What's Next? -- Chapter 22

Disclaimer:  The TV show Dark Angel, all of the characters that appeared on it (Max, Zack, Alec, etc.), and everything else that has to do with the show belong to their respective owners, not to me.  No money is being made off of this fic.  I only own the original characters (Becky/X6-405, etc.).

Dennis watched in almost awe as he saw the black-clad shadows that were Becky, Alec, Biggs, and Jeff move around, working silently and efficiently.  It shouldn't be long now.  Hopefully, we'll be out of here with Caroline soon!  "What time is it?" he asked Zack.

"It's just after eight," Zack replied.  "They've been working for about three hours now."  He suddenly looked towards the house as the other four headed towards himself and Dennis.  "Is everything set?"

"You guys are good to go in," Alec confirmed.  "The system has been disabled and the security cameras that they've got set up inside the house are looped so you're clear inside the house as well.  Just say the word."

"Good," Zack said.  "Becky and I will go in through the front entrance.  You three stay close in case of trouble and--"

"No." Dennis cut Zack off.  "I'm going in with you."

"Dennis, no," Zack said, his voice just as commanding as his father's.

"I'm going," Dennis repeated.  "Look, Zack, I'm not helpless.  It's not two transgenics in there that are holding Caroline, it's Lydecker and Caroline's ex-husband.  I spent several years in Special Forces just like they did.  I'm just as well trained as they are, if not even better.  Besides, they won't be expecting to see me in there with you.  They'll be expecting you and Becky.  The two of us can go in there from the front and Becky can sneak in through a side window.  We have one of the other guys in the Jeep monitoring us through the laptop that they brought with them and the other two stay outside as backup if we need it."  I need to do something to help Caroline.  I have to do something!

"That's as good of a plan as anything that we can come up with," Biggs pointed out.

"It is," Zack agreed.  "We'll go with your plan, Dennis."

"I'll monitor you guys from the Jeep," Jeff volunteered.

"We'll be your backup if you need it," Alec added.

"Then we're all set," Zack said.  "Let's move out."

The others nodded and they spread out.  Zack, Becky, and Dennis headed towards the front of the house, each of them checking their weapons along the way.  "Are both of you ready?" Dennis asked.

"As I'll ever be," Becky said.

"I'm good to go," Zack said.

"So am I," Dennis said.  He smiled.  "Good luck.  I love you both."  Zack and Becky both looked a little overwhelmed, but they both gave Dennis a hug.  Then the determined looks came back across their faces and Becky headed around to the side of the house and Zack and Dennis walked up to the front door.

"I can't tell you how much your visits brighten my day," Caroline said sarcastically to Patrick when he entered her room.  "It's almost as much fun as it was back when we were married."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Patrick replied in the same tone of voice.  "I was just hoping that we would have a talk."

Caroline snorted.  "A talk?  Yeah, right.  We don't have squat to talk about, Patrick."

"Can't a man have a talk with his ex-wife?" Patrick said innocently.

"Um...no," Caroline said.

"I am so hurt," Patrick said.

"You want to talk?  Fine.  Let's talk," Caroline said.  "Were you actually faithful to me at all at least during our marriage, never mind when we were dating before then?"

Patrick thought for a few moments and then shrugged.  I might as well be honest.  She's going to be dead in at most a few days anyway.  "I never was faithful.  I might have been for a few months about five years or so into our marriage, but that was only because I was between girlfriends at the time."

"What a fucking pig," Caroline said, disgusted.  Patrick started to reply, but then Lydecker came into the room.

"We've got a problem," he said.  "I saw somebody of about 599's height and size outside of the house."

Patrick swore as Caroline tried hard not to grin and laugh.  "Did you get a good look at his face?"

"It's too dark for a positive identification," Lydecker said.  "But I'm reasonably sure that it was 599.  Who else could it have been?"

It could be Dennis, Caroline thought.  Is he here?  Did he find me?

"He and 405 must have gotten through the security," Patrick said.  "They must have caught some lucky break."

"Well, they are my children," Caroline couldn't help bragging.

