by Cindy Combs
Another gentle squeeze on his arm slammed Jim back to the room they were in. He reoriented himself, then answered the question in Blair's eyes with a smile and a slight shake of the head. There was no danger. They were safe, for now. Jim again swept the hallway.
Sam suddenly stood up. He made an apologetic bow to Branson and the professor. "I think I need a little air. Would you mind?"
Branson indicated the outside door with a tip of his head, understanding filling his face. Jim communicated an order to Janson with a look. Rafe opened the door ahead of the teen, checked the deck again, then escorted the teen outside. Jim gave a reassuring pat on his frowning guide's shoulder.
Sam wrapped his hands tightly around the rail and took a deep breath, trying to release the tensions of the day. Unfortunately, he didn't have much success.
"You okay, Sam?" Sam turned around to face Rafe, gingerly keeping weight off his sore leg. The Lieutenant was leaning against the brick wall, giving him a worried glance before turning his eyes back to sweeping the area.
"I just feel, well, weird." Sam waved his hands at the campus around them. "Three months ago, I was all excited about moving here and finishing my engineering degree. Now..." Sam sighed, trying to put his chaotic emotions into words.
"Now you're a different person," Rafe softly explained. "You've had to deal with intense grief, your worry about your own survival, and about finding your Dad. Compared to that, books and degree requirements feel unimportant."
"That's it," Sam agreed, looking at the older man intently. "How did you know?"
Sadness briefly filled Rafe's face. "I went through something similar when I was your age." He gazed into Sam's eyes a moment before looking back out to the sidewalks. "By the time I got out of the camps, I had lost everything and everyone except Jim. It was hard to take school seriously at first. But my foster mom, Elly, helped me to realize that if I was going to have a future, I needed to hit the books. So I managed to get in the groove again. You will, too. You just have to give it some time."
Sam felt shaken to his core. The camps! Oh man, here I am all worried about me, and I didn't go through anything nearly that bad. "I must sound pretty stupid, huh?"
"Nah," Rafe denied. "Just normal." Suddenly, he stiffened. "Sam, go inside."
"Huh?"
"Go inside," Rafe ordered more firmly as he stood away from the building and placed his hand on his gun.
Sam took a quick glance over his shoulder as he started limping towards the door. Two very large men were approaching the deck.
"NOW!" Rafe shouted as the men broke into a run. Pulling his gun, Rafe charged to meet them. He managed to shoot at the first man, hitting him in the upper arm. The flow of orange blood confirmed his suspicions. As the second man knocked his weapon away, deadening his right wrist, Rafe attempted to trip the first to prevent him from going after Sam. Then he was forced to concentrate on the second man who had pulled a knife. Awkwardly yanking out his own Kaybar with his left hand, he began to defend Sam's escape.
Sam limped as fast as he could, cursing the injury that was still plaguing him. Just as a large hand grabbed him from behind, the door burst open. Jim stormed out, shooting. The hand left Sam's shoulder as the 'human' fell away. Jim grabbed the teen and shoved him into Blair's waiting arms. Turning back, he delivered the killing shot to the first Roach.
Then Jim glanced ahead to Rafe. In spite of having to use his opposite hand, the younger officer was holding his own, but weakening as blood flowed heavily from the slash on his right forearm. As the attacker scored another strike across Rafe's ribs, Jim immediately joined the fray. He threw a punch that caught the Roach by surprise, throwing him over the rail and onto the moss covered turf below. With Rafe collapsing behind him, Jim jumped off the deck after the Roach. The would-be abductor attempted to get up, but fell back when Jim shot him twice.
Vaguely aware of Blair and Paris rushing out onto the deck, Jim knelt beside the Roach to confirm he was dead. Then a whiff of Roachian scent caught his attention. Standing up, Jim searched the buildings and thick bushes.
A light touch on his arm announced his guide's presence. "What do you smell?"
Absently noting Blair's heavy-breathing, Jim tersely explained, "Another Roach."
"Okay, try to find what direction it's coming from."
Closing his eyes a moment, Jim tipped his head to the left. "Over there." Yet when he opened his eyes, he couldn't spot the enemy.
