Disclaimer:
A poem for my favorite
creators (clears throat):
If I had a nickel for every
story I wrote
I'd be as rich as Beverly Stoke
But I don't get credit, the
characters don't belong to me
It was Steven and Craig's idea you
see
So read on, enjoy my writing skills
But remember the characters are based
on Steven and Craig's ideals
Author's Note: I know, sucky poem and the first two lines don't rhyme, but ignore that <g> Besides it's 1:55 a.m. Eastern time and I am really tired. But Habib insisted on keeping me awake and finally allowing me to write most of this story in one night. So now that I've thanked him, onto the others. Andi, for correcting some of my mistakes and actually liking this thing. Gables and Schuyler, what would I do without our ICQ chat sessions? And everyone else who has ever given me feedback. Oh, and I know that Amber will never read this, but sorry none the less. More at the end of the story. Until then enjoy.
Title - Feelings of Indignation
Part Seven
Author - Ashlee
E-mail address - zyp959@hotmail.com
Rating - M for just a little bit of naughty language.
Category - Adventure/Alternate Universe/Pretender/X-Files Crossover
Series/Sequel - Part Seven of Feelings of Indignation
Spoilers - None
Summary - When a girl is kidnapped by The Centre, Jarod and Miss Parker discover
that they have a bond deeper than either ever imagined.
"Feelings
of Indignation"
Part Seven
By Ashlee
Agent Mulder's
Room
Diana Fowley's Hideout
Location: Unknown
9:31 a.m.
"Do you know what year it is?" Diana asked, a concerned look playing over her features.
Mulder rolled his eyes.
"Of course! 1990."
Diana smiled at him.
"Of course. Sorry, but I just wanted to make sure you hadn't lost any time." She grinned a little at a joke that Mulder, with his current loss of memory, didn't catch.
"Do they know why I collapsed?" He asked holding his head. He felt something nagging at him, but pushed it aside.
"No, they just figured it was strain. The doctor said it's very common."
Mulder turned to look at Diana, but she wasn't sitting next to him, instead it was a shorter woman, with sharp features, bright blue eyes, and fiery red hair looking at him.
"What the..." he shook his head and blinked slowly, and the image disappeared.
"Fox, Fox, are you all right?" Diana asked, squeezing his hand.
"Yeah, fine." He said automatically, not knowing why he didn't tell her what he saw, but had a feeling that this should be his secret. "I'm fine."
Jarod's House
Near Copper Harbor, MI
9:45 a.m.
Miss Parker and Jarod had been huddled in a corner ever since Ashlee and Tye had left for Houghton. The Three Lone Gunmen and the Major had also left, deciding to get some rest before Agent Scully awoke and the search began. So Chet and Merideth were sitting in the living room talking about ways to find the missing Agent.
Chet looked up from his position on the coach, and saw the look Miss Parker shot their way, and stiffened.
"Merideth, we have to talk." Came her voice, and Chet lowered his eyes, hunching his shoulders, as if he was trying to cower from the inevitable.
Merideth was oblivious to the talk to come, and asked innocently:
"About what?"
"Maybe we should do this in private." Jarod said quietly, but both Merideth and Chet stiffened at the suggestion.
"No!!" They said in unison.
Miss Parker just nodded and sat next to Merideth on the couch, placing a hand on her knee.
"Merideth, we, um, we have something we need to tell you, and it's going to be hard to grasp."
"But it's very important that you listen, that you understand, so that you will know why you're being chased, why you're in the situation that you are." Jarod said, crouching in front of her.
Merideth looked back and forth between the two confused.
"Will you just tell me already?"
Miss Parker took a moment, lowering her head, and then raised it again, looking the girl in the eye; her own rimmed with tears knowing of the hurt she was about to cause.
"You're our daughter."
Merideth paused, looking completely shocked and bewildered, then a smile spread across her face and she chuckled. Miss Parker, Jarod, and Chet all let out their breath, she was taking this better than they could have hoped.
"You guys almost had me there for a second!! I can't believe I almost fell for that!"
"What? What are you talking about?" Jarod asked.
"Yeah, right, like I'm your daughter! That was really good, who thought it up?" She asked looking between them.
Chet looked Merideth in the eye, a solemn look passing over his face as he took her hand.
"Mer, this isn't a joke, they're serious."
Merideth's eyes widened and she looked at the others, seeing the same look on their faces. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and stood up. As she slowly backed away she pointed a finger at them.
"This isn't funny," she whispered the words so softly that they were almost impossible to hear.
Miss Parker stood slowly, as did Jarod, and they both walked over to her.
"I know this isn't funny. It isn't a joke, we would never do that to you." Miss Parker said softly, reassuringly, as she reached out for to place a hand on Merideth's shoulder.
Meredith jerked away; a light of pure fury entering her eyes, as feelings of indignation ran hot through her veins, fueling her body as if it were her blood.
"So my whole life was a lie? A big mother fucking lie?! Oh this is great, it's perfect! I should have known! I should have known that my mother dying wasn't the end, that the mental abuse I received for the last fourteen fucking years wasn't the end of this miserable charade I call life!"
"Mer…" Jarod started, but was cut off abruptly.
"Don't you *dare* 'Mer' me! Don't you dare! Do you have any idea what this feels like? I spent fourteen years dedicated to a man who told me all my life that people were after me, to trust no one, that he was all that I had. That if anyone knew about me they'd steal me and use me for their secret tests! He was mean, putting me down left and right all so that I wouldn't socialize, all the time thinking that he was trying to hold me back so he had control. But I stayed all because I loved him, because I thought he was my father, that he loved me, he just couldn't show it. I never believed him though, and now you show up and I find out everything he said was true!! And I never believed him, just thought he was crazy! Then you just walk into my life, sit me on a fucking couch and tell me you're my parents?! Well screw the whole lot of you! It's not that easy!"
"But…" this time it was Miss Parker who tried to get a word in.
