Taylor
The calls of the wild led the bikers, wolf and fuzzles to a home in Quantico.
The bikes slowly pulled up outside, as their occupants removed their helmets and looked up at the house.
"Is this it, Faf'?" Taylor asked softly.
Fafnir and Lance
"This is the place." Fafnir inhaled and smiled slightly. "Bets smells like a top notch bitch."
~*~*~*~
Inside Lance dragged himself out of bed and staggered over to his bathroom. He leant over the sink and couldn't bring himself to look his reflection in the eyes. Bets padded in silently, her harness and leash in her jaws. "Ok, Bets. We'll get going in a moment." He went through his usual morning routine, shaving and brushing his teeth, getting dressed into his running clothes. Bets waited impatiently at the front door and he slipped her harness on and clipped her leash to the buckle. He opened the door and stepped out into the early morning cold. The sun was just rising, he noted.
~*~*~*~
"Hey, bitch," Fafnir called out. Bets's head swung around to regard the wolf.
"Well, hello there yourself, handsome." Bets looked up at Lance and tugged slightly on her leash. "C'mon, we need to talk to these people."
"Good morning," Lance said in surprise as he saw the four on thier bikes and the wolf with them. "Usually no one's up this early."
Taylor, Kirk and Christian
"Fafnir, who is this?" Taylor asked softly, also using Spanish so the man wouldn't know he was talking in wolf.
Kirk and Christian both regarded the man with cold calm.
Lance and Fafnir
"This is Lance. And how is he speaking Wolf?" Bets asked Fafnir with a bit of confusion.
"He's part of my Pack. This is Taylor Hanson, looking for Mouse."
"Oh! Lance, we need to talk with these people." Bets headed determindly over.
"Bets, heel." Bets stopped at Lance's quiet order. She looked up at him and whined. He scratched her ears soothingly, looking at them with suspicion now. "Seeing as how you aren't in a talkative mood, I'm going to walk my dog." He started to walk off, but Bets dug her paws in. "Bets, what's with you this morning? I have enough stress at work, I really don't need this as well..." His eyes shadowed. God, he had to get those girls out. At least they hadn't really started on the mutant yet, but the alien one...god.
Kirk, Christian, Taylor and Chloe
"Stressful work huh?" Chloe began in a low tone, "we'll see how stressful it gets after we've been here for a day."
Taylor's hands clenched into fists, before Kirk noticed and darted from his bike to grab hold of him.
"YOU KNOW! YOU KNOW ABOUT HER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER YOU BAS-!" Kirk clamped his hand over Taylor's mouth before anything else could get out.
Christian gulped, watching him, then slowly stood from his bike. Then he approached Lance slowly.
"I suggest, that if you work for the FBI or something similar, you speak up now. This wolf will have no second thoughts in ripping you to shreds should this boy say so," he nodded back toward Taylor who was struggling to get kirk off him.
Lance and Fafnir
"You've come to get them? Oh, thank god." Lance's knees went weak and Bets propped him up as he put a shaking hand on her back.
"Them?" Fafnir looked up sharply. "What the hell does he mean, them?"
"I became a scientest to help people...I've been racking my brains oni trying to finda way to get the two girls out."
"Them, two. Mouse and Vulpe. She stinks like a fox." Bets's lip curled slightly.
Lance looked at them, deep pain in his eyes, frame shaking slightly with relieved shock. "Thank god. You have no idea how thankful I am that someone has actually come. Quickly, come inside." He looked thoughtful for a moment, mind working quickly. "Actually, let's walk. I'm sure my house is bugged." He smiled tiredly. "The joys of working for a paranoid government...you Americans are all nuts."
Kirk, Taylor, Christian and Chloe
"I don't trust him," Chloe shook her head, fists clenched also as she looked between Kirk and Lance, "it's probably a trap."
Christian backed off a little, his eyes searching the man's.
"Them?" he inquired suspiciously.
Taylor finally bit Kirk's hand. As he cursed and spat, Taylor threw his arm away.
"You know where she is! Where is she?!" he demanded desperately, still trying to get out of Kirk's grip on his waist.
"Settle! God damn it!" Kirk exclaimed.
"Wait, there's more than one?" Christian tried again.
Lance and Fafnir
"There's two of them," Kance said, and then he looked at Taylor. "One's called Mouse...and the other's a mutant called Vulpe Rossinni."
