"Yes," Tim replied.
"It's because deployment is always an option," Lucas explained. "She doesn't want to risk the team being too tired if they get sent out on a rush assignment."
"When they're at HQ and moving up on the rotation, there are certain procedures they have to follow," Tim added. "The idea is to keep them as prepared as possible."
"Don't they usually have a day or two to get ready?"
"No, sometimes we deploy and engage in a matter of hours," Karneering replied, joining them. "Depends on the situation."
"What would have that kind of turnaround?" Ford questioned, curious.
"Fires, floods and other natural disasters, or things like explosions. Plus, our unit, Outrigger Green and Red are used for hostage negotiations. They'll use us to disable the takers if we can and talking fails. We also do the occasional security and protection detail. Those are the worst. If you want to see Ghost cranky, send him one of those."
"Why?"
"Because we have to break it down into twelve hour shifts and that puts him in charge of a shift. Leaves him with all the administrative work that McKinnon normally handles alone."
"Will he ever get his own command?" Tim questioned.
"If he wants it. Beyond that, you'd have to ask him," Karneering responded. "Personally, I'll stay with the team as long as possible. I have no desire to take command of a unit."
"And the rest?"
"Hard to say. Every once in awhile you get a unit that remains intact until everyone retires. Everyone just advances up the ladder without leaving the team. You take on more responsibilities as you go up. It depends on the personality of the unit and the success. Obviously, if our success rate slips, they'll take a look at it and try to fix the problem."
"Seems strange that people would not want to leave and advance to their own commands," Ford remarked.
"Well, Scout, does everyone on seaQuest want a chance at a command of a sub? Probably not. It's the same in the Outriggers. I like the job I do. I do not want to do McKinnon's job. I've had to take charge upon occasion and I'd just as soon not take that headache on permanently."
"So, what great important issues are you guys discussing?" Rodriguez queried.
"Nothing much. Just furthering our knowledge of the Outrigger organization," Tim responded.
"Any time you want to sign on, just let us know."
"I'll pass, thanks."
"Don't you like us any more?"
"It's not a question of liking you; it's the problem that we always get into trouble when we work with you," Lucas commented.
"First, it's only been twice that you've worked with us. Second, you were already on your way to being in trouble before we got involved. And third, I think you manage just fine without any help in the mischief department, Slick."
"Like you're the poster child for proper behavior."
"Why do I get the feeling that if they both talked in their sleep, this is what we would hear?" Karneering inquired.
"You can always leave, Einstein," Rodriguez suggested.
"And miss the show? It's the most entertainment we've had in awhile."
"Glad we can provide you with some amusement."
Finally the team relaxed enough to call it a night. Rodriguez waited until Lucas was ready for lights out to broach the subject that had been bothering him most of the evening. "You mind if I ask you a question?" he asked the teenager.
Lucas looked at Rodriguez, who was sitting on the other bunk, studying him closely. "Can't stop you," he finally responded, already figuring he probably was not going to like it.
"When you were talking this afternoon about Benny, why didn't you find the idea as horrifying as the rest of us?" Rodriguez inquired, still watching the young man's face.
"I just presented the options. A man finds out he has cancer, suddenly he gets a deposit, changes shifts and gets killed in a robbery; it seemed like a viable option."
Rodriguez waited a moment before pursuing the topic; he was trying to figure out how far he could get away with pushing. He was not ready to let go, but he didn't want to alienate Lucas either.
"That's not what I meant. With the exception of you and Ice, everyone had a hard time seeing it as a 'viable option'," Rodriguez quoted. "You were extremely blasé about the subject. Most people find the topic extremely uncomfortable and will do anything to avoid discussing it, much less bring it up in casual conversation."
"I'm not sure that an Outrigger briefing qualifies as casual conversation, Ghost."
"You know what I mean. You acted like it was something you discuss every morning over breakfast."
"What is it that that you want to know, Ghost?" Lucas questioned. "And make sure you want to hear the answer before you ask it," he added, lying down on his bed.
"Why doesn't the subject make you nervous?"
"Why should it? People try to kill themselves every day. Some of them even succeed. It's a fact of life."
Rodriguez sighed and realized that Lucas was going to make him come out and ask directly and nothing guaranteed he would get a straight answer. "Have you ever tried to…" Rodriguez found that he could not bring himself to put it into words, nor was he sure he wanted to hear the answer.
"Tried to what, Ghost?" Lucas asked harshly. "Commit suicide? Kill myself? Take my own life? Stop me if one of those appeals to you."
"I just want to understand," Rodriguez told him quietly.
"Yes."
Rodriguez was glad Lucas was lying on his back and could not see his face, for he was certain it showed the shock he felt. Even though he had suspected as much, hearing the teenager actually confirm it still startled him.
"Don't worry; I'm not going to off myself in your presence," Lucas stated callously. He had not planned on answering the other man's question and now wanted to retreat back into the safety of his defenses.
Rodriguez decided if Lucas was trying to shock him, it worked. "Does that mean you still think about it?" he inquired, when he found his voice.
"Some days more than others. Relax, Ghost," Lucas responded, taking pity on the other man. He knew Rodriguez was concerned, but there were just some things he had to keep to himself. "I haven't seriously considered it since I went to live on seaQuest and, even if I did, I'd talk to someone first."
Rodriguez raised an eyebrow at that, thinking Lucas was not the most talkative of people under normal circumstances. He did not see him openly admitting he was suicidal.
Lucas continued, almost as if he heard Rodriguez's doubts. "I made a pact with a couple of friends. I won't attempt to kill myself without giving one of them a chance to talk me out of it and they made a reciprocal agreement. Generally it works."
"Generally?"
"You want to die bad enough, you'll find a way, Ghost," Lucas said neutrally.
"Why did you attempt it?"
"At the time I profoundly wanted to die and it seemed like a good way to accomplish it," Lucas replied and turned over on his side to face the wall, ending the conversation.
Rodriguez turned off the light and lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time as he thought about what he had learned, as well as the unanswered questions. He discovered that he really wanted to know what had made Lucas want to try suicide.
Rodriguez needed to understand how it had become a 'viable option' for the teenager. He thought he knew the boy well enough to know that it was not a decision he would undertake lightly, not that anyone did. He sighed and wished there was someone else he could talk to about this.
However, Rodriguez was willing to bet no one else knew and he knew for a fact that Lucas would never forgive him if he repeated it. In reality, it was amazing the young man had said as much as he had. However, he had still controlled the flow of information, refusing to allow his emotions to enter into it. In talking about it, Lucas had remained detached; he could have been talking about someone else.
"NO! STOP!" Lucas struggled against the weight pinning him down. He wanted to escape, but he couldn't move his hands. They were trying to trap him. He heard voices, but they weren't loud enough to distinguish the words. Since he assumed he wouldn't like what they were saying, he ignored them. The teenager felt a sense of triumph as his foot connected with something solid and he heard a sharp intake of breath. It only made him fight harder; if he could get in one more good shot, he might be able to get free. The light shined in his eyes, blinding him and making it impossible to see; he turned away, trying to shield himself from it, wanting to return to the privacy of darkness.
"Lucas!" McKinnon's voice cut through the last vestiges of the dream.
His immediate thought was that he had never heard her call him by his first name. Then, he wondered why she was in the room, it made no sense. Next, he realized that the reason he could not move his arms was because Rodriguez had them pinned to his chest. In turn, he recognized that he must have kicked the other man. Finally, he realized that the voice, which he had heard was Rodriguez speaking into his ear.
"It's just a dream, Slick. It's time to wake up now." Rodriguez felt Lucas relaxing as he emerged from the dream, but he kept his arm firmly across the boy's chest, holding his arms immobile. Having almost ended up with a black eye, Rodriguez was not willing to give the teenager a second opportunity, until he was absolutely certain Lucas was awake.
"The light," Lucas mumbled, over and over again, shaking and trying to hide his face from its glaring brightness, even as he realized he had no reason to be afraid.
"Turn the light off, Ice," Rodriguez instructed, wishing he knew more about what was going on. Unfortunately, he feared only Lucas had the answers and he seemed incapable of talking at the moment.
McKinnon surveyed the situation one last time and decided it was best for everyone concerned if she left. She was not sure if Lucas had fully registered her presence or not. As much as she wanted to stay, McKinnon knew Rodriguez was likely to have better luck in dealing with Lucas if they were alone. Giving him a wave, she returned to her room.
"You can let go of me now," Lucas muttered. He was still trying to rid himself of the dream.
"In a minute," Rodriguez told him, shifting his position. He did not really want to release his hold on the boy. He had the vague feeling that he might have better luck if he stayed close. If he let go, it gave Lucas a chance to distance himself. Besides, despite his efforts to hide it, the young man was still trembling. "Just relax and take a minute to calm down a little more."
"I'm fine," Lucas insisted, failing to keep his voice from wavering.
"Sure, you are, Slick," Rodriguez said dryly. "You yelled loud enough to wake up McKinnon." Rodriguez decided not to mention that McKinnon entered the room with her weapon drawn, fearing that someone had broken in and was attacking them. "You tried to deck me in the eye three times before I got your arms pinned and you kicked me half a dozen times. This does not fall under the category of being a restless sleeper."
"Sorry," Lucas apologized. The situation left him mortified and unsure how to explain what had happened. He had already shared more of his personal life with Rodriguez than he had intended. This was not something he could share with anyone. "It seemed very real," he finally commented, which was the truth. It seemed like the safest thing to say.
"Yeah, well, we've established you have a powerful set of lungs and you can fight dirty," Rodriguez remarked. He could tell from the teenager's body language that he was not likely to get any answers out of him. Therefore, Rodriguez decided he might as well try to ease the boy's embarrassment by injecting a little humor into the situation. "You want to tell me about it?" he questioned, figuring it never hurt to try.
"It was just a dream."
"Well, I suppose that's better than your standard answer of 'nothing'," Rodriguez mused. "If you don't want to talk about it, I'm not going to push."
"Thank you," Lucas responded gratefully. The teenager was running out of ways to avoid the truth, unless he simply lied. As much as he did not want to talk about the dream, he could not justify telling his friend a lie.
"You ready to go back to sleep now?" Rodriguez questioned several minutes later, when Lucas remained silent.
"I think so," Lucas replied uncertainly. He did not want to return to the dream, which still replayed vividly in his mind. To his intense embarrassment, he started shaking again. The teenager mentally cursed himself for not having better control over his emotions; he did not want Rodriguez to ask any more questions about it. If he could act normally, then maybe the other man would forget. Lucas had learned if he showed people what they wanted to see, they left him alone.
"Have I told you about my sister, Olivia?" Rodriguez inquired. Lucas shook his head. "She's the oldest. She spent the better part of my childhood trying to be a second mother. Actually, she hasn't stopped," he added thoughtfully. "She's also designated herself the official matchmaker for me. I keep telling her to help Elena if she wants to find someone a mate. She says I need more help. It doesn't sound like a compliment to me, I might add."
As he drifted back to sleep during the middle of one of Rodriguez 's tales, Lucas wondered briefly how much was truth and how much Rodriguez made up for the sake of the story. The man seemed to have a flair for the dramatic. "You know, Slick," Rodriguez muttered softly, as he slid out from underneath the teenager and covered him up, "we keep this up, you're going to know all about my cousins, aunts, uncles, because I'm almost out of sisters."
Knowing that McKinnon would not go back to bed until he assured her that everything was all right, Rodriguez left the room quietly and went across the hall.
"What happened, Ghost?"
"I have no idea. He didn't want to talk about it and I wasn't going to push," Rodriguez answered tiredly. "But he was terrified."
"I noticed that. I thought someone was trying to kill him."
"I assumed that's why you were carrying the gun," Rodriguez observed.
"Habit. Someone shouts like that, I can't afford to make assumptions."
"Seeing as he was already hugely embarrassed, I left that part of the story out."
"He get you?"
"Not with his hands, but he kicked me about six times. That would be the other thing I didn't mention: he tried to bite me."
"Really?"
"Twice. Kid knows how to fight dirty."
"Wonder where he learned it."
"I don't know, but I don't think he's going to be sharing that information with us."
"You think this assignment is becoming too much?" McKinnon inquired.
"Not in the way you mean. You pull him now, all he's going to do is focus on whatever it is that he won't talk about. He wants to see this through. Someone's working very hard to bring up unpleasant memories. He needs the chance to fight back. All we can do is keep an eye on him. You know that the team looks out for him. Indy and Scout aren't about to let anything happen."
"Why do I have a feeling that you know him better than he thinks you do?" McKinnon queried.
"Because he's used to people not looking beyond the surface. I've spent too many years with the Outriggers to accept anything at face value, you know that."
"Who would have thought being a cynic would come in handy?"
"I could help him if I knew more about what the problem is," Rodriguez pointed out. "Unfortunately, I have a feeling that if you really talked to his friends, they'd learn that, for the most part, they only know the superficial stuff."
"I just wish he hadn't altered his file," McKinnon sighed.
"You think his captain knows?" Rodriguez questioned.
"I'm not sure. Why?"
"I just think it might be something to share with him when this is all over."
"You could be right about that."
"At some point, he's going to have to trust someone with his secrets."
"Is it me, or is your roommate avoiding you this morning?" Karneering asked Rodriguez the following day at breakfast.
"What would make you think that?" Rodriguez inquired.
"The fact that the only way he could be further away from you is to be in another room."
"Let's just say I got a little more into his personal space than he would like."
"Oh. That would explain it."
"How was your night?" Tim questioned Lucas. Like the doctor, he had noted that Lucas seemed reluctant to be around Rodriguez.
"It was okay," Lucas responded, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't really like sleeping in strange places."
"I know what you mean. There is something to be said about sleeping in your own bunk," Tim agreed.