"But what? What?!" Merideth was looking her right in the eye. "Did you expect me to jump for joy?" Merideth jumped a little and waved her arms in a sarcastic arch, "Oh yay I get new parents? Forget it! I…I…" Merideth trailed off, a strange look of surprise and pain mixed came over her face as she grabbed her stomach, and she fell to a heap on the floor.
***
SL – 23
The Centre
9:47 a.m.
Michael sat at the computer looking triumphant. He had managed to save the last documents before Craig had deleted them all. It had taken him almost two hours to break the codes and save them all to a disk for back up. He took the saved files and sent them to the address his brother sent files to, grinned happily, and climbed into the air vent carrying five disks.
***
Mulder's Room
Diana Fowley's Hideout
9:50 a.m.
After arguing with the man that had been guarding him for several minutes, Mulder finally managed to get the man to allow him to walk around. After a few more, the man allowed him to walk the hallways. Not knowing what he was looking for, and not sure why he needed to be looking in the first place, Mulder just wondered, taking in his surroundings. He wasn't sure why, but he was positive that this knowledge would come in handy soon.
***
Diana Fowley's
Car
M26, on the way to Houghton
10:00 a.m.
Diana smiled at the man who sat next to her.
"The solution seems to have worked this time. It'll take a while to make sure that the effects don't diminish, and then he's worth a lot to the Syndicate."
Lyle looked thoughtful for a moment and then inquired,
"This Syndicate, the one that the Cigarette-Smoking Man works for, why are they so interested in Agent Mulder?"
"Because he threatens to expose all that they have been working towards for the last fifty-three years, ever since Roswell. Agent Mulder works on the X-Files, cases dedicated towards the paranormal, some things in these files these men are involved in, UFO abductions and the like. Agent Mulder knows about them, knows pieces of the whole, and is getting close to piecing these fragments together and exposing these men for what they are. They want him stopped, and I'm willing to do that, so long as I profit."
"Why not just kill him?" Lyle asked.
"And make one man's quest a crusade? No, no, if they can convert him he will be able to block up holes in their story, be a patsy of sorts."
Lyle smiled.
"We may have more on our hands then just a pesky UFO fanatic. If we get lucky we'll have the key to the future in our hands." He rubbed his forefinger absently over his missing thumb. "The perfect Pretender."
***
Mr. Parker's Office
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
10:05 a.m.
Mr. Parker returned to his office after a meeting with his peers, hoping to have a message from his secretary stating the status of his son's work, but found no such note. He calmly sat down his briefcase next to his desk and picked up the phone, dialing his son's cell phone. After letting it ring several times, he finally gave up and accepted reality: his son had betrayed him yet again. Knowing the course of action that was needed he once again picked up the phone and dialed another familiar number.
"Yes?" Came the raspy voice of a three pack a day smoker.
"Mr. Spender, have you heard from Agent Fowley lately?"
"No, I haven't. I assume she's rather busy with her responsibilities, and picking up after your son."
"I think there's a bigger problem. I can't get a hold of my son either. I think we're being double crossed."
There was a pause on the other side of the line as the man took a long drag from his cigarette and considered the situation. After a few moments he spoke.
"Do you have any ideas on how to remedy this situation?"
Mr. Parker smiled wickedly.
"I have just the man for this occasion."
"Good." With that the line was dead. Mr. Parker quickly booted up his e-mail program and began to type, his smile growing wider by the minute. If his son knew what he was up to, he would piss his pants and run for the closest international airport…not that that would help. After typing his message Mr. Parker sat back confidently and awaited the phone call that was sure to come.
***
O'Hara Airport
Chicago, Illinois
10:03 a.m.
Assistant Director Walter Skinner sat in a terminal waiting for an empty seat on a plane to Green Bay, Wisconsin in hopes that from there he could fly into Houghton County Airport, since no planes here flew into there. He had been sitting in the airport for over seven hours, and no seats had opened up. Flashing his badge had proved fruitless, as had all of his other tactics. He had now resorted to waiting, albeit, impatiently.
He was unaware, however, that a man was monitoring his movements no more than a hundred feet from him. As he sat there fidgeting, the man lifted a cell phone to his ear.
"Sir, we have some news. We checked Skinner's phone taps. He talked to a man last night who informed him that the Agents are in trouble, he's on his way to Houghton, Michigan."
"Where is he now?" Asked a voice scarred from years of smoking.
"O'Hara Airport. We've made sure he couldn't board a plane until we had all of the information."
"Good work. Apprehend him. Bring him to a safe house. It doesn't matter where. I want him uninjured and out of the way. Say nothing to him, and make sure he doesn't escape."
"Yes sir." The man said and hung up. He motioned for his fellow team members to come over and they formulated a plan.
"Excuse me, Mr. Skinner?" Asked a man dressed in what could be a steward's outfit.
Skinner stood.
"Yes."
"If you'd follow me sir, I believe I can get you a ticket." Skinner followed the man into a door. From behind it came the sounds of a short struggle, and then a man's head peeked out, looked around, and ducked back in. Not two minutes later the men re-immerged carrying a large box.
***
Jarod's House
Near Copper Harbor
10:15 a.m.
They had finally gotten the unconscious Merideth into the bedroom that Jarod had occupied the previous night, and laid her down. She was still out as Miss Parker lay a cool cloth on her forehead. She looked up at Jarod.
"Do you know why she passed out?"
"I think the most likely reason would be that the stress has finally caught up to her. We just pushed her over the edge." Jarod said, not so convincingly.
Chet noticed the look.
"What are you thinking?"
"Something about how she collapsed is bothering me. She grabbed her lower abdomen. If it were an ulcer, she would have held up higher on her stomach."
"So what are you thinking?" Miss Parker asked from Merideth's side.
Jarod just shook his head.
"I'm not sure yet, but I want to run some tests."
Miss Parker nodded, looking concerned as she lowered the girl's hand to her side.
"I had better go check on Catherine, she's been asleep for a while, and is probably ready for a feeding." With that she excused herself. Jarod was about to follow, but cast one last glance at the boy whom he had traveled thousands of miles with. He sat next to his best friend, looking heartsick as he brushed back a lock of her hair with the one hand that wasn't holding hers.
