07/27/01

"Betrayed and baffled still..."-- William Dean Howells

229-1121.

While Mitchell is being medicked, Malcolm waits. He calls Dr. Neil's place to advise them of the delay, but he gets high tech voice mail, and leaves a message. Malcolm: "Commander Holloway's on planet, armed and dangerous. Mitchell's in the hospital. They say he'll recover. I'll wait here." He hangs up and looks for a listing in the phone book for vehicle upholstery repair.

Hours pass. There are cool, easy to use terminals for Malcolm to play with, and he amuses himself with the TL 15 web sites. No, he doesn't want the full experience beamed directly into his brain, thank you. He gets bored after a while and decides to go back to check on the ship. It's still there. It's where it should be, in the appropriate number of pieces, and no one's painted pro-SolSec graffiti on it. Malcolm's trying to figure out where Holloway got the drop on Mitchell, not knowing where this happened. There are a number of places between the ship and where the vehicle was parked. Malcolm goes inside the ship and checks to make sure all the buttons are flashing. They are.

Trevor is back at Dr. Neil's place, going into grav-ball withdrawal. He works out in the gym, then finds Chester to see if he's got a tri-dee. Please? Chester, who's definitely the quiet type, has a tri-dee - he shows Trevor to the servant's quarters, where the small tri-dee resides. Trevor finds all the grav-ball he could ever want. During one of the half-times, he goes to the kitchen to get some food. The kitchen is very tidy, except for the knives that had been removed from the block and set on the counter. But, it's not his problem, maybe they were cleaning the knife block. On the other hand, the metal serving tray with a neat row of empty auto-injectors on it is a tad weird. Trevor finds Chester and asks him to come with him and check something out. Chester follows Trevor back to the kitchen, where Trevor points out the tray with the empty auto-injectors on it. Trevor: "These are for...?" Chester picks up the tray and empties it into the trash. Trevor: "No, no. <indicating auto-injectors> Are these yours?" Chester shakes his head to indicate no. Trevor: "Do you know who's they are?" No again. Trevor: "Do you know where they came from?" No. Trevor: "Do you know what they're for?" No. He's a font of information, is Chester. Trevor goes upstairs and knocks on Gabrielle's door. There's no answer. Trevor: <to Chester> "Open the door." Chester shakes his head no. Trevor: "You can open the door or I can break it down." Chester unlocks the door.

Trevor goes in and looks around. No sign of Gabrielle or any sort of disturbance in the little sitting room. No dead bodies, no sign of disturbance. He checks the bedroom. There is someone in the bed. Trevor goes over to the bed and finds Gabrielle. She looks very pasty and her wrists are bandaged. Trevor: "Gabrielle?" She appears to be sleeping heavily, and doesn't respond. Trevor checks and she's not dead. There's water on the floor, so Trevor checks out the bathroom. Some one has poured red dye into the bath water. And there are blood spatters in several places, along with a bloody paring knife. Trevor finds the wrappers for the bandages (folded and set aside carefully), and he notices that among the wet spots on the carpet is a large footprint that would probably fit a man's dress shoe. The cop in Trevor susses out that Gabrielle tried to kill herself, and some one else saved her, since if another party had wanted Gabrielle dead, she'd be dead. Trevor hands the knife to Chester, and lets the water out of the tub. Trevor asks for one of the staff to watch Gabrielle, and to tell Trevor when she wakes up. One of the maids will be called in.

Mitchell is finally released, but told to take it easy for a few days. He finds Malcolm in the waiting area, and they head back to the chateau. Malcolm: "That was Mr. Personality, wasn't it?" Mitchell: "Yes. Sometimes I wish there were wet Navy ships around. Hanging Holloway from the yard-arms sounds good." After a discussion of keel-hauling, they arrive back at Dr. Neil's place to find Trevor in the kitchen eating a bunch of sandwiches, washed down by half a dozen beers. Malcolm notices a few small bloodstains on Trevor's shirt (from handling the knife in the bathroom). Malcolm: "Problems here?" Trevor: "I think Gabrielle tried to kill herself. Bathtub, slit wrists. She's in bed. My guess is that some one, probably a staff member, saved her." Mitchell: "I'd like to see the basement." Chester will take him. Malcolm gets a first aid kit and goes up stairs.

When the basement door is opened Mitchell can hear the moaning and the rattling of chains. The moaning is getting worse. Mitchell approaches the area where he found Lisa, and there's a hunched over, semi-scaled, claw-toothed, hideous caricature of a human being in Lisa's clothes chained to the wall. Looks sort of like what Trevor and Gabrielle may end up looking like, if things continue. The creature lunges forward towards Mitchell, who stays well out of range. The only thing that's unchanged is her bright blue eyes.

