other hand, all of the women had been known to zone out entire conversations. Maybe it wasn't such a foolish question, after all. The second in command nodded, and Mary continued, "Suggestions for taking out the recycling?" Huh? Chris saw Nora's confusion and mouthed, 'old earth reference.' Oh. Okay. Nora still had no idea what Mary meant by that, and what one thing had to do with the other, but that was beside the point.
"Got it five by five, Mare. Maybe send out a welcoming committee of our own? One or two protos?" Adriana suggested. The 'protos' were prototypes, along similar lines as the Power Team's Power Jet. A small, compact craft, patterned after the old fighter jets of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. When Terry had seduced Morgan Coltrane, she also stole these.
"That would probably be the best bet. All right. Nora, turn the controls over to Adriana's station ... she can fly and take care of the weapons at the same time. Terry, go with her. Adriana, when they give you the signal, turn over the jet's weapons systems to them," Mary replied. Nora was out of her seat in a flash, though she was privately wishing Charlotte came with her. She still wasn't comfortable with Terry.
"What can we do to help, Mary?" Chris Larabee asked as Nora headed into the lower level of the ship. Part of it was a cargo hold, and the other part was a mini-hangar. Unlike the JumpShip, which could only carry the Power jet, the Fury had a jet for each Valkyrie. The way the ship was designed, a ramp would open up, providing an exit for the jet. In some ways, the Fury was a descendent of the old planes which carried tanks and such during war time. In other ways, it was much sleeker ... and far more deadly, as this vessel had state of the art weaponry.
Nora never heard Mary's response ... she was climbing into her fighter jet. According to Charlotte, whose father had served in the military prior to the war, it was an old tradition to name your plane. Nora was fascinated by the idea, and was still deciding on her name. This would be the first time she had flown solo ... maybe today's battle would serve to inspire her. She eased herself into the cockpit, and signaled her readiness. For now ... she had a battle to fight.
Chris Larabee was not accustomed to being a ... well, to being idle. To let someone else fight for him. Not that Mary was really fighting a battle for him. After all, her people knew the jets, Chris and his men didn't. Still, that didn't stop him from offering his help. As Adriana received word that Terry and Nora were ready, she shifted control of the jets to them, then tapped in what was likely a sequence code to access the ship's flight controls.
Mary said, "Well, if you don't mind, we could use someone at the communications console. Nora's console is a double for flight control and life support. I need someone to monitor the life support levels." Chris nodded to Ezra and JD, both of whom took up the positions indicated. JD slid easily into the chair which had just been vacated by the former Dread Youth, Nora.
"Not to argue," JD said, "but isn't life support the job of the medic?" Under his breath, JD added, "Not that your medic is useful anyhow ... OW!" This was said as Nathan thwapped him in the back of his head. JD turned and glared at the medic, who was glaring right back at him. Chris looked over at Mary, who was just watching JD with cool green eyes. She had what Vin called her Dread Youth mask on, the one which always went up when she was trying to control her temper.
"No. Actually, it's not. Life support is actually the function of the ship's designer and engineer. She's the one trained to manipulate the controls, to compensate for any inconsistencies. I just want you to keep an eye on it. That's not something a medic would know how to do. Do you, Nathan?" Mary asked the medic for the Seven. Nathan shook his head, and Mary continued, "Now, belowdecks, in the cargo hold is the first aid station, which is Charlotte's province."
She started to say more, but Chris noted a quick glance toward Charlotte, who was shaking her head frantically. The medic didn't want Mary defending her. Mary didn't ... but Nora, who had just received control over her instruments and her weapons, did. She fired back, her voice clear and enraged, "You take that back, and apologize to Charlotte, or I'll kick your ass once we get on the ground!"
Before JD could respond, Charlotte reached over Ezra's shoulder, flipped a switch, and said, "Nora, please. Just let it go, it's not worth it." To the communications officer, she said softly, "Here, this switch will open and close communication from the main ship to the protos. They can still communicate with us, they just can't hear what's being said on the ship." Ezra nodded, tipping an imaginary hat to her.
Mary whispered something to Charlotte as she took her seat once more, and the medic answered, just loud enough for Chris to hear her, "Mary, please! We knew there was this chance when we agreed to work with the Seven. I'll be fine. I can handle the Kid. Trust me?" Chris watched as Mary nodded, her eyes reflecting her reluctance to allow any insult to one of her people pass. But she would give her friend that trust, and that respect. The same trust and respect he gave to his men.