Jarod left silently and went upstairs to the room where his laptop sat next to the larger desktop PC. He quickly booted it up and waited while he connected to his e-mail account, not quite certain why he felt that he should check it. After a few minutes he got his answer. In his account was a new message from the familiar e-mail address of his informant from inside the Centre. Previously Angelo, and now his brother Michael. He opened it and skimmed through. After recovering from his shock, then his realization of the not so far fetched possibility, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the nearest super market or pharmacy.
***
Michigan Technological University Library
Houghton, Michigan
10:50 a.m.
Ashlee was walking out of the library, her arms full of different maps. She was putting this stack in the car while Tye finished copying the rest. She didn't notice the blue town car sitting along the road, nor did she hear the person approaching her from behind until it was to late. Before she could do anything she was being dragged towards the road and shoved in the car.
From the library entrance, Tye watched the whole thing, and recognized the man without a doubt. Mr. Lyle. He knew that man was a bastard from the first time he had met him. He held himself back from running after Ashlee and attempting to save her. He knew that his actions would only result in both of their kidnappings. Instead he waited until the car pulled out and left. He ran to the car and sped out of the lot, back towards Jarod's house.
***
Mr. Lyle's Car
10:55 a.m.
Ashlee looked at her captors, and smiled.
"Well, I bet that stunt didn't draw any unnecessary attention." The man didn't reply, and neither did the woman driving. "Well, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?"
Mr. Lyle glared at her and put a rag over her mouth. Ashlee struggled for a moment, but quickly succumb to the chloroform.
As soon as she was out Lyle smiled. He pulled out a small wand that almost looked like a metal detector, and swept it over Ashlee's body. He soon found what he was looking for, a small tracking device. He dislodged it from the inside of her shirt and threw it out the window as they crossed the bridge. As soon as that business was taken care of, Lyle pulled out a small hand held monitor and watched the screen. Jarod was not nearly as smart as he thought he was.
***
Jarod's House
Merideth's Room
11:00 a.m.
After running to the closest store in Copper Harbor, Jarod returned with what he needed. He re-entered Merideth's bedroom, and with great care set up what he needed, shooing away Miss Parker and Chet. After they had left he pulled a syringe out of his pocket and took a sample of her blood. He placed a small amount of it on a slide and took one of his chemicals from the side, and added it to the blood. He sat down and waited. It took but a few moments for the two to react.
Jarod stood and slowly walked back to the slide, praying for the best, and instead discovering the worst.
After a few moments, and running the test again, Jarod finally found the courage to go and talk to Parker and Chet.
***
Jarod's House
Scully's Room
11:05 a.m.
Agent Scully slowly opened one eye, testing the brightness around her. After finding the room to be mostly dark she opened the other and looked around, only to find a completely strange room. Stunned, she sat up, trying to get her barrings, only to be greeted by a sharp pain running through her head. She stayed still for a moment, and the pain slowly abated. She waited a moment longer and then slowly pushed herself into a sitting position.
With the room still unfamiliar, she tried to remember how she had gotten here. As her torture filled stay with Fowley came back to her, she had to hold back a scream. She jumped out of bed, ignoring the pain, and looked for her clothes. Finding them stacked on a chair, she quickly pulled them on. She had to get out of here and find Mulder, before it was too late!
She ran blindly out the door, and smack into someone's hard torso. She fell back but was steadied by two hands on her shoulder.
"Agent Scully! You shouldn't be out of bed yet." Came a deep voice, but she ignored it.
She wiggled out of the grasp, and stepped back.
"Mulder, I have to save him!" She attempted to run past again but her way was blocked again.
"Wait, Agent Scully, that's what we're trying to do right now. Just calm down."
Scully finally looked at the man blocking her way, and stopped trying to break free.
"Jarod?" She looked over at the other two people in the hallway. "Chet? Miss Parker? What are all of you doing here?"
Miss Parker sighed.
"It's a long story."
Jarod looked at Parker and Chet, debating whether to deliver the news of Merideth's condition or look over Agent Scully. Coming to a decision, he turned to Miss Parker.
"Let me quickly look over Agent Scully and then I'll tell you what I've found."
***
Lau Residence
Kiel, Wisconsin
11:30 a.m.
Ken Lau entered his house and rummaged through the kitchen for some lunch. After making a Summer Sausage sandwich, he looked at the clock, and realized he still had another half hour before he had to return to work, so he turned on his computer, eating while he waited. After a few minutes he logged onto his e-mail account and saw his one new message, with a name he hadn't seen in a long while. Setting his sandwich down slowly, he logged onto the message. As he read, an evil smile spread across his aged features. It had been a while, almost a year, but he was up to the task, an assassin always had to be.
He logged off and picked up the phone and dialed.
"Parker."
"Ah, Mr. Parker. It's been a while. What do you need?" Ken asked as he reclined in his chair.
"I need some people taken care of."
***
Jarod's House
11:45 a.m.
After giving Scully a thorough examination and concluding that she was in good health apart from a few cuts and bruises, he called down the Lone Gunmen and the Major. After some explaining as to why the LGM were at his house and their rapid fire questions pertaining to their friends health, Jarod managed to get everyone quiet while Scully told what she remembered.
"They used some sort of drug on him, something that made him forget me, forget all of us. So I knew there was nothing I could do if I stayed. I finally agreed to Fowley's proposition and I left in hopes of finding Miss Parker, and getting her help."
Jarod looked over at the abnormally pale woman who sat elbows on knees, face in hands on the armchair across the room from him.
"Could you take us there?"
Scully sat for a minute, thinking. Finally she looked up, a determined look adding to her already jagged features.
"Yes."
Jarod nodded and looked over at the Lone Gunmen.
"How long will it take you to get ready?"
Langly spoke, pushing his thick black glasses higher onto his nose.
"Tomorrow night. It's going to be hard to find all that we need here."
Jarod nodded again re-focusing his attention back on Scully.
"Agent Scully, I think you should rest up for tomorrow. The last thing Mulder needs is you half dead."