Malcolm is upstairs checking on Gabrielle. The injuries on Gabrielle's wrists are healing rapidly. And she made the cuts the wrong way. (Well, no one ever gave her specifics.) Malcolm re-wraps her bandages, then turns Gabrielle over on her side when she wakes up and starts to gag. This must be what the worse possible hangover feels like. This is not at all like heaven - it's painful, and it smells bad.

Mitchell rushes upstairs and can't find Trevor or Chester. He asks one of the robots to get Chester. Servant: "I'm sorry, sir. He's not currently on the estate. Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" Mitchell: "Do you have an elephant tranquilizer?" Servant: "No, sir, I'm sorry." Mitchell: "Where is Malcolm - Mr. Edwards?" Servant: "He is upstairs in Miss Vanek's room sir." The staff shows him upstairs. Gabrielle is sitting up (mostly) and looks alive (mostly). Mitchell: "Excuse me, Malcolm. Are you close to being done here?" Malcolm: <slightly sarcastically> "Yeah sure, no problem." Malcolm helps to get Gabrielle out of bed so the servants can clean her room. Malcolm takes her to a different bedroom and asks the servants to watch her, then he steps out into the hall with Mitchell. Mitchell: "I want you to see something." Malcolm: "What's the problem?" Mitchell: "You might want to see if you can get enough tranq to put down an elephant." Malcolm: "Okay...Is Trevor being playful?" Mitchell: "This doesn't involve Trevor. Yet." They go downstairs and Mitchell leads Malcolm over towards Lisa. Only...no Lisa. Mitchell: "Oh shit, oh shit. It's gotten loose." Malcolm: "It?!?!" He puts his back to the wall, images of deranged, evil clowns leaping to mind. The staple that was holding the chains to the wall is bent like it was a coat hanger, and the heavy manacles have been twisted open. They head towards the stairs and see the door up above closing. The whole basement goes dark. Even the little guide lights have been turned off. The only sound is of something skittering. Like rats. Really big rats.

Gabrielle is resting upstairs. She can't even do a good job of killing herself. Merde.

Mitchell is trying to find a wall he can follow when chitinous arms grab him. Mitchell: "Lisa?" An arm slams down on his head, and he's knocked over by something heavy that's crushing the breath out of him. He tries to push it off, but it's too heavy. He feels around the flat, smooth, regular surfaces. He's knocked a huge, mahogany bookcase on his head and is laying there with the sharp corners poking into his ribs. Malcolm follows the swearing. Mitchell: "Malcolm?" Malcolm: "Yes." Mitchell: "I seem to have collided with a cupboard." Malcolm: "I'm on my way." More swearing as Malcolm bumps into a number of items on the way. Malcolm is able to help Mitchell lever off the armoire. Now they need to find a wall. They do find many pieces of furniture, all of which have pointy corners. Malcolm finds a wall, informs Mitchell, and stands with his back to it.

Upstairs, Gabrielle is feeling too awful to try killing herself. Her body's telling her it needs to be fed, but her head is telling her food is not a good idea. She gets up, unsteadily, and goes to the bathroom to get some water. The bathroom is a different color than before. Oh. Different room. She gets a drink, and a look at herself in the mirror. It's not pretty. The ridges are more prominent than before, she's pale, and has dark circles under her eyes. Great, a sick mutant.

Back in the downstairs rumpus room, Mitchell and Malcolm are playing Blind Man's Bluff, trying to find the stairs, a door, a light switch, anything of use. Malcolm finds a metal panel and opens it. There are some sparks, and things fall out onto the floor. By the bright light of the LEDs, Malcolm can see some one has raked through the cables in the breaker box. Not good. Oh, and he's suffused by a soft red glow. There's a soft "Malcolm", and a hand is put on his shoulder. Malcolm turns around slowly, and sees a shape and the reds of the eyes (considering the light source). Lisa: <croaking> "Malcolm. Help me." Malcolm: "Are you injured?" There's a hideous scream that's heard all the way upstairs, and the teeth roll back into a snarl. Malcolm: "Hold on, hold on." He's seen Gabrielle rip things apart and she's nothing like this thing. Person. There's a scampering noise and a smash, and suddenly they see light. Ah. It went that way.