"Even if it's the exact same type, it doesn't have the same feel." Tim did not need anyone to tell him that Lucas was not in a mood to talk about anything that came close to being personal.
"Slick, Ice wants to talk to you," Ryan told him, walking up.
"Where is she?" Lucas inquired, wondering what the commander wanted.
"In her room."
"Thanks, Sunshine."
"He seems a little distant this morning," Ryan observed, sitting down.
"I think something happened between him and Ghost. They're not talking."
"Well, at least it's quiet," Ryan pointed out. "I don't see Ghost arguing with him."
"Lucas doesn't avoid people over arguments. It's not in his nature. He's a born peacemaker."
"Well, Ghost has been known to grate on the nerves. Maybe he went too far."
"I doubt it. Lucas likes bantering with him too much. Most of the time, he gets in trouble for being sarcastic like he is with Ghost."
"Trouble?"
"Not real trouble. But Bridger sometimes likes to make him face why he's being sarcastic when he thinks it's masking a bigger problem. Lucas doesn't like that very much."
"You wanted to see me?" Lucas asked McKinnon, feeling rather nervous. He remembered her being in the room the previous night and hoped she did not want to talk about it.
"Yes. I wanted to check a couple of things with you," McKinnon said.
"What?" Lucas questioned, sitting down where she indicated.
"First, I'd be lying if I told you that what happened last night did not concern me," McKinnon explained, studying him. She saw him tense up at the mention of the nightmare and he was not focusing his eyes on her.
The commander wondered if he could teach her that trick. At first glance, it looked like he was looking at her, but, following his gaze, she could see that he was really looking at a point above her right shoulder. There were times when such a skill would be helpful in dealing with superior officers. They seemed to find it disrespectful if she did not give them her full attention.
"It was just a dream," Lucas mumbled, deciding some response was in order.
"I'm sure it was. What caused it is of some concern." McKinnon clearly recalled her conversation with Rodriguez; she wanted to hear what Lucas had to say on the matter. "I don't want you working on this if it's going to upset you so much you can't sleep without dreaming."
Lucas relaxed a little bit; he was on familiar ground here. "I'm the one receiving the threats. How can I not work on it?" he queried. "I can't sit around waiting for the next one to arrive in my mailbox," he continued. "And I know more about hacking than any of you."
"Slick, that's generally not considered a marketable job skill," McKinnon interjected. "But I get your point. As your commanding officer for the moment, it's my job to make sure this isn't too much for you," she paused as Lucas snickered. "Yes, I know Scout would like to think he's in charge of you," she added, following his train of thought.
"I think you scare him."
"And I think you're amused by it," McKinnon retorted. "Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you're okay with it."
"I can't just let someone try to frighten me: frighten Tim, without doing what I can to stop it, especially if this is connected to what happened on Tarsinia. Tim's taken a lot of heat for what happened there. This surely isn't going to help matters."
"Yeah, well, as much as I'd like to be in the room when you two start explaining all of this to your captain, I probably won't get the chance. I have a feeling that neglecting to mention Section Ninety-nine is going to be the least of your worries when he finds out about the threats," McKinnon observed. As a commanding officer, she knew exactly how she would react to finding out someone on her team had received threats and not reported it, especially if the danger had passed. She figured Ford had taken it easy on them, since they still had to figure out the source of the threats; it was the immediate problem. When Lucas and Tim returned to seaQuest, the captain should not have to concern himself with the actual threats, just that the two had not reported them.
Lucas swallowed at the thought of facing Bridger when they returned. While they had not lied to the captain, Lucas knew he was not going to be very pleased with them. "You mean we can't classify this one?" he questioned, hopefully.
"Parts of it may eventually be classified, but probably not the parts you're hoping for," McKinnon informed him. "For now, I'll keep you in place. I can understand your desire to be involved. Just don't argue with me when I tell you it's time to take a break. Deal?"
"Deal," Lucas consented, having no doubt that McKinnon would remove him if she felt that it was appropriate.
"And now the other matter I wanted to discuss," she began.
Glancing at her face, Lucas could tell he was not going to like the other subject very much. "What?"
"The editing of your file."
"What about it?"
"I'm giving you a week from the day you leave your assignment with us to tell your captain about it. After that week, I'm calling him to make sure he knows."
"That's not fair," Lucas protested.
"I'm an Outrigger; I don't play fair," McKinnon reminded him. "First, I shouldn't be encouraging you to alter your file by keeping quiet. Second, I know you don't want people to know what's in it, but those things go in your file for a reason, Slick. Usually so they can help the people who care about you understand what's going on a little better. As the person who's primarily responsible for you on seaQuest, Bridger has the right to know."
"Can't I just put it back?"
"No," McKinnon told him. "You have to tell him." McKinnon had seen enough of the captain to know that, as soon as he found out about it, he would want to know why. She also sensed that Bridger would push until he got to the truth. As much as Lucas did not want anyone to know whatever was written in the file, she thought it could do him a lot of good. Watching him for a minute, she decided to play her final card on the subject. "Who do you think is going to get blamed if something goes wrong and he doesn't handle something correctly involving you and someone comes back and says 'if you'd read his file it never would have happened?' and he has no idea what they're talking about?"
Lucas looked at McKinnon and suspected the commander knew exactly what she was doing. There was no way he was going to get Bridger get into trouble. While he could think of nothing he had removed as being of any importance in the future, Lucas was not willing to take the chance. "They teach you this in training?"
"No. I come by it naturally," McKinnon replied cheerfully. Lucas had acted predictably. He would tell Bridger because he did not want anyone to be held responsible for his actions.
"Is that everything?"
"Yes," McKinnon assented, as her beeper went off. "I'll be there in a minute," she added.
"Where's Ice?" Rodriguez asked Lucas, when the teenager returned alone.
"She got paged."
"So, you going to avoid me all morning, all day, the rest of this assignment?" he inquired.
"What are you talking about?" Lucas queried. "I've eaten breakfast and talked to Ice. That's not really avoiding you."
"Whatever you say, Slick."
"Well, this is certainly great news," McKinnon sighed, looking at Kincaid. "But I understand, Sir."
"Good, because your understanding isn't really a requirement. I'm transferring the details to you now. Contact me once you finish."
"Of course, Sir."
"Ice is not looking really happy," Chandler remarked, as McKinnon entered the room.
"Let's gather around the table, gang," McKinnon called out. "I've just spoken to Admiral Kincaid. We are being sent out on an emergency deployment," she announced before they sat down. Ford noticed the subtle shift in attitude as they all took their seats. All chatter ceased and everyone sat a little straighter and stared towards McKinnon intently.
"There have been some problems around the federal building," McKinnon started. "It's currently on fire," she continued, "along with several surrounding buildings. The buildings have been evacuated of all personnel, but there is some data on three computers which needs to be retrieved. Plus, there is the suspicion of arson to be addressed."
"Sounds like a lot of fun. Why us?" Rodriguez asked.
"We're in the area. They can't really afford to deploy a unit for the assignment when we're already on site. Our goals are very simple: get the information and check for signs of foul play. They expect us to be ready to engage in three hours and be completed in no more than six, which isn't a bad time frame."
"What kind of information?" Ford asked.
"They don't pay us to ask questions, Scout," McKinnon answered. "All I know is that it is high security and they're afraid of what will happen if the whole building goes. Right now, the fire is contained, but the fire department is not guaranteeing it will stay that way, which is why we want to try to achieve our results in a short time frame."
"What's the plan?" Ryan questioned.
"Our primary concern is the data retrieval. Teams Two and Four will focus their attention on accomplishing that. Teams One, Three and Five will search for signs of arson and verify that no one's been left inside. The areas with the computers have been well protected, so accessing should not be too difficult in terms of the fire."
"What are the team assignments?" Rodriguez asked.
"Team One: Irish, Indy and myself; Two: Ghost and Slick; Three: Casanova and Brook; Four: Einstein and Columbus, and Five will be Sunshine and Scout. We will go with standard fire gear with one exception," McKinnon informed them. "We are going into a fire situation and therefore we will not be carrying our weapons. Questions?"
"Do we have schematics on the building?"
"Where did the fire originate?"
"Are all the computers on the same floor?"
"Are we retrieving the same type of information from each computer?"
The questions were fired off at a rapid rate, which Ford found somewhat chaotic, but McKinnon seemed to follow. "We have the building layout. Details on the origin will be provided by the fire team. The computers are in separate locations; the data is not duplicated. Two and Four, you will need to coordinate your plan for accomplishing the retrieval. Sunshine, you will need to make sure that Scout is properly outfitted. Casanova, I assume we have the right locators this time?"
Dawson flushed a little. "Yes, Commander. I brought both kinds this time."
"Good," McKinnon said shortly.
"We'll run tests prior to departure," Ryan interjected.
"That would be wise. We will depart at twelve hundred. Inspection is at eleven-thirty."
"Are we wearing vests?" Hallowell queried.
"No. Fortunately, we're not going to be near the federal arsenal."
"How did that happen?" Adamsen asked rhetorically.
"Must be our lucky day," Ryan chimed in. "Last time we did one of these, we had to worry about ammo going off."
"You'd think they'd get rid of that stuff," Karneering observed, recalling the business he had acquired afterwards.
"That was an unusual situation," McKinnon pointed out. "They once neglected to tell us we were going into a building that had live ammunition stored in it. Several of us got clipped. Since then, we wear our vests if it's a possibility."
Ford contemplated the ramifications of McKinnon's statement and wondered if it was too late to get out of this assignment.
"We making calls?" Adamsen questioned.
"Yes. Ten minutes," McKinnon responded It was team tradition to make the phone calls; McKinnon thought there was something to following rituals.
"What?" Ford mumbled to Lucas, who was seated next to him.
"Before going on assignment, everyone gets to make a call home," Lucas replied, "in case someone doesn't make it back."
Ford was not sure which was more frightening: the fact the Outriggers felt the need to make it a policy or that Lucas could speak so calmly about it. Tim did not look very shocked by the turn of events either. It had not been until McKinnon had started making the team assignments that he fully understood that Lucas and Tim were accepted as members. McKinnon had not hesitated in using them and had automatically assumed they were capable of doing the job.
"One, Three and Five, let's start reviewing possibilities and what we're going to look for. Two and Four, start deciding how you're going to accomplish your part of the mission."
"Do we have mission parameters?" Rodriguez inquired.
"Log on to the main server. File name is 'conflagration'. The word for the day is 'blaze'. You should find all you need," McKinnon ordered.
"Okay."
"Scout, I need a word with you," McKinnon told Ford.
"Let's find out what we're getting first and then from where and decide how we're going to proceed from there," Rodriguez suggested to his group. "Go ahead and access the server information, Slick."
"Almost have it," Lucas commented. "It's a pretty big file."
"Not surprising. Federal buildings are usually rather large. Let's hope we're going to find the information in the same sections," Hallowell remarked.
"You know, if Sunshine were with us…" Karneering started.
"But she's not, so we don't have to go down that road," Rodriguez interjected.
"What did you want?" Ford asked McKinnon.
"To review a couple of items with you that are pertinent to deployment. The first thing is Article One."
"Article One?" Ford repeated.
"Most of the items in the Outrigger Code of Conduct are labeled as sections, but, in order to make it stand out, we call it Article One," McKinnon clarified. "Article One states that, in case of capture, you are not to reveal any information about yourself: not even your name. You are not to name your unit or indicate any affiliation with the UEO. Any members of the team that remain free must be able to depend on you maintaining the integrity of the mission. You are to follow the lead of the senior office held hostage with you. If this is a problem, please let me know now. While I do not anticipate this occurring, I am required to make sure that you understand what I'm saying."
"I understand. This is why Rodriguez wouldn't talk?"
"Yes, which is another point. You're going to have to get used to the nicknames. In the field that's how we operate. There are too many people with the same rank and you never know who might be listening. The nicknames are solely within unit confines. It's a safety feature."
"I'll do my best," Ford promised.
"Once you try it a couple of times, it won't be so difficult," McKinnon assured him.
Ford was not so confident. The nicknames struck him as rather unprofessional. "I've noticed that Lucas and Tim don't use their nicknames with each other," he commented. He really could not see himself calling either one by their nicknames and he knew he did not really want to hear them call him 'Scout'.
"They do in the field," McKinnon noted, working very hard to hide her smile. Actually, she understood his feelings. She had not been overjoyed the first time Rodriguez had called her Ice. However, she had adjusted to it and it worked well for the team. "Finally, I know that you outrank Sunshine, but, in the field, I expect you to follow her lead. She has infinitely more experience in this type of operation than you do."
"I can accept that."
"Good," she stated. McKinnon's tone left no doubts that he had no choice in the matter and that she had only mentioned it as a courtesy.
"What do you want to do?" Hallowell questioned Rodriguez. Lucas, Rodriguez , Karneering and Hallowell were studying the building blue prints and the locations of the computers they were supposed to access.
"I'm not sure yet," Rodriguez admitted. "Slick, how long do you estimate it will take to get the files downloaded?" Rodriguez had decided there was one good thing about the deployment: Lucas was no longer hiding from him.
"Depends on what kind of security they have. I mean, I don't see any passwords in our information," Lucas answered. "If this is classified information, then it should be protected. You guys know anything about breaking passwords?"
"Not as much as we should," Rodriguez responded. "Usually we let the computer do the work for us, but we don't have our systems with us."
"I think we're probably going to have to split up," Karneering advised.
"How?" Hallowell asked.
"Slick will get the two of you started on the first system. Then he and I will move to the second one. When you finish, you can take over on two for us and we'll proceed to the last one," Rodriguez explained, "otherwise we could eat up a lot of time. Once the download is started, we all have what we need to keep going or Slick can walk you through the next phase."
"Sounds like the best option," Lucas agreed.
"How are we going to work it?" Karneering asked. "As far as the order."