"It doesn't matter," Lydecker said.  He nodded to Patrick before taking a gun from the waistband of his jeans and holding it to Caroline's head while Patrick leaned down and untied the ropes that had been keeping Caroline restrained.  He kept the gun pointing right at her as he yanked her up and held her arm tightly and smiled a little as Patrick pulled out a gun of his own and pointed it at Caroline.  "None of you will be anything soon enough."  He nudged Caroline with the gun.  "We're going downstairs.  No sudden moves."

"I won't," Caroline promised.  She felt Lydecker's gun press against her left temple and Patrick's gun against the other side of her head and started to feel scared.  Oh my God, I can't get out of this.  Zack, Dennis, whoever it is, help me!

Becky silently opened the kitchen window and easily slid inside.  She closed the window and crept towards the living room, not making even the slightest of sounds.  They're on the stairs.  I count three pairs of footsteps.  She frowned and crouched down as she snuck into the room, staying close to the wall and in the shadows.  They've got guns drawn on her.  This is going to be tight.  She stopped behind a couch and waited.  Come on, guys, let's go...

Zack reached for the doorknob and silently turned it and pushed the door in and he and Dennis snuck inside the room.  They moved forward when suddenly a light turned on in the room.  Dennis blinked, but Zack didn't react at all.  Patrick and Lydecker and Caroline stood at the other end of the room.  Patrick stood to Caroline's right and Lydecker to her left, each of them with a gun pointing at Caroline's head and Lydecker's right arm wrapped around Caroline's neck to keep her still.  Zack frowned.  He would always lecture us about what is bad strategy and what is the correct strategy and yet he's the one who's physically restraining her?  She's a little taller than he is.  Nelson should be holding her.  Then again, if Lydecker isn't on top of his game, this could work out to our advantage.

"General Murphy," Lydecker said.  He sounded a little bit surprised.  "I didn't expect you to come along."

"I hate missing a good time," Dennis said coolly.  He and Zack took out their guns and aimed, Zack at Lydecker and Dennis at Patrick.  "Let her go now."

"Put those guns down now," Patrick countered.

"No," Zack said.  "I haven't taken orders from anybody since I was thirteen years old and I don't plan on taking up the habit again anytime soon."

"599..." Lydecker said warningly.

"No," Dennis commanded.

"Oh, do you think you're his commander now, General?" Lydecker said.  He raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm his father.  There's a difference," Dennis said.  "And I would never order my son to do anything, not in the way that you used to order him around.  And if you want to talk about commanders and issuing orders, I believe that I outrank both of you."

"Let her go," Zack said.

"No," Lydecker said.  He pressed his gun closer to Caroline's temple and Caroline couldn't help trembling a little bit.  "I think that you know me better than that, 599."

"And I think that you know me pretty well," Zack sneered.  "At least you like to claim that you do.  You know perfectly well that I can disarm you and get my mother away to safety."

"Can you?" Lydecker said.  "You would be able to disarm me before I can get a shot off, but what about Colonel Nelson?  At this close of a range, he would be able to make a lethal shot and Caroline will be dead before you have a chance to rescue her.  And let's say that he doesn't shoot Caroline.  What if he changes his mind and decides to shoot General Murphy instead?  No matter how good you are, 599, there is no way that you will be able to pull this one off without losing at least one of your...parents."

Zack tried to control his temper.  Damnit, he's right!  I fucking hate it when he's right.  I wish I knew exactly where Becky was.  He took a deep breath.  That's right, Zack, you still have Becky hidden.  You still have a shot!

Caroline tried to control herself as well.  He's right!  If I won't be the one to die, then Dennis will!  The pain at the thought was unbearable.  There has to be a way for all of us to get out of this!  There...  Something she glimpsed out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she tried to glance in that direction without attracting suspicion from either Lydecker or Patrick.  She saw what it was and managed to keep the expression on her face the same.  A second gun was sticking out of the waistband of Lydecker's jeans.  Perfect.