"Okay, Jim," Blair's deep voice soothed his battle-tense nerves. "Try to aim your eyesight in the direction the smell is coming from. Kinda piggy-back your sight onto the smell."
Following the younger man's instructions, Jim focused to discover another tall man holding a camera. "Over there!" Jim began to give chase as the human-looking Roach disappeared into the bushes.
"Jim!" The sentinel turned back to see his guide's worried face. Then the smell of human blood reached his nose, along with another vague odor. Rafe was down, Jesse's reinforcements hadn't arrived yet, and if he took off that left only Brown to guard Sam and the others. There was always a chance of a second abduction team. Then Jim placed the other scent. It was a poison the Roaches coated their knives with that deterred blood clotting in addition to making the victim very sick. Rafe could be in real trouble. Jim shook off the instinct that wanted to chase after the other Roach and returned to the people he was duty-bound to protect.
Three hours later, Glendale General
Jim watched from the doorway as the nurse checked the various tubes and monitors surrounding Rafe. Jaw clenching, he studied the pale face with the faint flush of fever staining the cheeks. The slashes had been deep, sending the poison swiftly into the young man's system. If it hadn't been for Paris' habit of always carrying his medic pack and his swift action of giving Rafe the antidote at the scene, the young officer would have lost a lot more blood and be seriously ill right now. Jim would have to remember to thank Tom later.
Releasing his tension with a deep exhale, Jim reflected on how much it would hurt to lose Rafe. He had known the younger man since they were children and considered him practically a brother. While growing up, Jim had often promised Dr. Paul that he would keep an eye on his only son during their adventures in the neighborhood. It had been a promise he took seriously, since he had respected Rafe's father more than his own. The last time Jim had made that promise was when Dr. Paul had laid dying in Rafe's arms at the work camp. You'd be proud of him today, Dr. Paul. He fought hard protecting another. And I still promise to keep an eye on him.
Jim then shifted his attention to the heavily guarded room down the hall where his guide sat with his brother and the rest of the scientists. Even from this distance, the deep exhaustion his guide was trying to hide was evident in his slightly hoarse voice. At least he didn't seem to have a headache yet. Jim wanted nothing more than to take Blair to a safe place and order him to sleep.
Yet Blair needed to support his brother. The afternoon's excitement, in addition to the long walks on campus, had been rough on Sam's healing leg. Plus he was still shaken and worried about Rafe. Blair's voice softly soothed him, reassuring the teen that Rafe would be all right. Jim sighed. It would be just as tough for Sam to leave Rafe behind in half an hour as it would for the Panthers. Yet if the Roaches were willing to risk abducting Sam in front of a guard, who knew what else they might try. Their only course of action was to get the teen back to Science Base Delta, where they could control who came in or out. Since Rafe could not travel yet, he would have to stay behind in Glendale for another day. While logically Jim knew the targets were Sam and Branson, he hated leaving his injured friend alone.
Brown's voice at the end of the hall interrupted Jim's thoughts. "Hi, Elly."
"Good to see you again, Henri. With all the security downstairs, I was afraid they sent me to the wrong floor just to keep me away."
With a faint smile, Jim walked towards Henri and the petite blonde. "If I'd known you were coming, I'd have left word for them to escor
t you up." As she turned towards him, Jim gave her a big hug.
Pulling back, Elly Pendergrast's concerned green eyes studied Jim. "How's he doing?"
"Okay, considering the number of stitches. The doctors said his arm should still have full range of motion, his wrist is sprained but should heal quickly, and the knife only hit a rib, not any organs. They've given him some blood, so he's doing pretty well."
Elly was still concerned. "What about the poison?"
"The antidote took care of most of it. His temperature is only up slightly. He just needs some rest."
Elly relaxed. "So my raptor did good?"
Jim smiled at her pet name for her former ward. "Yep, he did good." He began to guide her to Rafe's room. "You sure got here quick. What about the girls?"
"Leah and Linda are at Senior Weekend in Lansbury. They are both planning to go there next semester."