"We'll go top to bottom. It will be easier to work our way down to the entrance and make evacuation quicker if it comes to that," Rodriguez decided.
"It's a lot of ground to cover, so we're going to have to divide the work," McKinnon told her group. "Irish, Indy and I will check the sprinkler systems and find out why they did not go off. It seems kind odd that they all jammed, especially since they are checked quarterly."
"Ice, I don't know a lot about fires, just so you know," Tim interjected.
"That's all right; you'll do fine," McKinnon assured him.
"Hey, don't worry, Indy. You handled jumping out of the plane just fine. An arson investigation ought to be easy," Ryan chimed in cheerfully.
Tim felt Ford's eyes boring into him and feigned sudden interest in the building layouts in front of him. He and Lucas had left out all mention of precisely how they had landed on Tarsinia. Neither one wanted to explain their crash course in jumping out of airplanes. "Thanks, Sunshine," he mumbled.
McKinnon hid a smile as she realized from Ford's puzzled look that the commander had no idea what Ryan was referring to, which meant that Tim was going to be doing some explaining.
"Okay, Scout. Let's see about issuing you some equipment," Ryan said to Ford, fifteen minutes later. "Irish?"
"Yes, Sunshine?"
"You'll want to perform a check on Indy's gear before we leave," she instructed.
"Will do. I hope you haven't broken anything," Chandler informed Tim. "I'm not real keen on field repairs."
"I haven't done anything to it," Tim remarked. "I've been trying to forget it was there."
"That's not the right attitude to have," Adamsen told him. "You never know when you might need it to work."
"Brook, I think he was hoping not to use it," Dawson commented.
"Okay, let's get changed, guys," Rodriguez ordered his group. "You know how Ice is about being prompt for inspection."
"Yeah, like you're any better," Karneering grumbled. "Being inspected by Ghost is worse."
"I'm just thorough. Besides, Ice would kill me if I didn't bring everyone back safely."
"Slick?" Adamsen called out, as Lucas prepared to follow Rodriguez out of the room.
"Yes, Brook?"
"You guys are going to be the last call. Ice's assuming you want to call seaQuest," Adamsen explained.
"It's fine with me," Lucas replied, glancing back at Tim and Ford. "Better check with Indy and Scout," he added, slipping into the new mood of the unit.
"Will do."
"Slick?" Dawson caught Lucas before he could leave.
"What do you need? Ghost is going to think I disappeared," Lucas joked, turning to face him.
"I want to run a couple of tests with your locator once we've got it online," Dawson informed him. "I really want to avoid a repeat of last time," he added.
"All right," Lucas agreed. "Let me get changed first."
"What happened last time?" Ford inquired, having come up behind Lucas.
"I reacted poorly with the locator they used. They had a hard time keeping my signal," Lucas answered, not really thinking about what kind of reaction it might provoke.
"Really?"
"That's why Ice made sure she kept me with Ghost. His worked fine." Lucas shrugged his shoulders like it didn't really concern him.
"You know, you two left a lot of details out of your report, didn't you?" Ford finally said.
"Sunshine mentioned something about jumping," Tim clarified, noticing Lucas' strange look.
"Oh. Well, I really need to go get changed. Ghost is going to think I'm avoiding him," Lucas muttered quickly. "Uh, Brook is assuming we're going to call seaQuest. If that's not okay, you need to let her know," Lucas continued, exiting the room as he spoke. He figured he had enough explaining to do; Tim could handle this one.
"Thanks a lot," Tim mumbled under his breath, even though Lucas could not hear him.
"Make sure all your tags are removed," Rodriguez reminded Lucas, as the two got into their uniforms.
"I know," Lucas assured him.
"Just checking," Rodriguez commented. "What did Ice want this morning?" he inquired, curious. McKinnon had looked unusually pleased with herself when he had asked her, but had refused to give any details beyond telling him that she had taken his advice. That piece of information made him extremely nervous.
"You don't know?" Lucas quizzed.
"No. Ice keeps those things to herself. I'm just curious."
"You're nosy."
"That too," he agreed. "You don't have to tell me."
"It was no big deal," Lucas sighed. There was really no reason not to tell him, but Lucas was in the habit of keeping things to himself. Plus, he suspected Rodriguez would just keep bringing the subject up until he did tell him. The man could be very persistent when he felt like it. Lucas recognized the tone in Rodriguez 's voice from a couple of phone calls they'd had since Tarsinia. While he picked unusual topics to pursue, Rodriguez never gave up once he decided he wanted the information. "She wanted to make sure I was okay with continuing the investigation and threatened to pull me if I didn't follow her instructions about breaks."
"That sounds like Ice," Rodriguez remarked, still trying to figure out what his commanding officer meant about taking his advice and not sure how to continue the conversation without making Lucas nervous.
"And to engage in emotional extortion."
"That also sounds like Ice. What's she holding over you?"
"Long story," Lucas mumbled, not really wanting to give all the details. He did not know if Rodriguez knew about his missing file and did not want to bring it up if the man did not know.
"Last time you told me that, it took you three seconds to tell. Give me the highlights. You can't tell me Ice is blackmailing you and leave it like that."
"You're going to bug me until I answer, aren't you?" Lucas guessed.
"Yep. And I'm going to do it in front of Scout. Bet you'd have some explaining to do then."
"All right, all right. Sunshine's already done enough in that department."
"You can explain that in a moment," Rodriguez told him, waiting for him to continue.
"She apparently mentioned something about jumping in the commander's hearing," Lucas responded, dealing with that one first. "As for Ice, she told me I have a week to tell Bridger something or she's going to do it for me. And that she's going to check with him to make sure I did it. I guess she doesn't trust me."
"Yeah, I can't imagine why not. I mean you only had how many weeks to tell the guy about Ninety-nine?" Rodriguez retorted. Rodriguez shook his head and mentally gave McKinnon credit. Without Lucas telling him, he knew that McKinnon meant the missing file information. Rodriguez wished he could be present for that discussion.
"Well, we were waiting for the right time," Lucas mumbled.
"I think you should have found it sooner."
"Are you going to explain the jumping?" Ford asked Tim, as they got ready.
"You have to remove all identifying marks from your gear," Tim informed him.
"I'm not going to give up that easily, O'Neil."
"Somehow, I didn't think so," Tim muttered to himself. "When we went into Tarsinia the first time, we couldn't exactly land at the airport, so we had to jump. We dropped rafts in the water and took those almost up to land, but had to swim the last part because of the reef," he explicated in a rush of words.
"Jumped? As in out of…"
"An airplane, yes," Tim clarified reluctantly. "I jumped with Sunshine."
"Lucas?"
"Ghost."
"I thought Lucas was afraid of heights," Ford stated.
"He is," Tim confirmed. "Ghost talked him through it. It was the only way to complete the mission, so he did it."
"What else did you neglect to mention?"
"I think that's about it."
"Okay," McKinnon said to Lucas, Tim and Ford. "You two know the drill, but we'll review the specifics for Scout," she began. "I will speak with Captain Bridger first and remind him of the rules. I will also monitor your conversation to insure that they are followed. Anything that may compromise either mission will result in the conversation ending. You will not mention anything about the investigation of the break in, except to confirm that we are aware of the situation and that we will take care of it. There will be no discussion of the fire, your current duties or location. You do not know when your assignment will end. Beyond that, you may discuss anything you wish. Understand?"
"Yes," all three agreed.
"Good. I should make one of you," McKinnon commented, with a look at Lucas and Tim, "make the initial contact, since I'm sure he's going to have to few words to say about Ninety-nine."
"But then you would miss your chance to repeat the rules to him," Lucas pointed out.
"Lucas!" Ford hissed. He had grown used to the teenager's comments to Rodriguez; however, McKinnon was their commanding officer.
"Don't worry, Scout. Slick and I understand each other just fine," McKinnon remarked. As she expected, her statement earned Lucas looks from the other two.
Lucas opted to remain silent, realizing that he was only raising more questions than he wanted to answer.
Bridger was examining what information the others had been able to turn up about the investigation of Lucas and Tim when McKinnon called. Thus far, they had learned nothing conclusive. It seemed evident that the two inspectors, Crewes and Stanton, believed the duo had some type of involvement in the crime. They had made several calls to the seaQuest to go over various points. Bridger was trying to cooperate, but his patience was wearing thin: not only with Crewes and Stanton, but with Admiral Kincaid, who refused to reveal anything about the whereabouts of his three crewmembers. Therefore, he was not in a particularly good mood when McKinnon appeared before him on the vid-screen. "Commander McKinnon," he greeted her coolly.
"Captain Bridger," McKinnon returned, keeping her voice even.
"I assume my crew is still unharmed."
"Yes, Sir. As with our last assignment, I am permitting Wolenczak, O'Neil and Ford to make a brief call to you. The same rules apply. Do not bother asking them about what they're doing; they can't tell you that. The call will be monitored and transmission will be cut without notice if it is believed that the mission will be compromised."
"Fine. You do know that Lucas and Tim are suspected of some kind of involvement in a break in?"
"I have been apprised of that situation, yes. However, while we are in the field, it is not my primary concern. HQ is following the progress of the investigation and will notify me if the status of the investigation changes."
"That's all?"
"Sir, I'm engaged in an high priority exercise. I don't have time to focus on peripheral details," McKinnon told him. She realized she sounded callous, but could not help it. They could not risk anything about their efforts leaking, even to the seaQuest crew. "We can discuss this further if you want, but I'm not going to be able to give you the answers you desire. I have orders to follow; that's precisely what I'm doing."
"I think I understand why they call her Ice now," Ford remarked, since the three of them could hear the conversation with Bridger.
"That's one of the many reasons," Tim commented, while Lucas nodded his head in agreement.
"It's good to see the three of you," Bridger said, when the trio appeared. He found the sight of Ford wearing the Outrigger uniform more disconcerting than he did Lucas and Tim. His XO looked decidedly uncomfortable in his current predicament.
"You too, Sir," Ford returned.
"I'll be very interested in hearing the explanation the two of you have to offer for the fact you are eligible to be recalled by the Outriggers," Bridger addressed Lucas and Tim, who both flushed and looked down at the floor. "I'll be particularly looking forward to hearing when you planned on sharing this information with me."
"Yes, Sir," the duo mumbled, neither one looking forward to that meeting. Lucas could see McKinnon smiling at them in the corner and got the feeling that she was enjoying watching them squirm.
"Just so you know, I did keep that detail to myself when I had to inform the crew of your reassignment."
"Thank you, Sir."
"There will be plenty of time for them to find out later. And I don't suppose the two of you can shed any light on why you are being investigated?"
"No, Sir," Tim replied. "We have been advised of the investigation, but don't have any details beyond that."
"That's what I thought. Perhaps you should remind the commander that they are serious charges."
"Commander McKinnon is aware of that," Ford reassured him.
"Good. I don't really enjoy getting regular calls to answer questions, because none of you are available."
"I think Commander McKinnon would like us to move on to another topic, Captain," Lucas interjected, catching McKinnon's signal from the corner.
"All right," Bridger sighed. "I believe Dr. Westphalen would like a word with you."
"This should be fun," Lucas mumbled.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, Sir."
"While I call her, I'll let you talk to some of the others," Bridger informed them, deciding not to bother pursuing Lucas' comment. He already had him and Tim scheduled for a long talk when they returned.
"How are you guys?" Miguel asked, when he, Ben and Katie appeared on screen.
"We're just fine," Tim assured him.
"I thought this was just a conference and you two couldn't get into trouble," Ben observed.
"We're not in trouble; we're deployed," Lucas pointed out.
"You're with the Outriggers. It amounts to the same thing."
"How is it?" Katie asked, directing her question to Ford.
"It's a unique experience," Ford remarked, for lack of anything better to say on the subject.
"I don't see you fitting into their command structure, Commander," Ben commented.
"Thank you," Ford replied, while McKinnon gave a short laugh in the background.
"Just be careful this time," Miguel instructed them quietly. He worried about all three, but especially Lucas and Tim.
"We'll do our best," Tim responded.
"We have to go. They said our time is limited," Katie informed him. "And the doctor has a few words."
"Oh good," Lucas muttered.
Kristin looked at the trio carefully. Since Bridger had told her to refrain from mentioning the investigation, she started on her topic of concern. "I expect the two of you to come back in one piece," she said, fixing both Lucas and Tim with a stern glare. "And I'm holding you responsible if anything happens to either one," she added, turning her attention to Ford.
Ford wondered if it was too late to get McKinnon to pull them from the mission. He did not want to face the wrath of the doctor if either one encountered any difficulties. "I'll do my best," he assured her.
"I certainly hope so. You look like you're not getting enough sleep," she informed Lucas. "Are you working too hard?"
"I'm not working any harder than the rest. Commander McKinnon is very strict about taking breaks and having proper bedtimes." Lucas sighed; he wished the doctor did not obsess so much about his sleeping and work habits.
"Are you mocking me, young man?" Kristin questioned sharply.
"No, ma'am," Lucas reassured her. "I was just trying to answer your question."
"That had better be all. And I sincerely hope those people do not have the same detrimental effect on you that they had last time," she addressed Tim.
Tim wisely remained silent, sensing anything he said would be wrong. However, he did wish McKinnon would stop laughing at them.
"Well, I'll let the captain on again," Kristin conceded. "Just be careful."
"We will," Tim answered.
"Good. I'll expect you in for physicals upon your return. All three of you."
"Doctor is that really necessary?" Ford queried.
"Yes, it is. No telling what might happen while you're out with them."
"Don't argue, Commander; there's no way you're going to win," Lucas mumbled under his breath.
"What did you say?" Kristin inquired sternly.
"It was nice talking to you, Doctor," Lucas ad-libbed quickly.