Zack was still trying to think of a plan when his mother caught his attention.  Though she still trembled, the look in Caroline's eyes changed from fear to determination.  She began to blink rapidly and Zack caught it.  He barely nodded and began to lightly scratch the side of his jeans with his free hand.  He saw Lydecker smirk, obviously thinking that Zack was getting frustrated.  If you only knew, you asshole...

Dennis kept his gun pointed steadily at Patrick and glanced over at Caroline again.  He managed to keep the expression on his face the same as he noticed the change in Caroline's eyes.  He briefly glanced over to Zack and figured out what was going on.  They're planning something.  I know they are.  He nodded to himself.  Whatever you guys are planning, I hope it works!

Lydecker smirked when he saw Zack apparently getting frustrated.  "It's not easy when you're not in control, is it, 599?  How many times have I told you when you were growing up that..."  He paused when he heard a faint scratching noise on the other side of the room and sighed in annoyance.  "Patrick, take care of the fucking mouse, will you please?"

"No problem," Patrick said.  He slowly walked over to the other side of the room and peeked over the couch when suddenly he was flying across the room, hitting the opposite wall with a thud and landing on the floor near Zack unconscious.  Lydecker swung his left arm around to shoot in Becky's direction, but Zack fired before he could, nailing Lydecker in the elbow and swinging him back around to the left.  Caroline pushed him back farther, grabbed his other gun, aimed, and fired.  Lydecker's body fell to the floor, a bullet hole in the side of his head.

Caroline looked down at Lydecker for a few moments, her expression unreadable, before she finally threw the gun to the floor.  "Thank goodness that's finally over."

"I agree," Dennis said.  He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her fiercely.  "Thank goodness that you're safe.  I thought I was going to lose you."

"Never," Caroline promised.  "Never."  Dennis nodded and then leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips.

Becky came out from her spot behind the couch and walked over to Zack and watched her parents kissing and smiled.  "Are we supposed to start gagging or applauding here?"  Zack rolled his eyes, but he also smiled.

Dennis and Caroline broke their kiss and Caroline went over to her older children and gave them each a hug.  "I was so worried about you two."

"We were worried too, Mom," Becky said.

"I'm happy that you're all right, Mom," Zack said.  "Becky and Dad and I were out of our minds."

"So am I," Caroline said.  She paused.  "You called me Mom."

"And you called me Dad," Dennis said.

"Yeah.  We did," Zack said.  He smiled again.  They hugged each other, finally truly feeling like a family.  The moment was interrupted by faint moaning from Patrick's direction.

Caroline rolled her eyes.  "He always knew how to spoil a good moment."

"I'm going to call the boys in," Becky said.  She took her cell phone out of her pocket.

"I'll wake his ass up," Zack said.  He walked over to Patrick and yanked him up into a sitting position.  "Rise and shine, asshole."

Patrick groaned and opened his eyes.  "What the hell is going on?  Where's Don?"

"Over there," Caroline said, gesturing to Lydecker's body.  "He's dead right now.  I'm sorry if that inconveniences you."

"Aww, shucks, we missed all of the fun," Alec said as he and Biggs and Jeff entered the house.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Becky said.

"What are you going to do to me now?  Kill me?" Patrick sneered.

Becky leaned down to his level and looked at him right in the eye, her voice icy cold.  "The last person who tried to set somebody in this family up to be killed ended up swallowing a bullet."  She smacked him again, knocking him out.

"Is he going to be swallowing a bullet?" Dennis asked.

Zack shook his head.  "No.  He'll swallow something else."  He took out his cell phone and dialed a number.  "Jondy.  Is Wayne available for the next few days?"  He paused.  "Okay, then, get Maggie and find another person or two to join you guys."  He nodded.  "Yeah, exactly.  Lake Tahoe.  Alec, Biggs, and Jeff will fill you in on the rest."  He disconnected the phone and put it away.  "He'll be taken care of."

Biggs nodded.  "We'll take care of the clean up and disposal here.  You guys get out of here.  We've got things covered."

"Thank you," Caroline said.  She, Dennis, Zack, and Becky left the house together.

TBC