Scully nodded and let herself be led back to her room while the Lone Gunmen recruited Broots, and began formulating a plan.
After getting his patient into bed, Jarod cautiously entered the room next to hers, occupied by Merideth. Next to her sat Miss Parker and Chet. He called them both out, and led them down the hallway.
"I know what's wrong with her."
"What?" Chet asked anxiously.
"You're not going to like it." Jarod warned.
"Will you just spit it out wonder-boy?" Miss Parker was thoroughly annoyed at his evasive procedures.
"In conjunction with some files that were sent to me by Michael and the blood test that I ran on her, it seems that while she was at the Centre, she was…well…she was impregnated," he quickly continued before anyone had a chance to interrupt, "with my sperm and Miss Parker's egg."
He watched as both Parker's and Chet's mouths nearly hit the floor. "You mean she's carrying another JP project?" Chet asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid so."
Miss Parker spoke her next words through clenched teeth.
"Who did this to her?"
"Your father."
***
Fowley's Hideout
12:00 p.m.
Agent Fowley entered the premises and quickly ordered that Agent Mulder be sedated. After that was accomplished she and her co-conspirator carried the girl in and sat her in a chair, tying down her wrists to the arms. When she was secure, Lyle slapped her hard across the face.
Ashlee opened her eyes slowly, too tired to figure out why she had awoken or why there was a stinging sensation on the right side of her face. Instead she spoke groggily.
"Where am I? Who are you?"
"Neither of those are of any concern right now. Your only concern is to answer us. You tell us what we want and you stay un-bruised. You don't tell us and I won't be responsible for your condition." Lyle spoke viciously, crouching so he was at eye level with her.
"What's your name?" Asked the female voice. Everything began to make sense, and she remembered that this must be the woman the Lone Gunmen spoke of.
Ashlee swallowed hard, trying to make her swollen tongue work.
"Ashlee Lau. It's German." She said, stopping any annoying questions about the name's origin.
Mr. Lyle, who had been pacing in front of her absently rubbing at a thumb that no longer existed, stopped abruptly.
"What's your father's name?"
"Ken Lau. Why?" Ashlee asked, noting the horrified look that came over his face at the mention of the name.
Lyle looked nervous for a moment and then stopped.
"That's enough, for now." With that he pulled a stunned Agent Fowley outside the door with him, leaving a very confused Ashlee to figure out what the hell was going on.
***
Lau Residence
12:15 p.m.
After receiving his instructions, Ken began to pack his belongings, an evil smile placed on his lips. At fifty-two he was fit for his age, and healthy. His gray hair receding slightly and his blue eyes a bit duller, but still a man with means and recourses galore. He loved what he did. His only problem now was his daughter that lived with him, Amber. He couldn't leave her alone, that wasn't an option. Then it hit him. A way to get on his daughter's good side and buy him an alibi. He quickly dialed the familiar number of the Kiel High School and called to tell them he was picking up his daughter. Then he picked up the phone and dialed another familiar number.
"Hello?" Came the voice of his ex-wife.
"Lorrene? This is Ken. I'm coming up this week, for a funeral, and was wondering if Amber could stay with you." He said in an unusually civil manner.
Lorrene, unwilling to let this opportunity pass, quickly agreed.
"Of course, when will you be here?"
"About six o'clock this afternoon. Can you meet us at the Econo foods parking lot?"
"Sure." Lorrene hung up and stared at the phone. Ken *never* did stuff like this. She had always had to fight to see her daughters, until Ashlee had moved in with her, and even then Ashlee and her had had to fight him, sometimes she had had to fight him literally. After that, visitation with Amber, although the distance was a mere five hours, had been twice a year. Not caring to analyze the situation, she instead accepted that Ken just might have a nice streak hidden somewhere in that black hole he called his soul.
***
Jarod's House
12:16 p.m.
Jarod, Miss Parker and Chet all stood in silence, Chet and Parker absorbing all that had happened and Jarod waiting for them. Miss Parker had opened her mouth to speak when a door slammed and they heard footsteps racing down the hall.
"Jarod!! Miss Parker!" Came Tye's voice down the hall. He spotted them and skidded to a stop, changing his direction towards them, and continued running, now followed by the LGM, Broots, Sydney and the Major.
Finally Tye reached his stunned targets, gasping.
"They took her!! Lyle, I saw him!"
Parker looked confused.
"Isn't that the plan? We put a tracking device on her so that if he did take her we'd be able to find her."
"But we're talking *Lyle* here! He could torture her before we find her!!"
"Calm down Tye." Said the Major, putting a re-assuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "Byers, would you get the monitor?" Byers nodded and left. "We'll set up the monitor and find her and go get her and Mulder, simple as that. Okay?"
Tye nodded, knowing that there was nothing else he could do, but feeling guilty non-the less. He could deal with Lyle, but he wasn't so sure about Ashlee. And now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure about anything that pertained to her. The whole time they had been driving, they had talked about him and the Centre. She had expertly avoided any conversation that involved her.
Deciding to voice his thoughts, he turned to Jarod.
"What do we know about her?"
"Who?" Miss Parker asked, taking Catherine from Sam, who had just arrived with Bart.
"Ashlee."
Everyone looked at one another as Byers re-entered the room, monitor in hand. This time Chet spoke.
"Nothing really, besides her mom is a nurse at the hospital, and she saved me and Mer from Lyle when he was chasing us."
Tye nodded absently. Jarod, who was looking at the monitor, made eye contact with his clone. "Tye, you spent an hour and a half with her, do you trust her?"
Tye, who had been trained in simulations, had, of course, picked up everything he could from her and simed her as a person.
"Yeah, I do."
Jarod nodded and smiled.
"Okay then we trust her. Now," he paused as he looked down at the monitor. "What the hell?"
"What is it?" Tye asked sensing his worry. The LGM came up next to Jarod to look over his shoulder at the hand held monitor.
"This can't be right." Said Frohike, taking the monitor and looking at it. He opened the battery case, checking the position of the new batteries he had just put in, and then smacked the machine. He looked at the people who occupied the hallway. "She's not on the monitor!"