Mitchell: "I believe that was Lisa." Malcolm: "Lisa from the ship?" Mitchell: "Yes. Before we go up those stairs, you need to know something. Dr. Neil had her chained down here because he said he didn't like the other options, and she was too dangerous to let go. I came downstairs and talked to her. She had some interesting things to say about Dr. Neil." Malcolm: "That he's insane?" Mitchell: "That's part of it. But some of what she said I've been able to back up. She told me he was on the board of Neotek. According to the documents I got when I toured Neotek, he's the head of their R&D department. According to the diplomas in his office, he has advanced degrees in genetics and bioengineering. Lisa believed he was responsible for this 'army virus'." Malcolm: "Is that what it is?" Mitchell: "That's how Dr. Neil referred to it. Apparently it wasn't supposed to be transmissible, but now it is." Malcolm: "It's probable that Gabrielle and Trevor will advance to this stage." Mitchell: "But for them it's taken weeks. Months in Gabrielle's case. Why did it take this short a time?" Malcolm: "I don't know. I don't have a degree in genetics." Mitchell: "Let's tell the staff." They just need to find some staff. No staff, no Trevor. Better check on Gabrielle.

Speaking of Gabrielle, on one level the howl was really creepy, and on another, she's strangely excited. There's nothing useful in this bathroom either. Some of the circuits must be still functional, because there's light in some places. Gabrielle has light in her room, and doesn't know there's a power problem.

It's pitch black outside, and a light thunder and lightning storm has been programmed for tonight. The door to Dr. Neil's office is very secure now, and Mitchell and Malcolm can't get in. They go to the kitchen and take the portable emergency light off the wall. Mitchell: "The garage!" Malcolm: "The garage?" Mitchell: "It might have tools in it." Malcolm: "And it might have Lisa in it."

Gabrielle has pains in the ends of her fingers. They've become smooth and hard, dark beads forming under her fingernails and dripping off. She feels some sharp pains internally, like things in her chest are rearranging themselves. Organs, that sort of thing. She'll be panicking now. Something goes rushing by her room outside in the hall, some sort of animal.

Mitchell: "We could take the grav-car, go back to the ship, and get the hell out of here." They find some scraps of Trevor clothing. Mitchell: "I know, let's invite Commander Holloway over." They get to the garage and find the hood up on the grav-limo. Some one has dropped a large wrench between the positive and negative poles in the engine. They won't be fixing that any time soon. Mitchell finds a hammer, and a golf club. Malcolm looks around for another med kit, but if there's one in the trunk of the car it's going to stay there. The hammer is a safe hammer, and can only be used with safety nails. The golf club is a beryllium copper putter. It's better than nothing. No med kit though. Malcolm: "There are three people going through some sort of incredibly painful metamorphosis, and there's no way for me to help." Mitchell doesn't express his opinion that Malcolm's being idiotic and should be looking for weapons. The only first aid kit is one of those lame little metal ones. They find a couple of the small flashlights, which they take for later. No duct tape.

Back to the kitchen next, to look for water and maybe a really big, heavy skillet. Something leaps onto Malcolm's back, raking him. Malcolm drops to the ground and rolls, scaring the cat off. With an indignant meow, the cat runs into the hall. It stops, looks back at Malcolm and Mitchell, and it's ears flatten and it hisses at something behind Mitchell and Malcolm. They turn slowly to face the hideous creature with bright blue eyes. Lisa glares at Malcolm, then attacks Mitchell, raking his left hand and causing searing pain. Gabrielle's very acute hearing picks up the snarling and screaming coming from downstairs as Mitchell swings his putter at the creature's arm. It's like hitting some one in body armour.

Gabrielle is trying to control herself, in spite of her body's reaction. The adrenaline and everything is building up in an almost sexual way. Her friends are downstairs, probably being ripped apart, and she's afraid if she loses control she'll end up helping to kill them. For now, she holds on.

Malcolm: "Lisa! Stand down!" She ignores him and lashes out at Mitchell again, slashing him in the abdomen. Malcolm has a great view of Mitchell's liver before Mitchell falls over, bleeding. Now it's Malcolm versus the monster, and all he has is a little stick. Lisa advances on Malcolm. In the tenth of a second he has, Malcolm decides to assume the worst and he uses his stainless steel pipe as a long bat. He hits Lisa in the knee. Lisa grabs him like a boa constrictor and squeezes. He feels ribs crack. The blue eyes of the creature well up with water and he's flung across the room. Lisa runs out of the kitchen. Malcolm pulls himself up and tries to at least close the gaping wound in Mitchell, applying the little vial of Regen™.05 from the med kit (it's that small). Malcolm is really surprised at the great effect that little vial does, because Mitchell wakes up. This Rim Regen™ is cool stuff!

Everything in Gabrielle's body is telling her to go. She's able to fight it, only just though. She's not sure how much longer she can do this.