"Lucas, you're skating on thin ice," Tim muttered to the teenager. "And I don't really want you to take us with you."
"What was that, Lieutenant? I couldn't hear you."
"I think Commander McKinnon is indicating that our time is almost up," Ford interjected, not wanting to get the doctor riled. "Do you think the two of you can behave for the last two minutes?" he quizzed Lucas and Tim, while they waited for Bridger to return.
Lucas and Tim looked at one another and both decided it was best not to say what was on their minds: at least not where the commander could hear. "Think she'd be impressed by the detrimental effect on Ford's behavior?" Lucas whispered.
"Probably not," Tim agreed.
"Hopefully, you will be released soon," Bridger told them, preparing to say goodbye.
"I'm sure all parties concerned would like that, Captain," Ford answered, not letting either one of the other two have a chance to speak.
"Just take care of yourselves and come back safely."
"We have to go, Sir," Tim interrupted.
"All right."
"We'll talk to you later," Lucas added.
"You can count on that," Bridger assured him, the expression on his face leaving no doubt as to what he meant.
"Yep, you two are going to have fun when you go back," McKinnon remarked cheerfully, when the call had ended.
"Why do I get the impression that you find this amusing?" Tim questioned.
"Because I do. I reminded you both on several occasions that your captain was not going to be happy if he did not hear about it before it was exercised."
"Thank you for bringing that to our attention again," Lucas grumbled.
"Any time, Slick."
"Okay, let's just put this on and then see what we get," Dawson muttered, mainly to himself, as he worked on putting the locator on Lucas. "Columbus, you have him?"
"First try."
"Very good. Now, go take a walk, go upstairs and around the second floor. I want to make sure we can track you. Put your headset on and I'll tell you when to come back."
"Being thorough?" Lucas inquired, setting up his headset.
"Ice is not real fond of repeating one's mistakes," Hallowell explained. "It's a case of better safe than sorry."
"I can understand that," Lucas agreed.
"You all set? Go to channel six and you can leave."
"All right. What do you want Ghost?" he asked as Rodriguez approached.
"Just checking to make sure everything is on schedule," Rodriguez replied. "Locator working?"
"Yes. We're going to have him walk through the building and test it out."
"Good idea. You want company?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"He's learning," Dawson commented.
"Watch it, Casanova," Rodriguez instructed.
"So, did you want something in particular or are you just bored?" Lucas questioned Rodriguez , when they were walking up the stairs. He had the mike away from his mouth to avoid transmitting his conversation to the others.
"You really should get some help for your paranoia," Rodriguez advised. "I just thought you might want some company."
"Ghost, we're in the midst of preparing for a mission. You are not looking for casual conversation."
"How do you know?"
"I know you well enough to know that you're up to something."
"I just want to make sure you're okay with this," Rodriguez admitted.
"What about it?"
"The last time we were deployed, you ended up being taken hostage. I thought it might stir up some bad memories."
"I'm fine. Are you suffering from problems because you were held hostage?"
"I've been deployed several times since then. And you know that the first time out was not a real thrill for me," Rodriguez reminded him.
"I'm okay. It's a different situation. Everything's going to be fine."
"You convince yourself yet?" Rodriguez asked softly. "It's okay to be scared, Slick. That doesn't mean you're not capable of doing the job. It just means you're human. No one's going to think any less of you."
"I'm fine."
"Okay," Rodriguez accepted his answer, understanding Lucas' need to believe in it at the moment.
"Casanova, is there anything else you want me to do?" Lucas inquired, effectively ending his discussion with Ghost.
"No. I've kept track of you. This should work just fine," Dawson responded.
"All right. I'm going to come back now."
"Let's go get ourselves inspected," Rodriguez sighed.
"All right, gang, line it up!" McKinnon called out. "And count it off!"
Ford let Ryan drag him to the end of the line. "Follow the leader," she ordered.
"Irish, Team One!"
"Indy, Team One!"
"Ghost, Team Two!"
"Slick, Team Two!"
Ford listened as they continued down the line, until they reached him. "Scout, Team Five!" He felt strange using the nickname, but he did it. He then watched as McKinnon began approaching each team member, carefully reviewing their equipment and talking to them.
"All right, Indy, if you're good, maybe I'll let you drive us to the site," McKinnon told Tim with a quick smile.
"I'd like that, Commander," Tim commented.
McKinnon adjusted Lucas' collar before speaking to him. "Promise me, you're not going to get shot on this one, Slick" she requested. "It looks really bad on my record."
"I'll try to avoid it, Commander," Lucas agreed.
Ford could not hear what she was saying, but it was obviously some sort of tradition everyone expected. He felt slightly uncomfortable as she studied him.
"Don't worry, Scout; you'll get used to us by the time this is over, whether you want to or not," McKinnon remarked. "All right, gang, looks like we're ready. Teams One and Two will be in Hawk; Three, Four and Five in Eagle. Indy and Brook are the drivers. Irish and Sunshine are the navigators. The rest of you will refrain from making comments about the driving."
"You always have to take the fun out of everything, don't you, Ice?" Rodriguez complained.
"It's my job, Ghost. You should know that by now."
"You do it well."
"Thank you," McKinnon said. "We will do a radio check on site, before proceeding. At last report, the fire was still contained, but we will need to monitor it throughout. Let's get moving. We do have a schedule to keep."
"Okay, Ghost, I want to hear more specifics about your plan of action," McKinnon instructed, once they were on their way.
"Our plan is to start with the computer on the seventh floor and work our way down. Slick's going to get the download started and we'll leave Einstein and Columbus watching it, while Slick and I go down to the sixth floor and start on the second computer. When they finish, they'll take our place and we'll move to the second floor and the final computer."
"Good. How long will each one take?" McKinnon inquired.
"Slick?" Rodriguez turned to Lucas.
"It depends. Not knowing the precise system set up, I can't really tell you. The files themselves should not take more than an hour to complete the download, but getting into them could prove a bit difficult. It depends on their security."
"Okay. There's one more thing you're going to have to do. Kincaid just notified me of it before inspection."
"What?" Rodriguez asked, warily.
"The files are to be erased from the computers. The fire team thinks the only way to fully rid the fire is to do a controlled burn. UEO wants no chance of the files being left accessible," McKinnon explained.
"That's going to add to the time. I can set it up to erase when the download is complete, so I won't have to wait, but Einstein and Columbus will have to verify that it finishes the cycle," Lucas told her. "We should be well within the six hour time frame for finishing though."
"Let me know if it gets close."
"Certainly."
"Don't worry about Slick and Indy, Scout," Karneering told Ford. "They're in good hands. Ghost will watch out for Slick, and Ice will make sure Indy stays out of trouble. And, in reality, they know how to take care of themselves."
"You all just seem to accept that they can do it," Ford commented.
"They can. You have to understand that we've seen them in action before, so to speak," Karneering responded.
"We know them outside of what they do on seaQuest," Hallowell elaborated. "In our world, they're not confined to communications or computers. Sure, those are their areas of specialization. We all have those. But we're also part of a small team. We do what we have to do to make the outcome favorable."
"Our strength is our size, Scout," Ryan called from the front seat. "We're small, but we know how to work as a team: how to help each other out. We're only limited by our imagination and creativity. And we never do anything that would knowingly endanger our lives or anyone else's."
"We're not really as insane as people would like to think," Dawson remarked.
"And, yes, we do encourage the outside world to believe in our reputation. It makes us unpredictable and, sometimes, that's the only edge we have," Karneering added, noting the look on Ford's face.
"It seems like a strange way to work."
"We get results. And they don't call us in to handle the normal situations. We get called when traditional methods don't work," Hallowell pointed out.
"It comes down to the fact that you're going to have to trust us, Scout," Ryan stated.
Arriving at the site, the unit found the surrounding area deserted, except for fire crews. McKinnon checked in with the fire chief, who was not particularly pleased with their involvement. The commander ignored his displeasure and kept everything professional.
"All right, I want to do a radio check. Channel one is the open frequency. Teams One, Three, and Five will use two for communications; Two and Four, you'll be on three. Make sure you stay on the main channel unless you're going to be engaged in a lengthy conversation. At least one person on each team should be covering the open channel at all times. We're going to be spread out and this will be our only way to communicate. Clear?"
"Clear!"
"Casanova, locator check?" McKinnon requested, once everyone had verified their headsets worked properly.
"All members accounted for."
"Good. Please proceed with caution. The fire crews will notify us if there is a change in status. Einstein?" McKinnon prompted.
"If there's smoke, please keep your masks on," Karneering instructed. "I do not want to be treating smoke inhalation cases. You will wear your patches," he added, distributing them as he spoke. "These will tell you if there's a lack of oxygen in your area. They're very simple to read, but I will review. Green means you're clear, yellow means caution and red means don't hang around any longer. You should only remove your mask when it's green. Everyone understand? Good. I don't need anyone passing out here either."
"He takes it personally," Rodriguez mumbled.
"All right. Let's get this done," McKinnon called out. "Good luck," she told Lucas, Rodriguez, Karneering and Hallowell.
"You too, Ice," Rodriguez returned. "Single file: I'll lead. Don't argue, Einstein," he ordered. "Then Slick, Columbus and Einstein."
"You should let me lead," Karneering protested. "You're the leader and protocol…"
"Protocol says it's at my discretion," Rodriguez told him. "Besides, the key to this one is Slick. So give it a rest."
"And you wonder why I put him in your group?" McKinnon inquired.
"Sunshine, make sure the commander doesn't do anything crazy," Karneering ordered, as the teams headed in their separate directions.
"We're on the stairs, approaching the seventh floor, Ice. Everything is clear so far," Rodriguez reported twenty minutes later. "I will notify you when we're engaged."
"Very good. So far the sweep of the building shows it as clean. We're looking at the sprinkler systems now," McKinnon replied.
"Why didn't McKinnon put you on that detail?" Lucas asked, as they reached the top of the stairs. "You are an engineer, right?"
"I've learned not to question Ice's wisdom," Rodriguez replied. He knew precisely why McKinnon had made the choice. Almost any of them would be able to identify if there had been any tampering with the sprinkler systems or other fire safety features. The commander wanted him with Lucas, who was the logical choice for the data retrieval. While they all had computer abilities, his skills were far superior to theirs. Rodriguez had enough sense not to tell Lucas that it was McKinnon's way of offering the teenager more protection. There was no point in getting him annoyed in the middle of the mission, or afterwards, if it could be avoided.
"Is it hot in here, or am I imagining it?" Hallowell asked.
"Yes," Karneering answered.
"That was helpful, Einstein."
"The door feels cool and I don't see any smoke, so I'm going to open it," Rodriguez interrupted.
"Be careful," Karneering warned.
"That's my intention."
Ford followed Ryan, not sure what they were looking for, although she seemed to know. Unfortunately, her instructions had not been precise. He had no idea what was supposed to be in the building, so how was he going to know if something was out of place? He was really starting to wish for his nice, orderly job on seaQuest. He almost walked into Ryan when she stopped abruptly.
Pointing to their patches, Ryan removed her mask. "This will make things easier," she said.
"I'm just curious; why send you guys in on an arson investigation? Wouldn't the fire department be better equipped?" Ford inquired.
"It means they suspect one of two things," Ryan replied. "A firefighter is involved or someone used non-traditional means to start it. Most of the arson investigators are not creative thinkers, so they don't see things we do. They tend to get caught up in the rules; we don't."
"I'm not following you."
"Most people when told something won't work will just accept it. In our experience it just means no one's found out a way to do it. We believe that anything is possible if you want it bad enough. Therefore, we don't allow ourselves to be confined to what can't be done. It's a defining characteristic of most Outriggers," Ryan clarified.
Lucas sat at the computer, wishing the room was slightly larger; it had obviously not been designed to hold four people. It did not help that the other three had little to do, so they kept interrupting him. Lucas was getting short-tempered. "If you ask me that again, I'm going to scream over the mike, so that you can explain it to Ice," Lucas threatened them.
"Perhaps we can find time for you to grab a nap later," Rodriguez commented.
"What is your obsession with me taking a nap?"
"It's what my grandmother always did with my sisters and me when we got irritable. She firmly believed that lack of sleep and a bad attitude go hand in hand."
"I'm sure she'd make an exception for anyone that had to deal with you," Lucas retorted.
"I'm sensing some hostility towards you, Ghost," Karneering observed.
"You're going to sense some towards you, if you're not careful, Einstein," Lucas grumbled. "You want to add anything?" he asked Hallowell.
"No. I think I understand the situation fully," Hallowell responded. "Just remember: I only follow orders. They both outrank me."
"I don't think he cared much for that answer either," Rodriguez told Hallowell. "I'm going to check in with Ice," he added, deciding it probably was not a good idea to continue provoking the teenager.
"Good thinking," Karneering agreed. "I don't think we're scoring any points else where right now," he added.
"I had noticed."
Lucas glared at both and forced himself to shut them out and concentrate on the computer problem.
"Ghost?" McKinnon's voice interrupted before anything else could be said.
"Yes, Ice?"
"How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, but Slick is finding the systems a bit tricky. However, I'm sure he'll have it soon," Rodriguez answered. "Although I think that next time, he may want to request who he works with."
"Irritating him, are you?"
"It's not just me," Rodriguez protested. "What have you got on your end?"
"Nothing so far. Haven't found any reason for the system to have failed, but we're not done yet. Any suggestions?"
"Was it turned on? No, I'm serious. Could be someone took the system off line for maintenance and then forgot to reset it."
"I'll look into it. You may be right."
"It does happen once in awhile, Ice."
"I know."
"Beyond that, I don't know what else to recommend; I'm not there."
"Unfortunately," Lucas mumbled under his breath.
"I heard that," Rodriguez informed him.
"Am I going to have to start separating the two of you?" McKinnon questioned.