"Calm, Pack." Fafnir headed over to Taylor and stared into his eyes. "I smell his sincerity. We can trust him."
"Course you can trust him," Bets said indignantly. "Haven't I listened every night as he cursed himself and his failure to find a way to get them out? He wants them out. I want them out, so he feels better." Bets pressed against Lance's legs and licked his fingers as she looked up at him adoringly. "He doesn't deserve to hurt so much."
"They're at the research facilities." Lance let Bets's leash drop as he knelt beside his dog and hugged her neck. She whined reassurringly. "I...goddamnit, I couldn't help them!" He clenched his fists, the now familair sick helpless rage filling him. "Couldn't help her...the alien. God damn Danjermond and Blakesley to hell! God knows I'll probably join them there..." he whispered.
Taylor, Christian and Kirk
"Oh God Mouse," Taylor suddenly cried, covering his face giving in to Kirk.
Kirk realized he'd stopped struggling and let go.
"Mouse, or Jane, is the one we know. We don't know of this mutant..." Christian frowned slightly.
"Fafnir says we can trust him. The malamute agrees," Taylor whimpered softly, not moving his hands.
Christian and Kirk nodded to each other, before Christian turned to the man again.
"Would you take us there? Get us in? Once we're there we'll be able to cause our own havoc."
He eyes flashed with joy at the thought.
Lance and Fafnir
"Maybe..." Lance stood, wiping his eyes shakily. He cleaned his glasses on his shirt.
"One day you're gonna wear them out doing that," Bets said fondly. Fafnir snickered and Bets shot him a flirtatious look. She would be on heat soon, and none of the other dogs around here even came close. "What you laughing at, wild one?"
"Nothing, nothing at all, cousin." Fafnir's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"I don't know. Can we walk and talk?" Lance looked around at his neighbours houses. "My neighbours...they work either at the FBI training facility or at the labs. Getting out of this alive is going to be hard enough, but I have to help those two girls. They start on the mutant tomorrow."
Kirk, Taylor, Christian and Chloe
"I assure you..." Christian began as Kirk pulled Taylor from his bike, "that if you don't help us at least get in, we will manage it ourselves. I'm sure you know that through your research all Dathrian's have atom manipulation. That alone, not including our separate abilities, would be enough to get us in."
"Objection," Taylor put in suddnely, "I have aboslutely no intent on using mine."
"Yeah, but you're a freak," Chloe chuckled.
"Bad history. Leave it," Kirk warned.
She shrugged.
Christian signalled for the man to begin walking down the street as Taylor grabbing his backpack with the fuzzles inside.
"We want to make this as quick as possible, I'm sure you understand," Christian warned.
Lance
"Please, do." Lance looked at his watch. "You have no reason to trust me, and believe me, I am ashamed that I could not help them. Ashamed that people who are menat to find ways of prolonging life seek ways to end it...damn it!" He shook his head hard, angry with himself and with the men he worked with. "They don't see anything wrong with what they're doing. Perhaps Mouse is not human, but that does not mean she has any less rights then a human. And Vulpe *is* human."
"Lance, please." Bets licked his hand. "Don't blame yourself." She looked at Taylor. "He does, you know. All his fault, according to him. Me, I blame Danjermond. The man has no heart, no heart at all."
Taylor, Kirk and Christian
Taylor took a deep breath.
"You have a very great canine, Lance," he began, looking up at the man for the first time.
"She believes you blame yourself. Don't. There are alien hunters among us as well."
"I should know," Christian mumbled, before he noticed Kirk grinning at him.
"What?!"
"Nothing."
"Please..." Taylor began, ignoring them and slowly shaking his head, "you have to help us. I can't lose her. Not now, not ever."
Kirk put a hand on his shoulder.
"Damn, if only we had a telepath here," Christian grinned, then turned to Lance again, "take us there."
Lance and Fafnir
"Bets is keeping me sane," Lance said honestly. "I can take you there, but...Bets, home, get my wallet and my lab coat." Bets took off. "I can help you get in. You'll need keycards, and codes. I can help you get pass most of the gaurds without a problem. Can you pose as students?" Now he had a chance to help, Lance's back was straightening and his eyes gleamed with determination. "The less of a fuss you cause as you come in, means the quicker you can get to them."
"This man think sneaky. I like him, I think." Fafnir grinned. "And Bets is pretty damn convincing."