"Can't believe they're ready for college. Seems like just yesterday you and Jack took them in."
"That's the problem with taking in teenagers. You don't get to foster them long," Elly explained with a sigh. A former grief and trauma councilor, Elly had shown a real talent for connecting with traumatized teenagers when the Pendergrasts had offered Rafe a home. Since then, Human Services had often placed refugee teens with her and Jack. Since Elly had always wanted children, she enjoyed the challenge.
A room door popped open. "Hey Jim," Blair began wearily as he walked between the guards. He stopped when he spotted Elly. "I'm sorry..."
Jim waved him over. "Elly, this is Blair MacGregor, the newest member of the Panthers. Blair, this is Elly Pendergrast."
Elly gave the nervous young man a smile, noting how tired and pale he looked. "Jack's mentioned you. I understand you're keeping this guy in line." She tilted her head in Jim's direction.
Blair chuckled, realizing she was referring to the guide/sentinel business. "As much as he'll let me, anyway. You're Rafe's foster mom, right? He's mentioned you."
"Yes, he's one of mine." Elly paused as she looked through the room window, studying the young man's face. Then she turned back to Blair. "How is your brother? This must have really shaken him."
"It did," Blair admitted. "After what happened to Dad and nearly being killed by his bosses, this was a bit much."
Elly gave him an understanding smile. "Do I have time to meet him?"
Blair glanced at Jim. Checking his watch, Jim nodded. "You two go ahead. I'll sit with Rafe."
After watching the two walk past the guards, Jim stepped into Rafe's room and snagged a seat. A few minutes later, the younger man began to stir. "Sam?" his raspy voice whispered.
"He's fine, Rafe," Jim gently assured him.
Rafe relaxed at the sound of his friend's voice. The hazel eyes struggled to open. "I'm sorry, Jim. I should have been keeping better watch."
"I doubt you could've seen them sooner and you fought them off long enough for us to get there and help. You did good, Pest."
A faint smile crept across the pale face at the familiar nickname. "Thanks."
"Now get some more sleep. We're leaving soon to get Sam back to the base, but Elly's staying with you tonight."
Rafe struggled to stay awake and ask more questions, but exhaustion won out. Jim stayed by his side until he was deeply asleep.
Next day, Gillard
The sound of a plane droning in the twilight caused the three humans to duck next to a partially demolished wall. Hiding in the shadows, they held their breaths until the craft passed overhead.
Frank carefully peeked around the corner of the wall. While most of the Roaches had moved on to search the surrounding area, a few were still patrolling the school. Seeing nothing, Frank turned and gave the 'clear' signal. JD and Steve nodded, then watched as Frank slipped to the next fall of bricks.
So far so good. It was risky coming back to the school. Yet their time in the caverns was growing short. Food was running low as tension ran high. With winter coming on, their only chance was the spacecraft. In order for the craft to run, Jeff needed supplies.
Frank sighed, thinking of the fight they had had. Jeff had argued that he should go, since he knew what he needed. Frank had put his foot down, reminding his friend of how much the Roaches would love to get their hands on him. When that didn't work, Frank brought up the fact that Jeff's growing cough would give away their position. As Jeff continued to persist, Frank pointed out that without Jeff to get the shuttle ready, the kids wouldn't live through the winter. That was the point that finally kept his friend in the caves.
Steve silently crept next to him. At Frank's questioning look, the teen pointed to a building that was still half standing. It was their objective, the science building. Once JD had caught up, they slipped through the broken door. With Steve consulting the list Dr. Mac had given him, it didn't take long to carefully pack their sacks with chemicals, circuits boards, and other miscellaneous items. Now they just had to get back.
Twenty minutes later, they had reached the edge of the campus. Creeping around a corner, Steve suddenly found himself facing a tall human man. Cautiously straightening up to shake off the start he'd had, Steve looked up into the man's face and whispered, "You scared me for a minute, sir. You've got to be careful around here with all the Roaches."
A snarl stretched across the face as the man raised his weapon to point it at the teen. Steve felt his body turn to ice as he realized his mistake.