"I think we can manage to conduct ourselves in an appropriate manner."
"All right. I'm going to get back to work. And, Ghost, be nice and don't annoy Slick."
"But it's fun," Rodriguez complained.
"You're an Outrigger; you're not supposed to have fun."
"Sorry, I forgot about that clause."
"Okay, I've got it," Lucas said. "It's going to do the work for you. All you have to do is watch it. When it's done downloading, I've set up an erase program. It should start automatically upon completion of the file transfer. When that finishes, shut the system down and try to re-start it. Nothing should come up, because I'm having it wipe everything."
"I think we can handle that," Karneering assured him.
"Ice?" Rodriguez spoke into his headset. "Slick and I are going to be moving to the sixth floor to start on the second system."
"Affirmative," McKinnon replied, sounding preoccupied.
"We'll alert you when we're on our way down," Hallowell told Lucas and Rodriguez as they prepared to leave.
"Ghost is going to love this," Chandler mumbled, as he, McKinnon and Tim looked at the main control of the sprinkler system.
"Most definitely," McKinnon confirmed.
"But who shut it off and was it intentional?" Tim queried.
"See, I told you that you would do fine," McKinnon reminded him. "There should be some kind of maintenance log that tells when the system went down, who took it down and what kind of work was performed. This strikes me as odd. There's something familiar about it."
"I'm sure it will come to you. Ice is a walking encyclopedia of information regarding criminal activity," Chandler explained to Tim.
"Why?"
"It comes in handy," McKinnon responded. "Let's see what we can find out about this."
"You doing okay?" Rodriguez questioned Lucas, when they were on the sixth floor. He thought the teenager looked unusually pale and tense.
"I'm fine," Lucas replied, forcing his voice to stay even. In reality, he was finding the situation extremely stressful. He kept waiting for something to go wrong. However, the young man was not going to admit to it. Besides not wanting to divulge his fear to Rodriguez , Lucas needed to keep himself in control.
"Okay." Rodriguez accepted his response. "We're ahead of schedule; Ice will be happy."
"I aim to please," Lucas said.
"I had noticed," Rodriguez commented.
An hour later, Karneering and Hallowell came to replace Lucas and Rodriguez. "Ice, we're advancing to the last computer. Are we still clear?" Rodriguez requested through the mike. Communications had slowed as each team worked as quickly as possible.
"Yes. And you were right. The system was shut down. But it looks like it was an outside termination."
"Figures. Haven't we seen this somewhere else?"
"I can't place it yet."
"We haven't found anything in our end yet," Adamsen interrupted. "But we're still looking."
"Sunshine?" McKinnon queried, deciding they might as well hear from everyone.
"Not much, except the ventilation system was blocked where we're at," Ryan reported. "Whoever did this knew how to do it right."
"Keep searching; we're bound to find something."
"This file is smaller than the others: shouldn't take as long," Lucas remarked to Rodriguez, once they had started on the last computer.
"Good. I'm ready to wrap this one up," Rodriguez sighed. He held up a hand, turning his head to listen. "Einstein? You and Columbus still on six?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Just checking," Rodriguez replied.
"What's wrong?" Lucas asked him.
"I thought I heard something: thought maybe they forgot to check in."
"I don't hear anything…" Lucas let his voice trail off, as he heard it too.
"Casanova? I need a location check of everyone," Rodriguez ordered. "Are any other teams on the second floor?"
"No. Just you and Slick."
"Ghost? What's going on?" Ice's voice cut through sharply.
"Someone's on the floor with us," Rodriguez reported. "I just heard footsteps."
"Casanova? Who's closest?"
"Einstein and Columbus. We're three floors above them and Five is up near you."
"All right, Einstein, you guys are going to have break off and check it out. Three will back you up and the rest of us will start heading down," McKinnon instructed. "Ghost, you know the drill. And everyone proceed with caution."
"Of course," Rodriguez assented. "Slick?"
"I'm erasing now," Lucas replied.
"Jam your communications, Slick," Rodriguez commanded, as the doorknob turned. "That's not help at the door. It's too fast for it to be anyone on the team."
Lucas nodded his head and obeyed, shoving the disk in the drawer and placing a blank one in the computer. "Patches?"
"Yes," Rodriguez agreed, as the door opened.
"Step away from the computer and put your hands up!" a voice ordered. Lucas and Rodriguez found themselves facing five armed individuals, dressed in black and wearing masks. "Take 'em both."
"We're just supposed to get the…."
"I said take 'em both. We don't have time to waste. Grab the disk."
"You heard him," another said, herding Lucas and Rodriguez to the center of the room, so that they were surrounded. One man grabbed Lucas and another Rodriguez. Both knew that, with the rest of the unit unarmed, they had no choice but to cooperate. Five armed men would prove no match against the defenseless team. Not that it made a difference; seconds later, both were drugged and unconscious.
The open door was the first clue Karneering had that they had arrived too late. That, combined with the fact that Rodriguez had not responded to him over the radio, told Karneering he was not going to like what they found. "Damn it!" he shouted in the empty room.
"They left their patches," Hallowell reported. "It was a hostile departure."
"Ice?" Karneering dreaded the news he had to give. "Channel two."
"What is it, Einstein?" McKinnon asked, forcing her voice to remain calm.
"We have a breach. Ghost and Slick are gone and it was not voluntary. They left their radios and patches behind."
"Anything else?"
"Slick managed to stash the download disk," Hallowell informed him, finding it in the drawer.
"They didn't get the downloads. They hid it in the desk."
"Do you have the others?" McKinnon queried.
"Yes, it was erasing when you sent us down."
"Good. We're pulling out," McKinnon ordered. "Casanova? Channel two."
"Yes, Ice?" Dawson responded.
"Please confirm that you do not have a fix on Ghost or Slick in the building."
"They're not showing in the building. Are they…" Dawson stopped talking, realizing McKinnon had already switched frequencies.
McKinnon switched to the open channel. "We've been compromised and we are disengaging. Proceed out of the building and to the parking lot. I repeat; we have a breach and we are aborting," she announced.
"Ice?" Ryan spoke hesitantly. "Is everyone secure?"
"No. Ghost and Slick were taken hostage. I want you, Irish, Casanova and Brook to stay behind and investigate."
"What happened?" Ford asked, trying to stay focused, while the rest of the team was headed back to their base of operations.
"We don't know. Ghost reported hearing footsteps and I sent teams to investigate. They were too far away. Ghost and Slick left their radios and patches behind," McKinnon replied.
At Ford's look, Tim elaborated. "When someone is taken hostage, they remove their triangle in order to alert the team if possible and to distance themselves from being identified with the unit." Tim was having a bad sense of déjà vu about all of this. Explaining little details like this made him feel like he was capable of functioning. He tried not to think about what had happened last time.
"How are we going to find them?" Ford questioned.
"Casanova still has them on locator. It won't give us a long range fix, but if we can figure out their general vicinity, it will help. Ghost will know that there's not much for us to go on, so he will attempt an escape if at all possible. He won't do it if it will endanger their lives," McKinnon told him.
"Why didn't they alert you that they were being taken?"
"My best guess is that they were afraid for our safety." McKinnon's face changed abruptly as something occurred to her.
"What?" Ford quizzed.
"It's something I have to check when we get back to our home base," McKinnon commented, not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"Commander…"
"Trust me, Scout. I want them back as much as you do. But I have to check some information before I start formulating a plan."
Both Lucas and Rodriguez came to in the process of being carried into a building. The smell of the place assaulted their senses immediately. Rodriguez could tell from the scent of stale antiseptic and the generally musty odor that they must be in some kind of abandoned hospital. It had the aroma often associated with long term illness and the efforts to cover it up. It had not been closed so long ago as to have lost the essence of its prior use. Rodriguez wondered at the choice of location, but figured there would be plenty of time to question it later.
They were dumped on the floor of a room and the door was locked, without anyone speaking to them. "How are you?" Rodriguez whispered quietly.
"I've had better days. Why is it that whenever I go somewhere with you, I end up a hostage?" Lucas inquired, trying to stay in control. He was more freaked out by this place than he wanted to admit.
"I wish I knew. Although, for the record, I've been taken hostage more often with you than any other time in my career," Rodriguez retorted, watching Lucas closely. He could see the anxiety in his eyes. It seemed more intense than it had been in Tarsinia. He wondered at the cause and what he could do to make this easier on the teenager. "We're going to be fine, Slick," he promised, hoping he could make it true.
"I want to know who requested Outrigger assistance with the fire," McKinnon demanded of Kincaid, as soon as he appeared on the screen.
"Local authorities. Why?"
"I want a name."
"Scott Abraham. What's going on?"
"I just lost two members of my team!" McKinnon shouted at the screen. "And I'm not buying that it was just a coincidence. I think we were set up by someone who knew we wouldn't take weapons into a fire."
"Who was taken?"
"Lieutenant Commander Rodriguez and Wolenczak."
"I think you had better start at the beginning."
"Just a minute. I want Hallowell to start a full check on Abraham. I can't afford to waste time."
"All right," Kincaid consented. He could tell she would defy him if he ordered her to wait. McKinnon's reputation when it came to protecting her team was well known. He wanted to bring this to a speedy conclusion; having to tell Captain Bridger that one of his crew had been taken hostage again would be much easier if they had already recovered him.
"Okay. He'll let me know when he has anything."
Lucas stared at the woman with a sense of growing horror. She had made no attempt to disguise herself and he understood, with increasing clarity, that it was intentional. Rodriguez could hear that Lucas was dangerously close to hyperventilating and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Their captor still hid behind his dark clothes and face mask, but the woman seemed to want them to see her clearly. Rodriguez was not sure he liked the implications.
"I know that you are Mr. Wolenczak," the man said to Lucas. "You must be Lieutenant Commander Rodriguez."
Rodriguez gave him a blank stare, refusing to confirm his identity. He saw no reason to help the man. "And who might you be?"
"You may call me Mr. Smith."
"Is your first name John?"
"You're very quick," Smith told him. "Now, this is my associate, Dr. Keller; she's going to assist me."
Lucas felt like he was traveling backwards in time. She had not been a doctor when he had known her. In fact, he hadn't realized she was interested in medicine. Of course, he had only seen her three times and they had not had any deep, meaningful conversations.
Rodriguez did not like the fact that Smith was introducing Keller or the effect it was having on Lucas. The boy was on the verge of a panic attack and Smith seemed to know that.
"Now, if you'll tell me the location of the rest of your team, we can finish this up easily enough," Smith informed them.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Rodriguez responded, hoping this was not going to produce the same results as Tarsinia.
"Mr. Wolenczak?"
"I didn't understand the question," Lucas answered. In his head, he kept telling himself to get under control. He had to stay in charge of his emotions; it was their only hope. Smith was trying to make him freak out and he could not let the man succeed.
"You're sure about that? We have ways of making you talk," Smith continued. "I'll give you one more chance. Where is the rest of your team?"
"I can't answer that," Rodriguez replied.
"And you, Mr. Wolenczak?"
"I don't remember."
"Very well. Your ability to withstand physical methods of interrogation have been documented, so we're going to try something else," Smith explained.
"Abraham has a tenuous connection to Ramsey. His father served with Ramsey prior to leaving the Navy under suspicion of theft," Hallowell reported to McKinnon and the rest of the team who were gathered around the table. "Who is he?"
"We were set up," McKinnon stated. "Abraham is the one that made the request for assistance in the investigation. He's high enough up in security to justify HQ's agreement."
"A set up? What do you mean?" Ford inquired.
"I mean, we were called there to bring Slick and/or Ghost into the open to be taken hostage. Whoever was behind getting Abraham to ask for help knew that we wouldn't take guns into a fire. The computer problems were an additional ruse to get Slick isolated. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that he would be handling that aspect. By establishing a tight time frame, it insured we would be spread out and unable to protect them. They also counted on Slick going quietly to prevent one of us from getting injured. If they had weapons, we would have been in trouble if we had arrived in time to save them."
"How do we find them?"
"We're going to have to review every piece of information we have and try to make the connections. Kincaid has already arranged for surveillance on Abraham. It's possible someone will contact him now that his part is done. We're going to have to dig into the lives of the people whose names we have, and hope we find something that makes sense."
"And if that's not enough?" Tim asked.
"We'll find them, Indy," McKinnon vowed. "And, if there is any way to do it, Ghost will attempt to escape or get some kind of message to us. Now, let's get to work. Scout, Indy, I need a word with you."
"Are you familiar with truth drugs?" Smith queried, as Keller prepared an injection. "It's amazing what people will say under their influence."
Rodriguez stared at him impassively. He knew he would be immune to the effects of the drug. While not common practice among the Outriggers, in certain instances members had to acquire a tolerance to the truth serums. Rodriguez had undergone the process prior to undertaking an extremely risky mission. He worried about Lucas: not because it would make the teenager talk; he knew Lucas would resist as long as possible. However, he knew the young man would feel guilty about it afterwards.
"I'm not going to bother with you, Mr. Rodriguez. I'm sure you have been well prepared for this eventuality. But Mr. Wolenczak has no cause for such immunity. I'm sure that, with a little CDT in his system, he will all too happy to tell me every secret he has," Smith remarked rather cheerfully.
"Go to hell," Lucas told him, although, for the first time, he felt a glimmer of hope. As long as he could remained focused on his goal, this could work out.
"Not yet, I'm afraid. You do know the success rate of CDT, don't you? Less than two percent of recipients can resist its influence."
Rodriguez watched as Keller finished preparing the injection and wondered if there was anything he could do to stop it. This was going to be worse than watching Lucas getting beat up in Tarsinia. Having to see the teenager forced to betray the team was more than he wanted to bear, mainly because he understood how Lucas would feel about it.
"Trust me," Lucas whispered under his breath, hoping Rodriguez heard him.