Bets bounded back up and Lance took the items he'd requested from her. "Thankfully, I occasionally turn up with Bets to work. It shouldn't cause much comment." He shrugged the labcoat on and slipped his wallet in his backpocket.
Kirk, Christian, Taylor and Chloe
"We can," Christian nodded, turning to Kirk for confirmation.
He and Chloe both nodded.
"I won't... I can't," Taylor shook his head slowly, tears welling in his eyes as his whole body practically shook, "I couldn't see her, like that. I couldn't."
Kirk squeezed his shoulder.
"You would have to stay nearby," then he looked toward Lance, "is the somewhere close he could survey from? Safely? We don't need him gettin' caught."
"Don't worry Tay, I'll kill the bastards for ya," Chloe grinned.
Lance
Lance swallowed. He eyed them uneasily, now knowing what would happen if he led them in there. But he shook his head. Any chance to get those innocents out, and he would take it. And then he'd have to run...he swallowed again. They'd be after him, and people could disappear so easily in America. "Probably...let me think."
"Think I could find a place." Bets's tail wagged slowly. fafnir came over and nipped at her hindquarters. She bared her teeth at him as he danced back. "Back up, wolvie. I ain't *yours*."
"Nah, but you'll want to be." He grinned cockily and she rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please."
"That's what you'll be saying." She gave him a cold stare, and then turned her head away. He chuckled.
"You are so up yourself."
"And you're beautiful."
"You think?" Bets did the canine equivalent of fluttering her eyelashes. Lance leant down and unclipped her harness.
"Stay close, Bets."
"I ain't going nowhere, for the moment. Don't trust them, especially him or her." Bets gave Steel and Chloe an icy glare.
Taylor, Christian, Kirk and Chloe
Taylor couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"I never trusted them either, but then they came to help..." he told her in wolf, not caring if Lance heard him speak wolf now, "and Faf', at least hold the flirting until everyone's out of this safely, ok?"
"Tay man, shut up," Kirk hit him lightly on the shoulder.
"Get off me."
Kirk raised his hands and backed off a little.
After Taylor checked on the fuzzles, he pulled the backpack onto his back again and looked up expectantly.
"Guess we're walking," Chloe smiled a little, sidling up to Christian.
"Lead the way," Christian insisted, gesturing for Lance to get moving.
Lance and Fafnir
"Hey, everybody dies sometime." Fafnir shrugged, and Bets nodded in agreement.
"You take your kicks where you can find them." The two animals shared a look of complete accord. "We may die, we may not. We might as well as have some fun while we're still around."
"Well, let's go then." Lance started walking briskly, mind clicking over as how to get them inside. "You need to understand...Mouse may not be able to walk unaided. Blakesley..." He shook his head. "His experiments are unnesscarily cruel and inhumane, exploring the effects of extreme temperature on alien physiology. I managed to save her fingers from frostbite, but she has suffered extensive third degree burns on one side of her body. And yesterday, another of my *colleagues*," he said the word with contempt, "managed to convince Danjermond, the head of the department that the reactions of a Dathrian Semirellian hybrid to different drugs would make a worthy research topic."
Kirk, Christian and Taylor
Taylor gulped.
"Save it," Kirk frowned suddenly, noticing, "we don't need to hear this until we're inside."
Christian grabbed Lance's arm and pulled him ahead of the group a little - just so they were out of hearing range.
"Don't mention crap like that to the guy that looks like me," he said sternly, "in case you didn't know, Mouse is his girlfriend. They've been together for a few months, and already they've been through hell together. I'd thank you to keep your mouth shut around him, he's stressed as it is."
Lance and Fafnir
Lance looked at Christian and nodded. "As you say." Bets snarled at Christian.
"Touch him again, and I'll take your hand off at the wrist."
"You'll have to wait in line," Fafnir growled. "But we need him for now."
Taylor
"Guys? Be nice!" Taylor frowned, hearing the threats, "he's here to help. Without him we might not be here. Well we would, but we wouldn't have found what he had at the Spook's place."
He gulped a little as Christian looked back.
Fafnir and Lance
"Lance is my leader and he touches him again, I will kill him," Bets said softly but with great finality. "I personally have no stake in seeing your mate get out."
"She's my alpha, Bets."
"Hey, I'm helping aren't I?"
Lance patted Bets's head soothingly. "I'll be fine Bets. Once we get those girls out, I'll be better."