~Spitz~ The Roach was shot in the neck, spraying orange blood. Shaking, Steve was only faintly aware of Mr. Colton and JD hurrying over to him as he dropped to the ground to avoid the Roachian blood. Absently, he noted the bag by his knee that the Roach had dropped. He had just picked it up when Frank lifted him to his feet and hustled him towards the blocked tunnel entrance.
Several more times, they had to duck behind debris as drones started swarming into the area. At the tunnel mouth, JD silently moved the chunk of concrete that hid their escape route. First Steve, then JD slipped into the hole. With a final look around, Frank crawled in after them and replaced the concrete.
next morning, the caverns.
"You have it working now?" Mullway asked as she entered the small side cavern.
"Looks like it," Bella replied absently as she wrapped together two sets of bare wire. She and Harry continued to check the makeshift projector as the rest of the adults walked into the cavern.
"So this tape was the only thing in that Roach bag Steve picked up?" Josiah asked as he sat down on a stool.
"Yeah, that was it," Frank confirmed, sitting between Josiah and Jeff. "We figure it must have been important if it was being hand delivered." He and Josiah exchanged glances when Jeff coughed. The sound was getting deeper, worrying his friends.
Once everyone had taken a seat, Harry took a deep breath. "Now, this doesn't seem to come with sound, at least nothing we can interpret, but we should be able to watch it." As Bella dimmed the lights, the images began to dance.
The sculptured lines of human landscaping filled the far wall. As the camera panned left, Bella suddenly realized why it looked familiar. "Hey, that's the Glendale campus. I recognized that deck on the back of the engineering building."
The camera then focused on two humans standing on the deck. Jeff felt his heart contract with fear when he recognized the slim figure leaning against the rail. "That's Sam," Frank whispered, stunned.
"Damn," Dalton added as two tall figures were taped walking up to the deck. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were really Roaches.
Jeff felt numb as he watched the drama unfold. He saw the young officer in gray-green fatigues notice the intruders and send Sam towards the door of the building. It was hard to watch his son trying to run with a limp towards safety. One human-looking Roach slipped past the fighting guard and grabbed the teen's shoulder. Just as Jeff feared that his son had indeed been captured, the creature fell back. A tough-looking man in fatigues raced onto the deck, shoving Sam to safety while killing the Roach who had dared to touch him.
They all held their breaths as the rescuer knocked the second attacker off the first officer and onto the grass below. Jeff barely registered two more people in fatigues racing out onto the deck as the camera followed the action to the ground, filming the older officer finish off the last Roach. Then the man stood. Jeff could make out the puzzled expression as the man seemed to search the area with his eyes. Then a second, smaller figure in fatigues joined him. "STOP!" Jeff shouted.
Startled, Harry paused the film.
"That's Blair!" Frank asserted, identifying the smaller officer. "When in hell did he enlist?"
"Those are Lieutenant's bars," Dalton pointed out.
"He's alive?" Jane exclaimed, happiness for her friend lighting the words.
"Are you sure?" Josiah asked cautiously.
Ignoring everyone else, Jeff simply stared, soaking in the sight of the son he thought he had lost. The young man was pale and thin, his curly hair shorter than his father had ever seen it. Yet with the eyes, the nose, the curve of the face, it was definitely Blair. His long-fingered hand was touching the older officer in a manner that twinged at the back of Jeff's mind. The man, who Jeff guessed was in his late twenties, was standing slightly ahead of his son in a vaguely protective gesture.
"Jeff, is that Blair?" Dianne asked for the third time.
Jeff shook his head to clear it, though the faint smile continued to curve his mouth. "Yes, that's Blair." He looked back at Harry. "Keep going."
Harry unfroze the tape. They all watched as Blair's comrade spotted the operator. The film ended as the man took a step towards the camera.
"So Sam is safe and Blair is alive," Jane summoned up, giving Jeff a wide grin of delight.
"How could Thornton let Blair sign up?" Frank grumbled, worry roughening his voice. "That kid's not the military type."
"Blair's whatever type he wants to be," Jeff absently corrected, still trying to figure out what he was missing.