"I know that you want to contact seaQuest and I don't blame you, but I can't allow it," McKinnon informed Tim and Ford.
"Why not?" Ford asked. He knew that Bridger would want to know about this.
"Right now, the only thing we have going for us is keeping things quiet. If you notify Bridger, he'll want to know what we're doing. There's no telling who else might find out. We're dealing with someone who understands how we operate. We need to keep things as covert as possible."
"I have to disagree."
"I'm sure you do," McKinnon stated. "However, I know if we notify Bridger, he is not going to sit and wait for us to handle it. He's going to want to do what he can. We get too many people asking questions, someone's going to figure out what we're doing. The longer we keep them guessing, the better our chances. Give me forty-eight hours and then I'll let you call."
"I don't like it."
"Ice, can you give us a minute?" Tim questioned softly.
"Of course."
"You agree with her?" Ford queried, when McKinnon had left.
"Yes. I've seen them in action. They will do everything in their power to rescue them. If Ice thinks we're better off not contacting seaQuest, then she's probably right. They have more experience with this type of situation. And you know it will only create a panic on the boat."
"I don't like it."
"I'm not keen on it either, Sir. But I've learned to trust their judgment. If Ice thought there was anything to gained by informing seaQuest, she'd be doing it right now."
"What if she's wrong?"
"She'll feel really bad about it. When we were in Tarsinia, she gave me a choice of contacting seaQuest before the rescue attempt or after. The fact Ice is not doing that now convinces me that this is what she thinks is best for Lucas and Ghost."
"Okay. I'll go along with it," Ford consented reluctantly.
"Besides, Sir, I think she was only explaining her reasoning as a courtesy. If we disagree, there's probably a rule that lets her hold us without access to communications," Tim pointed out.
A moment of thought was all Ford needed to decide the lieutenant was probably right. "Thirty-six hours," he told McKinnon, when they returned to the room.
"Thirty-six it is," she accepted. If the circumstances had not been so serious, the commander would have smiled. She had offered forty-eight on the assumption that Ford would try to get some control over the situation by negotiating the time frame. McKinnon knew that their best hope was that Lucas and Rodriguez would find their own way out of their predicament. They really had no place to start.
Rodriguez woke up slowly to the realization that he was handcuffed to a chair. After Lucas had vomited on Smith the second time, the man had slapped the teenager rather hard and then told Keller to drug both of them. Lucas not answered any of Smith's questions, at least, not with anything that made sense. Ten minutes into the session, the young man had thrown up and Smith had been standing close enough for Lucas to hit the man's shoes. The second time it happened, Rodriguez felt confident Lucas had done so on purpose. They had handcuffed Lucas to a chair as well, but the teenager was still unconscious.
As he watched the boy, Rodriguez tried to understand what was going on. The situation had been carefully orchestrated, but he did not know what Smith hoped to accomplish. What frightened him the most was the sense that Lucas understood what was happening. Smith was obviously into mind games of some sort. If he wanted the entire team, why hadn't he tried to take them at the fire? Nothing connected properly. Rodriguez decided it would help if he could think more clearly. He did not know what they had given him, but it was strong.
"We found little at the site, Ice," Ryan informed McKinnon, when she and the others returned. "No sign of their entrance or exit."
"Figured as much. They knew we would search the scene. You talk to the firemen?"
"They saw nothing unusual, but what did you expect? It was the perfect situation. Plenty of activity and people moving in and out. And we suspect they were drugged. I did find two empty cartridges," Ryan added, holding up a bag. "Thought Einstein might recognize them or we can have them tested. It would explain why we didn't hear anything when they left. Ghost and Slick would not have been able to protest. What have you learned?"
"I think it was a set up from the beginning," McKinnon answered, quickly explaining what had happened while the others had stayed at the scene of the fire.
"Hopefully, Ghost can get them out of there without risking their lives too much," Ryan said, when McKinnon finished. "I'm surprised you got him to agree to thirty-six."
"I think it was more Indy's willingness to go along than anything else"
"I just hope we live up to his faith in us."
"Me too."
"It's not your fault, Ice."
"I know. But it doesn't make me any happier with the situation."
"How are Einstein and Columbus handling it?"
"I finally got them to stop rehashing how they could have reacted faster."
"It's a tough one. They were too far away. If they had been sooner, it could have turned bad very fast."
"I know. They'll feel better when we get them back."
"We all will, Ice."
Lucas opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the darkness. He spotted Rodriguez, sitting across from him. It looked like the other man was unconscious. Doing a quick inventory of their situation, Lucas breathed a sigh of relief when he realized they had been allowed to keep their shoes on.
Hearing a noise outside the door, the teenager closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Seconds later, Keller and another man entered the room. Lucas guessed it was one of their other captors, but did not open his eyes to verify his assumptions.
"They're both still out of it," the man said.
"I want to keep it that way," Keller responded. "This should keep them quiet through the night," she added. Lucas forced himself to stay relaxed through the injection, even though his first instinct was to fight it.
"No. I don't recognize it," Karneering told Ryan, when she showed him what they had found on site.
"Well, I don't know if it will do any good, but we'd better send it to the lab."
"That's all you can do."
"Einstein, there's nothing you could have done," Ryan commented quietly.
"If I…"
"The 'what ifs' aren't going to solve this," Ryan informed him. "And it could have turned out worse if you had shown up sooner. We don't know what happened. Trust me, I know how you feel."
"Thanks, Sunshine. Maybe you can go make Columbus feel better about it."
"It's going to work out. Ghost knows how to handle himself and Slick's pretty smart too."
"I know. I still wish it was me."
"Well, it's not. All we can do is focus on finding them."
Lucas waited several long minutes, after Keller and the man left again, before opening his eyes. The drug was strong, but he willed himself to fight the effects. There would be plenty of time for sleep later. Testing his restraints, Lucas breathed another sigh of relief; they were designed to prevent someone from slipping their hand through, but still loose enough around the wrist. All Lucas had to do was get his fingers aligned correctly to slip one off. From there, it would not be too difficult; the designer had always assumed there was no need for safety measures once the handcuffs were on the individual.
Concentrating, with great difficulty, Lucas managed to free his left hand, dislocating his thumb in the process. Reaching for his right hand, Lucas pressed the release mechanism, shaking his head at the ease and freed his other hand.
Rodriguez woke up in time to witness Lucas slipping his thumb back into joint. The sight enough to give him pause for a moment, then he realized that the teenager's hands were no longer restrained. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"Getting us out of here," Lucas replied calmly.
"How did you do that?"
"You don't want to know, Ghost," Lucas answered. "And we really don't have time to talk. They came in and gave us some more drugs. They won't be back for several hours."
"How are we getting out of the room? The door's locked."
"The window's not," Lucas observed, kneeling behind Rodriguez to free his hands. "Franklin apparently hasn't learned anything."
"Who?" Rodriguez queried, trying to turn his head to look at the teenager.
"The doctor," Lucas mumbled, still working.
"You mean Keller?"
"That's what I said."
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea; we do have a lot of drugs in our system," Rodriguez commented. He was not so concerned for himself, but for Lucas. He feared the teenager might not be up to breaking out.
"It's the best time to do something like this. They don't expect it. Besides, Ghost, it's going to take a lot more than they've given us to make me hang around here."
"How high up are we?"
"They were nice enough to put us on the ground floor. I'm surprised Franklin doesn't know any better."
Rodriguez turned to face Lucas, staring into his eyes. He did not like what he saw. Lucas had a far away look, like he was not fully concentrating on the world around him. "What did they give us? Do you know?" he queried.
"Cocktail of some kind."
"Cocktail?"
"Sorry. They gave us more than one type of drug. It tends to leave you more lethargic than if they just use one," Lucas elaborated, moving to the window. "This would be easier with some tools," he mumbled, examining it.
"Should I even ask how you know what you're doing?" Rodriguez asked, unable to comprehend what was going on. His thoughts were too fuzzy to let him do much beyond watch, yet Lucas appeared to be remarkably focused on what he was doing. Rodriguez found the teenager's detachment rather unnerving.
Lucas ignored the question; he was too busy searching for something he could use to pry the screen off. "You'd think they'd be a little more security conscious," he muttered to himself. He finally found something he could use: a metal strip that ran down the side of the window. It was sturdy, but flexible and he was able to get it to break off.
"Be careful," Rodriguez hissed at him. Lucas gazed down at the cut on his hand -the metal had slipped at the last minute-but decided it was not that serious and kept working.
"Slick…." Rodriguez did not like the way this was progressing at all.
"It's nothing. I have enough drugs in me not to care anyway," Lucas remarked. "And this beats having to put my hand through the window," he continued, managing to the get the screen off, "which is why the screen is on the inside," he added. "However, it makes it easier on us, so I can't complain."
"Slick, are you feeling all right?"
"Ghost, I'm fine. Told you the window was unlocked. You want to go first?"
"Sure," Rodriguez agreed, wanting nothing more than to get out of the room and to safety. He looked around the outside, glad to see that they were actually on a street and not away from the city. The building was not in an isolated area; it gave them better protection. If they could get to a main road, they could find a phone and call McKinnon. "There's a little drop," he told Lucas.
Lucas looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it."
"Okay." Rodriguez found the window a tight fit, but managed to get out. He was glad Lucas had a smaller build, so it would easier for the teenager.
Lucas swore a little when he had to put pressure on his hand to hoist himself through the window. He could tell it had started bleeding again, but did not allow himself the luxury of paying too much attention to it. The teenager just kept reminding himself to stay focused on the important details, the primary one being to get away from the place. Lucas recognized that he was about three steps away from losing control and he knew he could not afford to do that just yet. "Let's go. I don't want to be anywhere around here when they do bed check," Lucas encouraged Rodriguez, pulling him forward.
"I'm with you on that one. You would think they would have guards posted," Rodriguez mused.
"Ghost, they gave us enough drugs to sedate an elephant. They did that so they wouldn't have to watch us closely. Neither one of us should be conscious much less functioning."
"Why are we?"
"Adrenaline does funny things; you should know that."
"You're going to explain this to me when I'm sober, I hope," Rodriguez informed him.
"Sure."
McKinnon surveyed the team and wondered if it was time to take a break. They had stopped briefly for dinner, but even that had been a silent affair. Lucas and Rodriguez had now been missing for eight hours and they were no closer to finding them. McKinnon knew if Lucas and Rodriguez managed to escape on their own, it would most likely happen in the first twelve hours, while both still had the energy to do so. Not knowing who had them, or what kind of treatment they were receiving, made it hard to figure out what action the duo might take.
Everyone in the room jumped when McKinnon's pager sounded, breaking the silence. "Maybe it's Kincaid with some news," Ryan speculated hopefully.
"I hope so," Tim sighed. He was worried about them. This was worse than last time. In Tarsinia, they had known where the hostages were located. They had been able to plan a rescue. Right now, it felt like they were not doing much of anything.
Ford nodded his agreement. "We could use some good news," he commented. Like Tim, he found the waiting unbearable. Every time he thought about Lucas being held hostage at some unknown location, he cringed. He knew they were all doing what they could, but it did not seem like enough.
For the first time since it had all started, McKinnon smiled. "They got out on their own," she announced.
"What?!" Ryan exclaimed.
"I don't know anyone else who would page me with 'ET phone home' and an address," McKinnon responded. "Plus, Ghost included the pick up code. Einstein, Indy, Scout and Sunshine, you're with me. The rest of you are going to wait here for us. We will go armed. We have no idea what kind of situation we're walking into or how far they are from where they were held. Our primary concern is to get them out of there safely."
"Do you realize that everyone thinks we're drunk?" Rodriguez remarked to Lucas, as they sat on a park bench. Rodriguez was not sure how far they had walked; everything had blurred together. He had wanted to put considerable distance between them and their captors. Lucas seemed to be handling his drugged state much better, which concerned Rodriguez immensely, mainly because he was afraid of the implications.
"Everyone in the park is drunk or stoned," Lucas pointed out. "It makes it perfect for us. We went into a restaurant or something we would stand out."
"True. Why are you so calm about this?"
"It just comes with the territory, I guess."
"Why didn't they disguise Keller? Why introduce her to us?"
"I would have identified her anyway," Lucas answered candidly.
"What do you mean?" Rodriguez found that he was suddenly more alert than he had been in awhile.
"She used to be a receptionist for my doctor," Lucas replied vaguely, trying to cover up his admission. "I only saw her about three times though."
"Really?"
"Yeah. How long do you think it will take for Ice to arrive?"
"I have no idea, Slick. I'm not sure how far away we are from them. They'll take a few minutes to get their gear together."
"Gear?"
"Yeah. You don't think they're going to come down here unprepared, do you? Even though I used the pick up code, Ice will still be cautious."
"Guess that makes sense."
"Let me see your hand," Rodriguez commanded, suddenly remembering Lucas had cut it during their escape. When Lucas proved reluctant to produce it, Rodriguez reached over and grabbed it. "Doesn't look too bad," he commented, examining it. "The bleeding's stopped. Does it hurt?"
"Not really."
"I don't suppose Ice is going to let us go to sleep right away," Rodriguez sighed. He knew they would have to answer questions. He just wasn't sure how much good he was going to be when the adrenaline wore off. "Slick, you're not looking so hot," he noted.
"I think I'm going to be sick again," Lucas told him, standing up to find a garbage can. He returned a few minutes later, after stopping by a water fountain.
"You okay?" Rodriguez inquired, hoping McKinnon and the rest arrived soon. Staying focused was becoming increasingly difficult and Rodriguez knew they needed to stay alert.
"Just peachy, Ghost. I've been taken hostage, again. Drugged, given truth serum, threw up twice, drugged again, chained to a chair, drugged yet again, cut my hand escaping and now I've thrown up in a public park where people think I'm drunk!" Lucas recited.