Conscious is the last thing Mitchell wanted to be right now. Malcolm: "Sorry, but we have some issues. What do you want to do now?" Mitchell: "Call for help." The phone is making bad phone line noises. They stagger (Mitchell using the putter as a cane) out of the kitchen, re-tracing their steps of earlier and find a handgun lying on the floor, where they couldn't have missed it before. Malcolm looks around, it could be a set up. Mitchell picks up the lovely gun. It's a large caliber handgun, and it's loaded. No sign of where it came from, unless some one opened a magic door and dropped it through. Malcolm wants to go find Gabrielle, Mitchell wants to go back to Dr. Neil's office. (He needs a book?) The door is still very well locked. Malcolm: "You can try shooting the lock, if you want to waste ammunition." Mitchell: <looks> "No, I'll probably need the rounds." The door is still locked, but there's light coming from under the door now. Malcolm knocks politely. No answer. Mitchell knocks impolitely. Still no answer.

They head through the light and dark patches, and knock on Gabrielle's door. She's inside trying to keep control, and the boys come up and knock on the door. Gabrielle: <growled> "Go away!" Right. Mitchell: "Let's go back to the kitchen." Malcolm: "Why?" Mitchell: "There are knives in the kitchen." Malcolm: "You've already got a gun." Mitchell: "All you've got is a pipe." Malcolm: "It's good for keeping distance. Hey wait! A spear!" That's the ticket. They head for the kitchen.

A few minutes later there's more pounding on Gabrielle's door. Gabrielle: "Please go away!" The door splinters and something horrible, a twisted caricature of etc., etc. enters. It has lovely blue eyes. Familiar looking blue eyes. Gabrielle doesn't like her. She stands up. Lisa is standing there, sort of snuffling. To Gabrielle, Lisa smells good, friendly. Lisa leaves. Gabrielle goes after her. Gabrielle: "Stop." Lisa stops. Gabrielle: "What have you done with my friends?" Lisa: "Killed Mitchell. Malcolm safe. I had to." Gabrielle is angry now. Lisa: "You see. When you are like me. Not long." Gurgling noises as things bulge out in her neck. Gabrielle: "Why?" Lisa: "Can't fight...must kill not us." Gabrielle: "No." Lisa screams and twists as horny projections in her mouth sprout out. Gabrielle goes for Lisa.

As they head for the kitchen, Mitchell and Malcolm hear the odd, growling "conversation". Malcolm locates a big chef's knife, and Mitchell finds a heavy aluminium skillet. They go to find Gabrielle.

Gabrielle leaps through the air (Wow is that impressive!) and lands on Lisa. Gabrielle wants to stop Lisa from hurting anyone else. She hits her in the upper arm, which is like hitting hardened leather. No penetration, just some furrows. Lisa lets out a nasty hiss and attempts to break away. There are additional blows landed, and a lot of bitch slapping (the sort that would rip a man's arm off). The men come charging up at this moment. Gabrielle can feel more things rearranging themselves inside her and slashes at Lisa's hip. There are two mutant creatures fighting at a frightening speed, in a partially darkened hallway, and Mitchell can't tell which one has blue eyes. Neither has much in the way of clothing any more, and Gabrielle's bandages are off by this point. Mitchell doesn't want to shoot until he can identify which is which. One of them is attacking, and the other appears to be just using defensive blocks. They both stop for a moment and scent prey. They turn towards Mitchell and Malcolm. Lisa charges Mitchell, who tries to carefully aim at the quick creature. He fires. He has no idea what the gun's loaded with, but oh well. There's a bark, a big bang, and a flash down range. Gabrielle smells blood. It's a good smell, although not as good as it could be. Gabrielle leaps at Lisa, trying to hit in the wounded area on her hip and missing slightly. She kicks Lisa in the groin, which is protected by the chitinous matter. Damn. Lisa leaps at Mitchell again but lands on her wounded leg and barely misses Mitchell's face. Malcolm hits her in the throat with the big knife; it's like stabbing into a really big lobster or something. The knife doesn't seem to bite deeply, but there is some blood. Not enough. Mitchell pulls the trigger from really close range. He hits her in the centre of the chest. Loud bang, big pock mark on the chest and blood bursts out, but she doesn't fall over. The blue eyes tell Mitchell he's a dead man. Gabrielle hits Lisa in the chest with a claw and the front carapace peels off in a huge section, along with a couple of ribs. There's a scream from Lisa. Malcolm stabs Lisa in the chest (a nice open space), and the knife stays in. Mitchell fires again, hitting Lisa in the left shoulder. [How traditional.] Chunks fly off, they can see glistening muscle. Gabrielle turns on the fallen Lisa and stomps on her lower torso. She's still moving. She makes a half-hearted swipe at Mitchell, while looking at Malcolm. He kneels down, covers her eyes and says "Go to sleep. I'll make it stop hurting." Mitchell shoots Lisa in the lower torso, causing Lisa to scream in pain. Malcolm glares at him. Gabrielle isn't sure what to do so she does nothing. Malcolm tries to guide the useless Navy guy's hand. Two shots glance off Lisa's skull, the second furrows in. He's too close for the rounds to detonate and he and Malcolm step back. Mitchell pulls the trigger, there's the feel of a mechanical something but no bang. The firearm isn't empty, and it's not jammed. Huh? Gabrielle can feel that Lisa is in pain, and goes over to finish her off, although she's not really trained for this. Lisa expires.