Taylor, Christian, Chloe and Kirk
"Sorry, they were threatening Christian," Taylor spoke softly.
"What?" Christian turned worriedly.
"Don't worry," Taylor shook his head, "they won't touch you as far as I'm concerned... for now."
Kirk rolled his eyes.
"We should probably introduce ourselves anyway," he sped up a little to catch up to Lance.
"Steel," he offered his hand to shake, "I'm a Dathrian/Human hybrid. These guys are Dathrian."
He looked between them.
"Should we tell him about what-?"
"Not for now," Chloe shook her head, "never know what he'd do if he knew."
"Ok. This guy here is Christian, that guy's Taylor, and that's Chloe."
Lance
Lance shook Steel's hand. "Lance Greene. Human, obviously, or I'd probably be in one of those cells myself right now. More then one of my workmates would love to see me stretched out on an operating table." A bitter grin quirked his lips. "Hell, Danjermond would like it because it would mean he'd save money. My main field is biology, but I'm interested in a wide range of fields. Working on some applications of nanotech now...but after this..." Lance shook his head. "I can't work here anymore. I would've quit the day Mouse turned up, but I needed to help somehow..."
Taylor, Kirk, Christian and Chloe
Somehow, Taylor felt his sincerity.
Chloe following, he sped up to meet the others. Then he stood in front of Lance, stopping him in his tracks. He extended his own hand.
"Taylor Hanson, actually," he admitted quietly, looking into his face with hurt eyes, "I... Mouse is my girlfriend. My life at the moment. My, my power is Tongue."
Kirk grabbed his arm.
"Tay..." he shook his head.
"It's ok," Taylor insisted with a nod.
"We don't know what he'd do if he knew you couldn't defend yourself with your power!" Kirk hissed.
"Ding..." Christian murmured, leaning over Taylor's shoulder, then grinning as he turned away.
Taylor frowned.
"I trust him, ok? Fafnir does, so I do."
Then he looked at Lance again.
"My power... it allows me to translate anything, and speak in any language. Including human and animal. That's how I understand your malamute... Mr. Greene."
Lance and Fafnir
Lance shook Taylor's hand. "Sounds fascinating...but I can almost understand Bets sometimes. I think." He smiled fondly as he looked down at his dog. "We been through a lot together."
"Got him trained, I do." Bets loked up at him adoringly. Lance petted her ears. Fafnir snickered and she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Bite me, wolf."
"I plan on doing that thing."
"Oh, go chase your tail!"
"Rather chase yours, babe."
Taylor
Taylor chuckled a little.
"Yeah, she understands you. But... these guys are flirting like mad. I hope you don't mind. Fafnir, the wolf, is Mouse's best friend. You might know she has empathy... it's mainly with animals. That's how her and I 'click' so well I guess."
He bit his lip and stood aside so they could keep walking.
"Have you seen, or heard of, fuzzles yet?"
Lance
Lance looked away, and sighed. "Heard of them? Them and the Ka'Millians are one of the main items of research at the labs. You don't want to hear about it, trust me. The wonders of scientific research...god, never imagined my career heading this way when I started." He shook his head. "Mouse is a very forgiving, speacial girl. Vulpe...she's already threatened to castrate each and every scientest who's placed one finger on Mouse."
Taylor
Taylor couldn't help but smile a little. He liked the sound of Vulpe already.
He took his backpack off one shoulder and brought it around to his front, opened it, and reached in.
"This... is Flavian. He's been my best friend for a number of years," Taylor bit his bottom lip, pulling the yellow fuzzle out.
"Flavian? Meet Lance Greene. He's going to help us rescue Mouse."
Lance and Fafnir
"Hello, Flavian." Lance smiled, and then pushed his glasses up his nose. "Well, we better get a bit of a hurry on. Danjermond likes to start early sometimes..." Bets bounded down the street ahead of them and Fafnir ran to catch her up when she turned around.
"So, let's go then!" Bets said cheerfully. "Need a bit of a run, me."
"Nah, you're perfect just the way you are," Fafnir said charmingly.
"You, sir, are a charmer. And my dam told me to never trust a wolf."
"Smart bitch, your dam then."
Lance started walking to reach the canines.
Taylor
Flavian bounced a little, but anyone could see he was nervous.
Taylor put him back inside the 'fuzzle carrier', glanced at his travelling companions, then began to follow Lance.