***
Fowley's Hideout
12:20 p.m.
Lyle had dragged Diana out into the hallway, trying to maintain calm, but she could sense his tension.
Shaking off Lyle's grip, Diana Fowley delivered him a glare that would cause the most fearless man to shiver in fear, but Lyle didn't see.
"What is it?" She asked venomously.
"Ken Lau! Do you *know* who that is?" He asked, his voice high-pitched due to anxiety. He paced furiously in front of her.
"'Fraid not, care to explain?" Fowley asked rubbing her arm where he had held her.
"He's the most efficient assassin on the Centre pay roll. He has never missed a hit and his targets never see it coming, until the last minute. He makes sure they know what's about to happen, just so he knows their last minutes are filled with terror. And now we have his *daughter*! We just signed our death certificates!" Lyle said, his voice filled with panic as he paced.
"So, now we have one more thing the Centre will be willing to pay for. We call the Centre, say that we have Mr. Lau's daughter and they pay for her, to keep him on their good side." Fowley said.
"You don't understand…" Lyle started, but was interrupted by Craig.
"Miss Fowley, we have the boy's final destination."
"Good. I want Lyle's sweeper team and my men ready to go at five o'clock p.m." She turned to Lyle. "Soon we'll have everything we need. Now we get back in there and figure out what she knows." Lyle nodded and re-entered the room.
Ashlee, who had awoken fully since they had been gone, looked up as they entered. "So, I'm assuming that this whole thing was because I helped those two people in the mall parking lot, right?"
Lyle looked at her steadily.
"Yes."
Had Ashlee not rehearsed this with Jarod, she would have peed her pants right then and there, but she had practiced, and knew that this was just a way of intimidation. Not to mention, she had dealt with her father, whom Lyle seemed to be afraid of. She wasn't going to bring it up though. She hadn't rehearsed that and wasn't sure what Lyle's reaction would be. One thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to make it out of here alive, and that line of questioning just might prevent that.
"What do you want to know about them?" She asked, trying desperately not to let that quiver into her voice.
"Where they are." The woman who Ashlee could only assume was Special Agent Diana Fowley spoke from a chair that was placed in front of her.
"Well, I can't help you there. After I lost him and his goons, they made me pull over in South Range and dump them."
"Why is it," Lyle asked as he began to circle her in her chair, like a vulture over a dead carcass, "that I don't believe you?"
Shrugging as best she could, the girl responded.
"Because it's not the answer you wanted?"
"No," Lyle said, smiling viciously, leaning down so she could see his face, "it's because I saw you with the boy."
"The boy? I hate to tell you this, but there *is* more than one boy in this town."
"Jarod's clone. I saw you with him when you entered the library."
Nervous because this was the one question that apparently Jarod hadn't thought of, and she hadn't rehearsed, she racked her brain for a response.
"Oh! Him! I met him yesterday at Burger King. We decided to meet up at the library. He said he would help me with my Economics project."
Seeing that Lyle was loosing his cool, Fowley stood, holding a gadget in her hand.
"Then why is it, Miss Lau, that the tracer we put on your car has moved from its original location and that one of my men spotted this clone driving the car?"
"Uh, if I told you it was a fluke would you believe me?" Ashlee was sweating now. They knew where everyone was and could make their move before anybody in that house was ready. Pictures of Lyle, Diana and both of their teams infiltrating the house while everyone was asleep and killing or kidnapping them invaded her mind. If her arms were free she would have hugged herself. Instead she hung her head in silent prayer.
Lyle, sensing her inner dilemma, smiled wickedly and left, as did Fowley. A few minutes later a man entered, a syringe in hand. Ashlee was out cold in a matter of seconds after the needle entered her arm.
***
Jarod's House
12:30 p.m.
"What do you mean she's not on there?" Tye asked, grabbing the monitor from their hands and banging it against his hand.
Suddenly, a look of realization came over all of their faces at once, but Miss Parker was the first to voice it.
"That rat bastard found the tracking device!"
The Major looked at his youngest son closely as the boy sunk silently to the floor. Broots, who'd been standing silently since this started, shook his head.
"This is bad, really bad. Now that whole story you practiced won't work and then Lyle'll get mad 'cause he'll know she's lying, and…this is bad."
Broots continued to mumble worriedly when Bart spoke.
"So what we gonna do? Sit around here waiting for the worst, or get our asses in gear and get them out of the clutches of that sick bastard?"
Jarod nodded.
"I think we should stick to the plan. Frohike, Byers, Langly and Broots should go get what they need. Tye, I'm going to need yours and dad's help figuring out the schematics of the mine. Sydney, if you could, could you talk to Agent Scully? She's really upset about this whole thing, especially the fear of Mulder not remembering her."
Sydney nodded and left, entering the next room down the hall where Agent Scully lay.
"Chet and Parker, I'd like you to watch over Merideth." He turned and looked at Sam and Bart. "I need you two to watch the house just in case, by some fluke, Lyle finds us." With his assignments handed out, everyone left for their places.
***
Econo Foods Parking
Lot
Houghton, Michigan
5:00 p.m.
Amber Lau sat with her father in their truck, thinking to herself about this situation. Never had he let her out of school to visit her mother, especially at the beginning of the school year. And he had never, ever suggested that she visit. Normally should have to practically beg, and her mother would have to threaten to go to the Friend of the Court and tell them that he was interfering with visitation. And still, here she was in Houghton, Michigan, waiting for her mother to arrive.
She gave her father another scrutinizing gaze and noticed that there was a small smile playing on his lips. She just stared at him blankly. He was acting completely out of character, and it had her worried. Before she could elaborate on the sickening feeling in her stomach, or ask him what he was doing while she visited her mother, Lorrene pulled up.
Jumping out of the truck, Amber raced to the back and pulled out her two bags while her mother pulled into a parking space. She hauled her bags over and hugged her mom, standing four inches over her mother's five-foot frame. Soon Ken had joined them, and while they both attempted to ignore his dominating presence, he continued to talk.