Mitchell feels a click in his gun. The office door opens. A couple of bio-sculpted men in suits come out. And these would be the experiment observers. Gabrielle decides that now it's time to go with the singing blood. The bastards are prey now. Before their eyes register she's moved, she's on them. The first man is reaching inside his jacket, but in slow motion. He grabs his hand and screams. Immediately Gabrielle targets the second man, slashing him on the hip. He goes down.

For Mitchell and Malcolm, a blur comes out of the office. For Gabrielle, some one moving in normal speed comes out. There's the impressive sound of God ripping sheets as the CRI surfguns Gabrielle. Her legs are very literally taken out from under her and she drops over unconscious. Mitchell recognizes that this is bad, and he drops to the floor, not moving. There was a loud noise and a bright flash and Malcolm's conditioned reflex from Regina kicks in. Malcolm goes for a door. There's another blur and a second man has the barrel of a shotgun to the back of Mitchell's head. Malcolm leaps into the adjacent bedroom (unused, in theory), and finds himself with a group of strangers who suddenly draw weapons on him.

A man in a jumpsuit goes over to check on Gabrielle, who looks like she lost a tug of war with a couple of hyper-rottweilers. Mitchell is picked up and taken to a different room from Malcolm. The man in the jumpsuit treats Gabrielle - he stops the blood flow and gives her anti-shock meds. Then he goes over to Mitchell and draws some blood. Mitchell is cuffed and sat down in a chair. Malcolm is also searched and cuffed. Gabrielle is zipped up into a bag, although Malcolm can see a respirator on her which means she's probably alive. Malcolm's blood is also drawn.

Several men in suits and trenchcoats come in, look at Malcolm, look at a file, look at Malcolm... At least they don't uncuff him, say "Good job Malcolm, you can go now". Mitchell would explode.

They are both medicked, while still handcuffed. Mitchell especially is pumped full of drugs and wakes up in restraints, on a table. He can hear a conversation, but not well, and he's too drugged to identify the voices. Man: "I expected it to be much more human in appearance." Second man: "Well, it's a trade off, isn't it? It's just the first model." Mitchell opens just one eye, so it will be only half as blurry. (Such logic.) Man: "Right, and I thought they weren't supposed to attack each other. It's useless if we have in-fighting." Second man: "We'll have to make adjustments." Man: <annoyed> "Do you actually know what you're doing, or are you just making random attempts?" Second man: "This is not an exact science. We're altering the human genome in real time. This should normally take generations." Man: "Whatever. Any way, it's not my place to critique the status of the process. It's up to him." Second man: "What about the anti-serum?" Man: "It's safe as well." Second man: "Remember our arrangements. After the tests are complete, I want the test subject." Man: "That's your perogative, if there's anything left. That's up to him as well. Always a pleasure, Doctor." They leave and Mitchell slips back into unconsciousness.

230 to ?-1121.

Malcolm is in a little room. He's fed and given water, and taken to use the restroom. When he does the latter, one arm is uncuffed and he's watched by a man in the same room. They are incredibly professional, and no one speaks to him; they just watch him with their cool shades. After several naps, and probably at least eighteen hours, Malcolm wakes up in a different room, with Mitchell. Malcolm is sitting in a chair and Mitchell is in a hospital bed. Malcolm isn't cuffed any more, but there's nothing dangerous here.

Gabrielle is semi-conscious, and in pain. There are people wherever she is, talking. Voice A: "...noting the destruction of tissue along with....Notice the detached state..." Voice B: "Fascinating. This level of modification was made without any surgery, just an agent? What was it, nano-gen?" Voice A: "I really can't say." They leave.

Sometime later, some one is blotting Gabrielle's forehead with a cool washcloth. Dr. Neil: "Gabrielle, can you hear me?" She nods. Dr. Neil: "Shhh. I'm going to get you out of here. Soon. Until then, don't aggravate them, and conserve your strength." He pats her hand before he goes.