Chris wondered if that was as difficult for Mary as it was for him sometimes. He wondered if she ever looked at the broken, battered body of her best friend, more dead than alive thanks to torture, and wanted to scream in rage and despair. Wondered if she ever sat at her terminal, tracking troop movement and monitoring Dread frequencies, waiting for the right time to strike ... when she really wanted to be at her friend's side?
And then he saw her face ... he knew she did. It was in every line around her mouth, in the shadows of her eyes. He started to say something, not knowing what to say. Maybe that she wasn't alone? But before he could do that, Nora's defiant voice crackled through the intercom, "I don't care! He's a self-righteous little brat! A smug, arrogant, self-important brat who thinks the world revolves around him!"
What the ... ? Adriana murmured, "I didn't do it, Mare. You know those switches on the protos ... the two for communication are side-by-side, she probably hit the wrong one. Damn! She locked me out!" Chris looked over at his surrogate sister as she furiously attacked her terminal. Adriana turned and said, "Charlotte, see if you can get her online. When I turned the navigation and the weapons over to the protos, it locked out the communications from my station." Chris wondered, remembering the first comment Adriana made, if she had a habit of playing practical jokes on the others. JD had a habit of doing that. Him, Buck, and Ezra. Which surprised Chris, giving his background in the Bio-Dread Empire.
Charlotte moved over to the communications console, as Nora fired back in answer to whatever Terry said, "I don't care! He's attacking my friend, my sister, and I won't stand for it! I backed off with you, because you're part of this family, but he's not. He's not allowed to talk to, or about, her like that. And if he doesn't lose the attitude with Adriana, I really will kick his ass. Who does he think he is? The be all and end all?"
"Cut the chatter, Nora, we're hearing you five by five," Charlotte said. There was a long silence ... the only thing which told Chris the girl hadn't been blown out of the sky was her breathing and the sound of her blasting the hell out of her targets. Charlotte looked over her shoulder and mouthed, 'I'm sorry.' She had no reason to apologize ... she and the rest of the Valkyries were trying to defuse the situation.
Then Nora said defiantly, "I'm not apologizing. Not to him, at least. The Dark Angel, yeah. But not to the Kid. He's got a problem with the Scoundrel, that's who he should take it up with. He goes after you or Adriana, then he's fair game, Charlotte. First rule. We take care of ours. Second rule, we can hassle each other, but if someone else pulls the same thing, they're dead meat. Third rule ... no one Resistance team is more important than the others."
Funny. Those sounded an awful lot like the unofficial rules within the Seven. Charlotte answered, "And you're right, but this is neither the time, nor the place. Please, Nora ... for my sake? Concentrate on the Dreadheads, so I don't have to worry about fixing you up?" Chris raised an eyebrow and looked at Nathan, who was wearing a thoughtful look as he in turn eyed JD. The boy was doing a slow burn.
"Oh ... all right. But only for you. And Mary, and for our team. But I repeat. I'm not apologizing to that spoiled brat. The Dark Angel, yes ... but not the Kid," Nora replied. There was a long pause, then she said, "All right, we got rid of the immediate tin-cans, but sensors are showing another set moving in. It looks like we have thirty minutes to do the extraction, so Terry and I will stay up here for the moment."
Mary moved to Charlotte's side, answering, "We read you. Keep us covered. We're going in." She flipped a switch, turning back to Charlotte, and said, "Get all of your equipment together. I want you to stay with Nathan, at least for now. We'll all be going into together, but I would imagine the commander wants at least one medic in each group if we have to split up." Charlotte nodded and headed toward the stairs to the cargo bay.
Before she reached the stairs, however, Adriana said, "Remembered this time how to open the channel, huh?" She grinned as she looked over at the medic, who turned bright red with embarrassment. Adriana winked at Charlotte, who responded with the European version of the middle finger. Chris wondered how she learned that, then the medic turned and headed into the cargo bay to retrieve her medical supplies.
He turned his attention to the still-simmering JD, and said to the entire ship, "We are working together on this mission. The lives of two little girls are at stake. There is no room for grudges, or attitudes. I don't want to have to take anyone aside for a counseling session."
Chris waited for JD to turn before he continued, "We're all adults. Or so I keep hearing." JD flushed at the remark, since the boy was constantly trumpeting about being a man, then Chris continued, "I don't want to hear any more rude remarks, from either side, about any member of the other team. Is that clear?" Chris kept staring at JD, who averted his eyes, and Chris continued, "All right. Mary, you want us all to go together?" Mary nodded, and Chris continued, "All right. Then let's get the Power Team, then get the hell out of here."