"I'll call you when I'm ready to pick her up." Ken said to Lorrene, hands behind his back, leaning towards her.
Lorrene stepped back, and motioned Amber into the car, so she wouldn't hear her next words. After Amber was in, she spoke in a low tone.
"I am not arranging my schedule to fit around you Ken. I suggest that you start compromising before you ruin your relationship with both of your daughters."
"Speaking of my daughters, where's Ashlee?"
Lorrene froze, trying to think of something creative. She couldn't very well tell him that she was off with four complete strangers because she had picked up two teenagers, which had resulted in her being chased by some thumbless freak.
"She's at home doing homework, which Amber should be at home doing."
"Lorrene, I thought you'd be happy to see your daughter." He said sounding shocked, mocking her.
Lorrene glared at him.
"It's all by your needs, isn't it? Everything revolves around Ken." She smirked a little, a small plan forming. She jumped in her car and shifted it into gear, leaving a grinning Ken.
He jumped back into his truck and pulled out of the parking lot, re-immersing himself in the familiar territory that he had called home for eleven years.
***
Jarod's House
5:30 p.m.
Jarod sat in his upstairs room along with Tye and his father, looking for the most efficient way into the structure that held Special Agent Fox Mulder and Ashlee Lau. Miss Parker, the baby, and Chet were still downstairs with the unconscious Merideth, and Sydney had been with Scully all afternoon. Angelo was watching Debbie on the beach and the Lone Gunmen and Broots were still in town hunting for all that they needed for tomorrow's adventure.
All was quiet for the time being, except the dinging of the grandfather clock, announcing the half-hour.
***
Outside
Same Time
Mr. Lyle and Miss Diana Fowley were standing in a circle with their teams in a clearing in the forest to the left of Jarod's house. They were planning a strategy of attack. After deciding that one team would surround the house while the other entered and took who was willing to surrender and kill whomever resisted and got in their way. They were instructed that the only person needed alive was Merideth, and Jarod and Miss Parker if possible. The rest were not needed. When everyone was sure of their part, the team headed towards the target.
***
The Beach
Along Side Jarod's House
5:40 p.m.
Angelo was busy helping Debbie Broots build an extraordinary sandcastle when he heard a rustling from the forest. He quickly motioned for Debbie to hide behind a sand dune as he crawled closer to investigate. As he peered over the lip of the dune, he was greeted by a sight that frightened the hell out of him: at least twenty men dressed all in black, touting weapons, surrounding the house. Along with them, was a familiar face that emitted a feeling of impending doom: Mr. Lyle.
He quickly crawled back to where Debbie was hiding and grabbed her. Together they quickly snuck into the woods.
"What's going on Angelo?" The girl whispered.
Still running, Angelo whispered back.
"Must get help." He stopped suddenly at the foot of a large pine tree. He pointed at it. "Climb, hide." Debbie nodded and scurried up the tree, while Angelo continued towards Sam and Bart.
***
Inside
Miss Parker stiffened as she heard a noise from down the hall, in the living room. She stood slowly, pulling the gun that she had taken from Sam, from the back of her jeans. She motioned for Chet to stay quiet while she went to investigate. Thinking quickly, she went next door, and also motioned for Agent Scully and Sydney to stay quiet.
Miss Parker walked slowly down the hall, her gun expertly poised in front of her. As she neared the corner, she pushed herself against the wall and listened. Nothing. She was about to chalk it all up to her imagination, when she heard a floorboard squeak. She quickly turned the corner, gun aimed.
She gasped when she saw the man clad all in black, staring back at her, but regained composure.
"Drop it." She said with a snarl.
The man didn't flinch, and then she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye, another man. This could mean only one thing. Miss Parker spotted an end table in the hallway, and quickly plotted. In a well thought out move, Parker fired, then rolled back with the kick of the gun, landing beside the end table. She then turned it over and used it as a shield. After hearing the satisfying 'thunk' of the man falling to the floor, the hard oak of the table was soon blasted by the fire of a semi-automatic weapon.
Upstairs, Jarod, Major Charles and Tye all froze.
"What the hell was that?" Tye asked, still frozen in an alert sitting position.
"Gun fire." The Major said while standing and pulling a gun from the back of his trousers.
Jarod also stood, and walked to the closet in the room, and pulled out a rifle. As he was walking back, he caught a glimpse of something through the curtain. He walked back and moved it slightly.
"Shit." He looked back at his companions. "We're surrounded."
"We have to think of a plan."
"I think I know what to do!" Tye said excitedly, his mind reeling and a smile growing on his face.
Chet started when he heard the first shot. His first instinct was to run out there and play hero, but just as fast his instinct for self preservation kicked in and he stood and locked the door. He quickly heaved a heavy dresser in front of it, knowing that the door opened inward. Then he moved a large, ceiling high, bookcase in front of the window. He'd be damned if anybody got in here and harmed Merideth or the baby, whom he was desperately trying to console so that no one would hear her cries.
In the next room, Scully bolted upright at the first shot, and started to reach for her gun, when Sydney stopped her. Instead he took the gun and told her to lie with her back facing the door, and to cover herself with the blankets. He then crouched on the far side of the bed, ready to fire.
Meanwhile, in the hallway, Miss Parker was regretting her decision to investigate the noise, or to shoot. Her shield was getting battered by the gunfire, and she was barely getting off any rounds, and those that she did were shot blindly. 'Where the hell is Jarod when you need him?' She thought to herself as she cowered from another shower of bullets. She had counted five men total, and she hoped that's all there were. She knew for sure that that one she had shot was dead, she had heard another yell, so she assumed that he was at least injured. That left three.
It was only seconds later that she realized that she was down to one bullet, and that she hadn't brought any extra clips. She silently swore to herself and thought about the best way to go about it. Just then she heard the front door crash in. She rose her head and saw another five enter. As she ducked back down, she came to the conclusion that not only were there people trying to kill whomever necessary most likely to get to Merideth or her own baby, but that these men had surrounded the house and were sending in reinforcements as needed. She also concluded that she was royally screwed up the gazoo if no one else showed.