"I see your point. I'm still impressed we were able to get out. That was nice work, Slick," Rodriguez complimented him.
"Fra…" Lucas started, then stopped before he made the mistake again. "Keller underestimated us," Lucas corrected himself. "She didn't think I'd learned anything since she last saw me."
"You want to explain that one?" Rodriguez inquired.
"Explain what? You think they'll be here soon?"
"I hope so." Rodriguez was impressed that ,even heavily medicated, the teenager could change the subject with ease.
"This is the address he gave?" Karneering questioned McKinnon.
"Yes," McKinnon replied, surveying the park. "It makes sense actually. Public place with room to run if necessary."
"You'd think it would be less populated at this hour," Tim commented.
"Not really, Indy. This is apparently where all the drunks and druggies hang out," Ryan noted.
"We're not going to find them standing around. Let's start walking," McKinnon decided. "Just be careful."
"Ghost?"
"Yes, Slick?"
"I'm cold."
"Next time bring a jacket," Rodriguez told him.
"I wasn't planning on hanging out at the park when I left this morning."
"I know. Ice will be here soon," Rodriguez assured him. He was growing more and more concerned about Lucas' reaction to their situation. The teenager seemed too calm, like he was struggling to maintain control. Remembering the young man's panic back with Smith and Keller made Rodriguez believe that Lucas was trying to bury his true feelings about what was going on. "You going to be sick again?" he asked, noticing that Lucas had grown rather pale.
"Don't worry," Lucas reassured him. "CDT always has this affect on me. I'm good for another six or seven hours of this."
"You've had CDT before?" Rodriguez quizzed.
"Excuse me," Lucas mumbled, standing up abruptly.
"I think I see them," Ford said, pointing to a bench away from most of the rest of the park.
"I think you're right. Let's get a little closer and make sure it's them," McKinnon instructed.
"It's them," Ryan confirmed. "I don't think we should sneak up on them. It might make them freak out a little bit."
"That's very true, Sunshine."
"I hope they get here soon," Lucas grumbled. "I really want to take a shower."
"Me too," Rodriguez agreed. "Unfortunately, I don't think Einstein's going to want to let us do that right away. He'll want to check us out, run blood tests…."
"No hospital," Lucas pleaded, cringing at the thought of having to go to a hospital.
"No hospital," Rodriguez promised softly. "I'm not keen on the idea myself, Slick." A high pitched whistle interrupted their conversation. "Ice is here. They must be close by. She didn't want to scare us. I suppose she thinks I'm going to answer her," he mumbled. He gave a half-hearted attempt, lacking sufficient energy to necessary for a full effort.
"Are you two okay?" McKinnon questioned, as soon as they had gathered around Lucas and Rodriguez.
"That depends on your definition of okay," Rodriguez answered. "They pumped us full of drugs."
"What kind of drugs?" Karneering inquired, moving to get a closer look.
"Some kind of cocktail," Lucas replied, getting the same puzzled look from the five as Rodriguez had given him earlier. "A mixture of medications. Most likely sedatives, anti-depressants, sleep enhancers, you know, a little of everything."
Karneering glanced at Rodriguez and raised a questioning eyebrow and received a shrug in response. Rodriguez could tell the doctor had the same concerns he had, but now was not the place to discuss it.
"Oh, and I got a nice healthy dose of CDT," Lucas concluded.
"They figured I'd have tolerance, so they gave it to him," Rodriguez explained.
"Did you…" McKinnon started.
"No. They learned nothing from it. Except not to stand so close to Slick."
"I'm allergic to CDT. It makes me throw up," Lucas elaborated.
"We need to get them checked out," Karneering told McKinnon. "Judging from their eyes, I'd say we're lucky they're able to sit upright and converse in a rational manner."
Lucas moved closer to Rodriguez, not liking what he was hearing.
"You want to take them to a hospital?" McKinnon asked.
"No," Rodriguez interrupted. "You'll have to do it back at home base."
"Ghost…" Karneering started.
"All we need is to have time to let the drugs get out of our systems," Rodriguez argued, feeling Lucas starting to shake next to him. "Ice?"
"It's the doctor's call, Ghost," McKinnon reminded him.
"I think you better make a decision soon," Ford commented, noticing that Lucas had grown visibly paler.
"No hospital," Rodriguez said firmly. He had promised Lucas and he was going to hold to it. The thought of a hospital obviously terrified the teenager and Rodriguez thought Lucas had been traumatized enough for one day.
"Why don't we get you two in the car and discuss this more there," McKinnon suggested.
"We're going to settle it now," Rodriguez informed her. "I'm not moving otherwise."
"Ghost, don't be obstinate," Karneering requested. "It's really the best place for both of you. Think of Slick's health even if you won't think of your own."
"That's precisely why we're not going to the hospital," Rodriguez responded tersely. "In case you haven't noticed, Slick is on the verge of hyperventilating."
"Einstein, I think Ghost may be right," Tim interjected. He had sat down on the other side of Lucas when they arrived. "Every time you say the word, he gets more agitated."
"All right," Karneering conceded. A quick study of the teenager confirmed that he was not looking well at all. There was a panicked expression on his face and it was obvious that something had him frightened. "But I'll have to stop and get some supplies. I didn't exactly come prepared for this kind of emergency."
"Thank you."
"Can you two walk?"
"How do you think we got here?" Rodriguez inquired.
"I'm not real sure," Karneering answered. "But I have a feeling adrenaline played a heavy role."
"And I thought it was fear," Lucas mumbled, letting Tim help him stand up. He was having trouble focusing now.
"What did he do to his hand?" Tim queried, when Lucas winced at his touch.
"Hey, that's right; I cut it," Lucas remarked.
"Let me see," Karneering ordered. "You should have bandaged it."
"There wasn't time and it didn't hurt," Lucas told him.
"Okay," Karneering said. He could not wait to run some blood tests and find out what they had been given. He also had a strong suspicion that both were going to lose all coherence before they ran through the course of the drugs. Right now, they were suppressing the worst effects, but eventually they would emerge. "Scout, I think it might easier if you simply carried him," he recommended.
"Certainly," Ford agreed. He lifted the teenager before Lucas could offer any protest. It was a testament to his weakened state that the boy did not complain. The commander was glad to be able to do something, even if all he could do was carry Lucas. Ford noticed the bruise on Lucas' cheek. "What happened to his face?" he questioned, shifting Lucas so that Karneering could take a look.
"Mr. Smith was not happy when Slick threw up on him," Rodriguez replied.
"I think it was the second time that ticked him off," Lucas remarked.
"It may have been your answer to his last question," Rodriguez told him.
"You could be right," Lucas agreed.
"I think the detailed fashion commentary did him in."
"If he wanted straight answers, he shouldn't have given me drugs."
"This sounds very interesting," Ryan commented. "But we can continue it when we get on the road?"
"Sunshine's right," Karneering chimed in. If Rodriguez was going to be so insistent about not going to a hospital, he wanted to get them back and settled.
"Ice?" Karneering spoke quietly, as they left the park. "You had better ask any questions you have on the way back. They're both fading fast and they're going to go down hard when they have a chance to relax."
"Kind of figured as much," McKinnon remarked. "You really okay with not going to the hospital?"
"I can deal with it, although Ghost better have a good reason for his objections."
"You okay, Ghost?" Ryan asked Rodriguez . She was helping him walk, since he seemed to have trouble traversing in a straight line.
"I'll be all right. Mainly I just need some sleep."
"Just don't fight with Einstein when we get back. You don't want to set a bad example."
"Sure, I do."
"Here, I think they both might need these," Karneering said, passing out blankets.
Tim took one and wrapped it around Lucas, who was sitting next to him. Actually, he was leaning on Tim more than sitting. Rodriguez took his blanket and refused to let anyone help him get settled.
"Sunshine, can you drive?" McKinnon asked. "I need to talk to them while they're still conscious."
"You got it. Einstein, you'll have to tell me where to go."
"I have no idea. Ice?"
"I'll call Kincaid. He'll arrange something for us. Once I get him, you can tell him what you need."
"Good," Karneering responded, knowing that having the admiral take care of arranging supplies would make it much easier.
Minutes later, McKinnon sat down next to Rodriguez , behind Lucas, Tim and Ford. "Okay, I need to ask you guys some questions. I know you're tired, but I can't wait."
"We were held by Mr. Smith and Doctor Keller," Rodriguez told her, anticipating what she wanted. "Smith isn't his real name, but he had ours. They were after Slick. I was just an added bonus."
"Keller was his real name?" McKinnon interrupted.
"She, and yes. Don't have a first name."
"Why would they give you her name?" Ford inquired.
"Vanessa," Lucas interjected, after some thought.
"What?" McKinnon asked, not following his train of thought.
"Her first name."
"Slick has seen Doctor Keller before," Rodriguez explained.
"Really?"
"She was into drugs back then, too. More recreationally though."
"Okay," McKinnon drew the word out and stared at Lucas, wondering if it was just the drugs or something else that was causing him to respond in this manner. "Do you know where you were held?" McKinnon queried, moving on.
"We didn't stop to look at the sign. I got the cross streets and it was an abandoned medical clinic or something. Smelled like a hospital."
"Oh," McKinnon said, understanding. She watched as the word made Lucas tense up and lean into Tim a little more.
Tim just slipped an arm around the teenager to reassure him that he was safe. The lieutenant could feel Lucas shaking and suspected it had nothing to do with the temperature. He wished McKinnon did not have to go through this right now, even though he understood why she was doing it.
"Now you do you understand?" Rodriguez asked McKinnon, who nodded.
"What did they want?" McKinnon continued her questioning.
"To know where the team was."
"Why not take all of us?"
"No idea. There were only five of them: not enough to take all of us peacefully."
"How did you get out?" Tim interrupted. This was what he really wanted to know and he suspected they were all anxious to hear the answer.
"That wasn't my doing. Slick handled most of it," Rodriguez informed them, getting surprised looks from the other three.
"Slick?"
"The restraints they were using don't require a key once you get your hands free. They have a release mechanism. I got my hand free and that was all I needed."
"How did you get your hand free?" Ford quizzed, trying to imagine it.
"It's just a matter of aligning your fingers right, then, with a little maneuvering, they'll slide out," Lucas explained, hoping no one would ask for further details. "Then Fran…" Lucas stopped, trying to remember what he was going to say next.
"They locked the door, but they left the window unlocked," Rodriguez continued for him. "The screen was on the inside; I still don't understand that one. Once it was off, we climbed out. We were on the first floor."
"I explained that to you earlier. It's to prevent people from putting their hands or feet through the windows in order to break out," Lucas reminded him. "Besides, the lock wouldn't have been that big of a problem. It was just a Guardian 656," he continued, oblivious to the looks the others were sending in his direction.
"A Guardian 656?" McKinnon repeated.
"A lower end lock produced by Aegis. One of their earlier efforts. All you need is a screwdriver to take care of it. There was probably something in the room that would have worked. But I assumed that, uh, that uh," Lucas paused a moment, trying to regain his thought, "that Smith and Keller might have actually had someone waiting in the hall. Plus, there would have been other doors and they might have had trickier locks, although I kind of doubt since they were still using Guardians. I would have thought they'd have at least gone to the Sentry series."
Rodriguez looked at McKinnon and shook his head, telling her not to pursue the topic any further. McKinnon nodded in agreement; she did not know what to ask in any case. With a last glance at Lucas, McKinnon continued asking the rest of her questions, sensing that there was more to this story than she was hearing at the moment.
"Ice?" Ryan called out, ten minutes later.
"Yes?"
"We're going to stop so Einstein can get his supplies."
"All right. Einstein, do you need help?" McKinnon inquired.
"Most likely."
"Okay. We'll be back," McKinnon told the others; she wanted a chance to talk to Karneering privately.
"You okay?" Tim questioned Lucas. He already had his own opinion on the subject, but he wanted to hear what Lucas had to say.
"I'll be fine," Lucas assured him. "Just really tired."
"It's been a long day," Tim commented. He glanced at Ford and saw the same disbelief in the commander's eyes that he felt. "We'll be back soon. You can get some rest then."
"Uh huh."
"Well?" McKinnon questioned Karneering, as they walked to the emergency room Kincaid had directed them to.
"I'm not sure, Ice. Rodriguez's reactions are well within normal for someone who has been drugged. Slick's responses are a little off kilter. He's too calm, almost detached, about the whole thing. It's as if he's watching it, instead of experiencing it."
"You did hear the part about the hospital?"
"Yes. Ghost was right. Hospital would be the worst place for him right now."
"They'll be okay?"
"They just need to get the drugs out of their system, and Slick's probably dehydrated if he's been vomiting a lot, which is another reason I need to get better supplies. I'm going to have to put him on an IV. It will help flush his system a little faster, I hope, as well as getting some extra liquid in him throughout the time he's sleeping."
"You putting one in Ghost?"
"Yes."
"He's going to love that. I think I'll let Irish assist with that little chore."
"No, I expect you to be there, bearing all your weight as his commanding officer. I'm going to need all the help I can get."
"Won't the vomiting get rid of the drugs faster?" McKinnon queried, changing subjects as the thought occurred to her.
"Not necessarily. Nausea and vomiting are two of the most common side effects in medicines. Most drugs are designed not to leave the system in that fashion. They absorb into the tissue at a faster rate and you just have to wait for them to wear off. Plus, some medications are time release type drugs. They're formulated to stay with you over several hours. And I sincerely hope someone gets an explanation of Slick's seeming familiarity with the use of multiple drugs on a person."p> "You noticed that too?"
"Yes. It was kind of hard not to."
"There's something else going on," McKinnon sighed.