The craft was slowly eased to the ground, and Ezra was overheard to mutter, doubtless because he didn't think Chris could hear him, or didn't care, "Now that was a true landing, never mind being able to walk away from it." Chris let it pass. Though he did shoot a warning look at Ezra. The rest of the two teams had made their way from the ship. Adriana would be the last to leave, as she would be shutting down the engines.
Mary had explained that Nora would remain in a holding pattern, while Terry would land her proto back into the ship, and be at the controls when they returned. Through Adriana would do the flying, Terry would have the ship warmed up for them. Adriana studiously ignored what was going on around him as Chris stopped JD, and said softly, "I mean it, JD. No more rude remarks. No more personal attacks."
"She hurt Vin, Chris!" JD fired back. Chris sighed. He knew that was at the root of JD's remarks. The youngster was very protective of Vin ... almost losing their friend devastated JD a few months earlier. JD continued scathingly, "So she gets her feelings hurt, so what? She hurt Vin, Chris, and I will never forgive her for that. Never!" Chris waited for the boy to wind down, then stared at him levelly.
"And how would you feel, JD, if someone belittled Vin for being a bounty hunter, once upon a time? That's no less true. Or Buck, for the time he spends with the working girls in the settlements. That's just as true," Chris stated. Rage flared in JD's eyes, and Chris continued, "You'd be furious. So would I. Because they're our friends. Well, whether we like it or not, the women in the Valkyries are friends ... and they're our allies. Have you ever seen one of the Valkyries when they're mad? I have. They're the ladies who scare me."
JD's mouth formed an 'o,' and Chris continued, "Now, you're already on Nora's shit list. You made rude remarks about her friend. And it's not likely she'll forgive you any time soon for that. Don't shake your head at me, JD, it is the same. Nora is just as protective as you are, and even worse, she's still learning to deal with rage. She was never taught how to deal with her emotions in the Dread Youth. In a way, that makes her more dangerous than the others."
Chris took a deep breath, then said, "I'll be the first to admit Charlotte ain't one of my favorite people. She probably never will be. But that's not the point. What is the point is gettin' the job done. So what will it be, JD? The job? Or your own grudges? What's more important?" Chris nodded with satisfaction as understanding entered JD's eyes. He wasn't asking JD to like the medic. Just to think before he shot his mouth off. Chris went on, "All right, then. Let's go. We got a compound to secure." As he headed down the steps into the cargo bay, he found Mary waiting and gave her a brief nod. It was up to JD now.
Billy Travis usually liked going on missions with his mother and her team. He was even happier when Chris and his team were around. Not this time. The little boy was sitting at his favorite place in the cargo hold, where he did his lessons, and listened to the conversation in the upper part of the craft. What he heard left him confused, and more than a little angry. The trouble was, he didn't know why he was angry.
That wasn't true. He was angry because his family had been attacked, by someone he thought was his friend. JD. Yes, Billy knew that Charlotte hurt Vin, but she was sorry and wouldn't do it again. She apologized, not just to Vin, but the entire team. She even apologized to Drina, who hadn't even been here at the time. Billy was, and while he was angry with Charlotte, he forgave her. Because he loved her.
So why did JD act as if they were wrong to forgive her? Billy understood that JD loved Vin, but so did Billy. So did Billy's mom, for that matter. But Billy also loved Charlotte. Did JD think that he couldn't, or shouldn't, be friends with them both? And was Nora right? Did JD think that he was the only person that mattered? If that was the case, then Billy didn't want to be his friend any more.
The little boy was trying to finish the last problem on his math exercise when the Fury landed gently. Billy knew that when his mom came down stairs, with the others, she would send him upstairs, to the main part of the ship. Terry would be here in just a few minutes, and Billy knew he would be safer in the cockpit than in the cargo bay. He was right. He heard Chris tell JD to behave himself, then saw his mother's head.
Mom came back and knelt in front of him, saying softly, "Terry just said she'll be here within a matter of moments. Maybe five minutes, if that. Don't come out of your hidey-hole until she gives the password." Billy nodded his understand, and wondered if he should ask her about JD. But he didn't have to. Mom continued, "I know you heard the argument, honey. And I know you're confused."