Mitchell and Malcolm are fed. Real food, but hospital variety. Mitchell: <to the walls> "I want to see a doctor." Nothing. A voice comes through the intercom after a while. Voice: "How are you gentlemen feeling? Notice any unusual changes in your metabolism or physiognomy?" Mitchell: "I want a private room." Malcolm ignores them and works out. Mitchell: "I deserve a private room." Malcolm is thinking of blue eyes and what he's going to have to do to Gabrielle. An unknown number of very boring hours pass, then Dr. Neil shows up, along with two rather large, fit young men in shades. Dr. Neil: "Well, gentlemen, how are we doing?" Malcolm: "I don't know, how are we doing?" Dr. Neil offers first Malcolm then Mitchell a cigar from his case. They both accept the cigar. Mitchell saves his, to use as a potential weapon later. Dr. Neil: "How are things going? Are they treating you well?" Malcolm: "Captivity leads to boredom, which leads to an attempt to gain control of the environment by establishing some sort of routine." Dr. Neil: "I've made arrangements. You shouldn't be here long." Mitchell: "And Miss Vanek?" Dr. Neil: "Unfortunately they weren't able to reach her in time. Perhaps it's for the best." Malcolm: "And Trevor?" Dr. Neil: "Not located yet, but it's a matter of time. At this point we have something of an inter-service rivalry to deal with. I've made some calls, and I'm trying to get you release to me." Mitchell: "What were we given?" Dr. Neil "I'm sorry?" Mitchell: "After we were taken captive in the warehouse." Dr. Neil: "I don't know exactly, but apparently it was something designed to enhance the action of the virus." Mitchell: "And why didn't it work on me? Why is it only Trevor seems to have caught the virus?" Dr. Neil: "Is it possible that Trevor and Gabrielle had some...more...intimate contact?" Mitchell: "I don't think so, but I can't be sure." Dr. Neil: "Any other contact? It's possible that it may only be transmissible through something like shared needles or something of that nature." Mitchell: 'For the most part, we've been together everywhere." Malcolm: "Where is Trevor from?" Dr. Neil: 'I don't recall." Malcolm: "It's possible there's something about where he was raised, or in his family history that made him more susceptible." Mitchell: "How did Lisa come down with it?" Dr. Neil: "We don't know. We're looking into that. Some one gave her a massive dose - eight injections." Mitchell: "Are we in Neotek now?" Dr. Neil: "You're somewhere safe. My people should be coming for you soon. As I said, we have an interagency rivalry, and things must be handled delicately. I will get you out, you have my word." He leaves with the two big guys. Mitchell and Malcolm eat and work out.

Several hours later.

One of those large, fit young men is back to visit, and he's brought a friend. Man: "Mr. Edwards, Captain Taylor. Dr. Neil sent us. We'll be taking care of you now. If you please?" They gesture out into the hall. They go down a corridor and to the car park. One of the men opens the back seat of a car. Mitchell and Malcolm get in the back, the men get in the front. The limo looks very familiar, and the bar is well stocked - just the way Dr. Neil likes. The windows are blacked out for a while, then turned clear once the vehicle is away from what Mitchell and Malcolm aren't supposed to see. Very pretty country, and they're flying low. Man: "We're meeting some one. Dr. Neil asked me to tell you that everything has been arranged, and we're to take care of you." Maybe they should define "take care of". They land some time later, in a clearing. Man: "It's just ahead this way. You understand gentlemen - discretion." They're pointed down a trail. They go down past the cherry blossoms.

As they're walking down the trail, Malcolm hear a snick, and he dives for the side as the suppressed pops are heard. Mitchell dives off to the other side. Malcolm goes on the offensive and rushes for the shooter, finding two very dead men with holes in their heads. Um... A dozen figures in dark coveralls, balaklavas, and carrying rifles suddenly appear. Man: <to Malcolm> "Would you come with us sir?" They lead him to Dr. Neil's car again, and Malcolm is invited to get into the trunk. Back in the grove, Mitchell has sat down under a tree and has his cigar out. Man: "Come with us, Captain Taylor." Mitchell: "Do you have a light?" He's given a lighter, and he enjoys the cigar before they toss him into the trunk too. Fate keeps throwing Mitchell and Malcolm together, they should just stop fighting it. Mitchell demands a separate trunk, which he does not get. The trunk is spacious, lined in plastic, and contains two men with plastic bags tied around their heads. It's okay though, they're not breathing. They aren't carrying anything in their pockets.

Gabrielle is resting (not) peacefully in her bed. She has the sensation of people coming in and out, looking at tubes and machines, and make notes. She's poked and prodded, and not spoken to because you don't talk to things.

