The next couple of days were busy. First pack up all their personal stuff. It only took Sloan a little while, mostly jeans and tops. She fingered the two dresses she had asked them to buy for her. Tom had always liked her in a dress. She remembered how his eyes would skim over her legs. She had enjoyed it but the intensity of his gaze had always embarrassed her. He never stopped doing it though. He had once asked, "Do you want me to stop?" She had just said no and not explained. She liked the fact that he liked to watch her. If only he came back to her, she would tell him. She only wanted to hold him again.

Ed looked at the junk he had accumulated over the past weeks. Well, the video games and movies could go to a thrift shop. He would be too busy for them in the next few weeks. He gathered up his clothes and stuffed it into the carryall, Sloan had left his medical bag when they ran, but he didn't think he would need it. Everything else could stay. He didn't know how he collected things.

When they were ready, Mark met them in the living room. "All our equipment will be packed up and gone in two hours. We will hit her compounds just before dawn. Then we move out of here. Be ready at 5AM. Do you want us to take your equipment or will that come with you?

"Everything will go with your people except one of the computers. I want Ed to work on that file until the last minute. The information may be important. We will take our personal effects."

"Mark," Ed says, "I have collected a lot of stuff I don't need to take. Could it go to a thrift shop or something?"

"If you wish. Ray Patterson will be arriving sometime this evening. He will be taken to the warehouse. It is better if we do not bring him here."

"Very well," says Walter. "Have you decided what hook you will use to keep her attention away from us and concentrated on someone else?"

Mark gave a half smile. "We will tell her people that we want Lewis and give her 48 hours to produce him. It has been arranged that 24 hours later we will hit the biohazard lab. She should be unprepared. It is unlikely that she will be there. She has been much more cautious than that. It is now almost 5PM. I suggest you eat and sleep. It would be wise to rise at 3AM. Be sure you are ready."

The next 36 hours were the most nerve racking that Sloan had ever had. They left the hotel the way they arrived, and transferred to a panel truck at a private airport. To all appearances they had left the country. It was well past sun up when they reached the warehouse.

She was extremely busy and helped Ed with the inventory. This place was equipped! almost anything that you would have at a hospital, including some machines that were experimental in nature. Nexus had connections. A complete lab for doing blood work and a complete computer set up. There were places for almost 30 patients and living quarters for up to five times that many personnel. A lot like a barracks though, bathrooms and showers were communal like a dorm rather than individual. There even was a cafeteria area. The warehouse was so large that even with all this there was a vast amount of room left. The second story had been turned to a war room again. No one could get in or out without detection

She wore the knife constantly now, fearing that was her only link to Tom, even sleeping with it. The closer the time came to leave the more fearful she became. She swallowed her fear and worked on, until Mark came to her and told her to sleep. They would be leaving just after midnight and she must rest if she was to come.

Mark felt her fear and that she pushed it aside to work. He was surprised that a human woman could be so strong in the face of such fear, but he perceived that the fear was only for Tom. Apparently she could be stronger for someone else than she could be for herself. He shook his head in amazement.

Shortly before midnight someone shakes her awake. "Get dressed. We're leaving soon."

She dresses quickly, jeans, T-shirt and shoes and the ever-present knife. She rides in a panel truck with some members of the strike team and Walter and Ray. How could Walter come on a combat mission in a suit?

He saw the way Sloan looked at him and says, "Sloan, I've been shot at for many years wearing a suit. I'm not going to stop now, besides it's what I feel comfortable in."

"Ray, how's your family? You know, I've missed you."

"They're fine. You know, Matt hadn't been there a day when he got a broken arm. He was wrestling with one of the kids there and got it broke. It was an accident but Grace was upset for a while. Him and the kid who broke it are now best friends. How come grown-ups can't get along like kids?"

Sloan smiled. "Because grown-ups are supposed to know better, I guess. Maybe we should let kids run the world. They couldn't do a worse job."

"Maybe you're right."

"So how's Grace?"