Billy nodded, and his mom went on, "JD is still very angry with Charlotte. You know he's very loyal to Vin, and she did make a very big mistake. But that doesn't mean you have to choose between your friends. Charlotte wouldn't ask you to do that. She hasn't forgiven herself, either." Billy knew that. But while he knew Charlotte wouldn't make him choose between her and JD, that wasn't what worried him.
"I know she won't, but what about JD? What if he makes me choose?" Billy asked. And he would, wouldn't he? If JD really thought no one else was more important, he would make Billy choose between him and Charlotte. Billy knew that JD would say Billy would be choosing between Vin and Charlotte, but the truth was, it wouldn't be Vin at all. The child knew Vin wouldn't be upset that he was still friends with Charlotte.
"He won't do that, Billy," Mom answered, her green eyes steady and sure. Billy wished he could be as certain. But what he overheard made him doubt JD. It made him wonder if he could really trust JD to be his friend.
What if Billy made a mistake, like Charlotte had? Would JD still be his friend then? Once upon a time, he thought JD would be his friend no matter what he did. That's what friends did, after all. But if Billy hurt Vin, maybe JD would stop liking him. Billy couldn't imagine ever doing anything to hurt Vin, but that wasn't the point. And the little boy told his mother, "But what if I make a mistake, too, Mom? What if I make a mistake, and hurt Vin, like Charlotte did? JD won't be my friend any more anyhow."
"That ain't gonna happen, Billy," a soft voice said, from just behind Billy's mom, and Billy peeked around his mother to find JD standing there. The little boy just looked at him, and JD continued, "There's nothin' you can do, Billy, to make me stop liking you. You're my friend, and as long as you don't help Dread, then you'll always be my friend. Always." Billy eyed him suspiciously. JD sounded like he was telling the truth, but so did that bad man when he talked.
"Charlotte's my friend, JD. She's my friend, and I ain't gonna stop bein' friends with her, 'cause you say so," Billy replied. He was stunned at the hurt look on JD's face. The little boy didn't know why JD looked like that. Wasn't like Billy said he wouldn't be JD's friend any more. He looked back at his mother and added, "Drina's my friend, too. Nora said that if you didn't lose the attitude, she would hurt you for that."
"We gotta go," Chris said quietly. He slipped past Billy's mom and JD and swung Billy down from his place, saying, "Billy, son, we gotta go now. I promise, JD won't try to stop you from being friends with Charlotte." Billy knew he was being dismissed, and as his mother reached down to hug him, he kissed her cheek. But he looked at JD steadily, to make sure JD understood that Billy would stand up for his womenfolk.
That was something Athena told him once. He was the man of the house, since his dad was dead, and his grandpa was ... somewhere else. That meant that it was his job to take care of his mom, Drina, Nora, Charlotte, and Terry. Allison and Olivia, too, when they got them back. And Billy took that responsibility very seriously. He had initially protested that he was too little, that he was just a little boy.
But Athena reminded him that both Chris and Captain Power were little boys once, and they had to start somewhere. That made perfect sense to Billy, and Athena continued that this would be where he would start ... by taking care of his mom and the other Valkyries. As Billy scurried up the steps to the main part of the Fury, he paused just long enough to give Charlotte an extra big hug, to make her smile again. He kissed her cheek, too, which he normally didn't do.
Then he made his way to his hidey-hole, under Drina's console, where he would remain until Terry arrived back at the ship and gave the password. Until she got back, Billy's mother would secure the door between the cargo bay and the main part of the ship. Only someone who knew the ship would know the door was there. That was how Terry designed it, a slight modification from the original design.
As Billy squirmed his way into his hidey-hole, Diosa appeared in the middle of the ship. She wasn't really his baby-sitter ... she just kept him company until Terry got here.
She smiled and said, "You look troubled, young Master Billy. The divisions within your team and Commander Larabee's have you concerned, do they not?" Billy nodded. Diosa was one reason he didn't find Ezra's speech strange. His mother and Drina and Nora were the other. They all grew up in the Dread Youth, and that was how they talked. Very formally. Diosa continued, "You must not be afraid. Just trust in your mother."
It wasn't his mother whom Billy no longer trusted. But he didn't say that, and Diosa continued, "Now, if I recall, we were reading Homer's Odyssey. Let me search my memory banks, and recall where we left off." Billy made himself more comfortable, even though he knew he wouldn't be bored. When Diosa read, she changed her voice to fit that of whoever was speaking ... and it was like magic.
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