The car stops. "This way." Out of the trunk, Mitchell and Malcolm are escorted down a service corridor in what could be a hotel. They're turned over to men in suits, without balaklavas. Man: "Ah, gentlemen. this way please." They're escorted to a dark room with light aimed in their eyes and a desk in the shadow. Shadow man: "Well. Excellent work, Malcolm. It is Malcolm?" Malcolm: <somewhat confused> "Yes." Shadow man: "Captain Taylor. I think you might want to be in on the conclusion of this little matter. You've both done very well. Your government appreciates you. I'm sure we'll talk later." They're taken out to another room.

Dr. Neil has returned to see Gabrielle. Dr. Neil: "How are you doing?" Gabrielle just looks at him. (Pretty stupid question, all things considered.) Dr. Neil: "I understand. It's been hard. It's been hard for me too, but still, the contributions you've made are very important, and I'm sure they will continue to be important." The bastard. Mitchell and Malcolm realize they are in one of the observation rooms above an operating theatre, in the shadows. They can see Dr. Neil and Gabrielle below them, and because of how the sound dampers are set up, they can hear what's going on but the people below can't. Dr. Neil: "I'm sorry about your friends, but they've gone to a better place." Gabrielle: "Why?" Dr. Neil: "Why? Well, laboratory experiments are valuable only to a certain extent, then field trials are important. You were not chosen deliberately, it was serendipity. <pause> I would have liked to have known you in a different capacity. I'm telling you this so you know it was nothing personal." And that's supposed to make it better? Or worse? Gabrielle: "Please make it stop." Dr. Neil: "I'm sorry I can't do that yet. I will soon, I promise. But a potential buyer is interested in seeing the finished product. I've made arrangements. Once it's done, we will both be going to a better place - you to join their friends, and me across the border." Upstairs, one of the men escorting Mitchell and Malcolm speaks into his commo. Guard: "Yes sir...Yes. Right away." The men go to the door, leaving two handguns on the chairs just inside the door when they exit.

Gabrielle looks past Dr. Neil, and she sees a couple of people step to the edge of the gallery with weapons in their hands. Gabrielle tries to draw Dr. Neil's attention but he steps back suddenly. Malcolm fires, and something just to the left of Dr. Neil's head explodes. The gun fires a bit to the left for Malcolm, and Dr. Neil's hand goes to his head and comes away bloody. As Dr. Neil moves into the darkness, Mitchell fires. He thinks he hit him. Gabrielle can smell Dr. Neil's cologne, and the coppery scent of blood. No fear, not that it matters. In the movies, they use the clock to tell where people are, so Gabrielle growls "He's at three o'clock." Malcolm and Mitchell fire, and Gabrielle can hear Dr. Neil's stifled grunt of pain. Gabrielle: "You hit him." Dr. Neil takes a shot, hitting Malcolm in the elbow and sending his gun falling to the theatre floor. Dr. Neil is moving, and Gabrielle keeps calling out his position as best she can. Mitchell is firing three round bursts. Malcolm decides to go down after his firearm. He drops and rolls, pops up to look for the gun and Dr. Neil is right in front of him, removing his glasses as Gabrielle (who is right behind and beside the doctor) decides to use her modifications on her restraints and on Dr. Neil. Mitchell can't fire, because when Malcolm popped up he blocked Dr. Neil. Gabrielle slams her claws into Dr. Neil's back deep enough to grab his spine just as he removes his glasses and Malcolm screams and falls to the ground. Mitchell fires at Dr. Neil once Malcolm drops, hitting Dr. Neil in the gut. Dr. Neil is still alive, since Gabrielle can hear his heart beating. Gabrielle: "Dr. Neil?" He starts to say something. She yanks hard with her hand, filleting him (so to speak).

They hear clapping from above, but from the gallery on the opposite side of the theatre.

Mitchell: <to the gallery> "So what did all this accomplish?" People come out with rifles. Malcolm is medicked, after they extract Dr. Neil's head and put it into some sort of high tech ice chest. Mitchell: "What did all this accomplish?" No one answers. Malcolm and Gabrielle are removed. Man: "Captain Taylor? Or would you prefer to ride with your friends to the hospital?" Mitchell: "I want some answers." Man: "You don't always get what you want." Mitchell flips the empty gun away and walks out after the others. He feels a pin prick in his back, and turns around. That spinning effect makes it really hard to hit the man behind him.

230-something - 1121.

Mitchell wakes up some hours later, with his hand bandaged. It really hurts. He wonders what he hit, hoping it was one of the men, but suspecting it was the wall. He's in a room and is sitting next to Malcolm and what used to be Gabrielle. Mitchell tries to stand up, and is pushed down. He tries to stand again, there's a whack on the back of his neck and his body goes numb.