Just then she heard a crash from the living room. Then gunshots being fired from what sounded like a rifle. She heard the distinct sound of three bodies falling to the ground and more shots were fired. Parker stood, and knew that with the man, whom she could only assume was Jarod or the Major, in the other room, she was momentarily forgotten. Using this to her advantage, she knocked one man out with the butt of her gun, and karate kicked another hard against the wall, from which he fell to the floor unconscious. There were two left, but when she entered the living room, she saw that Jarod was there, standing over the corpses of the two remaining men.
As she looked at the slide, she grinned.
"Take 'em by surprise?"
Jarod grinned.
"I *knew* that slide would come in handy."
***
Outside
Angelo finally made it to were Bart and Sam were stationed. Just down the driveway, and hidden in the woods. As he scrambled up to them, out of breath from his long run, Sam pulled him up and helped him to sit down near the trunk of a tree.
"Angelo, what is it?" Bart asked concerned, from next to Sam.
"Lyle, kill." Angelo's voice was shrill with worry.
"Lyle, is he at the house?" Angelo nodded an affirmative to Sam's inquiry. "How many men?"
"Twen...ty" Angelo responded heaving in huge puffs of air.
"Where's Debbie?"
"Hide."
"Okay, we're going to go help, you go get Debbie, okay? Then come back here. We'll get you when it's safe."
Again Angelo nodded as the two men ran through the woods, towards the house.
Mr. Lyle stood outside the house with the ten remaining men. From the sound of the gunfire, which had since ceased, he came to realize that either his men had captured and restrained the targets, or they were all dead.
"Five more, move in. Take the windows. I want them restrained!"
As the next five were entering the premises, the remaining five spread to cover the exits. One man stood guarding the rear entrance, his back to the woods. As Bart and Sam carefully approached him they failed to see the other man coming to guard the side entrance. By the time Bart saw him, and yelled to Sam to watch out, the guard had already fired, hitting Bart in the left shoulder. Still, he managed to pull out his gun, and fire a shot.
Sam also had pulled his gun, shooting and killing the man they were originally after. Unfortunately, by the time he managed to kill the other man, the man had shot Bart again, but this time the wound was fatal. He quickly ran over to his downed friend to check on him, but after seeing the large pool of blood surrounding him, and Bart's white shirt turned red, he knew that he was dead. He quickly checked for a pulse. After finding none, he said a quick prayer and ran back into the woods to wait for the rest that he knew would come for their fallen comrade.
***
Inside
Parker and Jarod were seated and waiting for the others that Jarod said were waiting outside. They heard the sound of a window being opened the rest of the way, and they got into a crouched position. Jarod supporting his rifle by resting his elbows on his spread knees. Parker crouched, her gun aimed. They saw the gun before they saw the man, and as he turned the corner Parker fired once, using her last bullet, hitting the man in the head and causing his gray matter and blood to spray in a large pattern against the far wall.
Parker and Jarod quickly moved into new positions, waiting for the next person. As he approached Parker walked behind him and was about to cold clock him when he reached behind himself and stretched an arm painfully behind her and pulling her close. He placed the gun to her head and crossed his left foot across her legs, locking his left foot behind his right calf.
"Put down the gun or I kill her. I have no problem with that." The masked man warned.
Speaking loudly, Jarod voiced his agreement.
Outside, Lyle was avidly warning his men not to follow the gunshots. He knew that it was some plan to lure the rest of his men into the trap. Instead he told them to stay where they were until they heard word from inside.
Upstairs the Major heard him. However, unaware of the situation downstairs, he descended on the slide, landing on his feet, next to his son ready to fire. The gunman repeated his demand, and the Major relented, seeing no other way out. The man called to one of his fellow men in black and he entered.
"Call Lyle." Moment's later Mr. Lyle and his newest partner in crime entered, along with the rest of their mob.
***
Upstairs
Tye had been waiting patiently in the room, waiting for word to come down, however, when he didn't hear any gunfire he instantly became worried. He walked over to the window, cautiously moving aside the curtain to peer down where Lyle and an unfamiliar woman stood vigilance. Only he found that they were being led by one of the dark clad men towards the front door.
"Damn it," he swore. There was nothing he could do, he had no weapons and no way to get a hold of Sam and Bart.
Looking out the window again, he realized that all of the men that were left outside were heading in.
"Perfect!" He said as he opened the window and climbed out onto the roof. The roof was at a slight slant, so he was in no big danger of sliding off. He quickly climbed to the other side of the house, toward the rear entrance. While he was walking he spotted movement in the bushes. He paused, dropping to the roof. He crawled on his stomach across the rough surface and lifted his head cautiously.
He squinted until the man came into better focus. It was then that he recognized Sam. Standing on the roof, he waved until Sam noticed. Motioning him near as he climbed to a lower level of the house. He dropped down and the two headed for the woods, in hopes of coming up with a plan of rescue.
***
Inside
"Sweep the house, I want every room examined and the rest brought here. Be careful, I wouldn't put it past any of them to be hiding and waiting." The men, all but the one holding Parker and another who had a gun trained on the Major and his son, went to perform the sweep.
Turning to Agent Fowley he gestured to the two men.
"Miss Fowley, I'd like you to meet Jarod and his father Major Charles. Oh, and let's not forget my dear sister Miss Parker."
"So formal," Agent Fowley admonished. She nodded for the man to let her go. He pushed his hostage away, and she tumbled to her knees, landing by Jarod. "So, *Miss* Parker, where might we find the girl, Merideth?"
Parker sneered.
"I'm afraid that you missed her. She had a doctor's appointment. It seems she was pregnant, but of course we don't need to tell you that, would we Lyle?" Parker asked, batting her lashes innocently.
"Can I help it if she's a slut?" Lyle asked, then turned as he heard a growl from behind him. There stood a boy of about 17 wearing jeans and a white tee shirt, a bruise forming on his eye. He was quickly shoved to join the rest of the group.
"We found him in a room down the hall, along with the girl, who's unconscious, and a baby."