"Here, I want you to drink a little of this," Karneering told Lucas, handing him a bottle of water. "Not too much or you'll get sick. Same with you," he instructed Rodriguez . McKinnon had taken his place up front, so that the doctor could keep an eye on Lucas and Rodriguez.
Tim took the bottle out of Lucas' hands, since the boy was still shaking. He held it to the teenager's lips, so that he could get a few swallows.
Rodriguez managed on his own, not wanting any aid. He had the feeling that he needed to assert his independence while he could. Rodriguez knew that once they were fully under Karneering's supervision, he would have no choice but to follow orders.
"He was sick again while you were inside," Ford informed Karneering quietly, with a nod in Lucas' direction.
"Thanks for telling me. One of you went with him?"
"I did," Ford admitted. He knew that Lucas had been hugely mortified by his presence, but there had not been much choice. "He doesn't have anything in his stomach."
"Well, I don't imagine they were fed. The drugs tend to have a stronger effect on an empty stomach," Karneering observed. "Don't worry, Scout; he's going to be fine. They both are," he added, noting the concern on the commander's face.
"I know," Ford responded, although he appreciated the doctor's reassurance. As he realized that at some point, he was going to be explaining this to Bridger and Kristin, the commander could not decide which he feared more. Over all, he suspected the captain was going to be the more understanding of the two.
"Slick, I need you to tell me what type of allergy you have to CDT," Karneering requested. "Mild, moderate or severe?"
"Since I'm still breathing, I guess it's moderate," Lucas observed. "They gave me a large dose. It will take six or seven hours total to get out of my system, I think."
"When did you discover your allergy?"
"I was twelve, I think," Lucas answered, trying hard to remember.
"Twelve?" Karneering repeated, realizing that he must have gotten it right after CDT went on the market, which surprised him. "Who gave it to you?"
"A doctor," Lucas replied. He sensed from the expression on Karneering's face that this was not the right answer to have given.
"What kind of doctor?"
"A regular doctor."
"Any particular reason?"
"To tell you the truth, I don't really remember. The whole thing's kind of hazy. It made me rather ill at the time," Lucas answered, vaguely. All he recalled was being sick for several days afterwards and the sense that the doctor had not been pleased with the results. He had just been glad not to take anymore.
Rodriguez decided that Karneering had stayed on the topic longer than necessary for the moment. Lucas was starting to get a faraway look in his eyes again. Shifting his position, Rodriguez kicked the doctor in the leg.
"I'll give you something for the nausea when we get you settled. Just let us know if you need to stop before we get back," Karneering told Lucas, getting Rodriguez's hint.
"Don't worry, Einstein," Rodriguez reassured the doctor. "He seems to only puke on people he doesn't like."
"Thank you for that image," Karneering said, noting that Lucas had smiled at the comment.
"He has pretty could aim, too."
"I don't think they really want to see it, Ghost," Lucas informed him.
"Why not? I had to."
"It didn't kill you."
"And that's reason enough for me to be alone in this experience?"
Tim could feel Lucas starting to relax during the exchange and realized that was what Rodriguez wanted. "It's a sign of your deepening friendship," Tim remarked.
"Thank you for your input, Indy," Rodriguez grumbled.
"It's nice to see that, even in your drug induced states, your personalities don't change all that much," Karneering commented. "And I can't wait to have the two of you in the same room getting medical care."
"Thanks for the reminder, Einstein," Rodriguez complained.
"If you were more careful, you wouldn't need my expertise, would you?"
"I'll keep that in mind the next time someone points a gun at me and tells me I have to come quietly. I'm sure Smith would have let me stay if I had explained I didn't want to need a doctor afterwards."
"I'm sensing some hostility," Tim commented.
"I think he needs a nap," Lucas interjected.
"Like you're the model of alertness right now," Rodriguez retorted. "Face it; Slick, we're both basically stoned out of our minds right now."
"Basically that sums it up," Karneering agreed. The thought of what he was going to face when he started trying to treat both of them made the doctor cringe. Neither one liked needing medical attention.
Karneering had gotten a taste of Lucas' dislike after Tarsinia and he was extremely familiar with Rodriguez 's opinions on doctors and medical care. The thought of dealing with both while under the influence of an unknown spectrum of drugs left the doctor wishing he had chosen another profession.
Adamsen, Chandler, Dawson and Hallowell met them at the door. Ford was carrying Lucas again and Rodriguez had reluctantly consented to letting Karneering assist him in walking. "They all right?" Dawson asked.
"In a manner of speaking," Karneering replied. "Irish, I'm going to need your help," he added.
"Okay. What first?"
"For now, we're going to put them in their room," Karneering decided. "But I think we're going to have to set up one of the larger rooms for their care."
"Pick a room and we'll get bunks moved around," McKinnon instructed.
"Just give me a minute. Irish, you're probably going to have to help them change clothes. They've been heavily drugged and the adrenaline is rapidly wearing off. Indy, why don't you come along for this part?" Karneering suggested. "Medical reasons or not, I'm fairly confident neither one wants Ice involved in this particular part."
"You're probably right," Chandler agreed. The fact that Rodriguez was accepting help told him more than anything else the doctor might have said. He walked over to the man's other side and slipped an arm around Rodriguez so that Karneering could extricate himself. "Come on, Ghost," he prodded. "They must have given you something really powerful."
"Slow down, Irish. I'm already feeling dizzy enough."
"Sorry, Ghost."
"All right, we don't have any hospital gowns, so you'll have to get them into T-shirts and shorts. Give Slick one of Ghost's T-shirts, the looser the better," Karneering instructed Tim and Chandler once they had arrived that the room Lucas and Rodriguez were sharing. "They'll probably be able to manage on their own; just make sure they don't fall over. I'll go pick out a room with more space than this. We're going to need it."
Fifteen minutes later, Karneering had setup a makeshift hospital room in one of the storage areas. He figured the others would be in and out, visiting, over the next day and the doctor wanted to avoid overcrowding. He estimated that it would only take about twenty-four hours to get their systems cleaned out. Karneering also surmised that Lucas and Rodriguez would be quiet for about eight of those hours before both wanted to get out of bed. Rodriguez had already started being difficult.
"Ghost, I just want you to go down the hall," Karneering sighed. Chandler had already moved Lucas, but Rodriguez was arguing with him.
"I told you I would go, but I need to speak to Ice first."
"Why?"
"It's important, Einstein. And I need to talk to her privately," Rodriguez insisted. He had been giving this matter some thought and, having made a decision, he planned on acting on it. "I can't do that if I let you move me and you get that IV started."
"What IV?"
"I'm not stupid, Einstein; I know you're going to start one. I just need to a few minutes with Ice. Then I'll come quietly."
"Okay," Karneering consented. Once Rodriguez set his mind to something, there was no talking him out of it anyway "I'll give you ten minutes. I'll start on Slick in the meantime."
"Trust me; it's worth it."
"What's up?" McKinnon quizzed Rodriguez, entering the room. "Einstein says you're already balking and he hasn't done anything to you yet."
"I need to talk to you before I completely give in to these drugs and can't think straight."
"You're past that, Ghost, but I'm listening."
"You have to call Bridger and get him to come out here."
McKinnon stared at Rodriguez and sat down on the other bed. Of all the things she had expected to come out his mouth, this was not one of them. "Ghost, we're in the middle of a mission…"
"This is important, Ice."
"Why?"
"Our whole captivity was set up to scare the heck out of Slick. It was completely orchestrated. I think it worked better than he wants to let on. He was headed for a full scale panic attack when they brought the CDT out. Afterwards, it was like he was suppressing his reaction: like he knew if he gave into it, he was going to shutdown. If you ask me, Slick is headed for a major emotional meltdown and I don't think we can help even if he would let us."
"You think Bridger is the person that can?"
"Yes. If you try to send Slick back to seaQuest, he won't go. He won't even admit there's a problem. He's going to want to stay and help us figure things out. I don't really blame him. It's his life that someone's messed up. But something has him frightened and it's not going to stay buried forever. You didn't see him, Ice; I did. He was not acting normal."
"I'll figure out something to tell Bridger to get him here," McKinnon promised. The commander had known Rodriguez long enough to trust his judgment. "And Einstein also thinks that his reaction is a little odd, even under the circumstances."
"Thank you. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I just think he's the one person that can get through all the walls Slick has built up."
"You're going to have better luck trying it in my left arm. The veins in the right collapse if you don't get it just right. And I'm not keen on being a pin cushion," Lucas advised Karneering, who was preparing to start an IV on the teenager.
"You want to tell me what vein I should try?" Karneering inquired, with a trace of sarcasm.
"If you're interested," Lucas replied, pointing to a spot above his wrist.
"Why is your thumb swollen?" Chandler asked, noticing that the young man's left thumb was a little puffy.
"It got dislocated."
"We'll get ice on it momentarily," Karneering said, taking a look. He decided that he did not want to know how it had happened, at least not right now. He was not sure he wanted to listen to another one of Lucas' explanations. The doctor found the boy's detached manner extremely unsettling.
"It looks like Ice has corralled Ghost," Chandler commented, as McKinnon entered the room with Rodriguez.
"Good. I was afraid I might have to track him down," Karneering remarked, motioning Rodriguez to take the other bed. "We're almost done, Slick, and then I'll let you get some sleep. The nausea improving any?" he questioned, preparing to slide the needle in.
"Yeah. I don't feel sick any more," Lucas mumbled, tensing, as Karneering stuck him, and forcing himself to relax just as quickly.
"That's what I like to hear. Irish, why don't you let Indy and Scout come in?" Karneering suggested, adjusting the flow of the IV. "I'll have Ice help me with Ghost. And get an ice pack for his hand," he ordered.
"Okay," Chandler agreed.
"I just have one quick question for you before I get started," Karneering informed Rodriguez, once he had made sure Lucas was occupied by Tim and Ford.
"What is it? I'm getting really tired," Rodriguez responded.
"How did he dislocate his thumb?"
"I don't know, Einstein. I woke up just as he was putting it back into joint. I think it played a role in him getting his hand out of the cuffs though."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"I don't think I want to know any more. Okay, I'm going to take some blood, then I'm going to start an IV. It's mainly to help flush out your system and get some fluid and nutrients into you. You've had a lot of drugs put into your body, expended a lot of energy and you haven't had anything to eat in quite some time."
"As long as I can get some sleep, Einstein, I'm not really picky," Rodriguez said, tiredly.
"I need to find out what they gave you," Karneering teased, lightly. "This is the most cooperative you've been in ages."
"You doing all right?" Tim asked Lucas. He hated seeing the boy lying on the bed, looking so pale and vulnerable.
"I'll be fine, really," Lucas reassured him. "Einstein gave me something to stop throwing up, which was the worst part. Right now, all I need is some sleep."
"Then stop talking to us and rest," Ford instructed him with a smile. Like Tim, he found it hard to see Lucas like this. Ford could not remember seeing the teenager this subdued, except for the one visit he had paid him when he was in the hospital in Hawaii.
"Tell Ghost, thanks," Lucas mumbled, sleepily. He could tell the drugs were about overtake him completely.
"We will," Tim promised, hoping Rodriguez understood what he meant.
"Is he asleep?" Karneering asked Tim, who had walked over to relay Lucas' message to Rodriguez .
"Yes," Tim answered.
"Good. I suggest you and Scout do the same. He should be out of it for several hours and I'll need you both when he's bugging me to get out of bed."
"Okay. Ghost? He said to tell you 'thanks'," Tim reported to Rodriguez, who also looked on the verge of sleep.
Rodriguez nodded his head. "I promised him we wouldn't have to go to the hospital," he explained.
"Oh. I'll let you get some rest," Tim added, walking away. He could tell Rodriguez was not going to be awake much longer.
"Listen to him, Ghost," Karneering recommended. "Stop fighting it and let yourself sleep."
"You'll call?" Rodriguez prompted McKinnon.
"As soon as it's a reasonable hour. We don't want to create a panic," she agreed. "Now be a good patient and listen to your doctor."
"What was he talking about?" Karneering asked, following McKinnon out into the hall after Rodriguez had fallen asleep.
"I'm going to get Bridger to come out and pay us a visit."
"How come?"
"Ghost thinks that Slick's headed for some tough times that we can't handle. According to him, everything about their kidnapping was done in order to make Slick panic and it worked pretty well up to a point. Then, all of the sudden, Slick basically shutdown and detached himself from everything that was happening. From what I've seen, I think he's right. We don't know him well enough for him to really trust us," McKinnon responded.
"What about sending him back?"
"Do you honestly think he'd agree?"
"Sorry. I wasn't thinking. He's not the type to just walk away from this."
"And it's safe to say none of us would act any differently."
"True. I really wish he had not played with his file. I'd like to know a lot more about why any doctor was administering CDT to a twelve-year-old."
"I didn't think that was normal."
"No. And, from Slick's age, the drug would have been new on the market. I just don't understand it myself."
"So I assume you're not going to take the advice you're foisting on the rest of us," McKinnon commented.
"Which advice is that?"
"About getting some rest."
"I have two patients with unknown drugs in their systems. They both may have reactions later. I'm going to keep an eye on them and make sure there's no trouble. I don't think they should be left unattended."
"After I check in with Kincaid, I'll join you."
"Ice…"
"You can't do it alone," McKinnon argued.
"Neither can you," Ryan interjected. "Columbus and I will sit up with Einstein You will get some sleep. In a few hours, you, Indy and Casanova can take over for us. Irish, Scout and Brook will take the next turn. We're a team. Isn't it amazing what can be accomplished when we work together?"
"You're as bad as Ghost when you get the chance," McKinnon grumbled.
"Sunshine's right. And you want to be alert for your call a little later," Karneering reminded McKinnon.
"All right, all right. I'm not going to argue with you."
"That's a first. We had better write it down," Karneering joked.
"Careful, Einstein. I've had a long day."
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