"She was worried and scared for a while, especially since they burned our house. But she learned that there are all kinds of people in the world, good and bad, even among Dominants."

"Yes, but especially among humans. A lot of bad", she buried her face in her hands and tried not to cry.

He put his hand across her shoulders and patted her back. "Don't worry, everything will be all right."

Eventually the trucks come to a stop. She gets out and sees men getting into helicopters in the black of night. The dominants don't need any light and someone comes to her side to make sure she gets in safely. She rides with Walter and Ray as well as a 5-man strike team

She sees the lights go on. They are preparing to land. They land in a glade, surrounded by trees. Walter and Ray leave with Mark and the other troop members. She sits and waits in the dark helicopter surrounded by the Dominant troops that guard the helicopters. She tries to control her fear.

Walter and Ray go in with Mark and 4 5-man teams each member carries a mini-machine gun and each team has a medic. They work their way up beside the waterfall on the side of a hill. With the bluelights they carried they could see their way and not interfere with the Dominants night sight. The entrance to the cave at the top of the waterfall was close and small. They had to enter one at a time although it opened up afterwards. They splashed in the cold water to come to a metal grating cutting them off from the rest of the cave. With a heavy crowbar, the gate on the grating is snapped. The sound echoes through the cave.

They continue in the water until they come to a steel door set in the side of the cave. Mark consults his watch and waits. Soon all the men are surrounding the door. Mark nods at one of his men and they move forward to open the door. They carefully pound the crowbar into the gap of the door and start to wrench it open. The steel screams in protest before it opens. Mark and Walter start up the stairs.

They go up one flight when Mark stops him. "Someone's coming. One human, one Dominant." They slow their advance up the stairs finally they come to a turn and Walter presses forward. He sees a young soldier, with a rifle, sitting by the corner of the stairwell with Tom leaning behind him, in the corner.

"No, Adamsen. It's Walter. He's a friend. Walter, a friend" He hears Tom say before he passes out. Tom appears to be wrapped in a bright colored quilt. Walter looks at the young soldier. His eyes are dilated showing the effects of the gas.

"Mark; give him the antidote we'll need his help." One of the troops picks Tom up to get him out. The young man tucks the quilt around him and says something Walter cannot hear. He picks up the gun that Tom had been holding.

"Let's go." Adamsen says, leading them up the stairs. "Do you know where most of them are?"

"We have your map. I'm assuming that it was you who gave us the information leading to this place."

"Yeah, 'Sloan. I love you. I want to be with you. Tom.' I suggest you blow any rooms that have prisoners after you get them out; if you got explosives. I got something to show you." He leads them up the stairs with determination. Walter shakes his head. He knew what was going to happen when the drug wore off.

The young soldier leads them up to the door at the proper level. He runs down the hall at almost the speed of a Dominant. Walter was pressed to keep up. The teams peeled off to their objectives. Ray and Mark have teams to go with. His team was to collect Tom, now they have a different objective.

They come to a stop in front of a steel wall with only one door in it. The young man says, "Blow this. I don't know what's in here but a lot of people in lab coats come in and out. I think something important's in here."

Walter nods. The team is experienced and works quickly. They slap a series of shape charges on the door and blow it. When the smoke and debris clears Walter looks in and says one word, "Lewis."

He waves the team in; they are fortunate to have a medic with the combat troops. He uses the supplies that are there and unhooks him from the blood machine, meanwhile a pry bar comes out and snaps the metal banding holding him down. "We'll take the IV's and the catheter bag. We'll need it to tell what drugs they have used." He tapes the bag to Lewis' leg. As one of the team picks him up, the medic slips the IV bags under his shoulder. "Make sure that pressure stays on the IV bag. We don't want him to get any air in his blood stream."

Walter says, "You go with him. We don't want him dead because we made a mistake." The medic nods and takes off with Lewis. He watches the chaos the young soldier, "Adamsen?" Tom said, is creating in the room.

Mark stops by the opening and says, "We've got everybody we could find. Clear out."