Once again, it's the man at a desk in the harsh shadows routine. Man: "Well, are you all with us then? I'm not sure what to do with you. It appears you have all done a service to your government, and good service should be rewarded. Captain, I'm pleased to welcome you back into the fold. All will become clear. Obviously you have all suffered at the hands of rogue SolSec agents. I can assure you that most of us are devoted public servants, who want only to serve the Confederation. Unfortunately, there are those who would use their positions for their own personal gains. Now how can we make sure that what you know goes no further?" Gabrielle: "Who would believe us?" Man: "You were going to say something, Captain Taylor?" Mitchell: "Two things. <he points to Gabrielle> Anti-serum. It exists." Gabrielle stares at him. Man: "You said two things." Mitchell: "You were welcoming me back into the fold?" Man: "No, I was speaking to my colleague." He nods to Malcolm, who looks both surprised and confused. Mitchell: "I want my old job back." Man: "I'll see what I can do." Mitchell: "I'm sure some one with your resources shouldn't find it difficult." Man: "But why would I do that for a man who's privy to the sort of information that really can't leave SolSec?" Mitchell: "Well, I suppose there's really no reason for it to leave SolSec." Man: "Exactly. I'll give you a choice. You could undergo a high level scrub. There is some danger of damage to the underlying personality, but I'm told that even then a person can be a useful member of society...Or you could join the fold." Mitchell: "What could some one like me do for you?" Man: "Come now, Captain Taylor. You know Admiral Tengatsu. You know there is a rotten core in the heart of the Navy. We who care for the Confederation must protect it from it's internal enemies as well as the external ones. But you don't need to decide this minute. Be my guest, say for the next 24 hours." Mitchell: "Where does Holloway fit in?" Man: "The Confederation does not allow private vendettas. However, an agent of SolSec, working under orders... But that's not relevant. You want to return to your old job, after your reconditioning." Mitchell: "No, I want to go back to my old job as I am." Man: "That's not an option." Mitchell: "I can go back to my old job, and still be close to Tengatsu." (Stubborn, isn't he?) Man: "He wouldn't trust you if you were reinstated." Mitchell: "I don't have much of a choice here, do I?" Man: "Let's just say in our organization, you're either in or out."

The man redirects his attention. Man: "Gabrielle. There's the question of what to do about you. As Captain Taylor said..." He places an auto-injector on the table. Man: "You're a resourceful, intelligent person. And you have interesting friends. Including General Capeletti. This is not a condition of the antigen, you may have that. I warn you that it has not been subjected to clinical trial, but I don't think that will concern you, with everything you've endured up to now. That's why I offer it to you as a gift. You are the sort of person who would make an excellent member of out team. Join us. Dr. Neil's associates and his minions are still out there. These are people who would, for their own profit, turn innocent people like yourself into inhuman mon -- creatures. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with it, don't you think? You could be my avenging angel." Gabrielle: "If this works." Malcolm: "I'll administer it if you want Gabrielle. I'm pretty good at giving shots." Man: "Once you are brought into the fold, you could help us find all the people responsible for what has been done to you." Gabrielle: <picking up the auto-injector> "If this doesn't work...?" Man: "If this doesn't work, one would understand if you would want to end your suffering. It may not surprise you to know that we have methods that are quick and painless. Were I in your shoes I would make the same decision. I understand."

Malcolm is taken into the other room, where he meets with the man in person. Man: "Do you remember anything?" Malcolm: "What I remember is..." A file is dropped on to the table. It details Malcolm Edwards' life, from birth forward, in very explicit detail. Man: "What is the last thing you remember before coming to Vantage?" Malcolm: "The last thing I was doing before this..." The man describes Malcolm Edwards getting to the Rim. Another file is brought out. It's a file on a man Malcolm doesn't remember, but it has his picture in the file. Man: "The last information we received was that you were in imminent danger of being captured, and had taken your Jumble." The Malcolm Edwards file is really familiar, and the other life file is not. Man: "Jumble is like Mem-wipe, only it attacks all memories. Apparently, you bought your cover. The memories may start to come back." Confused doesn't begin to describe it. Malcolm: "Who infected Lisa?" Man: "You mean my associate, Analise? I assume it was Dr. Neil."

239-1121.

It takes a week, and as far as Gabrielle can tell she's back to normal. It's not a fun week - sort of like seven days in hard labor (the female kind). The doctor has a talk with her about the fact that she may have had permanent damage done to her DNA. He suggests she give serious consideration to this if she ever wants to have children. Not a good idea, especially since Gabrielle remembers her captor on Teucer talking about the "mutations" being passed on to any offspring. Gabrielle is allowed to visit the others so they see she's all right. She looks very pale and weak, and is using a cane, but at least externally she looks like herself.

But now what? And what happened to Trevor?