Agent Fowley smiled.
"Perfect. Give me the baby." The man handed over the baby. "A doctors appointment huh?"
Parker shrugged.
"Guess she got back early."
A gunshot rang out from down the hall, but Lyle ignored it. There was a yell, as more men ran down the hall to lend a hand. A few moments later four men returned holding two people between them.
"Ah, I see the good doctor has decided to join us!" Lyle smiled at him, but Sydney just looked at him calmly.
"Hello Mr. Lyle."
"Dr. Green."
"Fowley you bitch! Where the fuck is Mulder?" Scully asked, struggling against the three men it now took to hold her. But in the end, she too was thrown to the floor, a gun quickly pointed at her head.
"Right were you left him Dana." Fowley said pleasantly.
Thankfully Lyle and Fowley were to distracted to notice the worried glance the Major was shooting Jarod. He was worried what Tye would do, if found, and what they were going to do if he was found. Right now Tye was their last hope.
***
Outside
Tye and Sam were sitting amongst the tall bushes that outlined the house, planning quietly. It didn't take them long to realize that their best chance was to lure the men outside and kill them there, then rush the house and save the people in there, at least the ones that were still alive.
They quickly separated, Tye running to get the gun off of Bart's dead body, and Sam running to the side of the house. He waited until the younger man was in position before yelling:
"Bart!! Over here! Looks like they're already inside!"
Sam then joined his young friend and they waited.
***
Inside
"Damn it!" Lyle yelled. "Sam and Bart!" Lyle nonchalantly motioned for two of his men to go investigate. "Now, Miss Dana Scully, is it? I don't advise you to talk that way to a woman who holds all of the cards."
"Cards my ass! That woman's a walking whore house who thinks that when she wants something she can go outside the law and kidnap people!" Scully replied, glaring from her position on the floor.
Diana rolled her eyes.
"Oh that. Well, that was for the man Fox so fondly calls a black-lunged son of a bitch. Then I got a better offer, and now I work with Lyle here." She smiled a smile that was far from reaching her eyes.
Just then, two men descended the stairs.
"Nobody upstairs sir." The man reported.
"Good." He paused, then looked at the relieved look on the Major's face.
"Where's the boy?" When he received no response, Lyle ordered the men to go up on the roof and look for him there. "And shoot on sight. The last thing I need is another arrogant, tainted Pretender on my hands!"
He saw Jarod physically hold himself back, and a worried look befall the Major.
***
Outside
They spotted the two men exiting the house. Knowing that there were ten because of Jarod shouting that ten were dead thanks to his and Miss Parker's handiwork, they were disappointed when only two were sent out. However both men pointed their guns, both now equipped with silencers, and fired. The two men fell unceremoniously to the ground. Again they sat back and waited, but not for long. Tye had spotted them first, the two men on the roof. Again they took aim and fired.
***
Inside
Lyle and his crew were inside, and all conversation had come to an abrupt end. That was until two men clothed in all black fell past the living room window and landed with a loud thud. Sydney reacted with a raised eyebrow, Miss Parker laughed, and the Major and Jarod smiled. However, Mr. Lyle had yet to find any humor in two more of his men dying.
"You four, go out, and try to be subtle!" He yelled, and four more walked out.
Turning back to the people in the room he smiled.
"It'll just be a matter of time and we'll get down to business. He turned to his last two men, who were keeping tabs on the unruly bunch he had gathered and reminded them with a look of what was at stake.
***
Outside
Once again Sam and Tye were waiting in the bushes. Though Tye had never really shot anyone before today, he was really being quite professional about it. Whether it was his Pretender abilities or his natural instinct for survival, he didn't know, and quite frankly he didn't care. He was going to elaborate more on his mental status when one man exited the rear door. Tye frowned at this.
"This isn't right, Lyle would have sent out more men." He thought for a moment. "You get him, I'm going to go look around, watch your back." Sam nodded in response. As Tye scurried away he heard the ping of the gun and the thud of the man falling.
As Tye rounded the house he realized that he had been right. Lyle had indeed sent out more, but must have told them to be cautious because all had taken separate exits in hopes of finding the assassins and taking them out. Apparently they didn't realize that when you grew up in the Centre, you catch on to schemes quite quickly. He smiled a regretful smile for this poor fool and pulled the trigger. He continued to round the house, as he suspected Sam was doing.
He stopped where the forest ended and the beach began, waiting for the man to round the house. He waited for what seemed like hours, alert and poised, until he felt someone behind him. Whirling just a little too late, he was struck by a closed fist in his jaw. He rolled with the punch, never losing his gun and came up in a crouched position, pointed and shot, hitting his target squarely in his chest. Taking a deep breath the boy composed himself and stood, straightening his now blood stained shirt. He slowly walked back to meet Sam, who had surely accomplished his mission.
***
Inside
Merideth awoke slowly to the sound of voices down the hall. She looked around, unsure of her surroundings and what had happened. She sat up slowly and placed a hand on her forehead, trying to remember what had happened to her. Slowly her capture came back to her, but that didn't explain why she was lying here in a bed.
Deciding that her best bet was to go towards the voices and ask the others in the house just what the hell was going on, she stood. Instinctively she quietly opened the door and listened for a moment. Her heart stopped as she recognized the voice: Mr. Lyle, what the hell was he doing here? She quickly formulated a plan and slowly snuck down the hall.
She cautiously peered around the corner, spotting the two gunmen, Mr. Lyle and the back of a woman with brunette hair, though obviously not Miss Parker. She walked carefully behind on of the gunmen, going unnoticed by all of the bad guys in the row. Chet, however, noticed her approached and locked his eyes on her. Before she could make her move the man she was about to hit turned on her. The best she could do was deflect the man's arm as he shot.
Hehehehe. Well that's all for now. Sorry for the meanness, but I know what's going to happen next if that's any consolation. I just wanted this to get out before I left for Alaska on Aug 21 and have to be without until the third of next month.
Anyway, write me and tell me what you think. Feedback gets my ass in gear and besides, I love it <g>