Walter calls to the young man. "Clear out, its time to go" he watches him light a match and light the papers and debris. The man stood there for a minute watching them burn. When he turns to leave, Walter is startled. He has never seen anyone with eyes so dead. Not in the agency, not in Tom at his worst. Almost as if he had already died but his body didn't know it yet.

Walter follows the troops out expecting the man to follow. He hurries down the hall most of the troops are gone, and the rest are providing cover.

Mark is coordinating the retreat down the stairs. Walter glances back and sees the young soldier is providing cover for some of the troops who are apparently setting charges.

He heads down the stairs. He is almost at the bottom when he feels as well as hears the explosion. He heads out of the cave and down the ridge to the helicopters. They start to take off. Walter enters the helicopter with Sloan and Tom. Sloan is holding Tom like she'll never let him go. Mark gets there at last. He's carrying the young man.

The men who were guarding the helicopters enter and they take off. "Medic." is the only word Mark says. The medic looks at him and puts a compress on the wound.

"It'll stop the bleeding. We can do more later."

In a matter of minutes they are at the transfer point. All the Dominant prisoners are transferred to panel trucks. In the warehouse district they will be unnoticeable.

"Make sure Daniel's is strapped down before he wakes." Mark says as they load him into a truck. "If he's not, the result could be very bad."

Tom jerks awake. Where was Sloan? "Nooooo, Slooooan" he pushes aside the man that was strapping him down as if he was nothing. He had no more reason to live. Maybe they will kill him now. Soft hands are on him pushing him down. He grabs the girl in front of him, it sounds like Sloan, and it looks like Sloan. He inhales deeply. It even smells like Sloan but he can’t feel her.

"Mr. Daniels, you must rest, your empathy will come back soon." Mark says in a calming voice. Half a dozen people pushed him down but he won’t let go. "You must release her Mr. Daniels. You're hurting her." he hears the voice say. They were Dominants. To be that strong they had to be. "Mr. Daniels, please." He releases her. "Sloan, stay with him, it will make it easier." She nods and lays her head down on his chest and weeps.

He heard a rumble in the distance followed by another rumble, distant explosions. A voice in the distance says, "OK boys and girls, time to leave." The truck he was in pulled away. He was patient, he could wait.

The girl finally stops crying and sleeps. They travel a long time. He wriggles an arm out of the straps and softly strokes her hair. He was starting to feel something, but what was it? He strokes her hair and eventually falls asleep.

**********

When they brought Tom to her, she feared the worst, but he was not dead, merely unconscious. She feels his pulse and it is strong. It is too dark for her to see him clearly, so she runs her fingers across his face. He feels thin.

She pulls him across to the far wall of the helicopter so as to lean against it. She spreads her legs and puts Tom between them. She cradles his head on her chest. She runs her fingers across his chest feeling how thin he had become. She wraps the covering tightly around him. The air was chill and she didn't want him to feel the cold. She sits there murmuring to him and stroking his hair.

She held him tightly on the short flight to the staging area where the trucks were. She reluctantly lets him go so they can put him in the trucks. She hears Mark say something about strapping him down and momentarily wonders why. Something about the gas.

In the truck, they are strapping him down, she is holding him so they can do it. Suddenly he awakens, calling her name. He pushes the man aside and she pushes him down and he grabs her tightly. "Tom, Tom it's me. Please Tom. Every things going to be all right. Just lay down. You've got to rest.

He doesn't appear to understand what she says. She can here people running to the truck to help. He's looking at her intensely. He pulls her close and sniffs at her. Smelling her face and hair. People are pushing him down. Mark says something but she is concentrating on Tom. Eventually he releases her. What had Mark said? He couldn't feel her. That's what the gas did. Tom didn't know it was her. She realized that he depended on his ability to sense her more than she had thought. When they strap him down she lays herself upon him trying to give him her warmth and caring. The pressures of the past weeks catch up with her and she cries. He is back with her. She will never let anyone take him again. Soon her crying comes in great gulping sobs. She knows he can't feel her right now and lets all her grief flow out. She hopes he still loves her. He had said that before he was taken. Now she was afraid.